Cardboard boxes collapsed in on themselves, their contents rotten or stolen. Glass jars sat cracked, labels faded, the smell of sour rot wafting up. Sid stopped, holding the Prango tube in one hand and grimacing.
"Yeah, called it. Place looks like someone rage-quit mid-grocery run. Guess it makes sense… Years of dust and rats. Of course everything's wrecked. But… come on. Not even one decent can?"
He knelt and pried open a rusted tin, only for the mush inside to ooze black and foul. He gagged and dropped it, wiping his hands on his pants.
"This is garbage. Literal garbage. Who designed this? Who makes a tutorial where the loot table is ninety-nine percent trash? At this point I'd trade all my streamer donations for one working can of soup."
His wandering stretched on for nearly an hour. Sid wandered the aisles, shoving aside ruined boxes and broken jars, muttering louder each time. He tried to scan labels, shake cans, even pry lids, but nothing passed the system's filter. As much as he wanted to claim it the instant loot is not working.
"Ugh… I thought looting this junk would count as essentials, but no."
Sid dragged his hands through his hair, pacing in front of the shelves. His voice cracked with frustration.
"I can't even loot right. This system is mocking me! What kind of survival game is this when I can't hack it, can't cheese it, can't speedrun it? Just trash, trash, and more trash. And I'm not a mom who knows where everything is stocked! Back home, I barely bought food, fans sent me meals, or I just lived off delivery. Now look at me. One hour into apocalypse shopping and I'm losing my mind."
He kicked at the floor, slumping down against the shelf with the empty Prango tube in his lap. His stomach growled, and for once, he didn't even joke about it. His voice came out low, tired.
"This isn't fun anymore. I just wanted to get through the tutorial. But I can't even do groceries. That's… pathetic. I can't…"
The system chimed.
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED!]
[Skill Unlocked: LootSense (Passive)]
[Description: Valuable objects will now stand out instinctively to you, appearing as glowing outlines. Hidden, rare, or useful items will pop visually to your perception.]
Sid blinked up at the glowing notification, his mouth hanging open. Then he burst out laughing, slapping the Prango tube against his forehead.
"You're kidding me. The game actually felt sorry for me. I complained so hard it unlocked a pity skill. Oh my god, I'm a charity case now. But… hey, I'll take it. LootSense, baby. Time to let the RNG gods shine for real."
He pushed himself back up, eyes scanning the aisles eagerly, waiting for the first glow to appear. Sid's eyes widened as his vision shifted. The dark aisles lit up with sparks of white, little flares dancing across his view like someone had sprinkled stardust into reality.
Every outline glowed faintly, pulsing just enough to grab his attention. He let out a long whistle, turning in a slow circle.
"Ohhh, now we're talking. This is like cheat codes… LootSense, activate. My eyes are officially wallhacks."
On the far corner of the aisle, a strong white spark pulsed against a dented can sitting crooked on the shelf. Sid gasped, grabbing the cart's handle and sprinting down the aisle like it was a finish line. His shoes squeaked, the wheels clattered, and he slammed the cart to a halt, flashlight jerking as he aimed at the treasure. The beam revealed the label clearly.
"…Dog food."
He stared. Blinked. Then his face twisted.
"Are. You. F**king. Kidding. Me!? The first shiny loot my god-tier skill reveals… is puppy chow? This game hates me. It actually hates me."
With a loud groan, he snatched the can and hurled it across the aisle. It clanged against the floor and rolled under a rack. Sid flopped down on the tiles, dragging his hands over his face, whining like a child.
"Why, LootSense? Why betray me like this? You were supposed to be my miracle, not my punishment."
As he lay sulking, his eyes caught something under the lowest shelf. Thin white sparks flickered there too. He froze, then tilted his head lower.
"Wait… More loot?"
He pressed his cheek to the dirty floor, peering under the shelving. The glow multiplied, faint outlines of cans and containers, tucked out of sight. He sat up so fast he hit his head on the shelf, then scrambled onto his knees to look closer. His face lit up with sudden energy.
"Oh my god. This is it. For real. I'm an idiot for crying so soon."
Sid jumped to his feet, brushing dust off his hoodie. He glanced at the discarded can of dog food and flipped it off with his middle finger.
"Yeah, screw you, Kibble Surprise. Not today."
He sprinted toward the glowing outlines, weaving between shelves. One by one, he pulled out items that shimmered in his vision. The system chimed each time.
[Tomato Soup x1 acquired.]
[Instant Oats x1 acquired.]
[Canned Tuna x1 acquired.]
[Beef Jerky x1 acquired.]
[Canned Beans x1 acquired.]
[Energy Bar x1 acquired.]
Sid piled them into his cart, grinning like a thief who had finally cracked the vault. He turned, scanning again, when something else caught his eye. Not white sparks this time, but gold. A radiant golden flare pulsed at the very top of the shelving unit, burning bright like a mini sun. His jaw dropped.
"No freaking way. Is that… is that an RNGESUS drop?!"
He sprinted over, neck craned, bouncing on his toes as if that would make him taller. At one-eighty-five centimeters, he still came up short. He reached, stretched, even jumped, but his fingertips barely brushed the edge. He scowled.
"Really? You're going to do me dirty like this? I unlock a god-skill and you put the treasure in the skybox?"
He dragged his cart closer, locked the wheels, and climbed onto it. The metal rattled dangerously, but he kept his balance, arms stretching high. With one last lunge, he snatched the glowing outline into his hands and nearly toppled. He landed hard on his feet, staring at the golden canister like he had just pulled Excalibur from stone.
"Holy… peanut butter."