Chapter 13
Cute.
I sat in the Car 2 storage room, unfolded the child's drawing and letter, and pinned them to the wall.
They were from two different children: one from the kid who had traded water, and the other from the kid who had received medicine.
A drawing of a stick figure standing on top of a black train.
Of course, it didn't look exactly like my real train or me, but for a drawing made from nothing but a nickname, it was pretty good.
I had originally planned to charge a high price, but how could I do that after reading messages like 'My child can't breathe'?
I just cheerfully gave away the medicine requested by sick people.
Besides, I'd already looted an entire pharmacy, so I had more than enough stock.
Then it happened.
A notification icon of a different color than usual flashed at the top of my smartphone.
It seemed a whisper had arrived.
"Huh? It had this feature too?"
I hadn't known this site even had a whisper function.
Curious, I opened the inbox.
---
"Sender: Seocho-dong Lawyer Kim"
"Would you mind if we talked for a moment?"
"I am currently the legal advisor for the Seocho-dong Survivor Alliance."
"The quantity of supplies you are dealing with appears to be beyond what an individual can personally possess."
"Would it be possible for your organization and our alliance to form a formal partnership?"
"Reply: No."
---
"Sender: ㅇㅇ"
"Keep the market price, you bastards. I'm coming for you."
"Reply: Come at me."
"What a bunch of weirdos..."
Every one of the messages was either vicious or serious.
Most of them didn't think I was alone.
They had started to suspect things after seeing the enormous amount of supplies I had posted.
'Come to think of it, an ordinary survivor would have trouble even filling one backpack.'
I moved to the gallery search bar.
On a whim, I searched my nickname, and there were occasional mentions of discussions about my identity.
Here too, they seemed to think I belonged to some kind of organization.
But after thinking it over, this misunderstanding wasn't a bad thing.
'If they knew I was on my own, there'd just be more idiots picking fights.'
Pretending I had some backing would probably help more.
I decided not to bother correcting them.
"Fine, imagine whatever you want."
I sat on the sofa and happily looked over the intermediate mana stones and information I'd traded on the exchange.
I had practically given away the water and medicine for free, but the other items fetched a proper price.
Cigarettes and alcohol were especially worth whatever price I named.
[Trade Complete : Marlboro Red 1 carton <-> 1 low-grade mana stone]
[Trade Complete : Alcohol <-> Vending machine location information]
[Trade Complete : 1 box of instant coffee mix <-> 3 lowest-grade mana stones]
"This is pretty good."
Mana stones were nice, but the real haul was information.
The survivors traded information like vending machine locations, dungeon entrances, and monster weaknesses that each of them had discovered.
Thanks to that, the information piled up neatly.
"All right, then the sorting is about done..."
I called the drones and was about to move the settled goods into the Car 2 storage room.
Ding-!
Then my smartphone screen lit up brightly.
It was another whisper.
"Ugh, what a pain."
My finger hesitated just as I was about to turn off the screen and ignore it.
The icon in the notification window didn't belong to an ordinary user.
[Signal]
"Huh...?"
An orange icon.
It was the very administrator who created this gallery and announced the update.
"Why is the admin messaging me?"
Puzzled, I opened the message window.
But what was written there was completely beyond my expectations.
---
"Sender: Signal"
"Would it be possible to request a separate trade?"
---
"...What is this about?"
It felt like I'd been smacked on the back of the head.
The owner of this gallery was asking me for help.
First, I asked what was going on.
---
"Actually, I had to sacrifice something in exchange for obtaining this skill."
"Because of that, I can't go outside while the morning sun is up."
---
"...Did you become a vampire or something?"
I rested my chin on my hand and kept reading the message.
The rule that a skill with tremendous power comes with an equally huge penalty.
I understood that well.
Because I'd experienced it myself.
"That is a pretty big penalty."
Being unable to operate during the day is a fatal weakness when it comes to survival.
[So I have to move only at night, but as you know, the dark is far too dangerous in this world right now.]
[If possible, I'd like to trade separately for a portable flashlight, a weapon, and armor to protect myself.]
They must have been paying close attention to the equipment I'd posted.
Well, unlike ordinary items, they were equipment with special abilities.
And in fact, I could even make more special equipment through the armory.
As long as they offered something of equal value.
But I couldn't give it away for nothing.
Just as I was about to write a reply, the other side made the first move.
[I'll give you the credit exchange voucher I have.]
[It's a voucher that can be used in vending machines.]
"A credit exchange voucher...?"
[Actually, since the exchange function was activated, every time users trade, a small amount of credit is accumulated to me as a fee.]
[I can convert that into vouchers.]
"Wow... this is basically a system where you make money just by sitting around, isn't it?"
I was impressed.
Doesn't that mean credit just piles up while you do nothing?
"I guess I am too."
Mana stones and items keep piling up for me even when I just sit still.
I sent a reply.
[Yes, let's trade.]
[Do you have a preferred weapon?]
I asked while standing in front of the armory.
If they had a preferred weapon type, I was planning to make that.
A moment later, a reply came.
[Actually, I'm not very strong, so I don't think I can carry anything heavy. If possible, I'd like something like a fast, light dagger.]
"A dagger—that's in the crafting blueprint."
It required iron, leather, or fiber.
For reference, I could also craft armor, and that too required leather or fiber.
"All right, decided."
I returned to the cockpit and unfolded the map.
Leather or fiber, and materials from monsters that looked sturdy.
I needed a dungeon where I could get those things.
"Check what kinds of monsters appear in the nearby dungeons."
The drones flew out and began scouting the dungeons one by one.
It really drove home how many dungeons there were now.
There were several just around the tracks.
Then one drone entered a dungeon and sent me a signal.
Looking at the screen from the dungeon it recommended, I saw insects.
"A spider... I see."
At first I wondered why it had signaled this dungeon of all things.
But maybe spider silk could be used as a material instead of fiber.
Though fighting gigantic insects—
"Ugh..."
I didn't like the sound of that.
More than its strength, what bothered me was the insect's movement, even through the screen.
But well, I had drones.
"All right, decided."
I returned to the cockpit and immediately drove the train to the coordinates.
***
Screeeech-
The train stopped at the entrance to a gloomy underground tunnel.
Sticky slime and web-like strands were strewn all over the entrance.
I harvested some of it and took it to the armory first.
There wasn't much of it, but it was definitely being treated as proper material.
"All right, go in first and clear the place out."
I said solemnly as I grabbed the tooth mace.
For ordinary mobs, the drones alone would be enough, but there was a high chance I'd have to deal with the boss myself.
Step, step.
As I entered the tunnel, a damp air and a fishy stench assaulted my nose.
The huge shadow hanging from the ceiling twitched.
Thud!
"Ow!"
I gasped and stumbled backward.
A spider with two or three bullet holes in its head fell from the web.
If you looked closely, you could see mana stones and corpses on the verge of turning to smoke in every corner of the dungeon.
It looked like the drones had gone ahead and diligently hunted everything down.
As I continued along the path, I saw drones and monsters.
"Kieeeek!"
Three or four of them dropped from the ceiling at once.
They were spiders the size of adult men.
Pupuk-! Puk!
The combat drones precisely struck their joints.
When the spiders lost their balance and rolled around on the floor, I stepped in.
"Ugh!"
Crunch!
I advanced, cleanly smashing only their heads with the mace.
I could have left it to the combat drones, but the way they kept twitching was creepy, so I put them out of their misery as quickly as possible.
The fight was bland, but the haul was good.
I found lowest-grade mana stones and teeth that looked like venom fangs.
"Nice."
A little farther on, a large space that looked suspicious at a glance appeared.
The moment I stepped inside, I looked up at the ceiling first.
Given the way the spider monsters had been appearing so far—
Kieeeek-!
With a screech that seemed ready to tear my eardrums apart, a house-sized shadow dropped out of the darkness.
It was covered in hair all over its body like a tarantula.
Its mouth had sickle-like teeth that looked strong enough to split a person's waist in two at once.
"Drones!"
I didn't back down despite its overwhelming presence.
Honestly, I was scared, but I wasn't alone.
Whir-!
The recon drone blasted a powerful flash right in front of its face.
"Kiek?!"
The sudden, intense light made it stagger and flail its front legs.
It made a wiping motion with its front legs, as if washing its face.
Taking advantage of the opening, the combat drones unleashed a hail of bullets at its knee joints.
Thud-!
"Kirik! Kiriik!"
As the bullets dug into its joints, its sturdy-looking legs buckled helplessly.
Before it could even regain its stance, I had already kicked off the floor and was airborne.
I drew back the tooth mace in my hand far behind me.
"Aaaah!"
I swung the mace down while nearly screaming.
Crack-! Thwack!
The dull impact echoed through the cave.
My strike caved in its hard head completely.
"Ugh..."
I had screamed just from imagining this scene.
Thud-!
The battle ended in less than 10 seconds.
The drones tie up the legs, and I smash the head.
Simple, but powerful tactics.