Chapter 3
Right, for the future...
I folded my arms and stared at the holographic panel.
I currently had 7 days' worth of fuel.
It looked plenty, but I had to spend this fuel on upgrades and modifications.
In the end, I had to gather as many mana stones as possible and keep upgrading.
So I looked for modifications that would help with hunting and mana stone gathering.
With my current fuel, there were two options.
1. [Interior Facility: Armory]
Effect: Can craft various melee and throwing weapons. Materials required.
Cost: Consumes 2 days' worth of fuel.
2. [External Module: Spikes]
Effect: Mount spikes and reinforced armor plating on the front of the train. Mana stones and items from monsters killed on impact have a certain chance of being automatically absorbed.
Cost: Consumes 5 days' worth of fuel.
No need to think about it.
The armory wasn't bad either.
But getting off one by one with a weapon in hand and smashing monster skulls was way too dangerous.
Of course, someday I'd have to get off again to find food or other supplies, and then weapons would become crucial, but for now I decided to go with spikes.
Auto-hunting is god.
I chose the second option, spikes, without hesitation.
The fuel gauge dropped in a flash, leaving me with 2 days' worth, but I didn't mind.
This was an investment.
[Approved. Beginning external module modification.]
Kugugung-! Kkigigik!
Uh...
The whole train lurched as if an earthquake had struck.
The sound of metal twisting and locking together from the front was like scratching a steel blackboard.
I covered my ears with my fingers for a moment.
A moment later, the vibrations stopped and the external camera feed appeared on the cockpit screen.
What is this? A black box?
The rusted, plain front of the train was nowhere to be seen.
In its place was a huge, jaw-like shape made of black steel.
The dozens of sharply jutting spikes looked pretty intense.
It wasn't the shape I had imagined, but... if it works, that's enough.
I figured I'd be able to check how effective it was later and went to sleep.
I hadn't meant to fall asleep.
It was because fatigue had piled up over the course of the day.
I'd fought, packed things up, and gone through all kinds of emotional swings, so once peace finally came, sleep came easily.
How many hours had I been asleep?
Grooaaaar...!
Shit! You startled me!
I snapped awake at the loud roar and looked ahead.
Shadows could be seen prowling along the tracks.
About a dozen humanoid monsters, staggering like zombies, were occupying the tracks.
The train kept approaching without slowing down.
...Ugh!
The train charged ahead boldly, and just before impact I squinted, faintly making out the view ahead.
At the moment of impact, I'd unconsciously furrowed my brow.
And then—
KWA-AAANG-!
A tremendous impact rang out, but the inside of the train remained perfectly still.
On the black-box-like screen, I could see the monsters getting sent flying cleanly like bowling pins.
More accurately, they had been shredded by the spikes.
Ding!
With a cheerful sound, a list appeared on the panel.
[Obtained 1 low-grade mana stone]
[Obtained 1 low-grade mana stone]
[Obtained a worn silver ring]
Oh...
I was amazed.
I had just been sitting there, and fuel rolled in all by itself.
The drop rate didn't seem high, but since I was mowing down a crowd of them, the mana stone yield was pretty good.
From the newly created discharge port beside the intake next to the cockpit, two mana stones
thud, thud
dropped.
I picked up the mana stones.
The investment had already paid off.
I chose well.
Seeing the mana stones gleaming in my hand made all my regret over the lost fuel disappear.
Of course, I knew the odds of that many monsters bunching up on the tracks weren't very high, but I'd already broken even.
I moved from the cockpit to the sofa and looked out the window.
The world outside looked a lot different from before.
Smoke rose between collapsed buildings, and abandoned cars lay tangled together in the streets.
Among them, it was monsters, not people, that wandered around staggering.
Seriously... everywhere...
How had the world changed so much in just one day?
To hide my unease, I turned my gaze away from the window.
Phew...
A deep breath eased my tension, and the desires I'd been suppressing began to surface.
I felt gross.
My body, caked in dust and sweat, was unbearably unpleasant.
On top of that, there were practical problems beyond the simple urge to wash.
The shirt and pants I was wearing didn't fit, and my shoulders kept slipping down.
The shoes were so loose I could barely walk in them.
Come to think of it, I might be able to make a bathroom and clothes through customization too—
Haah... buy it. Just buy it.
In the end, I opened the system shop.
With these loose shoes, running away wouldn't be easy either.
A bathroom was also a necessary investment for hygiene.
Luckily, the price was low.
With 2 days' worth of fuel, I could buy a top-quality bathroom, clothes, and shoes set and still have change left over.
[Purchase complete.]
[Bathroom is being installed.]
There it is.
A small compartment appeared in the rear corner of the train, and when I opened it, a bathroom with pristine white tiles, the kind you'd only see in a hotel, was revealed.
It wasn't spacious, but it was enough.
I grabbed the shampoo and body wash I'd looted from the convenience store, along with the women's clothes and underwear set I'd ordered through the system, and went into the bathroom.
Shaaahhhh—
When I turned on the shower, warm water poured out.
Through the rising steam, I could see the mirror, but I deliberately looked away.
I still didn't have the courage to face the me I had become.
I stripped off my clothes and stood under the shower.
Warm water streamed from head to toe.
My hair, soaked with water, hung heavy and covered my neck.
That sensation was unfamiliar too.
...
I squeezed my eyes shut.
The feel of the skin under my palm was so strange.
My rough body was gone, and only endlessly soft, delicate curves brushed my fingertips.
For some reason, I felt guilty.
'This is my body, after all...'
Even while repeating that to myself, my hands didn't stop lathering soap and washing my body.
Washing this unfamiliar body with my hands brought on an odd sense of depravity.
...Agh!
I hurriedly finished showering, as if running away.
I dried off and put on the clothes the system had provided.
A gray tracksuit and sneakers that fit my body perfectly, even though I had just ordered them.
Once I came out of the bathroom, a faint shampoo scent lingered in the air.
I flopped down in the cockpit seat and dried my wet hair with a towel.
I feel a little more alive now.
I rested my chin on my hand and looked out the window.
A clean body, plenty of food, fuel that accumulated on its own.
My train was only just beginning to become comfortable.
But the situation outside was only getting worse—
Ding.
Then a notification sounded inside the quiet train.
Huh?
When I checked my smartphone, a site had sent me a notification.
As if under a spell, I went into the internet site that had sent the notification.
[Survivor Gallery]
Most portal sites and social media were dead, but this gallery was miraculously still alive.
According to the notice, an Awakened named Signal seemed to be keeping the server running with their skill.
I saw that there seemed to be people who had awakened various skills, just like me.
So they're called Awakened...
I dried my wet hair with a towel and quickly skimmed the posts that were popping up.
---
[Title: I'll organize the current situation by region (must-read)]
Gangnam / Yeouido: The military and Awakened are setting up barricades and keeping things under control. It's safe enough, but the wait to get in is long. Awakened get preferential treatment.
Some parts of northern Seoul: Hell gate open. Monster numbers are insane. Don't go.
Gyeonggi area: Skirmishes are happening here and there. Not under control yet. I heard the area around the airport is relatively safe. Not sure though.
Leave comments for other regions.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ : Hey, I'm an Awakened—if I go to Yeouido, do they feed me?
ㄴ Mapo District Watchman : If your skill is verified, you'll be treated well. But you might get drafted too.
ㄴ Survivor1 : I shouted 'status window' and still don't have a skill, what do I do?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : You don't have one?
ㄴ Survivor1 : At least include a subject;
ㄴ Mapo District Watchman : Seems like you can get one if you hunt monsters...
Incheon31M : There are tons of monsters in Incheon; everyone evacuated to the airport.
--
Survivors, huh...
I turned off the screen and rested my chin on my hand.
It seemed that some parts of central Seoul were already under control.
If the military and Awakened teamed up to build a defensive line, it'd be safe enough, but the rules would probably be strict too.
If I showed up in Seoul with this huge, flashy train?
'There'd definitely be trouble.'
The Awakened might pick a fight with me, or the military might drag me around.
That sounds like a pain...
I was just an ordinary civilian.
I had no interest in playing hero or fighting over territory.
I just wanted to wash with warm water and eat delicious food while surviving safely through this apocalypse.
At least, for now.
I'll pass on Seoul.
I manipulated the cockpit panel and brought up the map.
Past the tangled rail network of Seoul, I shifted my gaze to the outskirts.
Avoiding crowded, complicated Seoul... yeah, Incheon is better.
Incheon.
It was adjacent to the sea and had an airport and a port, so it was a place with plenty of supplies.
More importantly, it supposedly had quite a few monsters too, so it was perfect for farming mana stones by roadkill.
[Route set: Seoul outer loop -> Incheon (Incheon Line 1 loop after arrival) ]
[Estimated travel time: 4 hours 30 minutes]
It's a bit of a trip, huh?
It didn't matter.
I just had to move slowly and carefully, checking the surroundings as I went.
Kuuuuung-
When I pulled the lever, the train changed tracks with a heavy rumble.
Now then, while we're on the way to Incheon...
I popped open a can of beer I'd taken from the convenience store and took a sip.
As the bitter carbonation slid down my throat, all my tension melted away.
Should I download some variety shows I missed and watch them... ah, right, no internet...
I let out a soft chuckle and leaned back in my seat.
The train moved smoothly across the tracks without a single jolt.
I decided to finish reading the gallery and then go to sleep.
By the time we got to Incheon, I hoped the mana stones would be nicely full.