Chapter 8
There it is.
When I headed for the coordinates the drone had marked, I found something sitting alone among the partially collapsed buildings.
Even from far away, it was radiating an unusual aura.
...A vending machine?
It was a vending machine.
But it wasn't the kind of vending machine people normally imagine.
It was plated all over in gold, and inside the glass, books, stones, and strange boxes were displayed instead of drinks.
Standing before the golden vending machine, I could even feel an intimidating pressure.
I read the items and the text inside the thick tempered glass.
[Skill Book: Fireball] - $500
[Unknown Map Fragment] - $150
[Refined Mana Stone] - $30
[Random Box] - $100
A skill book... Fireball, huh.
One skill book cost $500.
It was the most expensive thing in the vending machine.
But that probably meant it was worth that much.
I swallowed hard and looked over the bottom of the vending machine.
There was no slot to insert money. Instead, a button labeled Exchange/Sell was blinking.
When I pressed the button, a tray slid out from the bottom of the vending machine.
There was small text written on the tray.
[Please place the item you wish to exchange.]
[The item will be converted into credits ($) according to its value.]
So that's how it works, huh?
As a test, I placed a fist-sized chunk of concrete that was rolling around at my feet onto the tray.
The tray slid back in and out for a moment, and then a red message appeared on the vending machine.
[Value: $0]
[System: We do not accept trash.]
Harsh.
So it didn't accept just anything after all.
Then what about this?
I took out the low-grade health potion I had gotten from the old treasure chest and carefully placed it on the tray.
When the glass bottle filled with red liquid was set on the tray, a sound rang out.
Ding-
[Value: $50]
Oh... 50 credits?
It was worth more than I expected.
Considering the refined mana stones on display were priced at around 30, that meant one potion could buy nearly two mana stones.
I didn't know how much fuel a refined mana stone would provide, but judging by its size and color, it seemed rarer than a low-grade mana stone.
It was a telling sign of just how highly recovery items were prized in this world.
[Would you like to sell it? (Y/N)]
No, cancel.
I hurriedly pressed the [N] button and took the potion back.
The mana stones were tempting, but I couldn't sell something that was basically my lifeline.
Maybe later, if I really needed that skill book or those mana stones, or if I ended up with extra potions, I might sell them then
I also wanted to know how much the other items were worth.
For example, how much would a lowest-grade mana stone go for?
Still, I got some valuable information.
I took out my smartphone and photographed the vending machine, the price list, and the potion’s buyback price.
It would be a waste to keep this information to myself.
And if I shared this info, other survivors might find vending machines in other regions later and share the locations and market prices they found too.
---
Title: (Info) Found a golden vending machine, sharing how to use it.
Author: Choo-Choo
(Photo)
Found this kind of vending machine near the Incheon industrial complex.
There's no money slot; you place items on this tray to exchange or sell them.
I tossed in a random rock nearby and got $0, lol, and got told off for it. When I put up the low-grade potion I got last time, it gave me $50.
It also buys skill books and mana stones, so look around for vending machines nearby.
---
The moment I hit the post button, comment notifications started going off, but I put my phone in my pocket without checking them.
Well, I'm done here, so let's head home.
The sun was setting.
Night is dangerous. Your field of vision is limited.
Chiiik-
Night was scary, but my reliable home—the train—was waiting for me.
As soon as I got on the train and closed the door, a cozy warmth enveloped me.
I'm back, Donggeul.
I went to Car 2 and looked at Donggeul.
Hm, it was still round no matter when I looked.
Should I spend some money?
I leaned on one leg and looked happily at the pile of mana stones stacked in one corner of Car 2.
Up until now, I'd invested mostly in auto-hunting and modifications for survival; now it was time to improve my quality of life.
My stomach had started acting up.
It was the result of eating instant food and cup ramen too often.
Half curious, half excited, I opened the train's Life / Convenience tab.
In truth, I'd mostly avoided this tab because I thought it would be a waste of mana stones.
Maybe that was why there were quite a few things here that could improve quality of life.
[Purchase: High-end Kitchen Utensil Set]
[Purchase: Solo Living Cookbook]
[Purchase: External Noise Blocking and Soundproofing Installation]
[Purchase: One-Way Window Tinting]
Phew...
The moment the fuel oxidized into light, the interior of the train began changing in real time.
First, the kitchen gained gleaming stainless-steel pots, a sharp knife set, and a clean cutting board.
And what I liked most was the sound.
It was quiet.
The mechanical sounds from the drones in Car 2's armory, the humming motor noise from the drone hangar on the roof, and even the wind outside.
They were perfectly blocked out, as if I were wearing noise-canceling earbuds.
Wow... now this feels a little more livable.
Actually, the drones were efficient and a real moneymaker, but the sound they made—like a swarm of hornets moving together—had been a bit annoying. At last, peace had arrived.
The windows now had special tinting that made it impossible to see inside from the outside.
Now I didn't even need to worry about someone seeing me from outside.
And as for the Solo Living Cookbook—
Then, shall I start?
I took out the Spam and kimchi I'd snagged from the convenience store, along with the onion the drone had picked up earlier.
The drone had also been part of the reason I bought the cookbook in the first place.
Sometimes it even brings back vegetables like this.
No matter where it got them from, the vegetables were usually pretty fresh when it brought them back.
At this point, I wanted to try making something simple.
I went straight for kimchi stew.
The bubbling smell of kimchi stew filled the train.
It was the smell of home cooking, something I'd smelled for the first time in ages.
Thanks for the meal.
It tasted fine.
It was impossible to mess up.
I ate my fill and slept like a log in a comfortable bed, with not a single sound around me.
When I woke up, morning sunlight was softly streaming through the window.
If I wanted to enjoy a little more sunlight, I could just go to Car 2.
I felt refreshed.
Stretching, I picked up my smartphone out of habit.
I was planning to lurk and see what had happened in the Survivor Gallery overnight.
Let's see... monster...
My finger paused as I scrolled down.
The view counts weren't high, but a few posts with oddly attention-grabbing titles caught my eye.
---
[Title: Hey, did you guys see a subway running in Incheon?]
I was passing by the Incheon tracks earlier and saw a subway? train? Anyway, something going along the rails.
I thought I might've seen wrong, so I looked again, and there really was this super short train-like thing moving along slowly?
It was so weird I just stood there staring. At first I thought about chasing after it to check.
There was some creepy spike-like thing attached to the front of the train.
I figured it might be a monster or something, so I bolted.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ : Weren't you seeing things?
ㄴ Author: It's real, I'll bet on it.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : No subject, but I get what you're betting on;
ㅇㅇ : Drones or something were going into the train. Is it a train operated by the military or something?
---
....
I swallowed hard.
Come to think of it, since it was openly running on the tracks, it was only a matter of time before someone found it.
Worse, people were even thinking my train had something to do with the military or monsters.
For now, the view count is low...
It seemed like people were still treating it as just 'there's apparently something like that.'
I also worried about what would happen if someone came near the train later.
I should be careful.
I looked out the window.
Whirr- clack.
Just then, I heard the drone that had gone out on reconnaissance returning from the drone hangar on the ceiling.
Suddenly, curiosity got the better of me.
This drone seemed to understand me better than I expected.
Come here.
Whirr.
Sure enough, it understood me and came over.
I took out a lowest-grade mana stone from beside the cockpit.
It was a mana stone I'd gotten from the drone.
Can you take this, put it into the vending machine, and check how much it's worth?
Whirr.
The drone bobbed its body up and down in agreement.
It really understands me?
I placed the mana stone in the drone's claw and gave it launch orders.
I didn't want it to go too far, so I turned the train toward the vending machine as well.
Then I brought up the cockpit screen and observed the drone's perspective in real time.
Swoooosh-
The scenery on the screen rushed by quickly.
At considerable speed, the drone crossed the complex and arrived at the place where the golden vending machine was.
But then.
There was something blocking the front of the vending machine.
It was a two-headed snake as thick as an adult's forearm.
It had taken up position in front of the vending machine and was flicking its tongue.
Hm... what a hassle.
Just as I was about to order the drone to withdraw to keep it safe,
the drone's lower lens lit up red,
Zzzzt-!
A thin red laser beam shot out and pierced precisely between the snake's two heads.
Kieeek!
The snake collapsed to the ground without even managing a proper scream.
It felt like the smell of burning flesh was coming through the screen.
...You can fight too?
I thought it was just for reconnaissance, but it must also be equipped with self-defense weapons.
At that level of accuracy, it could probably handle most small monsters on its own, couldn't it?
Could it be that the mana stones and items it kept bringing back from somewhere were—
Once the situation was sorted out, the drone calmly placed the mana stone on the vending machine tray.
Ding-
A moment later, numbers appeared on the screen.
[Item: Lowest-Grade Mana Stone]
[Value: $2]
...2 credits?
I made a weird face.
A lowest-grade mana stone was 2 credits.
Of course, every little bit adds up, but once I did the math, the answer was obvious.
I'd have to gather 250 lowest-grade mana stones to get the Fireball skill?
If I used just one of those mana stones as fuel?
I could run this huge train for eight days, heat water, turn on the air conditioner, and even power the spikes that shred monsters to pieces.
And if I sold it?
That's a waste.
The cost-benefit ratio was absurdly bad.
The vending machine should only be used later to deal with junk items; it wasn't a place to sell precious fuel like mana stones.
...I guess that's true.
Suddenly, the scenery outside the window caught my eye.
Out there, other survivors...
Since they didn't have a train, that vending machine might be the only place for them to spend their mana stones.
I suddenly felt grateful to the train.
Even if it had taken something precious from me.