Chapter 50
My senses disappeared, then quickly returned. When I opened my eyes, the familiar motel came into view.
…….
It looked exactly like the first shelter.
Everything was perfectly identical, from the door's location to the interior furnishings and even the smallest knickknack.
The only difference was that the blanket on the bed was rumpled, as though someone had used it.
…That was only natural, actually.
The shelter was a subspace bound to each player and did not reset until the player died.
In other words, the rumpled blanket meant that I was the one who had done it in the first shelter. The biscuit wrapper in the trash can beside it was the same.
Of course, tidying up and cleaning could be handled with the press of a button.
'The downside is that it costs money.'
[Would you like to use 10 points to tidy up your shelter?]
Since the price was by no means cheap, no one used that function early on. Only a few people with little grasp of reality wasted money recklessly without worrying about such things.
Anyway, as soon as I realized I'd returned to the shelter and casually set my luggage down on the floor, notifications appeared one after another before my eyes.
[You have successfully completed the first trial.]
[A reward will be granted.]
[You have obtained 200 points.]
That was twice the reward from the tutorial.
[You have been granted 2,000 points as your initial funds.]
The initial funds had doubled as well.
People would be shocked out of their wits if they saw this.
It was clear that returning to the shelter earned me special treatment as a Resident. It was another moment that made me keenly aware of just how high a Resident's status was.
[There are 2,001,092,524 survivors of the first trial.]
I stared silently into the empty air.
'There are no surprises in the number of survivors.'
The trailing digits might have changed a little, but the leading figure of 2 billion was the same as before.
Since we're latecomers, even if all the remaining players survived and made it through, there wouldn't be a dramatic change.
[From this point on, you may proceed to the next area at any time. Conserve your strength and make thorough preparations before undertaking the trial. We wish you success.]
And so, half of humanity had disappeared, while those left were awaiting the next trial.
'The future is still dark, and nothing has changed.'
Yet there was one thing that had changed.
Me.
The changes originating with me were subtle for now, but they would grow like leaven and eventually shake the entire Selection Process.
Unlike in my first run, many people would survive, and as a result, they would even breeze through the final trial.
'I will make sure of it.'
Of course, there was one thing about that which bothered me.
-I don't like it. I don't like that you're a Resident participating in the Selection Process.
If I disturbed the game board, the Administrator might intervene again.
The one reassuring thing was that even a goddess didn't seem able to interfere in the trials arbitrarily, but that didn't change the fact that she could become a variable.
'What should I do?'
That was why I found myself worrying.
It seemed certain she'd intervene if I escalated matters.
'Hmm.'
After pondering for only a moment, I soon shook it off.
"It bothers me, but let's not think about it for now."
The trials weren't easy enough for me to factor in uncertain possibilities while pressing forward. If I tried to adjust things halfway, I might end up accomplishing nothing at all.
'So I'll roll the snowball of growth relentlessly, just as I originally planned.'
Then I'll clear the final trial with my people.
Yes, that was the best I could do.
I took a deep breath and reaffirmed the plan I'd made. My slightly unsettled mind calmed down.
'All right, shall I go wash up?'
That was when I was about to take off my clothes and get ready to go out.
[You can now upgrade your shelter!]
"?"
A notification I'd never seen before popped into view, as if showing off.
'Upgrade the shelter?'
***
The shelter was an important system in the Selection Process.
It was a truly personal domain, provided to everyone without discrimination and impossible for anyone else to invade.
It was a perfect place where one's safety was guaranteed; even a murderer who killed people as casually as eating was perfectly protected inside their own shelter.
'The downside is that it's only about eight pyeong.'
Everything about it was good, but the cramped space was a problem.
Why was that a problem?
'People instinctively want to have a nice home and show it off to others. Once they start a family, that desire grows even stronger.'
Yet even after overcoming countless trials, growing stronger, and rising to success, an individual's shelter still remained a space of only about eight pyeong.
'By then, eight pyeong is far too small.'
From that point on, the shelter became nothing more than a room rather than a home.
You earned hundreds of times more money than you used to, yet you were stuck living in a tiny house, and that did not sit well.
And even aside from such personal desires, once people formed parties and those parties grew, they often transformed into guilds.
'The important thing in a guild is unity.'
Yet eight pyeong was far too cramped to foster unity.
For those reasons, people left their shelters in search of new homes.
Whether to show off to others, start a family after forming a sexual bond, or ensure the well-being and growth of an organization.
It was an inevitable progression, and sooner or later I, too, would naturally be swept along by it, but….
[You can now upgrade your shelter!]
I stared blankly at the notification blinking before my eyes.
"You can upgrade your house?"
Something that had been impossible for everyone else was now supposedly possible for me. Yet my reaction was lukewarm.
'Eh, what's the point of upgrading the house? I won't do it.'
Even the current eight pyeong was enough for me to live alone.
And later, when enough people had gathered and we needed a place to build unity, it would be better to save more money and buy a building outside.
The floor area alone would be on another level.
As I was thinking that, another notification appeared with a chime.
[As a Resident privilege, your first upgrade will be free!]
"……."
…Was it reading my thoughts?
[Would you like to try it right now?]
Blink, blink.
It felt a little unsettling…. No, very unsettling, but I wasn't so haughty that I would refuse something free, so I promptly pressed confirm.
Several options popped out.
[Indoor Expansion]
[Outdoor Expansion]
[Theme Change]
[Add Interior Furnishings]
It had said that all the first upgrades would be free. So I tried the one at the very top first.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
"Wh-what?"
The motel room suddenly began to shake violently. The walls retreated, and the space expanded rapidly.
[Indoor Expansion is complete.]
And when the shelter was finally complete, the interior remained the same and its overall appearance was unchanged, but the space had become incredibly large.
It felt as though it had nearly doubled in size.
When I went to the bathroom, it had grown about threefold, enough to fit two bathtubs.
"Oh, uh. It is nice having more space…?"
I pressed the next one right away.
When I selected [Outdoor Expansion], an entrance appeared by the window and a balcony formed. Manipulating [Theme Change] completely transformed the interior and exterior.
Outside, I could see a vast lake and snow-covered mountains beyond it, while the somewhat gloomy, dark motel atmosphere inside brightened into something like a resort hotel.
'I can't go beyond the balcony?'
As if blocked by an invisible barrier, I couldn't cross the balcony and reach the lakeshore. However, I could fully feel the cool breeze and distinctive scent of the lakeshore from the balcony.
'At this point, this is better than buying a building in the shelter.'
Being able to relax while enjoying the open view and cool breeze was one thing, but I had never imagined construction could be completed in an instant like this.
Normally, after buying a building, you had to do all the wallpapering and tiling by hand.
There were even people who made a living doing that professionally.
'Let's see. Then all that's left is [Add Interior Furnishings].'
When I pressed it, a list unfurled.
Several items sparkled as though they were recommendations. One of them caught my eye.
[Fresh Core : Makes all equipment clean as new.]
'It can do laundry?'
I wouldn't have to hand-wash everything one by one?
My hand moved immediately.
There was no reason to choose anything else.
After going through one trial, I would be drenched in sweat…. Well, sweat was manageable. But if I got covered in monster fluids, washing them out was a chore in itself.
It was especially troublesome having to maintain leather clothes, armor, and weapons by hand, one at a time.
'But this cleans them automatically, as good as new?'
I selected it at once. A huge wardrobe-like machine appeared in one corner. I put the equipment I was wearing inside and activated the machine, and the lamp turned red before changing to green.
It took less than three seconds.
"Wow, is this for real."
When I took the items out, they were not only clean as new but gleaming. The underwear I had put in with them was the same.
'This function isn't bad. Should I try upgrading some of the other recommended furnishings too?'
I examined them with high expectations, but-
[Would you like to spend 1,000 points to add <Multipurpose Door>?]
[Spend 1,200 points to add….]
[2,000 points to….]
"……."
I had nothing to say.
The cheapest recommended furnishing cost 1,000 points. Considering the first trial reward was 200 points, it was an outrageous price.
It was even after the 50% discount from my Resident privilege. Normally, it would have required 2,000 points.
'This is the most ridiculous waste of money I've ever seen.'
I shook my head vigorously and stood up. Since my equipment maintenance was finished, I planned to wash up and head out before I was late.
The appointed time was already drawing near.
***
When I stepped out into the street, the sun was already sinking toward the western horizon.
'4:49. I still have about ten minutes, I guess.'
Even so, it seemed to need more time before the sun fully set, as no reddish glow had appeared yet.
It was still before twilight settled in. Thanks to that, the street was still as bright as broad daylight, and I could clearly take in the surroundings.
I looked around the street and nodded.
'Now it finally feels like things are getting serious.'
The streets were wider than before, more buildings had appeared, and there were more people as well.
Naturally. Before, everyone had gathered in a single neighborhood of Seoul, whereas now they had probably gathered across an entire district.
In this way, participants gradually gathered in one place and underwent the trials together.
'That aside, the atmosphere is definitely different from the first shelter.'
The roads were filthy, and the atmosphere was menacing.
Before, the streets had been clean, but now spittle that people had hawked here and there rolled around, and some of it even looked like blood or semen.
Swish.
Among the mess, I spotted a long smear of blood on the ground and followed it. The trail led into the alley right beside the shelter. The body had been carelessly dumped at the alley's entrance.
'Looks like it's been dead for about two days.'
There were slash wounds all over the body, suggesting it had died in a fight. At a glance, the area around the heart was completely hollow.
Ahh.
'Hmm?'
At the faint groan, I peered farther into the alley. Corpses lay strewn throughout it in uncountable numbers.
A corpse with a hole in its stomach. A corpse missing its arms and legs. A headless corpse….
I had to pass a variety of bodies before I found the owner of the voice.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
A man was gripping a woman's buttocks and passionately thrusting his hips.
"Ahh. Sob. A-ah, you can cum inside, so please spare my life…."
There was no way a woman would willingly enter such a horrible place, and it was obvious she'd been ambushed while walking down the street and dragged deep into the alley.
"P-please! Someone help me… Aah!"
Her cries for help carried all the way out to the main street, but no one stepped forward.
"Let's move on."
"Yeah, let's not get dragged into this for no reason."
Eyes full of distrust. They kept well away from the alley, suspecting it might instead be a trap.
Every face was taut with tension, and the passersby kept their distance from one another as well.
They were too busy keeping watch in every direction in case someone attacked them. The women, in particular, moved around in groups of at least three or four.
'Everyone's made suspicion part of daily life.'
The way they gripped their weapons tightly was the very picture of players in the Selection Process.
In fact, perhaps that was why they distrusted and guarded against one another rather than trusting each other. Everyone was carrying a weapon capable of killing a person in an instant.
'Anyway, law and order really is a mess.'
This state of affairs would probably continue for a while.
Human hunters would run rampant.
Distrust of other humans would reach its peak and interfere with the trials.
And the need to join forces would emerge.
That would continue until the great guilds appeared and took it upon themselves to act as the 'Shelter Police.'
'Until then, men and women alike will have to watch their backs.'
"Ghk."
Perhaps because he'd let his guard down, the man who had been enthusiastically fucking the woman grabbed his throat and staggered backward. Blood streamed from his neck, and the woman trembled as she dropped her dagger onto the ground.
Their genitals were still dripping with fluid, so she must have stabbed him just as he ejaculated.
The woman trembled, not knowing what to do, then snatched the dagger she'd dropped and the items from the fallen man's body before fleeing as though running away.
'That's why later on, people start cutting off their hands or killing them before fucking them.'
Even after death, a body's warmth remains, so it's still warm, and for a while it will jerk reflexively when you fuck it.
The reverse is true as well.
Thud.
In the end, the man's breath stopped. Even today, humanity's morality was steadily being worn away.
'It's almost time. Let's head back.'
I was taking in the bleak, ominous streets and had returned to the front of the shelter to wait for the others when—
"You there! You look like you have a lot on your mind!"
"?"
I turned at the awkward Korean pronunciation and saw a white woman in her twenties wearing glasses speaking to me.