Chapter 71
Title : Just G r e a t S y s t e m
Open a mentorship event so newbies don't die off!!!
Hold a beautification event so we don't have to clean the streets ourselves!!
Open welfare benefits for having children!
Shower us with daily quest rewards!
Generously expand the membership to 30,000!
Increase the open-run quantities accordingly!!!!
You've done everything!!!!!!
Whiner squad, get out~! Get outta here~~!
Wait, there was a whiner squad?
ㄴ Yeah, there were assholes whining that membership had reached 30,000 but the supply hadn't increased by that much.
ㄴ Ah, fuck.
ㄴ How much more do you expect it to do? lol
ㄴ How much more does System-nim have to give us? lol
ㄹㅇ Stop giving us so much already...
ㄴ This is enough... System...
ㄴ Stop already...
Currently, the Capital Area Survivors Gallery was still overflowing with topics.
That topic was the rewards for the mentorship event and the increase in membership that came with it.
Are there still any assholes whining that they haven't been invited?
ㄴ Nearly 30 percent of you have been invited, that's what I'm saying~
ㄴ At this rate, won't the entire Capital Area get invited?
ㄴ ㄹㅇ The entire population of Awakeners will become members~~
I'm not joking; it really feels like that day might come.
ㄴ ㄹㅇ It isn't far off.
ㄴ Starplex, let's just go all out and make the membership limit one million ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Wait, fuck, are that many people even left?
ㄴ Who knows?
ㄴ Isn't more better?
I was looking over those posts for a moment.
“No, one million is a bit much...”
I'd like to, but I don't have that many mana stones.
Of course, there were still people who hadn't received invitations amid all this.
Fuck, I didn't get one again...
ㄴ [Odassu Bro] Fuck lol
ㄴ Odassu, just give up already.
ㄴ ㄹㅇ Stop already lol
Are you still alive?
ㄴ Hey, youuuu, seriously lol
ㄴ That's too harsh...
ㄴ At this rate, you'll definitely get invited next time ㅇㅇ
ㄴ ㄹㅇ It doubles next time, that's how it works ㅇ
But I think I'm fine just clearing daily quests?
ㄴ Me too.
ㄴ Me too. I can clear intermediate daily quests, so I think I'll be fine without becoming a member.
Members should apply for anything they need right now, go go.
ㄴ Oh, bros who are giving up their spots.
ㄴ Where the fuck did “bros who are giving up their spots” even come from...
ㄴ That term has zero roots.
Then I'll apply?
ㄴ At this rate... are you actually going to become a member?
ㄴ Y i e l d i n g S p o t s B r o, loyalty loyalty
ㄴ Y i e l d i n g S p o t s B r o, greatest dignity
Besides, perhaps many people had enough from this round's daily quest rewards. Most seemed satisfied.
“Everyone can become a member someday!”
A hopeful future awaits us.
Anyway, I closed the Gallery and turned my attention from clearing quests to the rewards I'd received.
“A new ability.”
[Reward: Blueprint Copy new passive unlocked!]
[Tile Resonance (New!)]
[Condition: Automatically activates when similar types of tiles are copied in adjacent locations]
[Effect: Adjacent tiles resonate with one another, strengthening the unique functions of the copied tiles.
“I don't really get it just from the description.”
So does it mean that putting tiles of the same type next to each other strengthens them?
[Building Master Main Quest 11: Achieve a total of 200 copied tiles]
[Current: 46]
[Reward: ???]
Besides, it was also somewhat related to the next quest.
[Blueprint Copy Lv.7]
[Maximum number of copyable tiles: 90]
[Current copied tile status]
[Existing copied tiles: 40 spaces]
[White Night Guild tiles: 6 spaces (2 restroom spaces + 4 pharmacy spaces)]
[Total tiles currently in use: 46 spaces]
[Remaining copyable tiles: 44 spaces]
I do need to level up.
Okay, then I get it for now.
So far, the only tiles I've copied outside are restrooms and pharmacies.
“Should I try it with the restrooms first?”
I activated the 3D map I used when copying blueprints and recalled Restroom Units 1 and 2.
Title : !!!!! The restrooms disappeared!!!!!
The restroom just vanished into thin air while I was pulling down my pants...!!
What the fuck!!!
What bastards are controlling them again!!!!
What about the mana stones? Were they refunded?
ㄴ They came back.
ㄴ Phew.
ㄴ Phew.
Wait, fuck, are they controlling them again?
ㄴ Is it Ares or Ironclad Corps? Turn yourselves in already.
ㄴ These assholes never learn lol
ㄴ [Ironclad Corps] It wasn't us, seriously! This is so unfair. We swear on System-nim.
ㄴ [God of War] It wasn't us either, you lunatics. We were passed out drunk in a tent just now.
Then why did they disappear!!!
ㄴ Did Shop-nim get angry?
ㄴ I need to wash, please ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
If there's a guild trying to monopolize them like last time, it'll be war.
ㄴ ㄹㅇ I'm reporting them immediately ㅇㅇ
ㄴ I need to take a shit, fuuuuuck!!!!
It was only a brief tile recall.
The users were recalling the monopolization incident and raging furiously.
“Whoa, whoa, this isn't monopolization.”
Calm down, calm down.
I manipulated the 3D map again and installed Units 1 and 2 at the same coordinates.
[Restrooms have been placed in adjacent areas]
[Tile Resonance synergy activated!]
“Oh, something really does pop up.”
Before I could even finish reading the additional effects in the status window.
The first to react was the Gallery.
Title : Breaking News!!!! The restrooms are back, holy shit!!!!!!
(Roughly, two photos of the restrooms. JPG)
Two restrooms have been installed in the same spot!!!
First of all, the two restrooms got bigger ㅇㅇㅇ!!
They kind of feel like highway rest-area restrooms now!!!
???
ㄴ Huh??
ㄴ What the hell, they really got insanely wide!!!!
ㄴ I just came in to check, and it's crazy.
I counted just now, and each restroom has eight stalls lol
ㄴ Holy shit, the capacity is insane.
“Ohhh, this is fun.”
The restrooms had grown in size as an additional effect.
The obvious effect was that the number of stalls had increased by two?
?
ㄴ The number of stalls isn't the only thing that increased!!
ㄴ What else is there?
Oh, large-capacity mouthwash dispensers appeared at the sinks.
ㄴ Whaaat?
ㄴ Mouthwash dispensers?
And the faucets changed into sensor faucets too ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Oh?
ㄴ And wet wipes for bidets appeared in addition to toilet paper!!
Whaaat? Was it a tier upgrade?
ㄴ Ohhh! New technology!!
Not only that, the quality of the facilities themselves had risen. Simply put, it was a tier upgrade.
“Ohhh, this is nice.”
And it didn't end there.
Guys!!! Breaking news!!
ㄴ What else is there?
The usage time increased from 10 minutes to 15...!
ㄴ Whaaaat????
ㄴ ?!!
ㄴ Wait, they're giving us five extra minutes???
What about the mana stones? Do we have to pay more?
ㄴ ㄴㄴ The mana stone cost is still only 10 mana stones!!!!
ㄴ !!!!!
G r e a t S y s t e m
ㄴ G e n e r o u s S y s t e m
ㄴ Holy fuck, at 15 minutes for 10 mana stones, a full shower is totally doable.
ㄴ Fifteen minutes is more than enough time to get laid.
“Oh. The usage time increases too.”
From the survivors' perspective, it was certainly a welcome additional effect.
This was really novel and nice.
It was also kind of fun, like playing SimCity by putting similar tiles next to each other.
But.
“Hmm... this is a little hard to use right away.”
I scratched my chin while looking at the 3D map floating in the air.
Installing similar tiles in adjacent locations strengthened the tiles' functions.
But putting identical tiles close together was a little awkward for now.
The Stalkers around that area would be happy, but it meant restrooms elsewhere would disappear, leaving some regions neglected.
Besides, with the facilities themselves becoming upgraded, it didn't feel very necessary right now.
“The cost-effectiveness seems a little questionable.”
The users hadn't cared about restroom quality in the first place.
They were satisfied with the restrooms simply existing.
“Then I don't think restrooms are the answer.”
I recalled Restroom Units 1 and 2 again and rolled them back to their respective original coordinates.
?!
ㄴ They rolled back!!! They're back to normal!!!
ㄴ The restrooms that had just gotten bigger shrank again and returned to their original locations lol
What was that, were we beta testers?
ㄴ Beta testers, my ass lol
ㄴ System-nim is experimenting with all sorts of things!!!
Hmm;; But I guess rolling them back is better?
ㄴ Apparently the restrooms in other locations disappeared ㅇㅇ
It's better to have them in as many places as possible ㅇㅇ
ㄴ That's right ㅇㅇ
And sensor faucets <<< These bastards are really JOAT...
ㄴ ㄹㅇ Fuck, the water doesn't come out when you want it to...
ㄴ I admit, they're fucking annoying lol
Hmm.
“As expected, even the users prefer having them distributed across many locations.”
Of course, the problem could be solved if I copied a huge number of tiles.
I had some tiles available now, and I had earned plenty of mana stones.
Should I build, say, ten restrooms in adjacent areas?
“Hmm... Should I make one ultra-luxury restroom?”
That seemed possible too.
Anyway, if System-nim seems to be preparing another patch, upvote this lol
ㄴ Upvote lol
ㄴ Newbie: This is fun!
ㄴ Kyaa
System-nim! Please patch us soon!!
ㄴ S U M M O N T H E M A N A S T O N E S N O W
ㄴ I m m e d i a t e l y E x p l o i t U s
Please add more content!!!!!
ㄴ We're waiting for you!!!
ㄴ Sit down and wait, sit!!
ㄴ [Dog That Cries When There's an Update] Whine... whine whine...
ㄴ Good job.
Bark!
ㄴ [Dog That Barks When There's an Update] ...
ㄴ [Dog That Barks When There's an Update] (Not barking because there was no update)
ㄴ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ That's the one lol
While all the users were waiting for me with eager anticipation.
“Hmm?”
I noticed users who were dissatisfied.
Ugh, the Capital Area guys are having a blast.
ㄴ Even after the apocalypse, it's still the Capital Area Republic...
ㄴ ??
ㄴ We're the real newbies here...
[Anseong Tangtang Ramen] The newly Awakened took our newbie spots...
ㄴ We're newbies too...
ㄴ Please spare a thought for us!!!!
ㄴ ㅠㅠㅠ
These were users I hadn't seen before.
“Who are these guys?”
I shifted my gaze to the users who had newly appeared and were voicing their complaints.
Aren't these the southern guys who joined after the Galleries were merged?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ Seems right.
ㄴ Oh, are they the true newbies from that area?
ㄴ I guess so.
I'm a Pyeongtaek newbie...
ㄴ But why are you guys complaining so much?
ㄴ You got restrooms and pharmacy vending machines there too.
ㄴ You got infrastructure!
ㄴ Speedrun even disinfected everything for you. What more do you want!
That's true, but...
ㄴ It's just so rural compared to the Capital Area ㅠㅠ
ㄴ And the population is smaller...
ㄴ We can't clear many daily quests...
Why can't you?
ㄴ [Anseong Tangtang Ramen] There aren't many zombies...
ㄴ Wait, why are there no zombies?
ㄴ [Anseong Tangtang Ramen] Baek Jinhyeok enslaved all the nearby zombies and dragged them up to the Capital Area, remember...
So isn't that safer? Having no zombies is a good thing.
ㄴ That's true.
ㄴ But there aren't enough monsters to farm mana stones from ㅠㅠ
ㄴ [Anseong Tangtang Ramen] There are barely any zombies left around here to kill ㅠㅠ
It's hard to acquire mana stones because there are no zombies.
ㄴ Ohhh...
ㄴ So that's what was happening behind the scenes...
But we can't go to the Red Zone either...
ㄴ Besides, there aren't many combat-type Awakeners here, so fighting itself is difficult...
ㄴ Most of the ones left are crafting-type Awakeners...
ㄴ Why?
ㄴ Jinhyeok bro wiped them all out...
ㄴ Ahh.
ㄹㅇ Jinhyeok bro's influence is insane.
ㄴ This bastard really did a lot, huh?
ㄴ The GOAT, but only in bad ways.
ㄴ I really don't miss him.
“Hmm, I see.”
I hadn't realized it until now, but the newly arrived users in Cheonan, Anseong, and Pyeongtaek were being somewhat left out.
Because Fucking Jinhyeok had swept up every mutant in the southern regions to form an army and brought them to the Capital Area, where everything blew up, the southern regions had unexpectedly gained a peaceful daily life.
But having few zombies also meant having no way to earn mana stones.
And most of the people left were crafting-type Awakeners.
“Huh... I didn't know this kind of situation could happen too.”
I had always known there was no policy that could make everyone happy.
So everyone understood to some extent and was letting it pass.
“I didn't expect them to be unable to clear daily quests, though.”
Fucking Jinhyeok's influence really is the GOAT.
[Anseong Tangtang Ramen] I was just venting.
ㄴ The sorrow of rural folks...
ㄴ You guys just looked like you were living so well in the Capital Area...
ㄴ ㅠ
Having no zombies is good news, but...
ㄴ They must be having a hard time living...
ㄴ ㄹㅇ Across those three vast regions.
ㄴ Didn't the merger add around 8,000 people?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ That's right.
If no zombie wave comes...
ㄴ ㄹㅇ The location is perfect, though.
ㄴ Baek Jinhyeok really knows how to drive both his fans and haters insane.
Can't they just move to the Capital Area?
ㄴ That's easier said than done.
ㄴ The distance, for one thing.
ㄴ Zombies still roam the dead zones.
ㄴ Hmm.
Whew. Strengthening the foundation isn't easy.
Even when you implement policies that apply to everyone, there are regions that get left out.
“Reviving the rural farms is another new formula...”
This really is the apocalypse's one-of-a-kind Shop. It's a politician, too.
“But it's fun, right? Satisfying, right?”
Tycoon games are fucking fun, right?
Besides, it didn't feel right to ignore the hardships of those southern newbies.
Since I was already strengthening the foundation, it seemed best to take care of them quickly too before moving on.
“Hmmmmm...”
How could I revive the regional farms too?
Rustle rustle-!
And so there I was, lying in the Gardening Garden, pondering while breathing in the scent of grass.
Hmm? The scent of grass?
“Oh!”
A good idea suddenly occurred to me.
“Let's make a tourism district!!”
I didn't know much about it, but before the apocalypse, whenever I saw politicians trying to revive rural farms, they would build landmarks like crazy.
They'd make tourist attractions, then milk the budget for all it was worth, get hit by corruption scandals, and ruin the project.
Anyway, anyway?
“This is it!”
As it happened, I possessed a tourism resource that was hard to find in the ruined world.
“The Gardening Garden!”
If I built even a lush, green garden, maybe people would travel here just to see it.
“Kyaa! You extraordinary bastard, Speedy!!”
*****
“Phew...”
Gallery username [Anseong Tangtang Ramen].
Anseong-gye sighed as he looked at the landscape spread out before him.
The region where he lived was Anseong.
But what lay before him was nothing but ruins, with not even abandoned buildings remaining.
Nothing but ruins remained wherever Baek Jinhyeok had passed.
Anseong-gye, who had barely survived in his wake, had been living hand to mouth by buying food from the Shop with the mana stones he had saved up.
At that moment, his emaciated wife approached and asked,
“Honey, are you okay...? What are people in the Gallery saying?”
“...I... I don't know...”
“They probably won't care, right...? The world has ended...”
“...”
“Or do you think System-nim might really help us?”
Anseong-gye couldn't bring himself to answer his wife's question.
People said the System was watching the Gallery, but he had never heard of it directly answering such an overt personal plea.
System-nim had always taken action, while survivors could only infer the meaning behind those actions.
“I don't know... We don't have many mana stones either...”
“Sigh...”
Besides, hadn't all he had done been whine in a way unsuited to this ruined world?
But he couldn't give up like this.
“Damn it... I have to do something...”
Anseong-gye clasped his painfully thin hands together and knelt facing the sky.
“System-nim... Please take pity on us and help us! Give us a way to live!!!”
Could it be that his desperate prayer had reached the heavens?
Fwoooosh-!
“H-Honey!! Over there!!!”
In the air his wife pointed to in shock, a blue lattice-patterned shape appeared.
“W-What is that...?”
“I-I don't know.”
As the two stared at it in bewilderment, another structure appeared.
It was a garden plot.
The ground was packed with soft, damp soil, with hand trowels and gardening tools neatly arranged in one corner.
“A-A vegetable garden...?”
“C-Could it be...?”
Anseong-gye and his wife shouted as they looked at the sight.
“S-System-nim... You want us to become self-sufficient...!!!!”
“You want us to farm!!!”