"Warehouse?"
Everyone looked puzzled, and I couldn't blame them—I hadn't explained what I meant. Still, the thought of clarifying felt like a hassle, so I shifted my attention to Angelica instead.
"The Seoul University warehouse. Don't you remember?"
"Oh, right. That place."
Angelica's eyes lit up with recognition, while Lee Jongho furrowed his brows and asked, "What is he talking about?"
Angelica turned to him and explained, "It's a warehouse Seoul National University uses as a shelter. It stores food and other supplies provided by the government."
"Ah, I see. That makes sense."
"It's the ideal place to hide from monsters. I believe most of the remaining survivors might have gone there. If possible..."
I trailed off. There was no need to finish the sentence—everyone already understood the implication.
If the warehouse was as secure as we assumed, it was highly likely that their families and loved ones had sought refuge there. But that was just an assumption. There was no guarantee they'd find them waiting.
However, there was also the chance they weren't in the warehouse. Worse yet, there was the possibility that they were... No. I pushed the thought aside. There was no point in thinking negatively.
I spoke, "Given the circumstances, heading to the warehouse seems like our best option. Any objections?"
Everyone shook their heads. With no objections raised, we could move forward with the next phase of my plan.
Finally, the journey to Gwanak-gu began.
Once we exited the ruined safety zone area, a new story flew in.
[A Sub Fable has been generated.]
+
[Sub Fable # – Meeting]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Clear Conditions: Meet up with the other survivors at the Warehouse at Gwanak-gu.
Time Limit: None
Compensation: 500 coins
Failure: ???
+
As soon as I saw the message, I knew it had finally begun. Establishing a main base of defense was crucial for the next scenario. Jung Yunhee turned to me and asked.
"Gwanak-gu? How far is it?"
"I think it's around 14 km. We can cover that distance if we use a car."
"Are you saying we should find a car?"
"No. I don't think we would be able to find a car even if we searched."
I glanced around, taking in the countless abandoned cars littering the street. It was clear that finding a functioning car in this world would be nearly impossible.
Ku ku ku ku!
It wasn't only ruined cars that was scattered all over the street. Nightcrawlers were also lurking nearby. From what I could tell, there were at least fifty of them.
Jung Yunhee frowned.
"Aren't there more zombies than last time?"
"Does it really matter? They're blocking the path, so we need to take them out quickly."
Honestly, there was no reason to fear the Grade 9 Nightmares. Everyone had grown much stronger since our last encounter.
This time, I was the first to step forward, Iron-severing sword in hand. It was a change from my position last time.
"I'll take the vanguard."
It was understandable. With my stats being high enough, I felt confident in my abilities. In that moment, I truly felt like the protagonist.
"I will take the rear."
Lee Jongho's stats were lower than mine, but that didn't make him weak. As a player with the ability to transform into a giant, he was more than capable of handling the lowly zombies.
"I'll join too."
"Count me in as well."
Jung Yunhee unsheathed her longsword, which resembled a katana, while Angelica drew her Swiss saber. Both were wielding the new items they had purchased from the shop, perhaps not wanting to be left behind.
The last zombie fell and I wiped the blood off the blade. The battle was over before it even started.
An overwhelming victory.
I turned around and noticed the others seemed a bit exhausted. Perhaps it was a mistake to take the lead, but it would be tough for those three to handle fifty zombies on their own.
Speaking of which, something caught my attention.
"Ugh... Zombie blood got on my shirt. Disgusting!"
Angelica grumbled as she tried to wipe the blood off her clothes. I had been observing her for a while and noticed something odd.
Despite using the sword for the first time, wasn't her swordsmanship too refined?
At first, I didn't think much of it, but I soon realized she had been acting strangely ever since we left the hospital.
She knew how to dissect a monster and showed no hesitation in killing them. Even back at the safe zone, she had swiftly eliminated the mainframe group groups without a second thought.
Was it due to a skill? There were several abilities that helped the user stay calm in any situation. Did she have one of those? Wait... which Star Contract had she even chosen?
It was then that I realized I knew very little about Angelica. I could try talking to her, but I doubted she'd reveal anything.
I glanced at Angelica and quietly activated a skill.
[Exclusive skill, 'Black Box' has activated.]
But things didn't go as planned. In the next moment, I received a message that left me stunned.
[The exclusive skill has failed.]
[This character information can't be viewed.]
What?
It was shocking. The skill that had always worked without fail had suddenly malfunctioned for reasons I couldn't understand. Could it be a skill counter?
I decided to try again. I attempted to open the character list, but the same message appeared.
[Exclusive skill 'Black Box' has failed.]
[This character information can't be viewed.]
[This character isn't registered in the story.]
Though I didn't know Angelica's Star Contract, I doubted she had a mental barrier skill. This meant the failure of my skill likely wasn't due to her ability.
When I carefully studied the message floating infront of me, I immediately realised something that I overlooked.
[This character is not registered in the story.]
Angelica Thompson was a character who didn't exist in the World of Nightmares. She was someone who would have originally perished if I hadn't intervened. It made sense that I couldn't view her information.
With that in mind, I slowly approached Angelica when no one was looking and spoke with a low voice.
"Angelica, who is your Star Contract?"
"Um, that..."
Angelica looked reluctant to answer. I sighed. She must have signed some kind of contract that made her unable to reveal any form of information about her support constellation.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, I understand the situation."
Angelica bowed her head and I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.
We continued to move at a steady pace and time slowly ticked by. A few hours had passed.
During that time, we either to fight the monsters that blocked our way or hide from grade 7 Nightmares that randomly passed by. There was no other way apart from moving on road.
Taking the subway was another option, but it wasn't safe. While the streets were teeming with monsters, the railway tunnel to Gwanakgu station was blocked, making travel by road the safer choice.
After a while, we finally came across an empty gas station, and nearby, a convenience store that still appeared to be intact.
"Huh? There's nobody here. Wait, what's that?"
Everybody's expression stiffened.
The gas station was filled with the torn bodies that was scattered around. Based on their injuries, it seems they were torn by something sharp like a sword. Were they killed by other humans?
Perhaps this unfortunate group were came here looking for supplies and got blocked and killed by a bandit group. Or maybe it was something else that killed them.
In any case, if these people were truly killed by raiders then it was safe to say that any useful items in the conference store would have already been collected.
"Let's go. There's nothing here."
The party pressed on, having already covered more than half the distance. The warehouse was only a few stops away now.
As we reached the main streets of Gwanakgu, we encountered a vicious group of man-eating rats, feasting on the corpses of those who had tried to pass through before us.
Fortunately, their numbers were small, and we dispatched them swiftly. However, after fighting for nearly 15 kilometers, fatigue began to set in, and our group quickly ran low on energy.
"I'm so exhausted. I can't fight anymore."
"Let's find a place to rest."
"Will that place do?"
We quickly found an empty structure and took shelter inside. It was too dangerous to stay out in the open, and monsters weren't the only threat we had to worry about.
Once we were inside and the area seemed clear, everyone took a moment to catch their breath and recover their strength.
I felt a bit tired, but I still had plenty of energy left. My physique stats not only enhanced my defense but also boosted my stamina.
After resting for a while, Lee Jongho came over to me.
"It looks like the people who were staying here left in a hurry. They might have left some basic supplies behind."
"Ah! I'll go."
Angelica immediately volunteered to help search.
Meanwhile, Jung Yunhee was sprawled out on the floor, showing no intention of moving.
"You two can go ahead. I'll stay here for a while."
Jung Yunhee said, not surprisingly.
Out of the group, she had the lowest stamina. While I couldn't be sure about Angelica's stamina, her stats were still a mystery to me, It seemed like Yunhee just wanted to take a break.
Lee Jongho looked at me.
"What will you do?"
"I'll head outside. There's something I need to do."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Jakga."
Lee Jongho and Angelica had worried expression. They were rather caring people, weren't they?
I smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry. I won't take long."
I stepped outside and stood in the middle of the empty street. Raising my head, I gazed upwards. There was only the Black Cloud blocking the sky.
"Aurora."
[Do you need something?]
Aurora appeared infront of me and flapped her wings. She omitted the 'boss' but I really didn't care at the moment.
"Has anyone come to trade the Plague Spider's Core?"
To my dismay, Aurora simply shook her head.
[No. I haven't received any word from the person you are waiting for. Are you really sure they will come?]
My expression crumbled into a frown. That person hasn't taken notice of the Grade 7 core till now. Should I have put it on sale instead?
A heavy sigh escaped my lips.
Even though I knew everything, it didn't mean the plan will flow smoothly. Fortunately, I foresaw a situation like this might happen and came up with a contingency plan.
"Open the exclusive shop. I want to buy something."
[Okay. But purchase what you want quickly.]
Click!
Aurora snapped her fingers and a system interface appeared before me. Countless items were displayed on the screen.
I quickly selected a few items I wanted to purchase.
[105,000 coins has been consumed.]
[Explosive Powder has been purchased.]
[Akasha Crystals has been purchased.]
[Enhancement Pills has been purchased.]
[Skill Upgrade Scrolls has been purchased.]
[Elven Forest Essences has been purchased.]
The items I had purchased materialized before me: a reddish powder, 50 blue crystals, 20 white pills, 100 skill scrolls, and 50 green orbs.
Aurora tilted her head, watching me with a look of confusion, as if she couldn't quite understand what was happening.
[Seriously, I still don't get you. Don't you realize that most of these items are completely useless?]
"Not all of them are entirely useless."
[What about those two? No matter how you look at it, they're pointless. Don't you agree?]
Aurora was right. The crimson power and the akasha crystals seemed to have no practical use, and one could argue they were indeed useless. But that wasn't entirely the case.
"Even low-ranked items like these have their value."
[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' smiles at your preparation.]
[1000 coins has been sponsored.]
Architect of Destruction. Did they know about my plan?
[Hmph, I don't care anymore.]
Aurora vanished, leaving behind a trail of shimmering light.
I already found myself missing her.
I placed all the purchased items into the dimensional storage ring and entered the building once again.