After roughly finishing the preparations, I stepped outside again.
The first thing I did was to pull out the axe embedded in the Orc's head.
Pusheuk!
Thick green blood spurted out in a gush.
I swung the axe to clean off the remaining blood stuck to it.
"So this thing has a Mana Stone inside its body, right?"
[That's correct. It's usually located near the heart.]
Just as I was about to tear into its chest in earnest, I remembered something I had left behind.
"Ah, right. The dagger."
I had the axe in my hand, but it seemed inconvenient to use for butchering.
I could do it if necessary, but since I had a bunch of daggers stored in Subspace, there was no need to struggle.
As I was berating myself for forgetting, PAX provided me with new information.
[You can ship items directly from here without accessing the Subspace.]
"Really?"
That was certainly good news.
No longer would I have to go back and forth through the Portal just for a single item.
However, there was a limitation.
[However, shipments can only be made once every 30 seconds.]
"That's an annoyingly inconvenient number."
It's not a long time, but if I were to take out several items at once, it might get a bit frustrating.
After all, aren't I a fast-paced Korean?
If a webpage took 30 seconds to load each time, I might smash the monitor out of frustration.
[If you enhance the skill, you can shorten the shipping time.]
"Oh, so this is a skill?"
[Yes. You just have to visualize the registered item and say 'ship.']
"I see… Then, can you show me some of the usable daggers for now?"
Ding!
PAX soon displayed the list.
The screen was exactly like what I'd seen on the monitor at the picking station.
I set the product page to 'Sort by Highest Price'.
As expected, the more expensive ones should have better performance.
Among them, I chose a machete with a handle that was a mix of black and green, and a blade that was sharpened to a bright silver edge.
The back of the blade had serrations, making it possible to cut through wood.
[Marine Force Kukri Machete, 40cm, priced at 211,120 won.]
[To proceed with shipping, please say 'ship.']
"Let's see… alright, ship."
Whirr!
In the blink of an eye, a small Portal appeared at my fingertips.
The shipment was made instantly.
And then,
Shooo-whoosh- Thud!
It immediately plunged into the ground.
It came out so fast that the dagger had pierced right through the packaging box.
I grumbled as I tore away the tattered wrapping.
"…Why is it so fast?"
[The default shipping speed is 60 km/h.]
[You can adjust the speed if you wish.]
It turned out that fine-tuning was possible.
Because of that, a question arose in my mind.
"…Is it possible to make it even faster than this?"
[Currently, the maximum speed is 75 km/h. For higher speeds, you will need to enhance the skill.]
Again, the topic of enhancement came up.
"How do I enhance it?"
[You can use Mana Stones.]
"Of course."
From facility maintenance costs to skill upgrades.
Mana Stones were something I would need for everything.
For now, I decided to deal with the Orc in front of me.
Pooook!
I thrust the blade deep into the Orc's chest.
As I made a long cut through its flesh, the Mana Stone embedded at the center of its body emitted a faint glow.
I angled the dagger and flicked out the Mana Stone that was lodged in place.
"Got another one."
[Would you like to use it for the center's energy costs?]
"I'll think about that later. I've got time for a day, anyway. And there's one more thing I'd like to ask…"
[How can I assist you?]
"Can you remove the packaging when shipping items?"
I showed PAX the sharp dagger and axe in my hands.
I had just confirmed it moments ago.
Using the 'shipping' skill from Subspace to throw items was far more powerful than if I threw them myself.
I was planning to use this 'shipping' skill as a proper offensive skill.
Fortunately, AI PAX's response was positive.
[Yes, that's possible. I'll make a note of that in the order request.]
I decided to push it a little further.
I held the dagger straight up and positioned the axe so its blade faced diagonally forward.
"And just like this angle, in this direction. Is that possible?"
[I'll make a note of that in the order request as well.]
"Good."
Preparations were complete.
The area around the Fulfillment Center was as quiet as a mouse.
Whirr—
Listening to the soft hum of the electric bike, I rode up the nearby mountain path.
I reached a spot about 200 meters away from where the Fulfillment Center had vanished.
Upon arriving at a suitable location, I stood in front of a large zelkova tree and recalled the machete I had used earlier.
I had set the shipping speed to its maximum, 75 km/h.
And then I shouted.
"Ship."
Shooo-whoosh!
The sharply positioned blade shot out,
Thwack!
embedding itself in the center of the zelkova tree.
At a glance, it had sunk in quite deeply.
Thud!
Moments later, the axe I had launched followed suit.
Due to its weight, its impact was even more destructive than the blade.
All in all, the experiment was a success.
A Subspace capable of launching axes or daggers like missiles every 30 seconds.
Now, that was my weapon.
Just as I was about to hop back on the bike and pull out the map, I noticed something.
In the distance, the trees shook, and birds flew up with a flutter.
I listened carefully.
"…Was that a scream?"
I quickly started pedaling.
***
"Huff… Huff…"
Two men dressed in gray work uniforms were sprinting down the mountain path.
Likewise, two Orcs were chasing them.
"Damn it…! Damn it…!"
One of them, Lee Yong-su.
It looked like he was about to foam at the mouth.
"Why is this happening…"
It was three days ago.
The apocalypse had happened in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, an emergency broadcast flashed on the TV.
Monsters of unknown origin had simultaneously appeared all over the country.
Images of panicked people, scenes darkened by crowds being trampled, and blood-stained footage caused by the monsters were displayed.
The apocalypse manifested in countless different ways for everyone.
But that was all the information they got.
TV, radio, and internet communication were all simultaneously cut off.
Even in times of war, communication networks and broadcasters are supposed to hold out.
Lee Yong-su could not understand the current state of affairs.
Rumors sporadically spread that armed soldiers had been spotted.
But it was also said that they had been crushed to death.
Predicting the fate of the world was not difficult.
Civilization had regressed to a time when survival became the number one rule, a return to a prehistoric past.
Civilization collapsed into ruins in an instant.
Lee Yong-su bit his lips hard.
"If only I were a little stronger…"
It wasn't just the apocalypse that arrived.
Some chosen individuals had suddenly awakened with powers akin to supernatural abilities.
Lee Yong-su also became an Awakened by a stroke of luck, but unfortunately, it wasn't a power strong enough to deal with Orcs.
In the face of this grand apocalypse, he was nothing more than a helpless ant.
He desperately ran with all his strength, but,
"Please… Please…"
The massive shadow was far faster than he was.
"…"
He involuntarily turned his head back.
What he saw was,
"...!"
Despair.
A giant Orc was closing in on him.
Srrrk.
His legs gave out.
They had already gone beyond their limits several times.
"…"
Lee Yong-su closed his eyes.
And calmly accepted his fate.
Just like that,
Thwack!
A sound rang out.
"…Huh?"
What had burst wasn't his own head.
Thump, instead, it was the vicious Orc that had been chasing him that collapsed.
A black axe was embedded in its head.
It was just a simple camping axe used for chopping firewood, but what truly shocked Lee Yong-su was something else.
'…Its head is completely smashed?'
The axe hadn't just embedded itself; it had shattered the Orc's skull entirely.
When he turned his head, he saw a man about 10 meters away, lowering his hand.
It was unmistakably the stance of someone who had just thrown something.
Lee Yong-su's mouth opened in disbelief.
'What kind of strength is this…?'
Lee Yong-su quickly looked around again.
He wasn't the only one being chased, and there was more than one Orc in pursuit.
Sure enough, he spotted his colleague, Choi Byung-cheol, running down the slope on the opposite side.
An Orc was hot on Choi Byung-cheol's heels.
"…Choi-ssi!"
As he anxiously stomped his feet, he saw the man who had thrown the axe move again.
Lee Yong-su couldn't help but be surprised once more.
'…He's riding a bicycle?'
Was he performing some kind of stunt? The idea of throwing an axe while riding a bike seemed almost unimaginable.
Lee Yong-su's eyes followed him continuously, but—
'…I can't see him anymore.'
The trees obscured his view, blocking the man from sight.
All he could do was desperately pray that the man would save Choi Byung-cheol.
He clasped his hands together, and then—
Thwack!
His prayers were answered.
Before long, the Orc chasing his colleague Choi-ssi had its head blown apart.
"What in the world…"
The man was still riding his bicycle.
***
Pooook!
I thrust the dagger into the dead body of the Orc.
No matter what, I needed to secure the Mana Stones first.
Including the one I just collected, that made two.
Adding the one I had grabbed in front of the Subspace Portal, I had now gathered three.
Although helping these people I had just saved was one reason, I also needed information.
What exactly was happening right now? Why were these monsters roaming around?
They had been out here longer than I had been trapped in the Fulfillment Center for the past three days, so they might know more.
But whether they knew my thoughts or not, they were too busy bowing their heads and expressing their gratitude.
"Thank you… Thank you. You saved our lives."
Moreover, they seemed to have misunderstood something.
"You must be a soldier. From your appearance… you don't look like an ordinary army soldier. Are you perhaps from a special forces unit? How did you throw that axe while riding a bicycle like that…?"
He was looking at the tactical vest I was wearing.
I waved my hand to dismiss the idea.
"No, no. I just got discharged recently, but…"
"Ah, I knew it!"
The man's eyes sparkled even more.
No, really, I'm not.
"Truly, it's a miracle. We thought we were the only people around here."
"Are the two of you the only ones?"
Although this wasn't a residential area, the logistics complex below looked utterly deserted.
Lee Yong-su and Choi Byung-cheol shook their heads.
"There are more people gathered in Building E. About a dozen of us… we're all isolated together."
"Isolated?"
Lee Yong-su explained the situation.
"Yes, that's how things are right now. Originally, this logistics complex has its eastern and northern sides blocked… and now, even the Yeongdong Expressway below has partially collapsed. We were actually looking for another route that vehicles could pass through."
Finding a way to drive out of this area.
That's something I needed to do as well.
It wasn't exactly feasible to travel all the way to Gangnam on a bicycle.
Lee Yong-su made a suggestion.
"Why don't you come with us for now? We could at least offer you a light meal."
I didn't refuse and stood up.
I didn't really need a meal, but since we shared the same goal, it made sense to join them.
Plus, I might be able to learn more about the situation in the surrounding area.
"Alright, let's do that."
The past three days.
It seems I wasn't the only one who had been trapped.
For the past three days, it seemed like I wasn't the only one who had been trapped.