"Are you talking about the mana stones we have?"
Lee Yong-su asked back.
"Would it be difficult?"
"Not at all. If you're offering to clear a path for us, what's a few Mana Stones? Everyone will agree."
The basis of any transaction is trust.
Verifying whether the other party has the ability to pay.
Perhaps because he had witnessed the Wyvern hunt firsthand, Lee Yong-su seemed firmly convinced that I had the necessary ability.
Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming.
Even though I could fire a weapon every 30 seconds from the subspace, it didn't seem enough to deal with the six or seven Wyverns.
But…
'As long as I have the mana stones, I can enhance the Shipping skill.'
I could throw weapons faster and more frequently.
If I could just reduce the 30-second limit, I was confident I could stab the Wyverns bastards as soon as they charged at me.
***
As we headed towards Building E of the logistics complex.
Although Lee Yong-su had readily agreed, I'd still need to persuade the other people, including the center manager, once more.
However, when we finally arrived at Building E, there was a more urgent issue.
A swarm of green figures clustered near the entrance.
Lee Yong-su shouted.
"…Orcs!"
Kwaaah!
A group of five Orcs was pushing toward Building E.
"Of all times…"
Lee Yong-su bit his lip.
An Orc was already difficult to handle one-on-one.
If multiple Orcs charged at once like that, it was clear they'd breach without resistance.
When they got somewhat closer.
'Ship.'
Whoosh!
I quickly launched an axe.
Kweeek!
The spinning axe blade embedded itself in the Orc's neck.
The creature, clutching its trembling neck, soon rolled its eyes and collapsed with a thud.
'That's one down.'
As soon as I reached Building E, I summoned another axe.
The axe flew swiftly, but…
Thud!
It narrowly missed, hitting the side instead.
Kueeek!
The enraged Orc launched a counterattack.
But,
Whirr!
I opened a portal right in front of its face.
Crackle!
Its attack was blocked by the transparent barrier.
Now that I looked closely, the subspace portal could also be used as a sort of shield.
This time, I pulled out the axe strapped to my vest,
Slash!
and drove it straight into the creature's neck.
The Orc collapsed to the ground with a thump.
I moved in and out of the subspace, disorienting the remaining Orcs.
Kwak!
Keeek!
Kak!
The last three Orcs met similar fates.
Clank!
I dropped the blood-stained axe on the ground, and the people inside Building E's passage were staring at me in astonishment.
Fortunately, it seemed no one was injured.
.
.
.
The center manager rushed out from inside the passage.
"..."
He stood there, mouth agape, unable to say a word.
He had every reason to be shocked; if I'd been even a little late, they would have been dead without a doubt.
Catching his breath for a moment, the center manager stammered out.
"This time, even we owe you our lives. How can we ever express our gratitude…"
"It's fine. More importantly…"
I signaled with my eyes to Lee Yong-su, and he spoke up on my behalf.
"Center Manager nim, I believe we can safely get out of here."
"…What do you mean by that? Have the Wyverns disappeared or something…?"
The center manager's face lit up with hope, but Lee Yong-su shook his head.
Then, he calmly explained the terms of the deal I had proposed.
"According to Jeong-gyeom ssi here…"
He explained that I could take down the Wyverns but that I would need a large amount of mana stones to do so.
Maybe because I had already demonstrated my power once.
The center manager readily agreed.
"I agree. Although we have a few awakened individuals among us… none seem as efficient as Jeong-gyeom ssi here. Right now, the most urgent thing for us is to get out of here as soon as possible, isn't it?"
The center manager sought opinions from the others.
"We have six mana stones that we've collected so far. We're thinking of handing them all over to Kim Jeong-gyeom ssi here… Does anyone have a different opinion?"
"No objections."
"I agree as well."
Getting to meet their families even a day sooner.
Everyone was of the same mind.
One of them added a comment.
"Today, we really felt it. Staying holed up here isn't safe anymore. Mana stones or whatever, if you can clear the way for us, we'll do anything to help."
This was another strong affirmation.
"Alright."
I wasn't acting solely out of a desire to acquire mana stones.
The goal of gathering supplies and returning to their families.
These people were like 'goose fathers', risking their lives and coming to the logistics center just for that purpose. (TL Note: Goose Father is a term used in Korea to describe fathers who live away from their families in order to earn money for them.)
I hoped they could each drive their trucks back home.
Because that goal wasn't different form mine.
'Well… it's not like I'm losing anything.'
In any case, if I wanted to leave, I would have to pass through the western tunnel.
As the conversation wrapped up, the center manager handed over the six mana stones.
Five Orcs had attacked this place earlier.
I didn't miss the chance to extract mana stones from their corpses.
Clatter.
Combining these with the three I already had, I ended up with a total of fourteen mana stones.
The center manager asked me.
"Then, when should we set off?"
"Around noon tomorrow. It's already pretty late today."
The sun was setting in the meantime.
Fighting Wyverns at night would make it hard to maintain visibility.
While time was indeed pressing, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
The center manager agreed with my suggestion.
"Then we'll finish preparations for departure by midnight."
"Yes, let's talk again once the preparations are complete."
After finishing the conversation, I immediately opened a portal to the subspace.
I had things to take care of.
***
I entered the now-familiar place, the Fulfillment Center.
I asked PAX.
"What options do I have for enhancing the Shipping skill?"
[I will display the list.]
Ding!
Soon, a window displayed the following information.
—-[Enhancement Options]—-
[Cost: 1]
◈ Shipping Time [30 seconds] [+]
◈ Shipping Range [10 meters] [+]
◈ Shipping Speed [Maximum 75 km/h] [+]
————————-
"That's simpler than I thought. Is there nothing else?"
[While it's not exactly an enhancement, you can unlock additional abilities using mana stones as well.]
[I will display the list.]
Ding!
—-[Unlockable Options]—-
[Cost: 10]
◈ Simultaneous Shipping
– You can ship up to two items at the same time.
◈ Precision Delivery
– If you designate a target, the shipping location is automatically adjusted.
◈ Automatic Shipping
– Automatically ships designated items. You can set the time interval as desired.
————————-
"Good thing I asked…"
While the enhancements seemed like they boosted the stats of the Shipping skill, 'unlocking' offered entirely advanced abilities.
That's why the cost was ten times higher than the basic stat enhancements.
Ten mana stones for just one.
But the effects were definitely worth it.
"…Shipping two at once? That's incredible."
Two axes, two daggers.
The ability called
"Automatic location adjustment, huh…"
Target designation and location adjustment.
Maybe it was because the words reminded me of guided missiles?
I recalled the battle against the Wyverns a few hours ago.
"Yeah… hitting them was a real pain."
Those creatures were darting around in the air unpredictably.
Thinking about having to fire blades at those creatures again tomorrow already gave me a headache.
Although
I said to PAX.
"Unlock
[Are you sure? This will consume 10 mana stones.]
"Yes."
I immediately counted out ten mana stones and handed them over.
It was a significant cost, but I was sure the effect would be worth it.
[Received 10 mana stones.]
Just like last time, the ten mana stones in my hand vanished with a soft shimmer.
I felt a bit of regret, but I still had four stones left.
Next, I turned my attention to enhancing the Shipping skill.
◈ Shipping Time [30 seconds] [+]
◈ Shipping Range [10 meters] [+]
◈ Shipping Speed [Maximum 75 km/h] [+]
I had already decided which stat I was going to enhance.
I handed over three mana stones.
"Three stones. Use them to reduce the Shipping Time."
[You're not going to use them on the range?]
PAX asked.
Its AI clearly intelligent enough to have observed my battle with the airborne Wyverns.
It was true; if the range wasn't sufficient, my attacks might miss their targets entirely.
However…
"I have another plan for that, so for now, just reduce the Shipping Time."
[Understood.]
[Received 3 mana stones.]
Once again, the mana stones disappeared.
The Ship Time began to change…
[30 seconds] [+]
…
[20 seconds] [+]
[15 seconds] [+]
It quickly dropped to 15 seconds.
Five seconds per mana stone.
That was quite efficient.
I wondered if I could reduce the time to zero, eliminating the delay entirely, but…
[That is not possible.]
[At Subspace Level 1, the minimum Ship Time can only be reduced to 5 seconds.]
It was instantly rejected.
"Well, nothing in this world is that easy, right…"
I invested the last remaining mana stone in maintaining the power of the Fulfillment Center.
The mana stone disappeared smoothly,
[Received 1 mana stone.]
[Using 1 mana stone for facility power.]
[Time remaining until power shutdown: 33 hours, 39 minutes, 11 seconds…]
The duration for the facility's operation increased.
Now, I had zero mana stones left.
I had done everything I could.
Finally, I asked PAX.
"The Fresh Center is on the third floor, right?"
[That's correct.]
"It's about dinner time now."
Reaching the third floor, I placed orders for various items at the Fresh Center's dedicated picking station.
I could use the Shipping skill from outside, but with so many different items, waiting 15 seconds each time would take too long.
***
"Alright, everyone, come and get it."
Choi Byung-cheol, who was on dinner duty, handed out chocolate bars to the people.
Unlike the Fulfillment Center where Jeong-gyeom was, this Daehyeon Logistics Center was just a typical logistics hub that sorted and shipped out incoming goods.
As a result, the boxes lying around were like a game of chance, filled with random items.
There was plenty of stock, but finding something useful when you opened a box was rare.
Sometimes, they did come across vacuum-packed retort soups, but since the smell could attract monsters, they usually ended up eating snacks, instant ramen, or Jangsacheon sausages to get by.
As Choi Byung-cheol continued handing out chocolate bars, Lee Yong-su asked.
"Come to think of it… Where's Jeong-gyeom ssi?"
"I haven't seen him for a while. Maybe he's still inside that subspace of his?"
"I think I saw him come out earlier… Hand me a chocolate bar. I'll take it to him."
"Sure, take three while you're at it."
Holding the chocolate bars, Lee Yong-su began to walk around the warehouse.
"Jeong-gyeom ssi! Are you here?"
"I'm right here. Could you help me for a moment?"
It turned out that Jeong-gyeom was not too far away.
But when Lee Yong-su saw him, he was stunned.
Jeong-gyeom was unloading dozens of different items from the subspace.
Lee Yong-su's mouth fell open in shock.
"What… What is all this?"
There were Shine Muscat grapes, strawberries, watermelons, and melons.
Various dessert breads like donuts, smoked eggs, and finally, sodas in an ice basket.
Foods that could really lift your spirits were neatly packaged and lined up in order.
Fresh items that could never be found in the logistics warehouse of Building E.
Jeong-gyeom, seeing Lee Yong-su too stunned to close his mouth, responded.
"I tried to choose items that wouldn't give off any smell. Now that I think about it, I haven't had a proper meal for days either. I figured, as a sort of pre-celebration… why don't we all share a meal together?"
They were planning to leave this place as soon as daylight broke.
It was going to be the last night the geese of the logistics complex would spend together.
The unexpected sight of fresh food brought smiles to the faces of everyone at the logistics center.
A few people rotated shifts to guard the outer passage, while the rest gathered to slice fruit, bite into bread, and drink ice-cold cola that made their heads tingle—a feeling they hadn't experienced in a long time.
"Ahhh!"
Just as everyone was patting their full bellies, Jeong-gyeom laid out twenty sleeping bags, each worth 900,000 won, in the break room…
"Jeong-gyeom ssi…!"
It was, indeed, a moment filled with overwhelming gratitude.