A sound was heard.
Clank!
Clatter! Thud!
Whirr- Whirr!
It was the sound of veteran delivery driver Lee Yong-su operating the delivery truck.
Straight driving, curves, rapid U-turns, and even drift maneuvers.
He manipulated the manual transmission as if it were a game joystick, all while keeping his gaze straight ahead.
'Is this the power of the best driver?'
Whoosh!
A strong wind blew in through the window.
Three Orcs were visible up ahead.
Screeeech-!
Lee Yong-su drifted to the right, circling around them,
Swoosh!
Swish!
I fired axes at 5-second intervals.
It was like being in an action movie.
We had already taken down seven monsters this way.
I immediately got down to collect the Mana Stones.
Thud!
The accelerating truck hit a speed bump and bounced up, easily crossing the road that had split like a crevasse.
The marks of destruction were not limited to just the logistics complex.
All over the road, parts had completely collapsed, and fallen buildings had wrecked the intersections on the main road.
Unlike the scattered signs of destruction, there were no signs of people anywhere.
It was understandable.
Now, monsters had become the masters of these streets.
As we drove down the road, something caught our eyes.
"That's…"
It was a corpse.
Of course, it wasn't the first time seeing one.
Since leaving the logistics complex area, corpses had become one of the most common sights.
Seeing the torn and chewed-up flesh from monster attacks gave me a sinking feeling, like my hidden hopes were being shattered.
Maybe that's why.
I was starting to ignore the bodies on the road as if they were just white lines on the pavement.
But this time, it was hard to ignore.
"They're soldiers."
The scattered camouflage uniforms looked empty.
One was deathly pale, possibly from excessive bleeding, while another's body was cut in half, making their tightly strapped bulletproof helmet seem pointless.
Goosebumps rose all over me.
It had only been two months since I was discharged.
If the apocalypse had happened just a little earlier, I might have been lying there among them.
But there was no time to dwell on those feelings.
"…That's a lot."
An enormous number of bodies.
Of course, the death of soldiers itself wasn't all that surprising.
In emergencies, protecting civilians is part of a soldier's duty.
The real issue was something else entirely.
"It looks like they couldn't even recover the bodies…"
"…It must be beyond the military's capacity to handle."
Lee Yong-su replied with a somber look.
The fact that they couldn't even gather the bodies of their fallen comrades.
What that implied was significant.
That the state could no longer protect us.
My heart sank heavily, but the wheels of the truck kept turning indifferently.
As we passed through the wrecked military vehicles and the piles of soldiers' bodies stacked like a mountain,
We discovered that the bridge leading to Indeokwon was destroyed.
And beyond that…
"What on earth…"
The source of all this chaos were swarming.
***
Sharp fangs protruding from both sides of their faces.
Claws that looked like hooks.
At first glance, it resembled a dog, but its skin was smooth and hairless.
Its appearance was like…
"…Zerglings?"
Lee Yong-su added with a bewildered expression.
Kaaaak!
With its light purple skin and numbers like a pack of wild dogs.
It was impossible not to think of the Zerglings from the national game.
Seeing the dead soldiers and the destroyed bridge gave me a rough idea of what had happened.
I spoke up.
"It looks like the military blew up the bridge themselves."
"Seems that way. With those creatures pouring in, they must have thought there was no other option…"
Lee Yong-su wore a troubled expression.
His wife and daughter were just beyond that very bridge.
His hands gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly with anxiety.
We had no choice but to turn the truck around.
"There are plenty of other routes. Even if it's not here…"
But that wasn't the case.
We checked a total of nine bridges up and down the river.
All of them had been blown up, not a single one remained intact.
The sky was gradually getting darker.
As we returned, almost as if by magic, near the bridge we first tried to cross, without any gain to show for our efforts.
I reassured the disheartened Lee Yong-su.
"Yong-su ssi, your family will be safe. Although there are a lot of them, they don't seem as strong as Orcs, capable of breaking through doors. As long as they stay inside and don't go out, they should be safe."
"That may be true, but…"
"Don't worry too much. As long as we don't delay any further, it will be alright."
I pointed to a spot.
It was the bridge I had noticed earlier, which hadn't collapsed in the explosion.
However, it was a pedestrian bridge, not one that a vehicle could cross.
"The path is narrow, but with your driving skills, Yong-su ssi, don't you think we could manage?"
The bridge itself was intact.
It was only blocked by barricades filled with sandbags.
Since it was easy to use as a cover, it seemed like the military had left it for tactical purposes.
The problem was the swarm of Zerglings on the other side of the barricade.
Lee Yong-su asked.
"But even if we cross the bridge, how are we supposed to break through that crowd? No matter how powerful Jeong-gyeom ssi's abilities are… there are just too many of them."
He was right.
The shipping skill, which fired every 5 seconds, couldn't possibly handle that many.
But it was okay.
"I have a good idea. Could you drive the truck up to that barricade for me? In reverse."
"In reverse?"
"Yes, and as close to the wall as possible."
Vroom.
Despite his puzzled expression, Lee Yong-su steadied himself and drove the truck.
There was no choice but to proceed since giving up wasn't an option.
Clatter!
As expected of the
Even on a difficult path, he expertly maneuvered the steering wheel, skillfully avoiding the bollards meant to prevent vehicle entry.
Thud!
The rear of the truck came to rest at the beginning of the bridge, sticking closely to the right side as I had instructed.
When we finally reached the military's barricade, there was only a narrow gap on the left side of the vehicle, just enough to open the door.
I squeezed through that narrow gap and got out of the truck.
Then, I spoke to Lee Yong-su, who was moving to the passenger seat to follow me.
"I have something useful for this situation."
Clatter.
I took out the Mana Stones I had gathered.
Twenty-four that I had collected from the Wyverns.
Adding the seven more I had collected from monsters along the way, I had a total of thirty-one.
I spoke to PAX.
"Unlock both
[This will consume a total of 20 Mana Stones. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Yes. And increase the shipping speed to the maximum."
[Understood. An additional 5 Mana Stones will be consumed.]
[Maximum shipping speed has been adjusted from 75 km/h to 100 km/h.]
[Enhancements and ability unlocks have been completed.]
Twenty-five Mana Stones vanished silently.
I immediately approached the barricade.
And I started removing the sandbags making up the wall one by one and throwing them into the river.
Splash!
The sandbags sank into the water, and with each one removed, the wall became lower.
Lee Yong-su urgently tried to stop me.
"Wait, if you take down that wall, the Zerglings will…"
"I'm not going to open it up completely."
I had only cleared a small section of the wall.
Creak!
Screech!
The Zerglings, noticing the wall gradually lowering, grew excited and agitated.
I removed two more sandbags at once, and just as a Zergling's sharp fangs started to poke through the gap,
Crash!
An axe I fired slammed into its mouth.
As the fallen Zergling was trampled, another quickly stuck its head through.
Slash!
An axe, fired just 2.5 seconds later, took its life again.
From the two newly created Portals, axes were fired alternately every 5 seconds, 'automatically' at the swarm.
And they were attacking with even more power, now at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
I dusted off my dirt-covered hands and returned to where Lee Yong-su was through the narrow gap.
Thwack!
Kak!
Even as we worked, the constant screams of the Zerglings echoed around us.
I said,
"Let's try to reduce their numbers like this."
Blocking the entrance.
It was the perfect strategy for hunting Zerglings.
***
Who knows how many hours passed.
We were hunting the incoming Zerglings 'automatically,' yet we were still busy.
"…Phew."
I pulled the Zergling carcasses through the narrow gap.
Then, I drove a dagger into the bodies I had pulled out.
Squish.
Slice—
I split open their chests and extracted the Mana Stones.
The emptied carcasses were then…
Whoosh—
Splash!
…thrown into the river.
The river, now stained red with blood, was piled high with Zergling corpses, forming a mountain even above the surface.
Lee Yong-su and I divided the tasks, and gradually, we became faster and more efficient.
Thwack!
Snap!
The rubber gloves I had pulled out from Subspace were now completely soaked in blood.
Thanks to that, the number of Zerglings visible beyond the wall had noticeably decreased.
Of course, it might still be a small fraction compared to the whole area, but the important thing was that we were slowly making progress.
We continued advancing bit by bit.
We cleared the barricades that the military had set up entirely, using the rear of the truck as a makeshift barricade.
Reversing little by little, we steadily moved forward.
Thanks to the ongoing work, the axes no longer got stuck in the already dead bodies.
Without any special effort, the Zerglings were being killed on their own.
A completely 'automated' process.
Thanks to that, we finally had some breathing room.
Whirr-
I opened the Subspace Portal.
Exhausted, it was hard even to lift a finger, let alone use any more Mana Stones.
I said to Yong-su,
"Let's take a break."
"No, you go rest. I'll keep working on this."
He answered with bloodshot eyes.
He was pushing himself hard, weighing the grueling repetitive work against the lives of his family.
But…
He didn't really need to.
After all, the automatic shipping was taking care of the Zerglings on its own.
I said to him,
"Are you going to go to your family like that?"
"Ah..."
He looked down at himself with a sheepish expression.
His clothes were drenched, plastered with Zergling blood, and a foul stench was emanating from him.
No matter how much he was 'a dad who came from work', it wasn't a sight good for showing to kids.
Without saying another word, I stepped into the Subspace.
Then I asked PAX,
"Is there hot water here?"
[It's possible with Mana Stone consumption.]
[1 Mana Stone is consumed per 24 hours for water/gas costs combined.]
"…Turn it on. How much power do we have left?"
[About 7 hours of use is possible.]
"Then power too. Please do two days' worth of each for now."
[Received 4 Mana Stones.]
With this, the trinity of civilized life – electricity/water/gas – was complete.
Though I hadn't counted, the number of Mana Stones we had extracted from the Zerglings was quite substantial.
Burning one Mana Stone for hot water seemed like a reasonable expense.
Next, I headed to the picking station and ordered a few items.
[Portable Water Tank Shower Set 15L, 158,590 won.]
[Men's Boxer Briefs Set of 3, 40,680 won.]
[Men's Short-Sleeved Polo Shirt…]
I went to the staff shower room, filled the portable water tank with hot water, gathered the rest of the items, and stepped back through the Portal.
Lee Yong-su was still tirelessly extracting Mana Stones.
"Here, take this. I'll leave the clothes in the truck, so change into them when you're done."
Lee Yong-su, looking bewildered, accepted the portable shower tank.
I said,
"Let's each take a shower."
Back at the Fulfillment Center.
I stepped into the staff shower room and let the hot water steam around me.
If I could have brought Lee Yong-su in here, it would have made things easier, but for now, I was the only one who could enter.
Swooooosh—
The sensation of the hot water streaming down my head was absolutely breathtaking.
"This is amazing…"
I finished the shower and changed into clean clothes.
The convenience was unbeatable; as soon as I ordered, the AGV robot delivered the clothes right to me.
I muttered today's lesson to myself like a mantra.
"Automation… is the best."
Wearing fresh clothes made me feel like a whole new person.
Now, just one thing remained.
I boiled bottled water in the electric kettle, poured the hot water into two bowls of Yukgaejang instant noodles, and took them outside.
Lee Yong-su had also finished his shower and was wearing clean, new clothes.
Thwack!
Kak!
On the other side, the automatic shipping was still taking down the Zerglings.
But we paid it no mind as we sat down for our late dinner.
My whole body felt chilly, like I'd just finished playing in the water.
As I blew on the moist noodles to cool them before bringing them to my mouth.
"This is amazing…"
Lee Yong-su exclaimed.
A cloud of steam floated from his mouth as he spoke.
Just as we finished eating, the background noise of the Zerglings' screams finally came to a halt.
When I poked my head out, a wide-open path was revealed beyond.
Thunk!
Thunk!
Every 2.5 seconds, the camping axe shot out, hitting the empty ground pointlessly.