"We're here!"
In the dark corridor of the unlit logistics warehouse.
Lee Yong-su and Choi Byung-cheol raised their hands and took the lead.
Tick!
A powerful flashlight beam was directed at us.
Looking closely, there were about three or four people standing guard in the distance.
A man who seemed to be the leader took a step forward.
"Come in quickly. Was everything okay?"
"There was a bit of trouble. Whew, we barely made it out alive."
"What? You didn't get hurt, did you? Wait, who is this…?"
The man asked when he finally noticed me.
They were all holding long metal rods with kitchen knives fixed to them.
As expected, a couple of dead Orc corpses were lying slanted in the corner of the corridor.
Lee Yong-su introduced me.
"This person saved us. He says he was at the PAX Fulfillment Center until now."
"What? …PAX, isn't that Building C? The one that disappeared this morning?"
It seemed they had witnessed it too.
The entire Building C, now stored in my Subspace, had vanished.
Perhaps in an effort to repay me, Lee Yong-su praised me generously.
"He's incredibly strong. He took down two Orcs by himself. And his personality is quite decent too…"
"No way… took down two by himself?"
The guard was visibly startled.
I thought the same — under normal circumstances, wouldn't it take at least a few armed men to deal with an Orc?
The Orc corpses lying in the corridor were riddled with stab wounds all over their bodies.
It was clear they had been fought off in a one-sided battle.
Thanks to the impressive record that Lee Yong-su had introduced, the guard's demeanor became noticeably more respectful.
"This is… please, come inside. Yong-su will guide you."
"Yes, thank you."
After shaking hands with the guard, I followed Lee Yong-su into the office of the E Building logistics center.
In the room labeled 'Center Manager's Office', there was a man who appeared to be in his early fifties.
Lee Yong-su explained the situation in detail, and the man, after roughly grasping what had happened, clasped my hands with both of his.
"You've done us a great favor. Without you, I can't imagine what would have happened to these guys… Honestly, I don't even want to think about it. Ah, rather than standing around like this…"
He took a small plastic bottle out of a drawer.
It was a 500ml bottle of water.
"Please, have some. Luckily, we still have a delivery vehicle left… so we have a fair supply of drinking water."
"No, that's all right. I have plenty myself, so you don't need to worry about me."
Thunk, thunk.
I tapped the canteen hanging from my vest.
Though it's an essential resource, once inside the Subspace, I could get an unlimited supply of drinking water anyway.
Even if they said they had plenty, to me, it seemed like only a drop in the ocean.
The man introduced himself.
"I'm sorry for the late introduction. I am Lee Jin-mok, the center manager of the Gunpo Terminal for Daehyeon Delivery."
"Nice to meet you. I am Kim Jeong-gyeom."
I got straight to the point.
"By the way, I heard you're in an isolated situation right now… Is that true?"
"Yes, that's correct. We're looking for a way out by trucks… but the golf course blocks the way to the north, and containers to the east make it impossible to drive through. And the road below leading to the Yeongdong Expressway has collapsed."
"What about to the west?"
The west was a route I was familiar with.
It led to the city.
That was the direction I used to take by bus to commute.
"Monsters have completely blocked the path. We could probably handle it if it were just Orcs, but there's this strange bird-like creature flying around…"
"A bird-like creature?"
"Young folks call it a Wyvern. It's so quick and powerful… Luckily, it doesn't seem to come inside the logistics complex tunnels."
From Orcs to Wyverns.
The world had completely turned into a fantasy.
I asked.
"Is there a particular reason you're insisting on using the roads? If it's just about getting out of here… there should be plenty of other ways."
You could walk between the containers, or if necessary, cross through the mountain paths to the nearby residential areas.
It wasn't possible to travel by trucks, but on foot, there were paths open in every direction.
However, they had their own reasons for insisting on using vehicles.
"We need to carry water and food supplies with us. All the people here are delivery drivers with families living far away. They risked coming into the logistics center, thinking of their families… but now we're isolated because of those Wyverns."
Center Manager Lee Jin-mok let out a sigh.
It seemed like he was also thinking of the family waiting for him.
"If I had known this would happen, I would've stayed home with my wife and kids… but still…"
His expression turned resolute.
"We plan to make a forced breakthrough tomorrow night. It'll be dangerous, of course… but staying trapped in this logistics complex means our families outside won't stay safe either. It's all or nothing at this point. We've already loaded the trucks with supplies."
Looking out the window, the shipping yard was lined up with over a dozen delivery trucks, all ready to move.
Lee Jin-mok spoke with a hint of regret.
"Come to think of it, you must be tired. My apologies. Please, go downstairs and rest. Have something to eat as well."
"Thank you for your consideration."
"No, it's the least we can do compared to what you've done for us…"
After our conversation, I left the center manager's office with Lee Yong-su.
As he guided me to the break room, I asked Pax a question.
"Pax, is it possible for anyone other than me to enter the Subspace?"
[Currently, it is not possible. However, if you level up the Subspace, it will become available.]
"How do I level it up?"
[You will need Mana Stones.]
[To reach Level 2, you need 100 Mana Stones.]
"Ah, forget it."
It wasn't an impossible number, but it was out of reach for now.
For the moment, just knowing that it was possible was enough.
If I ever reunited with my family, I could keep them safely in the Subspace.
When we arrived at the employee break room, I saw several people huddled together in the cramped space.
They had laid out a few blankets here and there, but it was far from a comfortable environment.
Lee Yong-su turned to me.
"We've cleared a spot in the corner for you. Please, take a rest there. If you're tired, you can get some sleep."
"No, I think I'm fine."
I abruptly stepped out of the break room.
Lee Yong-su followed me out.
"…Was the spot too uncomfortable for you?"
"No, it's not that. In a situation like this, that's practically a hotel. Rather…"
"Rather?"
"I need to check out the western tunnel."
***
Brrrr!
The red office motorcycle roared to life.
We were all wearing large helmets, and Lee Yong-su was at the handlebars.
"I could've gone alone…"
"I was planning to go there at some point today anyway. We need to do a preliminary check before attempting to cross the road tomorrow."
He had nearly died to the Orcs earlier.
The fact that he was volunteering for another reconnaissance mission just a few hours later showed his remarkable resilience.
He continued talking.
"The Wyverns don't come all the way into the tunnel. As long as we observe from inside, it should be safe."
"I see."
My plan was to test my shipping skills on the Wyverns.
Unlike the people in this logistics complex who opted for a reckless charge, I wanted a more definitive result.
Lee Yong-su spoke up again.
"Come to think of it… you mentioned you're planning to head toward Gangnam, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"It's unfortunate, but it doesn't look like anyone here is headed in the same direction. If you'd like, would you consider riding with me tomorrow? I can take you as far as Indeogwon."
"That sounds good. Is that where you live?"
Indeogwon.
I often passed through there on my way to and from Seoul.
It was disappointing that I wouldn't be able to reach Gangnam, but I was grateful enough for even that.
Lee Yong-su nodded.
"Yeah, my foxy wife and bunny-like daughter are waiting for me. I just hope they're safe."
Flap.
He opened his wallet with his left hand, the one not holding the handlebars.
In the slot where an ID card should have been, there was a sticker photo of his daughter and wife.
The little girl looked to be, at most, about seven years old.
The child with the bunny headband was smiling brightly.
"I'm sure they will be."
I offered an uncertain reassurance.
Because I genuinely hoped it would be true.
We didn't encounter any other monsters on our way.
Perhaps it was because we were gradually approaching the territory of the Wyverns.
Vrooom-
Soon, we entered the shadowy tunnel.
"..."
Lee Yong-su silently reduced his speed.
As we neared the tunnel's exit, the motorcycle came to a complete stop.
The moment we stepped out of the shadow, the Wyverns would be upon us.
Kiaaaaa…
From somewhere, we heard the distorted screech of those creatures.
Out on the road in the distance.
Cars crushed under their claws were scattered everywhere.
One overturned car was smeared with foul-smelling white filth, as if they had defecated on it.
Lee Yong-su spoke in a troubled tone.
"With all these wrecked cars on the road, it'll be tough to get any real speed. It's harsh to say, but… a lot of people are going to die."
He let out a heavy sigh, but I disagreed.
"That won't necessarily be the case."
Thud, thud.
I confidently walked out of the tunnel.
Lee Yong-su tried to stop me.
"…W-what are you doing? Get back in here quickly!"
"Stay inside. I need to check on something."
"Check on what, exactly…?"
Whirr—
I opened a Portal to my Subspace behind me.
Ready to enter at any moment.
I couldn't step forward without this level of safety.
The change came quickly.
Kiaaaaa!
Along with the cry,
Thud!
A massive Wyvern landed right in front of me.
Its nostrils flared as if to say, "You dare?"
"You're the one who dares, you bastard. Ship."
Whoosh!
I took the first shot.
Without hesitation, I hurled a knife,
Thud!
Kiaaaaaaa!!
The beast shrieked wildly, flapping its wings furiously with a blade stuck in its neck.
I had aimed for its head, but the creature's reflexes were too quick.
Flap!
As it spread its wings, a storm-like wind whipped around me.
Caaawwwk!
It swiped its claws at me as it flew in,
[An external entity is attempting to enter.]
[Entity does not meet the conditions.]
Crackle!
I was already inside the Subspace.
The beast's sharp claws couldn't pierce through the Portal's boundary by even an inch.
And so, thirty seconds passed.
Sensing the danger, the Wyvern took off into the sky.
However, the blade embedded in its neck seemed to bother it, preventing it from flying smoothly.
I was struggling too.
I kept firing knives and axes at the creature as it rose and fell in the sky, about ten meters above, every thirty seconds…
Whoosh!
Swoosh!
But my attacks narrowly missed around its wings.
'…It's much harder to hit than an Orc.'
Unlike the bulky Orcs, the Wyvern's body was slender and agile, except for its broad wings.
Yet its ferocity was on par with that of an Orc.
Kiaaaack!
Thanks to the creature charging at me on its own…
Thunk!
I managed to cleave its head off with an axe.
Thud!
The Wyvern's head hit the roadside,
Flop.
Its long, severed neck slapped onto the asphalt like a snake,
and at the end, blood poured out in torrents.
As soon as I confirmed the Wyvern's death, I headed straight back into the tunnel.
Kiaaaaa!
Several Wyverns gathered around the fallen one.
They glared at me intently, but fortunately, they didn't pursue me all the way into the narrow tunnel.
I slowly approached on foot, then climbed onto the back seat of the motorcycle behind Lee Yong-su.
"Let's go."
"Wha- how did you…"
He gasped, as if swallowing his breath in disbelief.
He seemed utterly amazed that I had actually managed to take down a Wyvern.
Especially since it wasn't done using some special forces-style throwing technique, but rather with my Subspace ability.
With a stunned expression, he started the engine.
I took a Mana Stone out of my pocket and showed it to him.
"By any chance, do you know that these Mana Stones appear when you kill monsters?"
"Yes, I know. We've been collecting them as well."
"Good. How many do you have, by any chance?"
"I think we have around six or so. That's about the number of Orcs we've managed to take down so far…"
As he revved the motorcycle, I made him an offer.
"Gather all your Mana Stones and give them to me. I'll clear a path for you."