[Target specified. Do you wish to store it?]
'Yes.'
[Starting storage.]
Once again, my insides churned with nausea.
Was it because the area was much larger? The pain was incomparable to when I stored the Fulfillment Center.
"…Ugh!"
The gangster commander seemed a bit surprised.
It was understandable, as I suddenly retched and collapsed while looking fine just a moment ago.
"…?"
But what he should have been surprised about was something else entirely.
When I regained my composure and lifted my head, he too began to look around.
"…What the fuck…?"
The place where we stood was the massive drill ground.
Nothing more, nothing less.
As if the entire area of this military base had been cut out precisely, we could see the cross-section of the mountain, sliced like a piece of cake.
Rumble…
Unable to bear the weight, soil, rocks, and trees came crashing down in a landslide.
A message appeared.
[Storage completed.]
I had stored this entire military base whole.
In other words, I had taken over the commander's territory.
The guy who realized that I was the cause of this situation flushed red with rage.
"You bastard! What have you done to my land?!"
My land, he says.
Indeed, he was a man with an extraordinary sense of possession.
Of course, it wouldn't have happened, but… If I had been caught by him, I would've had to present all sorts of resources and even mana stones to him.
Like a tenant farmer offering his crops to the lord.
But he was not the true owner of this land.
Legally, that was the case, and even by the logic of power he was so proud of, it was the same.
Whirr-
Without giving any response, I opened a portal to the Subspace.
The flock of wyverns had already turned the sky pitch black.
"Well then, goodbye."
I promptly stepped into the portal.
Only the commander, his regimental commander, battalion commander, and their underlings were left standing idly in the now-empty field.
They ran towards the commander in a hurry.
"Hyung-nim! What is going on here!?"
"Fuck… Hey, grab your guns and everyone gather here! We're retreating to the forest!"
He tried to assert his leadership.
I recalled the Wyverns' behavior that I encountered in the logistics tunnel.
They might be able to avoid the Wyverns' attacks in a shaded area like the forest.
But that only works if they have the ability to do so.
The curly-haired battalion commander stammered his response.
"Well… all the guns have disappeared. Even the military vehicles…"
"Why the fuck did they disappear, you son of a bitch!"
The commander lashed out at the hapless battalion commander.
The guns and vehicles probably belonged to this base.
It seemed the Subspace had recognized them as belonging to this place and absorbed them along with it.
Realizing that their survival was now uncertain, the commander suddenly lunged at the portal.
But,
[An external entity is attempting to enter]
[Do you permit Cho Gwang-sik's entry?]
"…No?"
Thunk!
He was blocked by an invisible wall.
He banged on the it again.
"Open up, you bastard! Before I kill you!"
Thunk! Thunk!
He insisted on the logic of power until the end.
It was ironic, considering the concept itself was a contradiction.
And behind him…
Flap.
A being with even greater power descended to the ground, stirring up the wind.
A black-haired dragon.
A being far stronger than Commander Cho Gwang-sik could ever hope to be.
Grrr…
Dust swirled up from the ground as the dragon's breath blew across it, and the creature looked into the Subspace where I was hiding, seemingly intrigued.
We made eye contact.
The atmosphere was distinctly different from when I had encountered other monsters.
'…Does it have intelligence?'
I couldn't help but wonder.
The dragon soon lost interest in me.
After all, in front of it lay fresh prey scattered across the field.
Just as thousands of Wyverns were about to swoop down on them with a furious flapping of wings—
"PAX, close the gate."
[Understood.]
I shut down the portal.
It wasn't exactly a scene I was eager to witness.
"What is all this…?"
Turning around, I saw Lee Yong-su standing there with his mouth wide open, accompanied by his family.
They all looked terrified.
The sheer number of Wyverns visible through the portal was overwhelming, to say the least.
Lee Yong-su, who knew better than anyone just how terrifying Wyverns could be, looked especially shaken.
I answered.
"It seems we'll have to stay here for now. Until those creatures leave the area."
The 'time' that the thugs had mentioned seemed to refer to the movement schedule of that dragon and the Wyvern horde.
I wasn't sure what their patrol's purpose was, but at least they wouldn't stay in one place indefinitely.
Lee Yong-su nodded with a tense expression.
Now that I looked around, a few items were scattered nearby.
There were mattresses, chairs, and tables—furniture of various kinds.
That's right.
This Fulfillment Center even had furniture.
Lee Yong-su's wife, Oh Ji-su, hesitantly spoke up.
"I was setting up a rest area. I thought it'd be more comfortable if there was a bed when you needed to rest, so I started preparing things… and it just sort of grew from there."
It seemed she was trying to find something useful to do in this place.
I could understand her mindset; staying at someone else's place can make you feel like a burden.
I could see why the project got bigger as she went along.
An infinite inventory free shopping mall.
With the freedom to pick anything to furnish a room, it was hard not to get carried away.
"There are quite a lot of items, aren't there…? Haha…"
Lee Yong-su laughed awkwardly.
Given the weight of the furniture, it looked like he had been helping out as well.
I didn't mind at all.
I was likely to be staying in this place for quite some time.
I appreciated them taking the initiative to organize and decorate the space.
Lee Yong-su continued.
"You must be tired. Would you like to get some rest? We've finished setting up a bed in the rest area."
He was right. I was definitely lacking sleep.
And given the current situation, I had no choice but to stay put in this Subspace.
But…
"Please, rest first. I have something I need to check."
I gazed quietly out of the window of the logistics center.
It was still a blank, white scene, but something new had been added to it.
The military base I had just stored.
The view of the ROK Defense Communication Headquarters appeared outside the window.
Lee Yong-su asked.
"What is that, though? It suddenly looked like a military facility just popped up there…"
"It's a newly absorbed space. And as you guessed, it's an actual military base."
"Wait, you absorbed an entire military base…?"
He looked not just surprised but utterly dumbfounded.
From the logistics center to a military base.
Even I had to admit, this ability was extraordinary.
"We'll figure out how to make the best use of it over time."
.
.
.
.
I finished speaking and stepped outside.
Thud, thud.
Walking out through the side door of the logistics center, I saw that the yard and the main gate of the military base's guard post were connected.
I began walking up the slope toward the inner barracks.
Was it because I had brought in the entire layout of the military base?
It was hard to distinguish whether this was inside or outside.
Looking up at the sky, which resembled a blank white canvas, I could only vaguely guess that this was the interior of the Subspace.
"Sure enough… it's pretty spacious."
[Indeed, it is.]
PAX agreed with me.
The potential uses for the military base were endless.
From firearms, ammunition, explosives, and military vehicles to strategic supplies like gas masks for emergencies.
Just as Cho Gwang-pil had smartly secured it, there weren't many places better suited to preparing for the Apocalypse.
However…
"Utilizing it might be a bit cumbersome."
In the existing logistics center, I could get the items I wanted as if they were right at my fingertips.
I could even use the 'Shipping' skill to deliver items outside.
That was one of my key advantages.
But a military base is not a logistics center.
Firearms would have to be retrieved from the armory, ammunition and explosives from the ammunition depot, and vehicles from the subordinate transport battalion.
None of these places were particularly close to the guard post.
In simple terms…
"So I can't receive things like, 'Ship one rifle,' in that way."
That's how I summed it up.
However, PAX had a different opinion.
[That is not the case.]
[This Subspace is programmed based on a logistics system format by me, AI PAX.]
[Therefore, this newly integrated Sector 2 is also treated as a type of warehouse.]
What was this supposed to mean?
Could it be…
[Currently, the data processing is underway. Once the product code classification for all entities in Sector 2 is completed, you will be able to receive them through the Shipping skill, just like the previously registered items.]
"Wait, are you saying that even the rifles can be duplicated? Just like the items in the logistics center? And they can be shipped out using the Shipping skill?"
[Correct.]
"That's totally broken, isn't it?"
[Correct.]
[However, as I mentioned, since the data processing is still in progress, it is currently unavailable.]
[The current progress of the process is 0.81%.]
"How long do you think it'll take to finish?"
[Since the time required varies by category, it's difficult to predict accurately.]
[However, if you specify the items you need, I can prioritize the assignment of product codes.]
[Is there any specific item you want?]
"Prioritize registering firearms, ammunition, and explosives. Oh, and vehicles and fuel too."
[The items you mentioned will have their product codes assigned within the next six minutes.]
[Firearms, ammunition, and explosives can also be retrieved from the picking station.]
"Ah, right. But make sure to block other people from ordering those items."
[Understood.]
[Ordering rights for those items will be restricted.]
It was a necessary measure.
After all, I'm not the only one in this Subspace anymore.
Although it's unlikely that Lee Yong-su and his family would do such a thing, if someone were to start shooting guns inside the Subspace later, it could become quite problematic.
"Better to take precautions like this in advance."
[Indeed.]
The high-performance AI, capable of outclassing even AlphaGo, agreed with my opinion.
Thanks to PAX's smooth handling of everything, there was no longer any need to rummage through the military base here unnecessarily.
Whether it's guns, armor, or ammunition, I could simply receive them conveniently through delivery.
I turned around and headed straight for the logistics center building.
When I got back, Lee Yong-su and his wife were wiping the sweat from their brows.
I wondered what they were doing, and it turned out they had been working hard to make the rest area more comfortable and livable.
Lee Yong-su and his wife, Oh Ji-su, led me to the rest area.
"Take a look. I think you'll like it."
"Wow, this is…"
A hotel-style mattress that stood several centimeters high.
Around it, they had arranged elegant wooden tables and lamps.
There were even clean glass bottles and cups placed on top.
If it weren't for the bare floor and panel walls, I would have believed it was a hotel.
Oh Ji-su said,
"We've set up this men's rest area as a private space for you, Jeong-gyeom ssi. Honestly, this logistics center has everything one could need."
I'm sure it must have been a lot of hard work, but for some reason, she looked thrilled.
Lee Yong-su, on the other hand, who seemed to have grown noticeably thinner in the meantime, didn't look quite as enthusiastic.
I responded to Oh Ji-su.
"This is really great, thank you. In the blink of an eye, it's turned into a new home…"
Her sense of interior design was quite remarkable.
Lee Yong-su hesitantly added,
"If it's alright with you, could we stay in the large room in the women's break room? If it's inconvenient for you, we can use another space."
Oh, come to think of it, I hadn't properly designated a living space for their family since they joined us.
I quickly replied,
"I completely forgot about that. Why don't you just use the entire women's rest area?"
"Are you sure…? You might need space for your own family in the future."
"It's fine. There's also the military base barracks nearby, and it even looks like there are officer quarters too. So, there's no need to worry. Besides, Yong-su, you'll likely be moving around with me a lot anyway. It's more convenient if you're close by."
There was plenty of space available anyway.
If needed, I could always bring in a five-star hotel in its entirety later.
Lee Yong-su replied,
"Thank you, really. If there's anything you need, just let me know. I'll do my best to help."
"I appreciate that. For now, though…"
Whirr-
I opened a portal leading outside.
Flap, flap.
The sight of the Wyverns still swarming like a hurricane outside.
Meanwhile, there was no sign of Commander Cho Gwang-sik or his subordinates.
It wasn't time to leave just yet.
"Should we get some sleep before we head out?"
This Subspace was like the calm eye of a storm.
A completely safe place, but unfortunately, we couldn't leave just yet.
I planned to move to Seoul once the Wyverns disappeared.
I never imagined it would be this exhausting just to get to Gangnam.
However, now things would be much easier than before.
Because now, I had rifles obtained from the military base.
And even better…
I had unlimited ammunition.