Vroom!
The truck raced forward,
Kkaehaeng!
And the Zergling that was charging at them met its demise as it was struck by the vehicle.
After reducing the annoying number of those creatures, it became much easier to take them down.
From the beginning, each of their individual combat strengths didn't even match up to that of an Orc.
"…This is the building, on the third floor."
Lee Yong-su spoke, his hands gripping the steering wheel trembling.
His home was an old apartment building situated in a residential area.
The glass door of the common entrance was shattered, and the stench of uncollected food waste from under the nearby utility pole hit the nose.
The fortunate thing was that there were no corpses in sight.
It was a stark contrast to the streets where bodies were strewn all over.
In a way, it was a good sign.
It was a small apartment building.
After blocking the entrance to the parking lot completely with the truck, we climbed the stairs.
Although Lee Yong-su had driven with force on the accelerator to get here, his pace slowed as he climbed the stairs to his home.
Because he didn't know whether what lay beyond the threshold would be a blessing or a curse.
Perhaps he wished for that outcome to be indefinitely postponed.
Despite his internal struggle, the doorbell button felt incredibly light.
As if it had been pressed by accident.
Ding-dong
Just as the doorbell's chime was about to linger,
A sound came from the intercom.
"…Is it you?"
***
"...!"
His daughter threw herself into his arms, crying.
She was the little rabbit-like girl I had seen in the photo.
In front of his daughter's tears, Lee Yong-su and his wife stifled their own tears that were on the verge of bursting out.
Only after they had somewhat collected their emotions did Lee Yong-su introduce me.
"This is Kim Jeong-gyeom… He's the one who helped me get here. Without him, I wouldn't have even made it this far, let alone survived."
He recounted the events that took place at the Fulfillment Center one by one.
How I saved him when he was being chased by Orcs.
How I took down the Wyverns, enabling them to escape from the Fulfillment Center.
And finally, how I used the Automatic Shipping skill to clear out the Zerglings and open up a path.
Listening to his words, even I began to think the same thing.
'…This isn't just an ordinary benefactor, is it?'
I had only intended to head to Seoul, but unintentionally, I ended up helping him quite a lot.
Of course, I also received a lot of help.
If it hadn't been for him, the journey here would not have been as smooth.
When Lee Yong-su finished speaking, his wife bowed her head deeply toward me.
"Thank you so much for saving my husband. I really… I don't think I could live without him."
The tears she had been holding back finally burst forth.
Their little daughter, who had been toddling over, also lowered her tiny head.
"Thank you."
It was a touching moment, yet at the same time, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward.
Lee Yong-su hurriedly stepped in to wrap up the situation.
"You must be very tired. Please, have a seat and rest for a while. I'll bring out something for you to eat."
He sat me on the sofa in the master bedroom and then headed to the living room.
I could hear murmuring sounds, suggesting that he was discussing something with his wife.
Before I knew it, drowsiness started to wash over me.
Come to think of it, I had taken down Wyverns early in the morning, wandered through the city for a long time, and then spent the entire night without sleep dealing with the Zerglings.
Lack of sleep was one thing, but the fatigue was overwhelming.
"…There's no food at home right now… not even water…"
I could hear the murmured conversation from outside, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay conscious.
Clinging to my fading vision, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
***
"…!?"
I woke up with a jolt.
I hadn't expected to fall asleep like that.
I found myself lying stretched out on the sofa, with a warm blanket draped over me.
Next to me was Lee Yong-su.
He seemed to have dozed off, leaning against the bed.
He said,
"I was going to wake you for a meal… but you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you."
"…How long did I sleep?"
He checked his wristwatch.
"Not that long. About three hours? Anyway, let's have a meal first."
When I followed him into the living room, I saw a few things set up on the dining table.
And to my surprise…
It was a classic Korean meal spread out before me.
A portable gas burner had a stew pot set on it, and between the bubbling kimchi broth, plump pieces of mackerel were peeking out.
And then, there was the fragrant smell of freshly cooked rice.
'…Is this even possible?'
The stench of apocalypse that I had been smelling for days was wiped away.
Lee Yong-su's wife spoke, sounding a bit apologetic.
"I wish I could offer you something better… but we don't have a lot of ingredients. So I made do with some stir-fried kimchi and canned mackerel. My daughter and I have already eaten, so please don't mind us and enjoy your meal."
With those words, she left and went into the small room where her daughter was.
Simply put, this was:
Kimchi mackerel stew.
It seemed they had fetched the ingredients from the truck while I was sleeping.
They used the best of what they had to prepare a special meal.
Lee Yong-su urged me.
"Please, help yourself."
"Ah… Should I?"
Slurp.
The broth was even more impressive.
The rich and slightly oily taste of the stir-fried kimchi was somehow balanced out, leaving only the savory flavor of the mackerel and the tanginess of the kimchi in my mouth.
Although the kimchi pieces were small, mixing the thick broth with the rice made it an unparalleled treat.
"…I'm finished. Thank you for the meal."
I emptied the bowl in one go, and as I did the same, Lee Yong-su took out two packs of instant coffee mix.
Then he started boiling water on the gas burner.
As I blankly stared at the blue flame rising from the burner, Lee Yong-su broke the silence.
"You said your destination was Gangnam, right?"
"Yes, that's the plan for now."
"I'll drive you there. After you've rested enough… We can leave whenever you're comfortable."
"What?"
Originally, he was only supposed to accompany me as far as Indeokwon.
It was one of the routes that led into Seoul.
He continued speaking.
"I've already talked it over with my wife. When I told her you were going to find your family, she said, 'Are we the only ones with family?' Whether it's my wife or daughter, they can hold out for at least a few months with the supplies we unloaded from the truck. Of course, I plan to come back before then…"
The road to and from Seoul.
He didn't bother mentioning the obvious—that the journey might be perilous.
Glug.
Without saying a word, he simply poured hot water into my cup.
As I watched the coffee creamer slowly rise to the surface, I suddenly stood up.
Then, I turned to the surprised Lee Yong-su and said,
"Wait a moment."
I opened a portal to the Subspace.
.
.
.
"PAX, you said that if I level up, I can bring in people other than myself, right?"
[That's correct. At level 2, it's possible to accommodate others.]
"At level 2, how many people can be accommodated?"
[Up to 20 people can be accommodated.]
"Oh… that's quite a lot."
[Indeed.]
I counted on my fingers, listing the number of my family members.
My father, mother, and grandfather.
My older brother, his wife, and my two older sisters.
Even after accounting for them, there were thirteen spots left.
It was more than enough to include Lee Yong-su and his family.
The issue was the cost.
An enormous price of 100 mana stones.
But…
Rattle!
I untied the large duffel bag.
This was the bag where I had stored the mana stones I collected during the Zergling slaughter spree I had put on all night.
"Can you count them for me?"
[Let me check.]
[…A total of 116 pieces.]
"Can you proceed with the level-up?"
[Are you sure you want to proceed?]
[At Subspace level 2, the maintenance cost increases to 3 mana stones every 24 hours.]
[Water and gas costs are also adjusted to 3 mana stones every 24 hours.]
Greater power always comes with a price.
It wasn't a trivial amount, but at least it wasn't something to be afraid of.
After all, I was gradually getting stronger.
[Understood.]
[Leveling up in progress…]
Dwoong-
In an instant, a red wave flashed and wrapped around the space.
In the blink of an eye, the original white background returned, and…
"Is it done?"
[Yes, it is.]
[Now, you can accommodate others in the Subspace as you wish.]
I had reached level 2.
I decided to check later what new abilities I had gained and which skills I could enhance.
Right now, I had more pressing matters to attend to.
With that, I exited the Subspace.
.
.
.
"…You're back."
Lee Yong-su was sipping his now-cold cup of coffee.
He had earnestly offered to drive me to Seoul, but when I suddenly left, he probably felt a bit awkward.
I responded to his offer.
"Alright. Let's go together, Yong-su."
"Yes, yes, you've made up your mind. So when should we…"
"But, you can't go alone."
"What?"
Whirr-
I spoke while keeping the portal open.
"I leveled up the Subspace. Now, I can bring in other people as well. You, Yong-su, and your family can also come inside."
"…Is that really true?"
His face lit up.
He knew that my Subspace was invulnerable to external attacks.
And he also knew that it contained an unlimited supply of resources.
It was a safer fortress than anything that existed on Earth.
"But, there's a condition."
"A condition…"
"Gangnam is not the end. From Euljiro, to Dobong-gu, to Uijeongbu. I want you to take me all the way. If you continue to lend your strength in helping me find my family… then I, too, will protect your family until the very end."
Just as he needed me, I also needed him.
For someone like me, who had to travel a long distance, his
Suddenly!
Lee Yong-su stood up energetically upon hearing my words.
"I'll go get them. Let's depart right away."
***
[External entities are attempting to enter.]
[Do you permit the entry of Lee Yong-su, Oh Ji-soo, and Lee Yoo-jung?]
"Yes, I permit it."
As soon as I gave my permission, the three of them entered the Subspace.
"Wow…"
As soon as they stepped through the portal, all three of them let out gasps of awe.
The vast expanse of the Subspace visible through the windows was impressive, but even more so was the sight of the Fulfillment Center itself.
The cutting-edge facilities that resembled a futuristic city, with automated AGV robots moving shelves back and forth, were truly a spectacle.
I guided Lee Yong-su and his wife, Oh Ji-soo, to the picking station first.
"From this PC, you can search for items and press the order button. The items will be automatically delivered here. Feel free to order anything you need while you're staying here."
Instant delivery in the midst of an Apocalypse—Lee Yong-su looked like he was on the verge of fainting from amazement.
This time, his wife, Oh Ji-soo, had a sparkle in her eyes.
"Do you have a lot of food ingredients here, by any chance?"
"This is the first floor, but on the third floor, there's the Fresh Center. It has almost all the food ingredients you might need… so just order whatever you need."
"Oh my goodness… this is amazing!"
She exclaimed, covering her face with her hands in amazement.
I was suddenly filled with a sense of relief.
The Fresh Center, stocked with various vegetables, meats, and fresh seafood.
It was a place I hadn't properly utilized myself.
It seemed like she would make full use of the kitchen facilities in the employee cafeteria.
To liven up the mood, I demonstrated how to order items.
[Secret Zoo Character House, priced at 41,360 won.]
The AGV robot brought over a pink, dazzling toy for girls, and I handed the gift to their daughter, Yoo-jung.
The child who received the gift seemed unsure of what to say, looking back and forth between her parents.
Feeling a bit awkward myself, I made a joke.
"…If it doesn't suit your taste, you can always exchange it."
Only then did Lee Yong-su pat his daughter on the back.
"You should say thank you."
"Thank you!"
I gently patted Yoo-jung on the head as she bowed her head in gratitude.
After escorting Oh Ji-soo and Yoo-jung to the staff lounge, Lee Yong-su and I stepped outside.
The truck he was driving slowly made its way out of the alley.
He kept turning his head back, again and again.
Trying to take in the sight of the old house where he used to live.
A rented three-bedroom apartment he had been leasing.
In this ruined world, where even the concept of ownership had crumbled to pieces, what he wished to preserve had nothing to do with legal rights or entitlements.
"..."
He couldn't even bring a single family photo.
The Subspace didn't allow it.
The only thing permitted was that enormous Fulfillment Center, nothing else.
Looking back on it…
The Subspace logistics center contained all the goods of the world.
Except for the things that weren't there.