"Really… thank you so much!"
The Awakened ones who poured out of the transport truck greeted me with gratitude.
A skeleton knight impervious to attacks.
It was an unexpected variable, but I somehow managed to resolve it by launching a barrage of brute-force attacks.
'…Why was it so strong?'
There was no doubt. If there had been even one more like it, the rescue mission would have ended in failure.
Fortunately, not only did the mission succeed, but I also managed to take down the skeleton knight that had the headquarters trembling in fear.
By the time we arrived at the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters, the night had already fallen, blanketing the surroundings in darkness.
"…You're here!"
The operations commander rushed down to the parking lot, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
His gaze was filled with personal ambition.
"It seems there's no other way. Jeong-gyeom ssi, please, join us and…"
"I'm sorry."
"Ah, come on, don't say that…"
His face overlapped with the image of the logistics officer who persistently pushed for me to become a professional sergeant during my military service.
A season of endurance I never wanted to experience again.
Shaking off the thoughts of the past, I asked him.
"Is the helicopter ready?"
"…Follow me. I've had it on standby."
He led the way, and Lee Yong-su and I followed him.
As we climbed the stairs and took the elevator, the operations commander shared some information about the strange fortress that had sprung up in the heart of Seoul.
"The military has sent units to investigate the origin of the fortress. However, we've lost contact with them. Since then, we've been intermittently conducting aerial reconnaissance of the inside of the fortress, and fortunately, we've been able to confirm human activity within."
Traces of human presence.
That, at least, was good news.
It meant my younger sister had a higher chance of being safe.
But there was other news as well.
"And one peculiar thing is… the top part of the fortress seems to be gradually closing in, as if forming a roof. Since the fortress grew from the ground, it's hard to make sense of it logically… and because of that, the inside remains quite dark even during the day."
Suddenly appearing monsters, Awakened abilities, a fortress growing from the earth, and even talking skeletons.
All of these were phenomena impossible to explain using conventional logic.
"Here we are."
Click!
The operations commander opened the rooftop door.
At last, we arrived at the helipad, where a helicopter painted in military green was waiting.
The front windshield was round and curved, giving it a cute, dragonfly-like appearance.
'It's a bit small, but…'
Still, a helicopter is a helicopter.
The operations commander had certainly kept his promise.
Just as I was about to stride toward the helicopter, he stopped me.
"Not that one."
"…?"
He suddenly changed direction.
There was a second helipad connected on the opposite side of the rooftop entrance.
And there…
A much larger transport helicopter was waiting.
Sensing my confusion, the operations commander spoke up.
"Originally, I intended to lend you the 500MD you first saw… but after you defeated the skeleton knight and returned, I thought it was only right to show you our sincerity."
Thunk!
He confidently placed his hand on the body of the helicopter, which bore a clear Army insignia.
"This is a UH-60 Blackhawk. Typically, even those with three stars on their shoulders rarely get to ride it. It can easily carry about twenty people in the back. I wish I could have equipped it with missiles or at least a machine gun, but… there could be internal pushback on that, so we replaced it with extra fuel tanks instead."
I hadn't expected him to go this far.
This was enough to raise my respect for the Korean military by about 0.1 percent—a significant moment for me.
'It's a bit disappointing that it's not armed, but…'
It wasn't a big issue.
I didn't know how to use most modern weapons properly anyway, and as I had just witnessed with the 'skeleton knight', modern firearms were mostly useless against such creatures.
For ordinary Wyverns, I could always make use of PAX's
Filled with gratitude, I responded in an emotional voice.
"…Thank you. I'll use it well and return it safely."
Unfortunately, the helicopter wasn't a product registered in subspace.
I couldn't store the helicopter in subspace, and if it got damaged or broken, there'd be no way to fix it.
Since it was a rental, not a transfer, I had no choice but to use it carefully and return it in good condition.
Just as I was finishing my thoughts, the operations commander came back with a small box, handed to him by his subordinate.
Then, he offered the box to me.
"Jeong-gyeom ssi, we consider you a reliable ally. Please don't forget that."
"…What's this?"
"It's 200 mana stones. I sweet-talked the head of the Military Support Command."
"…!"
A whopping 200.
It was a strong gesture from the military, essentially saying they 'wanted me on their side,' but still, I was grateful.
"Wow… I'll make good use of these, thank you."
"By the way, do you have a pilot? We can send you one of our dedicated pilots."
"Oh, that's taken care of. This man here will handle it."
I pointed to Lee Yong-su, who was standing next to me.
The operations commander spoke up, sounding concerned.
"Are you sure? Military helicopters have quite different controls from civilian ones."
This time, Lee Yong-su answered.
"It's fine. I've never flown a helicopter before, but…"
"…?"
"As long as I level up, it should be no problem. That's how the system works."
The ability
Just as I could store new items in subspace every time I leveled up, he could also learn to operate new modes of transportation with each level increase.
At the skill level of a complete expert.
The number of mana stones needed to level up was…
"It says it'll take 50 mana stones."
I immediately summoned PAX and pulled out 50 mana stones.
After all, the primary goal was to rescue my little sister, and giving Lee Yong-su 50 mana stones was a small price to pay.
Moreover, thanks to clearing out those skeletons in the recent mission, my wallet was already pretty full.
We said our final goodbyes to the operations commander.
"Then, I wish you luck."
Snap.
He saluted us.
It felt like just yesterday that I was practicing salutes for hours, expecting the division commander to visit. Yet now, a three-star operations commander was saluting me first.
Snap.
I returned the salute.
While Lee Yong-su checked the helicopter, I opened the portal and entered subspace.
.
.
.
"PAX, how many mana stones do we have now?"
[You currently possess 1,393 mana stones.]
The number of skeletons I had bashed with the bowling ball was too many.
I had gathered over 500 mana stones from the rescue operation alone, plus the 200 mana stones gifted by the operations commander.
And then…
[The value of the large mana stones has been converted to 100 each.]
There were also the two massive mana stones obtained from the skeleton knight.
After deducting the 50 mana stones I had given to Lee Yong-su, I had 1,393 left.
Without hesitating, I proceeded to the next step.
"I'll pay 1,000 mana stones. Upgrade to level 3."
This was the final preparation.
There was a high chance that monsters like the skeleton knight could appear again.
For me, this was an all-out battle as well.
PAX asked me a question.
[Are you sure you want to proceed?]
[At subspace level 3, the maintenance cost will be adjusted to 10 mana stones every 24 hours.]
[The combined cost for water and gas will be the same.]
Now I would need 20 mana stones per day.
A staggering amount.
I tried to see if I could game the system, just in case…
"Is it possible to prepay the maintenance fees at level 2 before upgrading?"
[That is not possible. Any pre-paid maintenance fees from a previous level will not carry over to level 3. However, the remaining amount for the unused days will be automatically refunded on a per-day basis.]
"Of course…"
As expected, no loopholes.
Since that was the case, there was no reason to delay any further.
"Go ahead and level me up. And prepay three days of maintenance fees as well."
[Understood.]
[Refunding 59 mana stones for the remaining duration.]
[Received 1,060 mana stones needed for leveling up and 3 days of maintenance costs.]
[Remaining mana stones: 392.]
[Level-up in progress…]
Whoong-
Just like last time, a red ripple spread across the space, covering the area.
In the white background where only the fulfillment center had stood, a military base painted in military green now took its place.
PAX returned after completing the process.
[Level-up complete.]
[At Level 3, not only will your shipping skills be further enhanced, but new abilities related to subspace will also be unlocked.]
"New abilities?"
I had expected the shipping skills to be strengthened, but it seemed there was something more.
[Displaying the list.]
—-[Unlockable Options]—-
[Cost: 250]
◈ Subspace Laboratory (New!)
– Installs a laboratory in subspace where registered items can be combined, sorted, or modified.
◈ Subspace Life Support System (New!)
– Naturally occurring decay, spoilage, and aging inside subspace are drastically delayed.
– A mild healing effect is applied within subspace.
◈ Category Item Registration (New!)
– You can register external objects that fit into existing categories in subspace.
(Note: Registration costs are calculated based on the object's value/size/weight and will be consumed separately.)
————————-
"…That's ridiculously expensive."
[Indeed.]
250 mana stones.
It was a fivefold increase compared to when I was at Level 2. Having already spent a thousand mana stones to level up, my wallet was in tatters, but I still took my time reviewing the list.
Then, my gaze stopped at the last item,
"Wait… You're saying I can register objects?"
That had always been the biggest drawback of my subspace.
I could store anything, but only one item at a time.
To compensate for that limitation, I had resorted to bringing in only special targets like the fulfillment center or the military base, which were outside normal standards.
PAX answered.
[Correct.]
[However, you can only register objects that fit into the existing categories of
[Additionally, registration costs will be consumed separately.]
Of course, there were restrictions.
I could only store specific objects, and even then, I would have to pay a registration fee.
"…So, I wonder if maybe…"
I immediately opened the portal leading outside.
.
.
.
I started by being a bit greedy.
"Is it possible to register this Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters?"
[It fits under the
[Calculating registration cost…]
Ding!
[The cost required for registration is 11,780,331 mana stones.]
"No, forget it. My mistake."
The sheer number left me feeling faint.
Of course, I had another target in mind all along.
As I approached the UH-60 Black Hawk, Lee Yong-su, who had been inspecting the tail rotor, came over to me.
"You're here. The inspection is almost done. You said we'd depart once the sun rises, right?"
"Wait a moment. Before that…"
I asked PAX,
"Is this one also registerable?"
[It fits under the
[Calculating registration cost…]
Ding!
[The cost for registration is 107 mana stones.]
"That's more like it."
Finally, a human-scale number came out.
I unlocked the ability and immediately registered the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter…
"Wh-what…?!"
Yong-su exclaimed in surprise.
The large helicopter that had been right in front of him had vanished without a trace.
And then…
'Ship.'
I summoned the helicopter back.
The Black Hawk, which had disappeared in an instant, reappeared just as quickly.
Seeing the helicopter pop back into existence, Lee Yong-su looked at me and the Black Hawk in disbelief.
"Go ahead and inform them we're returning the helicopter. Tell them we used it well and appreciate it."
"Huh? Then how are you planning to get into the fortress?"
"We're going to…"
I smirked. We'll just pull out another one.
Now that the Black Hawk could be generated indefinitely.
***
Thududududu…
The rotor blades roared early in the morning.
Lee Yong-su flew the helicopter like a seasoned pilot, while I sat in the co-pilot seat, reflecting on everything that had happened.
It wasn't just the helicopter I'd gained recently.
There were also the medications and basic medical tools that my eldest sister had gathered from the hospital.
Since there was a medical unit within the military base, surprisingly, these items were also eligible to be stored under the
I also started thinking of other ways this could be useful.
Things like armored vehicles, tanks, and various military weapons could all be stored.
But…
The real issue was something else.
'I don't have a way to kill them.'
The skeleton knight, Gawain, whom I barely managed to take down.
Guns, bombs—none of the modern weapons worked on him.
I had only managed to defeat him by using a bowling ball and grenades, and even that felt like a half-assed 'fluke'.
There was no way I could keep relying on luck.
Then, I remembered something I had forgotten.
It was the red mana stone I got after defeating Gawain.
I called PAX.
Since it was more than just the AI of my fulfillment center, it was also integrated with my Awakening system itself.
Since it had informed me about the usefulness of mana stones in the first place, I figured it would know about the red mana stone as well.
And…
My guess was right.
Ding!
Surprisingly, the red mana stone could be analyzed through the Awakening system window.
—
[Enhancement Stone (D)]
Attribute: Fire
Options: [Penetration], [Ignition]
—
The description was simple but clear.
PAX provided additional details.
[Enhancement stones come from the same source as regular mana stones, but they are imbued with unique properties.]
[By using the Awakening system, you can consume enhancement stones to imbue objects with specific attributes.]
[The stone you possess has the 'Fire' attribute.]
"Fire, huh…"
Now it made sense.
The fiery aura that the skeleton knight Gawain wielded had come from this very enhancement stone.
I remembered the knight's sword, which had sliced through bowling balls effortlessly, leaving black scorch marks on the surface.
The overwhelming cutting power it demonstrated must have come from the effects of this enhancement stone.
The words [Penetration] and [Ignition] caught my eye.
Since these were the attack method used by those creatures, there was a chance they might work against monsters that regular bullets couldn't harm.
After pondering for a moment, I asked PAX.
"So, I just apply this to an object, right?"
.
.
.
After entering the portal, I went to the picking station and ordered an item.
It was…
[STORM ULTIMATE PHAZE Bowling Ball, 16 pounds, priced at 239,000 won.]
It was the same bowling ball that had been so useful earlier.
After placing the bowling ball in the desolate military base training field, I asked PAX.
"Use the enhancement stone on this."
[Understood.]
[One enhancement stone has been consumed.]
[Enhancement in progress…]
[Enhancement complete.]
Whoooosh!
Flames erupted from the bowling ball.
It wasn't made of flammable material, yet a fierce fire swirled around its surface as if ready to engulf anything it touched.
The red marbling that had been merely decorative before now seemed alive, pulsing with fire.
At that moment, the system window popped up again.
Ding!
—
[STORM ULTIMATE PHAZE Bowling Ball, 16 pound +1]
Grade: [Rare]
Description: [Failed to retrieve information. You may input your own description.]
Attribute: [Fire]
Options: [Penetration], [Ignition]
—
The quirky +1 indicator appeared, and the options from the enhancement stone had been fully applied to the bowling ball.
It was as if this bowling ball had always been a special in-game item.
"…This… this is good?"
Naturally, the next thing I had to do was obvious.
"Register this as a product."
I hadn't realized.
That I would become a real 'Fire Baller'.
****
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