The first thing I did was use the Mana Stones I earned from hunting Wyverns.
First, let's take care of the utilities.
"Pay for ten days in advance."
[30 Mana Stones have been deducted for power costs, and 30 Mana Stones have been deducted for water/gas costs.]
[Approximately 273 hours remain until power shutdown.]
[Approximately 280 hours remain until gas/water supply shutdown.]
Thanks to that, the amount of time I could hold out increased exponentially.
Now, it was time to enhance my shipping skills.
Although I still had plenty of Mana Stones left, I decided to be strategic with my consumption.
"How much would it cost to reduce the shipping time to the maximum?"
[The current shipping time is 5 seconds, and with Subspace Level 2, it can be reduced to a maximum of 1 second.]
[The cost is 5 Mana Stones per second, totaling 20 Mana Stones.]
"Proceed."
[Understood.]
Finally, down to 1 second.
It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted.
The shipping time, which I considered the most urgent, was now improved… but in reality, I had another purpose this time.
I asked Pax.
"How much to maximize the shipping range?"
[The current range is 10 meters, and it can be enhanced up to 50 meters.]
[Up to 15 meters, the cost is 1 Mana Stone per meter at Level 1, and beyond that, it requires 5 Mana Stones per meter, up to 50 meters.]
[The total cost is 180 Mana Stones.]
180 Mana Stones.
It was quite a hefty cost, but…
"Proceed."
There was no room for hesitation.
The shipping range was also the retrieval range for mana stones, after all.
Since this ability would increase my future income, the cost was well worth it.
With this, the total number of Mana Stones used was 260.
The remaining 51 stones would be saved for later, depending on the situation.
With my enhanced abilities, a lot of my fears disappeared.
Now, my portal would spit out magazines and axes every second.
Having finished all my preparations, I stood in front of a sleek, silver SUV.
Lee Yong-su spoke.
"It's fortunate that we were able to get another vehicle. I've always wanted to try driving this model."
He licked his lips in anticipation.
The vehicle was a military Korando Sports.
Since it was a rear echelon vehicle, it wasn't specially camouflaged, but it had two antenna-like feelers protruding from the header.
'I never thought I'd be riding in this.'
The only time I'd seen one of these was when the battalion commander drove it around while I was in the military.
As a proud reserve sergeant, my chest swelled with pride.
Brrrrung!
Lee Yong-su started the engine.
Then, with his usual skillful hands, he took control of this wild beast, maneuvering it gracefully through the field, dodging the corpses of Wyverns.
We were on our way to the next destination, leaving behind a desolate field with no trace of life.
.
.
.
The change happened in just a few minutes.
To be exact, it started when I turned on the equipment attached to the vehicle.
-Chiiik… Cheek!
The equipment in question was the green military radio installed in the vehicle.
It was originally a vehicle assigned to commanders.
The antennae mounted on the hood were also for communication during wartime or training with allied forces.
I took out my smartphone.
Although I had always charged it without fail by ordering portable batteries from Subspace, there was no signal, no phone service, and no internet connection.
The screen displayed an error showing a failed connection.
Suddenly, I shifted my gaze to the communication equipment.
'Military equipment should be different, right?'
It doesn't rely on cell towers, nor does it need a carrier.
As long as you share the pre-set frequency, communication should be possible.
Even better, since the radios could be produced infinitely through the Subspace, considering the current situation where all communication was cut off, the potential for their use was limitless.
I tried to test the equipment to see if it was functioning properly, but…
Unfortunately, I wasn't a communications specialist.
"I don't know how to use this… Ah, whatever."
I turned on the power switch shaped like [I/O].
Some pre-configured settings must have been in place because a few numbers appeared on the display, accompanied by a start-up sound.
-Chiiik… Cheek…
A vivid white noise flowed through the receiver.
Then it happened.
-Chiiik… This is Charlie… This is Charlie… Foxtrot, respond. This is Charl…
The sound cut in and out.
The man on the other end kept talking without pause.
-Damn it, everyone here is dead! Please, save me! You fucking Foxtrots!
He sounded incredibly angry.
"Now that I think about it…"
From what I remembered, the range of military communication equipment wasn't as long as people thought.
At most, a few kilometers, if that.
That meant the owner of this voice was nearby.
Lee Yong-su asked,
"What should we do?"
I hesitated.
We needed to reach Gangnam, where my eldest sister was, as soon as possible.
But hearing the desperate voice of 'Charlie' brought back memories of the soldiers' bodies scattered along the Heungan Expressway in Indeokwon.
'If he's a soldier, maybe he knows more about the movements of the monsters.'
Moreover, I was curious.
How had these monsters managed to wipe out a modern, armed military force so easily?
There had to be some other factors at play.
I was curious.
But instead of being greedy, I found a reasonable compromise.
"If he's on our way, we'll pick him up. If not, there's nothing we can do."
Then I pressed the button on the receiver.
The sound changed, indicating that my voice could now be transmitted to the other side.
"So, where are you right now?"
Since he spoke informally, I did the same.
The other side seemed quite surprised.
-…Who?
He hesitated for a moment, but then, as if making up his mind, he spoke.
-Yeah, fuck it. I'm about to lose my head here… I'm at the Government Complex! Gwacheon! The Gwacheon Government Comp…
Click.
The transmission abruptly cut off.
When I glanced over at the driver's seat, Lee Yong-su let out a hollow laugh and said,
"…It's literally right in front of us."
That guy had insane luck.
.
.
.
Bang!
A dry gunshot echoed in the distance, followed by a plume of red smoke rising into the air.
It was a flare.
He was desperately begging for help.
It seemed that his claim of being on the verge of death wasn't exaggerated. In the wide-open park around the Government Complex, a swarm of monsters, including Zerglings, were milling about like a pack of wild animals.
Fortunately, there were no Dragons or Wyverns in sight.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
I fired indiscriminately out the passenger window.
Screech! Clang!
A few Zerglings and mutant wolves lost their speed and collapsed to the ground.
Pop! Pop!
Mana Stones flew out of their bodies.
The portal floating above the vehicle greedily sucked in the Mana Stones that sprang from the monsters.
We must have looked like a ravenous beast, relentlessly devouring everything in its path.
This was the result of my retrieval range, which had been extended to a full 50 meters.
The source of the flare was the roof of a three-story government building.
But we weren't the only ones attracted to the smoke.
Every monster in the area was swarming toward the Government Complex.
"…This won't be easy."
Lee Yong-su muttered as he deftly swerved the steering wheel.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-!
I continued firing, swapping magazines as I went.
My finger on the trigger was starting to feel numb.
Clack!
The overheated rifle screamed as if it were about to melt.
A bullet had jammed inside the chamber.
I put the gun into
Shooting monsters and retrieving Mana Stones through Item Retrieval.
That part was working well.
But…
"The road is completely blocked."
Lee Yong-su said.
The entrance road leading to the government building was clogged.
The corpses of dead monsters were piled up like mountains.
The rifle was now useless.
The pile of corpses served as a shield for the monsters, and they were now using it to launch even more dangerous attacks at us.
Lee Yong-su hesitated before suggesting,
"…Should we give up? The entrance is way too narrow."
"Let's try using a grenade."
"Ah! I forgot we had grenades."
Lee Yong-su's eyes lit up, as if convinced this would solve the problem.
Although I could use grenades infinitely, another idea came to mind.
I opened the Subspace Portal immediately.
"Buy me some time by turning the car around."
"What? Now?"
"I'll be right back."
I returned to the Fulfillment Center.
There wasn't much time.
"Why didn't I think of this earlier?"
I headed toward the military base connected through Subspace, specifically to the guardhouse building.
A concrete wall should be able to stop at least the fragments from a grenade.
I took out a fragmentation grenade fastened to my vest.
Then I quickly pulled out the safety pin.
I was still holding the safety lever with my hand.
It won't explode like this.
The moment I throw it, the lever would release, igniting the fuse.
I asked Pax,
"Is it possible to register this as an item in this state, with the safety lever still attached."
Just like how I could preload bullets into a magazine before shipping, I could make slight modifications to items in the Subspace.
This was an extension of that concept.
This time, I intended to register the grenade with its specific 'ready' state.
Pax responded.
[Since this is not a new item, but rather a modification of an existing product, it is possible.]
[Registration completed.]
[You can now receive the item via shipping at any time.]
"It won't explode here before it ships, right?"
[The shipping skill does not involve physical processes within the Subspace.]
[The item will ship instantly from its inventory state, so there's no need to worry.]
"Good to know. Alright then…"
I threw the grenade that remained after registering it as an item forcefully out the guardhouse window with all my strength.
Then, I quickly ducked behind the wall.
After a few seconds…
KABOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, dust and debris rained down.
I was satisfied.
That power should do the trick.
.
.
.
"You're back…!"
Lee Yong-su brightened up.
He had been driving in circles around the building, performing acrobatic driving maneuvers to avoid the monsters.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-!
I summoned a new rifle via Shipping and quickly dealt with the monsters trailing behind us.
Of course, I didn't forget to retrieve the Mana Stones through Item Retrieval.
Now, the only task left was to wipe out those swarming monsters all at once.
I immediately spent more Mana Stones.
"Unlock Simultaneous Shipping once again."
[50 Mana Stones have been deducted.]
After achieving Subspace Level 2, I could unlock the Simultaneous Shipping ability again.
Now, I could ship up to four items at once.
In other words…
"I can throw four grenades at once."
And all of them would have the pins pulled.
Whirr- whirr-
Four small portals appeared above the moving vehicle.
Beep-beep-beep…
Then, using the previously unlocked Precision Delivery, I targeted the area where the monsters were densely gathered.
I stretched out my hand,
'Ship.'
And thus, the items were shipped.
Whoosh-
Four grenades shot out simultaneously.
With a ding sound, the safety levers detached from the grenades mid-air.
Swish.
The grenades slipped into the gaps between the swarming monsters…
KABOOM-!
BOOM-!
BANG-!
The explosions swept through the monsters with deafening blasts.
The remaining task was to repeat the same process.
Like an automatic turret, I continuously rained grenades down on the monsters…
KA-BOOM!
The monsters perished in a series of chain explosions.
Pop! Pop!
At the same time, the Mana Stones were retrieved, creating a virtuous cycle.
Before long, at least the area around the building was cleared of monsters.
We drove the car toward the entrance of the government building.
The thick rubber tires crunched over the remains of the monsters.
But as we approached the building's rooftop, where red flames were flaring, the situation still looked dire.
Bang! Bang!
A man on the roof was cornered, desperately firing his pistol inside the building.
It seemed like monsters had infiltrated the interior as well.
"…@$…!"
He kept glancing toward us, shouting something in desperation.
It was clear he was desperately begging for rescue.
Screeeech!
Lee Yong-su pulled the car up right next to the building.
I stuck my head out of the passenger window and shouted.
"Jump down!"
I opened a portal at a point where he could land safely.
But the man, having likely never seen anything like a portal in his life, hesitated at the edge of the roof, caught in a dangerous standoff.
That standoff didn't last long.
Kaaahk…!
A Zergling on the roof drove its drill-like horn into the man's abdomen.
"…Urgh!"
The Zergling violently shook its head, tossing the man's body around, then flung him off the roof.
Thud! Crack!
The man crashed onto a tree below.
Tat-tat-tat!
I fired my rifle and took down the Zergling on the roof.
I checked on the man who had fallen into the tree…
"..."
He was barely conscious, unable to focus.
Blood was gushing from his abdomen.
I hastily opened a portal.
***
I laid the man, wrapped in bandages, on a bed.
Meanwhile, outside the Subspace, Lee Yong-su was flooring the accelerator, heading toward Gangnam.
Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped.
I had poured disinfectant on the wound and tightly bandaged him up, ordering more bandages from the Subspace to secure everything.
I wasn't sure if it would work, but I also opened a few tubes of ointment and applied them generously.
Despite my efforts, the man still hadn't regained consciousness.
I hoped he would survive.
There were many things I wanted to ask him.
"This guy's got some insane luck…"
Conveniently, our destination was also a hospital.
The one where my eldest sister worked.
Knock-knock!
Lee Yong-su tapped on the portal.
It was the signal that we had finally arrived in Gangnam.