Survivors (1)
Since there were 2 remaining skill points, they could be invested in Dignity Maintenance or Storage.
Nevertheless, the reason for obsessing over the Shop skill was simple.
'Because the Shop skill is far more useful.'
Electricity, water, and gas were already available, so there was no reason to invest in Dignity Maintenance.
At best, it would probably just provide benefits like discounts on electricity and water bills.
'Hmm. Come to think of it, my territory expanded, didn't it? If I want to supply electricity to the neighboring house, do I need to level it up?'
There was also no real reason to invest skill points into Storage.
Honestly, even if the level increased, it would probably just expand storage space, but so far, storage space had never been an issue.
'I might need it later, but for now, there's no urgency to level it up.'
Right now, the most necessary skill was Shop.
'I have to level it up as quickly as possible in the early stages. If I'm not in a good state, it becomes meaningless.'
Toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and more.
Essential household goods had to be registered in the Shop while they were still intact.
'Since the world has collapsed, no new products will be produced anymore.'
Not only was production impossible, but the remaining survivors would consume supplies at a terrifying rate.
Though I hadn't checked yet, convenience stores and supermarkets outside had likely been looted, and places with intact supplies would be few and far between.
After all, it had already been ten days since the world ended.
'I need to secure as many items as possible and register them in the Shop.'
Survival essentials would be registered first, and only after that, if there was room, I would add things like cola and snacks.
'Things that will disappear quickly when human civilization collapses.'
Among them, I had to register everything that had brought me happiness.
Delicious things, useful things, necessary things—everything.
As quickly as possible.
After finishing my shower, I immediately went outside and registered unused shampoo, cleansing foam, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor blades, and lotion.
Next, I registered toilet paper and wet wipes, using up 9 slots in an instant.
I filled them with items that were used up quickly in daily life and were still brand new.
'What should I fill the last slot with?'
Most of the essentials had already been registered.
As I wandered around the house, wondering what else to register, my eyes landed on my monitor.
"..."
Before the world ended, I had wanted to have an extra monitor.
I had thought it would be nice to play games while watching YouTube or movies.
But for an unemployed person who didn't even have a job, spending over 100,000 won on a monitor was a luxury. I had settled for watching videos on my phone instead.
'Would it be okay to use one slot for something unnecessary? My goal is to fill up all the slots anyway.'
Besides, I now had over 10 million won.
Wasting just 1% of that should be fine.
Just as I was about to grab the monitor, I sighed and muttered.
"…Get a grip."
There were far more important things than a monitor.
Towels, blankets, clothes, dishes, pots, vitamins, supplements.
In this internet-less world, a monitor's priority was way down the list.
In the end, I chose a box of packing tape that was only about one-third full.
'With this, I can turn a kitchen knife into a spear. It'll be pretty useful.'
Though it was already partially used, I felt I would use it a lot going forward.
"Register tape."
[Would you like to register this item?]
"Yes."
Bzzzt—
Once I had completely filled the inventory slots, a notification popped up.
Homebound Sovereign's Shop Lv. 2 [+]
Items registered in the Shop can be purchased at their original price.
[Skill Points Available: 2]
A plus button appeared next to the Shop skill level.
Without hesitation, I leveled up the Shop skill.
[The Homebound Sovereign's Shop skill has reached Lv. 3.]
[The number of items that can be registered has increased to 40.]
[Item Restoration feature has been added.]
I stared at the last notification for a while, trying to process its meaning.
"Huh? They're giving me this feature at such a low level?"
The ability to restore registered items.
That must mean that used items registered in the Shop could be restored to brand-new condition.
I had expected this feature to appear someday, ever since I was able to register half-used ketchup and mandarin peels.
But I hadn't thought it would unlock at just level 3.
'Well, this makes leveling up the Shop skill totally worth it.'
It was like stumbling upon a jackpot.
"Open Shop."
The shop interface expanded significantly, now twice as large as before.
The Item Restoration button only appeared next to three out of the twenty registered items.
[Homebound Sovereign's Shop]
Half-used Ottogi Tomato Ketchup, 500g (3,015 won) ▶ RestoreMandarin peel (270 won) ▶ RestorePartially used tape (2,700 won) ▶ Restore
ᚠ Balance: 11,240,720 won
▶ Register Item
I wanted to delete the mandarin peel entry first, but instead, I turned my attention to the partially used tape.
"Restore partially used tape."
[Restoring partially used tape will cost 150,000 won.]
[Would you like to proceed?]
150,000 won felt expensive, but considering it was a frequently used item, I decided it was worth the investment.
Rather than buying multiple half-used rolls, it was more efficient to restore it into a complete product.
"Restore."
[Partially used tape is being restored.]
[Partially used tape has transformed into 10 rolls of 80m yellow packing tape.]
The result was satisfying.
Yellow Packing Tape, 80m, 10 rolls (3,500 won each)
The price per roll was cut in half, and the quantity tripled, meaning I had gained six times the value.
I also restored the other two items.
Ottogi Tomato Ketchup, 500g, 2 bottles (5,580 won)
Jeju Mandarin Oranges, 3kg (16,110 won)
"Okay. Done."
Now, every item registered in the shop had been restored to brand-new condition.
With 40 item slots available, I wanted to fill the remaining 20 quickly and level up again, but I needed to carefully decide what to register.
'If I want to hunt monsters, I need a weapon.'
The easiest weapon to obtain at home was a kitchen knife, but I had lost mine in the fight against the Kellican.
'I'll register the one from the neighboring house.'
It was about time to meet the new citizens I had accepted.
'Before that, let's take a peek.'
As the saying goes, Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in danger. Gathering intel before negotiations was a basic principle.
"Sovereign's Eye."
As soon as I activated the skill—
Wooong!
I saw myself lying on the bed.
It was as if my perspective had switched from first-person to third-person, like in a video game.
'Good. It's working.'
My expanded senses quickly spread throughout my entire domain.
'I can see them.'
The young couple, Choi Hyung-joon and Park Hye-won, were sitting in their powerless living room with serious expressions.
This is a faithful translation with natural flow while maintaining the original tone and intent. Let me know if you'd like any adjustments!