Chapter 37

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 37

Chapter Title: The Base Manager Trait

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Upgrading the stronghold reinforcement skill to level 5 had been a smart move.

Electricity hadn't been cut off yet, so daily life was still comfortable, but once it went out, maintaining this lifestyle would be impossible. That's why I'd unlocked the ability to craft a generator with the technician skill.

It would be amazing if the stronghold itself turned into a massive charger, letting us plug appliances into any outlet inside and draw from the stored power.

If we had to rely on a generator later, we'd have to lug it around everywhere to power our electronics. But if this skill worked as I hoped, we could just run the generator separately and live as normally as before.

This Base Manager trait I'd bought today for 10 points felt like a steal.

"Hold on, didn't it say we could build barricades too?"

The one thing I'd worried about with the generator was the noise. It could draw aggro from nearby zombies straight to us.

Honestly, if I was home, that'd actually be ideal. I'd been heading out to hunt zombies anyway—why not have them come to me?

I could just sit back and mop up whatever wandered near the house. No need for the generator right now, so I hadn't even turned it on yet, but it could serve as a lure later. Now that the stronghold could store power, starting to charge it up ahead of time sounded like a plan.

The problem was when I wasn't home. It'd be perfect if I could stay put every day, but that wasn't realistic.

I didn't want to imagine running the generator while I was out, only for zombies to swarm and attack Yejin inside. I'd set up defensive spells, sure, but once the demonic energy ran dry, they'd vanish. If too many zombies piled on, she'd be done for.

Barricades blocking their entry would let me roam more freely outside. And I wouldn't even need to burn demonic energy on defenses, saving it for where it mattered most.

No matter how I sliced it, this Base Manager trait was an absolute bargain.

"Has anyone gone inside yet?"

I was deep in admiring the trait when a voice called out. Looking around, I spotted Sohee gazing up at me.

"The shop? Nah, no one's inside."

"Then I'm heading in again."

"Huh? Didn't you already go in earlier?"

I remembered her because she'd bought a greatsword almost as big as she was. She was still carrying it.

No lie, seeing someone her size sling a massive blade over her shoulder was so unbalanced, it stuck with me.

I wondered if she could even fight with it, but after watching her take down those thugs today and tote it effortlessly, she seemed fine.

"I need something inside. Don't get in my way."

"Nope. Pay the entry fee first."

"What? I already paid earlier!"

"That was then. This is now. You buying a ticket for the amusement park, going in, coming all the way out, and then claiming you already paid to get back in?"

Sohee glared at me, speechless. I half-expected her to lunge, but she knew our skill gap too well for that.

"Or tell me what you're after. Waste 20 coins going in for nothing?"

She let out a massive sigh.

"Haa... Fine. Zombie infection antidote. I tried earlier but didn't have enough coins. Borrowed some now to buy it."

Zombie infection antidote?

"I already bought that."

"What?! There's only one, and you got it?"

"Yup. If you want another, hit up a different shop. But it's closing soon."

With shops shutting down any minute, she wasn't dashing to another one in time.

"Tch. Sell it to me! I've got 1,000 coins."

"Pass. Why would I? Might need it someday. Not selling."

Her glare softened into sad puppy eyes.

"But... it's for my mom. I'm fine, but what if she gets bitten? We need it just in case..."

She had a story, sure. But no way was I handing it over.

"Not my problem. Say what you want—no sale."

In a zombie apocalypse, getting what someone else has? Persuade or steal by force. Neither worked on me.

Her reason being her mom, and how she acted when we first met—she really cherished her mother.

"Haa, whatever. Guess I'll grab one next shop. Hey, what's your name?"

"Me? Kim Jaehwan. You're Sohee, right?"

"Kang Sohee."

After exchanging names, she stared at my face a moment, then turned and walked off slowly.

Once she was gone, I just waited for the shop to close.

Head straight home after and designate it as the base.

I half-hoped more people would show, but no luck. They'd gone elsewhere or everyone nearby had shopped out. Whatever.

Then a system window ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠popped up.

Shop's finally closed. Time to head home. Still tons to do today.

I rushed back as fast as I could, and Yejin greeted me warmly.

"Oppa, you're back? How was the shop? What'd you get?"

"Better than expected. Didn't buy items, but snagged a trait for myself."

"Ah... Makes sense. We've still got plenty of food stocked, and life's comfortable enough."

She didn't seem to want anything specific. She looked thrilled with our current setup anyway.

Time to test the Base Manager trait.

I activated the base designation skill first.

Let's designate this officetel I'm living in. That should make the whole place my base, right?

I slapped my hand on the floor, and a new window appeared right away.

Designating a base was a breeze. Not sure if I'd ever need to change it, but if I did, I'd pick something better.

Next up: barricades? The moment I thought that,

What the...? Oh, right—the upgraded stronghold reinforcement detects unregistered intruders.

I pulled up my status window and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spotted the new Base Management skill right after designation. It managed the base, checked status, and handled barricades and auto-doors.

I hit the status button, and a cross-section of the newly registered building appeared.

I'm on the 3rd floor, and there were two markers: blue and red. Blue for residents or me, the manager. Red for unregistered folks.

Yejin next to me was red since she wasn't registered yet. I checked the management window—there was a Residents button. Clicking it showed the list.

That's how you register them. Touch the person while registering. Easy.

"Yejin, come here."

"Huh? Me?"

She'd been watching from a distance to not interrupt and approached with a surprised look. I grabbed her breast, registered her, and boom—one resident added. Gotta name them manually.

"Congrats. You're my base's first resident."

"Uh... resident? What's that?"

I explained while groping her: bought the Base Manager trait today, designated this place.

"...Oppa, this is ridiculous. You're way too OP."

"OP as hell. I'm on another level from regular Awakeners."

I hadn't shown her my status yet, so she had no idea how stacked I was. Might someday, but no plans to share now. No point.

"So, this building's way safer now? You'll probably barricade the perimeter, so I can roam the halls more securely."

Exactly. I'd heard she'd nearly gotten jumped by a zombie heading to the storage room back when she was alone. Perfect timing to secure the corridors.

"Plus, tomorrow... the Zombie Wave starts, right?"

She was spot on. Past midnight now, so technically today. Barricades would protect her while I didn't know what to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expect.

"Alright, gonna go set up barricades outside."

I stepped out, stood by the building, and activated Base Management to install barricades.

Suddenly, walls sprang up around the officetel—like a magician conjuring from thin air. Over 5 meters high, encircling the whole place.

Barricades built full fortress walls?

Auto-doors formed between sections too. Approaching with intent to open made them slide open. Just for me? Management let me designate residents for door access. Yejin next.

- Grraaahhh

Zombies nearby heard and started swarming. Couldn't see them through the wall. Transparent option? Yep.

Test time.

I made the walls fully transparent. Zombies spotted me, charged to bite, slammed into the invisible barrier, and tumbled back.

Did that dent the barricade HP?

No damage? Didn't register as an attack, or maybe the upgraded defense? Whatever.

Figure it out later. Zombie Wave tomorrow—time to crash. Gonna be busier than today.

Next day, just like the shop notice, a Zombie Wave system window appeared.

The standout part?

Oh, sweet! Just hunker down for free rewards.