Chapter 177: Safe Base-Exclusive Effect
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Safe Base-Exclusive Effect
If I had to pick the most useless of my cheat modes right now, it would be Base Mode.
It's the very cheat mode that has protected me inside the safe base from the very beginning, so why call it useless? It's because of a specific option within it.
– The "Safe Fortress" effect activates based on the number of residents.
I believe this was activated at Level 5 or 6, which was probably around the time I first accepted Kim Ji-hee as a resident.
As the number of residents increases, its capabilities as a "Safe Fortress" unlock, adding various options.
Honestly, if I wanted to make full use of this, I could just accept everyone who enters Paradise as a resident and mindlessly expand my faction.
"Just belong to Paradise within the safe base, and fend for yourselves."
"But if you die, I'll just replace you with someone else."
If I did that, reaching the maximum capacity of 2,000 residents?
I'm confident I could fill it within three days.
But the reason I didn't do that was because, while the stats of the "Safe Fortress" were certainly tempting, I didn't want to bloat my faction that way.
If this were just some throwaway server I planned to use and discard, it wouldn't matter.
I could grow rapidly, throw faction members into the field without even bothering to govern them internally, use them up, discard them, and repeat.
By infinitely expanding the faction, the safe bases would eventually multiply endlessly, allowing me to aggressively expand my territory.
If I just wanted to have fun for a short three to six months and call it quits, that might actually be the better choice.
But that's not the case here, is it?
I have at least thirty, maybe even sixty years of life left.
Setting aside the risk of dying unexpectedly along the way, that's my minimum life expectancy. To build my own kingdom and a castle that will never fall within that time, it was crucial to build a solid foundation from the ground up so it wouldn't collapse.
And I had the power to do so.
My cheat modes made it possible. Even if it took a long time—even if it meant taking things slow—it was only right to handpick them one by one.
Of course, does that mean I'm being overly cautious?
Not really.
If they're worth accepting, I accept them; if they're worth casting out, I cast them out.
In fact, in the case of the Eagle Five Squad, I recruited them purely based on their skills without much suspicion, and the same goes for the Paradise Residency K candidate I'll be meeting soon.
If trouble arises, I have the power to handle it.
So, I will make the "Safe Fortress" a highly coveted position, fostering a sense of prestige among the residents of Paradise. That's why this isn't a cheat mode I've abandoned out of uselessness, but rather an option I've intentionally left untouched.
But this time, by clearing a Safe Base-Exclusive Quest, I received a "Safe Base-Exclusive Effect Selection Ticket."
"What's this now?"
It looked similar to "Safe Fortress," but the applied effects were completely different.
[Safe Base-Exclusive Effect]
1. The spawn rate of "Rare" zombies increases by 1%. The drop rate of "Special" items from "Rare" zombies increases by 5%.
2. Upon defeating normal zombies, an additional 1 to 5 coins will be awarded with a 1% / 3% / 10% / 20% / 100% chance, depending on the membership level.
It was roughly along those lines.
Are the effects themselves similar?
However, unlike the Safe Fortress effects, the Safe Base-Exclusive Effects felt more like "rare" options.
They were much more fun to look at.
There were plenty of options that actually made me hesitate.
"Hmm. The problem is they're all good."
Effects related to item farming, effects that granted extra coins upon killing zombies, effects that increased the spawn rate of additional dungeons, and so on.
In a way, some of these options could be seen as penalties, but the harsher the option, the better the reward. To a veteran player like me, they felt incredibly reasonable and appealing.
If the Eagle Five Squad saw these, they'd probably find many of them highly tempting as well.
I carefully examined the dozens of effects, one by one.
Unlike the Safe Fortress effect, there was no cheap trick like just accepting random people to boost it.
Since this selection ticket was a reward from a Level 11 quest, I had no idea when another one would appear.
Since I've already unlocked up to Level 13, maybe another quest will appear at Level 13?
Then again, maybe not.
Either way, for now, this was my only selection ticket.
I had to choose the absolute best one.
First, it had to be something clearly exclusive to the safe base. It had to benefit only the membership members within the safe base, while offering a massive return that would make outsiders desperate to join.
An effect like that.
In the end, what I chose was "treasure."
After all, nothing catches people's attention and stands out more than treasure.
A sudden fortune.
In a harsh zombie apocalypse world where survival is already a struggle, the number of survivors targeting dungeons that could completely turn their lives around with a single lucky run would gradually increase.
I also chose this because it reminded me of the three users who had received treatment and suddenly vanished not too long ago.
You could say this was one of the main contents of the zombie apocalypse.
Farming.
Farming above all farming.
Though it was called a dungeon now, it was originally known as a "demonic lair." Whenever a zombie apocalypse player fell into a slump, they would pack all their gear and head out to a demonic lair.
Zombies that kept flooding in endlessly, no matter how many days you spent shooting them.
Even after clearing them out and finally preparing to farm the demonic lair, it wasn't over.
Every zombie apocalypse player remembers the tense psychological warfare with zombies that suddenly popped out of the depths just when you thought you'd killed them all, all while reaping those sweet, sweet rewards.
This option tapped right into those memories.
A survivor's safe base.
Windows barricaded with wooden planks, and even an underground bunker inside.
Anyone who had played would have experienced the thrill of driving past a house packed with all kinds of food and rare weapons, letting out a cheer, and tearing down the locked door.
I didn't know if the dungeon would be decorated well enough to evoke those exact memories, but...
I expected the rewards to be more than enough to bring back those memories.
Considering the difficulty was said to be higher than normal levels, the base rewards would likely be set high. The description itself even used hype-inducing phrasing, promising a massive amount of high-tier rewards.
And even a "Treasure Map" at a very low chance.
I still had an unopened Level 3 Treasure Map myself.
If I got my hands on one, wouldn't I get a rough idea of how massive the rewards could be?
In any case, setting aside countless other effects, the one I chose managed to ignite my own desire for exploration.
"It's been a while. I should go do some farming."
---
Until recently, I used to go out with Kim Ji-hee once a week for a combined shopping and farming trip.
I think that was right before we moved...
We had wandered around looking for furniture to decorate the mansion after building it.
But after moving in, I got so busy that I forgot about our weekly routine. Once the Zombie Rush hit, I completely forgot we had ever done such a thing.
"Actually, I really wanted to go, but I felt a bit awkward asking you, Oppa, so I was holding back."
Kim Ji-hee followed me out, visibly excited.
Perhaps she had a lot of things she wanted to farm, as she opened her system notepad and showed me a long list of written memos.
And standing beside her was a new member.
"Why are you coming?"
"I heard Master was going out, so I followed?"
"...So you've decided to just call me Master now?"
"What's wrong with that? You are my master. The Owner of Paradise."
Watching her wink and act so slyly, I wondered if she was really the same Lee Yu-ri who had been drooling after getting slapped with tits yesterday.
Well, seeing how she'd gotten even more sly, it seemed like it definitely had an effect.
Anyway, since Lee Yu-ri was also very interested in clothes, she tagged along for the farming trip.
They weren't some grimy guys, but two beautiful women, so I had no hesitation in bringing them along.
Lee Yu-ri also got along surprisingly well with Kim Ji-hee.
"Oh, really? I love that brand too. Ah, wait! Babe, if we wear the same clothes, I'll get totally outshined, so I'll wear something else."
"No, Unni. You should wear it. I think this brand suits you much better."
"What are you two doing?"
"Hohoho."
"Hehe."
Watching the two women run ahead excitedly while looking at the Paradise Map, a click of my tongue naturally escaped me, but looking at their backs—each with her own distinct charm—brought a satisfied smile to my face.
It would be delicious to lay them both on a bed and fuck them one by one.
Just imagining it gets me hard.
Our long-awaited shopping and farming trip continued until the sun went down.