Chapter 55: Safe Base-Exclusive Bathhouse (A Women's Bathhouse Only I Can Enter)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55: Safe Base-Exclusive Bathhouse (A Women's Bathhouse Only I Can Enter)
You can install various living facilities in a Safe Base, and one of them is a bathhouse.
A warehouse is, of course, the most basic facility and an essential building for a base, but is a bathhouse really necessary?
As someone who has never been to a public bathhouse in my entire life, it was a building on the list that was hard to understand, but whatever.
It's not like I need to reject it.
I have occasionally thought about wanting to go to a bathhouse.
What does it feel like to soak and melt your body in a hot tub?
Is it like taking a hot shower on a fucking freezing day?
To me, showering has always been nothing more than a quick process to wash up before heading out into the zombie apocalypse, so I don't really get it. But now that I'm living in this zombie apocalypse world, it wouldn't hurt to enjoy every luxury I can.
[Small Bathhouse(★)]
- Can be installed inside a Safe Base.
- Warm tub, hot tub, cold tub, sauna booth (1), shower booth (5), bath booth (5).
- Water service must be provided for the bathhouse to function.
"Oho."
It required 100 Coins, which wasn't that many.
Though, considering they'd probably demand more Coins for upgrades later, it was pricier than a warehouse.
Still, I felt like setting one up.
"Do you like bathhouses?"
"Huh? Me? I absolutely love them! When my body is all stiff after dancing, taking a sauna and soaking in a hot tub is the best thing ever... Oh! Wait, don't tell me!"
Kim Ji-hee looked at me with eyes full of anticipation once again.
"Is there a sauna still running somewhere?"
"Do you really think there would be?"
Maybe there was one somewhere.
The progression speed of the zombie apocalypse I knew and the reality here were different.
But at least, there wasn't one I had found.
Even if there was, would it be clean?
It would probably be a place where zombies had rolled around and bathed together.
"Hmph."
She pouted, likely remembering how I'd teased her during the cat incident. Ignoring her pout, I purchased a Small Bathhouse.
The location was the 3rd floor.
I wondered if I had to construct a separate building, but it turned out I could build it inside our current building.
The great thing about this system was that, for the most part, it built things exactly how I wanted.
When I designated the space by combining Room 301 and Room 302, that area transformed into a bathhouse.
Opening the door to Room 301 revealed a small changing room, and through a glass door, the bathhouse inside was visible.
Since the building itself wasn't very large, combining two rooms didn't make it massive.
But it was just right.
A size perfectly fitting the name "Small Bathhouse."
Three tubs, with shower booths and bath booths lined up on the opposite side.
The sauna booth was right next to the entrance.
Beside it, a small restroom had also been built.
"Not bad."
The small changing room had a space to leave clothes, along with two vanity setups where one could dry their hair and apply cosmetics.
There was also a small shoe rack to place shoes.
For a small place, it had everything.
There was even a spot for a beverage fridge in the corner of the changing area, a setup that allowed you to chug a cold drink right after stepping out.
It was brilliant.
Even though I had never been to a bathhouse, it looked exactly like the knowledge of one stored in my head.
"Whoaaaa!"
Kim Ji-hee, who had followed me up, jumped for joy.
"Oppa, can I go in right now?"
"Go ahead."
Since we had just finished having intense sex, Kim Ji-hee was only wearing a damp pair of panties and a single slip-on nightgown anyway. Without needing any special preparation, she stripped naked and ran straight into the bathhouse.
Watching her head to a shower booth to quickly rinse off and then dive straight into a tub made me feel strangely proud.
I debated joining her, but decided to check the upgrade effects first.
[Healing Bath Upgrade Cost: 200 Coins]
- When healing in the sauna or tub for 30 minutes or more, 1 random stat increases by ★ for 6 hours.
"Uh..."
I stared blankly for a moment as I discovered the real reason why a bathhouse was necessary.
What the fuck?
Stats aren't normally handed out like candy like this.
It wasn't really my place to talk, considering I had already broken through to Level 10 thanks to the Base Invincibility effect, but in a zombie apocalypse, raising stats to Level 9 or 10 is incredibly hard—even veteran players have to grind like crazy for weeks just to raise them.
An item that raises raw stats?
There was a reason I had been so thrilled to find Leather Gloves with a Level 1 Strength stat attached.
Yet here, it felt like the system was practically begging to throw stats at me at every turn.
Not that it was a bad thing.
It was just incredibly awesome that this desperate-to-give-stats system was my Cheat Mode ability.
"This is a true paradise on earth. This is the Peach Blossom Spring."
"Huh? How's the water temperature? It's fine!"
Kim Ji-hee, who had wrapped a white towel around her head like a lamb's head, poked her head out the door and babbled nonsense.
"Go soak in the tub for 30 minutes and come back out. I'll show you something amazing."
"When are you coming in, Oppa?"
"I'll be in soon."
"Okay. By the way, is this a women's bathhouse or a men's bathhouse?"
"Huh?"
What are you talking about, Ji-hee?
Well, I suppose a bathhouse should normally be divided by gender.
Hmm...
"If I had to choose, a women's bathhouse? But maybe a women's bathhouse that only I can enter."
"...Okay."
Understanding exactly what I meant, Kim Ji-hee went back into the tub.
Anyway, only Kim Ji-hee and I used this building.
In the future, as my Harem grew, more people would use the building, but since there wouldn't be any men, strictly speaking, it was a women's bathhouse.
A women's bathhouse that only I could enter.
That had a nice ring of romance to it.
I spent 200 Coins to upgrade the bathhouse.
The 30-minute time limit was a bit tedious, but it was still a sweet option—good enough that spending 30 minutes in the tub before heading out wouldn't be a bad idea.
Knowing my personality, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to get the buff every single time, but still.
For now, whatever.
Later, when my faction grew and more people joined, building one outside for them to use would make my faction stronger.
The next upgrade wasn't anything particularly special.
Spending another 200 Coins would reduce the time required to receive the effect to 15 minutes, and increase the duration to 10 hours.
"Hmm..."
Was it worth 200 Coins?
Just waiting 30 minutes to get 6 hours seemed fine.
But then again, if I upgraded it, even if I thought I wouldn't use it much, a 15-minute requirement made it viable to use as a quick substitute for a shower.
If it raised two stats or raised a stat by 2 levels, I wouldn't even have to hesitate.
After pondering for a moment, I spent the extra 200 Coins anyway.
After all, I could just think of it as building the bathhouse with the Coins I had extorted.
With the upgrade complete, I entered the tub as well.
Stepping into the warm tub, it wasn't too lukewarm; the perfect warmth made me feel like my body was melting.
"Huuuuuuh..."
So this was the feeling.
This was why people went to saunas.
"How is it? Great, right?"
"It's good."
"Hehe. Ah, it would be absolutely perfect if we could drink sikhye and peel boiled eggs while doing this. Oh!"
Muttering to herself, Kim Ji-hee suddenly climbed out of the tub, loosely wrapped a long towel around her body, and ran down to the first floor.
As I closed my eyes and meditated for a bit, Kim Ji-hee returned carrying a basket with a container full of sikhye and a few boiled eggs.
"Hehe. I remembered we had these."
Since we were the only two using the tub anyway, it didn't matter what we ate inside.
I popped a straw in and took a deep draft of the ice-cold sikhye. The freezing drink cooled down my heated insides, and it felt like absolute heaven.
I also accepted the boiled eggs she diligently peeled and popped into my mouth.
"Wow, my stats went up too!"
Even though we weren't doing anything, time flew by, and I confirmed that my stats had indeed increased.
[Due to the Healing Bath effect, Strength increases by ★.]
[Time Remaining: 10 hours]
"If I don't upgrade it to 15 minutes and just set up a 30-minute bathhouse to run..."
A business idea flashed through my mind in an instant.
There were too many easy Coins rolling around in the world.
I needed to sweep up all those Coins.
But this ability was too good to use just for earning Coins.
A 1-level stat increase. Even if it was temporary, this had to be a privilege exclusive to users who joined my faction.
Honestly, in an apocalyptic world like this, even if I just opened a regular bathhouse, people would line up begging to pay Coins just to get in.
Since I didn't have the manpower to manage a bathhouse yet, I decided to put the idea on hold for now.
After lounging in the tub for an hour, I stepped out feeling completely relaxed and drowsy.
Kim Ji-hee, in particular, had already passed out on the mattress, probably because she had climaxed so many times earlier.
"Tsk, tsk. Having such poor stamina."
Even though Kim Ji-hee's Stamina had increased to Level 2 due to the Resident effect, well, that was different from sex stamina.
I thought about lying down to sleep too, but feeling hungry, I rummaged through the piled-up Thermal Pouches.
What should I eat today?
On one side, there were Thermal Pouches set aside specifically for me.
Simple sticky notes were attached to them:
Chicken Mayo Rice Bowl
Pork Cutlet
Spicy Stir-Fried Pork
The reason these specific menus were separated was because they were my favorites.
While I liked hamburgers and could eat almost anything, these were foods I could eat without ever getting tired of them.
After debating for a moment, I chose the Chicken Mayo Rice Bowl.
Just as I was about to take a bite, the light on the intercom connected to the outside turned on.
"What the?"
A familiar face was standing there.
"Why did that ahjussi come here?"
The Soldier Ahjussi was standing in front of the automatic door with a troubled expression.