Mutual Recognition of Existence - 1
All the chaos had finally settled. My settlement had regained its peace. Every woman here was now my slave. My control was firmer than ever, and the place kept growing by the day. But that didn't mean my work was done.
"Hmm..."
I gazed at the women working diligently, a relaxed smile on my face. It was satisfying. Knowing they'd all been in my arms at least once made a certain part of me stir involuntarily.
Lost in thought as I watched them go about their tasks, I spotted Seohee approaching from afar and waved.
"Master! Patrol's done!"
"Good timing. No injuries?"
"Of course not!"
Trailing behind her were Soi, Seohee—no, Soi and a few mercenaries. I still felt uneasy about sending them out without me, but I couldn't tag along every time. They'd scouted without issue and returned with bright smiles.
"Uh, is it too noisy? Should we talk standing up?"
A relentless bzzz bzzz bzzz hummed from below me, loud enough to disrupt conversation.
"No, keep going!"
"If it's fine, whatever. Any peculiarities?"
"None at all! We put up the signs and grabbed what we needed!"
"Good work."
They'd marked the nearby supply points with "Property of Our Organization" signs. It felt a bit regrettable. To me, supply points were meant to be shared by all. I hadn't set up those signs to deter truly starving folks from taking what they needed. But our food situation wasn't that abundant. We weren't starving yet, but we needed intel on visitors taking even small amounts.
"Did you swing by the convenience store?"
"Yep! Just like you said, we grabbed everything usable for batteries!"
"Good work."
The settlement was expanding. Lately, we'd even achieved a major breakthrough: generating electricity. The method was a bit—no, extremely primitive. And figuring out how to use and store it required more effort. But right now, we needed batteries. Ones to store power for the whole settlement. Phone batteries wouldn't cut it, not without processing.
Items worked on at the workbench could receive Status Window corrections. Sometimes, mildly unscientific things happened. A phone battery, with some crafting and the Status Window's help, could probably become a proper power cell.
"Hmm... I might need to head out myself later. With a cart."
But the effect wouldn't be huge. We needed something more substantial. Couldn't dismantle the apartment's facilities, so scavenging nearby ruins for intact electronics seemed necessary. Recycling facilities could revive anything with a basic shape.
I needed to check the workbench again and craft some items.
"Once we have power... lights, fridges. By my standards, this still isn't livable."
"So warm-hearted!"
"We don't have endless coolers. We'll need to stock fresh food here eventually... It'll work out."
"Heh... yeah..."
I sensed a weird vibe. Not trying to nag like some old fart about their listening posture, but the women's attitudes felt off. They weren't focusing on my words—eyes elsewhere. Sua, Soi, all the scouts.
"You okay? Tired?"
"No, not tired, but..."
Sua's smile suddenly felt lewd.
"Staring at Master's legs... it's, uh, kinda hot?"
"What?"
I gave her a baffled look.
"I'm just working."
"That work is hot!"
Sua yelped indignantly.
"Legs pumping up and down, body kinda sweaty... shirt sticking... heh heh."
The other mercenaries nodded subtly, agreeing.
"Been at it since you left... It's hot out. Can't be helped."
"Still, total tease! Way too sexy!"
"Eh..."
We could generate electricity here. But the method was brutally primitive. Before debating thermal, wind, solar, or nuclear, we were choosing between water wheels or manpower.
"Switch to something else?"
"N-No! Don't wanna!"
My stamina was infinite. Checking the system confirmed no one else could do it. So I'd been pedaling this bike generator nonstop lately.
"Well... glad you're not against it. It's comfy for me too."
Ridiculously, the blueprint for "manpower generation" had variants: solo bike, torture-rack treadmill, massive cross-shaped ones. This bike was the only one I could use solo without dizziness—comfy mindset intact. Each pedal stroke demanded insane force, but I pedaled like a pro cyclist.
"Ugh... too bad. Roa unnie's in the lab, right?"
"Yeah. Sighing nonstop... Guess it's tough. Not her specialty."
"Must be hard..."
I could check everyone's Status Window since they were slaves. Roa had the highest Knowledge stat. A doctor who ran her own hospital was rare talent anywhere. Sadly, she was now grinding science basics instead of medicine.
"Someday..."
"Hm?"
"Boil water... make a turbine..."
With Soi, we'd gain some freedom from power generation. Her skills had limits, and heating baths or cooking already taxed her. Couldn't overwork her.
"Anyway, things are running smooth..."
We had forges and a cafeteria too. Soon, might need to expand the palisade—cover the full base area.
That thought hit as my sidelined phone rang.
"...Yeowon."
Stretching my slightly sore legs, I answered.
"Yeah, you okay?"
"S-Sunwoo! Emergency! More people incoming!"
Her voice must've carried—the women's faces darkened.
"...Got it."
"Not lone wanderers. Organized, or fresh escapees!"
Situation looked bad. Fugitives? We'd take them in. Food and space tight, but jobs aplenty. I could support more. Merchants? Their info alone helped. No cash yet, but traders brought benefits, no losses.
But an organization—not Katus? Hard to gauge.
"Girls. Sorry, patrol team—head out now."
"...Okay."
Seohee nodded. Sua's face turned serious instantly.
Time to greet them. /////
"Everyone, stay sharp."
The patrol team prowled tense streets. Sun dipping low. Linger too long, night falls. Anseongu. Hellish roads where elite monsters lurked daily.
"Don't worry. Saw the supply point markers? Fresh tracks. Tower up means a base here."
"A base here...? Hallucination?"
"Reports of tracks heading Anseongu. Old intel, but wheel marks sighted."
"They... hiding here?"
"Only spot for sneaky bastards."
Well-armed, they walked endless streets.
"Hold—people."
"Gait says they know we're here. No ambush vibe. Assess calmly—"
They faced an unbelievable sight. A man at the front line, strolling streets? Odd. But behind him...
"...Found you."
The patrol captain's gaze pierced toward Han Seohee.