Generously Stocking the Warehouse - 6
"Wow, it's here? No wonder we couldn't find it. This one."
The dungeon near Shin Roa's hospital was exactly the kind of place that screamed, 'Something's gotta be inside here, right?' But the spot we'd arrived at now was little more than ruins. Unlike my apartment complex, which was holding up decently, this one was completely gutted—nothing left but empty shells. Among the countless crumbling basements in the apartment complex, one door stood out as slightly less wrecked. When we opened it, the familiar dungeon corridor stretched out before us.
"Heh, talk about it."
"It's certainly mysterious."
I couldn't help but think I'd made the right call buying that info from the orphanage director.
"No one would've thought supplies were stashed in a place like this. Without the tip-off, we never would've checked here."
And it wasn't like there was just one or two ruined apartments like this. Nor was there only a single basement staircase connected to spots like these. The thought of scouring every last one made my head spin.
"How the hell did the first people to find this even stumble on it?"
"...Not everyone has a perfect safe zone like you do, Master. Most groups move around looking for hideouts to barricade against zombies at night."
"Ah..."
Instead of cruising the main roads like me, scouting for supply points, they ducked into abandoned buildings for shelter. If someone did that, stumbling on a dungeon in this weird spot wouldn't be so surprising.
"Anyway, we've found the entrance. Gonna head in?"
Han Seohee, gripping her bat, shot me a confident grin. I shook my head.
"For now... let's think it over a bit more."
I had plenty of cash right now. No need to dive into a dungeon just to farm more.
"Killing monsters is fine and all, but honestly... I wanna secure a bit more firepower first."
To be precise, I wanted a solid plan for dealing with the monster corpses after taking them down—something reliable and straightforward. Whether it was recruiting more allies, leveling up Seohee and Sua, or even pushing my own level higher, that would cut down on cleanup time.
"I see..."
"Diving in doesn't guarantee supplies anyway, right?"
Dungeons were the only way to make money, but even with cash in hand, converting it to goods wasn't straightforward.
"If there were vending machines, we could swap cash for food, but... I haven't heard of any around here."
"As long as it's not too far, we could go, right? We've got the car."
"At least from what I know, it is far. Farther than that—there's an organization controlling the area. They won't just let us use the machines."
"Hmm..."
I nodded and stepped back out of the apartment basement. Our party was surrounded by the corpses of zombies I'd slain—piled high.
"For starters, clearing out stuff like this seems like a good idea."
Lately, I'd been roaming the main roads, hunting zombies. It was efficient enough, but messy. These abandoned apartments, though—they were crawling with more zombies than I'd expected.
"They're all gonna get wiped out eventually anyway, right? Sweeping through untouched spots and handling these zombies sounds solid."
One zombie was crawling toward me, inching along. I casually swung my staff down, smashing its skull.
"Let's do it."
If a dungeon was hiding in a place like this, who knew what else might be tucked away? Even if nothing else turned up, securing the area meant killing every zombie we could.
I shook the gore off my staff and headed for the next apartment block.
And so, time passed.
My companions and I roamed the alleys and apartment blocks, taking down every remaining zombie. There were a disgusting number of them, but it wasn't unpleasant. Once I'd thinned the herd, Seohee's bat mopped up the rest.
We even found a supply point. Sadly, it had nothing to do with food.
But it wasn't fruitless. In fact, I'd scored the biggest gain possible since landing here.
"I'm back..."
Exhausted, I punched in the code and opened the door to my place.
"Welcome home."
"Heea asleep?"
"Yeah. Snoring away in her room."
Heea had whined about not wanting to go next door, but my firm persuasion—that I wanted her to have her own space—won out.
"You see the status window message?"
"Yes. Impressive."
After combing every corner of the apartment complex and alleys, I'd taken out a whopping 50% of the monsters in the area.
Reward: Additional Supply Point generated in this district.
And as a reward, I'd gotten that message about a new supply point spawning in the district.
"Wish it'd at least given the location..."
"You'll find it in no time. It's late—get some rest."
Shin Roa gave my body a quick once-over, then flashed a faint smile.
"Good work."
"Thanks."
An Sua muttered in a weary voice.
"You could be a little prouder. Master's out there achieving massive feats all by himself..."
"Yeah?"
Seohee nodded beside me.
"Seriously, liberating a district? That takes at least 50-100 hunters. No way around it."
"That much?"
"Goliaths you swat like flies, or those multi-legged spiders—they're disasters for regular hunters."
Thinking about it, yeah, the monsters I'd killed weren't pushovers.
"An org that can field 50-100 hunters needs at least five times that in support staff... That's big league."
Seohee clapped my shoulder.
"You're doing the work of all those people solo. District liberation's basically right around the corner."
"True enough."
Still, plenty left to do. Prep for breaching the dungeon, plans for boss monsters. Long-term, relying on supply points had limits. Eventually, we'd need to produce food, make my women strong enough to hold their own without me.
But we were moving forward. Progressing, bit by bit. Not for faceless strangers who wouldn't thank me, but for the people right in front of me.
'Is my brain melting or something...'
To me, this was more than welcome. Compared to my hero days in that other world, it was way more relaxing—and happier.
"I'm hungry..."
"Hang in there just a bit longer, okay?"
Seon Yeowon was soothing the starving kids again today. The food I'd brought wasn't skimpy, but with over thirty children here, it vanished fast. One meal a day—even minimal nutrition—chewed through supplies.
"When's that oppa coming back?"
"If we wait, he'll come. Let's be patient a little more?"
Yeowon comforted the little ones, but her eyes were fixed on the girl in the corner of the room. One girl who didn't look childish like the others—almost an adult.
She was obsessively cleaning her rifle, over and over. Right where Yeowon could see, like a silent protest.
"...Eunseo?"
"Yeah, Teacher? Something bothering you?"
Her eyes burned with resentment.
"You've cleaned that gun enough. Put it on the rack and—"
"We could head out any minute. Gotta check it thoroughly, right?"
Eunseo stared at Yeowon coldly.
"...I told you, we won't send you out. You're still too young—"
"You know damn well I'm braver than the other kids. I shoot straight, fight good. Should've sent me from the start when they—"
"You're not old enough yet."
"Fuck, those brats they sent are what, a few years older than me? If those assholes hadn't fucked up—"
Yeowon fell silent.
"We wouldn't be starving like this! You wouldn't have to bow to that shitty guy!"
"You're getting too worked up. Go inside for a bit."
"If I wasn't pissed, I wouldn't be talking to you like this. You picking fights like a crazy bitch when there's no reason?"
The watching kids trembled. They knew how much Yeowon loved Eunseo. And how much Eunseo loved Yeowon.
"You saw the status window, right? New supply point. I'll round up the kids and scout nearby for food. You stay here and watch them."
"Will you listen to your teacher? I said it's dangerous out there!"
"Dangerous or not—"
Their argument cut off.
A massive bell rang from the front gate, shattering the tension.
"Oh, looks like he's here. Let's drop this for now."
"...Fine."
Yeowon forced a smile, hiding her terror-pale face. Eunseo gazed at her with pitiful eyes.