Stocking the Warehouse Generously - 7
Until I heard about the new Supply Point spawning, I'd been letting out heavy sighs of worry. Wandering the streets with Sua and Seohee wasn't exactly torture, but the thought of scouring the same areas we'd already cleared multiple times was exhausting.
Surprisingly, though, the scouting turned out to be anything but boring. Spotting something new in a familiar street we'd mindlessly passed before was pretty thrilling.
"Heh heh..."
We'd already found three Supply Points. A supermarket, a convenience store, and a decent-sized mart right next to my apartment. Hauling the goods wasn't too tough either. The first day had been a bit clumsy, but I'd gotten the hang of driving without issue. After cleaning this place up for so long, the zombies poking around every corner had vanished at some point.
"Let's load 'em up!"
The new Supply Points were, of course, packed to the brim with food. Snacks and meat went without saying, but we scored massive hauls of frozen dumplings, fried foods, cooking oil, ramen—you name it.
"Are we stacking all this at home?"
"Hmm, maybe take some to the orphanage?"
The food I'd dropped off before was barely enough for thirty kids, honestly.
"It's close anyway."
The new Supply Points weren't far from the orphanage. Even as I loaded the car, I couldn't shake the feeling that trading info for such a short trip felt a bit like stealing. But hey, compared to bagging groceries with the kids and trudging back and forth, it was a fair deal.
I piled the car high with supplies and sped off to the orphanage.
"Welcome."
The director greeted me with a slightly tense smile.
Well, yeah, she might think it's obvious...
It was a hefty load. The previous food I'd given was long gone, and hunger shone in the kids' eyes.
Those breasts...
I dragged my gaze up from below her eyes—multiple times—and focused on her explanation.
"When the full moon rises, light a fire in the abandoned fountain at the center of Central Park. Ten people should sit around it like a ring, and toss in three bodies each from different types of Elite Monsters and burn them."
"Pardon?"
I mulled over her words, then looked up in surprise.
"You really have to do it that way?"
"According to the survivor who saw the last Boss Monster appear in this area and lived to tell the tale."
"Hmm..."
"No guarantees, of course. Following all these steps might not summon the boss, or there could be conditions we don't know about."
Her info wasn't from the Status Window. It could be wrong or incomplete. The full moon might be irrelevant, or maybe it just needed any three monster corpses. But to minimize trial and error, success stories were gold.
"The people who tried this before... were they summoning the boss?"
"No way. They were just trying to stay warm."
"Hmmm..."
"There's also talk that a Base growing past a certain size triggers it. Not something we can control, though."
It was a bit iffy, but solid info nonetheless. Her tips had nailed dungeon locations before, so this would be useful too.
"Thanks. Guess I should pay up."
I handed over the stacked boxes of food. It filled a third of the trunk and back seat—varied and plentiful.
"C-can I really take all this? Again?"
"Of course."
She stared blankly at the haul, dazed.
"I-I can't accept everything..."
"Hauling it back's a pain anyway. I'll bring more next time, so just take it."
"N-no, I can't! That would mean I owe you too mu—"
"Don't worry about it. Thanks for your help!"
If the chat dragged on, it'd be obvious I'd been ogling her chest.
So soft-looking...
My girls' breasts weren't small by any means, but they couldn't compare to those violently huge ones.
Job done, I hopped back in the car with my women.
"Whoa, he's scary as hell. Sua, doesn't our master give you chills?"
"M-Master's just that kind-hearted, that's why he said it..."
Seohee and Sua were chatting about something baffling.
"What's that about?"
"He said he'd bestow his favor. Right?"
I tilted my head.
"Nah, running an orphanage in this world ain't easy. If someone's doing good, why not help?"
"Even if that's your intent, it can scare the listener."
"...?"
"You saw her, right? That director was shaking like a leaf."
Thinking back, was she?
"So what?"
"A man's 'favor' is fucking terrifying."
Seohee gave a bitter smile.
"Plenty of women end up as corpses after owing a guy—er, receiving his 'favor'—and not repaying it. Ruins their lives."
"It's just some food—"
"You wouldn't get it 'cause you're loaded, but food's basically life itself."
Still didn't click emotionally.
"You got a thing for her?"
"N-not really—"
"Bullshit. You were staring right through her tits. Felt kinda unfair? Wonder what she ate as a kid to grow 'em that big?"
Sua pouted, mumbling.
"Probably drank tons of milk... Maybe three meals a day of just milk and cereal..."
"Anyway, if you're into her, just demand her body outright. Who knows? She might want it too."
"Can't you two offer instead? I'll sit it out."
"That'd make her more suspicious. Guys who build excuses like that to ruin a woman's life pop up sometimes."
"Ugh..."
No good options. And skipping easy food drops felt wrong.
"Whatever, your call. Heading home today?"
"Nah, there's one more Supply Point around that alley. Might as well grab it while we're out."
No immediate spending needs, and the next dungeon spot was locked in. I'd have to clear it eventually anyway, so income was guaranteed. That let me splurge.
I'd bought two first-floor apartments in my building as warehouses. Thanks to recent efforts with my party, they were filling up nicely.
"Sounds good. Ice cream on the way?"
"Dunno... Eating in the car dirties the seats, and we can't haul stuff with it. Let's take a quick break. It was a convenience store, right?"
"Yeah. Dusty, but we can sit and eat."
My car rolled down the road, weaving through alleys dotted with abandoned ruins.
"Found it."
A convenience store. Seohee bolted over and yanked strawberry ice cream from the outdoor freezer. Sweet and strawberry-heavy—not my taste, but she loved it.
"Mmm... So good. Want one?"
She tore open the wrapper, face blissed out.
"Any coffee flavor...?"
I chuckled and stepped up. Then felt off.
...?
Discarded ice cream wrappers littered the ground. Not weird—the world had no concept of littering anymore, trash everywhere. But this wrapper caught my eye. No thick dust, no paper discoloration. Fresh trash.
"...Seohee?"
"Yeah?"
I glanced at her left hand. Still holding an unopened wrapper.
Habit. Having survived mostly feral, she used to toss trash right on the ground after eating. Horrific to me and Roa's hygiene standards. She was grinding her teeth to fix it.
Bottom line: she didn't litter easily.
Then—
I peered inside the store. Focused my senses.
A heartbeat. Not mine, Seohee's, or Sua's. A fourth one.
Someone was inside the convenience store.