Unexpected Encounters on the Second Floor

I already knew the reinforcement effect would be useful, but this was beyond anything I'd seen or heard about. I'd watched every single hunter video I could find, devoured every post in the Hunter Gallery, and run countless solo simulations. Yet nothing had prepared me for this.

Who would've thought I'd run into this kind of trouble inside the tower? And on the second floor, no less. These guys were openly picking fights, and they even pulled out a machete. 'They must've entered together, right?' From the way they were talking, it looked like they were friends who'd come in as a group.

What really surprised me was Yu Sia's reaction. She handled it so cleanly, like she was used to this sort of thing.

"Sia, do you run into people like that often in the tower?"

"Sometimes. That kind of trash shows up everywhere. You'll probably encounter them too, Jaeha, so be careful."

"Ugh, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd rather avoid them if I can."

"Same here."

But now what? The wave wouldn't die down for another few hours. The shopping district was completely empty after those punks cleared it out. Still, we couldn't go farming. There was no telling when they'd come back. The one silver lining was that their goal seemed clear this time, so they weren't smashing the city to pieces.

"What time did you enter the tower, Jaeha?"

"Uh, well..."

I had no idea. I'd basically sleep-talked my way in.

"I don't know the exact time."

"Aren't you sleepy?"

"A little?"

"Then let's take turns sleeping. You go first."

Hmm. Was it really okay to sleep in a place like this?

"I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fine since I already slept before coming in. If you're tired, why don't you rest first, Sia?"

"Then I won't say no."

Yu Sia suddenly pulled something out. Thump.

"Huh? A mattress?"

It was thin, but she actually carried a mattress around. No wonder her bag had been so heavy.

"Sometimes we have to stay for long periods."

"That does look way more comfortable."

Thinking about it again, bringing one along seemed like a smart idea. Sleeping on bare concrete would wreck your condition.

"Wake me up if anything happens."

"Got it."

Yu Sia took off her helmet, lay down on the mattress, pulled out a pillow, and even put on a sleep mask.

'She really came prepared to live in here, huh?'

Well, that made sense. Her goal was a major hospital, after all. Her entire mindset was on a different level.

All I could do was stare out the window or look around inside the building. And that inevitably meant...

I couldn't help but notice Yu Sia sleeping.

I couldn't see her eyes because of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sleep mask, but her lips and the soft lines of her face were clearly visible.

'A girl this pretty has been living in my neighborhood this whole time?'

There was no way I could've missed her.

'Did she move here recently?'

While I was lost in thought, I suddenly remembered the pitch-black blanket I'd farmed for emergency concealment. I gently draped it over her.

'It might get cold while she's sleeping.'

Yu Sia slept without stirring, completely at ease. She must really trust me. To repay that trust, I kept a sharp eye on the situation outside.

Three hours passed like that.

Yu Sia woke up.

"Mmm..."

"You're awake?"

"Ah! Yes. But the time..."

The moment she took off her sleep mask, her helmet covered her head again. She checked her phone.

"I'm sorry. I slept way too long, didn't I?"

"It's fine. You should sleep deeply when you can."

"I'll take the next watch, so get some proper rest."

She gestured naturally toward the mattress.

Hmm. Was this really okay? Lying down right where she'd just been sleeping?

Well, whatever. We'd literally spent six hours pressed together before.

"Then... thank you."

The lingering warmth and faint scent that still clung to it wrapped around me.

Yu Sia had been looking down, seemingly still half-asleep, but the moment I lay on the mattress—

"Eek!"

She finally realized what she'd done. She'd told me to sleep in the exact spot she'd just occupied.

"U-um, ah, uh..."

"Haha, it's a bit weird to sleep here, right?"

I started to get up, pulling off the blanket, but she stopped me.

"N-no, it's fine. Just sleep."

"Really?"

To be honest, I didn't want to sleep on the hard floor either.

"Y-yeah..."

Yu Sia's head drooped. Sorry, but I really couldn't turn this down.

"Then I'll rest for a bit."

"O-okay..."

Thanks to the sweet scent and warm spot, I fell asleep almost immediately.

"Nng..."

I slept like a rock. How long had I been out?

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept deeply. It was so warm."

If I'd slept on the bare floor, I would've been freezing.

"Eek! Th-that's..."

For some reason, Yu Sia looked visibly flustered.

Oh, right. This was the mattress she'd been using. The warmth and scent came rushing back to me. Damn, I'd spoken without thinking, still half-asleep.

"Thanks to you keeping watch, I could really let go and rest. Haha..."

"U-um, yeah..."

Her reaction right after I woke up was so cute I couldn't help but smile.

When I checked the time, I'd slept about three hours. But outside was still pitch black.

"Sia, does the sun never rise inside the tower?"

"Right. I've never seen it rise."

"That's a relief."

If the sun came up, every zombie would turn into a jumper.

"Then shall we grab a quick snack and go farming?"

"Sounds good."

The zombies had already returned to their original spots. The second floor was so vast and had so many zombies that they hadn't respawned. That meant we didn't need to clear the shopping district again.

We went back into the large sports apparel store.

'Robbing a clothing store really is the best move.'

Rare oversized bags were scattered everywhere. They couldn't compare to my subspace backpack, but they'd still sell for an insane price.

'With this capacity, I think they go for over twenty million won each.'

Insanely expensive, but that was reality. Just stuffing a few into a bag would let us make several times our investment. And even without that, their value was obvious. They were far more durable than anything available outside.

'I heard in America they're replacing all military backpacks with ones from the tower?'

Come to think of it, how was America doing? The amount they needed to recover from the tower was equal to the nation's annual tax revenue. As the world's superpower, the sum would be astronomical.

'Can they even recover it?'

Well, it wasn't the time to worry about other countries. Our own nation was in an emergency.

'Oh! This is nice.'

Shin guards, knee pads, and even elbow guards.

'This really is a big sports brand store.'

It was amazing how easily we could get protective gear that was hard to find elsewhere.

"Sia."

"Yes? You didn't find another item, did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you?"

Her tone was oddly wary.

"Not this time. Here, use these."

I handed her a full set of pads. I was already wearing my MTB ones, and luckily there had been two sets of elbow guards.

"Try them on."

But Yu Sia hesitated for some reason.

"Y-you should use them, Jaeha. I'm fine."

"I already have mine."

I pointed at my legs. That's when I noticed her shins.

'Ah, maybe...'

Was it because of the reinforcement I'd given her? Nah, that couldn't be it.

"Right. Could you remove the reinforcement I put on earlier? I'll redo it with something better."

"W-why?"

"I got the Dexterity skill."

"What's that?"

She tilted her head like she'd never heard of it.

"It's a skill that gives bonuses to precision work. I won't know the exact details until I try it."

"Then... I'll leave it to you."

Yu Sia sat obediently on a nearby chair.

"Starting with your legs."

I carefully fitted the knee pads onto the leg she silently extended toward me.

"Eep."

Don't make weird noises! You're making me feel strange too!

'These pads are pretty unique.'

Unlike my MTB ones, these had an open hole at the knee. Probably designed for better mobility. I layered cushion pads on top with strong adhesive, then attached rounded, hard plastic plates. I was meticulous so they wouldn't restrict knee movement. This should be light, sturdy, and comfortable.

"Wow... these are really good?"

"Right?"

Even I thought they were perfect. It was worth grinding for all those miscellaneous items.

When I scanned the knee pads—

"Durability enhancement, increased hardness, and even shock absorption?!"

"They had those effects?"

"This is my first time seeing it too. I didn't know the Dexterity skill could do this."

With effects like these, it was basically a proper item now.

'I need to apply Dexterity to all our gear.'

If I'd known, I would've worked on my own equipment instead of staring at Yu Sia's face. Ahem. Well, I could do it after we escaped.

"Next, your arms."

Yu Sia thrust her arm out without hesitation. It made me smile. She reminded me of a stray cat that had finally warmed up to someone.

I fitted the elbow guards first. Like the knee pads, they had openings. After reinforcing them the same way, I cut up a neoprene sweatshirt to make cushioned arm sleeves and put them on her. I connected them to the elbow guards, secured everything, covered it with leather, and added plastic plates on top. Done.

"Whoa..."

When I scanned them, the same effects had been applied.

"There. All finished."

"Thank you so much, Jaeha..."

"Hehe, it's nothing."

I couldn't stop smiling.

"Shall we finish up the farming?"

"Yes!"

Unfortunately, there wasn't much else useful here. It was the transition from summer to autumn, so the store mostly carried thin, lightweight clothes.

'It's a sportswear store, after all.'

Time to move on.

"Sia, let's head to the next place."

"Wait. The upper floor is open too."

"Then let's check upstairs first."

The upper level had a coffee shop, a general store, and some offices. We grabbed bags of coffee beans from the café, various miscellaneous items from the general store, and found nothing particularly useful in the offices.

Finally, there was a movie theater. Out of curiosity, I peeked inside.

'Is a movie playing?'

Light was leaking out from within. When I stepped in—

'Wait... is that?!'

A perfect cube sitting on the floor was glowing brightly.

"Ahh!!"

Yu Sia, who had followed me in, froze too.

"Sia, isn't that an Energy Cube?!"

"It is!"

The new energy resource that could shake the entire world order—an Energy Cube. We'd just hit the jackpot.