First Quarter Settlement
At the stroke of midnight on April 1st.
26th Year, 1st Quarter Settlement has begun.
The moment the message appeared, the brothers ignored it entirely, their fingers already darting toward the icons in their status windows. Kang Dohyun was the first to slip into the newly opened shop window.
Where could it be…
Both brothers scanned the shop frantically until—
"Hyung, it's here! At the very bottom!"
"Oh?"
Buried at the bottom was a random trait ticket priced at a staggering 3,000 Zombie Coins. Dohyun and Dohun each purchased one without hesitation.
"Sold out already."
"I told you there was a quantity limit. Find the next item."
The next priority was clear.
"Hyung, the healing potions are just below the middle section."
"Got it."
These weren't ordinary healing potions—they were special formulations that could even treat zombie bites, available for 500 Zombie Coins each. Dohyun bought three, Dohun two.
"Sold out again."
Only five had been in stock.
"Hurry, next item."
"Right, let's see where—"
The brothers moved with practiced urgency, sifting through the shop's overwhelming inventory for their targets. Ten minutes of rapid shopping later, they had secured two random trait tickets, five healing potions, one random skill ticket, three permanent HP boosters, and two backpacks with volume expansion functions.
Shopping was done, but urgent business remained.
"Dongwoo. Take this."
Dohyun quickly handed 100 Zombie Coins to Lee Dongwoo.
"See the lottery tickets near the top quarter of the shop?"
"Yeah."
"Buy number 777."
Dongwoo purchased the 777 lottery ticket for 100 Zombie Coins as instructed. Dohyun bought number 1, and Dohun number 10,000.
These were Apocalypse Lottery tickets—players could select specific numbers for purchase. At 100 Zombie Coins per ticket, the cost was steep, and the odds were brutally low: 90% chance of 5th prize, 8% for 4th, 1% for 3rd, 0.6% for 2nd, 0.3% for 1st, and a mere 0.1% for a special prize. It was pure gambling, but Dohyun, the regressor, knew the winning numbers.
"Everyone, scratch your tickets."
Dohyun went first.
You have won a Special Prize.
You have acquired a Skill Selection Ticket.
"Nice! Skill Selection Ticket!" Dohyun cheered. Seeing his reaction, Dohun eagerly checked his own ticket.
"Whoa! I got an achievement—'Chosen by the God of Combat'?"
His brother had drawn the highest combat-related achievement.
"Looks like you'll be aiming for the top in close combat from now on."
With both brothers done, it was Dongwoo's turn.
"I… I got a special prize too. A skill called 'Tax Discount'?"
"Tax Discount?"
Even Dohyun had never seen this skill. He asked for the description.
"Reduces shop transaction fees by 1 Zombie Coin?"
At first glance, it seemed underwhelming for a special prize. But then—
"Wait a minute…"
Dohyun instructed Dongwoo to click the area beside the shop. There was a trading space where players could list items.
"Try listing something, then cancel it immediately."
Dongwoo listed a water cup, then canceled it.
"It canceled?"
"Yeah, it worked."
Dongwoo had no Zombie Coins left, yet the cancellation succeeded—meaning the cancellation fee was also discounted.
"This is huge."
With no limit on how many items could be listed, the trading space could function as an infinite inventory. Players could list unwanted items at high prices and cancel them anytime. Though called 'Tax Discount,' it was effectively an inventory skill.
Kim Harin watched the three men celebrate their rare items and lottery wins from the sidelines.
Maybe I should try too…
She opened her status window.
106 Zombie Coins.
Enough for a lottery ticket. She navigated to the shop and selected 'Purchase Lottery Ticket.'
Number 7777.
Since 1, 777, and 10,000 had won special prizes, she reasoned 7777 had a decent chance.
You have won 2nd Prize.
You have acquired the skill 'Healthy Cooking.'
'Healthy Cooking' granted temporary buffs to cooked meals—a solid skill. But—
Ugh, no combat skills for me again…
Harin sighed in disappointment, but she had no time to dwell. A sharp ding! cut through the air—a new message had arrived.
A message?
This was a new feature: Apocalypse survivors could now send messages to each other. Harin opened the message.
Her brother had sent this message to every survivor named Kim Harin. Tears welled in her eyes, but she held them back and replied.
Message sent. 1 Zombie Coin consumed.
Oh! She hadn't realized messages cost coins. Only 5 Zombie Coins remained.
The typos showed how hastily he'd typed. Harin, mindful of her dwindling coins, kept her reply brief.
She wanted to write more, but hit the character limit. She sent it anyway.
She filled the message to capacity and sent it. Moments later—
Reading her brother's message, Harin finally broke down in tears.
Dohyun, having finished his purchases, checked the first quarter settlement message.
Settlement for user Kang Dohyun has begun.
You executed multiple impressive battles in Q1.
Not a great achievement, but better than nothing.
Only one achievement from the quarterly settlement, but that was impressive for a normal cycle. More importantly—
Considering the items and Skill Selection Ticket I got…
The settlement felt like a bonus.
Dohyun turned to discuss the settlement with his brother, but his gaze caught sight of Harin crying.
Oh, she must've messaged her brother…
He pretended not to notice her tears.
After the settlement concluded, past 2 a.m., everyone retired to their rooms. Dohyun and Harin entered their shared room, but unlike usual, she stood with unusual formality.
Something's different…
Dohyun waited for her next move. Harin spoke first.
"I will serve you."
The word 'serve' coming from her lips pleased Dohyun.
"Oh? What changed your mind?"
"Yes."
Dohyun and Dohun were simply too powerful. After seeing them sweep the shop's best items and win lottery prizes, it was clear they were extraordinary people hiding something. Thus—
"My brother will come for me someday. When he does, I beg only for your forgiveness."
Her brother was a strong warrior, but Dohyun was overwhelmingly stronger. She decided it was better for both siblings to survive under his influence than risk escape.
"Hmm…"
Dohyun had no intention of killing Kim Jihun directly. But—
"I'll decide after seeing how you perform."
"Yes, I'll do my best to persuade my brother."
Dohyun's gaze made it clear that wasn't what he meant.
"No, I mean how you perform in bed."
At the implication that pleasing him in bed might save her brother's life, Harin replied:
"Yes. From now on, I will truly consider you my man."
The moment her words ended—
Kim Harin's 'Internal Assistance' trait has been assigned to you.
HP increased due to 'Internal Assistance' effect.
Finally activated.
Dohyun, deeply satisfied, said:
"Good. Let's test it out then."
They went to bed, and that night, Harin showed unprecedented initiative. This wasn't forced sex—it was her willingly serving a man, and her moans carried a new, eager tone. Dohyun had successfully won her heart.