Chapter 29: Gacha (2)
Pushing aside the thrill of the gacha pull, I manipulated the control panel to turn the train north once more. It left Daejeon behind and headed for Siheung. I had two reasons for choosing this destination again.
"Running low on resources..."
The first was to properly test out the special-grade skill I'd just drawn, Craftsman's Touch. I planned to experiment by crafting a weapon or item. Naturally, that required base materials and mana stones—and I'd burned through a lot lately, so it was time to restock. As I pondered where to quickly source usable resources and mana stones, a place flashed in my mind.
Siheung's outskirts, the area shrouded in poisonous fog. A zone where not just human survivors, but most monsters couldn't survive. Untouched by others, it was bound to have plenty worth scavenging.
And the second reason.
"You two asleep?"
I leaned back into the plush seat and stared at the small feed from car 2 on one corner of the main monitor. Sua and Jiwoo, decked out in their new clothes, still lingered by the massive tank, unwilling to leave.
When I first rescued the siblings, I'd left a short note at their hiding spot, just in case.
'If you return, please leave an SOS on the rooftop.'
In this dangerous world, it was hard to guarantee the fate of someone out of touch for so long. The Survivor Gallery was full of tales—safe zones crumbling overnight, people suffering massive injuries. I'd seen it with my own eyes.
I wanted to check if, by some miracle, the kids' parents had survived and returned to that villa... and if they'd read the brief note I'd left. For those smiling children, even a slim chance was worth hoping for.
If Mom really came back—I'll escort them to the safest safe zone. Yeouido... maybe even Seoul. A place not just holding steady, but expanding.
"...Alright, let's go."
The train was already crossing familiar ruined landscapes, entering Siheung. Screeech— Even a quiet train couldn't silence its signature stop. The poisonous fog that once blanketed the area was long cleared by me, but the eerie atmosphere lingered. No surprise that no one else had ventured here.
Proof: valuable items and mana stones still littered some streets.
"You check the villa first—the one where I left the note. Scan the rooftop and inside thoroughly for any traces."
The recon drone nodded firmly and vanished from sight. I positioned the combat and sniper drones as escorts and dove into serious farming. Planning to go far from the train this time, I packed a large hiking backpack big as my torso alongside the cart.
Hisss. The train door slid open. The street ahead was silent. Mana stones and minor drop items lay scattered.
"Grab everything this time."
I swept up the stones and items from the ground into the backpack. A bit farther on, a decent-sized neighborhood supermarket caught my eye. Pulling the cart inside, a pungent stench assaulted my nose, wrinkling it.
"Ugh...!"
Aftermath of the old poison fog? Or just long neglect? The veggies and fruits on the shelves had rotted away. I pinched my nose with my sleeve and hurried to the daily goods aisle. No way I'd touch the slimy fresh stuff, but sealed goods were another story.
"These okay?"
I peeked inside a snack bag. Looked and smelled fine. Tasting? Hesitant. "...What do you think?"
I glanced at the hovering drone; it nodded, so I grabbed a few. But the real prizes were elsewhere: booze and smokes neatly stocked behind the counter. These luxuries were skyrocketing in value at the exchange. Some bold posts even had quirky constellations offering huge rewards for them.
"Can trade for mana stones or items if I hunt smart..."
Essential for crafting good gear anyway. I stripped the shelves bare, piling booze bottles and cigarette packs onto the cart until it groaned.
As the cart and pack hit a good weight, a clatter echoed from the back door. Looking up, our eyes met—and it shrieked.
"Kieek—!"
A scrawny green-skinned goblin, drooling with a rusty dagger. Didn't look tough.
Whirr—click! The combat drone dropped altitude, machine gun trained, ready to fire.
But I stopped it quick. "Hold fire. I'll handle this one myself."
Chance to test the Counter and Weapon Proficiency skills from the Luck gacha. Safe test dummy, and goblins weren't common these days.
"Hoo... stay sharp..."
I stashed the cart and bag in a corner, gripping my toothed flail two-handed from my shoulder. The feel was normal. Proficiency effect post-fight maybe?
"Kieeeek—!"
The goblin leaped with a grotesque screech, its rusty dagger arcing lazily at my neck.
Old me: Leap away big, then strike. Not this time. Save Leap—cooldown skill. Instead, I flicked the flail's haft to deflect the dagger.
Clang—!
Got it! Now counter—
Then my body felt... off. Time slowed around me—an illusion as my arm whipped through the air blindingly fast.
"Wha—"
Splat—!
A casual wrist flick pulverized the goblin's upper body like a bomb-hit watermelon. One clean counter. I got what the skill did in that single clash.
"...So that's the skill. Urgh..."
Another brutal one. The gore and impact sent chills. I shook off the blood and grabbed the mana stone.
Finishing the supermarket, I dragged the cart to a nearby hardware store. Needed materials to really use the new skill. I ransacked the abandoned shelves, cramming metals into the cart.
But not as much as hoped. Nothing beat construction sites.
"...Maybe sell what I have and buy from the exchange."
Not pricey, and straight to storage. Eyeing the wrecked cars on the road—smash 'em for metal easy, but too daunting now. Desperate times maybe.
Back at the tracks with the heavy cart, something caught my eye.
"Hm?"
The recon drone from the villa hovered silently by car 1's door. Spotting me, it bobbed its lens up-down in affirmation, extending a mechanical arm like it'd found treasure. I parked the cart and hurried over.
"No way... something at the villa?"
It gingerly handed over a small, creased paper.
Taking it, memory hit. My note from rescuing Sua and Jiwoo.
'I have safely taken the children.'
Left folded. Now unfolded, like someone had eagerly opened it.
"No way..."
The drone nodded.
Apocalypse. In a world where people died daily, the kids' mom had survived, returned—and read my note.
She's really alive?
Brain sparked. Flashed to the siblings laughing by the tank with Donggle.
"Grab it and load up! Moving out—now!"
Drones shoved the cart inside roughly; I tossed my pack and bolted to the cockpit.
"Huh? Sis?"
"What's up?"
"Uh... gotta rush somewhere!"
Their puzzled questions amid my panic—I kept it secret for now. Could be Mom... or someone else. But if it was her—
World's dangerous; hurry to meet.
"Let's roll."
The train headed back toward the siblings' home station.