The Craftsman's Touch (2)

"Ugh... haah..."

I stretched luxuriously, feeling great as I opened my eyes. After pushing myself hard to clear that dungeon for the first time in ages, I'd apparently built up a ton of fatigue without realizing it. I'd only meant to rest my head for a bit, but I ended up sleeping like a rock—drooling and everything.

The gunfire from the external turrets rattling the windows had quieted down at some point, leaving the outside eerily silent.

"Mm..."

I glanced appreciatively at Donggle for a moment, then habitually picked up my smartphone and logged into the Survivor Gallery. I wanted to check how the world had turned while I was out.

"Wonder what fresh bait we've got today..."

The gallery's hot topics changed daily. The brutal, heavy atmosphere that had lingered for a while had finally eased up. Lately, more safe zones were popping up, and with info getting shared widely, survivors were starting to loosen up. A new wave of topics from these folks with some breathing room was heating things up.

Centered around certain safe zones releasing credits and activating the gallery's exchange more, skill random boxes had become one of the hottest subjects.

There were tons more posts like that.

"...Way more weird skills than I thought."

If I hadn't borrowed Jiwoo's Luck skill and tried my luck on a gacha, I might've ended up just like them. Shockingly high failure rate on these things. Of course, some folks were stubbornly flexing their gacha skills amid the salt.

And there was an info post too.

"Didn't know that one."

I scrolled through the posts, gleaning more useful info as usual.

"Oh, right..."

Suddenly, I remembered the turret-shredded monsters I'd forgotten about while reading.

"Go collect the mana stones and loot."

I casually asked the drones, same as always.

Weeeeng!

A high-pitched whine pierced the train's soundproofing—like a supercar blasting past.

"What the...?"

I shoved my phone in my pocket and peered out the window.

The moment I looked outside, I saw it.

Weeeeng!

A flying object—familiar yet strangely altered—roared past the train's front at insane speed, whipping up a gale.

It weaved acrobatically through the debris of countless turret-minced monsters, snatching up fallen mana stones and drop items in seconds.

"No way..."

It was definitely my drone, reacting to my command. But I didn't remember it looking like that—must be the combat drone after its grueling six-hour upgrade.

Its appearance had changed drastically. Twice as huge, with a sleek, aerodynamic body minimizing air resistance. Most strikingly, the weapon mounted underneath was new—no more silenced SMG; now a brutal rifle took its place, with what looked like a grenade launcher attachment.

"Talk about an upgrade..."

Weeeeng—clunk.

The combat drone vacuumed up all the outdoor loot in a flash and slipped through the open door of car 1.

"Whoa..."

It spun a triumphant loop in front of me, showing off its new form like a peacock. The recon drone beside it patted the now-massive combat drone approvingly with its claw.

"It's a whole new drone now."

I couldn't stop admiring it and checked the drone hangar screen. The description confirmed massive boosts in mobility and firepower, plus added high-strength armor plating. That last bit was probably my Craftsman's Touch skill at work.

Fully satisfied ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with the combat drone's glow-up, I picked up the new weapon glowing red on the workbench in car 2's workshop.

"This looks promising too."

A long spear crafted from the lizardman boss's spines, one high-grade mana stone, and several mid-grade ones. Gripping the shaft with its eerie sheen, I appraised it, and the results flooded in.

"Packed with options..."

Rare materials plus Craftsman's Touch meant a ton of perks on one weapon. Seeing is believing, so I gripped it myself.

The grip molded perfectly to my hand, and it was way lighter than expected.

"...Is it 'cause the flail was so heavy?"

It said lightweight, but the difference was ridiculous. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lightly thrust it into the air.

Shiiik!

A faint hum vibrated through it each time it sliced air, the blade subtly reddening—proof of kinetic buildup, no doubt.

"Stash it for now."

This one would get its test run eventually too. I carefully placed both the spear and flail on the armory display rack.

At the same time, a spark of curiosity bloomed in my mind.

How far does this Craftsman's Touch effect go, exactly?

I'd seen it on weapons, traps, even drones. What about my train's facilities?

"Alright. Next up, the turrets..."

They'd earned it as top contributors, shredding monsters and farming stones last night. But adding upgraded turrets to my already menacing train might make it look even more terrifying. Survivors might start fearing it at this rate.

Eh... too late for that.

I went to hit the turret upgrade, but the button was grayed out.

"Satisfaction? Oh..."

I smacked my forehead. Some train mods and unlocks needed satisfaction points. This turret upgrade must be one of those.

I'd earned some delivering the kids and their mom to Yeouido, but not quite enough for this.

"Mm... Been a while since I picked up passengers."

I pulled out my phone and logged into the Survivor Gallery, planning to scout rescue requests from folks wanting a ride to safe zones. Plenty of those still.

Scrolling fast through the trades, my eyes snagged on one post that stood out weirdly among the rest. Unlike the others, it was in bold, vivid text—from a constellation.

"A constellation issuing a direct rescue..."

I let out a disbelieving chuckle. I knew some constellations were quirky, but hanging huge rewards and personally trying to save survivors? First time for that.

Though it didn't seem like genuine concern for humans. Just... for the booze.

Whoever they were, they'd earned serious constellation favor with their liquor.

"Rewards are juicy, though."

My eyes glued to the reward list at the bottom, ignoring the quest details. Ten mid-grade mana stones were huge, but the star was the skill enhancement ticket—the one that bumped Jiwoo's passive Luck by two levels in one go. Helped him draw good skills too.

Perfect timing; I'd been thinking about leveling up the train soon.

Of course, every awakener browsing the gallery saw this too, so I might run into others like last time.

But.

"Kinda curious, honestly..."

I muttered softly. I wasn't big on booze myself, but what kind that even a constellation loved? The enhancement ticket tempted me, and honestly, my abilities were perfect for escort quests like this—

"Worth competing for."

I punched the nearby station by the restaurant into the cockpit's main panel without hesitation.

Too bad it was a bit off the tracks. I'd park at the closest station and hoof it, so better hustle.

Vrooom!

The train, fresh off its break, rumbled back to life.

Heading for Sangdong Station.