Chapter 7. Shop (1)
"Efficiency's improved a bit, huh?" I tilted my head at the numbers on the control panel, then opened my Status Window and nodded.
After clearing the dungeon, it said my skills would be strengthened as a first clear reward. And it applied to my Train Summon skill, boosting fuel efficiency.
It wasn't a huge jump.
Current Fuel Efficiency
Lowest-grade Mana Stone (1): Runtime 7 days → 8 days
"No, this is actually a pretty big increase..."
One day per stone? Lowest-grade mana stones were easier to find than I'd thought. With an extra day from each one—
Fuel worries gone, all the stones I'd been hoarding suddenly looked like spare cash.
I opened the external modification tab without hesitation.
"Let's go all in. What do I have to lose in life?"
The faster I upgraded, the more my auto-hunt profits would multiply. First up: the spike upgrade button.
Rumble-rumble-groooan—screeeeech!
A massive metallic clang echoed from the train's front. The external camera showed the crude old spikes writhing and expanding.
Spike 2
Width increased 1.5x—now hits monsters near the tracks too.
"...Looks brutal now."
I dumped my remaining resources to unlock the drone hangar.
Whirr—clunk.
Something stirred on car 2's roof. A new tab appeared on the panel.
Current Drones: Basic Scout Drone (1 unit)
Functions: Detects terrain & lifeforms within 500m radius, auto-maps, collects small items.
"Scout drone...?"
Whirr—!
I heard the noise and peered out the window. A sleek gray drone lifted off from car 2's roof with a propeller hum. The cockpit screen showed a live feed and minimap from the drone.
1 o'clock: Monster pack detected.
"Nice."
I couldn't help but admire it. No more relying on eyesight or collisions to spot threats—I basically had a map now. Plus, the description said it collected small items.
I sank deep into the sofa. Reinforced spikes gleamed at the train's front, drone buzzing overhead. Time to relax while auto-hunt did its thing.
"Ughhh... slept like a rock."
Waking up, I felt mild muscle soreness. I stretched my sore arms and back with awkward exercises, then checked the ejector chute by habit.
"Even a little wider makes a difference..."
Mana stones piled up below it.
I converted all the mana stones to fuel—more than enough for upgrades. Next, the drone.
I eyed its screen in the cockpit.
Whirr—clunk.
Right on cue, the hangar hatch on car 2's ceiling opened, and the scout drone returned from patrol. The monitor showed a mission complete message and the drone dropping something off.
"Huh? What's that?"
Curious, I headed to car 2. The drone had brought a dirt-caked wooden box. Primitive compared to the dungeon treasure chest, but definitely one.
Nearby lay mana stones and items it'd gathered. I focused on the box first.
"Even outside dungeons, huh."
Probably scavenged from rooftops or hidden corners. The wood was oddly damp. Half-expecting the worst, I pried open the rickety lid.
Creeeak—
Inside: a set of canned goods and a red potion that looked straight out of a game.
Canned tuna—plain stuff, decent expiration date. The potion intrigued me. I picked it up for a closer look.
"No way... a health potion?"
From a treasure chest, so not ordinary. Appraisal in the armory confirmed: Health Potion.
Best if I never needed it, but good to have one just in case. Treasure outside dungeons too.
"That's premium intel."
Back in car 1, I flopped on the sofa and fired up my smartphone. Survivor Gallery—my go-to when time allowed. Eased the isolation, the loneliness. Learned about Status Windows and monster drops here.
Time to give back. I hit the post button for the first time.
Just picked this up scouting a rundown building rooftop. Seems these boxes pop up in nooks and crannies sometimes?
Got a potion and some food. Lucky ones might yield gear. Don't just stare at the ground—check roofs and corners!
A smile crept across my face as I scrolled the comments. Good info spread fast—views and replies piling up quick. The whole Survivor Gallery was growing.
"Yeah, everyone hang in there."
I dropped a quick "Stay safe all" reply and turned off the screen. Helping out felt good; the train's rattle seemed less lonely.
Then, an alert pinged from the cockpit panel.
Ding!
The new map tab from the drone hangar was flashing.
"Dollar sign? Money?"
I rubbed my eyes, but it was a shiny golden [$]. A bank? In this world, what value did cash have to mark it special?
Curiosity burned. I grabbed the cooling drone and shook it.
"What's this? Something there?"
Whirr—
It spun its props annoyed-like, silent as ever. Duh, it's a machine.
"...Good work. Rest up."
Only one way: go see. The map showed the area super safe, right by the tracks. No combat? I wasn't scared to step out.
"Not some ordinary spot."
I pulled the cockpit lever, train rumbling toward the [$] mark—500m off tracks, in collapsed building rubble.
Clack-clack.
It glided to a stop nearby. Toothed Flail over shoulder, Leap skill ready, I cautiously exited.
"Dammit! Hold the line! If it breaks, we're all dead!!"
Incheon Dong-gu's rundown apartment playground—once full of kids' laughter, now screams and monster howls.
A massive iron shield boomed back.
Bam—!
"Guhhh... arms at limit!"
"Shut up and hold! People behind us!"
Two shield guys spat blood, roaring. Five wolf-like bipedal monsters licked chops, closing in.
Awakened group, but their speed and teamwork overwhelmed. Rear folks wounded, exhausted, slumped; pipes bent half-useless.
'This is it.'
Shield guy's vision blurred. One wolfman leaped at a downed throat.
"No!!"
All squeezed eyes shut—then:
Weeeeng—
A wasp-wing buzz, totally out of place.
Pewooong—!
Sharp rupture; airborne wolfman's head exploded like a melon.
"Yelp?!"
Gray pebble-sized thing landed on the corpse. Palm-sized, four tiny props—ordinary drone.
"D-drone?"
"What just—"
People mumbled dazed. Drone ignored them.
Clunk.
Tiny arm extended, flipped body, expertly plucked purple mana stone.
Remaining four raged at drone.
"Grrr! Arf!"
Drone unfazed. Spun lazy circle like swatting flies; underside lens glowed red.
Flash.
Invisible-speed red laser beams zipped four times.
Thud.
No death cries. All four vital-shot, dropped dead.
Monsters they'd fought 30min for—the toy machine ended in 3 seconds.
Silence blanketed playground. Drone buzzed again, circling bodies.
Clunk. Pop. Clunk. Pop.
Shopped their stones and items, then lifted off. Circled stunned group's heads scanning, then droned mechanically away—no lingering.
Left: burst-head wolfmen and four slack-jawed survivors.
"Uh, uh."
"What... was that?"
"...No idea."