Slaves to Livestock
The day after we'd mixed our bodies in a sweaty tangle. As soon as the sun rose, I began properly checking the spoils of war.
"This is everything, right?"
"Yes, Master."
Adding the guns recovered from the corpses to the few from the armory, we had quite a stockpile of firearms. Ammo boxes from the armory cabinets. Guns laid out in a row before them. It looked just like one of those illegal weapons busts you'd see on the news.
"They sure burned through a lot."
Ammo boxes half-empty. Hard to say exactly without counting, but probably around 2,000 rounds.
'Twenty handguns, plus bullets from the corpses—that's about 2,300 rounds?'
But the shotguns were sorely lacking ammo since they were stored as needed items. Eight shotguns, with maybe 300-400 shells. At least they were all the same gauge, so we could reuse them—small mercies.
The real problem was the rifles and other gear.
"Well, damn. No wonder it was such a shitshow."
The underground emergency armory was charred black. Not just burned—looked like an explosion, with cracks all over the walls and bullet holes everywhere. Naturally, the rifles that should have been there, along with their ammo, were ruined. Just piles of empty casings.
'Figures they were hoarding the good stuff.'
Not entitlement—just luck that the guy on the fifth floor had a rifle and a few magazines. Flashbangs and smoke grenades for riot control... none of the stuff I'd hoped for was usable.
"Sigh—."
In disappointment, I kicked one of the corpses on the armory floor.
Thud. Roll, roll.
A head torn from the neck, flesh stuck fast. Scorched clothing scraps and shrunken gear suggested these were real cops.
'Stupid fuckers.'
I could guess what happened, but they'd blown all the useful gear in the process. Scratch the "competent" label.
Still, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. Didn't get the gear I wanted, but scored something bigger than expected.
...Doksayeon said that this morning. She'd recovered some intelligence—not fully, but enough.
"It seems my job is about extracting stamina from living beings to make potions... drugs, basically."
She showed me her skill window at the same time.
Witch's Special Potion LV.0 [Job Active Skill]
Brew potions by combining life fluid and materials in the Witch's Cauldron.
Effects determined by materials used and life fluid purity.
Quality rises proportional to Intellect and Mentality stats.
[...]
Burnt Recipe Book LV.0 [Job Active Skill]
Record recipes of successfully brewed Witch's Special Potions.
Reduces material and life fluid costs for recorded recipes.
Grants individual brewing proficiency for recorded potions.
Quality rises proportional to brewing proficiency.
[...]
1st Fluid Extraction LV.0 [Job Passive Skill]
Extract Lowest Life Fluid from non-infected targets.
Extract tainted, mutated life fluid from infected targets.
[...]
There were other combat skills too, but they all required life fluid.
'First things first—figure out what life fluid is.'
Reading my expression, Doksayeon generated a metal syringe with her skill and said,
"Da-jeong..."
"Sis?"
Poke.
"...Da-jeong-ah, can I borrow your arm for a sec?"
"Sure, sis."
Stab.
The syringe plunged into Jeong Da-jeong's vein. As Doksayeon pulled the plunger, Jeong Da-jeong made a weird noise.
"Ugh...?"
"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"
"No, not hurt exactly... more like all my strength is draining... ahhh..."
"Probably your stamina dropping. It went down when you tried it on me earlier."
"Yeah? Hey, status window."
"Okay~."
Suuuuck—.
"Ah... ughhh..."
Stamina dropping fast for how little liquid filled the syringe—nothing like drawing blood.
Schlop.
"Good job, Da-jeong-ah."
"Yeah..."
Cleaner and redder than blood sloshing in the syringe. Doksayeon handed it to me.
Text popped up the moment I took it.
◈ Life fluid extracted from a healthy non-infected target.
◈ Usable for brewing Witch's Special Potions in the Witch's Cauldron.
◈ Effect: Recovers 5% of max stamina.
"Huh?"
A system-recognized item. I let out a dry laugh at the appearance of something I'd never expected to see, let alone this soon.
'Real stamina potions?'
Stab, suuuck.
Test-stabbed my arm—stamina filled right up. My back, worn from overnight exertion(?), felt a bit lighter.
And this was just the raw material, not even a potion yet.
"Hey, what do you need to make potions?"
"One moment."
Shhhrrk.
A singed book appeared in Doksayeon's hand, rippling like Jeong Da-jeong's inventory. She opened the first page and read.
"Right now, I can make two kinds: Lowest Life Potion and Lowest Vitality Potion... methods differ, but..."
Thud.
She closed the book, and it vanished like it appeared.
"Materials—we have what we need."
"Good. Brew a few of each."
"Um... Master Cheongun. Since life fluid drains stamina like blood..."
Doksayeon glanced cautiously.
"It'll be hard for me or Da-jeong to give more."
"What?"
Flinch.
"N-no, not that we can't... just give us a bit more time and—"
"No. Why would I drain it from you two?"
Jeong Da-jeong had mountains of stuff to move already. Doksayeon needed to churn out potions nonstop. We had others for that grunt work.
I dragged Doksayeon straight to the holding cells.
Swish, swish. Rustle... Murmur, murmur...
"...!"
Survivors packed in like chickens in a coop. Doksayeon flinched at the sight.
"Drain it from them."
Saved for later use—or zombie chow at worst. Perfect blood bags now.
"They're prepping to leave, so drain them to near-death and brew."
Swish, click.
"And..."
Before leaving the cells, I drew my pistol from my waist and handed it to her.
"Any who don't get it yet? Shoot as an example."
"Ah..."
Glance, glance...
Her eyes flicked between blood bags and gun, then back to me with a faint smile.
"Got it, Master Cheongun..."
Not her fake smile—this was real. It pleased me. Still raw, but she'd take on my color soon enough. Exciting.
...Guns, ammo, stab vests, riot shields... gear alone was a haul. Plus their food and supplies. Too much for inventory.
"Hup, hup..."
Jeong Da-jeong waddled to the motorcycle, bags dangling everywhere. Came near-empty, leaving loaded.
Plenty left unpacked at the station.
"Grab the essentials. We'll be back."
Thought about making it a new base. Nah—walls lower than school's, space cramped. Still, too good to abandon. Forward base it was.
Rattle, rattle.
"Sorry. No good pots around, took time hunting."
Doksayeon with a cauldron full of plastic bottles—potions inside, probably.
"Food? You fed the blood bags?"
"Yes. Cuffed tight. Enough rations for days, as ordered. Even without..."
Smirk.
"They'll ration carefully."
Glancing at the pistol on her hip. Gunshots earlier? Figured it out. No need to dwell. Overstepped? Maybe. But I greenlit kills.
Blood bags were her domain now.
'She'll handle it.'
Worst case, kill 'em all—replaceable. Not human-only anyway.
Details later. Put Doksayeon on back, left station for school.
Same routine: clear entrance zombies + noise-attracted ones. Slash, slice, slice...
"Level 5's right around the corner."
Awakened kills at station vacuumed exp—level 4, once distant, nearly done.
'Level 5 rewards free stats and second job change.'
Guns secured. Grind with potions a few days? Level 5 easy.
Dump gear, farm more. But entering school, something off.
Survivors far off, watching us enter. Late—delayed by station cleanup, past ration time. Should've scrambled for zombie scraps. Instead, dawdling, trickling out.
Gut feeling hit.
"Ha—?"
Flinch. Tremble...
"M-Master...?"
Chilling voice spooked them—wondering what they did wrong. But I was thrilled.
"Hahaha, time to turn up the heat, huh?"
Those useless rice-wasters finally touched my warehouse.
Like Eden's apple—except no God, and the garden's the snake's.
To Jeong Da-jeong:
"Halve their rations from now on."
"Half..."
Barely surviving now. Halve it? Obvious outcome.
"Yes, Master."
She nodded blankly. Doksayeon same—maybe even pleased?
Whatever. Added,
"Any complaints? Send 'em to me."
Wonder how long till they crack. Not long—fun certainty.