A New Journey
Vvvvv!
Seo Hyun stared intently at the driver and the saw gripped in her hands. Guided by a sudden flash of intuition, she aligned the butt of the driver's handle with the groove notched into the base of the saw and thrust it home.
A crisp metallic click sliced through the gloom.
"Ido, this is how you use it, right?"
"Oh, you figured it out already?"
"After handling your tools for a bit, it just sort of clicked in my head!"
As she tightened her grip on the assembled weapon, her eyes drifted into empty air, tracking what looked like a system notification visible only to her. It was likely an alert confirming that docking the drive-unit had activated its latent mana-motorization function.
Moments later, the weapon erupted with a raucous mechanical roar.
Whirrrrr!
The driver spun like a motor unhinged, channeling raw kinetic power straight into the blade. Whining with a razor-sharp shriek, the blackened saw blade whirled at blinding speed, transforming the implement into a ferocious motorized chainsaw as vibrant crimson mana sparks sprayed in every direction.
"Oh my goodness! The blade's spinning on its own... and without any electricity! This is incredible!"
"I'd only worked it out in theory, so seeing it actually work in practice is pretty neat."
To be honest, the credit mostly goes to the comment section.
"With this, I won't need to waste energy swinging hard! I can channel all my momentum straight into running!"
Just as Seo Hyun said, the blurring blade looked ready to mince flesh at the slightest graze. Radiating newfound confidence, she launched herself straight toward the monsters. No longer forced to check her speed to line up attacks, her footwork had transformed completely.
"I'll carve the path, so stay right on my heels!"
Thrusting the spinning saw before her, she charged headlong into the swarming Abyss Species. The instant her accelerating frame slammed into the beasts, a sickening crunch tore the air.
Krrzzzzzzk!
The mechanical torque ground through the monsters' thick hides as effortlessly as slicing tofu.
"Kieeeeeeek!"
Howling in agony, the creatures tumbled to the ground, torn to shreds. Seo Hyun didn't lose an ounce of momentum, rocketing immediately toward her next target. Marrying her superhuman agility with the saw's blistering revolutions yielded destruction far beyond imagination.
Even if I'm the one who built it, that output is downright filthy.
Watching her tear through the horde, I quietly swallowed my awe. In Seo Hyun's wake, only shredded monster remnants fluttered away, crumbling into black ash. The blocked escape route broke wide open in seconds.
"Now! Move!"
"Seo Seol, let's go!"
"Right!"
At Seo Hyun's shout, Seo Seol and I sprinted with everything we had. Trampling over the beasts' smoldering remains, we finally reached the truck parked in the old hall's lot.
"Hah, hah... We're here, Unnie! Hurry!"
"Yeah! Seol, get into the passenger seat, quick! I'm right behind you!"
Just as we yanked open the door to scramble inside, a savage roar tore through the night air behind us.
"Freeze right there, you little rats!"
I snapped my head around and spotted a mob charging through the parking lot entrance. At the fore stormed the Dictator—the very bastard who should have been tangled up fighting the Abyss Species on the rooftop. His hulking frame was mangled with claw marks from the monsters, but his bloodshot eyes burned with pure rage, locked dead onto us.
"Crazy bastard. He broke through already and hunted us down here?"
Seo Hyun rushed over to the truck, planting herself defensively in front of Seo Seol.
"U-Unnie, what do we do now?" Trembling like an aspen leaf, Seo Seol clutched the hem of Seo Hyun's clothes.
Tension tightened across Seo Hyun's face, but she raised the screaming saw and held her ground. "Ido, I'll hold them off. Take Seol and drive!"
"Are you out of your mind? We leave together. I have no intention of abandoning anyone here."
Smirking, I pushed both of them by the shoulders toward the passenger door.
"Come on, hop in, both of you. Move, move."
"But there are too many of them!"
"Don't worry. I've been saving a feature because it's a bit too flashy, but I guess this is as good a time as any to test it out."
Speaking in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, I drew the compact tacker gun from my hip. Slipping the sniper tacker gun off my shoulder, I brought the two weapons together.
"Ido?"
"Just enjoy the show."
Offering Seo Hyun a reassuring glance, I slid the top mount of the compact tacker into the under-barrel rail of the sniper variant. With a heavy, satisfying mechanical clack, the coupling interlocked seamlessly, fusing the two weapons into a single firearm.
"I machined the leftover Abyss Species core and redesigned the coupling. Modified it to enable scatter shot."
Tucking the combined tacker gun firmly against my shoulder, I leveled the barrel at the charging mob. Even as he saw the weapon, the Dictator sneered, bearing down on us without breaking stride.
"You think that toy gun can leave a scratch on me?!"
"Is that so? Let's see if you can still yap once you eat a mouthful."
The second the mob entered my effective range, I pulled the trigger.
Click.
My mana ignited against the gas compressed inside the chamber, generating explosive force.
KAA-BOOOOM!
An ear-splitting detonation erupted from the muzzle as dozens of red-hot spikes fanned out in a wide cone. Infused with mana, the scatter shot ripped through the pitch-black night and peppered the encroaching pack. Caught in a torrential deluge across a wide arc, they didn't even have time to dodge.
"Aaargh!"
"W-What is this?!"
Even the Dictator, who had charged in full confidence of his Hardening ability, couldn't withstand the crushing kinetic impact of the barrage and was hurled backward onto his ass. His lackeys screamed in terror, rolling across the asphalt or scrambling desperately behind abandoned wrecks for cover. Crimson mana bursts blossomed in rapid succession through the darkness, turning the parking lot into a scorched wasteland.
"Now's our chance! Time to haul ass!"
Taking full advantage of their pinned state, I vaulted into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. I shoved the gear shift into drive and mashed the accelerator flat against the floor.
VROOOOM!
The truck's massive tires tore into the asphalt with a screeching whine. Coughing out a thick plume of black exhaust, the heavy vehicle shot out of the lot like a cannonball, hurtling toward the edge of campus.
"You motherfuckers, stop right there!"
The Dictator's desperate curses dissolved into the wind behind our roaring engine. Paying him no mind, we smashed clean through the makeshift barricades of Ilhwa Women's University and broke into the open world.
Only after leaving the danger zone far behind and merging onto a desolate suburban road did I ease my foot off the pedal.
"Phew... We made it... We really made it..." Slumped in the passenger seat, Seo Hyun exhaled a trembling breath of relief and sank against the headrest.
"Uuu..."
Finally feeling safe, Seo Seol wept softly into Seo Hyun's embrace.
"It's okay, Seol. We're safe now." Seo Hyun gently stroked her sister's pale hair.
Inside the cab, the only sound was the steady, rhythmic rumble of the aging truck engine.
"Neither of you hurt, right?" I asked softly once I saw Seo Seol begin to settle down.
"Not a scratch. Thanks to you, Ido, we made it out without losing a single hair." Brushing back her disheveled locks, Seo Hyun offered me a faint smile. Unspilled tears still glistened in the corners of her eyes. Having just rescued her only sister from that living hell of an internment camp, her surge of emotion was more than understandable. "Truly... thank you so, so much, Ido."
"I didn't do much. You're the one who carved our way out, Seo Hyun."
"No. Without your plan and your weapons, our bones would have been picked clean back there."
As she bowed her head in heartfelt gratitude, Seo Seol chimed in timidly from beside her.
"TechGeek-nim... thank you so much, truly."
"Well, I did say I'd accept your thanks once we got out in one piece, so I'll happily take it now. But 'TechGeek'? Come on, please, just call me Shin Ido."
My playful banter coaxed soft chuckles from both sisters.
Still, a trace of hesitation lingered on Seo Hyun's face. Her lips parted and closed, searching for the right moment to speak.
"Um... Ido, could we maybe..."
Trailing off, she fidgeted uncertainly. I could easily guess what was tying her tongue. In this brutal new world, two young women surviving on their own was no easy feat.
Granted, Seo Hyun's an Awakened and strong as hell...
Even so, her younger sister had albinism and was frail by nature; they desperately needed a reliable protector and guardian. She was probably hesitating out of guilt, worrying she was imposing by asking to travel together from here on out.
Steering smoothly around a curve, I cleared my throat and adopted a casual, indifferent tone.
"Ahem. So, here's the thing: I'm saddled with this rotten penalty, meaning I can't settle down in one place for a while."
"Ah... yes, I know..."
"It means constantly moving around—eating on the run, sleeping where we can, and brawling with monsters every night. It's going to be pretty exhausting."
"We can handle any hardship! Anything at all!" she blurted out, leaning toward me with urgent intensity.
Glancing over at her, I tossed out the question nonchalantly.
"Well then... if you don't mind the hassle, care to join me on a little general store road trip?"
A brief silence settled over the cab at my offhand offer. Then, as the meaning behind my words sank in, her eyes widened like a startled rabbit's. A radiant smile, bright enough to eclipse the apocalypse, bloomed across her face. The lingering dread in her gaze was instantly swept away by hope and relief.
"Yes! Please look after us from now on!" Seo Hyun answered, her voice thick with emotion as she squeezed Seo Seol's hand tight.
Seo Seol leaned her head against her sister's shoulder, nodding with a soft, bashful giggle.
"Cooking is the one thing I'm really good at, so I'll make sure you're well fed every day."
"Sounds great. I was honestly dreading the thought of choking down canned rations every single night."
Keeping my eyes on the road ahead, I hid a quiet smile of relief.
I'm glad they're happy about it.
It felt like my days of playing a lonely, hunted survival game all on my own were finally over. With a dependable vanguard and a talented cook—the ultimate party members—the wandering road ahead wouldn't feel quite so hollow. Seeing their warm, bright smiles pulled the corners of my own mouth upward.
"So what will you do once the penalty expires, after running your mobile store?"
"Ah. When that time comes..." Pausing to ponder, I chuckled softly. "How about we settle down somewhere and open up shop for real?"
In a world like this, sourcing and selling what survivors desperately needed was bound to turn a hefty profit, wasn't it?
"Pfft, haha! That sounds like fun!"
"Alright then. Shall we head to our next destination?"
"Where to?"
"Well, you'll see when we get there."