Unlocking Shelter Level 4
I decided to head back to the Shelter first and check on Yeong-ju's condition.
I must have slept longer than expected in Sim Geum-a's room, because by the time I returned to the Shelter the sun was already sinking toward evening.
"Oppa!"
The moment the Shelter door opened, Nam Jin-ju spotted me and came flying out.
"Don't worry! I didn't get hurt, and I took care of everything!"
I called out to reassure her.
But Nam Jin-ju, who had been about to throw herself at me, got a good look at my appearance and skidded to a halt right where she stood.
…Well, I couldn't blame her.
Right now I was covered head to toe in dried blood that had blackened the Foundation Suit I was wearing. In my right hand I carried the steel chain I had used all night, coiled into a convenient ball for recycling—blood still dripping from the grotesque "chain ball." And in my left hand hung a suit cracked and empty like a cicada shell, webbed with countless fractures.
"Let's get inside and clean up first."
I headed straight into the resource processing room and shoved the chains into the intake. Fortunately the blood and scraps of flesh stayed under ten percent, so the machine accepted them without complaint.
As for the Walker Suit… would this even be repairable?
I slid the wrecked Walker Suit into its storage case.
An absurd number flashed up, but at least it was repairable. That was a relief.
"Thank goodness…"
I had just peeled off the Foundation Suit and was about to stow it when Yang Jin-ju and Kang Po-gyeong came in. Both of them looked exhausted—hair a mess, faces of people who hadn't slept in days. Kang Po-gyeong especially had sunken, hollow eyes, as if she hadn't closed them once.
"You're back? I'm… so glad you're safe…"
Yang Jin-ju spoke in a tired voice, then her eyes landed on the blood-soaked suit beside me and she flinched in shock.
"Why do you all look so worn out?"
When I asked, Nam Jin-ju answered.
"Yeong-ju Unni just kept lying there… Po-gyeong Unni refused to leave her side even one step… and we took turns waiting for Oppa the whole time…"
Hearing that, I felt a small, grateful warmth for their worry.
"Everything's settled. So all of you, go wash up and get some real sleep."
They all looked like they had a hundred questions, but I cut them off and herded them toward the showers.
Then, at last, I turned my steps toward the most important place—the medical bay.
When I entered, Yeong-ju still lay motionless on the white treatment table. The horrific bruises and external wounds that had covered her body were gone from sight, but with internal organ damage there was no way to know if the treatment was truly finished.
"Yeong-ju, I'm back."
I sat in the chair beside her and quietly began telling the still form everything that had happened through the night.
"…So, Yeong-ju. Just like you said, me never stepping forward again… I don't think that's possible. I'm sorry."
Her eyelids trembled, just barely, then opened with infinite slowness.
"…You're awake?"
I said, startled. She answered in a thoroughly hoarse voice.
"…Actually I woke up once at dawn because it hurt so much… but Kang Po-gyeong was kneeling right there like she was praying, and it was so awkward I just gritted my teeth and pretended to sleep again…"
The words were so completely out of place with the gravity of the situation that a snort of laughter escaped me before I could stop it.
"So? You're saying that if something like this happens again, you'll keep fighting on the front lines yourself?"
"Yeah. Even if it's not exactly like this—if a fight comes that needs me, I'll fight."
Yeong-ju looked at me, thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Even in chess the king doesn't fight directly. The other…"
I gently took her hand, cutting her off, and with my free hand slowly stroked her hair as I spoke.
"This isn't chess, and it isn't a game, Yeong-ju. Just this once… listen to me."
I met her wavering eyes.
"If I'm the 'king' of this Shelter, then you're my 'queen,' right? In that case… shouldn't the queen at least respect the king's words a little?"
Caught off guard by both the action and the words, Yeong-ju simply stared at me. Then, after a beat, a faint smile touched her lips.
"…You've changed a little."
She continued.
"…But it doesn't feel bad."
When Yeong-ju finally left the medical bay, the common room instantly became a sea of tears.
"Unniiii—!"
Yang Jin-ju and Nam Jin-ju, who had come running the moment they heard the news, latched onto Yeong-ju and sobbed for a solid ten minutes. We barely managed to calm them and peel them off before Kang Po-gyeong dropped to her knees with a heavy thud.
"Yeong-ju-nim! I am truly, deeply sorry! It is all my fault!"
She cried for another ten minutes before we could finally all sit around the table in the common room together.
"All right. Now let's talk about the goals I've been thinking of for our Shelter going forward."
I looked around at the girls, their eyes still red, and began slowly.
"Our immediate objective is this: when another force attacks us, we won't be left helpless the way we were this time—caught off guard by unexpected firepower or tactics. We'll build enough strength to defend perfectly, with almost no damage."
I drew a large red circle on the map spread across the table as I spoke.
"To do that, first I plan to expand the 'safe zone' itself—the area where we can freely gather resources while feeling secure—into something much, much larger."
I pointed to the region where the raider alliance hideouts that Yeong-ju and Kang Po-gyeong had wiped out had been.
"Because of what happened, nearly all the small- and mid-scale raiders in this area are gone. This wide stretch of land is ownerless now. We'll turn it into our new resource supply zone, and the old residential districts next to it…"
I thought of the hydroponics room as I continued.
"…we'll bulldoze completely and develop into a massive agricultural zone capable of large-scale food production."
While everyone was going "Wow!" with anticipation, Yang Jin-ju carefully raised her hand.
"It's a good plan, but… to manage that much territory, we'll need far more security drones than we have now. And more than anything… with only the labor from Sim Geum-a Unni's people, developing land that size seems almost impossible…"
I smiled at her realistic point and answered.
"Of course. That's why we need more 'labor power.'"
At my meaningful words, every gaze locked onto me.
"First… I should tell you this."
I grinned.
"We can finally raise the Shelter to Level 4."
Color flooded every face.
"Let's do the Shelter level-up first, then talk about the rest."
I opened the system window and, without hesitation, pressed the button that had been blinking red since last night.
Shelter Level Up Available
Just like before, the entire Shelter shuddered with a low, deep woooong. Power capacity increased by another full 100 percent, bringing the total to 400 percent, and water storage rose by an additional 30 percent as well.
More than any of the other additions, I immediately checked the [Mechanics Lab] entry in the system window. And there, at last, was the new item I had been waiting for so long.
Security Robot — Production Available
I shot to my feet and shouted to everyone.
"All right, everyone follow me!"
Unable to hide my excitement, I led them toward the Mechanics Lab.
"We're going to meet the new 'labor force' and 'defensive power' we need most right now!"
They had no idea what I meant, but their eyes were bright with anticipation as they followed behind me.
When we arrived at the Mechanics Lab we saw that a new door labeled "Robot Storage" had appeared beside the drone bay. With expectant looks we operated the fabrication console. The screen clearly showed a newly activated entry—
> Security Robot SP-1
> Maximum producible with current resources: 2 units
I pressed the fabricate button without hesitation. The machine roared to life with a heavy whiiirrr, and the remaining production time appeared on the screen.
Six hours.
It was incomparably longer than building a drone. The new labor force and defensive power I had so boldly declared we would "meet right now" would only show itself tomorrow morning.
"Ah…"
Feeling four pairs of expectant eyes on my back, I gave an awkward smile.
"…Sorry for getting everyone's hopes up too high. It's already late tonight, so… how about we check out the new Shelter facilities or just get some good sleep and gather again in the morning?"
At my sheepish suggestion they glanced at one another, then suddenly burst into giggles as if something was endlessly funny.
"It's fine, Oppa! Six hours will go by in no time!"
Nam Jin-ju said, as if comforting me.
And so our new hope slowly took shape through six hours of waiting that felt both long and short at once.