Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Chomp chomp...
"Want some?"
Poof!!
Eating strawberries bought from the system shop, it had been 30 minutes since I started shooing away approaching zombies with my Fear Dagger. She seemed to perceive me not as an enemy, but as a friendly person.
"Th.. thank you..."
She carefully took the strawberry I offered, glanced around, and took a bite.
Crunch
"It's delicious... hic..."
The sweet taste of the strawberry filling her mouth made her relax for a moment, but she soon tensed up again.
Sigh, it's not like I'm taming an injured stray dog...
I couldn't waste any more time like this, so I stood up and dusted off my butt.
"Right, I'm heading to that mountain over there, what do you want to do? You can follow me, or you can just stay here."
At my words, the woman made a terrified expression again, but didn't say anything.
"Then, survive well."
I gripped my spear and dagger and turned around.
Step... step...
After I had walked about ten steps,
"U.. um!!"
I heard her voice, and when I turned my head, I saw her standing, leaning against a utility pole with trembling legs.
"Yes?"
"Pl.. please... don't abandon me..."
Well... that's a difficult request...
Grrr...
"Eek!!"
Perhaps the fear had ended, but a zombie started walking up behind her, and she looked at me with wavering eyes.
Begging me to save her, to kill the zombie for her like I did before.
Did I develop mind-reading powers or something?
Even without her saying it, I could tell what she wanted.
However, I didn't move, keeping my spear slung over my neck.
The zombie getting closer and closer.
The woman feeling deeper and deeper fear.
Clang...
I threw the aluminum bat that her husband—who was no longer in this world—used to use in front of her.
She looked at me with trembling eyes, as if she didn't understand why.
"I have neither the reason nor the intention to look after someone incompetent. If you want to live, prove your worth."
"My... worth..."
At my words, the woman bowed her head, but a moment later, she lifted it again, looking at me with eyes that were no longer wavering, as if she had made a decision.
She moved her trembling legs, walked toward the bat I had thrown, and picked up her husband's last memento.
"Honey... thank you... so much..."
Her hands were shaking, and the bat was rattling.
But her eyes were resolute.
"Sob... Honey!!"
She swung the bat toward the approaching zombie while shedding tears.
Ting...
However, the movie-like situation where the zombie's head explodes from a bat swung by a frail woman didn't happen.
Grrr!
The zombie seemed angry and opened its mouth to bite the woman in front of it.
"Aaaah!!"
Thud!
The woman fell backward in fear and landed on her butt.
Grrr!!
The moment the zombie was about to bite her,
Poof!!
Its head exploded, and the headless body turned into polygons and rose into the sky.
"Ah..."
Clatter...
She seemed to lose strength in her hands and dropped the bat she had been gripping tightly; the aluminum bat rolled over the weeds and...
Ting...
...got caught on my foot as I walked up.
She slowly turned her head with a trembling body to look at me, and I smiled, picked up the bat, and handed it to her.
"You're good at it, so why haven't you done it until now?"
Grab!
Huh?
She threw her body toward me,
"Sob... Waaaaah!!"
and cried loudly while hugging my body.
Sigh... Yeah, you did well...
I patted her back to soothe her as she cried in my arms.
'Wait... but didn't I just say something super cringey...?'
Prove your worth...
I remembered the words I had unconsciously blurted out to provoke the woman in front of me, and I felt grateful that Ha-rang wasn't around.
Ah... please, get a grip, Geum-seul...
You're a total weakling without buffs, too... Damn it...
--
Thanks to the warmth of a person and the steady patting on her back, she calmed down quickly.
"Sob... Thank... you..."
"Don't mention it. So, what are you going to do?"
She pulled her face out of my embrace and looked at me.
A distance close enough to feel each other's breath.
Wow... she's a really pretty lady...
Her face was covered in black soot as if she hadn't washed for days, but I was momentarily mesmerized by her beauty, which had a completely different charm from Ha-rang's.
When I stared intently at her face, she seemed embarrassed and blushed.
"Umm... can I... follow you...?"
"Hmm..."
Should I just act crazy and take her with me...?
The house was safe, and there was plenty of food.
She could use the room I used before as a living space.
The optimal situation for taking someone in was already set.
However,
"The risk to me and my family is too great to take in someone who can't do anything."
I wasn't a philanthropist, so my negative thoughts about taking in an incompetent person remained unchanged.
"For now, follow me, and... I'll call you Noona."
"Okay..."
"Please think carefully about what you can do to survive in this world, Noona."
"What... I can do..."
Well, she has the Baking skill, so...
She'll figure it out on her own~
I picked up the peanut butter that had fallen on the ground and turned around.
"Right, let's get going. We've wasted too much time."
"Okay..."
Thus, a journey with a woman other than Ha-rang began.
--
Ugh... so awkward...
Traveling with a beautiful married woman was nice, but she didn't say a word, and the atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
'In times like this, should I be the one to start a conversation and change the mood...?'
Having never been on a date, I pondered this and that, and eventually opened my mouth first.
"So, Noona, what's your name?"
I already knew it thanks to the status window, but since self-introduction is the most important thing in a first meeting,
"Ah... um... my name is Jin Eun-mi..."
When I spoke first, she had no choice but to answer.
"So it's Eun-mi Noona. I'm Geum-seul, Kim Geum-seul. I'm 25 years old."
"I'm... 34 years old..."
The next most important thing after self-introduction is a compliment!
"Wow~ I thought you were in your 20s, you have such a youthful face."
Perhaps the power of a compliment was great even in this harsh world, as she smiled, albeit slightly.
"Thank you..."
Like that, we chatted about trivial topics, and before we knew it, we arrived at the entrance of a jungle called Sudo Mountain.
I turned around and offered my left hand to her.
"From here on, you never know where a zombie might pop out. So, even if it's a bit awkward, it'll be safer if you hold my hand."
She hesitated for a moment but took my hand and stood beside me.
"Umm... thank you..."
Her skin is so smooth... If I take her home and give her a shower, she'd be a total model~
I smiled without a word, held the Fear Dagger in my right hand, and started climbing Sudo Mountain.
--
As I climbed the mountain, decomposing wildflowers into butter, this time Eun-mi spoke first.
"Geum-seul-ssi, how are you so strong?"
"Uh... I just struggled to survive, and I ended up here."
It was a very obvious and monotonous answer, but
"Struggling to survive... I guess... I didn't even do that much..."
Ah... I'm not comfortable with this kind of atmosphere all of a sudden...
She was like a chicken rib—awkward to keep but didn't want to throw away—so I tried to maintain a normal relationship, but Eun-mi had stepped over that boundary.
"I hid in my husband's... shadow and did nothing... making excuses about being a woman... being weak..."
"Ahaha... there are weak women like Noona, and there are strong women like others~"
She smiled awkwardly,
"Geum-seul-ssi, you're... really... kind... for someone like me, a lady you're meeting for the first time... to try so hard..."
"Ahaha... is that so..."
Actually, there was only one reason I saved her.
To give a big middle finger to the place called the Ruined Game Cult.
However, even if I acted with this thought in mind, others might perceive it differently.
Well... people are free to misunderstand.
Just as I picked the Persian Speedwell under my feet, decomposed it, and put it into the butter pouch,
[First reward for collecting 10,000 Peanut Butter!]
[The pouch's limit is unlocked to 100,000, and all new butter collected from now on will be doubled.]
Holy shiiiit?!?!
I was just filling the pouch without much thought, but an all-time best first reward appeared.
The increased limit was obviously broken, but the second effect, the double accumulation service, was a crazy effect.
"Wow... does money really beget money..."
"Yes?"
Eun-mi reacted to my muttering,
"No, I just said the probability of surviving has increased."
Eun-mi, not understanding what I meant, tilted her head.
"I don't really know, but that's a relief."
I answered her with a smile and picked the wild tulip next to me, decomposed it, and put it in my pouch.
[Kim Geum-seul's Peanut Butter Pouch]
10,000.5/100,000
Wow... I picked one wildflower and got half a pouch of butter? This is insane, seriously...
I marveled at the broken performance, and as I mindlessly turned wildflowers into butter, I arrived at the village before I knew it.
--
"Oh! Isn't it the Owner! You're back so soon."
A man standing guard welcomed me,
"Hello, I came back after gathering some butter."
"Is that so~ Hmm? By the way, the woman next to you isn't your wife, is she?"
Wife... Heh heh, that's right~ It's not wrong~
I gave a loose smile,
"Hehehe... Ah! Ha-rang-ssi is resting at home. For now, can I go in with this woman... saying she's my colleague?"
When I asked, pointing at Eun-mi, the guard smiled brightly.
"Of course. Since the Owner would never cause any harm to our village. Go ahead, go in."
I'm grateful for the trust, but if you trust me too blindly, it's a bit...
Of course, I had no intention of causing a ruckus in this village, but hearing him say that made me feel pressured.
"Thank you. I'll go to the Chief myself."
"Yes, have a good day!"
The guard waved at me, and Eun-mi and I smiled and entered the village.
--
As I wandered through the village without a word, Eun-mi, who was holding my hand, asked.
"Umm... Geum-seul-ssi...? This place is..."
"Ah, come to think of it, I didn't ask the most basic thing. Eun-mi Noona, have you played the Ruined Game?"
At my question, Eun-mi made a sad expression.
"Umm... I played it for a while... with my husband... a long time ago..."
"Ah... I see... Anyway, you can think of this village as an NPC village from the Ruined Game."
At my words, she glanced around,
"Their skin color... is different from ours..."
"That must be because they are independent NPCs of this village. I don't know the details either, though."
With that as the last thing said, we didn't say much else and arrived in front of the Chief's tent.
Vice-Chief Kurin was leading his subordinates in front of the tent again today.
"Hello, Vice-Chief."
"Hm? Oh! Isn't it the Owner! You've returned really quickly... Heh heh, is this your new wife?"
Kurin approached me with a lecherous smile.
At those words, Eun-mi bowed her head as if reminded of her husband.
I just picked her up on the way...
I was too lazy to explain everything, so
"Ahaha... it's hard to explain, so I'll just say yes. Is the Chief inside?"
"Unfortunately, the Chief is currently away for a moment to hold a meeting with the chiefs of other tribes."
Other tribes?
"Are there other villages nearby?"
"Of course! Aren't we the combat troops for Manmulcho? Including us, there are five villages nearby, in charge of economy, development, support, etc."
"Oh! Then could I ask for a tour next time? I'd like to visit them."
"Haha, the Chief actually said that the Owner would be a topic of discussion at this meeting."
It's a bit burdensome, but the more friendly NPC villages, the better.
"Thank you. Then I'll head to the Trading Post."
"Yes, have a comfortable rest!"
Kurin waved us off with a bright smile, and I headed toward the Trading Post with familiar steps.
--
It didn't take long for us to arrive in front of the Trading Post's door.
When I turned my head to look at her face, she seemed to have a lot to say, but I was tired of being the one to start the conversation...
I entered the Trading Post without much thought.
Creeeak, jingle jingle~
A bell rang as the door opened, and the man sitting at the counter reading a book looked at me.
"Oh! Isn't it the Owner?"
"Yes, nice to see you again after a day."
"The woman next to you... is she your new wife? Heh heh."
Goodness... are all the people in this village the same...
"Ahaha... I'll just say yes. So, can I look at some items?"
"Of course! Oh!"
The man seemed to have remembered something, hurried into the storage room, and came out a moment later carrying a large box.
"Here are the ones you ordered!"
Ordered? Did I order something..?
I tilted my head and opened the box the man had put down,
"Ah~ it's Jegiral."
"Heh heh, I sought advice from the Chief and prepared the two best ones for you."
Jegiral's appearance was a giant, plain-patterned egg.
In other words, it meant it was hard to tell by appearance.
It's a 100% random gacha, so I wonder if it'll be effective...
But I felt grateful that he had put in this much effort for me.
"Thank you. Then I'll pay for this first."
I shook hands with the man and paid 900 Peanut Butter for the two Jegirals.
"Owner, you know that if you put these in your inventory, something terrible will happen, right?"
"Yes, that's why I'm a bit troubled... Ha-rang-ssi isn't here right now, so I have to carry them..."
"Haha, don't worry about that. I'll pack them up nicely for you. Come on, let's proceed with the contract!"
At the man's urging, I took the Black Dagger out of my inventory and pricked my thumb.
Ugh... that stings...
I dripped a few drops of the flowing red blood onto the left egg, and the blood was absorbed as soon as it touched the shell.
[Manmulcho's presence confirmed!]
Huh?
Flash!!Vibrate, vibrate, vibrate, vibrate
The Jegiral that had eaten the blood began to glow and shake,
Crack! Crackle!
and it cracked.
Crunch!!
From inside the broken egg, a bird boasting black feathers revealed itself,
Caw!
[First Flying-type Pet acquisition reward!]
[Permanently increases pet experience gain by 200%!]
The creature flapped its wings and cried out at me.
Crazy?!!??!
"Ohhhh, a Flying-type!! Congratulations, Owner!"
I had managed to obtain a Flying-type, which had a 0.1% chance of being obtained during the Ruined Game era.