Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The inside of the building had no electricity, so it was dark even though the sun was high in the sky.
I was using candles for sale around the counter to light it up.
It would be nice to open the curtains blocking the glass windows, but the moment I did, hyenas would swarm in, so it was an unavoidable choice.
As I expected, numerous items were still left inside the mart.
When I entered the mart and looked around without a word, the Mart Owner-nim, perhaps parched, drank a little bottled water from the counter and came back near me.
"I guess it's because the electricity is out... there's no meat or ice cream."
"Yes... I tried to store them as best as I could, and of course, things spoiled overnight... I even tried pickling them in salt, but I didn't have the professional knowledge..."
"Still, summer hasn't arrived yet, so the vegetables look fine. Ah, may I use a basket?"
"Of course... um... the payment..."
"Don't worry. I'll give you enough to satisfy you before I leave, Mart Owner-nim."
With that final remark, I started shopping in the dark mart and grabbed various items.
I grabbed all the daily necessities that seemed needed, like butane gas, matches, lighters, rice, soap, etc., and also grabbed some snacks that I couldn't carry at the convenience store because my hands were full.
I thought I would only take food, but maybe because I bought daily necessities that weren't immediately needed?
As time passed, the Mart Owner-nim's expression became colored with confusion.
I paid absolutely no attention to that gaze and focused on shopping.
"Oh! There are seeds too. I have to take all of these."
I also grabbed all the seeds for Mom's level.
Until the three baskets were full, I hadn't taken much food other than rice and snacks.
'I have 4 slots left in my Inventory... I should buy one more basket's worth.'
Since I thought I had enough daily necessities, this time I started shopping focusing on the vegetable section, and after filling one basket with vegetables that can be planted and grown, like green onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions, I returned to the counter.
The Mart Owner-nim standing next to the counter started looking at me like I was a weird person.
"Um... is this really enough food...?"
"Yes, I'll come again next time if I need more. Until then, the condition..."
I swallowed the rest of my words and looked at the Mart Owner-nim's face.
"In your opinion, Mart Owner-nim, how many Peanut Butters would you sell this for? In a world without electricity and water, what is the value of the items I picked?"
The Mart Owner-nim pondered for a long time, glancing at the spear in my hand and my face.
"Um... how about... 4 full Peanut Butters..."
"4, huh... 5 is a week of electricity and water, and 1 day of Absolute Protection... do you really think these items are worth 4??"
I had said that with the intention of giving more, but the Mart Owner-nim must have taken it differently, as he spoke in a trembling voice.
"Th-then... 3 it is..."
I smiled, opened my bag, and placed 5 Peanut Butters on the counter.
"I'll take 5, and the baskets too."
The man looked at me with disbelief as 5 tubs full of butter, not empty ones, appeared before his eyes, and he grabbed my hand.
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
"I'm the one who should thank you for selling me goods during times like these. But, do you know about the system of this world?"
At my question, the Mart Owner-nim nodded.
However, perhaps because the Mart Owner-nim and his wife had no combat skills and no skills useful for survival, they only had sad expressions on their faces.
I felt unnecessary pity and wanted to help, but helping others when I didn't even know my own path ahead was a shortcut to death, so I erased the useless emotion and put the baskets into my Inventory for safekeeping.
"I'll come again next time. Stay alive until then."
"Yes... thank you so much..."
There were 5 tubs of Peanut Butter left... I didn't know how the Mart Owner-nim and his wife would use them.
Perhaps because quite some time had passed while shopping, the sun was slowly setting, and the zombies had respawned.
"Phew... yeah... it takes less than 5 minutes to get home, so I should let out this pent-up feeling before going back..."
Maybe I felt at ease because I had grabbed a bunch of new equipment and daily necessities?
To feel this kind of emotion in a situation where I could die at any moment... geez.
Slap!!
I shuddered at the fact that I had been intoxicated by a sense of superiority for a moment, and slapped my cheeks hard with both hands.
Grrr...
The sound must have been annoying to the zombies, as they slowly walked toward me.
"Remember, Kim Geum-seul... you're a fucking loser... A fucking loser who only has an Exploration skill... Wake up, you idiot!!!"
I screamed and stabbed the head of the nearest zombie to finish it off, and like that, I cleared all the zombies around the mart.
"Huff... huff... fuck... really... I am... a fucking loser..."
To be this exhausted after catching only a dozen zombies...
I lay on the weed patch, gasping for air, and recovered my stamina.
[Hmm~? You're useful?]
I was startled by the beautiful, melodious voice that suddenly rang out, and I stood up to look around, but there was no one there.
"I definitely... heard something...?"
I held up my spear, keeping my guard up, and scanned the surroundings. A moment later, I spotted a woman about a hundred meters away.
She was wearing underwear that barely covered her large breasts and buttocks, but the feeling that she was dangerous came before the thought that she was lewd.
'No way... was what that perverted bitch said heard that loudly...?'
'If so, that woman is also... a traveler using the Ruined Game's skills... judging by her attire, she's a veteran...'
I slowly increased the distance from her, turned around, and ran for my life.
Just as I was finishing climbing the uphill slope,
[I like you~ See you next time~]
The beautiful, melodious voice entered my head again, and I looked back in panic.
She was still in the same spot, but her gaze was definitely fixed on me.
'Damn it... what kind of ability is this!!'
Consumed by fear, I ran blindly toward my house and arrived in front of the gate.
Huff... huff...
Clatter...
I hurriedly took the key out of my pocket, but dropped it on the ground.
Click-clack... click... clank... Thud!
After a long struggle with trembling hands, I managed to insert the key and open the gate.
I immediately closed the gate and took out a floor mat from the yard shed to cover the iron bars so I couldn't be seen from the outside.
"Huff... huff... fuck..."
The fear coming from the unknown was beyond imagination, and I felt like such an idiot for having felt a sense of superiority over ordinary people for even a moment.
I lay on the grass in the yard for a while, looking at the purple sky, and after about 30 minutes, I was able to calm down.
"Phew... who the hell is that perverted bitch? Since she can plant a voice directly into my head, is she a psychic skill user...?"
Even though I calmly analyzed what had happened earlier, there was too little information.
"Damn it... I should have used my skills instead of running away... I was too scared..."
I vowed that if I met her next time, I would definitely use my skills to reveal her identity.
"Phew... still, since today's farming was finished successfully... I should brag to Mom first, hehe.."
After calming down, laughter spilled out again at the stability of being in a safe house and with Mom.
"Mom! I'm home!!"
"Son!! Why are you so late!! You had me worried!!"
"Haha, you'll be surprised when you see what I got, won't you~?"
That was how I returned home.
==
Mom and I sat in the living room and started organizing today's harvest.
"You know the V-Mart over there? The Mart Owner-nim had blocked the door, so I couldn't see inside at all, but when I brought the Peanut Butter, he opened the door for me."
"Really! Son, where did you get all these Peanut Butters?"
Mom had neatly organized the butter tubs I had dumped out of my bag in the first round in the corner of the living room.
"Hehe, I hit the jackpot thanks to my skill~"
"What's your skill, son?"
I hid the information about Disassembly from Mom and only told her about Information Check.
Even so, Mom clapped happily.
"Mom doesn't really know, but it's a good thing, right?"
"Of course! Thanks to that mysterious ability, I was able to get this much Peanut Butter right now, hehehe."
"Yeah, aww~ our son~ you did well! I was only worried when you were just playing games, but you've grown up so reliably~"
Mom patted my butt as I sat there and laughed.
"Hehe, now I'm going to manage this money well to grow faster and live more safely."
"Yeah, I'll only trust you, son."
As she relied on me, someone who had never even worked a part-time job in his life, a desire to work even harder began to overflow.
"Oh, right! I have a gift for Mom too."
I took out all the baskets I had brought from V-Mart.
"Oh my!? What is all this? My goodness, did you buy these at the mart?"
"That's right. Let's see... ah, here it is, take this, Mom."
I took out a black plastic bag from the corner of the basket and gave it to Mom.
"What is this? Oh my! It's seeds!!"
There was a wide variety of seeds, such as bok choy, chives, lettuce, perilla leaves, cucumbers, etc.
"Thank you, son~"
Seeing Mom's bright smile made me feel good, and I started taking out and organizing various other items.
This should be enough.
After roughly finishing organizing the daily necessities, I started maintaining my weapons.
'Hehe, I brought this along~'
Instead of the wooden Trifoliate Orange Shears that Dad insisted on buying because they were expensive, I brought 3 Trifoliate Orange Shears made of light and sturdy aluminum.
'I got the Spearmanship skill anyway, so I should just push forward with that.'
I used pliers and a screwdriver to disassemble the new Trifoliate Orange Shears.
The new-style Trifoliate Orange Shears had sharp blades on their own, so they became a sufficient weapon without needing to attach a kitchen knife.
'It would be nice if I could weld... but I don't have the tools or the skills for that...'
[Disassembled Trifoliate Orange Shears]
Information 1: Half of the Trifoliate Orange Shears produced by Geomjosa.
Durability 500/500
Attack Power 27 ~ 28
'Look at this...? There's only Information 1, and why aren't the weaknesses displayed... Does this mean the system isn't slacking off... or that there's no other important information?'
Anyway, 500 durability is a jackpot.
I was satisfied with the new weapon, which was much lighter than the previous Crude Spear.
While I was organizing my luggage and maintaining my weapons, Mom was organizing the Peanut Butter I had brought.
"Son! Come here! I'm done organizing!"
The moment I went to the 2nd-floor storage room at Mom's call, I couldn't believe the situation unfolding before my eyes.
"Uh... Mom...? Is this... for real...?"
"Hohoho, Mom was surprised too while organizing, you know?"
The Peanut Butter was so plentiful that it filled one wall of the storage room.
"How many are there in total...?"
"Don't be surprised, okay? It's exactly 374!!"
As soon as I heard Mom's words, my jaw went slack, and I stood there dumbfounded, calculating in my head.
What I earned from hunting all day was 4 tubs...
But what I earned in 10 minutes using the magnifying glass was 370 tubs...?!
It was the result of grinding up everything in the hardware store, but in the current situation, it was the same as turning trash into money.
"Ahahaha... Jackpot!! I knew there were a lot, but calculating it makes it even more incredible!!"
Tap tap~
"It was all thanks to my capable son~"
Mom patted my butt as if she were proud, and I started thinking about how I should use this.
'First, I'll max out my Inventory... 30 days of power... 30 days of water... buy it all!! 7 days of Absolute Protection was 30 tubs, right...? I'll extend it when it's about to end... hehehe.'
Once I had roughly organized my plan, I pulled up the system window.
[Inventory 0/14]
[Purchase 7 slots: 10 Peanut Butters]
"Mom, I'm going to expand my Inventory from now on. A large amount of Peanut Butter will be consumed, so don't be surprised."
"Why would I be surprised when you're spending the money you earned? Spend as much as you want."
I nodded and pressed the purchase button firmly.
[First-time Additional Inventory Unlock Reward!]
[Inventory 0/28]
[Purchase 7 slots: 20 Peanut Butters]
My god...
The first time, they said it was the first time and gave me 7 additional slots,
And the second time, they said it was the first time and gave me 7 additional slots.
'Is this, perhaps...? Hehehehe'
I laughed deviously and pressed the purchase 7 slots button again.
[First-time Additional Inventory Unlock Reward!]
[Purchase 7 slots: 30 Peanut Butters]
Jackpot!!
With dazed eyes, I kept pressing the purchase 7 slots button like a gambling addict hitting the roulette button over and over.
[First-time Additional Inventory Unlock Reward!]
[First-time Additional Inventory Unlock Reward!]
I almost lost my mind at the beautiful, melodious voice that was pleasant to hear no matter how many times I heard it.
But that was only for a moment.
[You have purchased up to the maximum limit.]
I was disappointed by the fact that I couldn't hear that beautiful voice anymore.
"Take my money!! Take the money!!! Why won't you take it when I'm giving it to you!! Ugh..."
[Inventory 0/84]
[You have purchased up to the maximum limit.]
"My god... even the person with the most inventory slots in the Ruined Game couldn't go over 60 slots even with bugs... but 84 slots..."
As the Inventory slots increased, the Peanut Butter also decreased by a large amount, with about 150 consumed.
But there were still about 220 Peanut Butters left, and I started thinking about how I could use them so that people would say I spent them well.