Flex (2)

I showed them what a proper flex really looked like.

The money I had just spent came to a staggering one thousand gold. In Korean won, that was roughly ten million won dropped in a single go. Me—the same guy who used to scrape by on part-time wages at a PC bang—now casually throwing around sums like that. Long live the monster-infested apocalypse.

Out of everything I bought during that shopping spree, the biggest chunk of my budget went into protective gear. Honestly, protective equipment wasn't all that crucial for my companions. They couldn't die in the first place, and even if they got hurt, I could just heal them with my Siphon Hand. But I was different. Unlike them, I was still a living, breathing human. If I died, that was it—game over. And if there were no living creatures nearby to drain with Siphon Hand when I got injured, healing would be impossible.

So pouring the most gold into gear that could maximize my personal safety was only natural.

Here's what I ended up buying:

First, a sleek black coat that cost a full five hundred gold. At first glance it looked like nothing more than a thin overcoat, but its defensive power was supposedly on par with armor forged from metal stronger than steel. On top of that, it came enchanted with automatic fit adjustment to the wearer's body, self-repair upon damage, and constant temperature regulation for perfect comfort. With all those options and outstanding defense, the price was understandably high. Still, I bought it without a second thought. No matter how expensive, nothing could ever cost more than my own life.

Next, two bottles of potion. These miraculous elixirs could completely heal most wounds when poured on or drunk. Each bottle ran me a whopping one hundred and fifty gold. Insanely expensive, sure, but when you thought of it as an extra life, it was actually a bargain.

And finally, a single ring. It might look like ordinary jewelry, but it was actually a spear. Even if I didn't plan on jumping into the front lines, I still needed something to protect myself with. Short weapons scared me. I had zero interest in getting into close-quarters brawls. So I chose a spear.

The one I bought for two hundred gold had no additional options whatsoever. The reason it cost so much was because it used a transforming accessory mechanism. Normally it stayed in ring form, but when you poured mana into it, it became a spear. Release the mana, and it turned back into a ring. Pretty damn cool.

Jun, who had been sulking earlier, now stared at me with a huge, happy smile as if she'd never been upset at all. The power of money truly was magnificent. The moment I flexed, she lit up like that. Her bright, beaming grin was so adorable that I reached out with both hands, grabbed her soft cheeks, and started squishing them every which way.

Jun pulled her face back in surprise and yelped.

"Can't I get at least this much service after spending such a huge amount of money? It's just because you're so cute, Jun..."

Jun hesitated for a moment, then finally leaned her face toward me again.

Ah, she was seriously too cute. I went right back to squishing and stroking her face. After a brief healing session, Jun pulled away again.

Aw, what a shame. I wanted to touch her a bit more. Too bad, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Jun smiled at me.

"The facilities will change?"

Ah, that explained it. Last time after I spent a bunch, new tables appeared and the place felt bigger. So that's how it worked.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how it changes."

Watching Jun speak with such a bright laugh, I reached out and patted her head again.

"What can I do when you're this adorable?"

Jun offered her head again, and I happily stroked it once more. So cute. So very cute.

After enjoying my flex to the fullest, I spent the rest of my time in the shop chatting with Jun. The longer I stayed, the more mileage I must have earned. Sitting around making money—what wasn't there to enjoy about that?

Time passed, and morning came.

"Oppa? What is all this?"

Ji-yun and Si-eun, who had been lying beside me, stared wide-eyed at the coat, potions, and ring placed near the pillow.

"Items I'm going to use. I bought them at the shop overnight."

"Good choice. You absolutely shouldn't skimp on items, Oppa. You can't get hurt."

I stroked Ji-yun's head for saying something so sweet, then asked Si-eun.

"What time is it now?"

Si-eun glanced at the desk clock in one corner of the Cradle of Rest before answering.

"A little past seven."

Seven o'clock. The event dungeon opened at ten, so we still had plenty of time. I got up, washed my face roughly, and put on the new equipment that had been sitting by the pillow. I slipped on the coat and slid the ring onto my finger. Both automatically adjusted to fit my body perfectly, so they were comfortable to wear.

When I poured mana into the ring, it emitted a bright light. In the next instant, a stylish spear had appeared in my hand.

"Whoa, Oppa. That's amazing!"

Ji-yun and Si-eun gave me exactly the reaction I wanted. This was why I couldn't help but adore them. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gave the spear a few experimental swings. The weight felt good, and it looked sturdy. The quality was on a completely different level from the makeshift spear I'd cobbled together with a goblin dagger on a pole.

"Once I save up more gold, I'll change everyone's weapons into transforming accessory types too. Until then, even if it's a little inconvenient, keep using what you have now."

"It's fine. The ones we're using now are already really good. You don't have to worry about us."

I patted Si-eun's head for being so sweet, then called out to Ji-su who was sitting off to one side.

"Seo Ji-su, come here. Bring your sword."

Ji-su approached with her sword in hand. I pointed at the sleeve of the coat I was wearing.

"Cut right here. Don't go all out—just a moderate swing. About half strength?"

Ji-su looked shocked.

"It's fine. I'm testing the armor. Just swing at it. Hurry up."

When I pressed her, Ji-su lifted her sword with anxious eyes. Then—

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out as her sword bounced away. My arm felt a bit numb where it had been hit, but that was all. I rubbed the spot and muttered.

"Wow. This thing is no joke. It feels like regular fabric when you touch it, but the defense is this high..."

At this level, I probably wouldn't die from a stray sword strike. And even if I did get hurt, I had potions. The power of money truly was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magnificent. I made a firm resolution to keep earning gold diligently from now on.

After eating breakfast and loosening up my body, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the long-awaited day had finally arrived—the day the event dungeon would open. I killed time fooling around with my companions, and when it was around nine o'clock, I tidied up and headed outside.

When I went down to the first floor, I saw the members of the Hope Clan moving about busily. Daejang-ajeossi stepped forward.

From among the clan members getting ready to leave, Seong-jun walked out. As expected, he looked quite haggard—probably hadn't slept well. He bowed to Daejang-ajeossi.

After exchanging greetings with Daejang-ajeossi, Seong-jun looked at me and then at Ji-su standing beside me. His face flushed red and he quickly turned his head away. Why? Probably remembering that explicit scene from before. He let out a small sigh, approached Ji-su, and spoke in a tiny voice.

He couldn't even look her in the eye properly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mumbling awkwardly. Ji-su bowed her head slightly toward him.

After that short farewell, we left the building. Aside from the incident where Si-eun's obsessed fanboy brothers suddenly tried to recruit her openly and got smacked in the head by Ye-na, it was a clean, uneventful goodbye. Well, they were participating in the event too, so we might run into them inside.

We walked slowly toward the Neighborhood Park Plaza. There were huge crowds of people all heading in the same direction. I had barely seen any survivors before, yet now there were this many? Well, it made sense—every survivor in the country had probably gathered here.

The groups of survivors eyed each other warily but never did anything too conspicuous. Starting a fight and wasting time could mean missing the event dungeon entirely.

When the Neighborhood Park Plaza came into view, we were genuinely shocked by the sight. A massive, dome-shaped transparent barrier enveloped the entire plaza. Inside that enormous shield, countless people were packed together like sardines. So we had to wait in there until the dungeon opened.

Ji-yun, watching the scene, spoke to me with clear worry in her voice.

"With that many people gathered... wouldn't even a small argument turn into something serious? Will it really be okay?"

Survivors were fundamentally quite sensitive. After struggling desperately to survive in a world where life and death hung in the balance every day, it was only natural. Just look at yesterday—someone pulled a gun just because we wouldn't give up a little bit of building space. And now all those kinds of people were crammed together like this. Could it really be fine?

That was exactly what Ji-yun was worried about.

Ji-yun has a point, but... surprisingly, it doesn't look like there's any trouble. Why is everyone being so well-behaved?

The answer to my question became clear the moment we passed through the semi-transparent barrier.

Ah... a safe zone. So that's why everyone's being so docile.

I explained the safe zone to my companions. Since they couldn't receive the messages themselves, I had to tell them one by one.

I turned to Juniel.

"Juniel, try attacking me."

The moment the words left my mouth, Juniel swung her axe straight at my head. With a chilling whoosh and invisible speed, the axe blade stopped dead right in front of my forehead.

"Ugh... uuuugh!!"

Juniel strained with all her might to push the blade forward, but the axe refused to move any farther.

"Stop."

At my command, Juniel withdrew the axe with clear disappointment in her eyes. Wow, this crazy bitch. Even though it was my order, she swung with full killing intent without the slightest hesitation. Looked like she still needed some proper training.

Anyway, I now understood that attacking others was impossible here. So that's how it worked. Since we couldn't hurt anyone, I could just relax and wait for the dungeon to open.

Our group found a spot and sat down on the ground. Looking around, I saw small and large groups of people sitting in their own clusters. There really were a ton of people. While I was busy observing the crowd, three gates silently materialized in the center of the plaza.