Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Grrrroooowl.
A sound like thunder rumbled from my stomach.
It had already been long enough for the insect nutrition porridge I last swallowed in the shelter to digest completely.
That’s right.
The most primal problem was gripping my ankle.
A vicious hunger.
My gaze naturally drifted toward the drones filling the workshop.
Hundreds of scrap machines sleeping under layers of dust.
If only I could move these things and search for food…
I immediately dismissed the comfortable fantasy.
There was no power.
A drone without power was nothing but scrap metal.
The contaminated wild dog I hunted yesterday had been thrown away because it could not be eaten.
Mutant meat was inherently poisonous.
Creatures like contaminated wild dogs were especially dangerous.
If a non-Awakened person ate them, they could die.
Even in the shelter, only rare Awakened with cooking or pharmaceutical abilities could remove the poison.
People like that were precious figures I had never even seen.
But I had this workshop.
With faint hope, I reached into the darkness.
The blue glow of the [Central Control System] floating before my eyes was the only light.
Without hesitation, I opened the [Production Module], then its submenu [Blueprint Library].
When the [Blueprint Library] opened, countless entries labeled [???] filled the space before my eyes.
Like stars in the night sky.
An endless sea of unknown possibilities.
It was dizzying.
Only what I know.
As soon as I thought that, the countless question marks vanished from view like a lie.
In their place, one familiar name appeared clearly.
[Blueprint: Grenade]
The very blueprint I had obtained earlier.
Glad to see it, I selected the entry.
Submenus I had never seen before appeared.
[Crude Fragmentation Grenade]
[Tear Gas Grenade]
[Incendiary Grenade]
[High-Explosive Grenade]
[…]
“All of these are possible?”
It wasn’t just a simple fragmentation grenade.
Based on the basic design, various variations could be manufactured.
I selected the one most familiar to me.
[Crude Fragmentation Grenade]
Sliders appeared, allowing adjustment of detailed parameters such as blast radius and explosive charge.
Out of curiosity, I pushed the blast radius slider to the maximum.
The required materials increased in real time.
The moment the limit was exceeded, the green [Production Available] label changed to red [Production Unavailable].
Through the workshop system, the limits and possibilities of my ability were visible at a glance.
It was far more intuitive and precise than imagining and crafting things manually.
“Nice.”
As I looked through the system with satisfaction, my gaze stopped beneath the grenade blueprint.
A blueprint I had never seen before had been registered.
[Antidote: Contaminated Wild Dog Poison]
[Grade: D]
[Status: Production Available]
A blueprint I had never acquired.
How had this appeared here?
I fell into thought.
The moment I had been chased by those creatures.
Just before grabbing the wrench.
The instant my side was bitten flashed through my mind.
Don’t tell me… because I was bitten?
That was the only possibility.
A message appeared.
[When the body is exposed to poison or disease it can withstand, relevant blueprints are automatically registered using data obtained during the resistance process.]
I couldn’t believe it.
I rubbed my throbbing side.
The wound had mostly healed, but it still stung slightly.
Awakened people bitten by contaminated wild dogs during hunts outside the shelter usually suffered for several days.
Even D-grade and sometimes C-grade Awakened were not exceptions.
But after being bitten, I recovered in half a day.
That meant my poison resistance was abnormally strong.
Which was why I suspected the grade of the poison itself was high.
“Should I try making one…?”
Just because the pain was bearable didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
Fine.
Let’s make an antidote immediately.
I checked the required materials through the system.
[Contaminated Wild Dog Tooth]
I reached into the [Storage] and issued a command in my mind.
Blue particles gathered in the darkness, forming one of the creature’s fangs in my palm.
But something felt strange.
I knew the meat was poisonous.
But the tooth?
Curiosity overcame me.
I pulled out the metal knife I had wrapped in leather and stored in my pocket.
Placing the tooth on the floor, I slammed it down with the knife handle.
Crack!
The hard tooth split open.
From its hollow interior, liquid flowed out.
It wasn’t the usual green bodily fluid of mutants.
Instead, it was a dark purple liquid with a sinister aura.
Looking inside the tooth, I saw a cavity stained purple.
A poison gland.
No wonder I hadn’t found it during butchering.
Who would expect a poison gland inside a tooth?
Did the people in Mapo Shelter know about this?
Probably not.
The warehouse stored various poisons, but [Contaminated Wild Dog Teeth] had never been kept.
Almost hypnotized, I touched the purple liquid with the tip of my finger.
Sting!
A sharp pain shot through me.
The liquid turned into blue particles and was absorbed into [Storage].
At that moment—
Flash!
The [Blueprint Library] reset.
After a chaotic sequence as all entries reorganized, completely new information appeared.
[Detoxifying Agent: Contaminated Wild Dog Poison]
[Grade: C]
[Production Unavailable]
“Huh?”
The required material was no longer [Contaminated Wild Dog Tooth].
Instead:
[Contaminated Wild Dog Poison 10 / 10 ml]
After a brief moment of thought, I understood the principle.
The D-grade antidote blueprint had been obtained because my awakened body resisted the poison.
And after having the antidote blueprint, storing the poison itself allowed the system to generate a C-grade detoxifying agent blueprint.
But why did it say [Production Unavailable]?
I immediately checked the reason.
“Oh.”
The higher grade added a new requirement.
[Work Protocol Lv.2 Required]
Without hesitation, I reopened the D-grade Antidote blueprint.
I needed treatment first.
I pressed [Production].
[Power Status: 0%]
[Workshop Facilities Inactive]
A red warning message blocked my view.
Right.
No power.
Until I obtained a core, this advanced workshop was nothing but an empty shell.
There wasn’t even lighting inside.
The only illumination came from the Awakened system interface and the light leaking through the door crack.
A deep sigh escaped me.
Then suddenly—
Whoosh.
The sensation of energy draining from my body like sand made my vision spin.
Dizzy, I staggered and grabbed the wall.
[Emergency Power Protocol Activated.]
[Consuming a portion of the Workshop Owner’s biological energy.]
“…What?”
Using my energy?
Are you kidding me?
Whiiiii—
At that moment, a low mechanical sound came from one corner of the workshop.
A faint glow leaked through the darkness.
Following the sound, I approached.
A small machine I had never noticed before was quietly operating.
[Production Process in Operation]
[Remaining Time – 29:43]
A thirty-minute countdown timer appeared on the machine’s interface.
Thirty minutes.
That long to produce a single antidote?
And currently, the production queue could only handle one item at a time.
There were more limitations than I expected.
Exhaustion spread through my body.
I slumped beside the machine.
Perhaps I dozed off while waiting.
Psssh—
The deflating sound snapped me awake.
The countdown had finished.
I immediately opened [Storage].
Inside, one sparkling item was quietly waiting.
A small test tube filled with blue liquid materialized in my palm.
Looking closely, it seemed the glass and rubber listed in the blueprint had been used to form the container.
“Looks like cough syrup.”
The appearance was unsettling.
But I had no choice.
I shut my eyes and drank it in one gulp.
Nothing happened.
Did it fail?
Just as disappointment crept in—
“…!”
The constant throbbing pain in my side vanished like a lie.
I hurriedly lifted my shirt.
The swelling around the bruised wound had completely subsided.
The torn flesh had almost entirely healed, leaving only a faint scar.
I stared blankly at the healed wound before letting out a hollow laugh.
Production.
And now healing too.
“This ability… is seriously broken.”
It wasn’t just a production ability.
It was an all-purpose power capable of doing everything alone.
One every thirty minutes.
Twenty-four hours meant forty-eight antidotes per day.
I had no idea how valuable a D-grade antidote was.
Someone like me had never even known such an item existed.
But not needing to fear poison.
That alone drastically increased survival odds outside the shelter.
Suddenly I remembered my sprained ankle.
Maybe this could treat that too?
But the [Blueprint Library] contained nothing related to trauma treatment.
Maybe there were blueprints for medical supplies like pain-relief patches?
If I could make them, that would be ideal.
After the collapse, medicine had become priceless treasure.
Still, this ability wasn’t truly omnipotent.
I calmed down and looked at reality.
The next task was clear.
First, I needed to test the difference between [Production Process] and [Manufacture].
I opened the Antidote blueprint again and used [Manufacture] this time.
A wave of fatigue similar to before spread through my body.
But instead of waiting, the test tube appeared instantly in my palm.
“As expected.”
[Production Process] took time but allowed automatic production independent of my actions.
If the level increased and queues were added, the workshop could produce items continuously even while I was outside.
On the other hand, [Manufacture] was somewhat inconvenient but gave immediate results.
Manufacture for emergencies.
Production Process for stockpiling.
I just needed to use them appropriately.
Next came securing safety.
Without hesitation, I used [Manufacture] to create three crude fragmentation grenades.
The minimum firepower needed for emergencies.
Now that I had antidotes, the risk of hunting contaminated wild dogs had dropped significantly.
I fastened the grenades to the leather belt I made yesterday.
In one hand, I gripped the Elastic Control Iron Spear tightly.
It was time to go outside.
If I stayed trapped in the workshop, I would simply starve to death.
Eventually, I had to face mutants.
Near the waste hill where the exiles had been attacked.
Four heavily armed figures were crossing the area.
Unlike the exiles who had walked trembling in fear, their steps held no hesitation.
“Heh, as expected of Team Leader Park! That speed is incredible!”
Kim Cheolmin chattered as he followed behind the hunting team’s leader, Park Jintae.
Another pack, far larger and heavier than his own, hung from his shoulders.
“A B-grade like Team Leader Park shouldn’t have to worry about such trivial tasks! Things like this should obviously be handled by someone D-grade like me!”
In front of Kang Shinhyeok he had acted like he owned the world.
But now he looked like a completely different person.
Bent posture.
Servile smile.
His behavior toward the strong was less social skill and more survival instinct.
Park Jintae merely glanced at him and said nothing.
Clicking his tongue, he muttered quietly.
“They could’ve just sent C-grades. I don’t know why they called me.”
Despite his indifferent tone, his sharp eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings.
At his remark, the C-grade assault soldier Ma Seokwoo asked,
“The food shortage is bad enough that they expelled dozens of carriers. They probably want us to hunt something big. Didn’t you receive any special orders?”
“Not really.”
Indeed, the shelter leadership had given no particular instructions.
But Park Jintae thought Ma Seokwoo’s reasoning made sense.
His awakened class was Tracker.
His unique hypersenses allowed him to detect powerful mutants.
And if such a situation arose, Park Jintae—who was hungry for experience—would not hesitate to hunt.
Maybe that’s why they assigned the combat medic Lee Sujin to this team.
Lee Sujin’s ability was Emergency Treatment.
By touching a target’s body, she could rapidly accelerate cellular regeneration.
Stopping bleeding.
Closing torn wounds.
Reconnecting fractured bones.
Her power specialized in surgical-level emergency treatment.
In other words, a healer class specialized for combat situations.
“Have there been reports of anomalous mutants appearing nearby recently?”
“No, none. But the 3rd Expedition lost contact near Mount Maebong. They might have encountered one.”
The shelter residents didn’t know this.
But besides grades like C or D, there was another classification for mutants.
[Normal Mutants] – creatures based on Earth’s existing life forms.
And [Aberrant Mutants] – grotesque beings with completely different biological origins.
Awakened hunters formed teams mainly because of these Aberrant Mutants.
“Mount Maebong… if it crosses Hongjecheon or Bulgwangcheon, that’s right next to the shelter.”
“Yes. That’s also why the carriers were expelled.”
Park Jintae nodded quietly.
A reasonable decision.
Release the useless ones and use them as hunting dogs.
“Keep an eye out for corpses nearby.”
“Yes. If an aberrant mutant appeared, we should find traces. They’re hostile to humans.”
Unlike ordinary mutants, Aberrant Mutants attacked humans relentlessly once discovered.
That was what made them difficult opponents.
“Just in case, Ms. Sujin, please stay close to me and Seokwoo.”
“Understood.”
While the other three heightened their vigilance, Kim Cheolmin’s mind was filled with completely different thoughts.
Aberrant mutant, my ass. Haven’t seen one in ten years. Let’s just hunt something and grill some meat.
An unspoken rule of the shelter.
Before bringing hunted meat back, some was consumed on site.
Fresh meat that couldn’t even be compared to nutrient porridge.
Just imagining the taste made his mouth water.
“Anyway, let’s do the job.”
Park Jintae turned toward the waste hill ahead.
Mutants didn’t hunt only humans.
Strong mutants devoured weaker mutants to grow stronger.
Places where waste piled up like that were perfect gathering spots for mutants.
Section Chief Choi had led the exiles to the waste hill without even knowing such basic information.
Then—
Park Jintae suddenly raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.
“…Wait. What is this?”