Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: D - 14
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I experimented with the dimension gate in all sorts of ways.
I'd assumed the dimension gate was completely unchanging, but with these added effects, I needed to test it thoroughly.
First up: what happens if I put something on the boundary and close it?
"Close the dimension gate."
The pipe in the middle got shoved right out.
Since the hunk of meat did the same thing, it looked like living creatures would get pushed out too.
"Can't use it as a weapon, then."
Next: where it generates.
No matter what poses I tried, the dimension gate always opened in the same spot.
In other words... 1 meter away from my body.
Even lying down, it opened perpendicular to the floor.
"In tight spaces, it hugs right up against the wall."
A dimension gate opened against a wall wouldn't let any other humans through.
Objects and animals could, which was surprisingly handy.
If I put it to use, I could open an invisible gate on a wall to escape, and any pursuers would slam straight into it!
"Sound-wise..."
I could hear sounds from outside the dimension gate, but no one outside could hear inside.
Putting it all together...
"This thing's basically a 90-inch CCTV with dimension-hop capabilities."
I had no idea if it could be destroyed.
Since only I could see it, as long as I didn't do anything stupid, I'd be fine.
"I'd only figured levels were for opening the shop and auction house."
Who knew it had perks like this? Nice.
Survival Life had no traits or anything, so I hadn't known.
Anyway, my odds of surviving just went up a notch.
I closed the dimension gate and looked around.
"...This space is starting to feel a bit cramped."
That was the conclusion I'd reached after stockpiling supplies for the past few days.
14 days until the zombie outbreak, and the cave was feeling narrower.
Even after digging out the basement.
Maybe I'd bought too many canned goods...
"Now I've gotta stockpile outside."
The problem was, the area outside the cave wasn't safe at all.
Exposed to all sorts of animals and monsters—no way to relax.
"If I clear the bushes and make a big open space..."
The cave's secrecy would go right out the window.
Animals might be fine, but passing monsters would doggedly try to break in.
Oh, look, a honey pot right here.
To make up for that...
"Gotta build a shelter, after all."
But with my abilities, constructing something that could hold off mid-sized monsters was gonna be tough.
Take orcs, the classic mid-sized monster.
Just thinking about how to keep those out gave me a headache.
"Barbed wire wouldn't be that easy to break through..."
The silver lining: I'd never seen any mid-sized monsters around the cave.
Goblins and kobolds at worst.
Wolves and other carnivores showed up, but I could handle those.
Over the past few days, I'd used CCTV footage to map out the local ecology.
"...Are goblins and kobolds really all there is?"
Maybe bigger ones lurked beyond the valley.
If so, that'd make things easier...
"Let's check it out first."
I launched four drones at once.
Modern drones were impressive—they could maintain formation and fly smoothly.
Complex maneuvers were beyond them, but this was plenty for me.
The four drones skimmed low over the forest, beaming footage to my monitor.
I marked every animal I spotted on the map.
"Valley Deer, rabbits, wild boars, forest rats, spotted birds, mane wolves, gray foxes, vine martens..."
So many varieties, it was like an animal paradise.
Monsters were just parasites in the woods.
After recharging and redeploying the drones multiple times, I was convinced.
"No seriously threatening monsters near the cave."
The adult Silver Wolf was an exception.
I hadn't spotted a single one besides the dead mother and Dingo.
I did find a goblin nest about 3 km north of the cave.
Primitive huts ringed by a shoddy fence.
Over ten goblins moving around already.
"Figure 20 or 30 total—too many to rush in on."
Enduring paralysis poison darts from that many would be brutal.
Plus, hobgoblins were probably in the mix.
"Where's the kobold nest..."
They usually holed up in caves, so spotting them with a drone would be tricky.
After burning a few hours, I finally had my answer.
No mid-sized or larger monsters around.
"Might be some beyond the valley, but not here."
Just defend against kobolds, goblins, and assorted carnivores.
That was doable.
I drew up a detailed topographical map of the area around the cave.
Every bush, tree, rock—every terrain feature in my head went on it.
Then I drew a circle centered on the cave.
"Securing a 30-meter diameter should do it."
That came out to over 200 pyeong when flattened out.
Plenty spacious for a comfortable off-grid home.
"Don't wanna overdo it and make it a hassle..."
If it felt cramped later, I could expand.
For now, this size.
So, what defenses could I realistically build?
"A moat."
The classic medieval castle defense everyone pictures.
The wider and deeper, the harder for enemies to approach.
Goblins and kobolds weren't huge, so nothing too elaborate needed.
I sketched two overlapping circles around the cave and labeled them moat.
Filling and maintaining water would be a pain, so just dig pits for now.
Thinking of the thousands—tens of thousands—of shovelfuls already made my shoulders ache.
"The harder I grind, the tougher the shelter gets..."
This forest was pure honey.
Just bittersweet for now, demanding my sweat.
Later, it'd be nothing but sweet.
"Moat about 2 meters wide."
Since I'd put barbed wire right behind it, no need for more.
Pour mortar on the bottom and embed broken glass shards—much better.
"They jump in blind and die."
To clear bodies, tie ropes and haul 'em out.
Final defenses: 2-meter-wide moat, double-layer barbed wire, 2-meter security fence.
Looks perfect, but flaws exist.
A big monster or Bone Creeper could punch through.
A nimble Werewolf would leap the moat and wire like nothing.
Bone Creeper would smash structures and leave me crying.
"Never seen a Werewolf, so probably fine."
Bone Creepers? Throw money at 'em.
Plan finalized, I strolled the forest with Dingo, tallying materials.
Money was gonna vanish in absurd quantities.
But it was for my safety—couldn't cheap out.
"Gotta account for repairs, so order extra."
Once the safe zone was set, I'd need storage too.
"Pour mortar foundations, assemble with sandwich panels."
Bigger area meant more CCTVs.
Luckily, the forest got tons of light—no solar issues.
They'd been producing near-spec power since install. Good boys.
I placed an order for building supplies.
"Gotta grab some stuff in person too."
Shovels, pickaxes—better offline.
I listed everything and ordered.
Come to think of it, saws and axes too.
Lots of brush and trees in the safe zone.
"At least no need to buy firewood."
Whether that's a pro, who knows.
I fired up Thamas.
"So that's where these punks were hiding."
On the way back from the building supply store, I spotted the thugs goofing off in front of an old villa.
A rundown place at the mountain's base, foot traffic sparse.
Landlord had let it rot—no profit in it, probably.
From the hilltop with binoculars, they were laughing, shouting, total chaos.
Their own little world, huh?
"Yanked the crane off the truck bed too."
Figured no more towing gigs?
Instead of the crane, the bed was loaded with combat rations and bottled water.
"Gonna play survivor, eh?"
Nothing stopping 'em.
As I watched, a car pulled up.
Two women got out and mingled with the group.
Beer, smokes—partying hard.
The hat guy from the salon pulled stuff from the trunk.
Weapons mostly: baseball bats, 2x4s.
"That one's imported."
Even a reinforced plastic bat with unbreakable reviews.
Devastating against humans.
But enemies weren't humans—they were zombies.
"That won't cut it."
From experience, zombies needed a hole punched in the skull.
We veterans theorized spores nested in there.
Why else prep with spiked war clubs and ebony bats early-game?
"They've got some ideas at least."
Pulling out anti-stab suits and plastic shields? Decent prep.
"How many of 'em make it, I wonder..."
Post-outbreak tutorial, survivors'd be half or less.
"They don't know infection conditions..."
Non-awakened could all turn zombie.
Hell, whole humanity might go extinct, awakened or not.
Future's unknowable—prep max.
I marked the thugs' hideout on my map.
Could predict their moves from their usual crap.
Apocalypse hits, they'll rampage—prioritize for elimination.
Back home, I checked old footage on my laptop.
"There was definitely an event around this time..."
Just skimmed it back then, no details.
Definite: orcs first, then monsters in reality.
"Hobgoblins, right..."
Goblin superiors—superior physiques.
Still lose to orcs, but always with minions.
At least 20 goblin underlings.
"Found it."
I pulled up the clip where I mentioned the event.
...Only one viewer, huh?
I resisted the urge to close the video and watched to the end.
Poor Man, loyal as ever, donated 3,000 won that day too.
With an unbelievable sob story.
Viewers parroting the Poor Man routine just made me look lonelier.
Who the hell was this Poor Man guy, anyway?
Always showed up—most figured it was a bit.
Can't afford ramen but surfs the net? Sketchy.
"If that's all he's got going, it kinda tracks..."
Eh, whatever.
Not like I'd ever meet him.
I compiled the key info from the video.
―A hobgoblin-led goblin horde pops up somewhere in Korea.
―No clue on date, place, or time.
―There is a news article about a police clash with the goblins.
"Cops rushing out with just revolvers at best."
Goblins? Pistols handle 'em fine.
Hobgoblin's the issue.
Physique stronger than humans—hard to stop with one or two shots.
Even 5.56mm struggles against drugged-up berserkers.
Though that's for the truly unhinged.
"Drooling over this."
If they just gave levels and points, no need to bother.
But...
"Hobgoblin means high chance of a Golden Goblin."
Not actually golden—nickname from the huge sack it lugs.
Mostly junk inside, but treasures popped up sometimes.
"As a hobgoblin's flunky, it'll have a big sack too."
Naive enough to hit Korea and get smoked? I could change that ending to me doing the smoking.
Dead either way.
Issue: no exact date.
"Definitely before the Russian fishing boat event."
So, rent a car and preload gear.
Soon as news drops, haul ass and stomp 'em.
Dimension gate upgraded—easy to dodge eyes.
Decided. Time to move.
Swung by the rental place and grabbed an SUV.
Spotting three motorcycles in the lot while following staff.
Huh?
Tire swap and they'd be perfect for forest trails.
"Rent motorcycles too?"
The guy flashed a friendly smile.
"Up to 125cc, sure."
Rental: 15 days, of course.
Had the car delivered, rode the bike home myself.
Parked out front, Mi-kyung poked her head out.
"Whoa... Uncle rides bikes too?"
"These modern ones are basically like bicycles."
Manual transmission, but whatever.
Dingo spotted me, clawed wildly at the second-floor window.
Time for CCTV up there too.
Better to nail the windows shut—no light leaks.
Popped the trunk, and a red sports car pulled up right next to it.
The driver was Dr. Jo Soo-yeon.
"Hey, Sung-ho."
She greeted me, sporting some funky horn-rimmed glasses.