Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: D - 30
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I woke up with my entire body aching.
"Ouch... my poor back."
I clutched my waist, groaning as I barely managed to sit up.
Thank goodness it didn't look like a prison cell or a lab.
Normally, I'd be getting ready to open the shop by now...
Instead, I threw open the window and savored the feeling of freedom.
Just 30 days left.
I glanced in the mirror—what do you know, my cheeks had hollowed out.
Most of it was probably water weight, but my belly fat seemed slimmer too.
This is actually pretty good exercise.
I turned on my computer and reviewed my to-do list.
First up, I needed to order solar generators and diesel generators.
Stuff like this is cheapest from Chinese shopping sites, right?
Just in case, I'll grab a Korean-made one too...
They're just for charging while I check recordings, so I don't need massive capacity.
A laptop and smartphone should be plenty.
"Gotta get a tablet too."
The more ways to check videos, the better.
Desktops guzzle too much power anyway.
"Running this setup's gonna be a hassle."
I'm struggling to even secure a safe zone, so isn't this too ambitious?
If yesterday's Owl Bear popped up right now, I'd be scrambling to run.
I dug through my video list and found the part where I explained Owl Bears to viewers.
Poor Man had this gimmick where he'd attach pitiful comments to every donation, and it was hilariously effective.
Like this, for example.
...
Watching the video, I felt a wave of nostalgia.
Back then, we had so much fun messing around with the viewers.
It was always them picking on me with the same pattern, but everyone had such distinct personalities.
Poor Man was the master at dropping pitiful lines that got everyone roasting me.
Gukbap Addict converted everything to gukbap units.
The "Dog Barks at XX" crew kept switching nicknames in real-time for laughs.
"Miss those days..."
That was already a year ago.
Once the demon realm unfolds, even these folks will struggle to survive.
At least the ones who watched my streams diligently might recall stuff and smash some zombies.
Maybe they're out there right now, hunting for traces of me?
Should I help them out?
"No guarantee the info won't leak."
I need to play it normal.
Can't let on that I have a lot going for me.
"Focus on my own stuff."
That's always the conclusion.
Listening to my old voice, I jotted down Owl Bear habits.
Damn.
Lower-tier monsters include zombies, ghouls, Bone Creepers, goblins, kobolds, trolls, werewolves, and more.
My head throbbed.
Werewolves aside, forget the others—if one shows up, I'm screwed.
Power's one thing, but they're insanely fast; you can't outrun them and get ripped apart.
Bone Creepers at night are scarier than werewolves.
"What I can handle right now..."
A goblin or two kobolds, realistically.
...I'm not ready yet.
I can't beat an Owl Bear, but I need ways to counter it.
Can't rely on just running forever.
If it tracks properly, it's way faster than any human.
"Owl Bears have weak eyes."
Owl-bear hybrid, so great night vision.
Flash a strong light in its eyes, and it blanks out like stunned for a moment.
A few seconds—enough to escape.
I remembered chucking flash cans made from glowstones at its eyes, betting on plucking feathers.
Veteran pastimes when bored—totally insane now that I think about it.
I drew the curtains and flicked on a flashlight.
Too weak.
This intensity would just piss it off.
Needs to blind it instantly.
I searched online for tactical lights.
This one's perfect: 2000 lumens with a strobe to disorient.
Downside: short battery life.
"And long recharge times."
These tactical lights devour power; lifespan's short.
Maybe 1-2 years max... but no issue.
Post-zombie outbreak, I can loot new ones.
"Solar alone won't cut it for charging laptops and such."
Diesel generators are too noisy—emergency only.
One wrong start, and every monster in the neighborhood swarms.
Could use another quiet charging solution...
Browsing, I found hand-crank generators.
"20 watts, 5V and 12V output—solid."
Enough for phones and laptops at least.
I compared specs carefully and picked a few.
Once settled, hook it to the valley for hydro power?
"Plenty of DIY vids lately."
Some dedicated folks uploaded build processes to Mityube.
Skimming them left me impressed.
That pioneering spirit, installing while tangled in stream currents—what can't they do?
Speaking of saving vids like these, gonna need lots of hard drives.
I added HDDs and bays to the list.
"Order this stuff first."
I placed orders for the solar generators, diesel ones, and a few hand-crank units I'd bookmarked.
Domestic shipping's quick; Chinese stuff'll take longer.
"While I'm at it, weapons too."
Ordered steel arming swords, spearheads, maces, shields from overseas armory sites I'd eyed before.
More weapons I can wield, the better.
Monsters vary; counters do too.
Prep ahead and overwhelm them in any scenario.
Like tracking that old goblin and nailing it with an arrow.
But first, secure a safe zone.
Would be nice if a decent cave popped up...
Gurgle—
...Crashed straight to bed yesterday.
Time to grab some food.
.
.
.
I run a snack bar, but sometimes the grease smell gets old.
That's when I hit the nearby diner.
Cheap, big portions, fast service.
Decent taste too—perfect.
Ordered kimchi jjigae set and was watching TV when someone walked in.
Pale skin, boxy tee, shorts—the beauty salon girl.
More brunch vibe than diner grub.
Prejudice, sure, but vibes are a thing.
She scanned the place, spotted me.
Then headed straight my way... nah, probably not.
Just getting water from the purifier behind, I figured, eyes back on TV.
Wrong.
She half-pulled out a chair, leaned in, and asked,
"Mind if I sit here?"
"...Pardon?"
Plenty of seats—why here?
Not a big deal, so I nodded.
She plopped down quick and whispered,
"I come here a lot. Kimchi jjigae's great."
Regular, huh.
Don't judge by looks.
"Uh... I'll have doenjang. Boss! One doenjang please."
"Coming right up."
The ajussis glanced at her voice, then away.
Soon, a massive tray of diner food arrived. I ate amid the awkward vibe.
She propped her chin, then asked out of nowhere,
"...Uncle, you don't know my name, do you?"
"Heard the boss call you Kyung-i."
"I'm Mi-kyung. Jung Mi-kyung."
"Oh, got it. You know mine?"
She mimicked someone,
"Of course. Kids call you all the time. Uncle Sung-ho!"
Fair enough.
I'm generous with kids.
Extra scoops on single orders built rapport.
Shop nearly turned playground once or twice.
Anyway, we finally exchanged names after almost a year.
She got serious and asked,
"Uncle, you hear about that thing? Super viral online lately."
"What thing?"
Curious, I perked up. She whipped out her phone, showed Mityube's top vid.
I use Mityube plenty, but skip popular stuff.
Feels like an insider playground.
Big events, comment games—no relatability.
Proof I'm a loner, whatever.
"This one, top channel now. Says they got superpowers."
Overhyped thumbnail, clickbait title.
I gave a bored look.
"...In this day and age, what..."
Face screaming: Superpowers? Ridiculous.
Mi-kyung leaned in, emphatic, pitying my doubt.
"No, really. Weird stuff's happening lately. You know Status Window? People say it pops up in their vision."
"Status Window?"
I blinked; she explained.
Levels, points, stats... all stuff I knew.
Pretending ignorance stung a bit, but no choice.
I shrugged it off.
"Just bored folks making up events, giggling among themselves?"
"Too many people for that. Hundreds claiming Status Windows and powers. My community's blowing up with superpower proofs."
"Hundreds? Should be on news already."
"Oh, there—look, Uncle."
Like she'd timed it, lunch news had the anchor reporting.
CCTV showed cash vanishing in chunks from the register.
Diner patrons gawked, pointing at the TV.
"What the? What's going on?"
"Where was the clerk?"
Clerk was in the back; it happened then.
Cash gone in under 10 seconds.
Thief casually exits.
Or rather, "exits" is wrong.
No one visible start to finish on CCTV.
Then clerk checks register, freaks, looks around, calls cops.
Stealth type.
My conclusion.
Whatever the reason, Survival Life players were awakening Status Windows and powers.
Some crazies turning to crime.
Mi-kyung, excited,
"Not this case, but someone's bragging about hitting shops invisibly. No one can stop 'em."
"No one can stop?"
"Invisible man. Who stops that?"
True, unseen's tough.
But not impossible.
Survival Life had stealth monsters; veterans handled them fine.
Still, with apocalypse looming, no time for crime sprees...
Am I the only one who knows it's coming?
I ate quietly.
Hit Seomyeon this afternoon for shopping.
Mi-kyung eyed me, then blurted,
"People say saying certain words makes stuff appear. Like levels, stats."
"What, like a game?"
"For real. Status Window, like this."
As she said it... wait, why'd her eyes flick there?
Does this girl see it too?
I kept eating, feigning disinterest.
Mi-kyung shut up, waiting for her food.