The Frost Gate
"It's that one."
"Oh. Inside the freezer?"
What could possibly be in there?
"No. The freezer itself is the item."
"The freezer?"
As I stepped closer to inspect it, the information appeared.
A subspace that traps the polar winds within.
◈ Type: Subspace Storage
◈ Refrigerant: Frost Crystal
◈ Immense capacity. Perfect preservation of food and supplies.
"Wow..."
I never knew items could manifest this way. Who would have thought a simple freezer could turn into a subspace artifact? In WAW, modern buildings had never become dungeons, so this was completely new territory.
"This is an absolute jackpot, isn't it?"
"Is it that good? What even is a subspace?"
"It's like an inventory, but with way bigger capacity. And insanely expensive."
The price of a subspace scaled endlessly with its size. If a group secured a large one, the expiration dates on their food supplies would essentially become infinite.
Should I check it?
The method was simple. The moment you used it, you learned its exact dimensions.
"Whoa, isn't this completely overpowered?!"
It was large enough to swallow the entire second floor of a department store. Even a subspace the size of a small room would cost four or five combat items in trade. Now I understood why the name included the word "Gate."
"This is seriously broken."
"That impressive?"
"If this were still in the game, every single raid team would have come running to steal it."
The instant the information got out, the servers would have descended into total chaos. Alliances would form and shatter, factions would merge or persuade or fight. They would have kept warring until an untouchable owner emerged or only one group remained.
Still, this option is pretty useless.
It was a shame the refrigerant function felt redundant. Once something went into the subspace, spoilage was impossible anyway. I understood why it had carried over from the freezer, but freezing food would only damage it.
Well, since freezing is optional, there's no real downside.
If I had no other use for it, I could always make ice. No harm in that.
We collected every supply we could find. Thanks to the Frost Gate, the whole process was far smoother than expected. Not only food, but I also grabbed plenty of the luxury goods I'd targeted. Designer clothes, bags, and shoes were mostly intact. Fragile items like perfume and wine had taken some damage, but that was no cause for disappointment. The area around the department store was packed with luxury boutiques. With both zombies and corpses completely gone, we could loot everything at leisure.
We swept through cosmetics shops, restaurants, and convenience stores without discrimination. The commercial district around the department store was well-developed, so there was no shortage of valuables. I doubted any other survivor group was living better than us right now.
"Move out."
"Yes."
We climbed into the SUV.
A lot happened, but it ended safely after all.
In the end, the dungeon rewards had all been things useful in daily life. I felt zero regret. This haul was a far bigger jackpot than most combat items anyway. Bosses dropped combat gear often enough.
Yeonhee-noona would love having the subspace. It would make taking things out so convenient too.
I'd already placed refrigerators in the house, plus extras in rooms 503, 504, and on the first floor. Going back and forth must have been a hassle, and retrieving items was a chore. The subspace removed all those inconveniences. It automatically sorted everything into a list you could see at a glance, and you could retrieve whatever you wanted with a single thought. The pinnacle of convenience.
It could even store the raid members' long-term food rations for me. Of course, I would keep the subspace's true capacity a secret.
Might as well turn off all the refrigerators while I'm at it.
That would save a massive amount of electricity, which could then be used elsewhere. Two birds, one stone.
Instead of leaving it to noona, it would be better to assign a trustworthy female resident to manage it.
I could have her record every item stored in room 503. The problem was finding someone reliable.
Guess curing a zombie really is the best option.
Even if I asked her to work as my secretary in return for saving her life, she probably wouldn't complain. The second-class residents might even envy her. The work wouldn't be difficult, after all.
It'd be nice to find someone with actual administrative experience.
Preferably a person who'd done this kind of work before.
Since we're already in the area, I might as well scout for talent.
There were several large corporations nearby. An office worker should have no trouble handling secretarial duties.
"Team leaders, escort your members and the second-class residents back to the apartment."
"Yes!"
"Understood."
I sent the raid members ahead using the radio. Organizing the expedition supplies would be easier if they returned before sunset.
"Suhyuk, what about us?"
"I'm looking for someone to manage this freezer."
I gave Hana a brief explanation.
"But why does it have to be a woman?"
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
That's unfair!
A woman was clearly better than a man. In multiple ways.
"She'll be helping noona with management, so a woman seems more suitable."
"Hmm?"
It was strictly business, yet here she was doubting me. I could separate work from personal matters. When it came to personal matters, though... well.
From the department store rooftop I summoned a tower and scanned the corporate building. Sure enough, plenty of suited zombies were visible. A zombie wave starting in such a crowded place left no room for escape.
"Head that way."
"Yes."
While clearing out the zombies that gathered nearby, I searched for promising talent. I didn't have a fixed profile in mind. Just going by instinct.
Hmm?
A luxury sedan parked in front of the building caught my attention. A woman sat in the passenger seat, seatbelt still fastened. She had the cold, elegant beauty of a professional. Her well-maintained black hair fell to her shoulders, paired with a high-end blouse that suited her perfectly. The overall atmosphere was flawless.
If only she weren't a zombie.
A secretary? If so, I couldn't ask for a better fit.
She wasn't the only one in the car. Two male zombies tangled together in the back seat told the whole story.
The driver turned, bit the woman, dragged her into the back, and infected the middle-aged man too.
Terrible luck. If the driver hadn't changed, they might have escaped. Assuming they had the nerve to run people over, that is.
"I found someone who looks like a secretary. What do you think?"
"You don't have to ask me..."
I felt a twinge of guilt and sought her approval anyway.
"Hmm, a secretary should be fine, right? She'd handle ledgers without trouble."
"Exactly, right?"
With Hana's agreement secured, I moved on.
First, cleanup.
Normal zombies barely took any effort anymore. I left them to the towers and approached the vehicle from behind. The zombies inside thrashed at the external noise, but they remained completely unaware of my presence.
I summoned a Warspear Tower and aimed it at the back seat.
Clank.
Swoosh—crunch! Stab!
Both zombies were skewered at once. I opened the locked door and dragged the corpses out. The passenger-seat zombie struggled at the sound but still hadn't detected me.
Silently, I brought the gag toward the secretary zombie.
Chomp!
I forced it into her mouth.
"Krgh!"
I grabbed her flailing arm, unfastened the seatbelt, and pulled.
The instant she tumbled out through the back, a wide net snapped shut around her. I pinned the thrashing secretary zombie to the ground inside the mesh. Even without maxing all my stats, the gap in power was overwhelming.
Her figure is impressive too.
A classic slender type. Tall and delicate, with clean lines. Her chest wasn't particularly large, but wide hips gave her body beautiful curves.
"Krgh!"
"Stay quiet. I'm here to save you."
I slipped gloves onto her hands first, then dressed her fully in padded gear from head to toe. The process reminded me of subduing Chaei.
I climbed into the car while holding the secretary zombie in a back hug.
"Uung!"
Chaei, nestled in Hana's arms, greeted me. Or rather, tried to push the newcomer away. Did she think her spot was being stolen?
"Chaei, behave for a little while. We'll be home soon."
"Wow, Suhyuk."
"Yeah?"
"How is every woman you bring back this pretty? You've been hunting for beautiful women on purpose, haven't you?!"
When had I ever done that? Still, that comment...
"Does that include you in the 'beautiful women' category? I'll admit it. You're not called a goddess for nothing."
"Eh?! No! That's not what I meant!"
Slap, slap.
Hana's face flushed bright red as she smacked my shoulder. It hurt. With her stats, what did she expect? My shoulder was tingling—had Deadly Pierce activated? That shouldn't be possible. Why did it hurt so much? Maybe emotion had gone into the hits.
"There's a flaw in your logic. I didn't hunt for her. We met by chance at the police station, remember?"
"Well... that's true, but..."
"This zombie was the same. I found talent while scouting and brought her because she looked like a secretary. Right?"
"Yeah..."
"And Chaei was brought in and protected because she was a special zombie."
"Ugh, it's annoying, but you're right."
My victory. I smirked down at her.
"Ugh, that somehow pisses me off even more!"
Slap, slap.
It hurts! Stop hitting me! Is this how you repay me for raising you?
Slap, slap, slap.
But it feels better than expected?
It was like I was awakening to something new.
"Why are you making that face?"
"What did I do? You're the one hitting me."
I straightened my loosened expression into a serious one and shot back.
"Ugh, it's getting more irritating by the second!"
Despite her words, Hana was clearly fighting back laughter. Her body was honest, at least. Did she have that kind of preference? It was starting to scare me a little.
"Pull over for a second."
"Yes, stopping the vehicle."
The SUV gradually slowed.
"Why suddenly?"
"We need a Zombie Cure anyway."
We had spares, but they were strictly for emergencies.
"Right. We'll need one to cure her."
"Let's hunt them here and head back."
Fortunately, mutant zombies stood in three separate directions at a decent distance.
"Are you luring a horde too?"
"They're too far for that. They'll chase for a while and then scatter."
After scattering they'd eventually regroup into a manageable-sized horde again.
"Then let's hunt them."
"Hana, take one."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Still seated in the car, I summoned every tower.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
I started with the mutant facing away from us. I aimed the Reinforced Warbow Tower and thought,
Fire.
Thud!
Swoosh—
A fourth-tier tower's arrow moved too fast for the mutant to dodge.
Thunk!!
The arrow punched straight through its shoulder. Expected result. But...
What the?
The mutant showed no reaction whatsoever. Instead, the arrow that continued forward and embedded in another zombie drew all the aggro.
Reaper's Walk applied to towers!
There was no other explanation. I never imagined Reaper's Walk would affect my towers too. Another patch effect, no doubt. Before the patch, skills had never created synergy like this.
Then I absolutely need to learn every passive skill I can.
The value of passive skill books had just skyrocketed. Previously they'd been considered inferior to active ones. No one else would know this information yet. Not many people had even obtained skill books in the first place. I needed to monopolize every one I could find.
Whether it applied to non-tower skills still needed testing, but it didn't matter. It worked on my skills, and that was enough.
The mutant finally turned its head toward the zombies reacting to us.
"Krurrk!"
It charged.
"Hana, I'm counting on you."
"Okay!"
Two mutants remained. I fired arrows in both directions at once. Both had their legs pierced before they could resist.
"Quaack!"
"Grraack!"
They hopped toward us on single legs. I waited calmly. The first shots had been nothing more than markers. I simply hadn't finished them because retrieving the drops would have been annoying.
Still, I should do things properly.
I summoned towers that hadn't reached fourth tier yet behind the mutants and opened fire. They noticed nothing. When the creatures drew close enough...
"Fire at will."
Ratatatatat— Boom, boom, boom—
The coordinated volley from both sides turned them into sieves. They collapsed, rolling across the ground.
Thud.
"Oh!"
A Zombie Cure had dropped. I'd hoped for at least one out of three, and luck was on my side.
Just then Hana returned after finishing her target.
"Good work."
"Hehehe. It was nothing! Unfortunately nothing dropped for me. Too bad."
"It's fine. We got one over here."
"Perfect! Hehe."
Her disappointment vanished. Hana smiled brightly and climbed back into the car.
"Let's go."
"Yessir!"
Vroom—
I opened the window and let out a refreshed breath.
I'd done it again today. Everything I'd wanted, I'd obtained.
Even the cool breeze couldn't dampen the burning exhilaration in my chest. My heart felt lighter than air as we headed home, without the slightest trace of regret.