Unexpected Harvest
Unexpected Harvest
The storm of a mating session came to an end, and before I knew it, the sun had risen.
Breakfast was samgyeopsal again, just like yesterday.
Honestly, with our coin supply so uncertain, I didn't want to make any reckless purchases. But Ha Hui-ryeong gave me such a desperate, pleading look that I had no choice.
It definitely wasn't because she promised to do a school uniform roleplay later. Definitely.
Yeah, I had no choice. Who can resist a school uniform?
"We should be getting there soon."
"Yeah. Looks like it. I see it up ahead."
The place we reached after driving for a long while was a subway entrance.
Regrettably, this was the furthest point we could reach by car.
You might ask what the hell I'm talking about, but the road ahead was genuinely blocked solid.
We'd circled around for a considerable distance, but no viable route into the district with Hansarang Apartment was in sight.
Zombies.
Those bastards were the problem.
Their numbers had swelled dramatically, and they had practically occupied the city center, making it a real pain to drive through.
Ramming them with the car was one thing, but if we kept tangling with the relentless swarm, we'd flip over in no time.
So the plan we settled on was to park in a suitable spot and move through the subway lines.
This was equally risky, but the difference from last time was that we now had enchanted weapons.
Crackle.
- Uwaaah... uurk...!
Thud.
"Whoa, this thing's performance is no joke."
Ha Hui-ryeong let out a low murmur of admiration after neatly smashing a skull open.
She deftly twirled the blood-soaked bat in a circle, flicked the gore off, and slung it over her shoulder.
With that, the interior of this subway station was completely cleared out.
She'd done it all by herself, too.
Give her a blunt weapon with an electrocution effect, and she took to it like a fish to water, butchering everything in sight.
"Lucky there weren't any mutants. If we'd run into that big one from last time, we'd have had a rough time."
"True. But why's the underground so deserted? Is there some reason?"
"Who knows. Maybe they photosynthesize or something."
I'd said it as a joke, but the more I mulled it over, the more it didn't seem entirely impossible.
After all, even the lightning bat Ha Hui-ryeong was swinging around was a fragment of the same surreal fantasy I'd only dreamed of.
So zombies doing photosynthesis wouldn't be all that strange.
"No people, either. Are they all gathered somewhere?"
"Could be, or could be not. Let's look around a bit more first."
Ha Hui-ryeong nodded in agreement with my suggestion.
Contrary to my expectations, she'd been quiet for a while now.
I'd thought she'd be furious since rescuing her mother had been delayed.
Well, whatever works.
I brushed it off without much thought and expanded the search range.
"Huh?"
Then, something caught my eye.
A vending machine.
Two of them, lined up in a row.
Glance.
I shot Ha Hui-ryeong a look and slowly walked toward the vending machine.
Without a word, she naturally started keeping watch around us.
"Let's see here..."
Just like last time, I tapped the vending machine.
Space grotesquely warped, and the machine's contents began to change.
{User 'Dark Merchant' identified. Vending machine products now accessible.}
※Stamina Enhancer (Permanent) - 5 coins.
Enema Syringe - 2 coins.
※Morning-After Pill (No Side Effects, 48h) - 1 coin.
※Subordination Scroll (0.1% Success Rate) - 50 coins.
Love Gel - 1 coin.
Custom-Fit Condom - 1 coin.
What the hell? Is this a love hotel or something? Why's the selection all like this?
And something I'd been wondering since last time: what's with the special symbols at the front?
Could they be marks indicating special products?
As I let out a hollow laugh, Ha Hui-ryeong, who had been on lookout, casually spoke up.
"Hey, what came up this time?"
"It's all adult goods."
"Any food?"
"Nope. Stuff like a stamina enhancer, though."
"...Why's that kind of crap always tagging along?"
I'd like to know more about that myself.
I shrugged lightly and touched the vending machine next to it.
The contents of the adjacent machine were no different.
Hmm... seeing this, it looks like each district's vending machines have set themes.
This time's theme seems to be an adult goods store.
It was a little disappointing, but it wasn't a total bust either.
There were a couple of items that stood out.
Two products in particular caught my eye.
Stamina Enhancer (Permanent).
Morning-After Pill (No Side Effects, 48h).
It cost a bit, but permanently increasing my stamina had sufficient merit.
It would definitely come in handy for sex going forward.
'But not right now.'
However, it wasn't essential in the current situation where survival was the priority.
With our coin supply uncertain, I couldn't afford to waste them on something like this.
Maybe I'd buy one or two later if I had the chance, but why force it now?
'I do like the no-side-effect contraceptive.'
Given the circumstances, contraception was important.
In that sense, a morning-after pill with no side effects was absolutely essential for a wonderful sex life.
Aside from that, the only other thing that slightly piqued my interest was this 'Subordination Scroll.'
The price was a whopping 50 coins.
Being a full 30 coins more expensive than an enchant scroll, it grabbed my attention.
'Subordination. Subordination, huh.'
Did it literally mean you could use someone like a slave?
If that were the case, the price made perfect sense.
'But it's way too expensive even so.'
I only had about 50 coins left in my possession.
I'd already spent a lot on enchanting, so getting greedy for that too was a bit much.
Maybe later, if I had more leeway, but it'd be tough right now.
'Let's just buy a few pills first.'
-Rattle, clunk.
After dispensing about five or six pills from the vending machine, I grinned and handed one to Ha Hui-ryeong.
It was the morning-after pill.
Ha Hui-ryeong stared blankly at what I gave her, a puzzled expression on her face.
"What's this? Medicine?"
"Medicine, yeah. And an incredibly important one at that."
"...?"
At my meaningful smile, her eyes narrowed.
She alternated her gaze between me and the pill with clear suspicion, and then, soon realizing its purpose, she let out a deep sigh.
Yeah. With this many hints, it'd be weirder if she didn't catch on.
"I'm asking just in case, but this isn't that, is it?"
"Yeah, the just-in-case kind. Exactly what you're imagining."
"Ha... you sex-crazed fucking bastard."
"Oh, come on. You like it too. Now we can go at it as much as we want without worrying in the future, right?"
"Hey, taking this doesn't mean you're in the clear. It just lowers the chances a lot. And there could be side effects. I heard they can be really bad depending on the person..."
"It's fine. It says no side effects."
"Says who."
"The vending machine here said so. If not, oh well."
"'If not, oh well,' my ass! Ugh, my fate is seriously fucked, I swear."
Even as she grumbled, Ha Hui-ryeong crumpled the pill into her pocket.
Chuckling, I playfully tapped her shoulder.
"Hey, even if it's a little dubious, it's better than nothing, right?"
"Are you sure you don't just want to finish inside?"
"I can't say I have absolutely no desire for that."
"Tch, you pervert. If it doesn't work... you'd better take responsibility."
Was she telling me to take responsibility?
Well, in context, that's probably what she meant.
"Anyway, I'm getting hungry. Want to grab a quick bite?"
"Do whatever you want."
"There she goes snapping again."
I took an energy bar from my bag and handed it to Ha Hui-ryeong.
Ha Hui-ryeong snatched it coyly and nibbled on it like a squirrel.
Seeing things like this, she can be pretty cute, honestly.
I forcefully suppressed a smile that threatened to leak out and brushed the crumbs off my hands.
"Alright, let's do a bit of looting, then move on to the next area."
"Is there anything to loot?"
"There is. See that convenience store over there? Though it looks like someone blocked the door."
Where I pointed was a convenience store whose entrance was barricaded with display racks.
It was a clear sign of human activity.
The likelihood that someone was inside was high.
Ha Hui-ryeong, whose intuition was sharp, seemed to notice this too, as she narrowed her eyes.
"That place gives me a bad feeling. I mean, there's probably someone in there."
"So what if there is? You're here."
"Ha, I don't know what to do with myself under such excessive trust."
She said that, but her lips curled into a faint smirk, a sign she was pleased.
After that, she took the lead, and I followed behind.
Since the area was completely cleared, our wariness had eased considerably.
"Alright, time for me to step up."
"Stop showboating and just get on with it."
Well, if she says so.
I shrugged lightly and swung my crowbar in a wide arc.
Shatter.
The glass window shattered easily, and the sharp steel bar embedded itself into the display rack beyond.
And then, the enchanted property 'Decomposition' infused in the crowbar activated.
Starting from the point of impact, the display rack blocking the entrance began to rot and crumble.
Blackish rust spread, and soon it collapsed into a pile of dust.
This created just enough space for one person to squeeze through.
"Ladies first?"
"You only remember I'm a lady at times like this?"
"If you don't like it, fine. I'll go first, whatever."
If I'm honest, my confidence at this moment was sky-high, practically through the roof.
My ego had swelled like Pinocchio's nose, thanks to the satisfaction of having bedded Ha Hui-ryeong and possessing these bizarre abilities.
In short, I'd grown complacent.
With my sense of crisis gone, my actions lost all hesitation, and because of that, I failed to consider other possibilities.
Ping—!
The possibility that someone besides me could have obtained a special ability.
"You son of a...!"
Ha Hui-ryeong, who had been about to enter, was startled and hurriedly yanked me back by the scruff of my neck.
Because of that, I tumbled backward to the ground with her, and I witnessed something chilling pass right over my head.
'I...ice?'
What had grazed past my head was a massive chunk of icicle.
Seeing it fly far and embed itself deep into the wall, I instinctively knew a direct hit would have meant instant death.
If it weren't for Ha Hui-ryeong, that moment would have been my death day.
"Uh... hey... th-thanks."
"Save it. Get your stance right. That bitch inside, she's not ordinary."
The relaxed atmosphere sank.
Ha Hui-ryeong glared with a ferocious look, eyes blazing as if she could kill someone on the spot.
She was thoroughly pissed.
It was her serious mode, which I hadn't seen in a while.
"First, widen the entrance. Once it's roughly wide enough, quickly dodge to the side."
"O-okay."
I diligently followed her instructions.
Even though things had gotten considerably more comfortable between us, that fierce gaze always reflexively made me shrink back whenever I saw it.
Probably, the core of the Jjintta DNA beaten into me in the past hadn't changed.
-Crash.
As I worked, the opening gradually widened, and through the gaps in the collapsed debris, the figure of a disheveled woman came into view.
Around her, clumps of icicles, coalesced frost, floated in the air.
She was watching us with a ferociously twisted face, poised to launch an icicle at any moment.
"Need cover...?"
"I don't need it."
That was the end of the conversation.
Without any warning, Ha Hui-ryeong kicked off the ground and charged straight ahead.
"....!"
The disheveled woman, the ice woman, widened her eyes, momentarily flustered, but calmly launched her icicles.
Zzzap!
As the sharply honed chunks of ice rushed in, the bat was swung simultaneously.
It was a short, concise motion.
Following its trajectory, which had not a single wasted movement, lightning flickered and shattered all the icicles to pieces at once.
"Guh...!"
The ice woman regenerated icicles in the air again, but Ha Hui-ryeong was faster.
Having closed the distance in an instant, she folded her leg and drove her knee forward.
Thwack. A clean knee kick that landed squarely in the solar plexus.
Then, using the momentum to spin her body full circle, she followed up with an elbow attack.
"Keuheok...!"
That alone was already a knockdown, but Ha Hui-ryeong wasn't satisfied.
She grabbed the staggering woman by the hair to hold her in place, then struck her temple with the blunt end of the bat's handle.
"Whoa, damn..."
Just watching it was a dizzying sight.
Seeing her twitch on the floor before going completely limp made goosebumps crawl all over my body.
...Didn't she just die from that?
Confirming the situation was mostly wrapped up, I approached her and asked in a bewildered tone,
"Hey, you didn't kill her, right?"
"I didn't kill her. I only beat her up just enough to knock her out."
"That's something you can even control...?"
"I can."
"Aha."
So that's how it is.
Ha Hui-ryeong and I scanned the woman we'd knocked down, then our eyes met.
After our gazes intertwined, our impressions were roughly similar.
"So what do we do with this now?"
"How should I know, you bitch."