One Step Forward (3)

We wrapped up the hunt there and were about to head home when something that hadn't happened once since the apocalypse finally occurred. Strangers approached us and blocked our path. It had been so long since we'd encountered other people on the street that we could only stare in stunned silence. Judging by their appearance, though, they clearly hadn't come outside to hunt like we had. I hate to say it, but they looked like beggars—gaunt and half-starved.

When the man at the front kept trying to get closer, I stepped forward and leveled my spear to stop him. He seemed surprised that I would react this way, but at least he didn't come any nearer. He was holding a knife in his lead hand, but it looked like an ordinary kitchen knife with several chips missing from the blade. There were four of them in total... probably a family.

The man at the front, clearly the father, bowed deeply and spoke in a pleading voice.

“......”

If this was an act, he could win an award for it. It didn't seem like a lie, so I lowered my spear for now. His expression relaxed a little and he tried to step closer again. I warned him immediately.

“Y-yes, of course...!”

I had to stay prepared for anything. He could turn violent at any moment, but at this distance I could react to anything he tried. We kept our distance while we talked, and the story was painfully familiar. Not everyone could adapt to this changed world. So what choice did people like them have? They hid and waited for a rescue team that might never come. They had no idea if the government was even still functioning.

Then what came next? They couldn't just starve to death, so they had no choice but to venture outside in search of food. But they were far too late. The monster levels in the area had already risen sharply. Low-level creatures like goblins were almost impossible to find now. In a way, this family had been lucky. They'd run into us instead of orcs. Anyone truly unlucky was probably already dead. Looking at their condition, even weak monsters would have wiped them out.

How should I handle this...

It was a serious dilemma. Ignoring them completely felt wrong, but we didn't exactly have the resources to help them either. Our group was optimized to survive on our own. We weren't prepared to take in outsiders. Where would we even put them? How would we feed them? If they'd come to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rob us, I could have brushed them off and walked away, but that clearly wasn't the case...

The kids stayed quiet, apparently unable to decide what to do. That's when Jaehoon-hyung stepped forward.

“R-really? Thank you! Thank you so much! Honey, kids, hurry up and say thank you!”

While they were busy thanking Jaehoon, I asked him in a voice too low for them to hear.

“You sure about this?”

“It's what the boss wants. If someone needs help, we help them!”

If it was Nayoon... yeah, that made sense. She'd done the same for us, after all. It wouldn't be an easy path. Both Nayoon and Jaehoon-hyung, who supported her, were going to have their work cut out for them...

Adding this family of four to the mart wouldn't be a huge problem right away. But were there really only these four? I doubted it. Suwon alone had over a million residents before the apocalypse. Many must have died to monsters, but if these were the only survivors... that was even more terrifying.

For now, the mart's stockpiled food could sustain them, but the more people they took in, the faster those supplies would run out. Jaehoon-hyung must have noticed my concern, because he spoke up before I could say anything.

“It won't last long in the current state, but the boss is already preparing for what comes after the mart's food runs out.”

“Huh?”

Apparently they were already buying chickens from the Coin Shop and raising them. They were getting a few eggs, and they were preparing to start farming and increase their livestock numbers.

“You've been raising chickens? I'd like to see that sometime...”

I'd visited the mart several times, but I'd never actually looked around inside. I was curious how the people there were living. And if things went the way Jaehoon-hyung described, they'd become an even better trading partner than before. Eventually they'd need my abilities too. Since Jaehoon-hyung was so confident, I decided to let them handle it. If that's what they wanted, it wasn't my place to interfere.

We took the family back to our house. I asked Mom to make a proper lunch, and we all ate together. I have no idea how long it had been since they'd last had a real meal, but they devoured everything like they were starving. I really hope this works out for them...

From late afternoon until sunset, we helped with the cleanup. With more than ten people working, it went quickly. Before the sun completely set, Jaehoon-hyung's group headed back to the mart. Traveling after dark was too dangerous. They left with generous pay for the day.

——And so the tenth day since we started building the house arrived.

We finally succeeded in clearing away all the debris. At last!

During that time, we'd hunted diligently and grown much closer to Jaehoon-hyung. His skills had improved dramatically too. He was probably on par with Sohyun from a few days ago. He might catch up to her soon. While everyone else was growing along with him, I could tell he was putting in tremendous effort. I couldn't help wondering why someone like him had ended up as a thug. Maybe once we got even closer, I'd get the chance to ask.

I glanced at Sohyun. She was smiling brightly, completely unaware. Well, I wasn't going to complain about that.

Keep up the good work...

But for every good thing, there's always something bad waiting. Eventually, electricity, water, and the internet all went out. It happened exactly one week after the apocalypse began. The internet had stopped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠updating information long ago, so it wasn't particularly useful anymore, but it was still a major blow. From that day on, any lingering hope of returning to the old world seemed to vanish completely, like a light being switched off.

The silver lining was that we could buy mana-powered appliances from the Coin Shop, so the problem wasn't too severe for us. We got a mana refrigerator, washing machine, induction stove, shower, lights, and everything else we needed right away. The induction stove generated heat as long as you had Mana Stones, and the shower produced water on its own. The washing machine worked on slightly different principles than the ones from our old world—it didn't use water but instead cleaned clothes with magic. It actually seemed cleaner this way... and the clothes came out perfectly fresh in almost no time. Magic really is amazing!

The four of us who went hunting worked together and managed to get everything for about 10,000 coins each. Even splitting the cost four ways, it was a big expense, but it was a worthwhile investment. Without a comfortable living environment, both building and hunting efficiency would suffer.

Anyway, that problem was solved. The real issue was something else.

Lately, more and more people had been approaching us while we hunted. We'd been making a lot of noise hunting in the area for quite a while, so apparently many people hiding in their homes had spotted us. Having all these people come begging for help was pure hell. In the end, the mart had taken them all in. There were nearly a hundred people there now.

Even I feel my heart weaken when people ask for help like that. I can't imagine how hard it must be for Nayoon... This was a serious problem! I was really worried...

I hadn't been to the mart lately because I'd been so busy, but I needed to finish the house quickly and go check on them. Even when I asked Jaehoon-hyung about the situation there, he kept avoiding the subject... I hope everything's okay...

Well, for now, I needed to focus on finishing the house. Everyone could help clear debris, but only I could actually build it. We didn't need that many people for this stage, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so this was the end of our hiring period.

“Hyung, once the house is done, I'll stop by the mart. Could you tell Nayoon I said hi?”

“Sure, got it. I'll have to come see the finished house too.”

We were trying to part on a good note, but everyone except Jaehoon-hyung looked reluctant. A few even had tears in their eyes. What was this all of a sudden...?

As expected, it was all because of Mom.

“Ma'am, I'll definitely come back again!”

“Please let us have that delicious pork stir-fry just one more time!”

“It was absolutely incredible!”

“Eunbin, please teach my wife how to cook!”

“Come anytime! It was nice to really put in some effort for once!”

It was specifically because of Mom's cooking...

“Hah...”

We'd had lunch at our house, and apparently it had left quite an impression. Cooking was Mom's passion, and she enjoyed preparing large quantities. One thing to be happy about was that Mom had awakened a Class. It was a Normal Class: Chef. After she gained her Skill, the food tasted even better. We'd been eating her delicious meals our whole lives, and even we noticed how much better it had gotten recently. I couldn't imagine how it must taste to people trying it for the first time. It felt like I'd actually gained weight since the apocalypse started...

Anyway, Jaehoon-hyung eventually managed to wrangle everyone and they left. I watched their retreating figures for a long time.

“Alright, let's get back to work!”

Mom headed inside while the rest of us went to the neighboring house. Before starting, I checked my Skill.

The Skill had reached level 3 during this period. Before starting, I'd also invested some of the Coins I'd saved into mana. I'd been neglecting it, but I'd need a lot more mana from now on.

I'd raise it more if I ran short, but for now it was time to begin.

“Dad, I'm counting on you.”

“Just leave it to me!”

Dad headed over to the pile of debris with the kids to move the materials we'd use for the walls. The kids followed his instructions and carried everything. It was a strange sight seeing the girls doing this kind of manual labor, but they were actually twice as strong as Dad now. Concrete, rebar, insulation, and more. Dad made sure they mixed everything in the exact right proportions. Even if I built with just concrete, it would be stronger than regular reinforced concrete, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but I was going to make it even tougher.

“We've brought everything, Dohyun.”

“Got it, Dad.”

I'd been waiting while looking over the blueprints. When I heard that all the materials were ready, I set the plans down and activated my Skill. The first wall of my house was finally going up.

54, 53, 52………… 10, 9, 8, 7………….