The Supply Depot: A Lesson in Survival and Bureaucratic Backing

The Supply Depot had been confirmed.

‘As expected.’

The Supply Depot felt like the single most survival-critical facility in the shelter, far outweighing the Agent Quarters. With my mild ADHD and severe psychosomatic fatigue, I had only ever noticed the Agent Quarters. The shop carried food items, of course, but they counted as potions that only restored HP rather than true sustenance. Still, if starvation truly became an issue, I would have tried those too. Now that the Supply Depot existed, however…

I checked the prices. They were outrageous.

“50 million gold?”

Too obvious. My irritation was clear. Yet I had money. The system confirmation flashed across my vision.

The bright light immediately began scanning my room. This time it stopped at the refrigerator.

“F*ck!”

I had been expecting the training ground again, but the fridge it was. The system explained the storage function was why it chose the refrigerator. Installation was only 100 percent complete when the light vanished.

The system window appeared again.

“Aaaah!”

The fridge interior swallowed me whole. This time there was no iron door like in the training ground—only instant relocation. The scene before my eyes was a soccer-field-sized warehouse stocked with military-grade supplies. Shelving stood neatly arranged, and a faint paint scent lingered in the air. It felt like entering an empty hypermarket.

But the structure was not complete. In one corner stood a massive crusher.

Items placed here would be automatically crushed. I would figure that out later since I was hungry.

A section resembling a food storage corner appeared. Upon closer inspection it was completely empty.

“Just storage.”

What I needed was procurement.

A touch panel with LED lights sat in the center. I expected nothing less.

Water 1L, 3L, and 5L. Ordering filled the shelves. Other items were also available.

At first glance it felt like a regular grocery store, but the military scent was unmistakable.

“Swoosh! Swoosh!”

The purchased goods were neatly stacked on the shelves. A sense of security ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠washed over me. At the very least, the food sold here would not drain my HP.

Stomach rumbling, I decided to eat here.

“Yes. Let’s eat.”

One must survive by eating. Here, the food on the table was the only choice.

First, the Injured Rations.

Back in the room, I carried everything I had bought. Using the dishes from home, I placed the Injured Rations, dried meat chunks, and Combat Rations A Set on the side table.

“Hah… hah…”

Tension thickened. The brink of death by starvation stared back.

“I can do it. I can do it.”

I had repeatedly sworn I would survive. Then—

Failure. Food items could not be brought in. I sat back down in the room.

“Whatever. Starve or die—it’s the same result.”

I compromised by not heating the food. I scooped the Injured Rations with a spoon and took a bite.

“O…”

The smell was not pleasant, but the taste was surprisingly… edible. Better than expected. At least this amount was edible. Eating it would not kill me.

“Hmm. This is actually decent.”

At least it was something. Hunger was managed. The price had been reasonable too.

***

Leaving the Supply Depot, Director Kim Chungyu’s bald head looked unusually pale and unshaven.

After all, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had purchased the bottle from the shop and handed it to Haedong.

“I’m not fighting Unregistered anymore! Director Kim, thank you so much! I was actually going to challenge you properly if it weren’t for this thousand-year liquor! Hahaha!”

Originally wearing only underwear, he now wore layer upon layer of fur coats, sweating cold sweat.

“Can I still upload the video? I’ll definitely cut the ending commentary! The action footage was really well captured this time, right?”

While editing the video himself, the director looked utterly exhausted.

“I can’t stand it.”

The director could no longer endure staying here. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He agreed to conditional video upload—excluding the ending commentary—and received the promise of a press conference cancellation.

The value of the thousand-year liquor was considerable.

After the apology broadcast, I checked the comments.

These were not bad. I had managed to return the Unregistered matter to its original point.

“…”

…I still wanted to believe it. Unregistered had shown zero reaction even after issuing a press conference in Dokgak Village. When asked if the sudden groaning was due to his power, the reply was simply “I’m nauseous.”

I would ask Yoon So-yi for the truth later. I was simply too exhausted.

“Hah…”

“One day I will retire.”

The dream he dreamed every night of “Farmers will never find the hunters after retirement” would one day become reality. He had already decided.

Kim Chungyu returned to the Hunter Management Bureau with his usual swagger, yet his status window had changed.

High Rankers were simultaneously hunting villains and secretly searching for the egg. Kim Chungyu contacted Cheon Seunghyeok.

“How is it going?”

“Found it. The egg of Cartibes.”

“!!!”

So soon?

“Ha…”

Power left his body. He had been extremely worried, but the egg had been found. In other worlds the egg had only been viewed for a week before hatching and perishing with the country. In Korea, however, it was discovered within a single day of awareness thanks to Yoon So-yi’s abilities, the High Rankers’ power, and prior knowledge of Cartibes’ egg.

“We will break it.”

Kim Chungyu finally shed the heavy burden and issued orders, yet fatigue returned.

“We cannot break it yet.”

***

At the Lotte Tower in Jamsil, the highest building in Seoul, a 2-meter egg of Cartibes rested on a bizarre stone pedestal surrounded by dozens of villain corpses. The color was beyond description, and the patterns were irregular and grotesque.

“This is troublesome.”

Yoon So-yi’s expression darkened rapidly after she finished communicating with Kim Chungyu.

Cheon Seunghyeok drew his sword again and swung with 【Giant’s Sword】 in a straight line. The attack landed, but the egg showed no scratch.

“It won’t break.”

The issue was not hardness. An extremely high-level magic seal rendered damage meaningless.

“…”

The one who had to think here was Yoon So-yi. The Sanctuary was ineffective, and other skills could not break the seal. She began investigating the surroundings.

“Necrophilia… when did they prepare this?”

A temple dedicated to Cartibes had been fully constructed. Every pattern worshipped death and destruction.

“Hmm?”

Five stone pedestals extended radially from the center of the egg. Each was enormous yet empty—no statues were present. The strangest of the five had ancient runes carved into it.

“Let me read it.”

Yoon So-yi began decoding.

“This…”

Yoon So-yi’s complexion grew darker as she checked the other four pedestals.

“These are the stone pedestals of the Five Apostles.”

“Apostles…”

Cheon Seunghyeok asked while searching the corpses of the villains.

“Yes. But they are not here now.”

He checked the teleportation magic circle engraved on the pedestals.

Yoon So-yi’s conclusion was simple.

“They have left the pedestals and gone somewhere to achieve their individual goals, then return.”

Cheon Seunghyeok drew his sword again.

“We have no time to hesitate. We must find and kill them before they complete their goals.”

***

Success.

I had eaten.

At least my strength had returned. If I did not die in my sleep, today would be another day survived.

“Tough day.”

I decided to encourage myself for enduring the day.

“No point in being unhappy or depressed. That is probably what the system wants. F*ck. It seems like it will go as I wish?”

“I can do it!”

I could handle it. I would live. Life was not over yet. I would endure.

“Soft…”

With the most delicate motion possible, I settled onto the bed. Now that things had come to this, I played classical music through Surround Sound.

“It is the nicest.”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!”

A strange sound began from outside. A scream.