6 – Stage 5
“Upgrade again!”
– Insufficient required level.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Huh? How much level do I need to be?”
···
The system is vaguely unfriendly…
“Gray Wilson 10th generation setup!”
-150P
– Whiiiiing- Gush
“Well, with 18 concrete in, it’s like a masterpiece. Wilson, do you want to upgrade one more time?”
– Insufficient required level.
“Oh, so how much level and how much does it cost then?”
···
“Why can’t I say anything, sob”
At that moment, the gestures of the people in the neighboring shelter intensified in my sight.
– ······!
“Huh? What are you saying?”
The people around me, with shocked expressions, gestured and flailed wildly at me.
“What? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you well.”
You guys don’t have time to worry! If the upgrade doesn’t work, let’s at least add some options.
“Double option equipped for all 10 newbies Wilson!”
– 300P
– Wee-iiing-
“Wow~ Just thinking about spewing out fire makes my heart flutter!”
While it’s important to avoid overspending when considering the unlocking of the asset’s characteristics, for the initial clear rewards, saving investment is unavoidable.
“Oh, I’m a bit hungry, one Pocketmon Bread, please.”
– 1P
– Yum-yum- Munch-munch!
As I eat the bread, my throat feels dry, so I gulp down water from the bathroom sink.
– Phew… darn it…
I quickly shake off a slight sense of self-reproach. Lastly, I check the store list.
– Love gel, heat pack, ice, 3D printer (DLP), bubble wrap, ballpoint pen, lamb’s pot
“The love gel was given to me to eat, right?”
Hmm… The pen and lamb pot seem pretty sweet. If I buy a microwave, I can even make ramen. It’s warm inside the shelter, so I don’t think I’ll need thermal underwear…
After roughly checking the list, I put the pillow on the floor, lie down, and gaze at the night sky.
“Were there always this many stars?”
Seeing the sparkling stars, reminiscent of the night sky in the countryside, I feel a bit sentimental. While absentmindedly staring at the sky, my eyelids slowly come down, and I swallow the stars.
.
.
.
＜02:02:03＞
Unexpectedly, I wake up from a deep sleep. I stretch lightly.
– Huh! Hei-ja!
As I jog around the shelter, a few people look at me as if I’m crazy for doing jumping jacks in place. Ignoring them, I do 200 push-ups and squats each, then reluctantly bathe using water from the sink in the bathroom.
I need a bathroom and soap. Cucumber soap will do!
Adding it to the wishlist, I purchase one pack of ramen. I buy a lamb pot and a microwave.
-110P
Also bought chopsticks.
-1P
“Oh, no wonder it was expensive. It’s a large size.”
But inside the microwave, there’s a dedicated pot.
“Ugh, I bought the pot for nothing.”
I put water, noodles, and soup in the dedicated pot and spin it around.
“Putting noodles in cold water and boiling them makes the noodles chewier and more delicious, right? No?”
Ding!
“Lululala, take one Neoguri with you~”
Concerned that the hot pot might stick to the floor, I tapped it a few times before starting the tasting with relief.
– Slurp-
“Oh, the noodles are springy, absolutely fantastic!”
Gazing precisely at the arrogant student, I performed a noodle-slurping act like a commercial.
“Taste this, you’ll never want anything else, hehehehe.”
He spat curses, his tongue clicking, thumb wedged into his fist.
“Yeah, ramen~”
Lifting the noodles, shaking them a few times, I emptied the bowl cleanly. No matter how chaotic the world might be, morning exercise and meals must be taken care of. Routine is essential.
“I’ll be up around 7, so I’ll start from 9.”
After sitting for a while to digest, I checked the remaining time.
＜01:03＞
– Sigh-
Perhaps Stage 5 will be different, no matter what. Trying to suppress a bit of tension, I gaze at the portal starting to ripple. It seems to grow a bit as it ripples…
– Hmm…
“Am I the only one feeling a sense of impending doom already?”
The portal was twice as large as what I had seen until now.
＜00:00＞
– Braaah!
Wilson’s unit rushed out to greet the unexpected guests.
– Thud thud thud thud thud—!
– Puff puff puff puff puff!
The 18th generation of Wilsons relentlessly poured out firepower, fiercely pushing back the monsters trying to emerge from the portal.
– Thud, thud!
The option double was also in good condition.
“Come out slowly. What kind of monster are you?”
As Wilson raised his smooth head, a piercing sound spread in all directions, as if it could tear one’s ears apart.
“Ughhh!! My ear!···”
It took a while for the ear to recover from the intense sound.
– Kuaaang!
– Thud! Kwang!
“Ah… What on earth is that thing···”
It was a grotesque figure resembling a spider with dozens of legs and a large zombie face in the middle of its body, constantly emitting horrifying sounds.
It seemed to be at least 1.5 times the size of a corrupted mare, and after making the sound, it struck the shelter with its legs.
“Ugh… Damn, I almost died. Look at the blood coming out of my ear.”
But the people around the shelter seemed to be in better shape than me.
“Why is it only me? Is there a way to reduce the damage somehow?”
I staggered to my feet and initiated synchronization with the concrete.
– Kiiiiing – Thud!
– Bwweeek!
“Huh?”
Zombies threw themselves in front of the spider monster’s bullets, surprising me.
“What’s going on here?”
I was so startled that my dialect slipped out.
– Kiiiiing – Thud!
– Kuweeek!
– Puk-!
Once again, zombies sacrificed themselves, exploding in place. Even though 2-3 of them exploded at once, I didn’t hesitate. The zombie spider didn’t move but relentlessly battered the shelter, occasionally letting out screams. Then, three corrupted maus appeared belatedly from the portal.
– Thud! Clang- Thud Thud!
Durability: 1898/2000
Less than a minute had passed, and my durability had dropped to 100.
“This won’t work. I need to deal with the corrupted maus first!”
I adjusted my aim and started eliminating the corrupted maus. This time, the zombies didn’t interfere.
“Alright, let’s take care of these first!”
But after defeating the three corrupted maus, my stamina was completely depleted, forcing me to release synchronization.
Stamina: 6 (-24)
“The initial encounter was a close call. Hex-haak-“
Fortunately, the overwhelming firepower pouring from the 18 spheres was rapidly reducing the number of zombies.
– Kuka-kang-kang!
The imposing sight of spider zombies being kicked with sharp legs made them stagger backward.
Durability: 1813/2000
Plenty of durability remaining.
“Shall we be a little more ambitious?”
Raising my hand to the sphere again and synchronizing, the veins swelled as if about to burst.
“Let’s take a shot!”
– Kiiing clang!
The synchronized shot accurately hit the torso between the already tattered spider legs.
– Pffft-!
After firing a shot, a sensation of something bursting in my eyes, and my head spinning, I collapsed to the ground.
“Ugh… ··· Ah…”
– Thud-!
I finally lost consciousness and fell.
.
.
.
＜Cleared Stage 5 for the first time. Obtained 2000P.＞
＜Stage 5 cleared. Acquired 690P.＞
＜Defeated the ‘Guardian of the Rift’ for the third time on Earth. Gained 300P.＞
＜Randomly unlocked some items in the shop list.＞
＜Shelter access becomes unrestricted.＞
＜Night missions are now available.＞
＜Shelter escape function activated.＞
＜Level up. Stats increase randomly.＞
“Ugh…”
Clearing my mind of the messages that surfaced, I slowly stood up.
“Well, my body seems fine.”
It seems that clearing the stage also healed any injuries, and my ears were perfectly fine.
“In the end, I killed the boss on the third attempt.”
Was barely making it into the top rankings due to a last-minute rush? I had already given up on rewards when I changed targets, so being in third place felt fortunate.
“All the nearby shelters have also been cleared…”
As I looked around after making a full circle, the end revealed an empty space. The space the size of a shelter had disappeared, indicating that the man with anxiety disorders had failed to clear.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be a team effort…”
On the other hand, the remaining three locations had people who survived engaged in serious conversations.
“It seems like it’s been over for a while.”
With the person who was right in front of me gone, a sense of reality set in.
What was so unsettling? Was it because I couldn’t be with my family? It was an unknown matter.
“Shouldn’t the mountain person live?”
– Status Window
From Noble mtl dot com
Gyeon (Lv.3) (5)
Health: 34 (+4)
Mana: 152 (+3)
Strength: 21 (+1)
Agility: 21 (+2)
“All right! Jackpot! Health and mana are on the high side.”
There was a slight sensation that something inside my body had become a bit denser.
“What’s on the newly added store list?”
– Document shredder, garlic, trash can, hand cream, cucumber, oyster sauce, USB (256), top purchase voucher
“It’s kind of ambiguous, isn’t it?”
When I pressed the top purchase voucher, a lineup of clothes I had seen throughout my life unfolded.
“Ah~ this is how it is.”
10P for a sweatshirt… considering that a ramen packet is 1P, it’s somewhat acceptable, but thinking of it as a 2 Wilson price makes me wonder who would buy it. But then again, you can’t live wearing just one piece of clothing.
– Empty, empty, empty!
“Dad!”
I suddenly turned my head in surprise at the sound from the side.
“Eek! Surprise!”
There, a well-dressed man from the right shelter and a woman in her early thirties whom I had never seen before were present.
The knee-length black skirt paired with a white shirt was a perfect match for a formal man.
“Oh, I thought you were a monster for a moment!”
Since the shelter access became free, I didn’t expect to receive a contact like this.
Walking with a rhythmic sound, I listened carefully.
“···Come out ··· for a moment ···”
It seemed like an invitation to come out and have a conversation. Why make monster sounds audible and soundproof human voices? Is he insane?
Looking around, I saw several people conversing outside in the distance. I briefly scanned the formal man and the woman.
“Even if we fight, it doesn’t seem like we’ll lose, but if there’s a weapon, you never know. The real fear is in the skills.”
After briefly measuring combat power, I extended my hand towards the shelter.
Do you want to exit? Y/N
“I’m going out.”
Swish-
‘Oops!’
Stepping out unsteadily, the formal couple welcomed me with bright smiles.
“Hello? It’s the first time meeting face-to-face, so let me formally introduce myself. I’m Seo Jinseok.”
With the greeting, he naturally extended his hand, but I didn’t bother to shake it. Pointing towards the woman with a glance, Jinseok withdrew his hand, looking awkward.
“I’m Park Eunji. Nice to meet you.”
The woman casually offered greetings with a folder in hand.
“I’m Gyune. What’s the business?”