Chapter 45

“How’s your body?”

“I think I can manage.”

I carefully looked over Mina, who was drenched in sweat.

Not out of any ulterior motive, but because I was worried about her health.

After all, traveling in this era meant walking, not using cars or trains, so the physical toll was intense.

Especially for someone like Mina, who didn’t have any body-enhancing abilities.

I took off my bag, leaned against the wall, and handed a water bottle to Mina, who was panting.

“Thank you…”

“Rest up for now.”

“I should’ve exercised more regularly.”

“Honestly, getting a car would’ve been better.”

Though finding a car in this world is ridiculously hard… Still, if we save up a bit more, we might be able to get a decent jeep.

It’d be good to have one for longer-distance requests.

Plus, it’d help make the most of Mina’s abilities.

“Oppa, let’s eat. Food.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t eat too much. We need to ration.”

We decided to eat just enough to stave off hunger to lighten our load. Eating more than the set amount could lead to trouble later.

It’s hard to predict if we’ll find more food.

“Delicious~”

“Mina, you should eat too.”

“Okay…”

We gathered in a corner of a building, lit a fire, and had a modest meal. Jerky, water, and hardtack.

Surprisingly, the hardtack was fresh.

Apparently, future farming technology has made it possible to produce enough to feed the population, so they distribute the surplus as rations.

Other than that, hardtack is often distributed from Seoul to various regions, likely as part of a population support policy.

Of course, there are more tempting foods than hardtack… but in a world where finding food is tough, this isn’t so bad.

I recalled my military days, crushing hardtack into milk, and popped a piece into my mouth.

Made from rice, the texture was decent.

The taste was exactly as I remembered.

…Should I like this or not?

Any candy?

Nope.

I chewed on the hardtack, staring blankly at the flames.

Now that we’ve passed Hanam and entered Guri.

This area was surprisingly quiet.

From what I know, hunters have expanded into Guri and southern Namyangju, but we’ve barely encountered anyone.

Maybe they’re hiding from us. But would anyone feel the need to avoid us, with two seemingly fragile women in tow?

I doubt my reputation has spread to such a remote place.

Maybe there’s just nothing worthwhile around here…

“Mina…ya.”

Ah, she’s asleep.

I looked at Mina, who was sound asleep against the wall. Where’s the blanket? I rummaged through my bag, pulled out a small blanket, and draped it over her.

It wasn’t that cold, but she’d sweated a lot, so she could catch a cold.

“Seolhwa, you should get some sleep too.”

“Oppa, aren’t you sleeping?”

“I’ll stay up a bit longer by the fire, then sleep.”

“Then I’ll sleep with you.”

Seolhwa snuggled up close to me.

This innocent kid thought I was staying up late just to enjoy the fire.

I was actually planning to keep watch.

Even though we’re inside a tightly enclosed building, wild animals or outlaws could still attack, so I wanted to patrol while the kids slept.

“Hehe.”

“By the way, this is your first time out of the Swamp Area, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it tough?”

“Huh? No?”

Seolhwa looked up at me with a lively face. Did I feed her too well?

Despite carrying heavy gear all day, she was still energetic. It seemed her ability was continuously strengthening her body.

A power that grows stronger the more she eats.

How convenient.

Though, conversely, it means she weakens when she’s hungry.

“Hum-hum-hum~”

Maybe this situation was enjoyable for Seolhwa. She hummed a lullaby-like melody and swung her legs.

She did this in the original story too.

The problem was, she did it while killing people.

I felt a slight unease remembering that.

A serial killer’s song, huh?

“Seolhwa, where did you learn that song?”

“Hum-hum-hum~ I don’t know. I just… remember hearing it a long time ago. Singing it makes me feel really nostalgic and warm.”

A song with no known origin.

Maybe it’s a song her parents sang to her, but since Seolhwa’s past wasn’t explored much in the original, I couldn’t be sure.

Well, it’s not like she’ll awaken as a serial killer now, so it doesn’t matter.

“Oppa, don’t you know any songs?”

“…Not really.”

I deliberately gave a vague answer.

I know plenty of songs, but most are probably forgotten in this era. If asked how I know them, I’d have no answer.

I’d just have to say I heard them somewhere.

“I see~”

“Seolhwa, let’s sleep now. We need to get up early and head out.”

“Okay.”

Seolhwa nodded vigorously, spread a blanket on the ground, and lay down.

Probably used to sleeping in such chaotic buildings from her time in the slums.

“Oppa, good night.”

“Yeah, you too.”

I pulled out a blanket, covered myself, and closed my eyes.

—————

“Now, Namyangju?”

I bent down to look at a moss-covered sign.

[Welcome to Namyangju!]

“It’s still here.”

Old and weathered, but the letters were still legible.

Once, you had to look up to see it, but now you have to look down.

It really hits you that this is an apocalyptic world.

“Two days.”

“We should reach our destination in a day or two.”

We arrived faster than expected, so it shouldn’t take long to get to our goal.

Once we arrive, we’ll search quickly and leave.

There’s a military presence in western Namyangju, so running into them could be troublesome.

“Hope nothing annoying happens on the way.”

“Boss, saying that…”

“Right, Oppa. You shouldn’t say that.”

“Sorry.”

But what could possibly happen?

I scratched my head and stepped over the sign, walking forward.

The other two followed behind me like ducklings.

“Boss, there’s talk of a survivor camp in Namyangju.”

“Really?”

“Apparently, it’s in northern Namyangju. Not as big as the Swamp Area, though.”

“Military in the west, survivor camp in the north. They might be connected.”

The military wouldn’t leave the survivor camp alone, and the camp would have to keep an eye on the military.

I’d rather not run into either.

“Mina, keep an eye out around us.”

“Got it. Leave it to me.”

Mina, now carrying half the load in my bag, nodded with a serious expression.

“Oppa, what should I do?”

“Just follow along.”

“Okay!”

Forward, and forward again.

We crossed the ruins of Namyangju, heading toward our goal.

But maintaining a clear line of sight in a building-filled area isn’t easy.

We climbed to the rooftop of a relatively intact commercial building to rest and unfolded a map.

“Mina, still nothing in sight?”

“No. It seems there’s no one around here.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But… from a bird’s-eye view, there’s something moving in the distance.”

“Something?”

“Yes. It’s hard to make out, but… it’s something big.”

“Hmm. A monster, or maybe a tank. Let me know if you see anything else.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Mina’s ability is truly unmatched for scouting.

Stealing others’ sight means no risk of being detected, and she can even use animal vision.

If we had communication devices on top of that, it’d be unbeatable. Sadly, in this era, communication devices are limited to phones or radios that only work in specific areas.

Both are hard to come by, so we’d have to check the black market in Seoul.

I’ll look into it after this job.

“Let’s finish eating here before moving on.”

“Okay.”

I pulled out food from my bag and distributed it.

“I’m getting sick of hardtack~”

“What can we do? There’s nothing more portable than this.”

I’m also tired of tearing open hardtack packs after two days.

We chatted occasionally as we ate.

Just as we finished eating and were cleaning up, Mina suddenly grabbed my hand and looked at me.

“Boss, there’s a strange monster roaming around…!”

Of course, things were going too smoothly.

I gritted my teeth at the unexpected complication.