Chapter 15

Gray forest.

Whoever built it, it seems pretty well-made.

I wondered if it was the wear and tear of time or if an ability user had torn it apart as I climbed over the collapsed building debris.

“Every convenience store has been looted; there’s nothing left to take.”

Well, it’s close to the swamp area, so it’s only natural.

If I want to find meaningful supplies, I’ll have to search convenience stores further away.

But honestly, instead of rummaging through a convenience store that’s been closed for over 10 years, it’s better to just look elsewhere…

I turned my gaze from the convenience store to the chicken restaurant across the street. Once a hugely popular franchise, infamous for raising prices and getting roasted for it.

The once-thriving shop is now just a skeletal frame, a stark reminder that this world is on the brink of apocalypse.

Chicken hasn’t completely disappeared from this world, but it’s become a dish you can only really find in Seoul.

Should I be grateful that Seoul is still a republic? I’m not sure.

“I want some green onion chicken…”

Muttering nonsense, I kept moving forward. Occasionally, I’d run into other hunters, but we’d just nod and go our separate ways.

Fighting among hunters is common, but it’s not an everyday occurrence, and picking fights in this world is just plain crazy.

If the other person happens to be a top-tier ability user, you’d end up as one of the scattered skeletons you see around here. Starting a fight is basically suicide.

Even if you go around picking fights like a mad dog, there’s no guarantee you’ll make it back to the swamp area alive.

Still, there are some who cause trouble, but…

Even rookie hunters know it’s not a wise choice, so Namhansanseong is surprisingly quiet.

Well, not completely quiet.

Gunshots, shouts, and the sound of something unknown howling.

I pulled out a steel ball the size of a bouncy ball from my pocket.

Since I couldn’t get a gun, this steel ball is my last resort.

This will be my secret weapon for a while.

I recalled the memory of delivering the final blow to the Security Chief and placed the steel ball on my thumb.

Press, pull.

I applied as much force as possible, balanced it, adjusted the angle, and then removed the gravity…

The steel ball shot off with a sonic boom.

A speed hard to track with the naked eye.

Followed by a crunching sound of something breaking.

This should be enough.

If it can pierce concrete by a finger’s width, it shouldn’t be too hard to punch a hole through a regular person.

The range is a bit short, though…

But at least I have some means of long-range attack, so it’s fine.

I practiced by wrapping repulsion around my clothes.

It’s still a bit uncomfortable since it requires a lot of focus, but it should be enough to block pistol bullets.

I really want to be a Quaker.

If I were Quaker-level, I wouldn’t even need to be a hunter. I could just join some group, use my abilities to climb to a high position, and live comfortably. Or I could just rush to spots with valuable items, loot them, and sell them off.

No, actually—

“If you’re going to reincarnate me, can’t you just drop me in a peaceful place?”

I’d rather be in an academy story… no, that’s its own kind of hell. Maybe fantasy… nope, that’s hell too.

Is there no paradise in the world I’ve been reincarnated into?

If I’d known, I would’ve written myself into a peaceful novel with 5,700 characters.

At least then I’d start with a solid grasp of the original story.

Chewing on my frustration instead of gum, I crossed through the ruined buildings.

In the original story, there was supposed to be a Dottle’s on the 5th floor of a building.

It’s from a recent episode, so I still remember.

I unfolded the map and marked it with an expensive pen.

Just writing down the names of chicken restaurants, eateries, and convenience stores made the map somewhat usable.

My drawing skills are crude, but as long as I can understand it, that’s all that matters.

How long had I been walking while making the map?

From a distance, I spotted a familiar yet unfamiliar sign.

Dottle’s.

Once the fast-food chain with the most stores in the country… but here, it’s just a relic of the past.

The company went bankrupt after the war.

The chicken restaurants around here probably met the same fate.

I shook my head, trying to erase the bustling scenes from less than a month before my reincarnation.

Longing for a place I can’t return to only brings sadness. Now that I’m a resident here, I need to focus on surviving.

Hesitation will only hold me back.

Pushing the nostalgia out of my head, I stood in front of the Dottle’s sign and looked around.

The once-shiny red sign had faded over time, and the entrance had been smashed long ago by someone who’d passed through.

It’s only natural, given it’s an area you can reach within an hour or two of walking.

Carefully, I stepped inside Dottle’s.

Surprisingly, the interior was relatively clean.

It occurred to me that someone might have taken the chairs and tables to use elsewhere, and I let out a hollow laugh.

Hunters risking their lives to fight over Dottle’s chairs and tables.

In a world like this, it’s not that strange, but it’s still kind of funny.

“Well, here, even plastic models sell for a high price…”

No one produces plastic models anymore. Sure, 3D printers still exist, but using such precious resources to make toys is insane.

Of course, in this crazy world, there are crazy people. In the original story, a wealthy man collected hard drives and USBs with modeling data from the old world and used a 3D printer to create displays.

Basically, he gathered otaku figures and held an exhibition in a museum.

Thinking about it, I’m kind of jealous of that lunatic.

While I’m out here rummaging through dusty ruins for something valuable, that guy’s enjoying his hobby in this half-collapsed world.

Sigh, whatever.

I’ve got work to do.

Carefully, I stepped through the inner door of Dottle’s into the hallway.

The building, riddled with cracks and damage, looked like it could collapse at any moment, but it would take years for that to happen. For now, it’s fine.

I quickly moved through the hallway to the emergency staircase entrance.

…What happened to make the stairs collapse?

Judging by the sunlight streaming from above, it seems the upper part collapsed, completely blocking the way down.

The stairs would’ve been the easiest route. Now, the only option is to take the elevator or find another staircase.

Let’s try the elevator first.

Without hesitation, I turned and headed toward the elevator.

Luckily, the elevator wasn’t far from the stairs.

One side was open, the other closed.

The open side revealed nothing but pitch-black darkness.

Either it’s up there… or it’s fallen.

But checking would be a hassle.

I’d have to go up.

Going up is easy, but I don’t want to waste too much time.

If I go up, I’ll have to use my abilities, and repeatedly going up and down would drain my stamina.

Given that I still need to be careful with my ability usage, it’s not a good choice.

If I want to conserve stamina and achieve my goal, I’ll have to take the risk.

“…It’ll work out somehow.”

If I don’t get the item I’m after this time, I’ll only suffer losses.

There are other valuable items from the original story, but I don’t know their exact locations, and they’re too far away.

I really have no choice.

Carefully, I removed the repulsion I’d wrapped around my body and activated gravity.

Strengthening the gravity pulling me down, it felt like I was riding an elevator going up.

If I could control it more precisely, this unpleasant sensation would disappear, but I’m not at that level yet.

“Let’s head down, then.”

Walking down the wall into the abyss-like darkness.

Still, it’s better than running through a hail of bullets, but it’s still unsettling.

According to the original story, down there is…

Huh. Let’s not think about it.

I started walking vertically down the elevator shaft.