Chapter 9: Promotion (4)

Loot. Items that drop in physical form when zombies are killed, separate from Coins.

Ha-eun’s group discovered the existence of loot yesterday. They had obtained a skillbook from zombies encountered while raiding a grocery store.

The problem was that none of the group members could use the skillbook.

[Skillbook: Wind Cutter]

[Class Restriction: Mage, Spirit User]

Still, they decided to keep it just in case, thinking it might come in handy. Eun-ji held out the skillbook and said:

“Couldn’t we put this up for auction?”

“That’s a good idea. The skillbooks were listed as items earlier, after all.”

“Then how much should we list it for?”

“Hmm, the shop price is 1,500 Coins.”

Min-cheol muttered as he examined the shop.

But if it was the same as the shop price, there’d be no reason to buy it at the auction house. As they pondered for a moment, Tae-min offered his opinion:

“Let’s list it for 500 Coins.”

“That much? Isn’t that too expensive?”

“I agree. It’s three times cheaper than the shop price, so I think it’ll sell quickly.”

Unlike Eun-ji who expressed concern, Min-cheol judged it would sell well enough. Since two out of three agreed, Ha-eun decided to go with the majority.

“Okay, I’ll register it then.”

Ha-eun nodded and registered the item at the price they had just discussed. Just then, Tae-min belatedly added:

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, this was an auction, wasn’t it? Then we should set a minimum bid price too…”

“I’ve already registered it.”

“…Looks like it’s too late now.”

Tae-min laughed awkwardly.

Nothing could be done at this point. Anyway, it was cheaper than the shop price, so someone would probably buy it.

As they were consoling themselves with this thought.

“Um, this is just my opinion, but…”

Eun-ji gently raised her hand.

Then she spoke in a cautious tone:

“In the current situation, would there be any survivors who’ve gathered 500 Coins, such a large sum?”

“Hmm, that’s…”

The three fell silent at once.

Now that they heard it, it made sense.

Even if they pooled all the Coins the group currently had, it wouldn’t even reach half of 500 Coins, let alone the full amount.

After pondering for a moment, Tae-min turned to Ha-eun.

“Is there no way to cancel what you’ve registered?”

“It’s possible if no one has bid, but there’s a cancellation fee.”

“How much is it?”

“30 percent.”

“…That’s highway robbery.”

Min-cheol clicked his tongue.

30 percent meant they’d have to pay 150 Coins to cancel, which was too much to pay as a fee.

“Oh, it says if there are no bidders for 24 hours, it’s canceled without a fee.”

“Well, that’s some consolation at least.”

If it was canceled, they could just register the item again later. Meanwhile, as Ha-eun looked around the auction house again, she noticed something peculiar.

“And it looks like there’s a comment system too.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“It seems to be a place where you can leave reviews about items.”

“Really? What are they saying about the one you listed?”

“That it’s expensive.”

Who would pay this much money for it?

The skill itself isn’t even that good, and so on.

A string of negative reviews had been posted. Watching this, Ha-eun realized that sellers could leave comments too, so she immediately typed a response.

[Seller]: But it’s still cheaper than the shop price.

The moment Ha-eun’s comment was posted.

Numerous replies followed below it.

Negative evaluations, just like the ones written earlier. Ha-eun frowned, and the group who had been watching this process tried to comfort her.

“Don’t worry about it. If it doesn’t sell, we can just adjust the price and list it again.”

“That’s right. Let’s just get some rest for today.”

“You never know. Maybe the Lightning Mage who’s been devastating this area for the past few days will buy it?”

The Lightning Mage.

That’s what Ha-eun’s group called the mage who dropped lightning every 2 hours.

The reason ‘fire’ was added in front of lightning was because, for about three days now, unexplained fires had been burning zombies.

The flames only disappeared after reducing dozens of zombies to ashes, and as this phenomenon repeated regularly, they finally realized it was the mage’s skill.

“That makes sense. If it’s a mage, they’ve probably gathered quite a lot of Coins by now.”

Lightning striking eight times a day.

Consecutive fires and shining arrows piercing zombie heads. The number of zombies the mage hunted was on a different level compared to Ha-eun’s group.

So it was assumed they must have that many Coins. Ha-eun silently nodded, seeming to agree with their words.

“So let’s not worry and just rest.”

“Yeah, let’s eat dinner.”

Eun-ji smiled brightly and handed Ha-eun the bread they had obtained today. Ha-eun took it, opened the bag, and was about to put the slightly stale bread in her mouth.

And at that moment.

[Your registered item has been sold.]

A notification message arrived.

Surprised, Ha-eun inadvertently dropped the bread, and Eun-ji hastily caught the falling bread and asked:

“You startled me. What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Oh, well…”

“Did your hand lose strength or something?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Ha-eun rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

Then she looked around at the group and said blankly:

“I think the skillbook sold.”

“What? Really?”

Ha-eun nodded again.

Then came the follow-up notification messages.

[20% sales fee will be deducted.]

[Final settlement amount: 400 Coins]

[Coins will be credited.]

Soon after, the number on her palm changed.

When she showed this to the group, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow, it really sold, huh?”

“Huh? But why is it 400 Coins?”

“Well, the sales fee is 20 percent.”

“They really are thieves.”

Min-cheol said, sounding exasperated.

“Anyway, it’s a big haul.”

“It is. From now on, we should put all such loot up for auction.”

“But who could have bought it?”

“Who knows. Maybe it really was the Lightning Mage.”

Tae-min shrugged.

There was a simple way to confirm this.

If after today, a skill presumed to be Wind Cutter activated in empty space, it would mean Tae-min’s guess was correct.

“Then let’s divide this fairly too.”

There were four people in the group. Coincidentally, the sales amount was exactly 400 Coins. Ha-eun divided the skillbook’s sales proceeds among the group, and they started their meal with brightened faces.

Afterwards, Ha-eun’s group continued to chat about the auction house as the night gradually deepened.

And that night.

Han-seong had gained an additional 500 Coins in just one day. It was the result of using four spells: Call Lightning, Magic Arrow, Tinder, and Wind Cutter.

“Phew, this should be enough, right?”

There was only one reason he had so desperately gathered Coins. It was to get his hands on the Inventory skillbook he had bid on at the auction house earlier.

If there was a survivor who had outbid his offer, he would bid a higher amount to ultimately purchase the skillbook.

“It’s almost closing time anyway…”

The deadline was 12 hours from the initial bid.

With about 30 minutes left until the deadline, Han-seong nervously entered the auction house.

Praying that any outbidding amount wouldn’t be too high. And not long after, Han-seong’s worry soon turned out to be unfounded.

[Item for Sale]: Skillbook – Inventory

[Acquisition Condition]: 1st Tier, 1-star grade

[Initial Bid]: 1,000 Coins

[Current Bid]: 1,100 Coins

Because no one else had placed a bid.

Han-seong was surprised for a moment, but soon smiled. However, that smile quickly faded from his lips.

‘No, I can’t let my guard down.’

There was a possibility that someone with more Coins than him was waiting. To outbid just before the deadline.

So Han-seong, preparing for any possibility, touched the outbid button and entered an additional 500 Coins. Ready to press the button the moment the amount changed, watching until the very end.

Tick tock!

The sound of the clock hands seemed particularly loud.

As time decreased, Han-seong widened his eyes and swallowed dryly. 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute, then past 30 seconds to 10 seconds.

Han-seong tensed his finger, counting down.

Time passed mercilessly, and soon a notification message appeared before his eyes.

[Congratulations!]

[You have won the auction.]

[Skillbook: Inventory]

Along with the message, a book wrapped in a halo of light appeared. Han-seong, receiving it with trembling hands, burst into laughter without realizing it.

“Ha, haha…”

To think there would be no other bidders.

Does this mean what the comments said was true, that no survivors have gathered this much in Coins yet?

Well, in a way, it couldn’t be helped.

Han-seong could freely use skills because his survival and safety were guaranteed, but other survivors wouldn’t be in the same situation.

‘Anyway, thanks to that, I got it easily.’

It was practically the same as buying at the lowest price.

Han-seong couldn’t hide his joyful smile.

[You have acquired Inventory.]

[Acquisition Target: Remote Support Mage]

[The skill will be modified to fit your class.]

[Remote: Inventory (Lv.2)]

-Store items existing at specific coordinates in the inventory. Also, release items stored in the inventory to desired coordinates.

▷Collection Range: Up to 100m

▷Designated Range: 1.5m

▷Storage Capacity: 3㎥

▷Mana Cost: 150

▷Cooldown: 2 hours 50 minutes

(Storage and release each have separate cooldowns.)

Han-seong’s jaw dropped when he saw the skill description.

There were two parts that surprised him.

‘The collection range is wider than I thought.’

Being able to collect items within a 100-meter radius meant he could pick up things from all the convenience stores in that range right away.

‘And the capacity is considerable too.’

A typical refrigerator used by a family of four in a household is about 800 to 900 liters.

But a storage capacity of 3㎥ means it can store up to 3,000 liters. It’s like having a virtual warehouse the size of three or four refrigerators.

‘The long cooldown is a bit disappointing, but still, this is very good.’

Han-seong smiled with satisfaction.

Then he opened the map. To use the skill he had just acquired right away.

“Let’s see, first…”

It would be good to secure food first.

He had already consumed about half of his bottled water, and he was getting tired of eating crushed ramen noodles.

The target became the convenience store beyond the back door of the officetel. Han-seong first used Precise Observation to examine the exterior and interior of the convenience store.

“There are some zombies.”

Should I clear those out first?

Before activating Inventory, Han-seong first activated Wind Cutter. And quickly dealt with the zombies inside the convenience store.

“Good. Now it’s clean.”

Han-seong looked inside the convenience store again.

It seemed there had been quite a commotion, as the interior of the convenience store was in utter chaos.

Among these, the relatively decent parts were the refrigerator filled with various drinks. And the canned food shelf right in front.

‘The collection designated range of Inventory is 1.5 meters.’

In other words, it means only items within that range can be stored in the inventory.

So he made an estimate for the most efficient storage, and finally pinpointed the optimal coordinates.

‘A place that includes both drinks and canned food.’

Han-seong touched those coordinates.

And activated the skill.

[Activating skill.]

[Remote: Inventory (Storage)]

[Storing all items at the coordinates.]

As soon as the notification message ended.

The designated area disappeared entirely.

As if a giant had taken a bite out of it. Han-seong was startled by this sight.

“What? Even the floor…”

Everything within the designated range, including the ceiling and floor, was stored in the warehouse. After checking the inventory, he confirmed that even the floor tiles and the refrigerator were stored whole.

“Ugh, I’ll have to dispose of this separately later.”

It just takes up space and is useless.

After finishing that thought, Han-seong activated Inventory once again. This time, not for storage, but for release.

[Remote: Inventory (Release)]

[Please select the items to release.]

Fortunately, it seems that when taking out stored items, you don’t have to take everything out at once. Han-seong sighed in relief and selected the drinks and canned food.

A short while later.

Thud! Thud thud thud! Thud!

Drinks and canned food fell from thin air.

Food obtained so easily.

Han-seong, who had been blankly watching this scene, finally realized. That he no longer had to worry about food problems for a while.