4. Weapon Acquisition (1)

“Seonghun-ssi, what’s your plan now?” asked the glasses-wearing girl.

The grandmother, Ye-eun, and So-eun all turned to look at me at the question. Hmm. I can’t mention the status window or leveling up, but I should explain my general plans.

“I’ll go out daily to gather necessary supplies.”

And level up, of course. No-leveling up comes first. Gathering supplies is secondary.

The women looked surprised. Ye-eun stared at me with wide eyes. “You’re… going out?”

I nodded. “We’ll need various things.”

Most importantly, I need weapons. Something durable enough to handle those beast humans’ skulls without breaking easily.

The bespectacled girl looked at me with round eyes. “You’re so brave. I’m more of a homebody who likes gaming indoors. After seeing the news, I decided not to go out at all.”

I chuckled while eating dumpling soup. Staying home gaming sounds nice. I’d like that too.

“We need food. Toilet paper too. Earlier I saw stores just left open. We can just take what we need.”

“If you don’t get caught by the infected,” she added, chewing dumplings while looking at me with innocent eyes.

I smiled and nodded. “Right. If I don’t get caught, I’ll return.”

The grandmother sighed. “Oh dear, just stay home. Why go out? Those monsters attack and bite people.”

This granny’s different. Though her words say one thing, her slightly smiling eyes show she’s hoping I’ll bring something back. Clever old woman.

I maintained my smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

As long as it’s no more than five. Damn Strength stat… What happens when it hits zero? I’d rather not find out.

…Come to think of it, I just took out three. I slurped down the rest of my soup. “Whew. Feeling better now. Was in bad shape earlier from hunger.”

———-
Chosen One
[Specialization – Time Adjuster] [Level – 6]
[Title – Civilian]
Status
[HP – 5/7] [Senses – 2/2]
[Strength – 2/5] [Agility – 4/4]
[Mind – 0/8] [Intelligence – N/A]
[Allocation Points – 3]
Skills
[Active – Acceleration] (Auto-casting)
———-
…Damn it.
3 Strength points gone. My body feels fine-just the Strength stat drained. So one point per kill. Goddammit! Why do my worst suspicions always prove true? What happens at zero Strength? Can’t kill even with Acceleration?

I forced a smile while trying not to sigh. My current limit is five beast humans per day. For faster recovery: HP. For more kills: Strength. For more Acceleration uses: Mind.

Senses and Agility’s purposes are unclear, but given HP/Strength/Mind’s importance, they must have roles too. And Intelligence is N/A-it’s not that I’m unintelligent! Must refer to some stat function I don’t understand yet. Don’t even know what these five Soul Stones do either. So much unknown. Damn this “Chosen One” nonsense-some guidance would be nice.

“Seonghun-ssi, when are you going out? What will you get?” asked the glasses girl.

I tried answering calmly. “Well…” Weapons, obviously. No need to hide that here. “I’m thinking we need weapons. I have this pipe but…”

Oh shit. Left the expandable baton in the storehouse! I subtly closed my eyes, mentally cursing myself as an idiot before reopening them.

The bespectacled girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Weapons… I might be able to help with that.”

“Huh?”

She shrugged. “With the right equipment, I can make simple things. You have that pipe? The dirty one by the door?”

“Yes.”

“Then visit the hardware store.”

…! The hardware store! Of course! Why am I so stupid? Was only thinking of Daiso! Every neighborhood has hardware stores! Perfect for this situation-nowhere better for weapons!

I grinned genuinely. This girl-I like her. “Great idea. Been ages since I visited one. What should I get?”

She smiled at my expression. “Well, you could find axes or machetes there. Knives too.”

“Machetes at a hardware store?!” I asked, surprised.

“Of course. Machetes are tools, not weapons. Though they look like weapons.” I had no idea!

Nodding, I studied her. Really like this girl. Mechanical engineering, was it?

As I smiled at her, she gave me a slightly offended look. Damn, she’s cute.

“Oh, and if you find a welder and rods, bring those. I can attach that pipe to a kitchen knife-make a proper spear with a blade.”

“I like how you think. I don’t know the area well-could you draw a map?”

“Of course.”

I really like her. What was her name again? “Sorry, what was your name?”

“Ahn Su-hyeon.” She extended her hand again. I shook it.

“Han Seong-hun. Nice to meet you.” Genuinely pleased. A mechanical engineering student-I’ve found treasure. She’ll be incredibly helpful.

* * *

After eating, I got the rooftop room key from the grandmother.

The attic room is empty. Completely bare-just a fridge and stove in the kitchen area, curtains on the window.

As I stood surveying the vacant space, Ye-eun and So-eun brought up blankets and pillows. “Here, at least these…” “Ah, thanks.”

Blankets and pillows. Hah. I reek-sweated buckets. Tomorrow I’ll need to find clothes too.

“You’re really going out?” Ye-eun asked worriedly. Seeing her like this-she’s quite pretty.

I nodded. “Have to. Don’t worry.”

Behind her, So-eun hesitantly extended chocolate. “…Thank you,” she whispered.

I accepted it smiling. “I’ll enjoy it.” Then to both: “Good night.”

Ye-eun’s face remained shadowed. Closing the door, I understood her expression.

The grandmother wants me to bring supplies. Su-hyeon just knows it’s dangerous outside but seems indifferent. Neither has faced it directly-they’re just grateful someone will go.

But Ye-eun and So-eun know exactly what happens outside. Ye-eun saw me stab beast humans up close. They’ve experienced real mortal danger-their fear is different.

It’s the apocalypse. Sooner or later, everyone will face it. Best if they don’t, but there’s no guarantee of safety. Because it’s the end.

*shower sounds* The cool water refreshed me. “Haa…” Refreshing. Right-no overthinking tomorrow. Just the hardware store. Then clothes.

The next day, I woke in late afternoon. Had allocated 2 to Mind and 1 to HP (now 10 and 8) before crashing. Slept a solid 12 hours.

Changing, my sweat-stiff clothes felt disgusting. Forced them on and ate So-eun’s chocolate.

Alright. Time to go. If hungry, I’ll grab something from the convenience store.

Descending, I heard washing machine sounds. Downstairs, Ahn Su-hyeon was hanging laundry in the courtyard. Being outside shows her nerve.

Spotting me, she whispered, “Hello. Going out now?” I nodded silently. She handed me folded notebook paper-a hand-drawn map. “The map you wanted.”

…Hmm. I really like her. “Be careful, Seonghun-ssi.”

I smiled and nodded. “Ah-what’s the gate code?”

“I’ll give you my number. Call when returning.” We exchanged contacts. Damn-only 20% battery left. Need to charge. Should last until tonight.

“I’m off.”

“Be safe, Seonghun-ssi.”

Nodding, I stepped out. Just an empty Adidas backpack, pipe spear, and two Acceleration charges.

“Hoo…” Let’s go. To the hardware store.