Chapter 10

10====================

Preparing to Leave

Hyejin stayed in the bathroom for a long time. The accumulated grime of a lifetime was now surfacing on her skin. It wouldn't be easy to wash it off.

Thinking of his sister who had gagged at the smell of her own body, he chuckled for a moment before refocusing on the skill window in front of him.

There were the Blade Acrobatics skill he gained from choosing the Sword Demon class and five other skills waiting for his selection. He could only learn one of them, so he had to defer or abandon the other four.

"Hmm."

All five skills were active skills that required direct use. Although he had wanted a passive skill like Blade Acrobatics, there were still some skills he liked. Excluding the skills that involved swinging a sword, two remained.

"A new sense."

So far, he hadn't been able to feel any mana. According to his status window, he had 10 points of mana, but he couldn't sense anything other than his inner energy.

Mana might be an unknown force that he couldn't detect, like the effect of the Blade Acrobatics skill.

If that was the case, the skill to choose was clear. After a final moment of consideration, he selected the Mana Sense skill. He then activated it, examining the skill registered in the window without any issues.

Just by thinking about it, the skill activated.

At the same time, he felt a new sensation distinctly different from using his inner energy. Sehyun couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

The range was only about 5 meters, which was quite narrow. But it was truly a new sense.

The range and efficiency of the skill would likely improve as his level or stats increased. And this was definitely a useful skill.

"Not bad..."

He discarded his previous dismissive attitude towards skills.

If this was the case, the other active skills he had overlooked might also have their own uses. He needed to study them.

A short while later, he closed the skill window and opened the shop. A window with a completely different design from the skill window appeared, along with basic instructions.

It wasn't difficult to use.

When he selected a category, the corresponding items appeared in a grid on the right, sorted by quality and price. He could also search using keywords.

There were a few weapons and pieces of armor, several types of food that could be eaten or drunk, a couple of potions that healed wounds, replenished mana, or had detoxifying effects, and items that seemed completely useless in battle, like daily necessities. He was slightly taken aback to see that even pets like dogs and cats were for sale.

Currently, Sehyun had one yellow rune and five gray runes. The currency levels were gray, white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple, in that order. Thinking of a rainbow made it easy to remember.

He decided to save the yellow rune for now. With only five gray runes, the only thing he could buy was a small, round bread.

"Bread."

A seemingly trivial item, but in a world where society had collapsed, it could become incredibly important. Even in a stable world, food had often been used as a weapon. How much more so in this situation.

He bought a piece of bread as a test. After confirming the purchase, the space in front of him shimmered and distorted, and the bread he had bought floated out and hovered in the air.

The bread, which had been floating for a few seconds, slowly fell like a feather. Sehyun watched the bread fall to the ground over about ten seconds, shaking his head.

"Insane..."

It was a scene that couldn't help but elicit a curse.

By manipulating the system, bread appeared in the air and slowly fell to the ground. It was nothing short of a divine miracle.

Indeed, this Eredos system was something beyond his comprehension, something truly incredible.

He carefully picked up the small piece of bread and examined it. There was nothing unusual about it. When he tasted it, a sweet and sticky liquid, perhaps honey, flowed out, making it quite delicious. However, apart from that, there were no other special qualities.

While tasting the bread, he tried to predict how the world would change in the future. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't imagine how people would live or how society would function in the future.

One thing was certain.

This rune currency would become more valuable and powerful than any currency in history.

@

"Who was it?"

After a long time, Hyejin finally came out of the bathroom, dressed, and asked her first question. She seemed very curious about who had come looking for her while she was in the bathroom.

"The residents of this apartment building."

"Why?"

"They wanted us to hand over our food."

"…What? What did you do?"

"I drove them away."

Upon reflection, he hadn't given any warning. They might come back.

Hyejin also seemed worried about this, with a concerned expression on her face.

"What if they come back?"

"I don't know. We'll see what they do and decide from there."

If they acted maliciously, he would repay them in kind, or even more. Sehyun sat Hyejin on the living room sofa, still looking worried, and urged her to choose a class.

Just in case, he even tried washing his face, but there were no new or changed options. It was a disappointment.

In the end, after a long discussion, they decided to choose the Radiant Mage class.

Hyejin had wanted it, and there were no other classes that looked better.

While Hyejin completed her class change, selected her skills, and examined the skills and shop, Sehyun prepared dinner using the ingredients in the refrigerator. He chose the perishable items first, not knowing when the power might go out.

Honestly, he thought it might not be a very useful action.

If a few more of those pterodactyl-like monsters appeared, this apartment building would quickly be damaged and destroyed. To these monsters, the building would be nothing more than a buffet restaurant filled with delicious humans.

They would have to leave this place before they ran out of food. Feeling a bit melancholic, he was about to take a sip when he heard Hyejin's voice from behind.

"By the way, how long can we stay here?"

She seemed to have the same thought. After a brief silence, Sehyun answered calmly.

"I don't know. But I want to stay for a few more days. The situation might calm down, different from what we expect."

He thought the chances were slim, but there was always a possibility.

"We haven't paid off the mortgage on this house yet."

"Right."

Sehyun chuckled.

This was a home they had barely managed to afford by pooling all their savings, growing up without parents. It was a place they had a deep attachment to. That's how homes are.

In fact, Sehyun was more reluctant to leave than Hyejin. Just thinking about it made him uneasy, despite his unshakable mental fortitude from his experiences in other worlds.

During the 60 years he spent in the martial world, this place was the one he most longed for and desperately wanted to return to. His attachment to this home was no less than Hyejin's.

"Are you worried?"

"…Yeah."

Sehyun glanced back. Hyejin was sitting with a worried and lost expression.

"Don't worry too much. No matter what happens, we won't die or get hurt. You're in a much better situation than most people, right?"

Sehyun said this while striking a pose as if showing off his strength. Hyejin giggled, but the laughter didn't last long.

"…I still feel a bit dazed. Like I'm dreaming."

"I understand. It's too unrealistic to feel real right now."

The electricity was still on. While enjoying the conveniences of civilization, it was strange to think that monsters were roaming outside and people were dying in real-time.

"My chest feels tight."

Sehyun paused while cooking. He stopped what he was doing and immediately went to Hyejin.

"I know some medicine."

"Really?"

"Really. I read some medical books a few days ago. I know the basics, so I read them."

"So, what's my condition?"

"Try to relax and worry less. It might feel overwhelming, but there's no need to worry so much. You should do some stretching, at least."

"Okay."

Hyejin took a few deep breaths, then got up and started to stretch. Sehyun returned to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal.

This might be the last proper meal they would have at home. Thinking about it made him feel different.

Of course, it wasn't a good feeling.

@

Sehyun woke up in the early morning.

He sighed meaninglessly and went out of the room to open the refrigerator. While gulping down cold water, he heard strange noises coming from the front door in the living room.

After putting the water bottle on the table, he moved briskly towards the front door. As he extended his hand, his sword, Cheongwol, flew from his room and landed in his hand, just like in a movie.

With the sword in hand, Sehyun roughly put on his slippers and opened the door without hesitation.

Bang!

"Ouch!"

The man, who seemed to be trying to dismantle the electronic door lock, was holding various tools and fell to the ground when Sehyun roughly opened the door.

"What are you doing?"

He asked coldly.

The man who had been tampering with the front door and the others, who seemed to be holding kitchen knives, baseball bats, and machetes as weapons, looked flustered.

The man with the machete was the first to regain his composure and stepped forward.

"Student, we don't want to do this. They say all the other apartments have agreed to gather food. I heard you injured the people who came here?"

"So?"

"The way you talk… People shouldn't act like that. I'm saying again, we don't want to do this…"

"Shut up."

Swoosh—

Sehyun drew his sword. The men finally realized he was holding a sword and stepped back in shock.

============================ Author's Note ============================

I hope you enjoyed it, and please give a recommendation! (__)