Chapter 5

"Hey, wait a moment!"

The woman called out to me urgently.

"Hmm?"

She spoke cautiously to me, who was tilting my head in confusion.

"I'm really sorry, but... could you stay with me until the weekend? I'll pay you. My parents are coming this weekend... just until then."

"Money? What good is money in this world?"

"I think you should go to the police or a shelter."

I'm barely surviving on my own.

Regrettably, I shook my head.

"Just a few more days, please..."

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes.

"Then, what can you do?"

"I can cook a little. And in this situation, two people are better than one, right? There will definitely be times when I'll be needed."

'Cooking...'

Suddenly, the task of registering a villager came to mind.

'Right, I need to register a villager to earn points.'

There's a defense tower too.

It should be fine for a few days.

"This container is my home. As you can see, it's shabby, but will it be okay?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Then it should be fine for a few days."

'First, let's complete the task.'

If it doesn't work out, I can deregister and expel her.

At least within this territory, I have absolute power.

"Thank you so much. My name is Park Soojin."

"Yes, Soojin."

Soojin got up and bowed deeply to me.

'Hmm?'

Rumble.

A faint vibration ran through the tower.

'Could it be because of Soojin?'

Swallowing hard, I carefully touched N.

'This is about registering a villager.'

I touched the word "villager" in the status menu.

'Huh?'

A virtual cross appeared in front of me.

When I turned my gaze to Soojin, it turned green.

After a moment, a circle formed around the green cross.

'Like a VR game.'

As the circle completed, the status message updated.

I nodded and pressed Y towards Soojin.

"Ah! What's this?!"

Soojin waved her hands in front of her face and screamed.

"Uh, uh. I did that."

"Really?"

"To properly use the facilities, you need to be registered as a villager."

Preparing for the long haul.

"Villager? What's that? Do I have to do it right now?"

"To use the facilities here."

"Can I do it later?"

Soojin huddled defensively.

"Yes, that's fine."

'Hmm. What will happen to this woman if I register her as a villager...?'

It was frustrating.

I couldn't force a stranger to register as a villager.

While I was thinking, the woman went outside and pointed at the tower.

"What's this? A watchtower?"

"Yes, something like that."

"There's a building next to it..."

'Research facility!'

I approached the research facility and opened the door.

Creak.

However, the door was locked.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open it.

I shrugged and opened the status menu.

- Level: 4

- Rank: Pioneer

- Points: 2

- Developable: [Upgrade Defense Tower: 3 Points] [Build Food Storage: 1 Point] [Build Sanitation Facility: 1 Point] [Upgrade Research Facility: 3 Points]

- Registered Villagers: None

'Fortunately, I have exactly two points.'

It seemed possible to solve the issues of eating and hygiene.

"What's your name?"

The woman asked me.

"My name is Seo Jin-woo."

"Ah, Jin-woo. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

A calm demeanor, in contrast to her earlier outburst.

"Would you like to rest for a moment?"

I led Soojin into the container.

'My awakening ability must have come directly from the game.'

Fantasy Civilization Construction VI.

A popular series with a strong random element and a roguelike playstyle.

No save function, and no undoing decisions.

Once the game starts, it continues until it ends.

Win or die.

I was a rotten player with over 20,000 hours of playtime.

One of the game company's promotional screenshots even featured a city I had built.

My lengthy tips were downloaded millions of times and translated worldwide.

My strategies were recognized as the gold standard for gameplay.

I took a deep breath.

'I can do this.'

If the world has changed this much, I'll survive to the end.

In the game, the early stages focus on exploration and building up for conquest.

But this is reality.

First, I need to solve the basic problems of food and hygiene.

'Hmm. I should build a food storage and a sanitation facility first.'

I can manage with rough meals and basic hygiene on my own, but with Soojin here, that's not an option.

I touched the option to build a food storage.

'Stored food.'

I touched Y, thinking of the ox bone soup I had packed.

A map appeared in the status menu.

I touched the area next to the container.

Rumble.

The ground shook as materials flew through the air and formed a building.

A simple single-story cement warehouse.

Even the slightly rusted metal door.

Startled by the sudden vibration, Soojin ran out of the container.

"What, what is this?"

The suddenly appearing building.

Soojin's eyes widened in surprise.

Without a word, I opened the warehouse door.

It was as wide as a large supermarket.

Shelves lined the walls.

'Now, I just need to put the food here, right?'

"What is this place?"

Soojin entered the warehouse.

I explained the function of the warehouse.

Soojin's eyes widened as she pointed at the shelves.

"Food will keep generating here? How...?"

"Since the world has changed with portals and monsters."

I placed the packed rice, ox bone soup, and kimchi on the shelves.

"Oh, then... wait a moment."

Soojin rummaged through her bag and took out a chocolate bar and a bottle of water.

"Let's put these here too and see if they keep generating."

"Sure."

I went outside and closed the door.

"Is it done?"

"Let's check."

We went back into the warehouse and took out the food.

'Please work...'

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

"There it is!"

The ox bone soup, side dishes, chocolate bar, and water were still on the shelves.

"Let's eat."

We silently shared the generated food.

The long day was drawing to a close as the sun set in the west.

'I need to take a shower.'

'Oh, good.'

I had been using the Sujeong Station restroom for my needs.

A quick wash and occasional visits to the public bath were enough.

I touched Y and selected the area next to the food storage.

Rumble.

The ground shook again.

Construction materials combined to form a small building next to the warehouse.

'Just a toilet?'

To think that a small building would include both a bathroom and a shower...

Disappointed by the modest size, I opened the door.

"Wow. What is all this? Incredible!"

Soojin exclaimed as she looked inside.

A neighborhood bathhouse, complete with towels, cold and hot baths, and a sauna.

Hot water flowed, and the bathroom was clean.

From the outside, it looked like a small one-square-meter building.

But the inside was impossibly spacious.

'Some kind of pocket dimension?'

I turned on the water and sprayed it around.

I grabbed a towel and some toilet paper and went outside.

Soojin's eyes were full of curiosity.

"To see if it works like the food storage."

"Ah!"

Soojin watched my actions with anticipation.

Creak.

'Sure enough!'

When I went back inside, the water I had sprayed had dried up, and the towel and toilet paper had been refilled.

'Finally, I can live like a human being.'

The defense tower for security.

Endlessly generating ox bone soup.

Hot water and a clean bathroom.

Now, it's just a matter of enduring.

As the sun set and night fell, the surroundings were enveloped in complete darkness.

The government had started a rotating blackout to conserve power.

The streets were pitch black with the streetlights off.

A few lights in the distant apartments were all that remained.

'Sleeping is the problem.'

Only one bed.

I scratched my head and spoke.

"Soojin, you can take the bed. It's a bit dirty, but..."

"No, it's fine. The bath was warm, so I can sleep there."

Soojin waved her hands.

"No, it's fine. I'm just uncomfortable. You can sleep inside."

"No, I..."

"Wait."

Soojin tilted her head.

"Why?"

'I remember there was a sofa in the research facility.'

The illustrations of each building, which no one paid attention to.

The sketch of the research facility's interior showed a sofa, chairs, and a table.

I approached the still-locked research facility and shook the door.

Creak.

'How do I open it?'

A message with an X appeared in the status menu.

'Oh, right.'

I had forgotten.

In the game, villagers flocked to the territory as soon as it was declared, so I had forgotten the basics.

"Soojin, sharing the generated food was fine, but to use the facilities, you need to be registered as a villager."

Soojin looked around the sanitation facility.

'It should be fine. As payment for staying here.'

Registering Soojin as a villager would give me points.

Though I didn't say it, it was a give-and-take relationship.

I touched the villager registration.

The aim appeared, and I selected Soojin.

"Do you want to register as a villager? There's Y and N. What does that mean?"

"Just think of it as a declaration to live in this area."

Soojin nodded.

"Okay, I'll try. Thank you."

Soojin smiled and touched the air.

Three points were added.

'Huh? What's this about Awakened collaboration?'

"Jin-woo, this is strange."

Soojin sat down, trembling, and pointed at the air.

"Why?"

"Congratulations. It says I've been selected."

'Awakening?'

"Congratulations, Soojin."

"Really?"

"Don't worry, just wait a bit."

"Just wait?"

"Of course. It might take some time, so why don't you look around inside?"

I opened the research facility door.

'As expected.'

Just as in the illustration.

A scene straight out of a medieval noble's study.

The bookshelves on the walls were filled with books, and there was a large desk and a comfortable leather chair.

Candles placed around the room provided a warm glow.

"Sofa! Nice!"

The sofa in the corner looked grand, like something from a high-end hotel.

'Much better than the bed.'

Feeling good, I sat in the chair and leaned back.

'Comfortable.'

"The last content you experienced will manifest?"

Soojin muttered, looking at the air.

'Is the ability predetermined?'

Soojin's face, which had been standing at the entrance, turned red.

"Why? What ability did you get?"

"No, nothing."

"Huh? Why? What's wrong? Tell me."

Soojin continued as she looked around the research facility.

"What were you doing when you awakened, Jin-woo?"