"Open Subspace Shelter."
A blue portal appeared at the spot I wanted.
It was just the right size for one person to pass through.
I'd said the words without much thought, figuring that was how I should open it.
Apparently, it didn't matter what I said.
I didn't even need to speak.
Just thinking about it was enough to open or close the portal.
If I found myself in danger, I could jump straight inside.
I might not even need to come out at all.
I stepped through.
"They said it was ten pyeong, but it's pretty spacious. Is that because I live in a studio apartment? Or maybe because there's nothing in here."
While the Waiting Room was entirely white, the Subspace Shelter was gray.
I touched the wall. It was hard and rough, like concrete.
It looked exactly like the inside of the shelters I knew about.
There was even a peculiar smell, the sort you'd expect to find in a parking garage.
It didn't smell as pleasant as the Waiting Room, but strangely enough, my anxious mind and body began to settle down.
What was this cozy feeling?
I felt more comfortable here than I did at home.
The moment I thought of this place as safe, sleepiness washed over me.
By the time I'd finished a grueling day of overtime and entered the Tower, it was already well past eleven at night.
I wanted nothing more than to sleep soundly for an entire day, but...
"This comes first. Is this all there is to the shelter?"
There was nothing else to see.
It seemed I'd have to fill the space myself.
What I needed to look at was the exclusive shop.
Apparently, I could buy things with Coins.
The first two purchase options displayed in the Trait's detailed information were for expanding the floor area and adding another story.
But I dismissed both without hesitation.
I had ten thousand Coins.
The prices were ten thousand and a hundred million Coins, respectively.
Ten thousand was my entire fortune.
Expanding an empty shelter would accomplish nothing.
I needed to furnish it first.
As though it had read my mind, a screen resembling an online shopping mall appeared right in front of me.
"That's more like it. It really is a System. It takes care of everything for you."
At the top were the words 'Subspace Shelter Shop.'
Beneath them were dozens of categories.
Most were locked and couldn't even be clicked.
That didn't matter.
I was looking for something that could attack.
"Is this it?"
I selected Security.
There, I found the only item that was lit up.
<Automatic Security Turret> (5,000 Coins)
Description: Fires bullets with low lethality but sufficient power to stop intruders. Boasts a 99.9% hit rate.
Attack Power: 5
Attack Speed: 0.5
[Abilities]
Fixed Attack Power
Automatic Targeting
Infinite Ammunition
"This is it."
Some of my worries eased.
I felt a little more certain I wouldn't die like this.
They said that even if the sky collapsed, there was always a way out!
But that relief didn't last long.
The numbers beneath the description were painfully clear: Attack Power 5, Attack Speed 0.5.
"...Bullshit."
No matter how many times I looked, the numbers didn't change.
Bullshit. Never before had that single word struck me so deeply.
Even the most worthless weapons had a base Attack Power of over 10.
But this thing had 5. A full fifty percent less.
Should I be grateful it wasn't even lower?
And that wasn't all.
Its Attack Speed was 0.5.
That meant one attack every two seconds.
Considering that even the slowest weapons generally attacked once or twice a second, the figure was downright miserable.
"Can I really clear Extreme with this?"
I tried to think rationally.
The stats were terrible, but in exchange, everything had been poured into its abilities.
"I don't have to fire it myself, and I don't have to buy bullets. And there's Fixed Attack Power."
There was hope.
Especially because of Fixed Attack Power.
It didn't matter how high the enemy's defense was.
Whatever happened, every attack would deal five damage. Guaranteed.
"Let's do this. I can do it!"
I had ten thousand Coins.
At five thousand apiece, I could buy two turrets in total.
I immediately bought both.
Remaining Coins: 0.
There was nothing else I could afford.
I'd have to make do with the turrets.
[Automatic Security Turret x2 has been moved to Storage.]
It worked like an inventory in a game.
I could put things in and take them out.
For now, the limit was ten items.
When I selected a turret in Storage, a translucent image appeared.
A thick rod rose from a stand supported by three legs.
Perched on top was the turret's body, complete with a barrel as thick as my forearm.
There were two of these menacing contraptions.
I could position them wherever I looked.
"So I can install them both inside and outside."
I didn't even need to think about what would happen if I installed them outside.
Unless I wanted them destroyed the instant I placed them, the only choice was inside.
I installed the two turrets side by side near the entrance.
They weren't exactly a good addition to the interior decor.
And the noise would probably be deafening inside the Subspace Shelter.
But this wasn't the time to worry about every little thing.
I could figure out a solution later.
Right now, staying alive came first.
All my preparations were complete.
I left the Subspace Shelter and stood before the door to the trial.
My heart hammered wildly.
I'd have only one chance.
There was no room for error.
If I was slower than those monster turtles, I'd die on the spot.
"If I could just summon the Subspace Shelter from inside the Waiting Room, I wouldn't have to do something this dangerous. But of all things, I can't even summon it beyond a wall less than a meter away!"
I steadied my breathing and opened the door.
[The trial of Extreme (1F) begins.]
[Defeat three Steroid Muscle Turtles (Lv. 146).]
[Steroid Muscle Turtle (Lv. 146): 0/3]
I had no time to read the System messages.
I opened the subspace directly in front of the door.
Then I dove inside.
"Safe!"
Even the tips of my toes made it in safely.
I patted myself down from head to toe.
The attack might have been so fast that I hadn't even seen it.
"I'm in one piece!"
Every part of me, including the important bits!
That was one less thing to worry about.
Beyond the Subspace Shelter, I could see the entire forest landscape of Floor 1.
But it was too early to relax.
The most important question remained.
'Can monsters really not enter without my permission?'
THOOM! THOOM!
The gunshots slammed against my ears.
The monster turtles weren't far away, so I could tell the shots had hit them.
Automatic Targeting and 99.9% accuracy, just as advertised.
THOOM! THOOM!
Another volley of bullets rang out.
At the same time, the monster turtles charged toward me.
Blood leaked from their wounds, but they kept coming.
They didn't show the slightest sign of pain.
Apparently, a measly five Attack Power barely counted as an attack.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
All I could do was pray.
I wanted to live as long as possible.
I didn't have any grand dreams.
I just wanted the same sort of life everyone else had. Nothing more, nothing less.
My life was far too pathetic to end here.
Especially after spending three years of my twenties working overtime!
Now that I'd finally Awakened, I wanted to live longer—
CLANG!
THOOM! THOOM!
CLANG!
"……"
I opened my eyes.
Three monster turtles were furiously hammering at the entrance to the Subspace Shelter.
Their attacks were so fast I couldn't even see them move.
The force didn't reach the shelter itself, but from the way the forest shook, I couldn't begin to gauge the power of their blows.
Attacks that would undoubtedly kill someone like me with the slightest graze.
CLANG!
THOOM! THOOM!
CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
They were blocked.
The transparent barrier at the entrance to the Subspace Shelter, which I'd passed through so easily, stopped every single attack.
Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. One minute. Ten minutes.
No matter how much time passed, nothing changed.
It blocked everything perfectly, without so much as a scratch.
[1 Durability consumed.]
[The Shelter will be maintained for 5 minutes.]
"So that's how Durability works."
Only then did I finally relax.
I'd been so tense that the strength drained out of my entire body.
"I thought I was going to die."
Who would've thought the very first floor would be this exhausting?
If only I hadn't ended up in this damned Extreme difficulty.
The dangerous part was over.
Now it came down to one of two things.
"Will the Subspace Shelter's Durability last longer, or will your bodies?"
Its total Durability was 500. At five minutes per point, that gave me 2,500 minutes, or 41 hours and 40 minutes.
That was plenty of time.
But could it hold out until then?
I moved farther away, curled up in a corner, and lay down.
The gunfire, the rough floor, and that peculiar parking-garage smell made no difference.
I'd worked overtime until after ten at night.
And once the tension I'd been holding onto so tightly finally eased, sleepiness swept over me.
The fact that the Subspace Shelter was completely safe helped too.
"……"
I fell asleep as though someone had cast a spell on me.
***
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
"Mmph. Huh? What's that noise?"
I shot upright.
Wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth, I hurried forward.
"Work. I've got to go to work. What time is it...?"
THUMP.
"Ow! What the hell?"
I forced my sleepy eyes open.
Instead of my cramped apartment, I found myself surrounded by a spacious gray room.
"Oh, right. I Awakened. And this is my ability."
Three straight years of commuting to work without a proper break had turned it into a reflex.
That damned company had ruined me in more ways than one.
"I can't believe I'm still thinking about work even after entering the Tower. Anyway, what was that noise?"
I didn't have to wonder for long.
[You have cleared the trial of Extreme (1F).]
[Successfully defeated three Steroid Muscle Turtles (Lv. 146).]
[Steroid Muscle Turtle (Lv. 146): 3/3]
[You are the first to clear the trial of Extreme (1F).]
[Your achievement will be announced worldwide.]
[800,000 Coins acquired.]
[Highest-Grade Mana Stone (S) x10 acquired.]
[Steroid Muscle Turtle Shell (S) acquired.]
[All stats increase by 5.]
[50 Stat Coins acquired.]
[For defeating the first intruders to your Shelter, you have received a Shelter Worker Draw Ticket (D).]
[The trial of Extreme (1F) has ended.]
[The trial of Extreme (2F) can be started after 24 hours.]
[You may clear Floor 1 repeatedly as many times as you wish.]
[23 : 59 : 58]
My mind went blank at the flood of messages filling my vision.
The rewards were worthy of what was supposedly the most difficult setting in the Tower.
I'd received prizes I never would've imagined for clearing a mere first floor.
"If these System messages appeared, does that mean I killed all the turtles?"
Outside the entrance, the first-floor trial area was drenched in blood.
Among the gore lay three monster turtles, reduced to mangled heaps so unrecognizable that I could barely make out their shapes.
It was pretty amazing that I'd managed to sleep soundly through all that.
[123 Durability consumed.]
[1 Durability restored every 10 minutes.]
Durability: 377
Ten hours and fifteen minutes in total.
I'd cleared the trial with much more time to spare than expected.
I'd been worried about what I'd do if they were still alive after 41 hours and 40 minutes.
"Let's head back to the Waiting Room first."
I had to wait 24 hours before I could go to Floor 2.
Besides, even worse monsters might be waiting up there.
I needed to prepare as thoroughly as possible.
But first, I had rewards to check.
After returning to the Waiting Room, I entered the Subspace Shelter again and examined them.
One reward stood out from all the others.
"What's a Worker Draw Ticket? It's a reward exclusive to my Trait."
I decided to set the other rewards aside for the moment and investigate this one first.
The instant I willed the ticket to appear, a rectangular slip of paper materialized in my hand.
I knew how to use it without anyone explaining.
I tore it apart without hesitation.
"Whoa!"
A brilliant white light burst forth.
It was so dazzling I couldn't even keep my eyes open.
Fortunately, the light soon faded, and I opened my eyes.
And there, before me...
[Using Shelter Worker Draw Ticket (D).]
[You have obtained 'Work Otter' (E) from the Shelter Worker Draw Ticket (D).]
"Nice to meet you! I'm 'Work Otter'!"
"……"
A brown, furry otter stood there.