Chapter 15
Scrap Farming (2)
In the desert lined with dunes that rippled like violent waves, there were scattered, incongruous tombs.
The tombs, buried in the sand like old men ruminating over faint memories, shimmered with fragments of the past.
I lifted my head and swept my gaze across the sea of sand that stretched beyond the horizon.
Countless graves were submerged in this sea of sand, where death had settled like a curse.
“Is there a monster or some animal that buries scrap metal or junk here?”
At the spot where I had spawned, I couldn’t see anything even if I searched with a fine-toothed comb.
But here, scrap metal and junk were scattered everywhere within sight.
For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of scrap and junk, but I quickly pulled myself together. After turning off the minibus engine, I stepped out and opened the trunk, asking Camilla:
“Is there a monster that collects scrap or junk here? Why is there so much?”
“Well, the world is wide; such monsters could exist. But I’ve never seen one here.”
“Then, what happened here? A war? Or a conflict between factions?”
Camilla shrugged.
“Who knows? It happened before I was even born. But whether it was a war or a factional conflict… whatever it was…”
Camilla started digging through a pile of sand near the minibus.
Inside were military equipment pieces, broken and left behind—gear that only high-ranking NPCs could use in the previous game.
[Net Helmet (Fragment)]
A device connecting the network and consciousness, allowing real-time information transmission and reception. Most of its circuits were torn apart by strong impacts.
When dismantled, it yields a small amount of steel and a small high-performance display.
※ Currently contains a human skull.
“See? Whatever happened here wasn’t good. That’s for sure.”
Camilla pulled the half-buried [Net Helmet (Fragment)] from the sand.
The skull it contained fell to the ground with a thud.
The genderless skull had a large hole, hinting at its grim fate. Unlike me, frowning at the thought of handling human remains and later dismantling or melting them, Camilla casually put on the goggles hanging around her neck and scanned the [Net Helmet (Fragment)].
“Considering the time it takes to dismantle it versus the materials you can get… not bad at all.”
She brushed off as much sand as possible and tossed it into the trunk.
“If the parts are worth the dismantling time, just brush off the sand and move them.”
I hesitated, but Camilla furrowed her brows and said:
“Hey, what are you waiting for? Move.”
It felt wrong to casually take items containing human remains. My past morals and instinctive unease made me pause, but I reminded myself this world wasn’t the one I’d lived in—it was a half-destroyed world.
“Mostly fantasy, though.”
In this apocalyptic world, conscience was more than useless—it was a luxury.
Trying to reason with my mind, I kept some shred of conscience by only taking junk and scrap that had no human remains and loaded them into the minibus.
“Phew… this is exhausting.”
I wiped sweat from my face after loading about 30 kg of scrap into the minibus trunk.
The golden sand, glittering under the bright sun, turned a dark brown where it got wet with sweat.
I leaned against the now-full minibus and looked around.
The sky was still cloudless, but the sun had tilted slightly from overhead.
The tombs scattered around had been dug up by our hands, and the previous landscape was no longer recognizable.
“You’re still working.”
Even amid this scene, Camilla continued diligently.
She repeatedly put on and took off her goggles, selecting usable scrap and junk, taking only the worthwhile items, and moving on to another location.
“Isn’t it tiring?”
I asked, watching Camilla move tirelessly. She noticed my gaze and looked at me leaning against the minibus.
Mouth moving, she said something. Thanks to my ability, which allowed me to see great distances like using a telescope, I read her lips:
“Hurry up, aren’t you working?”
She stopped her work, crossed her arms, and stared at me.
“Fine. I’ll work. Geez.”
Her actions screamed, “Move now, or else.” I hurried to the sand pile I had spotted.
“Ugh, this is hard.”
Coming back outside after a brief rest, the sun seemed even hotter, burning my skin.
“When I return, I need to make a transport robot or something.”
Tasks upon returning—tracking Camilla, building a transport robot, practicing alchemy—weren’t few. I sighed briefly.
I brushed the sand off something with my hands to check whether it was scrap or junk. Since it was buried under the sand and not even 1% visible, my abilities hadn’t triggered.
As I brushed the sand away, I sensed something strange and stopped.
“What the…?”
What emerged from the sand was unlike any scrap or junk I had uncovered—it had an unusual shape.
The sand-excavated items so far were all mangled or melted by explosions or strong impacts.
But this object was perfect—far more intact than any scrap or junk I’d seen.
“Is this… a lizard? Or a wyvern or dragon?”
Its original form was unknown, but it was a machine the size of a human head, big enough to easily bite a person.
It had reptilian skeleton-like and scaled exterior, eyes, nostrils, ears, lips, and even a third eye—almost lifelike.
“Gross taste.”
In this place full of human remains and ruined war gear, this machine was probably a war robot or tank.
Yet someone had given it a reptilian form.
“Not to die seeing a reptile, but still…”
I tried to use my ability to check if it was scrap or junk.
Suddenly—
The nostrils, which I had assumed were just decorative, opened, releasing a foul air. I froze stiff.
“Crap!”
If it was a machine, a war robot was still operational.
If it was alive, I had disturbed a sleeping creature.
Heart pounding, I forced myself to stand and activated my ability.
[Wild Lizard]
A livestock species bred for hundreds of years in the desert with minimal water and plants.
Docile, large, strong, and durable, capable of opposing most medium-grade monsters, often used as pack animals.
When old or permanently injured, they are slaughtered. Bones are used for furniture and tools, leather for clothing and ornaments, meat is delicious and valuable.
※ If wild, they are hostile and aggressive like other monsters.
※ Currently asleep.
“…”
I realized my ability could detect living monsters. Relief? Or despair at the fact it was a monster? I wasn’t sure.
Anyway, the lizard was asleep. I carefully moved to avoid waking it.
Sweat dripping from tension, I kept a safe distance. Then—
Beep! Beep beep!
The desert, once peaceful, resounded with the loud honk of the minibus.
I turned to see Camilla in the driver’s seat, staring at me.
Panicking at her attempt to honk more, I frantically made an X with my hands to signal her to stop.
She did stop, but it was too late.
A hot breath hit my back.
I slowly turned.
The massive eye of the lizard met mine.
I tensed; the lizard was groggy from sleep.
For a while, we just stared at each other.
“AAAAHH!!!”
“WAAAH!!!”
Without thinking, we screamed at each other.
I ran full speed toward the minibus, screaming for Camilla.
The lizard rolled its eyes, assessed the situation, and immediately stood up.
Sand cascaded off its body like a waterfall.
Covered in dust, it disappeared amidst the swirling sand.
Was it letting me go? Not at all.
It charged at me at incredible speed through the dust.
“Help me!!!”
I screamed toward Camilla.
She grimaced at the sight of me and the lizard, then started the minibus and drove away—not toward me, but in the opposite direction.
Betrayal and despair welled up as the minibus sped away.
“Damn it!!!”
I clenched my teeth and looked back. The lizard had closed the distance almost instantly.
Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!
I heard it snapping at the air near my head. Fear and tension froze me.
“If only I had a gun!”
With combat experience, I could have fought back or escaped. Making [Alchemist’s Lament] instead of weapons was a huge mistake.
“A gun was the priority!”
I ground my teeth and quickly thought of what I could do.
“Make a [homemade bomb]? No, not enough materials or time.”
No bullets either—alchemy-made weapons would be destroyed before use.
“Then what can I do?”
Running further would exhaust me. Desperate, I decided on a single method I had never tried before.
I scanned the surroundings with my ability, then drew mana from my body.
My heart pounded—was it fear or exertion?
Mana surged into [Alchemist’s Lament] faster than ever.
I crouched, placed both hands where my ability indicated, and—
Snap!
A cracking sound echoed.
