Chapter 6: Android is so smart

To Levi…

No, even before that, it seemed that I, a living human, was more valuable than I thought to the android.

“Then… will you stay with me from now on, Levi?”

“Of course, Chanwoo. You are the last surviving human of the species that was believed to be extinct. And as an android born to ensure the victory of humanity, I have an obligation to protect someone like you.”

“But androids are usually wandering the world with the goal of exterminating aberrant life forms. I might have to live in this jungle-like Seoul for the rest of my life. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course. The reason our androids strive to exterminate aberrant life forms is also for humanity. In other words, as long as I assist you and eradicate only the aberrant life forms that would target you, my existence will be without question or doubt.”

Levi said this while firmly holding both of my hands.

It was as if she was saying that she had been through a lot until now and was now asking me to rely on her.

Such a warm touch from the android made my heart feel unexpectedly moved.

It had been a long time since I had received such consideration.

Suddenly, my eyes became hot, embarrassingly enough, and I realized it was an unmanly feeling.

“If it’s something that Chanwoo-nim has commanded, I will do my best to help with ‘anything’.”

‘Maybe it was because I had just gotten out of the bare bed, but just looking down slightly, everything was visible. It was especially uncomfortable around my lower body.’

Truly, in a manly way.

“Ahem! Ah, I understand, but how about putting your clothes back on first, Levi?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. As an android, I am nothing more than a mere machine, and I wanted to ask you, Chanwoo-nim, for something. But I ended up showing you something ‘unseemly’…”

“…? No, it wasn’t really unseemly…”

“From now on, I will make sure that the exposure of my body will be minimized, so there will be no such incidents again.”

“What?”

‘Why did the conversation suddenly take this direction?’

In a hurry, Levi quickly started putting on her bodysuit again, looking for something to cover up, checking the inventory between her chest valleys.

Her actions were similar to a “suicidal act” in a game where exposure is closely linked to defense.

“Stop!”

“Chanwoo-nim?”

Seeing a situation that reminded me of something inappropriate, I immediately stopped Levi.

And just like humanity teaches the AI what “adult content” is, I decided to teach her one of the “human communication methods” since she was still unaware of such things.

“Levi. That’s something I can never tolerate.”

“Tolerate? What do you mean?”

“The words you just said were something that came from ‘etiquette.'”

“Etiquette…?”

“Yes. There’s a type of communication among humans where they intentionally act modest, in a way that shows consideration for the other person.”

“…! Humans communicated that complicatedly?”

This was probably influenced by the soul-like style of communication, where there weren’t many NPCs that could actually communicate.

In Star Child, conversations between androids were mostly limited to simple “Yes” or “No.”

So, Levi seemed quite shocked by the human style of communication, which involved sarcasm and consideration.

“Yes. If you openly say something like ‘Your chest looks nice, I want to grope it!’… the other person would be embarrassed, right? So you pretend to decline and just ‘admire’ subtly.”

“Oh, oh! I see now. Our android conversations are typically just for clear information transfer, so I never expected something like this!”

“Right. Well, androids don’t really have the chance to communicate much, so I understand.”

It was like Levi was a curious elementary school student, nodding repeatedly with both her head and chest in agreement.

But then…

“I’m sorry, Chanwoo-nim. Then from now on, I will try to wear even more revealing clothes!”

“?! No, not to that extent…”

“Oh. So this is also a part of human communication, right? I’ve already learned it.”

As expected, an android.

Her learning speed was far beyond what I expected from a human.

She had already grasped the essence of what I was saying.

“On the surface, I acted modest, but inside, you wanted me to wear clothes that shake my chest and run around, right?”

“Oh… you’re getting good at this.”

“I’m just doing my best. As an android from a combat unit tasked with protecting humanity, I will make sure to understand this kind of training from now on.”

“Good, then I’ll leave it to you, Levi.”

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you as well, Chanwoo-nim.”

When I first woke up in this apocalyptic world, I thought I was doomed.

In fact, today alone, I nearly died more than twice.

But now, because I have a ‘comrade’…

With Levi, an android who knows only combat, and another person who is skilled in other things, I felt like I might be able to survive and navigate through this world.

More than anything, I vowed while shaking hands with Levi again that I would definitely achieve greater results than the original story, and create my own ‘utopia’ in this terrible world.

***

The next day…

As soon as morning broke, I was able to wake up early with Levi’s help, as she always wakes up like clockwork.

“Mmhm… what time is it…?”

“Yes, it’s 6:30 AM, Chanwoo-nim.”

“Levi, do you have a clock or something?”

“No. It’s not that. Our combat unit is trained to wake up at 6:30 AM every day.”

“I see…”

[The fourth unit of R.P.M., which could indeed be called the android version of the Marine Corps’ “Asaeyi.”]

Even though they’re androids, the setting implies they experience fatigue and other sensations almost identically to humans.

Yet, there wasn’t a trace of exhaustion on Levi’s face as she woke me up.

It was as if she had taken a short but efficient nap, like a female soldier used to such rest.

“Is it safe outside? Shouldn’t the aberrant creatures be retreating ‘inside’ to avoid the sunlight around this time?”

“Yes. In fact, after a quick scan of the surroundings, it seems all the cries we’ve been hearing since dawn have finally stopped.”

The rising sun meant it was time for the Star Children—the apex predators ruling Earth—to sleep.

Most of those creatures were nocturnal, after all.

Once morning came, they’d typically retreat into caves or buildings untouched by sunlight, slipping into a dormant state.

Thanks to that, Levi and I slept with all the curtains in our motel wide open.

In this world, sleeping in bright light was the most basic survival tactic.

“It looks like we ‘aired out’ the building well—no aberrant creatures inside.”

“Right. Back when I was alone, I’d occasionally run into one on the first floor, but this is all thanks to you, Chanwoo.”

“Ah… Were you okay all this time, Levi?”

“Yes. I was lucky—the ones I encountered were weaker than me. So I took them down using what I learned in R.P.M. and roasted them for nutrients.”

“Ah…”

Of course, aberrant creatures were still animals… or something like that.

Just as we slaughter and eat cows or pigs, there was no reason we couldn’t cook and consume them.

However, since they were completely unknown lifeforms, the game initially imposed a “rejection reaction”—at worst, triggering a “debuff” state that made players feel nauseated.

But Levi seemed perfectly fine despite having eaten one just the other day.

“Hey… Levi, how’s your stomach? Any discomfort or anything?”

“No issues at all, Chanwoo.”

“Ah… Really?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

‘Well, if she said she was fine, I’d just drop it.’

At any rate, we were planning to scavenge for power supplies today.

And before a long expedition, conditioning was more important than anything.

‘If Levi’s condition had been poor, I would’ve just scouted the motel’s surroundings alone. But as if to say such consideration was unnecessary, Levi linked arms with me before we left.’

The sensation of her ample chest pressing against me was unmistakable.

“Chanwoo, as I mentioned yesterday, I’m an android sworn to protect you.”

“Yeah, I know…”

“From that standpoint, I can’t let you go outside alone just because I’m ‘unwell.’ That would completely negate my reason for existing.”

Squish.

“Ah, right. Sorry.”

“So you don’t need to ‘worry’ about me. One living human like you is far more valuable than a hundred androids like us.”

Levi, you…

Right now, controlling my lower half feels more urgent than this conversation.

Truly, the Final System’s androids, modeled after humans, were perfectly designed—no awkwardness, just maximum efficiency in provoking certain reactions.

“…! Confirmed: Increased pulse rate detected in Chanwoo’s body.”

“?! You can even check that?”

“Yes. Our android eyes are designed to see through parts of a person’s body when focused.”

‘Ah, right.’

That’s why they could target weak points after a perfect parry or dodge in the game.

Augmented Vision—a frequent tool for scavenging in-game, now being used in this way.

A hyper-advanced technology only possible in sci-fi settings.

But I never dreamed I’d experience it like this.

“Confirmed: Energy is concentrating in Chanwoo’s groin area.”

“Ahem. Well, that’s because you’re pressed right up against me…”

“Because I’m close? So you’re saying physical contact like this increases your ‘energy elevation’ efficiency?”

“Uh, yeah?”

‘Energy elevation’—not exactly wrong, so I couldn’t argue.

And as if enlightened by my words, Levi’s eyes sparkled just like last night.