Once again, we arrived at the Villa Complex.
Perhaps it was because we had previously defeated the Queen-class aberrant lifeform that could be considered the area’s boss monster.
Compared to before, it felt somewhat safer now.
But that didn’t mean we could let our guard down.
“Now that the Queen-class aberrant lifeform has been exterminated, this villa complex has effectively become a ‘lawless zone.'”
“A lawless zone… you mean?”
“Yeah. Right now, it’s still in the early stages, so everyone’s just watching each other and staying quiet. But in about three days, a fierce hierarchy battle will break out here to determine the new leader.”
“…! So you’re saying a new Queen-class aberrant lifeform could appear, Chanwoo?!”
“It’s one of two things. Either a new Queen-class awakens among the aberrant lifeforms, or one of the mediocre Rook-class lifeforms simply inherits the leader’s position.”
Of course, in Star’s Child, hierarchy battles usually ended with the latter.
The former was relatively rare.
After all, that was the difference between a ‘mid-boss’ and an actual ‘boss.’
Even in the game system, only Queen-class aberrant lifeforms had a name tag and a long health bar displayed at the top of the screen.
A game’s boss monster was essentially its own ‘content’—something as significant as gathering or exploration.
In a way, it was the game developers’ consideration not to overuse such elements.
As a veteran player, I found it a disappointing patch, but the reason I brought this up to Levi at this moment was simple.
“We’ll only be able to explore this villa complex for about three more days.”
“Is that because of the hierarchy battle you mentioned?”
“Exactly. When the planet’s top predators start fighting among themselves, it’s best to avoid that area altogether, right?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“And areas where hierarchy battles occur tend to get heavily damaged. By the time we come back, most of the lootable materials will already be gone, so now’s our only chance.”
“I see. Understood.”
***
Three days from now—no, possibly even in just two—the hierarchy battle could begin.
“So if we wanted to find solar panels, today was the best opportunity.”
“Thanks to that…”
“Then let’s move quickly, Chanwoo!”
Levi, her heart fluttering at the time constraint, put in more effort than usual.
Even if she was a bit tired from yesterday’s events, she was still my dedicated android, striving to secure what I wanted as quickly as possible.
“Just in case, stick close to me while we move. There might still be aberrant lifeforms hiding inside buildings, like yesterday.”
“Got it. I’ll leave it to you, Levi.”
As reliable as ever—my trusty dairy cow… no, my android knight.
Following her words, I clung to her back like a junior cadet.
As we thoroughly scavenged the shabby villa complex, something happened.
“…! Chanwoo, look at this!”
“Did you already find solar panels?”
“No, not that. But isn’t this a canned good?”
“Oh, it really is. It says ‘Central Plains Tuna.’”
“Central… Plains… Tuna? Back in R.P.M., I’ve eaten canned food like this, but what exactly is ‘tuna’? Is it a new type of starch?”
“No, tuna is a type of fish—well, just think of it as a kind of seafood.”
“Fish? So ‘tuna’ is the name of a fish?”
It happened while we were searching the second floor of a seemingly intact brick villa.
Inside, where wooden vines had overtaken everything and all traces of human life had vanished, Levi found a tuna can with its logo still intact—despite what must have been centuries of decay—and immediately brought it to me.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve seen empty cans before, but a sealed tuna can is a first for me in Star’s Child.’
Though Levi had learned about canned food as combat rations, she had only ever consumed starch-based ones.
To her, a tuna can was like some kind of futuristic novelty.
[…I guess for someone who doesn’t eat much, Levi has quite the appetite.]
Anyway, I patted Levi’s head like last time and said: “Should we open it and see?”
“?! Wouldn’t it be better to save it for later?”
“Well… I thought about that, but honestly, this thing has to be at least several hundred—if not thousands—of years old.”
A tuna can that had endured at least a century.
If it was still good, great—but realistically, it was far more likely to be spoiled.
With no ‘inventory’ to spare, we couldn’t afford to carry trash like this.
Besides, while I’d had half a glass of milk this morning and was feeling refreshed, Levi had gone the entire day without eating.
“It’s almost lunchtime anyway, and this amount should be fine for both of us to share.”
“Two… two of them?! Chanwoo-nim! I was taught that canned food still intact on the surface is incredibly precious!”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m sharing this precious thing with our precious android.”
“I-I’m not that precious!”
“No, from my perspective, you’re extremely precious. So let’s eat together. This is an ‘order.'”
“…! Uuugh…”
Levi, who would discard anything if it was spoiled and share whatever was edible—the same Levi who’d even squeeze breast milk into a coffee cup if I asked—now couldn’t even dare to argue with me, already conditioned like a submissive female slave.
She was happy, but her eyes darted around as if wondering, ‘Is this really okay?’
“Alright, shall we open it?”
“Y-yes!”
Honestly, she didn’t need to get her hopes up like that.
Canned food was, of course, the most iconic long-preserved food item.
But even so, its shelf life was only about 1 to 5 years.
No matter how meticulously sealed, the can itself was still a ‘material’ that could rust or decay over time.
Theoretically, it could last over a century, but the fact that canned food even has an expiration date is proof that it’s meant to be eaten as soon as possible.
‘I just hope it’s not full of rotten sludge.’
What I was doing now wasn’t about securing food—it was pure curiosity.
I was opening a can that had likely already spoiled, just to satisfy that curiosity.
‘But what the hell was this?’
“Huh?”
“Whoa!”
Inside the half-faded tuna can was a surprisingly decent condition—no, glossy—
‘Wait, was this just my imagination?’
The tuna meat, packed tightly with juicy oil, looked as if it had just been canned.
“Can we really eat this?”
“Well, it looks fine, but just to be safe, let’s check the smell too.”
“Mmm… Even if you say that, I don’t know what fresh tuna is supposed to smell like, so I’ll have to humbly rely on your judgment, Chanwoo-nim.”
‘This… might actually be edible?’
Even after the most meticulous sniff test, all I could detect was the rich, savory aroma of the meat.
The tuna inside the can truly seemed perfectly preserved.
‘No way… even after hundreds of years, it’s still in this condition?’
‘Jungwon Tuna is seriously next-level.’
‘This is the power of Hallyu.’
‘This is K-Tuna.’
Even American Spam couldn’t pull this off, but our Korean tuna did.
‘Is this what national pride feels like?’
For the final test, Levi and I each pinched a piece of tuna between our fingers, as if squeezing a nipple, and took a bite.
And then—
“…!”
“I-It’s delicious!”
Her already suggestive body squirmed even more as she shamelessly played up her femininity in front of me.
Having survived on nothing but bland venison until now, the taste of proper food must have been overwhelming.
Levi’s expression was one of pure ecstasy, her entire body trembling as she let out a lewd moan.
“It’s so delicious! I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life!”
“Yeah? …Well, if we ever get the chance to go to the ocean, I’ll treat you to something even better—real, fresh fish.”
“S-Something even better than this?! There are fish out there tastier than this tuna?!”
“Even the skipjack in this can was nothing compared to the other cuts you could eat as sashimi.”
If we got the chance, I’d definitely treat her.
Her eyes sparkled like an excited puppy, and she seemed to have already forgotten yesterday’s exhaustion, her energy fully restored.
“By the way, finding a perfectly preserved tuna can in a place like this is seriously lucky.”
“Yes. It really is!”
In a way, this was even rarer than the solar panels.
But you only call something a ‘coincidence’ when it happens once—never again.
Leaving behind the irreplaceable taste of Dongwon Tuna, we finished our meal and prepared to leave without hesitation.
***
It was time to resume our original goal: finding the solar panels.
But just then—
“Ch-Chanwoo-niiim!”
Levi’s heart-pupiled eyes sparkled as she urgently called out to me just as I was about to step outside.
“Look at this! Look at this!”
“This?”
Her panicked expression had shifted into one of excitement, as if she’d finally found what we’d been searching for.
So I stepped back inside and followed her to a shabby door at the far end of the living room.
When I opened it—
“What the…”
Inside, neatly displayed along one entire wall, was a mountain of tuna cans—
Unlike the one we’d just eaten, these still had their logos perfectly intact.
Staring at the sheer volume of canned treasure, I was utterly speechless.