As soon as it got dark, I went up to the motel rooftop.
At least the wiring still seemed usable.
Thanks to that, I could save some effort.
First, I installed supports facing south.
Then, I mounted the panels and connected the wiring to the battery.
With that, my work was done.
All that remained was to wait for the electricity to generate.
Just then—
“Chanwoo! The lights inside the motel are starting to turn on, even if just a little!”
Levi, who had stuck her head out the window, looked up at me and delivered the good news.
My relief was short-lived.
“Good. But the power output is still weak, so let’s flip the breaker and store the electricity for now.”
“Ah, got it!”
With this, our motel became one of the few landmarks to use electricity again after civilization’s collapse.
So, I quickly made sure to conserve the electricity still being generated in the battery.
After all, this power was meant for something far more valuable than just lighting up the motel.
Even if, for now, it wasn’t enough to fully illuminate a single building.
Given my veteran gamer instincts, it wouldn’t be long before this place would glow bright enough to keep the alien creatures at bay even at night.
“It’d be perfect if it showed the percentage like in the game…”
The only downside was that, since the in-game systems were gone, I had to manually check the battery efficiency.
[Current stored electricity level displayed.]
“Huh?!”
But before I could even finish my thought—
[Electricity level: 0.82%]
“Wha—?!”
Back when I played Doll of the Stars, this was the exact same UI—a translucent window showing the power level.
“What the… Wasn’t this ability only for controlling Levi?”
I had no idea.
Abilities like this didn’t exist in “reality” to begin with.
It felt like a bizarre mix of apocalyptic and fantasy genres.
Unsettling, yet intriguing.
But if it was directly tied to my “survival,” then I’d use it to the fullest, no matter what.
“‘…Can it also calculate the time needed to reach 100%, like in the game?'”
[Yes.]
[Time remaining until battery reaches 100%: 109 days, 17 hours, 45 minutes, 09 seconds.]
Impressive performance.
But the numbers were so precise that I couldn’t just celebrate.
“109 days? To send a signal into space, we’d need at least 70%. So we’d have to wait a minimum of two months just to charge it?”
The charging time was 2-3 times longer than I’d expected (around a month).
I planned to gather more electricity through other means, but I couldn’t deny that the first quest was already brutal.
“Levi!”
“Yes, Chanwoo!”
“Today’s the calm before the storm! Let’s head back to the villa complex and grab more panels and tuna cans!”
“Understood!”
But hey, that’s survival games for you.
If things got frustrating, you could always go back and farm more supplies.
***
‘The essential rule of the apocalypse genre?’
It wasn’t about having enough food, overpowered weapons, or reliable allies—it was about maintaining a positive mindset.
Laughing during tough times might make you seem insane, but crying wouldn’t fix anything either.
For proper condition management in survival games, you couldn’t afford to lose optimism.
‘And me?’ I was a veteran with over 50,000 hours in Souls-likes.
The word “despair” didn’t exist in my dictionary.
If anything, turning even “despair” into “pleasure” was what us “hollowed” players did best.
“‘I have attained enlightenment.'”
And now, with this convenient ability, who could shake my Buddha-like serenity in this godless world?
‘Who dares try?!’
“Huh?”
“Wait—”
Back at the villa complex, where I’d returned to scavenge, I found something unsettling.
“The tuna cans…”
“They’re all gone!”
‘What kind of bullshit event is this?!’
The cheerful mood from this morning darkened instantly.
Enough food for at least 100 days—my precious Jungwon Tuna—had vanished without a trace from the room where it was stacked just yesterday.
“Did the owner take it back?!”
“Ugh, I knew we should’ve forced ourselves to take more yesterday!”
Not the most righteous complaint for thieves, but it felt like having the rug pulled out from under us.
A sigh escaped me.
“Sigh. Whatever. It can’t be helped.”
“Chanwoo?”
“It wasn’t ours to begin with. And I’d prefer to maintain friendly relations with the person who made these tuna cans.”
“So… we’re not going after them?”
“Yeah, let’s leave it. I panicked yesterday and took a few, but now that I know they belong to someone else, chasing them down feels a bit wrong, don’t you think?”
“…Understood. After all, I am an android who moves solely for you, Chanwoo.”
An android who even slaughters its own kind over food.
In the open-world game Doll of the Stars, such a storyline was possible if the player chose it.
However, if an android meant to exterminate alien creatures instead turned on its own kind, penalties and bad endings were waiting—because the game wasn’t designed for multiple playthroughs.
‘It’s not like this game allows replays anyway. No way I’d do something so insane.’
Killing fellow androids would instantly turn every android you met afterward into an enemy from the start.
In an apocalyptic setting where solo play was the only option, that wasn’t a world I wanted to live in.
[Death to the alien creatures!]
[Victory to the androids!]
[And hope for humanity!]
…Following the game’s motto, I decided to let go of the tuna cans.
“Enough of that. Let’s gather more solar panels.”
“Yes, understood.”
Still, despite her earlier obsession with the tuna cans, Levi surprisingly accepted my decision without protest.
I expected her to throw a tantrum, but instead, she hummed cheerfully as she collected usable panels from the villa rooftops.
‘Wait, is she picking up that too?’
“These mushrooms with the nipple pattern… I think they were what caused the breast milk last time.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes! So you can wake up refreshed tomorrow, I’ll work hard tonight to ‘prepare’ plenty of milk for you!”
A glass of Levi’s breast milk—which, in my (Kang Chanwoo’s) opinion, was far tastier than the tuna cans.
Remembering my offhand compliment from yesterday, Levi eagerly gathered more of the so-called “nipple mushrooms,” which temporarily gave her lactating abilities.
‘…I know a way to make her lactate without those.’
Levi truly was R.P.M’s greatest masterpiece—a virgin bitch in the best way.
‘How could someone so innocent be so damn arousing? Or was it precisely because of her innocence?’
‘If we grew closer, maybe she’d even do that for me someday.’
Thanks to visiting the villa complex for three straight days, I’d gotten the hang of scavenging efficiently.
Just as we’d gathered enough panels and were about to head back—
“This should be enough, right?”
“Yeah. Good work, Levi.”
“Not at all. With this much time left, we can return to the motel and make at least three glasses of milk!”
“Really? Then I can go to bed with a full stomach tonight.”
“Hehe. Exactly!”
Nothing beats a glass of milk before bed.
As we chatted lightheartedly—
Clunk.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a familiar weight settled into my right hand.
The grip alone sent a strange thrill through my chest.
Raising my hand, I saw a game controller resting in my palm.
“Eh? Chanwoo, what’s that weird-looking thing? I didn’t know you had it.”
“Huh? This is the controller I used to manipulate you, Levi…”
“Ooh! So this is how you controlled my body! I’ve never seen it before!”
Levi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
But I was just as puzzled.
This wasn’t an ability I could activate at will.
It had only manifested once before—during our fight with the Queen-class alien creature.
After that, no matter how much I practiced in secret, it never reappeared.
‘So why now?’
Before I could dwell on it—
‘The first time this ability appeared was when Levi was about to die from the Behemogigas. Does that mean it only activates when Levi or I are in mortal danger?’
‘Still just a theory, but if the controller had suddenly appeared in my hand, it meant we were in serious danger right now.’
“Levi, do you see anything unusual around us?”
“Huh?”
“This is just a guess, but I can only use this ability when we’re in danger.”
“…!”
“And if it’s appeared now, that means something’s threatening us.”
“Is that so?! Understood. I’ll immediately increase your protection level.”
Without another question, Levi swiftly drew her blade.
Normally, she’d have asked for details, but her quick judgment as a loyal servant made me smile.
***
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a ruined building in the villa complex.
“…They noticed me?”
An android with a sniper rifle, hidden and poised to take the two out unnoticed.
Her dark, twin-tailed hair framed amethyst eyes that gleamed like the night sky.
The owner of the tuna cans.
Codename: P859JSAO294ED
Shortened to “Serika,” she lowered her rifle, realizing she’d been detected.
For a so-called “genius,” she looked utterly flustered.
“These guys… Are they new models?! How did they notice me?!”