Due to his dire financial situation, Ryuji had no choice but to sell off some of the items he had specifically brought along.
Things like toasters—small, easy-to-carry objects—he had grabbed a few, hoping to see if they were worth any money at the merchant's shop.
But to his disappointment, they were practically worthless. Each item fetched barely ten Duke's Casino Tokens, making them not worth the effort of hauling around.
Surprisingly, though, stones held some value—ten stones could actually be sold for a decent sum.
"So this game really is like Minecraft, huh? Mining and chopping wood are essential."
Ryuji nodded to himself. Hard labor? No problem. With the system-enhanced stone axe, he could mine all day without breaking a sweat. What's there to fear?
"Looks like we can't afford anything."
Erina also browsed through the merchant's inventory but quickly closed the interface.
She knew full well that, in their current broke and destitute state, they couldn't afford anything worthwhile.
"Seems like we'll have to step up our scavenging game."
Ryuji nodded, formulating a plan in his mind.
"Tonight, we'll head back and set up our base. Tomorrow morning, we'll focus on gathering food, and in the afternoon, we'll chop trees and mine stone to stock up on materials—for both trading and fortifying our defenses."
Ryuji laid out the schedule. Erina had no objections. After all, nightfall was approaching, and once it got dark, the zombies would become far more dangerous. Even though she could fight them now, she had no intention of going up against those "Usain Bolt" zombies that could sprint like Olympic athletes.
However, the thought of heading back made her smile.
"Tonight, I'll finally get to show off my cooking skills!"
Thinking about the spices she had collected, Erina couldn't help but feel excited. Even though canned luncheon meat wouldn't taste amazing no matter how it was cooked, they had managed to scavenge some peas and canned chicken. With the right seasoning, she was confident she could whip up a delicious stew!
And, finally, she wouldn't have to force down disgusting rations—after all, honey was now a strategic resource and couldn't be wasted carelessly.
"Of course! I've been looking forward to your cooking!"
Ryuji grinned and nodded. Erina Nakiri was from a gourmet anime—from the start, he had been eager to see just how amazing her food could be.
Until now, circumstances had held them back. Fear of zombies had kept them from lighting fires and cooking properly.
But now that they had a cure for the zombie virus, they didn't have to hold back anymore.
"Then get ready to be amazed!"
Erina beamed, and the two of them made their way back toward their RV.
A New Discovery
On their way back, taking a detour, Ryuji spotted a gas station.
Its roof was entirely reinforced with steel, and its four pillars were made of solid iron. Looking at the completely flat rooftop, Ryuji 's mind started racing.
They could climb up using a ladder made from wooden framework blocks, then remove the ladder, preventing zombies from reaching them.
"Would setting up a defensive base here be safer than staying in the RV?"
Ryuji memorized the location but didn't bring it up right away. He still felt that having a working vehicle was the most reliable option.
So, he took a quick look around—and sure enough, not far from the gas station, he spotted a repair shop.
After thinking it over, he decided that tomorrow, he and Erina would explore the shop to see if they could find replacement tires for the RV.
Even though wheels were available in the system's crafting menu, Ryuji wasn't sure whether system-crafted wheels would be suitable for the RV. So, it was best to prepare for both possibilities.
The two of them quickly returned to the RV's vicinity. After carefully checking for any zombies in the area, Ryuji and Erina washed their hands with the soap and bottled water they had scavenged, then began preparing dinner.
Erina, with practiced ease, set up a campfire, placed a makeshift cooking station, and took out a kettle from inside the RV to serve as their cooking pot for the night.
As they sat by the crackling fire, watching the sun slowly dip beyond the horizon, the stew inside the pot simmered and bubbled.
Ryuji had to admit—in Erina's hands, even cheap canned luncheon meat and questionable long-expired seasonings were transformed into something remarkable.
With effortless finesse, she used boiling and seasoning to neutralize the chemical-laced artificial flavors in the meat, skillfully extracting and refining its true taste.
Back in her old life, Erina would never have cooked such "commoner food". It was beneath her—her God Tongue would have rejected anything less than culinary perfection.
But now, surrounded by the stench of synthetic chemicals and low-quality ingredients, she glanced at Ryuji, who was completely focused on flipping through his crafting menu.
A small smile unknowingly surfaced on her lips.
Somehow, the unappetizing smell didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
She looked into the distant forest, where she had spotted blueberries and wildflowers earlier. She had gathered some along the way, planning to use them as seasoning and for making tea later.
But that wasn't what occupied her thoughts.
"If we could find seeds for potatoes, wheat, or corn… Then Ryuji and I could cultivate a large farm here and never have to worry about food again."
The fact that it was just the two of them, the uncertainty of ever returning home, and her natural obsession with quality ingredients as a chef made this thought impossible to ignore.
Even though her refined palate still struggled with this kind of food, even though her hypersensitive taste buds made her want to gag at the mere scent…
She couldn't help but think about the future.
Ryuji, the man who had saved her life that day—without a doubt, he was a good person. His mentality was strong, his outlook optimistic, but…
"He's just so normal."
He wasn't particularly handsome, nor especially charismatic—just an ordinary person.
But this ordinary man…
Had pulled her out of a state of fear and despair.
Even she was shocked at herself. Just yesterday, she had been running in terror—but today, she had personally beheaded over a dozen zombies.
"Maybe it's because Ryuji is so ordinary? Seeing someone so unremarkable manage to survive… It made someone like me—someone who once thought herself elite—realize that I could do the same."
She had finally figured out the real reason—it was because of Ryuji's calm and accepting attitude.
"Live each day well, huh? Hmph, what a cliché. 'Live like today is your last'—that kind of philosophy has been repeated to death. It's useless!"
Frustrated, Erina jabbed at the stewing pot twice with her spoon, producing a sharp clang-clang—but Ryuji didn't even flinch.
He was too engrossed in analyzing his crafting menu.
Unlocking the System's Potential
"A screw drill? Airplanes? Even cars? The system can craft those?"
Ryuji's eyes narrowed at the crafting table's requirements.
Right now, the only real path to survival in this world was through the system. However, without a crafting table, they could only make basic, primitive items—things like fiber clothing, crude shoes, bows and arrows, stone tools, and weapons.
Even simple stone spears.
But with a crafting table, they could make almost anything.
There was even a furnace, and things like iron ingots—which were clearly meant to be produced there.
But the problem is, these two things are locked.
To unlock it, he needed either an "Advanced Engineer" skill or a blueprint.
Ryuji wasn't sure if he needed both conditions or just one, but right now, he had neither. His skill system wasn't even unlocked yet, leaving him with no way to access advanced crafting.
"So for now, I can only rely on the pipe gun?"
Ryuji pressed his lips together.
If killing zombies was the key to unlocking the skill system, then he needed to slay as many as possible.
But melee combat was too dangerous.
And while guns were effective, without a furnace to mass-produce bullets, firearms weren't a sustainable option—at least, not for wiping out hordes of zombies.
"This is such a pain…"
Ryuji scrolled further down the crafting list—and then his eyes widened.
"Gunpowder?"
The crafting recipe for gunpowder had multiple variations:
A chemistry station could refine one coal powder + one nitrate powder into gunpowder.
Manual crafting required double the materials to produce the same amount.
"So… even without a crafting table, I can still make gunpowder?"
Ryuji looked at gunpowder, then at the locked bullet recipes.
Slowly, a grin spread across his face.
"Then why not make homemade landmines and Molotovs?"
If he remembered correctly, Molotov cocktails were fairly easy to make—all it took was a flammable liquid and something to ignite it.
Regular gasoline wasn't particularly lethal and could be easily extinguished.
But what if he enhanced it?
Ryuji's smile grew even more devious.
Who Was He Fighting?
He wasn't fighting living, breathing humans—his enemies were mindless zombies! Even if he encountered a horde of them, all he had to do was dump a barrel of gasoline, light a match, and boom—
Wouldn't they all just go up in flames?
But there was one problem.
"My own safety."
Ryuji felt conflicted.
If they ran into a massive wave of zombies, he and Erina would have no choice but to take shelter at a gas station.
Their RV was too small—if it wasn't properly repaired, escape wouldn't even be an option.
But lighting a fire inside a gas station…
To be honest, that was a bit too reckless, even for him. He had never imagined himself playing with fire in such an insane way.
This was a place where a single cigarette butt could trigger an explosion! The station might look abandoned, but who knew how much gasoline was still inside? And to make matters worse, he couldn't even read English.
"What a hassle."
Shaking his head, Ryuji glanced over to see Erina lifting the kettle of stew and setting it on the grass. She then placed a metal canister over the fire, preparing hot water for tea.
"Come on, try my cooking!"
With a proud smile, Erina began serving the meal. The rich aroma made Ryuji's mouth water, and he eagerly grabbed a bowl of rice, practically shoving the food into his mouth.
The moment he took a bite, he was hit with an explosion of flavor—far beyond anything he'd expected. He had eaten canned luncheon meat plenty of times before, but never had it tasted this good! This was the first time he had ever thought luncheon meat could be delicious!
"This is… incredible! Erina, your cooking is amazing!"
He couldn't help but shower her with praise, while Erina lifted her chin smugly, as if his compliments were only natural.
"Hmph! Of course! But common people like you has such basic tastes. Once we get back, I'll show you what real ingredients can do to bring out my true skills!"
She didn't mean to insult him—she just genuinely disliked using low-quality ingredients. Things like canned luncheon meat were garbage to her. In her world, such processed food wasn't even worthy of being called an ingredient.
It was just a mix of starch and additives, disguising scraps of meat that people would normally avoid. She couldn't understand why anyone would willingly eat it!
And the worst part? Most luncheon meat barely contained any actual meat! The flavor was nothing more than chemically engineered deception. In essence, it was just a block of flavored starch!
This kind of self-deceiving food was something she could never appreciate.
"Well… for me, this is already amazing…"
Ryuji took another bite, and almost immediately, a strange warmth spread through his body. He felt lighter, more energized, and… strangely satisfied.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before, no matter what he ate. Even though Erina's dish wasn't the most delicious meal he had ever tasted, it had some kind of mysterious effect on him.
Before he even realized it, a vivid daydream played in his mind.
He saw himself as the head of a peaceful rural household—working in the fields by day and returning home in the evening to a warm, welcoming smile from his beautiful wife. She had already prepared a simple, home-cooked meal, and the sight of her filled him with warmth.
After dinner, they would bathe together. Warm water cascaded over their bodies, their skin brushing against each other, soft and smooth—his heart began to race, his body craving more contact.
Her full, inviting chest pressed against him, and just as he was about to lose himself in the moment…
The vision suddenly snapped away.
Ryuji blinked, snapping out of his trance. It wasn't the fantasy that had ended—he had simply finished all the food in his bowl!
"No doubt about it… this food is basically an aphrodisiac…"
Silently setting down his chopsticks, he bent forward, trying his best to mask his expression—flushed cheeks, dazed eyes, and the lingering heat coursing through his body.
But the intense warmth spreading through him made it clear—this wasn't going away anytime soon.
"Honestly… this has to be some kind of magic, right?"
He glanced at Erina, who was also struggling—her face twisted in discomfort as she forced herself to eat.
Ryuji sighed, shaking his head. Without a word, he reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of honey.
"Here, try washing it down with this?"
Erina's sharp eyes narrowed.
"Are you looking down on me? That's an important resource!"
She huffed in irritation, but despite her pride, her body craved sugar to counteract the overwhelming taste.
Ryuji simply chuckled and handed her the honey anyway.
He genuinely meant well.
As long as they weren't unbelievably unlucky, they wouldn't end up in a situation where they had no way to counter an infection.
"Besides, that merchant has other medicines for sale, right? And it's not like we can't scavenge for more…"
Erina hesitated for a moment before reluctantly accepting the bottle. But instead of opening it, she tucked it into her inventory and turned away with an irritated pout.
"I'm not as foolish as you!"
Ryuji felt a bit guilty—not because he had given away a strategic resource, but because…
His mind was once again wandering towards certain thoughts about Erina's chest and thighs.
…And the painful reality of his own reaction.