Nathan mentally opened the [Ammo Fabrication] tab.
The interface expanded smoothly in front of him, replacing the empty crafting panel with something far more… promising.
A list appeared.
And not just a small one.
9×19mm.
12 Gauge.
5.56mm.
7.62mm.
…and several other calibers Nathan recognized but had absolutely no use for right now.
"Ho…" Nathan let out an amused breath, eyes scanning the list. "So I can craft more than just 9mm rounds…"
A slight pause.
"…Not that I can actually use any of them…" he leaned back slightly. "How do I get guns that use the other type of ammo, though?"
Because after skimming through the Shop menus for several times, he'd found there's not a single firearm listed in there.
"Well, only time will tell." he exhaled and navigated to the only practical option.
[9×19mm.]
The crafting requirement appeared instantly.
[9×19mm — 1 F-Rank Runestone + 25g (0.8 oz) Scrap Metal + 1 Mana]
[Required materials will be taken directly from Storage inventory]
Nathan blinked.
"…Runestone? Scrap metal?" He tilted his head. "What are those…? Scrap metal, I can guess."
But runestone?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"It says F-Rank Runestone…"
He paused.
"…That definitely sounds like a monster drop."
Nathan opened another tab to make sure.
—————————————
Hunter's Gallery.
Undead Types
Walker (F-Rank): 4/8 → Reward: Vitality +0.1
Runner (E-Rank): 1/3 → Reward: Agility +0.2
Jumper (E-Rank): 0/4 → Reward: Dexterity +0.2
—————————————
"…Yeah," Nathan nodded slowly. "This has to be it."
But something didn't add up.
"…I didn't see them drop anything, though."
He stood up and started walking inside his wooden perimeter, heading toward the area where he remembered killing some Walkers last night.
At first, he found nothing.
Just dirt, scattered debris, and faint scorch marks on the wall from gunfire.
Then a glint entered his vision.
Nathan's eyes sharpened.
He crouched down and picked it up.
It was a small, gray stone, about the size of a marble.
"…Is this it?" He turned it between his fingers, studying it. "Doesn't look magical at all… looks underwhelming, to be honest."
He shrugged and tossed it into his Storage for a quick check—
[Runestone E-Rank — ×1]
Nathan nodded. "Yep. That's it."
So—
The zombies did drop items.
They just… left them behind after disintegrating at sunrise.
"That's annoying," Nathan muttered. "Means I have to play scavenger hunt every morning."
Still, he stepped outside the wall and started searching.
Carefully. Slowly.
The process was tedious.
The stones were small — very easy to miss. Even with his vision noticeably sharper than what he remembered having on Earth, it still took effort.
During his search, he also found some glowing light-green runestones — E-Rank ones, probably from Runners and Jumpers.
After a while, Nathan straightened, stretching his back slightly.
"Alright… I think that should be enough for now."
He checked his inventory.
[F-Rank Runestone × 32]
[E-Rank Runestones × 8]
"…Not bad."
He'd definitely killed more than that.
But honestly?
He wasn't about to spend hours combing the ground like a metal detector enthusiast.
Efficiency matters.
Nathan climbed back up onto the wooden wall, grabbing the rusted sword that had been embedded there since last night — the one thrown by the Runner.
He pulled it free with a bit of effort.
Looking at the worn-down sword in his hand, another idea struck him.
Nathan glanced at Natsu — still asleep, still completely defenseless — then at the slightly bent blade lying nearby. The one he'd personally bullied with repeated gunshots.
He picked it up, turning it over.
"…Did she get this from a zombie too?" he murmured. "It looks exactly like the one I took earlier."
Same crude shape.
Same cheap material.
Same 'barely qualifies as a weapon' energy.
Nathan frowned slightly. "…And how did she survive against E ranked zombies with this thing?"
This is not a sword, it's a liability.
Behind him, Natsu remained fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the slander being committed in her general direction.
Nathan shrugged and opened his Storage. He placed the bent sword inside, then mentally dragged it toward a newly labeled tab.
[Scrap Metal]
Immediately, a warning window popped up.
[Once an item is moved into Scrap Metal Storage, it cannot be retrieved and will be permanently dismantled.]
[Proceed?]
[Yes] [No]
Nathan paused for a second.
"…Fair enough… no refunds, no regrets."
He confirmed.
The sword vanished, and the Scrap Metal tab updated instantly.
[Scrap Metal: 1.1 kg (2.4 lb)]
He raised a brow.
"Oh… so it works like stored wood. And it's able to convert junk into raw material, I like that."
Then, without wasting time, he opened the Repair function and selected the other sword — the rusted one he had taken earlier.
A new prompt appeared.
[Iron Sword — Repair Cost: 72g (2.5 oz) Scrap Metal]
Nathan hummed.
"…Pretty cheap."
Considering how badly worn the blade was, that price felt almost suspiciously generous.
"Well, no reason not to."
He confirmed the repair.
Immediately, he felt a faint pull of mana inside his body.
"…Still not used to that feeling."
The interface lit up.
A scanning animation traced along the sword's image from hilt to tip, accompanied by a soft mechanical hum. The process was smooth — and very satisfying to watch.
Five seconds later—
[Iron Sword has been completely repaired]
Nathan blinked.
"That fast?" He retrieved the sword. "…Whoa."
The difference was absurd — the rust was gone. The dents were gone.
The blade looked clean, straight, and — most importantly — usable.
"…It looks brand new."
He gave it a clumsy, light swing, testing the balance. It felt solid in his hand — actually worthy of being called a weapon now.
Nathan glanced at Natsu again.
Still asleep.
"…I hope she likes this."
He walked over and placed the sword gently beside her, within arm's reach. Then he stepped back and sat down, stretching his legs slightly.
"Alright," he muttered. "Time for the other exciting stuff."
Nathan reopened the Ammo Fabrication tab and returned to the 9mm option.
He stared at the requirements, then glanced at his materials.
"…Hmm."
A quick mental calculation ran through his head.
"With the scrap metal I have… I can probably make around forty bullets."
Not bad.
But—
"I also need an F-Rank Runestone for each one."
Which meant—
"If I don't kill a Walker in one shot…"
He exhaled slowly.
"My ammo economy goes into the red… in which I already am if I was to fight against an E-Rank zombie — they took at least three shoots to kill."
He scratched his cheek.
"If I buy ammo instead, it's two SC per 9mm round… and an F-Rank Runestone only sells for one SC each while an E-Rank one sells for two."
He paused.
"…Using it for crafting is still technically better…"
At least this way, he could farm the materials himself.
"Let's test it."
Nathan crafted a single round.
The 9mm counter in his Storage went up by one.
He pulled it out, holding it up to the light.
"…Yep."
Same casing. Same weight. Same size.
"This is legit."
Satisfied, he started crafting more.
One.
Two.
Three…
The process was smooth, efficient, and somewhat addictive.
Until he try to craft the fourteenth one.
"…Ah." Nathan blinked. "…I ran out of mana."
He leaned back slightly, letting out a breath.
"That was fast."
So that's the bottleneck.
Not scrap metal. Not runestones.
But mana.
"I guess that explains why my mana growth per level is the same as my Dexterity," he muttered.
Because if he wanted to mass-produce bullets — he'd need it… a lot of it.
Nathan rubbed his chin, thinking.
"And after last night's wood-selling spree…" his expression shifted slightly. "Its price dropped to two SC per cubic meter."
"If I keep selling…" he mused, "…I bet it'll drop even further."
Which meant—
"That's not a long-term, reliable source of income." He stared at the System interface, frowning slightly. "…But why did the price even go down?"
He paused.
"Isn't this just a simple, game-like shop?" He tilted his head. "…Or is it not?"
Because if prices could drop—
Then something was adjusting them.
Something behind the scenes.
Nathan leaned back, staring at nothing in particular as the thought settled in.
Was the System not just buying and selling…
But actually reacting?
"…That's a little concerning," he muttered.