Because of how poor he was, Leo had no choice but to sell some of the items he had deliberately brought with him.
Things like a toaster—small, portable items—he took several of them to see if they could be sold to the merchant for money.
But Leo was disappointed. All those items together were only worth about ten Duke Casino Tokens, hardly worth the trouble of carrying them.
Unexpectedly, however, small stones were relatively valuable—ten stones could actually be sold for money.
"So this game really is like Minecraft. Mining and chopping trees are mandatory, huh?"
Leo nodded. Hard labor it was, then. With the system stone axe, there was nothing to fear.
"Looks like we can't buy anything at all."
Erina also opened the merchant's inventory, then immediately closed it.
She knew very well that in their current penniless state, they couldn't afford anything inside.
"Seems like we'll need to do a serious scavenging run."
Leo nodded, a plan instantly forming in his mind.
"Tonight we'll go back and do some basic setup for our base. Tomorrow morning we'll focus on gathering food, and in the afternoon we'll chop trees and mine stone to stockpile casino tokens and improve our defenses."
He laid out the plan decisively. Erina didn't object. It was already getting late, and once night fell, the zombies would become terrifyingly fast. Even though she could fight zombies now, she had no intention of fighting ones that ran like Olympic sprinters.
But when she thought about going back, a smile appeared on Erina's face.
"Tonight, I can show you my cooking skills!"
Thinking about the seasonings she had collected, Erina couldn't help smiling. Even if luncheon meat could never be truly delicious, they had managed to find peas and canned chicken this time. With seasonings added, she was confident she could cook a decent stew.
That way, she wouldn't have to force herself to eat disgusting food anymore. After all, honey was now a strategic resource and couldn't be consumed casually.
"Of course! I'm really looking forward to it!"
Leo smiled and nodded. Since Erina was from a gourmet series, he had been looking forward to tasting her cooking from the very beginning.
Before, conditions didn't allow it, and both of them were afraid of zombies, so they hadn't dared to light a fire.
Now that they knew there was a cure for the virus, there was nothing to worry about.
"Mm! Just wait!"
Erina smiled, and the two of them headed back toward the RV together.
While taking a detour, Leo noticed a gas station.
The canopy was entirely reinforced with steel, and the four pillars were solid iron columns. Looking at the flat roof, Leo couldn't help but think.
Getting up there wouldn't even be hard—they could use wood-frame ladders to climb up, then retrieve them so zombies couldn't follow.
"If we build a defensive base here, wouldn't it be safer than the RV?"
Leo memorized the idea but didn't bring it up yet. He still felt that a vehicle was more reliable.
Looking around further, he spotted what was clearly an auto repair shop not far from the gas station. He decided that tomorrow, he and Erina would explore it and see if they could find wheels for the RV.
Although the crafting menu included wheels, Leo wasn't sure if system-made wheels would actually fit the RV. Better to prepare both options.
They soon returned to the RV area. After checking for zombies, Leo and Erina washed their hands with soap and bottled water, then began preparing dinner.
Erina skillfully built a campfire, set up a simple workstation, and took out a kettle from the RV to use as a pot. Sitting by the fire together, they watched the sun slowly set as the stew bubbled.
Leo had to admit that in Erina's hands, cheap luncheon meat and old seasonings were transformed into something miraculous. Through careful stewing and seasoning, she removed the harsh chemical taste and refined the parts that were genuinely flavorful.
In the past, she would never have cooked such "commoner food." It couldn't satisfy her God Tongue.
But now, smelling the lingering chemical odors and inferior ingredients, and seeing Leo focused on browsing the crafting list, Erina couldn't help smiling. The smell no longer felt so unbearable.
She looked toward the forest, where she had seen blueberries and flowers earlier and collected some for seasoning and tea.
But that wasn't what she was really thinking about.
"If we could find potato, wheat, or corn seeds… then Leo and I could plant a huge field here and never worry about food again, right?"
With only two of them, uncertainty about ever returning home, and her identity as a chef, these thoughts naturally surfaced.
Even though she still wasn't used to the food and her oversensitive tongue still made her nauseous at times, she found herself thinking this way anyway.
Leo had risked his life to save her that day. Without a doubt, he was a good person. His mindset was strong, though he was very ordinary—average looks, nothing remarkable.
But it was this very ordinariness…
…that pulled her out of fear and avoidance.
Erina herself was surprised. Just yesterday she had been fleeing in terror, yet today she had personally chopped off the heads of more than a dozen zombies.
"Maybe it's because Leo is so ordinary? Seeing someone ordinary manage to do this… even I, who thought myself exceptional…"
She realized the key reason was Leo's calm, accepting attitude. It steadied her as well.
"Live each day well? Honestly, that kind of cliché—'treat every day like your last'—it's been said to death. Totally useless!"
Annoyed, Erina stirred the pot twice. The noise didn't disturb Leo.
Because Leo was deeply focused on the crafting menu.
"They even have augers, airplanes, cars… and this workbench…"
Looking at the materials required, Leo frowned.
To truly survive in this world, they had to rely on the system. But without a workbench, they couldn't do anything serious—only basic items like grass clothes, grass shoes, bows, stone tools, and weapons.
With a workbench, though, almost anything became possible. Furnaces too—iron ingots clearly required them.
But both were locked.
Unlock conditions: Advanced Engineer or Blueprint.
Leo didn't know whether he needed both or just one, but either way, without access to the skill system, he had no way to use them.
"So I'm stuck with the pipe machine gun?"
Leo pressed his lips together. Melee combat was too dangerous. Guns weren't reliable either if he couldn't mass-produce ammo.
"Such a pain…"
He kept browsing—and then saw something.
"Gunpowder…"
There were multiple crafting methods. Using a chemistry station required one coal powder and one nitrate powder. But hand-crafting required double materials.
"So even without a workbench, I can still make gunpowder?"
Looking at gunpowder and bullets—which did require a workbench—Leo's smile slowly turned feral.
"Then I'll just make mines and Molotov cocktails."
Molotovs were simple—flammable liquid, throw, ignite.
Gasoline wasn't that lethal to living people, but zombies?
Pour a barrel of gas, light it, done.
One problem, though.
"Safety."
If they faced a massive horde, they'd have to retreat to the gas station.
But lighting fires inside a gas station…
That was insane.
A single spark could cause an explosion. Who knew how much fuel was still there? And Leo couldn't even read English.
"Such a pain…"
Leo shook his head—and saw Erina lifting the kettle, placing it on the grass, then heating water in a metal can for tea.
"Come on, try my cooking!"
Erina smiled and served the food. The rich aroma made Leo salivate. He grabbed a bowl and dug in.
The moment he tasted it, he was overwhelmed by unimaginable flavor. He had eaten luncheon meat many times before—but this was the first time he'd ever thought it was delicious.
"This is incredible… Erina! Your cooking is amazing!"
Leo praised her sincerely. Erina lifted her chin proudly, as if all praise were only natural.
"Hmph! Of course. But this is still only at a level a commoner like you can appreciate. When we get back, I'll show you what ingredients are truly worthy of my skills!"
She wasn't trying to insult him. She genuinely disliked low-grade ingredients. Luncheon meat, especially, had no place in her kitchen.
Starch and additives masquerading as food—often without real meat at all—she couldn't understand why anyone liked it.
"Still… this is more than enough for me…"
Leo finished a bite and felt warmth spread through his body. His fatigue eased, and a sense of mental satisfaction washed over him.
It was a sensation he'd never felt from food before.
Though not the best-tasting dish he'd ever had, its effect made him moan softly as a warm, rustic family scene appeared in his mind.
A peaceful farm. He was the husband, working the fields by day, returning home at night to his wife's smile and simple home-cooked food.
After eating, they bathed together. Warm water, bodies brushing closer, smooth skin stirring desire.
Her chest was full and soft—
Just as he was about to continue, the scene shattered.
Not because the fantasy ended—but because his bowl was empty.
"…No wonder they call it Food Wars."
Leo silently put down his bowl, bending forward to compose himself, trying to suppress the heat flushing his face and thoughts.
But the burning sensation in his body told him it wasn't that simple.
"Honestly… this is basically magic."
Seeing Erina struggling to eat, nearly gagging despite creating such an effect, Leo sighed and quietly took out a jar of honey.
"Want this to wash it down?"
Erina immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Are you looking down on me? That's important supplies!"
She was annoyed—but her body still craved sugar.
Seeing her discomfort, Leo smiled and handed it over.
He meant it sincerely.
As long as they weren't extremely unlucky, they wouldn't face a hopeless infection again.
"There are other medicines at the merchant anyway… and we can always scavenge more."
Erina hesitated, then accepted the honey—but didn't open it, placing it into her inventory instead before turning away angrily.
"I'm not as stupid as you!"
Leo felt a bit guilty—but not about giving away honey.
It was because his eyes had once again wandered to Erina's chest and thighs—
—and because of the painful reminder caused by that distraction.