Of course, Elric had deliberately shown off in front of Natasha just now.
It wasn't accidental or spontaneous—every movement had been calculated, every gesture designed for maximum impact. Since Natasha had already become his woman, had already tied her survival to his through the most intimate of exchanges, it was necessary to demonstrate his strength.
Not just to reassure her that she'd made the right choice, but to remind her—to make absolutely certain she understood—that as long as she stayed by his side, she'd live better than anyone else left in this ruined world.
Better than those huddled in government shelters, if any still existed. Better than the armed groups fighting over scraps. Better than anyone.
The moment Elric revealed his ability—pulling dozens of water bottles out of thin air with that shimmer of blue light, the containers materializing from absolute nothingness—Natasha's eyes were filled with shock and awe.
Her mouth had actually fallen open, her usual composure completely shattered by the impossibility of what she was witnessing.
Before today, even though she had already given herself to Elric, had already crossed that line and surrendered her body in exchange for survival, Natasha felt deeply humiliated by her own actions.
The shame gnawed at her constantly, a persistent ache in her chest.
After all, she had always been the kind of woman who drew attention wherever she went—elegant, educated, and beautiful. A university professor with a master's degree, published papers, respect from colleagues and students alike.
Back when the world was still normal, when society's rules still applied, countless rich, handsome men had chased after her. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen—all offering dinners at expensive restaurants, trips to wine country, promises of comfort and security.
She'd turned most of them down, secure in the knowledge that she could afford to be selective.
But Elric? He wasn't rich. He wasn't particularly tall—maybe five-ten at most. He was just a quiet, serious guy who used to fix computers at a repair shop in downtown Chicago, or so she'd heard from other students. His clothes were always plain, his demeanor unremarkable.
If it weren't for the apocalypse, if the world hadn't ended and stripped away all pretense, she would never have even spoken to someone like him. Would have walked past him on campus without a second glance.
That was why, despite everything, she had been planning to leave him—maybe take a few supplies when he was sleeping, slip away when he wasn't paying attention, try to find her way to one of the rumored military safe zones.
The plan had formed gradually over the past day, whispered justifications building in her mind.
But now…
Now that plan vanished like smoke in wind.
A man who could materialize resources out of nowhere, who could pull endless supplies from some impossible storage space, who could protect her from the chaos outside with powers that defied physics itself—that kind of power meant safety.
Meant survival in a way that nothing else could guarantee.
Her old standards—wealth, social status, looks, charm, education—none of that mattered anymore. Those were currencies from a dead world, as worthless now as the paper money that still filled abandoned wallets.
Now, the only thing that mattered was survival. Raw, simple, undeniable survival.
"As long as no official rescue teams arrive," Natasha thought, glancing at Elric with new eyes, studying his profile as he casually tossed another water bottle from hand to hand, "I'll stay with him. And if they do… we'll see then."
She would cross that bridge when—if—she came to it.
She took a few bottles of water, cradling them against her chest, nodding softly. "I'll take a shower first," she said, her voice quiet but steady.
Elric leaned back against the wall, watching her disappear into the bathroom with a satisfied smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
Everything was going according to plan. Every calculation paying off exactly as anticipated.
The System Rewards
[System Notification]
✅ Deep Exchange Complete – Partner: Natasha
Reward: 8,000 bottles of Crystal Peak Mineral Water
Remaining Monthly Rewards: 18
[System Notification]
✅ Deep Exchange Complete – Partner: Natasha
Reward: 5 bottles of Crystal Peak Mineral Water
Remaining Monthly Rewards: 17
[System Notification]
✅ Deep Exchange Complete – Partner: Natasha
Reward: 30 bottles of Crystal Peak Mineral Water
Remaining Monthly Rewards: 16
[System Notification]
✅ Deep Exchange Complete – Partner: Natasha
Reward: 200 bottles of Crystal Peak Mineral Water
Remaining Monthly Rewards: 15
The notifications appeared in rapid succession, each one accompanied by that familiar chime that only Elric could hear, each one adding to his ever-growing stockpile.
The Sixth Day
By the afternoon of the sixth day since the world collapsed, since that first moment when the toxic fog had rolled in and society had begun its rapid disintegration, the outside world had already fallen into complete chaos.
The food crisis was intensifying exponentially—a single loaf of untainted bread, free from the contamination that ruined most supplies, was worth more than gold. More than diamonds. More than any amount of pre-apocalypse currency.
No one cared about money anymore; no one was stupid enough to trade safe food for useless cash. Bills that had once meant power and security now served better as kindling or toilet paper.
All across the U.S., from coast to coast, order was crumbling like a sand castle at high tide.
Riots had broken out in several states—California, New York, Texas, Michigan. People were killing each other over clean water, over canned goods, over anything that could sustain life for another day. The news broadcasts, when they still functioned, showed footage of burning cities and overrun hospitals.
And if that wasn't enough—if simple societal collapse weren't sufficient nightmare fuel—mutated creatures were appearing with increasing frequency.
Animals that had grown to impossible sizes, their bodies twisted by whatever had caused the apocalypse. Plants that moved and fed on flesh. Things that didn't look or behave like anything from Earth's natural history.
The outside world had truly become the apocalypse—the kind that used to exist only in movies and books, now horrifyingly, undeniably real.
Inside Elric's apartment, though, life was good. Remarkably, almost obscenely good given the circumstances.
While others were starving, fighting over scraps, dying of thirst or contamination, he and Natasha had food, had power from his portable generators and solar panels, and had millions—literally millions—of bottles of clean water stacked in his impossible storage space.
Over the last two days, they'd completed four "deep exchanges"—the System's clinical term for what amounted to intimate encounters that somehow generated material rewards.
Every single reward had been mineral water—crates upon crates of it, thousands of bottles at a time, filling his inventory to overflowing.
Now, Elric was practically swimming in water. He could bathe whenever he wanted, cook with it freely, clean without ever worrying about supplies running out. He could probably shower for hours every day for years and never run dry.
It was a luxury that would make him the richest man in this new world, if anyone knew about it.
Still, one thing puzzled him as he reviewed the notifications.
Why was every single reward just water? Always the same brand, always Crystal Peak Mineral Water, as if the System had made some exclusive deal with a specific company.
He'd expected something different—weapons maybe, or varied food supplies, perhaps skill upgrades or equipment. But four rewards in, and all he got was Crystal Peak Mineral Water in varying quantities.
Frowning, Elric mentally addressed the System, forming the question in his mind.
Why only water? Is there a pattern here?
A moment later, the System's calm, almost mechanical voice answered directly in his consciousness, bypassing his ears entirely:
🔔 System Response:
Each recipient corresponds to a specific type of resource.
Current partner [Natasha] — Corresponding reward: Mineral Water.
All unlocked materials from this recipient will be of this type.