I move closer to the chest and open it. Inside, I find a coin that looks like a normal coin. This can't be it... That thing’s gear was better than what we got from the chest. That can't be right.

  I use Identify on the coin.

  Upgrade Token

  This token lets you upgrade one item. This upgrade could mean improving its quality, obtaining a newer version, or adding an effect to the item.

  I look at the coin. It might be good, but I can't really come up with anything to use it on right now. I put it in my pocket and tell Monty, “It lets us upgrade an item, but I think we should wait until we have a secure base to use it.”

  I move closer to the dead orc and grab the shield. It’s heavy—probably around fifty pounds—but as I put it on my back, I feel it suddenly get lighter.

  Item Weight Reduction Lv2

  Weight reduction: 20%

  I guess carrying around more than a hundred pounds of equipment pushed the ability over the edge. Now it feels like roughly eighty-five pounds—still heavy, but doable.

  Monty looks at me, struggling not to laugh, as I now resemble a pack mule—my duffle bag at my side, a backpack over my chest, and the shield on my back.

  We move through the veterinary clinic and stop at the surgery room to take the meat we want. Monty grabs a rack of ribs, and I go for sirloin. The meat is well-butchered, so I guess these orcs knew what they were doing.

  We head to the breakroom, where the orcs had built a grill using bricks and an oil barrel. The bars on top aren’t from the barrel—they’re bent rebar. We throw our chosen meat on the makeshift grill, and soon the smell fills the room, making our mouths water.

  Sadly, we have no herbs, spices, or marinade, but it’s still a great meal.

  We start to leave the clinic to search for more summoned buildings. We find a few, but most are lackluster. We spend three days going from building to building, trying to find a good place to claim.

  Then, we find something interesting.

  A concrete structure protrudes from the dungeon wall, extending further in. We look around and spot a dozen goblins near two large, rusted blast doors.

  I ask, “Is that a bunker?”

  Monty nods and looks at the sign nearby. Half of it is rusted off, but the rest is in English. Likely an American bunker.

  Monty turns to me. “We need to claim this place. Even if the doors are rusty, they’re three feet thick. If we can close them, nothing is getting inside.”

  He digs through his backpack and pulls out a pineapple grenade. Before I can object, he pulls the pin and throws it at the goblins.

  The goblins stare at the grenade at their feet, thinking it’s a rock. They start turning toward where it came from—

  Then it explodes.

  The fragments shred several goblins, wounding the rest. In the end, only one remains standing, but I quickly put it down with a shot from my revolver.

  I glare at Monty. Before I can call him a dumbass, we hear more footsteps from within the bunker.

  The first goblins reach us.

  I shoot three in rapid succession while Monty sets his rifle to semi-auto. The goblins keep coming.

  After three more shots, I have to reload.

  We slowly push the goblins back into the bunker as Monty opens fire. They seem to be pouring in from the door to the left of the elevator.

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  The bunker is dark, only illuminated by red emergency lighting.

  We reach the elevator—it doesn’t work. We have to take the stairs down.

  The staircase is a mess—trash, empty food containers, cans, broken weapons, and bones of animals litter the steps. A few goblins attack in groups, but luckily, we have a flashlight to help us see.

  We reach the bottom and find a door barely hanging on its last hinge.

  Inside, the bunker reminds me of the hoarder house we found on the first floor. Except this time, we go inside.

  We enter the bunker’s atrium. Trash is piled high—except for at the far end, where a large goblin lounges on a ratty couch.

  He sits up, throws the beer can he was drinking onto the trash pile, and stands. In a raspy voice, he says, “You're not the only ones with—”

  He never finishes his sentence.

  Both Monty and I unload our pistols into the oddly large goblin. He drops dead, half-holding a disgusting-looking shotgun.

  We begin searching the bunker.

  I find the generator—still intact but buried under trash. I clear the debris and try to start it. I press the ON button, but nothing happens.

  Monty watches as I kick the generator and try again.

  This time, it rumbles to life. The regular lighting flickers on.

  We head back to the atrium. It turns out this is only the bunker’s first floor. Above us, another level looks down onto the atrium.

  I turn to Monty and say, “I don’t care how much we have to clean—we’re claiming this place.”

  Monty nods as I open my status.

  I select YES.

  As I do, a mountain of trash collapses, revealing an old computer. A blinking red light catches my attention. "is this part of claiming a place?" i think to myself.

  I move closer, and the screen displays information about the bunker’s facilities.