The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 17

I stared down at the can in my hand.

 

It was unmistakable. Something was squirming inside! 

 

Tensing up until my body felt firm and rubbery, I checked the item information. 

 

[Galactic Canned Food (F)]

A canned food made by simmering cosmic spirits. There are no recorded cases of Earthlings consuming it.

※ There is a low probability that a live cosmic spirit will appear.

 

I stood there like an idiot, staring at the can.

 

No recorded cases of consumption by Earthlings?  

 

Why? Because there are no aliens around to deliver Galactic Canned Food to Earth? Or for some other reason…?

 

And what is that warning label? A live cosmic spirit could come out…?

 

After hesitating, I popped the lid and opened it just a crack. 

 

A massive cloud of smoke billowed out, and a pungent, foul odor struck my nose with relentless force.

 

“Ugh!”

 

What on earth is this smell!

 

I couldn’t breathe at all. As the smoke billowed and swirled, it was polluting the surrounding air.

 

Turning blue all over, I threw the Galactic Canned Food out of the house with all my might.

 

The can traced a parabola and disappeared into the distance. 

 

“Whew! Gasp! Ugh!” 

 

I clapped my hands over my mouth, still feeling like I was going to vomit.

 

No wonder there are no cases of Earthlings eating this! Who would eat something like that! 

 

No matter how desperate the situation is for emergency rations, what exactly do these aliens live on? It’s almost terrifying. 

 

‘It’s a good thing I only ordered one.’

 

If I’d spent my entire fortune on these, I would have been completely ruined, wouldn’t I? 

 

‘Phew.’

 

Wiping the cold sweat that had broken out on my forehead, I changed the order item to ‘Purified Water.’ 

 

However, there was another problem. 

 

My power is ‘Purification’.

 

I can just purify contaminated water myself to drink, so what use was Purified Water to me? 

 

It was frustrating. 

 

‘Is this going to remain as such a useless reward?’

 

It’s a vending machine from an alien civilization that works without electricity, for heaven’s sake!

 

As I was lost in sad thoughts, I suddenly clapped my fist into my palm.

 

‘Right, this is a vending machine!’

 

What is the fundamental purpose of a vending machine? 

 

The tutorial reward stated that it had been updated so that ‘anyone can earn Cosmic Coins.’

 

Then, couldn’t I just place the vending machine in front of an Earthling who will buy Purified Water using Cosmic Coins?

 

If the number of coins increases because of that, I’ll be able to order something other than Galactic Canned Food.

 

‘Wait… am I a genius?’ 

 

I marveled at my own genius.

 

‘Then, if I move this to Yongsan Station….’

 

As I struggled and groaned while pushing the vending machine, it shrunk back down to miniature size. 

 

‘Oh.’

 

[Please specify the location to install the ‘Cosmic Universal Vending Machine’.]

 

The map unfolded before my eyes again.

 

This time, I selected the plaza in front of Yongsan Station.

 

The vending machine popped and vanished, and a vending machine tag was placed at the location I specified.

 

‘Good, good.’

 

Now I can earn coins!

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok, pyok. 

 

Excited, I dashed into the spaceship and hugged my brother tight. 

 

‘Let’s just sleep for today.’

 

Tomorrow, I’ll tell Cha Haeeon that I’ve installed the vending machine.

 

I felt happy just imagining Cha Haeeon’s eyes widening in surprise.

 

“Yaaaawn……” 

 

Perhaps it was because it had been an exhausting day. I blinked a few times and quickly fell asleep.

 

It felt like someone was tucking a blanket around me as I slept, but I couldn’t tell if it was just my imagination or reality.

 

* * *

 

Pyok! Pyok! Pyok! Pyok!

 

A quiet morning where not even the sound of birds could be heard.

 

The sound of energetic footsteps filled the yard. 

 

“Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup!”

 

I twisted my body from side to side and pretended to run in place.

 

The good thing about becoming a jelly is that my body has become flexible.

 

Pyok! Pyok! Pyok! Pyok! 

 

“What are you doing making all that noise since first thing in the morning?” 

 

While I was exercising hard, Cha Haeeon came out looking disheveled, staring at me and my brother with dead, fish-like eyes.

 

Next to me, my brother, who had thankfully woken up, was exercising with me.

 

The sight of him stretching his short tentacles was incredibly cute.

 

I patted my brother’s head and said.

 

“I’m collecting money.”

 

“Moooney….”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“In this ruined world, you’re collecting money….”

 

“Yep!”

 

“Sure.”

 

Cha Haeeon sounded like he wasn’t interested anymore, but I puffed up with pride and held out my phone.

 

The phone screen showed coins piled up in proportion to how much my brother and I had moved.

 

<Squishy Squishy! Planetmon!> is originally a game that uses GPS to walk around.

 

Exercising or walking is also part of the game’s content, meaning rewards are given accordingly.

 

Until now, I didn’t have a device to check that, but the problem was solved when I got the phone.

 

Even though the service was discontinued, I could still check the basic functions by opening the game. 

 

I get coins just for walking! Plus, doing it with my brother, who has become my Planetmon, doubles the coins! 

 

“So, you earned 40 coins?”

 

Cha Haeeon read the amount displayed on the screen exactly.

 

This dummy!

 

“No, 30 coins were earned before. I earned 10 coins!”

 

“And that’s all you got after making such a fuss since the morning?”

 

‘That’s all’?!

 

Huff. As if he were just as angry as I was, the black flapjack octopus started hopping up and down. 

 

“That’s because you don’t know yet, but with 10 coins, I can order ten bottles of water!” 

 

“Water?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

I opened the <Squishy Squishy! Planetmon!> map and zoomed in on the Yongsan Station plaza.

 

“Look closely. This is called a vending machine, and now we can make a living by selling items with this vending machine….”

 

My voice trailed off. 

 

“…?”

 

Seeing me stop abruptly, Cha Haeeon, who had his arms crossed, tilted his head.

 

“Why?”

 

“…Some coins appeared here.”

 

Above the vending machine tag on the map, a round gold coin icon had appeared.

 

Anyone could see this was for collection!  

 

When I tapped the coin icon, sure enough, a clinking sound rang out, and the coins were deposited.

 

[100cc has been collected.]

 

100 Cosmic Coins?!

 

My eyes went wide.

 

I suddenly became rich overnight…?

 

At the amount of coins, which was more than what I had earned so far, I spread my arms wide and shouted.

 

“Cha Haeeon, I’m rich! Look at this!”

 

Unlike me, who was delighted while shoving the phone at him, Cha Haeeon, who was checking the screen, still had his fish-like eyes.

 

The dead-eyed man spoke like he was delivering a threat.

 

“Before I kick you and that octopus out, explain again logically—step by step—what that vending machine is and why you’re earning money.”

 

“Hngg….”