Chapter 35
The Alien (3)
An intelligent lifeform believed to exist on celestial bodies beyond Earth.
Which meant the being standing before him really was an alien.
After all, Yeongwoo had clearly seen it descend from somewhere beyond the sky together with the pillar of black light.
And that "somewhere" was almost certainly a corner of the vast, dark universe.
That was why he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Something like that... lives in outer space?"
What exactly was the universe?
Everything Yeongwoo thought he knew about it shattered in an instant.
The real appearance of an alien was nothing like he had ever imagined.
If the merchant had appeared wearing advanced technology—or had simply been a being of pure light—he might have accepted it.
Instead...
RUMBLEEEEE...!
The merchant was a collection of gigantic living rocks emitting bone-chilling cries.
Occupying the center of a city intersection, they howled continuously.
Whether it was the horrifying sound itself or the violent vibrations filling the air...
Yeongwoo noticed the tip of his sword trembling.
Each boulder stood nearly four meters tall.
Their surfaces were covered with spiral patterns resembling giant seashells, and they stood in a straight line, separated by about the width of a human forearm.
ROOOOAAAAAR...!
The eerie cries continued.
Standing a dozen meters away with his sword raised, Yeongwoo gradually realized something.
Each rock looked slightly different.
Each even had its own distinct voice.
Which meant...
"It's not just one merchant... it's an entire merchant caravan."
Each enormous rock was an alien merchant.
In other words, Yeongwoo had encountered an extraterrestrial trading company.
"One... two... four... five."
Five alien merchants had arrived on Earth.
"Well... they're here to trade, aren't they? So how does this work?"
As the endless howling continued, the tension in Yeongwoo's sword slowly eased.
He had begun adapting to the bizarre scene.
Still, he had no idea how one was supposed to trade with aliens.
Unlike the Environmental Bureau that had appeared on Reset Day, these beings weren't transmitting rules directly into his mind.
Nor did they seem capable of speaking human language.
They only produced those terrifying cries that seemed to squeeze his heart.
Eventually, Yeongwoo stepped forward.
"If I make contact, something should happen. Even if they look like rocks, they're intelligent lifeforms."
It was merely human reasoning—
Yet surprisingly, it proved correct.
HMMMMM...
As the distance between them shortened, the sounds made by the rocks began to change.
When only five meters separated them—
Shhh...
The overwhelming chorus stopped completely.
Then—
Rip.
The empty space between Yeongwoo and the rocks split vertically.
"...?"
By the time he realized the tear resembled a giant eye...
A white eyeball had already emerged from the pitch-black opening.
It truly was an eye.
Only...
Its eyelids were the empty air itself.
It belonged to something that could never be mistaken for human.
"Wh... what the hell is this?"
Suppressing every instinct telling him to back away, Yeongwoo stood his ground.
The white eye stared ahead silently.
Then it shifted sideways—
And looked directly at him.
At that exact moment, a system message appeared.
「The Mediator requests permission to access Jeong MYeongwoo07's data. Approve?」
Requested Data
Unique Code
Language Used
"My unique code and language... It needs them to mediate with those rock merchants?"
Through this request, Yeongwoo finally realized something.
Even the extraterrestrial beings that had begun appearing after the Reset possessed their own hierarchy and operating procedures.
For example...
The being introducing itself as the Mediator was obviously far more powerful than any human.
Yet instead of forcibly reading his information, it requested permission.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even asking him directly.
The system merely informed him that the other side wished to access his data.
Which meant...
The system itself was protecting him.
Whether that protection came from the mysterious Council that announced the Reset or from some security program built into Earth itself, he had no way of knowing.
But one thing was clear.
"At the very least... they can't simply harm me."
The realization eased his mind.
The unease crawling down the back of his neck slowly faded.
"Still... if I want to trade..."
He would have to grant access to those two pieces of data.
Looking directly into the Mediator's unnaturally white eye, Yeongwoo approved the request.
"Permission granted."
The eye flickered.
Its pure white iris instantly turned blue.
Then something entirely unexpected happened.
—It is an honor to meet Jeong MYeongwoo07, the strongest human in Gyeongbok.
"Huh?"
The voice itself was strange.
But its words were surprisingly polite.
Did it actually know what that title meant?
As Yeongwoo tilted his head in confusion, the Mediator continued.
—I am Kubu, Guardian of Daro, Master of the Tenta Race, and the Mediator assigned to oversee this transaction.
"So introducing yourself first is universal etiquette..."
Silently, Yeongwoo nodded.
—The brokerage fee for this transaction is 20% and is already included in all listed prices.
—The seller is the representative merchant caravan of Chargo.
—Would you like to begin trading?
The only part Yeongwoo truly understood was the 20% brokerage fee, but he nodded anyway.
"Chargo... that's probably the planet those rock merchants come from."
As he thought that, Kubu blinked three times.
The silent rock merchants finally began speaking again.
This time, however, their voices were much lower and calmer.
"Eeeeem..."
"Uuuuum..."
"Grrrmmm..."
Each merchant's unique tone now stood out clearly.
After quietly listening to the chorus, Kubu spoke.
—The product list has been completed.
Flash!
Countless blue stains appeared before Yeongwoo's eyes.
They rapidly transformed into human letters.
A neatly organized catalog emerged.
「Extractor」 — Ancient One-Handed Hammer
Converts equipment into slot gems.
◇ 40,000 Karma
「Black Cloak」 — Hero Cape
Negates Obsidian Rain.
◇ 100,000 Karma
「Void」 — Unique One-Handed Sword
Empty Slot
Empty Slot
◇ 300,000 Karma
「Blank Check」 — Unique Currency
Transforms into any currency it touches, once.
◇ 1,100,000 Karma
「Snake of Avarice」 — Epic Compass
Always points toward valuable treasures.
◇ Price: One Legendary Achievement
"Good grief..."
Not a single item looked ordinary.
Even the cheapest one cost 40,000 Karma.
"So this so-called basic welfare wasn't meant for ordinary people at all..."
Most people still struggled just to earn the 1,000 Karma required every night to pay their taxes.
In other words...
Alien merchants were effectively reserved for powerful individuals capable of defeating Mutants.
Even Yeongwoo couldn't afford everything.
"My entire fortune..."
104,000 Karma.
Fortunately, he hadn't spent every point on Attributes.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even have this much.
"I can only afford either the Extractor or the Black Cloak. I guess I need to start saving cash if I want to use merchants properly."
Still, simply seeing the merchandise taught him something important.
He finally understood how the empty equipment slots worked.
"So the Extractor removes an equipment effect and turns it into a gem that fits into empty slots..."
It was a familiar game mechanic.
Even so...
One item mattered more than the Extractor.
"With that cloak, I can survive an Obsidian Rain night and complete the achievement."
There was no guarantee future merchants would sell the same goods.
The sword was useless without the Extractor.
The Blank Check was equally unaffordable.
His gaze stopped on the cloak.
「Black Cloak」
Negates Obsidian Rain.
100,000 Karma
"Obsidian Rain... obviously some dangerous nighttime weather phenomenon."
And Yeongwoo already possessed an achievement requiring him to spend an entire night outdoors.
Nocturnal
Spend one night outside your residence.
Then his eyes shifted to the final item.
「Snake of Avarice」
Epic Compass
Always points toward valuable treasures.
Price: One Legendary Achievement
Although it was the highest-ranked item, Yeongwoo happened to be one of the few people capable of purchasing it immediately.
"Pay with a Legendary Achievement? What exactly does that mean?"
Almost as if reading his thoughts, Kubu answered.
—One completed Legendary Achievement will be permanently deleted from your personal data.
—Any achievements that depend upon it may become permanently unattainable.
—Your total completed achievement count will also decrease.
"Then... what about the rewards I've already received?"
—Rewards that have already been granted will not be reclaimed.
So...
He could trade away one completed Legendary Achievement and any future achievement chain connected to it in exchange for high-grade equipment immediately.
It was, quite literally...
Borrowing against the future.
"If that equipment helps me earn even greater rewards, it's worth it. Otherwise, it could end up being a terrible deal..."
He opened his Achievement window.
Your Achievement Tendency: "Reckless"
Completed Achievements: 4
Summoner of Golden Rain (Legendary) — First
Forgive Your Enemy (Hero) — #46
Elite Social Welfare Worker (Legendary) — First
Golden Foundation (Legendary) — First
Three of his four completed achievements were Legendary.
However...
Only Elite Social Welfare Worker was truly expendable.
The other two belonged to the Golden Rain achievement chain.
"If I sell one of those, I might lose the entire Golden Flood chain."
Meanwhile, Elite Social Welfare Worker, earned by sparing a Mutant, had never produced a follow-up achievement.
Perhaps it was a standalone achievement.
"If that's the case, I should sell it while I can. If I die tomorrow, none of this will matter anyway."
Because he kept distributing Golden Rain to everyone, Yeongwoo's Attributes lagged behind those of other Number One Swordsmen.
Naturally...
The Snake of Avarice, which would greatly improve his ability to gather powerful equipment, appealed to him.
"There's no point wasting more time thinking."
"I'll buy the Black Cloak... and the Snake of Avarice."
The moment he made his decision, Kubu blinked once, asking for final confirmation.
Yeongwoo accepted without hesitation.
Immediately afterward—
Two of the five rock merchants let out loud cries.
"KIIIIII...!"
"GRRRAAAAA!"
"Looks like... the deal has been completed."