Chapter 44

Opening the Gate (1)

The second Mutant of Mungyeong has been eliminated. Basic regional benefits have now been applied.

Time until Daily Quests begin: 20 minutes

Time until the Merchant appears: 5 minutes

Despite the grand system announcement, what Yeongwoo was actually doing was anything but dignified.

He was crouched over a corpse, searching it from head to toe.

He had no choice.

He had no idea what form Jang Chunyong's Mutant equipment might take.

"He's not wearing any rings... Could it be something he carries in his pocket?"

He searched both pockets.

Only a handful of crimson Karma coins came out.

There's no way he never killed the Day One Mutant.

If he hadn't...

The level of swordsmanship Yeongwoo had just witnessed would have been impossible to explain.

As Yeongwoo tilted his head in confusion—

Something entered his field of vision.

His wrist.

More specifically...

The emerald-green snake wrapped around it.

Its head had bent at a strange angle.

Snake of Greed — Narrative Compass
Always gazes toward rare treasures.

"Always gazes toward rare treasures..."

Yeongwoo followed the direction the snake was pointing.

Naturally...

His gaze stopped on Jang Chunyong's face.

His face...?

Is it something worn on the head?

But no matter how carefully he looked...

There was nothing there.

"What?"

The Narrative Compass couldn't be wrong.

After thinking for a moment, Yeongwoo slowly brought his snake-covered wrist closer to the dead man's face.

The snake adjusted its head again.

After making several small corrections—

Yeongwoo finally reached a conclusion.

...His eye?

Whatever the Mutant equipment was...

It was somewhere inside Jang Chunyong's left eye.

Making a disgusted face—

Yeongwoo carefully lifted the dead man's left eyelid.

Then...

He saw it.

A pale object covering the lifeless pupil.

It was—

A contact lens.

The instant he realized what it was—

Every hair on his body stood on end.

Not from fear.

From instinctive revulsion.

I'm supposed to put some unknown Mutation-grade contact lens...

...that came off a corpse...

...into my own eye?

No way...

Surely there isn't actually Mutation equipment like contact lenses...?

Even while shaking his head—

Yeongwoo placed two fingers over the eye.

Then...

He gently pinched the object.

Pluck.

The horrifying outcome he had expected happened immediately.

Flash!

One-Eyed Sentinel — Mutant Cornea
When you fall asleep, it stands watch for you.

"...Seriously?"

It really was Mutant equipment.

Worse—

The official item type wasn't contact lens.

It was cornea.

Yeongwoo felt sick.

But he had neither the time nor the luxury to hesitate.

There was still far too much left to do.

He still had to inspect the equipment left behind by Jang Daemyung.

He also had to bring down the Golden Rain over Mungyeong.

It shouldn't blind me...

Jang Chunyong wore it without any problems.

Taking a deep breath—

Yeongwoo pulled open his own left eyelid.

"...Hoo..."

Then he placed the Mutant Cornea onto his eye.

Slap!

As though it were alive—

The One-Eyed Sentinel attached itself to his eyeball.

"W-What the hell?!"

Startled, Yeongwoo couldn't even blink.

He shouted involuntarily.

But the Mutant Cornea gave no response.

After that brief movement...

Its presence completely disappeared.

Apparently...

It had fully bonded with his eye.

Until he actually fell asleep—

It likely wouldn't activate again.

"..."

For quite some time—

Yeongwoo simply stared at the ground with his eye held wide open.

Eventually...

He gave in.

Blink.

He finally closed and reopened his eyelid.

Yet...

He couldn't feel the Mutant Cornea at all.

This is really a... Mutant Cornea...?

After blinking several more times—

He reluctantly accepted the fact that he would now carry an alien biological object inside his eye until the day he died.

It said it'll keep watch while I'm asleep...

So once I fall asleep... it'll monitor my surroundings for me.

There was no way to verify that until bedtime.

Now—

Only one task remained.

The golden sphere still spinning in midair.

The reward for killing Mungyeong's second-day Mutant.

When Yeongwoo reached out and touched it—

The sphere spun even faster.

You have eliminated a Mutant.

Please choose your reward to complete the process.

Guaranteed Reward

Blue Blood — Mutant Potion

Increases Strength by 30% for 10 minutes.

Remaining uses: 4

Choice Reward

3,000,000 Karma

or

Give every resident in this region 30,000 Karma

Now it's medicine...

First a cornea...

Now I have to drink Mutant blood?

With a weary expression—

Yeongwoo chose the second option.

Give every resident in this region 30,000 Karma

Flash!

The golden sphere shot into the sky.

It exploded overhead.

Golden rain poured across Mungyeong.

Shhhhh...

Gyeongbok First Sword 'Jung Myungwoo07' has given up exclusive ownership of 3,000,000 Karma and gifted 30,000 Karma to every resident of Mungyeong.

The 30,000 Karma will be distributed as commemorative coins. Please prepare to receive them.

Not long ago—

Even making this decision had been difficult.

Now...

It no longer stirred him at all.

After all...

He had just implanted a Mutant Cornea into his own eye.

Soon he'd probably be drinking Mutant blood as well.

Compared to that—

Choosing a reward hardly mattered anymore.

Tap! Tap!

Yeongwoo skillfully caught the commemorative coins falling with the Golden Rain.

Then he opened his Achievement window.

Golden Flood

Summon the Golden Rain in 15 unknown regions.

Progress: 4/5

Only one more.

He had also collected four Gyeongbok First Sword titles already.

His position was becoming increasingly secure.

A ripple spread through the air.

Then—

A palm-sized vial slowly materialized.

It was the Mutant potion.

Blue Blood.

So enhancement drugs exist too...

Yeongwoo slipped the vial into his pocket.

Looking at the countless Karma coins scattered everywhere—

He sighed.

Couldn't they at least implement auto-looting?

If they've already programmed stat-boosting potions...

An auto-pickup feature shouldn't be that difficult.

Instead—

A deafening roar split the heavens.

BOOOOOOM!

A black pillar of light tore through the clouds.

The Merchant Marker.

Even after seeing it before—

It was incomparably more oppressive and alien than either monster or Mutant markers.

Northeast...

This one isn't too far away.

As Yeongwoo estimated the pillar's location—

A car horn suddenly echoed from behind.

Honk! Honk!

A gray SUV sped toward them.

It was the Jung family's vehicle.

While fleeing under Yeongwoo's orders—

They had somehow managed to avoid every monster.

"Mr. Yeongwoo!"

Keeping a safe distance—

Myungho leaned out the driver's window.

He wanted confirmation that everything was truly over.

Yeongwoo sheathed his sword.

Then waved him over.

"Hurry."

"Help me collect the money."

"We'll be moving again."

56,000 Karma

After collecting every coin in the area together—

The total came to 560,000 Karma.

That translated to 560 stat points.

Enough to transform almost anyone into an experienced monster hunter overnight.

"...My God."

Myungho couldn't take his eyes off the pile of coins.

With that much money...

He felt he could finally protect his mother on his own.

But—

"Did you collect the commemorative coins earlier?"

"Huh?"

"Y-Yes... of course."

"Good."

"Use those as your travel expenses."

Yeongwoo had no intention of investing his own Karma into the financially ruined Jung family.

He swept the remaining coins into his backpack.

Watching silently—

Myungho cautiously asked,

"Um..."

"Mr. Yeongwoo..."

"So..."

"Are we heading to Chungju now?"

Chungju.

The city where Myungho's father—the last remaining member of his family—was waiting.

But under the circumstances—

Whether the SUV actually made it there depended entirely on Yeongwoo.

There was no longer anyone else capable of protecting the vehicle.

"Hmm..."

"We do need to go."

"But..."

Yeongwoo's answer made Myungho uneasy.

His gaze slowly drifted toward the distant black pillar.

"...Ah."

Yeongwoo had been looking in the same direction.

"Something is going to appear there."

"So..."

"We'll meet it first."

"...Meet it?"

Myungho had seen the Merchant countdown as well.

Naturally—

He realized Yeongwoo was talking about the Merchant.

But...

Could something emerging from such a terrifying black pillar really be what people normally imagined when they heard the word merchant?

"...I understand."

In the end—

He bowed his head.

There was no alternative.

Sensing his anxiety—

Yeongwoo tried to reassure him.

Though he wasn't sure it would help.

"It shouldn't be dangerous this time."

"We're not going there to fight."

"...Have you met them before?"

"Yes."

"And no."

"...?"

The confusing answer made Myungho tilt his head.

But Yeongwoo had spoken honestly.

He had already designated Kubu as his intermediary.

So, just like before—

He would probably meet Kubu again.

But...

There was no guarantee the being who appeared as the Merchant would be the same.

At least—

Yeongwoo didn't think they would end up fighting the Alien Trading Company.

Though...

That was merely his own assumption.

Clink.

He dropped the final handful of Karma into his backpack.

Then opened his status window.

Character: Jung Myungwoo07

Strength: 600 (19 + 581)

Stamina: 350 (21 + 329)

Durability: 550 (13 + 537)

Sense: 100 (24 + 76)

1 stat point costs 1,000 Karma.

Available Karma: 894,000

His total fortune now stood at 894,000 Karma.

He could spend it all on stats and grow dramatically.

But...

For someone whose greatest enemies were other First Swords—

Adding around 890 stat points wouldn't change anything.

Because—

Soon...

First Swords who have already absorbed even second-day Mutants will start appearing.

If they had monopolized all 3,000,000 Karma from both reward choices—

Their minimum total stats would already exceed 6,000.

Yeongwoo's own combined stats hadn't even reached 2,000 yet.

An additional 890 points would barely matter.

It might make fighting monsters easier.

But what good was that—

If he lost against another First Sword?

I need another trump card.

Something... like Sense Theft.

He intended to find that variable through the Golden Flood achievement...

And through trading with the Alien Merchant Company.

Rumble...

With less than a minute remaining—

The black pillar began emitting a sound that resembled the end of the world itself.

It seemed the beings from beyond were preparing to descend.

Yeongwoo hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder.

Then pointed toward the SUV.

"Let's go."

"We're going to meet some aliens."