Chapter 55

Among the Stars (2)

As Yeong-woo picked up the piece of equipment in question, Jong-su tilted his head.

"Hyung, can you actually use that?"

"It's a compass."

"...That's a compass?"

It was a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Even to Yeong-woo, the item looked nothing like a compass.

「Frightened Cat」 – Narrative Compass

• Points toward threatening targets.
• — Empty Slot —

The equipment taken from Shin Yeong-joo's left pocket was a tiny three-colored cat figurine, smaller than the palm of his hand.

True to its name, the cat was curled up in fear. Its eyes were closed, apparently because it was currently inactive.

So there aren't any threats nearby at the moment?

Yeong-woo immediately understood how the Frightened Cat worked.

After all, he possessed a similar piece of equipment himself.

「Serpent of Greed」 – Narrative Compass

• Always gazes toward rare treasures.

Since the world had reset, Yeong-woo had become one of the people who understood the system relatively quickly.

So Shin Yeong-joo found me immediately because of her compass.

Of course, he still had no idea why the Frightened Cat had identified him as a threat back then.

I never intended to fight the First Sword from the beginning... We might have clashed over the merchant, but I planned to settle it through conversation.

That, however, had only been Yeong-woo's own assumption.

In the end, Shin Yeong-joo had died.

Whether he liked it or not, that made him the dangerous one.

Feeling uneasy, Yeong-woo slipped the Frightened Cat into his pocket.

Immediately, the Serpent of Greed, coiled around his left wrist, flicked out its tongue and turned its head.

It wasn't looking at the cat.

It was staring at the longsword Shin Yeong-joo had been clutching.

Not the standard-issue sword stuck in the mountain of blades.

And certainly not Early Bird either.

He had been curious about it all along.

A mutant item?

Most likely.

If Shin Yeong-joo really had been the First Sword of this era, she should have possessed at least two mutant items.

One obtained from killing a mutant herself.

Another inherited from the previous First Sword.

Click.

As Yeong-woo pulled the sword free from Shin Yeong-joo's hand, an information window appeared.

「Underdog」 – Mutant One-Handed Sword

• Deals 25% more damage against targets larger than the user.

Despite its plain appearance, its special ability stood out.

Against mutants, this should almost always be active.

If "larger" simply referred to body size or height, then the effect would activate against most adult men.

On the other hand, it would be almost useless against shorter men or most women.

Click.

Yeong-woo drew Early Bird from his belt and replaced it with Underdog.

Watching him, Jong-su chuckled.

"So even the First Sword searches corpses after a fight. What a world this has become."

"...It can't be helped. I'm sure the Gangnam First Sword rummages through corpses too."

Gangnam's First Sword.

Yeong-woo had no connection to Gangnam, but since it was known as a wealthy district, he'd said it half-jokingly.

Unexpectedly, Jong-su took the comment seriously.

"Come to think of it, Gangnam probably has its own First Sword too... Or maybe Seoul only has one?"

"I wonder."

Now that he thought about it, Jong-su had a point.

Although both Chungju and Seoul were officially "cities," Seoul's population was dozens of times larger.

Chungju had roughly 200,000 residents.

Seoul had around 9.4 million.

Forty-seven times as many.

Naturally, there ought to be more than one First Sword there.

Perhaps one for each district.

Even then, the number of First Swords would still be low compared to Seoul's population.

After all, Seoul had twenty-five districts.

"There really might be a Gangnam First Sword."

As Yeong-woo said that, Jong-su became visibly excited.

"Right? Aren't you curious what kind of person would be sitting in a position like Gangnam's First Sword?"

Unlike the strangely enthusiastic Jong-su, Yeong-woo found it difficult to understand his emotions.

Maybe everything still felt like a game or a dream to him.

He had suddenly abandoned his companions and come here.

He had also willingly given up the opportunity to become the First Sword.

Yeong-woo couldn't shake the feeling that Jong-su simply wasn't taking life after the Reset seriously.

"So... how do you plan to live from now on?"

"From now on?"

Jong-su wore the expression of someone who had never even considered the question.

Then he flashed his usual playful grin.

"I'd like to take it easy... avoid suffering too much, and travel around to see the world."

"See the world?"

"Yeah. Isn't this whole situation fascinating? Just a few days ago, would you ever have imagined getting stabbed by a judge?"

"Well... no."

That confirmed it.

Jong-su truly regarded this second life after the Reset as a kind of bonus.

Otherwise...

"Hyung... you're thinking I'm weird, aren't you? Like I've got a screw loose."

As expected, Jong-su spoke as though he'd read Yeong-woo's mind.

So Yeong-woo stopped beating around the bush.

"Yeah. Normally people are desperately trying to survive or frozen in fear. You're the first person I've met who says they just want to sightsee. I doubt I'll meet another."

"Haha, that's true. Most people put survival above everything else."

There was something oddly heavy hidden behind Jong-su's laughter.

"So survival isn't your top priority?"

To Yeong-woo's surprise...

Jong-su fell silent.

"...No."

The smile disappeared completely.

With his intimidating appearance, his next words felt completely out of place.

"Forget living... I wanted to die. Originally, today was supposed to be the day I killed myself."

"...What?"

Thinking he'd misheard, Yeong-woo frowned.

Jong-su wrinkled his nose and confirmed it.

"I checked the Book of Fate. Today was the day I was meant to die. If the world hadn't reset, I would've gone through with my suicide."

Which meant...

"You were planning to kill yourself even before the Reset?"

"...Why?"

Yeong-woo asked instinctively.

He simply couldn't understand.

Jong-su possessed a physique so overwhelming that the system itself considered him a dangerous individual.

Appearance wasn't everything, of course.

But someone who looked that strong was the last person Yeong-woo expected to hear such words from.

"I'll tell you the reason someday... It's not exactly something to brag about."

For the first time, a shadow crossed Jong-su's usually cheerful face.

It seemed he truly had wanted to die.

The Book of Fate had said as much.

Without the Reset, he would have been dead.

"So now you're just living because... you happened not to die?"

"Something like that... But mostly, I'm curious."

Curious?

"They say dead sparrows will come back as dragons. How could I leave without seeing that?"

His spirit already restored, Jong-su burst into hearty laughter.

Unable to help himself, Yeong-woo laughed as well.

*

Although something still felt off, they didn't have much time.

"Can we still make the trade?"

Yeong-woo asked Kubu, who floated silently in the air.

After the strange conversation with the former would-be suicide victim, he returned to searching Shin Yeong-joo's corpse.

For some reason...

The second mutant item was nowhere to be found.

Could it be that the Day One mutant wasn't killed by the First Sword?

It seemed unlikely, but the circumstances suggested no other explanation.

Even the Serpent of Greed had stopped staring at the corpse.

It's really not here... Strange.

As Yeong-woo searched Shin Yeong-joo's pockets one last time, Jong-su asked,

"What is it? What's missing?"

"A piece of equipment. Mutants leave behind an item when they're killed. One of them is gone. The previous First Sword should have had it..."

"Really? Then maybe even the transfer candidate never had it?"

"Yeah... that's what it looks like."

Giving up his search, Yeong-woo stood.

Maybe the missing mutant item had simply been a consumable, like a potion.

"..."

"Yes. The trade is still possible."

"The brokerage fee remains unchanged. However, because a trade has already taken place, the trading partner cannot be changed."

Just as expected.

Choosing the trading partner was a privilege only available to whoever arrived first.

"It can't be helped. Go ahead."

As Yeong-woo nodded, Kubu blinked once before reciting its formal announcement.

The brokerage fee for this transaction is 10%, already included in the listed prices.

Trading Partner: Merchant of Arms from Cheok.

Merchant of Arms from Cheok...

Learning the merchant's origin, Yeong-woo unconsciously looked toward the giant cockroach trapped inside the pillar of light.

He didn't know whether Cheok was another planet or another dimension.

Either way...

The thought that creatures like that might be crawling everywhere there was unsettling.

The product list has been completed.

Kubu rolled its enormous eyeball.

Blue ripples appeared before Yeong-woo's eyes, gradually forming readable text.

1. 「Executioner」 – Ancient Two-Handed Axe

• Destroys ordinary weapons.
• Greatly reduced power when used with one hand.
• 70,000 Karma

2. 「Crystal of Beauty」 – Heroic Shield

• — Empty Slot —
• Doubles the effects of equipped gems.
• 116,000 Karma

3. 「Vanguard」 – Legendary Helmet

• This helmet cannot be damaged.
• 310,000 Karma

4. 「Mirage」 – Unique Boots

• 30% chance to evade Insight.
• 630,000 Karma

As expected, the fifth slot was empty.

Shin Yeong-joo had already purchased the compass by paying with a Legendary Achievement.

But in the end...

That compass had fallen into Yeong-woo's hands anyway.

It was almost as if he had gained an extra Legendary Achievement for free.

The rest are incredible too. Shin Yeong-joo didn't leave these behind on purpose... she simply couldn't afford them.

Yeong-woo currently possessed 871,000 Karma.

The axe doesn't interest me anymore... and the shield isn't useful right now. I'd rather have another sword.

That left only two items he truly wanted:

• Vanguard, the Legendary Helmet.
• Mirage, the Unique Boots.

Mirage, in particular, had an effect worthy of its rarity.

30% chance to evade Insight... What exactly does that mean?

Insight.

Normally, it meant seeing through someone's intentions.

Wait...

Yeong-woo's eyes widened.

The closest thing he'd experienced to "Insight" since the Reset was the holographic guidance provided by his Swordsmanship skill.

If it means a 30% chance to evade Insight... does that mean 30% of my movements won't appear in the hologram?

If that were true...

Then for someone like Yeong-woo, who constantly fought while outmatched in raw stats...

It was an indispensable item.

Mirage costs 630,000. I can afford it... but then I'd have to give up the helmet.

After buying Mirage, he'd have only 241,000 Karma left.

He would still be 69,000 Karma short of purchasing Vanguard.

It wasn't an impossible amount.

But it wasn't trivial either.

Just a few more monsters and I'd have enough...

Sighing, Yeong-woo glanced around, wondering if there were any monsters left nearby.

Then...

A thought struck him.

"Ah."

He turned toward the man watching the trade from a distance.

"Jong-su."

"Yeah?"

"...How much money do you have?"