The Age of Adaptation
Another Room, once again.
The initial panic and tension were gone now.
He wasn’t completely used to it yet, but it was already a lot more comfortable than before.
"Loki. Can you pull up the purchase list in front of me?"
Of course.
The list unfurled before his eyes.
Weapons, Armor, Gear, Food, Consumables, Materials.
When he tapped Weapons, it broke down into larger categories again.
Everything from melee weapons to firearms.
I should only buy what I actually need.
He had 2,652 points at the moment.
Within that budget, he needed a usable melee weapon, a firearm, and armor.
And I should probably pick up a storage pouch, some basic medical supplies, and a few high-calorie ready meals too.
It was a purchase for a mission meant to end quickly, but thorough preparation was still essential.
Rather than scroll through the condensed list, Yoo Sung-jun went straight to search.
[Blunt greatsword: 500 points]
[Iron greatsword: 650 points]
[Steel greatsword: 800 points]
[Black iron greatsword: 1,500 points]
The reason he looked at greatswords first was simple.
He was most familiar with them.
It’s easier to cut clean through an Infector’s core and crush it underfoot that way.
It was a weapon he had used constantly as his Meteor avatar.
Just in case there was a way to test it, he asked.
Impossible. Only transfer through point payment is available.
At Loki’s firm reply, he shook his head.
He’d been hoping to see whether he could handle it smoothly with this body too.
In that case, there was no need to insist on a greatsword.
Yoo Sung-jun knew how to use a sword, not just a greatsword.
A longsword should be fine for the weapon. I still need to check firearms and armor.
The shop window was no different from the one in Another Earth 1.0.
Yoo Sung-jun’s shopping went on for a long time.
He kept browsing until there were only about ten minutes left on the stay limit.
It couldn’t be helped.
If he tried to save points by buying cheap junk and it failed him later, he’d be screwed.
"Feels like I really bought the best stuff I could."
Yoo Sung-jun looked down at his feet.
The equipment transmitted at the moment of purchase had piled up there in a heap.
When he looked back up, the shopping list was still there.
[Steel longsword: 500 points]
[Lowest-grade Force Suit: 850 points]
[Reinforced plastic armor: 700 points]
2,050 points so far. He had expected armor to be expensive.
Still, it’s the gear that’ll keep me alive.
He still couldn’t even consider the Omega Suit.
It cost a staggering 150,000 points.
And that was for a Level 1 model.
He’d have to improve things step by step.
The Force Suit, which absorbed and dispersed impact, was a black, full-body tights-like undersuit.
He wore reinforced plastic armor over it.
It covered even his vital points, as well as his chest.
It was light, but sturdy enough to protect him from most sharp weapons.
He put everything on and went for a run.
A smile tugged at his lips in satisfaction.
"If I’d bought a greatsword, that would’ve been a disaster."
Next came the weapon.
Yoo Sung-jun gave the longsword a few test swings.
A clean cut. Since he’d only been handling greatswords before, it felt fairly light.
Not extremely light, though. That was the problem.
If he had bought a greatsword without understanding his current level, he would’ve been huffing after just a few swings.
The stamina issue will improve through consistent exercise and body modification.
There was a body modification capsule in the gear category.
It could be placed in the Enter Room, and through it, users began physical enhancement.
Level 1 costs 100,000 points. That’s way off in the distance.
With every modification, the body became twice as strong.
The capsule for the first modification alone cost 30,000 points.
Seen that way, an Invitation was dirt cheap.
I need to set priorities.
First, he would save up points for an Invitation using the gear he’d just bought.
After that, he’d improve his equipment.
Before the suit and body modification, there’s still one thing I need to do...
Talent Awakening. The power that had helped Yoo Sung-jun most in defeating Kalaqua, the Level 10 Infector.
It was in the consumables category. The Talent Awakening Pill.
The Talent Awakening Pill costs 20,000 points. It has the drawback of needing repeated use and mastery to strengthen it, but right now it’ll be my biggest boost in raw power.
He’d buy that after the Invitation.
With that plan set, Yoo Sung-jun asked, "Loki. Is Talent Awakening the same as in the game?"
It might be the same, and it might be different.
"So it’s random?"
That is correct.
That meant his top-tier Talent, Analysis, the one that had pushed him to the highest ranks, might not appear at all.
I’ll need to study the other Talents in advance too.
Nodding, Yoo Sung-jun packed his things into the backpack.
He slid the magazines into the belt pouches fixed around his thighs and waist.
They were for the firearm he’d bought by pouring in most of the remaining 602 points.
[MP9 Sharp Shooter: 500 points]
A cost-effective little partner. It came with a basic suppressor and a folding stock, and its rate of fire, penetration, and stability were all excellent.
Then there were 120 rounds for 50 points.
With the remaining 52 points, he bought food, medicine, and belt pouches.
He had spent every last point without leaving even one behind.
He had no regrets.
He planned to make far more than that off all this.
"This should be enough for a basic mid-range setup."
There probably wouldn’t be any mission that demanded long-range interception right away.
At that point, the mission difficulty would be at least C-rank.
"Show me the mission list. F-rank only."
Understood.
Everything was ready.
Yoo Sung-jun scanned the list that appeared before him.
He needed to choose carefully.
Once he picked a mission, he couldn’t leave until it was cleared. That was information he’d learned through the community.
"You’re jealous over a mere website?"
For an artificial intelligence, she was showing quite a rich range of emotions.
Shouldering his pack, Yoo Sung-jun focused on browsing the missions.
By the time there was only one minute left on the stay limit, he finally chose a mission.
The reward was stingier than the tutorial.
Frowning, he was about to ask when Loki explained.
Rewards also increase according to achievements.
"Like when I pulled off that reckless escape?"
That is correct. And the tutorial you cleared then had already been upgraded to D difficulty.
That made sense.
The type was annihilation, not escape or evasion.
If he simply tore through the Infector horde at will, it would be over.
Maybe because the difficulty is low, the briefing is so simple.
As difficulty rose, naturally the objective and the level of the Infector would rise too.
When he pressed Accept, transmission began.
Yoo Sung-jun closed his eyes to acclimate quickly.
Confidence surged through him.
With his current gear, the cautious behavior he’d used in the tutorial was a thing of the past.
Even if dozens of Clunces or Grobles came at him, he was sure he could win. Not as a bluff, but for real.
Whiioooosh!
The moment he opened his eyes, a cold wind whipped through his hair.
He’d have to get it cut short later. It was annoying.
"This is..."
A sign came into view. Or what was left of one, anyway, after being roughly torn in half.
The claw marks made it easy to guess who had done it.
So these were the cleaners, huh.
"A park occupied by Clunces?"
He stepped into an unnamed park.
This wasn’t Korea; it was some foreign park.
When he brushed aside the dark, sickly shrubs, the whole scene came into view.
It was ugly. Holes had been dug everywhere, and filth was smeared over everything.
Level 1 Infector Clunces were called cleaners, though they were anything but clean.
That was simply their survival method.
They drove off predators with stench. They’d probably coated the entrance, and even the interior walls, in their own filth.
"Ugh. How many are participating?"
There is one participant.
"So it’s just me..."
Well, it had barely been a week since the tutorial ended.
Most users were probably still hesitating or preparing.
Then there was nothing to worry about.
He could use his firearm as much as he wanted.
Click.
He unfolded and locked the stock in place.
Then he inserted the magazine and switched it to single fire.
There was no need to waste bullets.
He wasn’t confident he could hit every shot, but he didn’t want to lose even a little.
Because these are point-backed bullets.
Yoo Sung-jun sat on a broad rock.
He had no intention of entering that stinking burrow and committing outright slaughter inside it.
He could probably beat dozens of Clunces in there, but he’d have to accept damage to do it.
This was the way to minimize that damage.
Clunces were nocturnal.
And now the sun was setting, which meant it was about time for them to start crawling out.
Krreeeek. Kkik!
There. One was already out.
With the corners of his mouth lifting, Yoo Sung-jun shouldered his weapon.
He gauged the distance. About 25 meters. Enough to hit.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he squeezed the trigger.
Phew! After a tiny, sharp sound, the creature toppled over.
You have acquired 20 points.
Its small body must have taken the bullet hard.
With its skull blown open, it scuttled back into the burrow it had emerged from.
That should be enough to say hello.
Kaaaak! Kkreeek! Kiiiaaak!
Just as expected, Clunces burst out from all around him.
They ran blindly.
Even though they still hadn’t noticed Yoo Sung-jun, they shrieked noisily all the same.
He welcomed that. It told him exactly where they were.
Peu-peu-peu-pyooong!
The muzzle of the submachine gun, set to single fire, spat out rhythmic bursts of light.
Each time, the Level 1 Infector creatures died one after another.
The slaughter had begun.
***
Thunk!
A cool blade punched through the cheek of a twitching Clunce, its tongue lolling out as it spasmed in tiny convulsions.
When the trembling stopped, he pulled the blade free.
He shook the blood off the longsword with a rough flick of his wrist.
He was already sick of hearing the point-gain sound.
Yoo Sung-jun looked around.
There were no more Clunces trying to kill him.
Just in case, he slung the submachine gun behind him.
The mission still wasn’t cleared.
Which meant the remaining ones were still down below.
Tsk. I really don’t want to go in there.
"Still, I’ve got to if I want to go back."
If he wanted to eat the soybean paste stew his little brother had made, there was no helping it.
It was already two hours into the mission.
It was time to wrap things up.
Entering the burrow was easy.
The dead Clunces served as cushions.
He breathed shallowly and acclimated to the stench.
His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, took in the tunnel by the faint moonlight that leaked in.
A small cry drifted out.
"There you are."
Relying on the confidence he’d earned through the Clunce massacre, he sprinted forward.
The burrow the creatures had dug was far wider than he’d expected.
That made movement easy.
Yoo Sung-jun leveled his blade the moment he arrived.
A larger Clunce was holding a smaller one in its arms.
Its red pupils blazed with hostility.
A pack mother.
The one that led the group and handled breeding.
It was the core creature of the Clunce pack.
It was strong enough, but only by Clunce standards.
Yoo Sung-jun still stood above them, reigning in the predator’s seat.
Kaahk!
"Not so fast."
It abandoned the hatchling and rushed him.
The reinforced plastic armor blocked its claws.
Krkkk! The moment it slid off, he tried to headbutt him.
Most of that impact was dispersed by the lowest-grade Force Suit as well.
He’d been right to equip armor.
The attacks of a Level 1 creature were now barely worth caring about.
So Yoo Sung-jun attacked without hesitation.
Thunk!
A cold flash of steel poured down over its head. It split the skull in two and stopped there.
You have acquired 40 points.
Mission cleared. Would you like to move to the Enter Room?
Now that it wasn’t a tutorial, had the wording changed to a question?
Yoo Sung-jun tilted his head.
The annihilation wasn’t finished yet.
"Creatures like this need to be wiped out completely."
He killed the hatchlings too. Still unsatisfied, he swept through the burrow and cut down eight more remaining Clunces.
That was the end of it. The F-rank mission ended without any variables, just like the tutorial had.
"Take me back to the Enter Room, Loki."
Understood.
Sure enough, doing a mission left him drained.
That was a problem he’d improve through body modification, but until then, he’d have to carry it.
Seventeen rounds left. As for the weapon and armor, I’ll have to maintain them myself until I can buy a cleaning block.
Everything was points.