Chapter 60
I was worried at first about getting deported abroad. But the nation of Republic of Korea—with the world's lowest birth rate and highest suicide rate, flashing red alerts for its productive population—welcomed me with open arms! Thanks to my perfect command of the Korean language, I quickly obtained my resident registration card.
"Alright, then..."
In a capitalist society, money is essential if you want to move freely. I'd secured the most important prerequisite: my resident ID. The Korean government had handed over a ridiculously small amount as "settlement funds," and that was my startup capital.
A little disappointing.
I knew plenty of ways to make money, having gleaned the rough flow of world events from history books. Wars, disasters, climate shifts, cultural trends... And on top of that, I even knew the approximate locations of ruins and treasures that would be uncovered as borders and coastlines shifted.
"What the hell am I doing...?"
I wasn't even looking for Mr. Nam Hae-su; instead, I was off hunting for treasure. Swimsuit, goggles, compass, old smartphone, flashlight, emergency rations, backpack... I'd scraped together every last penny from the government's pittance to gear up for the expedition, then hopped on a bus to my destination!
"Sandy beach...?"
I belatedly realized I'd been way too complacent.
The surroundings look totally different!
No relics had been discovered yet, so there was no museum. The beach where one would later stand was blocked off by barbed wire to keep people out. Give up just like that? No way.
"Too bad about that legendary sword."
If I had that blade that could slice through anything like pudding, dismantling the fence would've been a breeze... I walked along the barbed wire, searching for a gap like a doggy door, when a construction site came into view. Building a guard post, maybe? Didn't matter.
"Heave-ho!"
Confirming no one was around, I hoisted a long iron rod onto my shoulder.
Just borrowing it for a sec.
Whoosh! I tossed my backpack—stuffed with tools and emergency rations—over to the other side first, then used the rod from the site to attempt a pole vault.
"Hup!"
Failing and getting snagged on the barbs wouldn't end in just a scratch! But for someone who'd personally endured the horrors of war in the world of the novel Becoming the Youngest Daughter of the Count's Family, this was nothing.
Thud!
I stabbed the pole into the ground, arced through the air in a parabola, and landed softly on the other side. Success.
"Nice."
I was a bit worried about getting back without the pole, but that could wait until after I found the relic.
Rustle, rustle.
Walking the beach, I scanned the rocky outcrops jutting from the coastline.
I had no idea back then.
Back when I came here holding my parents' hands, I couldn't have imagined a future alone. This sandy stretch would one day house a massive museum.
"...Ah! There it is."
The museum offered a "historical site tour" where you took a boat around the rocky island. It looked like ordinary granite at a glance. But the relics from the ship that sank after hitting that outcrop? Totally real.
Getting a little excited.
Splash!
I changed into my swimsuit, donned my goggles, and dove into the sea.
* * *
The relic I was after was a crudely made jewel box. The sunken ship had been salvaged right away, leaving few traces, and now only antiques obscured by seaweed and coral lay piled like trash.
The past is the past, huh...
They looked like proper artifacts in the museum, but right now? Just ocean garbage.
Clink.
I rummaged through them, shoving them aside to search for the jewel box.
Wonder where it is~
If future archaeologists saw me, they'd probably foam at the mouth and grab me by the collar. But for now, it was just fish habitat.
"Huff!"
Even with my abnormally large lung capacity, it took fifteen round trips... The sun was setting, dusk making the search impossible. Time to call it and try again tomorrow.
Thud.
That's when I spotted a metal box buried in the trash pile.
Oho!
Splash— I grabbed it and swam back to the beach where I'd stashed my clothes.
"Nngh!"
It didn't seem locked, but the lid wouldn't budge, clinging like a live clam.
Thud.
I wiped the outside and shone my flashlight: definitely the relic I was after.
Found it, mission accomp—huh?
As I packed the jewel box into my bag to withdraw, a chill ran down my spine. I whipped around.
Flash.
A nude woman approached, wielding a long sword in each hand.
"What the...?"
I couldn't tear my eyes from the bizarre scene defying all common sense. As she drew closer, her identity sharpened into focus, and I swallowed hard.
"Holy shit!"
It wasn't a woman. Just my foolish assumption from her slender build.
Screeech.
"Why is a Sword Demon here?!"
Sword Demon: A humanoid ape with blade-shaped limbs. No genitals or features to distinguish sex; its two pairs of arms and one pair of legs evoked a centipede, while its eerily beautiful face amplified the dissonance.
"Uh... hi?"
"......"
Conversation was hopeless, as expected. Second time running into one, after that magic boy Choi Kang-min's dream.
Screeech!
The Sword Demon, staring blankly at me with soulless eyes, rubbed its limbs together, producing a hair-raising sound. Then—It's coming!
It exploded forward, slicing sand with its blade-like legs in a straight charge.
Swish—
Let it get close, and I'd be diced like butcher shop meat.
Where to run?!
Valentine had taught me swordsmanship, sure, but a four-armed four-blade style monster? No chance. And its legs were blades too! One kick, and my lower half was gone.
"You cheating bastard!"
Screeech!
That chalkboard-nail sound grated most.
Thud! I kicked off the ground and bolted.
To the sea... no.
Couldn't picture those blade-limbed horrors swimming, but if they could by some fluke, I'd be dead meat. Plus, sand sucked at my feet, killing speed. I'd be caught before hitting the water.
Only option? Run. Keep running. Run nonstop!
Until I reached the coastal guard post by the fence.
"Help!"
Click!
The guards reacted to my desperate cry.
"What hap—"
"Holy crap! What is that...?"
Spotting the pursuing Sword Demon, they panicked instead of shooting or threatening.
This is insane!
Having only seen cops and soldiers who fired first in threats to civilians, this was alien. Judging it hopeless, I bolted up the guard post stairs.
"Hey! Mister! Wait!"
"You can't just climb up here—"
Frustrated by their slow grasp, I yelled.
"Save me...!"
Slice—
The welded steel post crumbled like bamboo after a couple swings.
"Aaaah?!"
"I-it's collapsing?!"
Seeking easy aid had only worsened the damage! No blame here. Even I, hit by arrows in that romance fantasy novel Becoming the Youngest Daughter of the Count's Family, could only flee.
Experience gap.
If their aptitudes weren't for quick-response jobs like firefighter, cop, or soldier, it was inevitable. But understanding didn't fix this.
"Gimme!"
The post tilted like dominoes instead of collapsing outright. I snatched rifles from soldiers clinging to pillars.
Firing experience? Pull the trigger—
"Why won't this shoot?!"
No matter how hard I pulled, nothing.
"Unlock the safety—aaagh?!"
"HQ! HQ! Hurry— this isn't the time for codes! Save us...!"
Crash!
I escaped through a window just before the post hit the ground.
Weapons! Need a weapon!
Vowing to learn guns later, I grabbed a nearby entrenching tool and shouted.
"Shoot when you get a chance!"
"Ugh..."
"Aghhh..."
Failed escapees groaned from the rubble. Around my age. Sorry for disrupting their peaceful duty, but isn't this a soldier's role and obligation? I'm a citizen deserving protection too.
"Come at me."
"......"
The Sword Demon slashed through debris, charging straight. Predictably linear—thank god.
Slice—
No blocking those rock-pudding blades; evasion only.
Now!
I hurled the shovel at its pretty face and rolled aside.
Grab.
It sliced diagonally, gripped the pointed iron rod with both hands—I'd snagged it from behind the fence—and hid.
Screech!
In a flash, it shredded the incoming shovel into dozens of pieces. Ignoring the easy flank, it charged the fence.
Incoming!
Straight-ahead brute, but slippery like ice, unpredictable and fast. Four arms, two legs mowing all obstacles... Like facing a bulldozer!
Slice—
It shredded the fence like cotton candy. I could only laugh bitterly, but the plan hadn't failed.
"Doesn't that hurt?"
"......"
Hook-shaped barbs studded the fence, tearing into its face and body, tangling it.
Screech—
Skin like steel plating? A human would've been bloody, but it sliced or ignored the wire, pressing on.
Fine then—
"How about this?"
Stab!
I thrust the spear-like rod at its chest.
"......"
Wobble.
Delayed by the fence, the rod pierced its chest.
"Huh?"
I'd expected no full penetration, but skin denting like plate armor? Barely a scrape. Its eyes mocked me.
Please...!
Did my prayer connect? Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before the shots hit my eardrums, its arms slashed air.
Plink, plink, plink...
For real?
Deflecting bullets from under 10 meters? The monster's unreal skill nearly broke my will, but I noticed not all blocked.
Drip...
Mercury-like silver blood leaked from its bullet-riddled gut.
"Die."
Stab!
I jammed the rod deep into the gash.
"......"
Slice— It severed the protruding rod but couldn't remove the embedded part sans hands.
Bang!
Temple shot next. For the first time, despite fatal wounds, the Sword Demon glanced at the soldiers.
"Gasp!"
"Heup!"
Ammo-dry soldiers' faces twisted in terror. I got it. No Earth creature survives a headshot.
"Hey."
Screech?
Stab!
I shoved another rod into its temple, its first glance away from me.
"Still not dead?"
"......"
Thud.
As if answering, the monster finally collapsed, feebly rubbing its limbs.
Scree, screech, squeak...
Like a violin solo lamenting a soul's passing—poignant, but
Stab!
No mercy here. I rammed the rod into its slightly open mouth, shoving deep into its throat.
"......"
Screech— snap.
The Sword Demon's movements finally stopped.
"...Making money is such a pain."
"U-um, excuse me?"
"Who are you?"
To the half-dazed soldiers' questions, I answered honestly.
"I'm a shaman."
An occupation where you're broke like a beggar every damn job!