Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Yaksha's Gaze
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“You must have some way to resist paralysis, being such a big shot. I regret not making the stage even grander.”
The manager was mistaking Jae-hyeok for some legendary figure.
‘The merchant thought the same.’
Because I bid on an 80,000-point item?
No way.
When the guy who set up the room himself was demanding a 500,000-point entry fee.
It didn’t make sense to be treated like a big shot over a mere 80,000 points.
There had to be something else making the manager and the merchant misjudge him.
It was probably…
‘My voice.’
When character info was set to private.
A mask covered Jae-hyeok’s face, and his voice was distorted.
Since the double mask was the ‘basic’ type, the only suspicious part was the voice.
‘Only my voice is different.’
His distorted voice was so intense that even slightly raising his tone sounded like a beast’s roar.
‘I thought it was just random.’
Was there a specific rule?
‘It must be related to achievements.’
Points were the most important thing in the Community.
The surest way to earn points was through achievements.
It made sense that the Community favored those with outstanding achievements.
And Jae-hyeok had beheaded a Brain Calamity and achieved a legendary feat right after awakening.
A legendary achievement was territory even S-rank players couldn’t easily touch.
It was natural for people to mistake him for a big shot.
“Curious? Want me to meet you in person and show you?”
“Haha, even with the mask, my beauty shines through? What a shame. I’m too valuable to meet just anyone.”
“Your intentions don’t matter. It’s my decision.”
Behind the plain mask.
Jae-hyeok’s pitch-black pupils stared straight at the manager.
A sensation like his lungs were being pierced.
The manager, chills running down her spine, bowed her head.
“I apologize for my insolence.”
She realized her mistake.
The man before her wouldn’t be surprised even if he knew about the White Serpent.
He was a heavyweight capable of tracing the bracelet back to her identity.
Yet she’d blabbered on arrogantly, oblivious to the heights of heaven.
‘I should’ve just handed over the item quickly and sent him off.’
She regretted it so much she wished she could turn back time.
From her trembling reaction, Jae-hyeok realized something crucial.
Unlike in reality, where you had to hide your power and intentions, flaunting strength in the Community seemed advantageous.
‘High-level players must think anonymity has limits.’
The woman before him was proof.
Those selling high-grade items or info were vulnerable to identification, so they naturally feared unknown powers stronger than themselves.
He felt confident he wouldn’t lose out in the Community by exploiting their fears.
“Here… the item.”
The manager swallowed dryly and carefully handed over the bracelet.
The White Serpent’s Bracelet.
An artifact that would have a minimum market price of 200,000 points without the curse.
Items that reduced resource consumption were always in high demand but short supply.
A 20% reduction was especially rare.
[[White Serpent’s Bracelet] acquired.]
[80,000 points paid.]
After entry fee and purchase, 117,000 points remained.
Satisfied with the unexpectedly bountiful harvest, Jae-hyeok’s body dissolved into light and vanished.
***
Logging out and returning to reality, Jae-hyeok opened his inventory.
An 8-slot inventory.
Still low-level, the storage space was cramped, but the white bracelet rested neatly inside.
The White Serpent’s Bracelet he’d just won at auction.
Slipping it on his wrist, it automatically adjusted to fit his frame.
“Amazing.”
An item bought in the Community transferring to reality…
The System was more impressive the more he experienced it.
He freshly realized how inconvenient and humiliating life as a non-awakener had been, without these benefits.
[Two Scythes That Halt the Cart]
Jae-hyeok deployed the skill.
Two auras formed into scythes, slashing through the air.
Mana consumed: not 100, but 80.
The most important part, the curse…
[[Dead Serpent’s Curse] resisted.]
“Good.”
Just as expected, he resisted it effortlessly.
It was like snagging an irreplaceable treasure at a steal.
After testing the skill a few more times, he enjoyed his first deep sleep in eight years.
No nightmares jolting him awake—he slept soundly for four straight hours.
His meeting with Jo Seong-hyeon and his Community success had lightened the boy’s heavy heart after so long.
***
“You seem in high spirits.”
“That obvious?”
The man who’d opened his eyes after logging out from the Community spoke while rinsing his mouth with water from the butler.
“I met a valuable guest.”
“Oh? Finally one of them…”
“Not them. But he seemed to have the same ability. Bring all the goods I couldn’t sell before. I need to confirm for sure.”
“Yes, sir.”
The butler headed to the safe.
Alone, the middle-aged man cracked open his most prized bottle of liquor.
Thinking of the man in the plain mask.
Anonymity in the Community made guessing appearance or age impossible, but those eyes were seared intensely into his memory.
Not dark brown—pure black.
A symbol of madness.
The eyes of the Yaksha.
‘A Yaksha follower in this day and age.’
In the past, the Community was full of people using Yaksha as their handle.
They all dyed their eyes pitch black too.
Back when the Yaksha’s fame pierced the heavens, smashing foreign national treasures every time a World Gate appeared.
Great generals are recognized better by enemies than allies.
The Yaksha’s renown was greater abroad than in Korea.
But eight years ago.
After his dantian was shattered at the East Asia Gate Summit, he was quickly forgotten.
Koreans even led the charge in treating him as washed-up, plummeting his fame overnight—no one impersonated Yaksha anymore.
Yet the man he met today…
‘No way it’s Kang Dae-seong?’
Ridiculous guess.
Even as a top figure among Fuji’s elites, he couldn’t have achieved a legendary feat already.
His son wouldn’t impersonate him anyway.
To avoid identity exposure, he’d act totally unrelated.
‘Kang Dae-seong’s survival is unconfirmed anyway.’
The middle-aged man was indifferent to the small nation of Korea.
But he’d once investigated the Yaksha’s eldest son out of interest.
Three years ago, he’d vanished in an extremely dangerous area.
Kang Dae-seong’s survival odds were near zero.
“Who are you to make me toast to Yaksha memories after so long?”
The middle-aged man reminisced for the first time in ages.
***
Sunday.
Waking in a great mood, Jae-hyeok washed up and headed to the cafeteria.
“G-Gang Jae-hyeok!”
He ran into Lee Jin-seong and Du Bae-su in the cafeteria. Jae-hyeok gave the pair a bored look as they freaked out like Pavlov’s dogs.
“Why the fuss this early? Just eat.”
“J-Join us? You know not even dogs get bothered at mealtime?”
“Never owned a dog, so no clue.”
“Don’t play dumb! You’ve got that huge fluffy dog at your place!”
“How’d you know that?”
Lee Jin-seong’s face flushed as he clamped his mouth shut.
He’d been web-surfing about House Kang lately and learned bits here and there—too embarrassing to admit.
“But why alone today? You’re always with your team.”
Du Bae-su changed the subject.
His already moon-sized face was puffed up even more.
Jae-hyeok liked how cute he looked chewing with his mouth stuffed.
“The kids have been eating at a restaurant near the archery range lately.”
“Archery range? Heard there was a huge scene there yesterday.”
“Why?”
“Archery club leader nearly beat some outsider to death. Nom nom.”
Du Bae-su shoveled in a handful of pork belly, so Lee Jin-seong continued.
“Some psycho rented bows for archery but swung a sword instead.”
“What’s that mean?”
Outlandish stories don’t click easily.
Du Bae-su, having swallowed his meat, took over.
“Arrows kept missing, so he snapped, turned, and slashed all the targets with his sword. The club leader on site lost it and almost committed murder.”
“…For real?”
“Yeah, hot off the press from yesterday.”
“There’s every kind of nut in the world…”
Jae-hyeok trailed off, tongue clicking.
The word “psycho” reminded him of someone.
Lee Jin-seong thought of the same guy.
“Your team’s been eating near the archery range. Why? They practicing archery or something?”
Du Bae-su caught on too.
“That redhead senior seemed a bit off mentally.”
“…Baek Do-jin’s pure at heart.”
No real defense came to mind—awkward.
Jae-hyeok finished eating quickly and returned to the dorm.
Now he knew Baek Do-jin’s room number.
Knock knock.
Elegant knock, then—
Bam!
No answer, so he kicked the door.
“What the—Gang Jae-hyeok. You scared me.”
Baek Do-jin was lying on his bed.
His small frame was covered in bruises.
“At least your bones are intact. Potion in the infirmary if it’s bad, so you took it easy on purpose?”
“Thanks to the archery club kids holding me back, I guess.”
Swollen-shut eyes, giggling—quite the sight.
“Why get beat up? You’re strong, right?”
“Stronger guys everywhere. How’s a sub-30 like me supposed to handle club leaders?”
“You’re low for a second-year?”
“Mid-tier, though. The top tiers are too far ahead—that’s the issue.”
Some second-years were already C-rank, out on expeditions.
Rarely, even B-rank.
Worlds apart from first-years.
Jae-hyeok tossed him an apple he’d picked up as a get-well gift.
“Eat that and recover. Gotta level up quick.”
“Thanks.”
He didn’t ask for details.
He’d thought it through on the way.
Baek Do-jin had outbursts sometimes, but he wasn’t crazy.
His eyes only flipped when provoked first or witnessing injustice—always a reason.
Not this time?
‘How dare they.’
Jae-hyeok’s expression turned icy as he headed to the archery range.
At the same time, archery range.
“You shall not be forgiven.”
A guest arrived for the archery club members laughing about last night’s incident.
“Pay for touching my brother.”
A green-haired, golden-eyed boy.