Pantera Planet
Pantera was a planet that possessed the strongest neutral force among the neutral powers in the galaxy of Endless Universe. Of course, if one considered the various neutral planets from a different perspective, that might not be the case, but it was undeniably a world that wielded overwhelming power. Unlike other neutral nations, it maintained friendly relations with both the Federation and the Empire, pursuing diplomatic policies that ensured the two great powers never clashed within Pantera’s territory. Moreover, since Pantera was one of the wealthiest planets in existence, neither the Empire nor the Federation dared to provoke it recklessly.
Pantera was the planet with the most abundant life energy in the entire universe. Its resources were staggering in both quantity and quality—many of them indispensable to the Empire, the Federation, other neutral factions, and third-party powers alike. Pantera had skillfully leveraged this advantage to build and expand its own independent influence. In addition, the planet’s overwhelming vitality had given rise to vast, primordial forests, creating countless regions of breathtaking beauty that made it one of the most celebrated tourist destinations in the galaxy. People flocked here for sightseeing and for trade, so Pantera naturally teemed with residents and visitors at all times. Its prestige had grown so great that even the Empire and Federation had to tread carefully when dealing with it.
This was information Su-a had learned after arriving here, and it was precisely why she could sustain herself as an adventurer. Because of its unmatched life energy, Pantera overflowed with both precious resources and rampaging monsters. Demand for extermination and harvesting was constant, so adventurers poured in to meet it. Yet the supply of monsters never seemed to run dry, which meant there was always work to be had.
Monsters themselves were one of Pantera’s primary sources of income. Using the game knowledge and experience she had gained from Yoo Kang-hyun, along with the special advantage of knowing producer Na Yu-ran, Su-a was able to pick out the most profitable requests. She had quickly shed her beginner status and grown her character at an impressive pace.
At present, she had come to a repair shop to fix her mechanic suit.
Su-a’s mechanic suit floated inside a transparent glass chamber large enough for a person to step into. Machines scanned it from every angle, then extended mechanical arms that meticulously repaired the damaged sections. Once the work was finished, the suit was returned to her.
While reading the status report displayed on a translucent holographic window, Su-a’s jaw dropped at the staggering repair fee. Still, she had no choice but to pay and retrieve her newly restored mechanic suit.
“Repair’s all done, miss. Here’s your suit.”
“Haa… the repair bill is insane… Chief Sting. Couldn’t you discount it just a little more?”
“Sorry, but we’ve got to eat too. I already gave you a break—because you’re so pretty, you know…”
“…Haa… I understand. Thank you.”
Su-a paid part of her request reward for the repairs, then returned to the adventurer’s lodging where she was staying. She collapsed onto the bed with a heavy sigh. She had noticed the lewd glint in Sting’s eyes, but she had pretended not to see it and left the shop as quickly as possible. Just as one would expect from an adult game, the men who stole vulgar glances at her body were exactly the same as they had been back in Changcheon Murim.
“Saving money is so hard… hng…”
Some growth was possible, but like any game, it became increasingly difficult the further one progressed. Su-a was currently saving up for interstellar travel, yet between leveling up and covering all her expenses, she simply couldn’t accumulate money at the pace she needed. It was her biggest headache.
The equipment she had chosen was a full-body combat suit and an energy sword. At first she had considered taking a different route like Cindy or Hwa-ryun, but she ultimately decided it was best to use the weapon she was most confident with. While searching for suitable arms, the energy sword—commonly called a lightsaber—had caught her eye.
It had been completely shattered recently, used as a mere toy to grind against a butterfly’s fangs, but… in the past, when Yoo Kang-hyun had secretly spent money behind her back to collect plastic models, Su-a had caught him. He had knelt and begged for forgiveness, and she had grown at least a little interested in his hobby because of it.
Remembering that giant robots and lightsabers were Kang-hyun’s favorite genre, she had chosen the energy sword with the thought of pleasing him. Surprisingly, it suited her far better than she had expected.
“Back when I played Changcheon Murim, I never had to worry about money… but here it’s completely different… He really helped me so much… haa.”
In Changcheon Murim, she had received Kang-hyun’s help from the very beginning and obtained both strength as the Sword Empress and considerable wealth. In the mid-game, she had even earned a shameful one million nyang through the so-called “Securing the Sword Empress’s Underwear” request that Neung Gu-pyeong and the Hao Mun had accepted. She had lived a life far removed from poverty. But starting with nothing in a brand-new, unreleased game where even internet information was nearly impossible to obtain was an entirely different story.
“…Come to think of it, my underwear had value too… Looking back now, the person who offered one million gold nyang for the Sword Empress’s panties seemed completely insane… but it really did help me… ahaha…”
Recalling the memory of that crazy Hao Mun request from her Changcheon Murim days—when her underwear had been forcibly taken by Cindy and Kang-hyun and sold off—Su-a let out a bitter laugh. At the time it had been utterly humiliating, but now that she was struggling for money, the recollection felt strangely nostalgic.
Yu-ran had provided some information to Su-a and the other women, but she had said she still couldn’t reveal anything that might shift the overall game landscape or involve hidden quests. After all, she was the producer who created the game; she didn’t know every single element within it.
Experiencing new things in a new world was enjoyable, but the basics of food, clothing, and shelter remained just as important as ever.
“I did earn quite a bit from this last request… but it still wasn’t anywhere near a windfall… haa.”
After checking the condition of her items, Su-a let out another long sigh, lay down in bed, and fell asleep. She prayed that a decent request would appear tomorrow.
The next day, Su-a headed to the adventurers’ guild in Leaf Town. Before she could even glance at the request board, she was suddenly grabbed by one of the guild receptionists. The guild member who hurried over was Sera—an adventurer guild receptionist she had become acquainted with.
“Miss Su-a! You’re here! Good morning!”
“Hello, Sera. What’s going on?”
“Do you have a moment?”
“Yes, I’m free. What is it?”
“Well… someone has specifically requested you. They’re waiting in the reception room right now. I think it would be best if you met with them briefly.”
“Me? Who?”
“They… didn’t give their name. They specifically asked for you and said they wanted to discuss the request in person.”
“…..”
For a moment, an unpleasant memory flashed through Su-a’s mind. Several months ago, tempted by money, she had accepted a named escort request and suffered terribly for it. Not only had the escort party been suspicious, but the client himself had turned out to have issued the request purely to approach her. With Kang-hyun no longer by her side and Su-a simply hunting normally, it had been an extremely unpleasant experience that reminded her of the disgusting male gaze she hadn’t felt in a long time. Fortunately she had received her payment and completed the escort safely, but the incident had driven home the fact that Endless Universe was very much an adult game.
“…Um… I’m sorry, but could you refuse on my behalf, Sera? It reminds me of what happened last time. It was so annoying… ugh!”
“Ahahaha… Don’t worry. This time it won’t be like that.”
“But… you can’t really guarantee that! Hng…”
Sera was one of the NPCs Su-a had grown quite close to over the past few months. When Su-a had asked her for a designated request and later told her what happened, Sera had felt genuinely sorry. Of course, Su-a knew it wasn’t her fault and hadn’t blamed her.
“Don’t worry too much. This time it’s certain. The client who came to request you is a woman.”
“…Ah. Then there shouldn’t be any big problem. Shall I go now?”
“Yes. I’ll guide you. Oh, and that client was every bit as beautiful as you, Miss Su-a!”
“…Pardon?”
“Hehe, you’ll understand what I mean the moment you see her! Until now, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life… but after meeting this client, I got confused! I never imagined there could be someone even more beautiful than you!”
“…”
Who on earth could it be…?
Unable to guess, Su-a decided to move anyway and followed Sera to the reception room.
An NPC…? But if there’s an NPC as pretty as me, there’s no way there wouldn’t be any information about her on the Pantera network… A user…? No. In this prototype, there are no other users except our group. Just who requested me? My fame isn’t even that high yet…?
Brooding over the questions, Su-a arrived at the reception room and entered with Sera. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes widened dramatically. She stared in utter shock and opened her mouth to speak.