Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 002
Chapter Title: Harvesting Genius #2
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Clink-.
A plate sliced with meat was set down in front of me.
"I'll dig in!"
But when I snapped out of it, the bowl was spotless.
Someone had definitely stolen my food.
Fuck!
I'd eaten it way too mindlessly.
It was meat I hadn't had in ages, and I hadn't even savored the taste.
'If I ask for another bowl, will she get mad?'
I'm a guy too.
I'd be hurt if a stunning beauty like Ms. Ezekiel came to hate me.
So when I sneaked a glance at her, Ms. Ezekiel asked kindly instead.
"So, do you remember anything at all?"
"Yeah. Probably."
"Then let me ask you one thing. Yor, you got thrown in prison for cheating at a Dantes family business to gain unfair profits, right?"
"Yes."
"But you claimed you didn't cheat."
"That's right. I'm innocent."
"Of course you are. Since you didn't get caught. An undiscovered lie is as good as truth. An undiscovered cheat is as pure as a virgin's skin. Right?"
Swoosh-.
Ms. Ezekiel suddenly leaned her head toward me.
Her lukewarm breath reached my nose, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
I hadn't bathed in a month, so I must reek.
Being stuck in such a cramped space with her was mortifying.
Yet she peered straight into my eyes from inches away and said,
"You bribed one of the casino's dealers, didn't you? You knew they were rigging the dice with magnets, so you knew what numbers would come up."
"Bribed?"
"But even at the moment of death, you never revealed who it was. A loyal con man. Rare in this day and age."
"You're barking up the wrong tree. I just got lucky with the rolls, like I said."
"Sure. Then how about the gallows? You stopped the hanging twice. That's no luck. You seem like a Blessed One to me."
"You mentioned that earlier. Blessed One."
"Ever heard of a country girl who never held a sword becoming a battlefield saint? Or a bumpkin kid playing an instrument like he'd sold his soul to the devil?"
"Yeah. Pretty familiar stories."
Truth was, I hadn't.
I was just pretending to know.
I wanted to humor Ms. Ezekiel.
I'd never realized pleasing a beauty could feel this thrilling until today.
"People with that kind of extraordinary talent are called 'Blessed Ones.' It's my job to find them."
"You mean... I might be one?"
"Yor, you qualify. Body, mind, senses, magic... excelling in just one can take you beyond human limits. Yours is 'luck.'"
My luck is special?
I couldn't help but smirk at that.
If I were that lucky, I wouldn't have ended up in prison, dragged to the gallows.
But...?
How many people live two lives like me?
There had to be something special about me.
"Yor, you have far greater potential than you realize."
Greater potential.
It was the first time anyone had said that to me.
It felt weird.
This first praise I'd ever received made my heart stir for some reason.
But... suddenly, the world spun—.
"Food... poisoned... with..."
Thud-.
"So that guy's the new thief?"
"Twenty years old with fourteen priors? Total thug, right? I don't buy it."
"Me neither. Don't wanna get stabbed in the back again."
I heard some chatter.
When I came to, I was lying on what felt like a bed.
"Urgh... what the hell. Where am I?"
What the fuck?
My body felt insanely heavy.
It reminded me of my first time getting blackout drunk and suffering a hangover.
Still, I barely managed to sit up, and finally took in my surroundings.
The floor, ceiling, and walls were all solidly built from square stones.
Crackle, crackle-.
A blazing fireplace and candles lit the room, giving it a strangely familiar vibe.
Am I back in prison?
Was the whole thing with Ms. Ezekiel just a dream?
"Ah, looks like he's finally awake."
"Hmph! Too bad. Would've been fine if he stayed out forever!"
"Yeah."
Then some people approached me.
I thought they might be guards, but they didn't seem like it.
Prison guards in any city wore similar armor.
These folks had varied clothes, genders, and ages.
One woman, one man, and one genderless armored figure.
"Where am I?"
I asked.
The one in full armor—not a single hair showing—clanked over to me.
"Where are you? Damn, this guy's clueless. Now I gotta explain from scratch. Shit, you really have no idea where you are?"
"No clue."
Not lying. I really didn't know.
"Hammer, you handle it. I'm out."
"Me too."
The others left.
You don't notice when people arrive, but when they leave, the vibe changes.
The room suddenly got dead quiet with just two of us.
"Yor, that's your name, right? I'm Hammer."
The armored figure introduced themselves as Hammer.
What kind of person was this?
Their voice was a mechanical echo, like metal resonating. Impossible to guess gender or age.
"According to your papers, you're from Lillke Orphanage in Maril Land. You never saw the Great Wall in that backwater?" "Great Wall?"
"Yeah. That massive wall towering like mountains to the north. They're still building it."
I knew what it was.
My orphanage brother Thompson got kicked out when he came of age, went to work on some wall construction site, broke his back, and didn't last six months.
The Director tried to send me there too.
I ran away because I figured I'd end up shitting my diapers like Thompson.
"What's the Great Wall got to do with it?"
"You're on it."
"Huh?"
"Showing beats telling. Follow me!"
Hammer hauled me off the bed.
We climbed stairs, hands on the wall, for a while until—
The world suddenly opened up.
Vast sky, distant mountains beyond, and tiny houses like ants.
"Whoa."
First time in my life seeing a view this high.
If I'd gone up the 63 Building in my past life, would it look like this?
No idea. Never been.
Wanted to, but no chance now.
Still, it was fine.
Standing atop this wall made the 63 Building irrelevant.
"That dark expanse is the old empire's territory, 'Night World.' Now we just call it Night Land." Night Land? Old imperial territory?
Strange words hit me all at once.
Reading my face, Hammer added,
"Look how pitch-black just that side is."
"Oh, that's why it's Night Land! It's so damn dark you can't see shit!"
"Yeah. Long ago, that darkness suddenly blanketed the land. Crops won't grow, just monsters swarming everywhere."
"Monsters? Like ones that eat and kill people?"
"Exactly! And this wall is the empire's last bastion, keeping Night Land and its monsters out."
"Oh, I like bastions. You just hammer 'em, right? Metal chunks fetch a good price."
"...That's an anvil. But seriously, you know nothing? This is basic knowledge for any imperial citizen."
"Am I an imperial citizen?"
"Goddamn, starting from there? Argh, if I hadn't lost rock-paper-scissors. Should've thrown paper. Sigh..."
Hammer smacked their helmet with iron-gloved fists: clang, clang, clang-.
Stress makes your hair fall out, they say.
Poor guy.
I decided to console Hammer.
"Just kidding. Think I'd forget I'm imperial?"
"...Lying from the jump? Heh, check this guy out. The recruiter snagged a sharp one."
Recruiter! A lightbulb went off in my head.
"The recruiter—Ms. Ezekiel, right? She sent me here?"
"You met Lieutenant Colonel Ezekiel? Surprising. She's not one to recruit personally. Anyway, speeds things up. You're scouted as a Great Wall exploration unit member."
"Like soldiers?"
"Not exactly soldiers. The fancy term is Night Diver." Night Diver.
Sparks flew in my mind at the name.
Wasn't that the game I played?
Twenty years since reincarnation, but I'd never forget it.
The game that normalized my life—how could I?
It still popped up in dreams sometimes.
Harvesting in dreams, ordering Prinkle Chicken, chugging cola from the fridge!
Man, those were the days.
If I hadn't died from heart disease back then, what would've happened? I started imagining.
Made bank, bought a car, got a girlfriend?
"You're zoning out again?"
Hammer crossed their arms.
Sharper than they looked.
"Can't help it. After five minutes of just listening, I get sleepy and drift off."
"Brat, that's not a flex! Repeat what I said. Gotta confirm if it stuck."
"I'm a Night Diver now."
Same name as that past-life game.
Coincidence?
As I pondered, Hammer nodded.
"Yeah, close enough. Anyway, us Blessed One recruits dive into that dark Night Land, kill monsters, harvest Ether—that's the job."
"Ether?"
I knew Ether.
The cash I raked in playing Night Diver.
Ten million Ether for 5,000 won!
"Kill monsters, get Ether?"
"Yeah. Harvest as much as you can. More you get, better for you. Bigger cut."
Game name match and Ether?
Fuck, this wasn't ordinary.
"The real key is your role in the party. Locked boxes? Pick 'em. Traps? Disarm 'em. We call that guy the 'thief.'"
"I've picked a few locks, but never disarmed traps? Don't you need pro skills for that?"
Wanted to learn, but thieves wouldn't teach for free.
Had to join some guild?
Pay dues too.
Gangster bastards.
"Skills? Don't sweat it."
"Why not?"
Why indeed.
Hammer shook their head and took the lead.
"Explaining's slower than showing. Straight to the field!"