Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Tier-0 Finance (2)
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"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"Hm? Moderator?"
As the man who'd been chatting casually with them suddenly collapsed, I strode confidently into the midst of the panicked crowd.
"..What the?"
Japan's side still had few cleared ghost stories, so they all looked like they had pitch-black skin with only faint facial features visible.
Because of that, my normal skin tone stood out sharply, and as I boldly walked through the people...
"Monster..!"
"!!!!"
Some judged me as a monster and fled.
Some grabbed weapons to fight the approaching me.
And some stared wide-eyed because I looked too much like a human.
"Hello. Nice to meet you in person like this."
"..Who are you?"
"Who are you.. ..to come here?"
"..Never seen your face before..?"
To ease their wariness, I first showed polite manners.
"I'm Big Whale, the one you all often mention in the community."
I straightforwardly revealed my identity.
Of course.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Isn't this.. ..Japan's exchange time right now..?"
"Yeah."
"Big Whale is definitely.. Korean, right..?"
"..."
Those with experience from multiple ghost stories didn't take my word at face value.
"I'll post a verification right now."
I decided to post on the community to dispel their anxiety.
--
[Big Whale Here.. Decided to Become Japanese from Today]
(Photo)
Hey, it's me.
?? What? When was this photo taken?
Just took it.
??????????? Isn't this Japan's exchange time right now???
Yeah.
Uh.. Big Whale.. Big Whale.. became Japanese..?
Yup.
Uh..
Pro-Japanese traitor..
That's too harsh;
Lee Wan-yong..
When did I sell out the country?;
????????????
Did you really change your nationality? How?
Lol no. The resident in room 1001 at my place is kinda Japanese, so it's easier to think the door opens during Japan exchange time too.
That's a method I hadn't thought of.
Insane. So if I bring a Japanese person home, I can share exchange time too?
Big Whale made another huge discovery today.
I'll discuss a Korea-Japan merger with Japan's moderator soon.
Our mod passed out.
Something wrong?
Dunno, he just passed out suddenly?
The moment I confirmed it was me by posting on the community, their faces lit up.
"You're Big Whale?"
"Whoa!! Real Big Whale. Crazy!"
"Should I get an autograph?"
"Big Whale!! I'm a real, real fan..!"
"..I'm not.. ..like a celebrity or anything..?"
It felt a bit odd being treated like a celebrity.
"Anyway.. I'm kinda busy right now."
"Oh..! If Big Whale's busy, you should do that."
"Yeah. It's for humanity."
"What genius move this time-"
"Hey, don't pressure him like that. Performing during exchange time is already-"
I had urgent business right now.
"What are you gonna-"
"..Huh?"
"..Why's that guy..?"
I tightly bound the fainted man's body with rope.
"Ah, this guy's the one who let me into Unfair Hospital."
When I explained what he'd done to me...
I learned his identity, which was even more shocking than expected.
"..The mod?"
"..Did you just say mod?"
"Uh.. yeah.."
"..This guy's Japan's community moderator?"
"Well.. yeah, he.. is.."
"I'll take him for now. I won't kill him recklessly, so don't worry too much."
"..Okay."
"..Exchange time performance.. ..indeed.."
"..Is now the time?"
"But if he's really the mod.."
"..Should we stop him?"
"One punch from that fist kills monsters.."
"Yeah.. true.."
...
The recent events quickly set the community ablaze.
--
[Don't Sleep ㅇㅇ The problem is him sleeping at Big Whale's place..]
[You never know. At this controversial timing, Japan's mod might really be asleep at Big Whale's?!]
[Looks like Japan's mod.. No post yet means he's really passed out.. at Big Whale's.]
[Neutral for now ㄱㄱ Big Whale wouldn't kill randomly, let's wait a bit]
[Wait a little more. Gotta see official statement from Japan Gallery.]
[This a meme or serious?]
[Japan's mod tried to assassinate Big Whale?]
[??? What am I reading?]
"The whole community's buzzing about you, you punk."
It was absurd that Japan's community moderator had tried to kill me, of all people, but that passed quickly.
I decided to wait for him to wake up for final cross-verification.
"Hm.. How I learned Min-ah's name was.."
First, I tried explaining to Choi Min-ah how I knew her info—
"Hehe.. I'm all good now."
"Pardon?"
"Big Whale's so interested in me he even wants my secrets, so he asked a monster to investigate me, right?"
"..Huh?"
"It happened sometimes.. rarely. Embarrassing to say, but I was kinda popular in school."
"??"
"Guys would collect my interests or ideal types through friends in advance, then pretend our convo vibes matched to approach me."
"???"
"Big Whale used that weird ability to ask a monster to investigate me? Ah, that.. cute one from Bellierd Library?"
"????"
When I stashed you in my inventory to save you from the Liar Ghost Story, your personal info popped up.
That was definitely it.
That single line was all I had to explain...
"Of course..! I rejected them all. Really. At most, we ate together while doing homework..!"
"????"
Before I knew it, I'd become...
The guy interested in Choi Min-ah who wanted her info...
Asking monsters to investigate her like a hitman commission...
Learning about the woman I live with to show small considerations in talks...
Steering convos to her favorite topics to build favor...
'..Isn't that just a criminal? Like.. stalking..'
A sleazy villain from some drama.
Of course.
"But I like it. I'm.. happy Big Whale put in that effort for me.. hehe.."
"M-Min-ah?"
"Yes?"
I had no intention of being that criminal.
"..Not a single one right.."
"All correct?!"
"All wrong..?"
"..Pardon?"
"..You saw me as that heinous criminal..?"
"..No?"
"..Of course not.."
"..You don't like me.. then..?"
"No no.. I'm not a criminal.."
...
After the explanation, I saw her face flushed red like a ripe apple ready to pick.
'Surprisingly has a bit of main character syndrome? Well, everyone thinks they're the protagonist of their own life.'
To spare her embarrassment, I turned away pretending not to notice and looked at Japan's community moderator.
Truly.
Right now, more important than shy Choi Min-ah was how to make this bastard suffer the most painfully.
"Phew.. How can I suck this guy's marrow dry and kill him?"
I tossed the question to Choi Min-ah: how to kill him most painfully.
"Hm.. How about this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Look at Rulebook item four.. It says you can borrow stones?"
"..Huh?"
"How about making him pull stones until the limit?"
"Wow.."
An unexpected...
She really started suggesting ways to suck his marrow dry.
--
The currency here is called 'stones', and you can check the amount you have by entering DL in your Status Window input field.
You can sell Sanity at 1 stone per 1 point.
Your total Sanity doesn't decrease, so no worries.
Sometimes a message will appear on your DL screen offering to lend you stones.
However, you must never borrow stones.
"..The stalking, forcing loans on people.. ..Min-ah, you're scarier than I thought..?"
Choi Min-ah was clearly more terrifying than expected.
Never cross her. Got it..
"..Saying that to Big Whale who slays monsters.."
...
"Ugh.. ..Where's this..?"
"Hey, buddy?"
"..Huh?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Big Whale. What's your name?"
"..! S-Spare me..!"
"Okay. Your name's Spare Me? Nice to meet you, you fucking bastard. No, nice to meet you, Spare Me."
"I'll do anything you say..! Please..!"
"Really? Anything I say sounds tempting."
"Y-Yeah..!"
"First, pull 200,000 stones for me."
"..What?"
"No rule against it in your Rulebook? Sometimes it lets you borrow stones."
"W-Wait a sec.."
"Pull the max loan possible. Then I'll spare you."
"If I take a loan there..! I'll definitely die..!"
"No loan, and you'll die suffering here."
"H-How.. how..?"
"Nurse. Scalpel ready."
"Yes, doctor. Here."
"Commencing neuter surgery right—"
"I'll do it!!! Loan..! I'll take the loan..!"
"Surgery postponed."
As I said that and placed the scalpel on the table.
I saw relief wash over the man's face.
However.. what mattered to me now was.
"Spare Me."
"..."
"You seem to know exactly what happens if you borrow stones?"
"..!"
He'd declared he'd definitely die if he borrowed stones.
"With your personality, you haven't borrowed yourself.. but forced someone else to. Am I wrong?"
"..I'll tell you everything.. ..just spare me.. please.."
"First, why'd you try to kill me."
Money.
In society, countless crimes happen over money.
The same held true in this survivor village.
"..Hah. So how much you got now?"
"..About 150,000 stones."
"..Rich bastard jealous of me?"
"..Not just jealousy, I told you.."
Japan's community moderator envied my growing stones.
And wanted me dead to take them.
Of course.
'Killing someone lets you take their stones..'
When you kill someone with stones.
The Status Window calculates contribution and distributes stones to the killer..
'..So that's why it deposited stones every time I killed monsters..?'
Pieces fell into place.
From why the Status Window paid stones for monster kills...
'Killing any lifeform automatically deposits their stones to me..'
To why monsters target humans.
'From their view, killing humans fills food and stones—one stone, two birds.'
"So you tried to kill me to steal my stones?"
"..Not just that."
"Then what?"
"..The more stones, the more services you get from Tier-0 Finance.."
"..Tier-0 Finance? Explain."
"..The first time I exceeded 100,000 stones.. a message came in my Status Window.."