Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: A Common Setup?
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"For now, I'll share four pieces of information with you."
"Go ahead."
"The first is the large-scale brawl that broke out around lunchtime. After we finished Pest Removal and came out to rest, riots erupted all over the city at once."
A fight broke out, huh.
It would be weirder if no fights had broken out. People suddenly kidnapped to a strange world without knowing why, handed a single weapon, and left to fend for themselves—they weren't going to stay sane. In a situation like this, few could move as efficiently and make rational choices like he did.
Someone with a decent head on their shoulders and a strong mind, or someone with rich imagination from various media, or finally, someone like him, missing a screw somewhere.
"It started in the plaza, they say. The heat of the fight spread quickly, sweeping up most people before long. And not much time passed before soldiers showed up."
"Soldiers?"
"Yes. The kind armed with armor and spears straight out of a movie—they quelled the riots in an instant."
"Are they strong?"
"Very. From what I saw, they suppressed thousands without a single injury. Those who kept resisting were dragged off somewhere by the soldiers, and that was the end of it."
"Your meals are here."
As the waiter set the food down in front of them, both men's eyes began to tremble. They were definitely starving.
"So that's why no more fights broke out?"
"Pretty much. Especially since people had died in the riots."
"Hold on. What happened to the dead?"
This was the most important question.
From what he'd heard, lives were limited to just two in The Mission's world. He was skeptical if that was even true, and above all, he wondered if dying in this city counted as a proper death.
"The dead all resurrected, for starters. That caused another uproar."
The dead coming back to life.
The guy he'd just stabbed to death with a knife would revive good as new. No one could see that surreal sight without being shocked. The event was plenty shocking even for those still half in disbelief. Both the resurrected and those who witnessed it. And after the second death, no more resurrections occurred, drastically reducing the fights.
"Related to that, the second piece of info is about the death penalty."
"Death penalty?"
"Yes. Have you ever played games, Sung-hoon?"
Lee Young-gi spoke as if it were easier to explain now that Yoo Sung-hoon nodded readily.
"Revival after death took a few minutes. And the revived said they felt extreme lethargy and their stats had dropped. Word is all stats fell by about 3."
"Six stats total. Losing 18 from one death—that's huge."
Considering the bonus stats from clearing First Massacrer's mode barely hit 10, it was an utterly terrifying penalty. And if they died again in that full-body lethargy? Game over. Excellent intel. A meal each was nothing for this.
As their food arrived next, they started wolfing it down while spilling the rest.
"Third is the layout around the plaza. This world seems to strictly follow game formats. Besides the Mission Office we went to, there are more elsewhere—weapon shops, restaurants, inns, general stores, even a place called the Job Change Temple."
"Job Change Temple? That exists too?"
"Yes. Word is you need a guild for job changes, so no one did it today. But with enough guild members, you probably can."
Hold on, don't I already have a job? Does changing jobs give more skills?
His status had started blank, but after hunting all day, titles like Swordsman, Thief, and Novice Mage appeared. He roughly memorized the locations of the Job Change Temple and nearby buildings. He'd have to check it out.
"Finally, the people who took missions and vanished. Thanks to your tip, we did Pest Removal, but as you know, others picked Rat Hunt. Most who went off for Rat Hunt haven't returned."
"Figures."
They wouldn't die. Unless they swarmed in droves, what combat power did rats have to kill people?
But without killing at least five to meet the minimum, completing the quest was impossible. He pictured them in that dark warehouse, swords and spears in hand, desperately hunting rats. If they hadn't prepared food or water like he had, they'd collapse from exhaustion in less than a day. Thrashing around to catch rats would drain stamina even faster.
The longer time passed, the higher the chance they'd die.
"Sung-hoon, just tell me one thing. How tough is that Rat Hunt quest that people aren't coming back? Are they monster rats or something?"
"Nah. Just palm-sized rats."
"Then why..."
"It's simple. Can you catch rats, Young-gi? Not stationary ones—in a huge dark warehouse, dodging and darting everywhere. And that without proper gear, five of them."
He wasn't an idiot.
With that one line, Lee Young-gi nodded as if realization dawned.
"As you know, everything's so absurd my head hasn't been working right. I thought it was like a VR game from fantasy novels."
"VR game. That tracks."
In a way, it fit perfectly. A reality using game systems. The difference? You could really die here, but survive and become a successor of the gods with a brilliant future promised.
With the explanation wrapped up, Lee Young-gi and Park Hye-na started devouring their meals. Watching quietly, Yoo Sung-hoon's mind raced.
Let's call this a game world. The earliest stage of a brand-new game. That means tons to do.
Normal games were easy. Precedents shared guides, standard builds existed. Single-player had cheats, online had pay-to-win.
But The Mission's world had none of that. Purely one's own power to survive.
Damn. So much to do. Hunting first priority. First clear bonuses are key, but items will sell big too.
Even his wolf leather gloves were premium right now. He had to monopolize such goods.
Hunting wasn't all. Info mattered too. But he wouldn't run around himself. Better to hunt. Thinking that far, Yoo Sung-hoon glanced at Lee Young-gi finishing his meal and spoke offhandedly.
"Young-gi. Want to make a deal?"
"A deal?"
Lee Young-gi held some goodwill toward Yoo Sung-hoon. Advice at first, now buying meals. But he couldn't accept blindly.
"You and Hye-na. I'll front a guild so you can eat freely up to 200 guild a day combined."
Three meals a day. Their eyes widened instantly. A few nearby eavesdroppers gasped, staring over.
6,000 guild a month. Pricey at face, but info instead of all-day hunting? Cheap.
"What I want is simple. I cover meals, you provide info. Riots like today, special events—fine. Nothing? Building locations work. Deal?"
"We're in!"
Before the words finished, Lee Young-gi grabbed Yoo Sung-hoon's hand and nodded.