Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Negotiation Table
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Consciousness was hazy.
It felt just like his mind had been plucked out and set adrift on water.
In that hazy realm, Bi-hyeong opened his eyes.
“Hup!”
The first thought that came to him upon opening his eyes was that the pain was gone.
As if it had all been a fleeting dream, there was no impediment to moving his body.
But the realization that followed swept away all of Bi-hyeong's doubts.
“...Where is this?”
A dim, dark space.
It felt like being sealed away in a secret chamber.
The last scene he remembered was... Yoo Kyung-soo's domain collapsing, wasn't it?
As if answering that question, a system window appeared before his eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Act 1, Chapter 2 performance settlement completed.] │Confirmed germination of Unique Storyline, 【The Beginner】. │Confirmed subjugation of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons by the yokai, Doeoksini (Head-Suppressing Deity). │Confirmed story inflection point. [Grade: @#$@]
...What?
“What the hell is this nonsense?”
Bi-hyeong stared at the system in disbelief and shot back, prompting a new message to appear right away.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Congratulations. Your performance has reached a realm beyond classification by the existing framework.] [Inviting you to the Negotiation Table!]
...Negotiation Table?
‘No way—they want me to haggle over the rewards?’
No, what kind of ridiculous setup was this?
These were the rewards for the hard-won achievements he'd scraped together through hell and back.
‘More than that, negotiate with who... negotiate... Wait.’
At that instant, Bi-hyeong's eyes flashed wide open.
The entity that dispensed rewards.
In other words, the one above the system.
Negotiating rewards with that meant getting to ‘meet’ it first, didn't it?
‘Well, well? Already getting an audience?’
Ha.
A hollow laugh escaped him out of sheer absurdity.
He hadn't even prepped a single thing to wallop the back of their heads with, and here they were.
‘...Still, perfect timing. Might as well get a look at their faces.’
Bi-hyeong steeled his resolve and scanned his surroundings.
Boom!
Suddenly, accompanied by that tremor,
the space where Bi-hyeong sat began to warp and blend.
The murky hues around him, reminiscent of a sealed chamber, gradually lightened, overlaid with a shimmering violet iridescence.
Stars etched across it.
And the radiant pulses of ‘rank’.
“......”
Bi-hyeong froze solid for a moment in the face of that dazzling grandeur.
How could he not?
A person from the modern world, suddenly beholding beings who exuded godlike majesty with his own two eyes.
‘...Right. Figures. Only someone on this level could craft a world like this.’
Now he could see: the existence that had summoned him to this world wasn't a single individual.
At least twenty.
Maybe more.
The elegant waves of rank emanating from them sometimes harmonized as one, yet clashed like mortal enemies, growling and skirmishing.
Their numbers approached dozens.
‘...Insane. How the hell do I crack those heads open?’
As Bi-hyeong mulled that over,
a message floated before his eyes.
💬 DIVINE CHAT — Unknown Entity [What’s that guy? Already reaching this far?] — Another Entity [...No. He hasn't reached it. He's merely slipped the framework we built.] — Unknown Entity [Isn't that the same thing?] — Another Entity [Is that on your neck just for show? A child who hasn't even completed the legacy thinks he can set foot here?] — Unknown Entity [He can come if he wants. What are you yapping about when you can't even grasp how the world turns?] Yet the content of those messages was strangely peculiar.
‘...What’s the deal?’
Why drag him here just to bicker among themselves?
‘More than that... their mouths sure are foul.’
He'd imagined something more reticent, dignified.
But this? Felt like stumbling into a rowdy market.
‘Still, the energy they’re giving off is the real deal.’
Even amid their snarling squabbles, lethal auras swept in.
Yet they infused not a shred of power into the act itself.
In other words, the sheer majesty of their beings.
Meaning they wielded strength enough to sway the world with presence alone.
As Bi-hyeong observed them calmly,
their gazes shifted toward him as well.
[Goblin.]
With that voice resounding,
the goblin blood in Bi-hyeong's veins went berserk.
Rooooar—!!
This was no ordinary chill—the presence it exuded was sinister.
Rather, it seemed somehow mournful, suppressed.
Even so, Bi-hyeong's aura pushed back against the presences encircling him, if only slightly.
[Ho?]
[Hmm....]
[Something... feels off?]
The lofty beings above murmured as much while eyeing him.
[This guy's got real potential to make it here quick, huh?]
Make it where exactly?
‘To you lot?’
Or perhaps some greater purpose.
As Bi-hyeong pondered that, another voice doused the excited tone with cold water.
— Restraining Entity [Thunder lout. Don't spout off so recklessly. No troublemaking, please.] — Thunder Lout [...Tch. Fine. I got it. Damn petty much?] Telling him hurts you how?
Leaving that grumbling voice behind, a weighty tone called out to Bi-hyeong.
[Per our accord, let the negotiation commence.]
With those words, a single table and two chairs materialized before Bi-hyeong.
[Sit.]
“......”
Bi-hyeong stared fixedly toward where the voice had echoed, then took his seat.
[One among us shall step forward. By our protocol, the first is...... No! That thunder lout really—!]
In the midst of it, the heavy voice lost patience and bellowed,
and a shadow fell across from Bi-hyeong.
“Yo! Nice to meet ya. Strangers, right?”
“...Ah, yeah. Not exactly old pals.”
“Fair enough?”
Kuhuhu!
The chuckling shadow slammed an arm on the table with a thud! and propped its chin.
The shadow's eye twitched into a sly arc.
“Let's get this negotiation rolling. Tell me what you want first.”
Bi-hyeong mulled it over briefly.
‘What I want... hmm, what to pick.’
A flood of items, bloodlines, and skill names from Solitary Chronicle surfaced in his mind.
But no way he'd utter those here.
‘Solitary Chronicle is just their sandbox in the end. Pick anything, and I'm dancing in their palm.’
Thus, Bi-hyeong made his call.
“Not from Solitary Chronicle—something from what you possess that you can offer.”
Just lob the options straight back at them.
“Display everyone's choices here right in front of me so I can choose.”
There had to be a reason they summoned him to this world.
And they clearly didn't get along among themselves.
Which meant?
‘Same goals in pursuit, but opposing camps at heart.’
That boiled down to one thing.
‘Alright, now duke it out among yourselves.’
The winner gets a special spot on my team.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
— Silent Entities [......] — Silent Entities [......] A long silence hung in the chamber.
What the hell kind of guy is this?
Such vibes seeped from their glares.
Then, the shadow seated across the table shrugged and soon erupted in belly laughs.
“Hahahaha!! Hey... this little punk's the real deal? Guts like that, right here?”
“Can't snag what I'm owed, so gotta grab something better on the way out.”
“Even if it's us—the ones who yanked you from your cushy life into this world?”
“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Heh. You sly rascal. I see your game crystal clear, but you'll play coy?”
That's fine by me!
“Hey! Hear that? Our pint-sized junior here's itching for a pride match!”
That struck the killing blow.
Rooooooar—!!
A hazy wave of rank, incomparable to his own presence, crashed in like a tidal surge.
And abruptly, a multitude of choices unfurled before his eyes.
⚔ CHOICES UNLOCKED ⚔ │Treasure: Jade-Faced Flash Mirror Amidst Flames. │Treasure: Seven-Colored Rainbow. . . │Divine Artifact: #@#@$. . . — Flustered Entity [No way, insane... pulling out a divine artifact? You nuts?] — Defiant Entity [What can't we offer? Stuff you couldn't even use.] — Irritated Entity [This is why I hate dealing with shameless pricks...] Watching their pride-fueled spat, the shadow burst into fresh guffaws,
then flashed a grin at Bi-hyeong.
“Weird names everywhere, huh? Cut 'em some slack. Your rank's too low, so they're manifesting like that just to show.”
Force a real glimpse, and your head might pop.
That's the caliber we're talking.
“Get the picture?”
Bi-hyeong nodded.
The shadow played it cool but dropped a hint all the same.
The ones brazenly flashing full names? Lower tier.
“Then I'll just check out yours.”
“Huh?”
“You haven't laid yours out yet.”
Bi-hyeong kept his eyes locked on the entity before him.
So he knew.
This one hadn't budged an inch, offered no choice whatsoever.
The shadow's lip curled.
“Ho? Check this punk out. Cocky little junior.”
“Call it a desperate scramble not to get stiffed.”
“Hahaha! Love it. Guess I gotta show some sincerity now?”
With that, the shadow jabbed a finger upward, lip quirking higher.
“Can't lose face to those clowns.”
What it offered was downright odd.
│One Segment of Legacy. The name was fully exposed.
Though what it signified remained a mystery.
Even so, Bi-hyeong wrapped up his deliberations.
— Shocked Entity [What the hell!?] — Horrified Entity [Offering legacy? Is that blockhead right in the head!?] Since the lofty ones were freaking out over the shadow's proffered choice.
“I'll take this one.”
“Smart pick, junior.”
“Choice made—time to head back?”
“Yep. What, gonna miss it?”
“Got one question before I go.”
“Shoot.”
“If I see this through to the end... can I go home?”
“Home, eh... Possible. If you still want it by then.”
The shadow nodded with a smile.
Good enough.
That was all he needed to hear.
As Bi-hyeong nodded back and started to rise from his chair,
the shadow's voice brushed his ear like a gentle breeze.
“On the house. Here's a hint: should you ever claim this one's relic, remember—it's no weapon.”
“...Pardon?”
What the...?
The question welled up to his throat, but he couldn't voice it.
Just like upon arrival, his mind began to blur.
‘Damn it...’
Nothing ever went his way.
And so, Bi-hyeong's consciousness faded gently from the space.
With it, the beings above rushed down to cluster around the shadow.
Their panicked voices rang through the chamber.
“You actually insane? Handing over part of your legacy?”
“Planning to take that kid as your successor?”
At those words, the shadow gazed toward where Bi-hyeong had vanished.
“Your eyes are still damn knotholes. Does he look like successor material to you? Grandmaster, maybe.”
“...You're too damn capricious. Breaking rules to meddle in the lower realms?”
“Jealous? Pull some tricks yourselves.”
Saying so to shut their mouths, the shadow smirked.
‘Melting down my legacy won't be easy.’
But.
‘Once he does... climbing to our perch'll be child's play.’
Why was that?
It just felt like that day wasn't far off.