Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Return to Earth
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The situation was quickly brought under control. It was far too major an incident to be quietly swept under the rug, but since not a single resident had been killed or seriously injured, the guard captain stepped in and closed the case as a conflict between players.
Shin Juha was released without any real penalties. This flew in the face of the other players' expectations that a thorough, complicated investigation would drag on since he wasn't a resident with a clear identity.
Even so, for the man at the center of it all, the investigation had been remarkably light.
Of course, it helped immensely that everything he'd killed were villains gnawing away at the Primordial City, proving his innocence.
Proving they were villains wasn't hard. There was irrefutable evidence of them infiltrating the hospital and brutally slaughtering all the patients.
Plus, Shin Juha's backing was none other than Guard Captain Brymon himself, which smoothed things over even more. Brymon held him in high regard, and the fact that the incident happened in the very hospital room he'd recommended—and compensated with a referral letter—filled him with guilt.
Thanks to that, Shin Juha was out of the guard station before lunch.
That said, even the guards and hospital couldn't handle everything on their own.
Mines! There was no stopping the rumors from spreading about the appearance of mines.
Mines were a grave matter for both players and residents alike. It wasn't for nothing that everyone shunned them.
By any measure—simple thought or close inspection—they were more brutal and vicious than even villains.
They were unpredictable escape artists, mad enough to sacrifice their own kind without hesitation for demons and dark tribes.
And for one to brazenly infiltrate such a low stage and cause havoc?
It was unthinkable. Serious enough that the whole city could rise up in revolt.
In plain terms, it was as if the mines had declared war on Stage-0 and Stage-1—zones players from every dimension had painstakingly cleared to make safe havens.
"Damn it, now even the safe Stages 0 and 1 have villains crawling out?"
"How are we supposed to live in fear? What if they summon their demons or dark tribe masters and curse the whole city or offer human sacrifices?"
"Fuck, and get this—it's not some player or resident from another dimension. It's a mine from a Korean hunter."
"Crazy. Didn't Dangun Cheonje wipe them out once before? Guess some cockroaches survived."
"Word is the recent Association terror attack was their doing too. If the Chairman hadn't had that new Item Restraint Stone, the dungeon would've gone berserk and exploded. He even warned publicly that any caught would be killed."
Players, naturally, weren't thrilled about the situation either. Those who'd lost comrades to mines and their villain underlings were especially furious.
They looked ready to tear the corpses limb from limb if they could find them.
Still, it was awkward for the hospital or Teraium to offer their own compensation. In the end, this was a player-on-player issue, and both the hospital and guards had been providing security.
The problem was that security had been breached without much resistance. Worse, residents had taken even minor damage, and the hospital was wrecked enough to stay closed for weeks—they were the ones who wanted to press charges.
The villains had broken the unwritten rule against harming residents, but to the victims' eyes, all players from that nation looked the same. It was understandable.
The guards sent some token consolation, at least. But that was it.
No one wanted to take responsibility for the deaths. And even if they did, who exactly would get the compensation?
Comrades were just comrades—you couldn't hand rewards to them. They weren't family, so what if someone greedy intercepted it midway?
The real issue lay elsewhere.
"Hmph, what if those things attack us next?"
"Yeah, yeah. They've always looked down on us, bullying us into taking profitable requests. How can we trust them?"
"Shouldn't the guard captain kick them all out?"
"We need a village chief at times like this. Is it because we haven't elected one?"
"Whatever, I can't even sleep from the fear. Who knows when they'll snap and turn on us!"
Tensions between players and residents were rising. Players had always ignored and dismissed the residents' simple quests as a hassle, widening the rift between them.
Except for one player.
"I'm sorry. I got a bit too aggressive in the fight. Please use this for repairs."
"Oh my! No need. With this many coins, you could build a whole new hospital. It's too much."
"It's nothing to me. Just take it. I'm sorry for causing all this chaos in the city."
I tossed a whopping 100,000 navy blue coins to the hospital director, who kept refusing. Navy blue coins were worth about 8,000 to 9,000 won each—nearly 900 million won total. But to me, it was like scooping a ladle from the ocean, so I handed them over without a second thought.
Originally figuring money fixed everything, I also gave small compensations to the attacked staff. Their savior-like gazes made me want to bolt from the awkwardness.
"Oh! Juha, you okay? Heard you were in the attacked hospital. And you took down the mine too!"
"Shii~bal! Mines, those fuckers! Those vermin crawled all the way here!"
"No injuries, right? We were worried."
......
I scooped up Nikki, who barreled into me for a wordless hug, and calmed the concerned residents.
Had the guard captain tipped them off? They knew everything, even that I'd dealt with the mine and villains.
They welcomed me warmly and treated me to lunch. After so long, surrounded by human warmth, I ate comfortably, then strolled the city with Nikki.
The overall mood wasn't great. Players had their grievances, residents theirs.
Their mutual friction was one thing, but the mine's appearance unnerved both groups plenty.
I took in glances from both sides as I leisurely toured the wide city.
"I'll head to Earth for a bit. Got things to handle, and stuff for my little sister too. Might take over a month."
"Yeah, after all that's happened, take your time. Safe travels. I'll be waiting. Got a lot on my plate now, so no send-off. Haha."
I bid farewell to Brymon, who laughed coolly, placated the clingy Nikki with candy, and returned to Earth.
Seoul, the capital of South Korea on Earth. In a mansion on the outskirts, a man jolted awake.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Nam Woo-i, drenched in cold sweat from an ominous, foreboding dream, grimaced as he rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face.
His dream was no mere dream. It stemmed from his Unique Ability: Imperfect Lucid Dream [Unique-SS].
His dreams revealed unknown situations or truths. Being imperfect, most info was worthless or distorted. And since it showed present or past rather than future prophecies, its value was even lower.
Still, it wasn't useless. How else could he—a non-combat awakener and mine's brother—own multiple buildings in Seoul without his help?
But he always felt it wasn't enough. He wanted to live like his brother.
Loving pleasure, luxury, and indulgence as he did, he envied his brother: a mine free from the law.
Power! The overwhelming strength from his dark tribe contract! The potential for further growth!
That was what he coveted most, having awakened a non-combat ability. No amount of wealth could fully free him from the law.
Not unless he became a chaebol pillar of Korea. But he knew his ability's limits well.
Chaebol? Impossible. Even this fortune was the max from pushing his ability to the brink.
So he looked elsewhere. He needed power to elevate him higher.
But high-grade skills and runes were too expensive—even his vast wealth fell short. Items worth billions each? He'd need multiples, and selling everything wouldn't cover it.
Maybe one or two, but that wasn't enough.
He was half-estranged from his brother Nam Woo-won, who as a mine made a shaky backer anyway.
"Fuck. Why dream of my brother dying?"
He'd seen it: a brilliantly shining spear blasting his brother away. Then, as his Unique-SSS ability Boundary of Death barely clung to life, a man approached and slit his throat.
"Is he really dead?"
After becoming a mine, contact had naturally thinned—that was half the estrangement reason. But blood ties couldn't be severed easily, especially for brothers who'd lost parents and survived street life together.
That's when it happened. Nam Woo-i recoiled in horror at the black something emerging in the mirror.
Like black haze or a living thing, its appearance made his eyes tremble.
Fearful. Terrifying. Revolting. Ominous.
Negative thoughts flooded his mind upon seeing it. But they vanished like mist when it spoke.
The black haze—no, the dark tribe his brother had contracted with—calmly confirmed the dream as truth.
Kin Slayer Executioner
Rank:Unique
Grade:SSS-
📍 Description: The mid-low grade demon Deriax, contracted with your brother Nam Woo-won, has decided to contract with you per their final terms. Deriax will not forgive the player—Shin Juha—who dared destroy his plaything. He intends to grant you maximum power to kill that player in his stead! Accept Deriax's power and execute the player—Shin Juha—who killed your brother!
⏰ Acceptance: Mid-low grade demon: Sinister Pit-Digging Worm - Deriax's Avatar
🎁 Objective: Kill Player—Shin Juha (0/1)
📍 Success: 6th Class Apostle Recommendation for the Ten Thousand Demons Army, More of Deriax's Power
⏰ Failure: Body Death, Soul Annihilation
"I'll do it."
Nam Woo-i sized up the situation in an instant and realized: this was his lifelong chance to gain that power!
A path to surpass his once-enviable brother!
'I'll handle the revenge myself.'
Nam Woo-i thought that as black demonic energy poured into him, flashing a sinister smile.