Hidden Fangs
The most valuable item that could come out of a Hidden Poison Fangs random box was a matter of some debate. While the ranking might shift slightly from user to user, everyone agreed that gunpowder took first place. Drifting through Stage 5 meant you would inevitably run into troublesome enemies whether you liked it or not. These “troublesome foes” were never meant to be hunted in the first place. Sea serpents the size of trains, colossal squids tall as ten-story apartments, swarms of shrimp each the size of a truck—deep-sea creatures defied all common sense with their sheer scale. And the only thing capable of harming them was gunpowder, a consumable.
Gunpowder was extra life in Stage 5. It was the kind of resource every user had to stockpile if they wanted to extend their survival. “And you just spent that precious resource without hesitation…?”
The leopard summoner who introduced herself as Park Seona had used explosives liberally to save me. If she had come to harm me, the moment I was suspended in the air would have been my most vulnerable. She could have simply waited until the fishmen left me battered and broken, then finished the job. “At the very least, she’s not an enemy.”
The way she won Baengnae over was equally bold. There were two treasures every user was told they must obtain after clearing Stage 5. The first was the Phantom Elixir, said to even cure hair loss. The second was the Storm Pearl. The Swallow’s Wing I possessed was a high-grade item far beyond anything a random box could offer. The only way to obtain such superior goods was to bring a Storm Pearl to a special shop and exchange it. And the shell Baengnae was currently gnawing on had once held exactly that—a Storm Pearl.
“Hehe. Nom nom. Madda.”
Pearls grew steadily inside their shells, increasing in value over time. In other words, the longer you waited, the better the reward from the special shop. By giving Baengnae a goose that laid golden eggs, Park Seona had essentially handed over something priceless just to earn her favor. “I have no idea what her goal is…”
Seeing her offer her liver and gallbladder so freely left me genuinely confused. Her goodwill defied common sense. “I should be wary of kindness without reason… but I can’t even begin to guess what she wants from me.”
The fishmen had been routed. Having lost hundreds of their forces, they scattered back into the distant sea from which they came. I watched their retreat with suspicion, but there was little I could learn for now. To organize my thoughts, I absentmindedly sprinkled salt over a fishman and set it over the fire. The scales crackled as they burned. Park Seona approached and spoke.
“Nanggun-nim, you’re quite the cook as well. Amazing!”
“I only sprinkled salt on it…”
‘This one’s suspicious too… Is this one of those romance scams that were popular on Earth recently?’
In the end, I decided to keep Park Seona by my side. Suspicion was one thing; objectively speaking, there was no reason not to. With Cat-nim missing, I was currently under the curse of the infinite raft. More rafts were simply more rafts. If we encountered a deep-sea monster, we might have to accept a painful loss. Of course, since I had only recently arrived in Stage 5, the odds of meeting a deep-sea creature were slim. Still, it was better to prepare if I could. Hadn’t I just witnessed something that defied common sense?
“Nanggun-nim, where are we headed now?”
“Originally I planned to go for the Phantom Elixir. But since you’re the veteran here, do you have any recommendations?”
Park Seona pulled out her Wind Compass to calculate distances. The compass was a divine relic that let you designate a destination and travel quickly in that direction—a sponsorship she had received after raising the difficulty and earning her patron’s favor.
“How about heading for the Storm Pearl first? It’s closer. I need a new one myself, actually.”
Baengnae, recognizing that they were talking about her, looked over. She puffed out her chest proudly and declared, “Baengnae ate it.”
I recalled what I had read about the Storm Pearl on the community boards and answered, “Good idea. While we’re at it, we should let the zombies feast on plenty of grilled shellfish too.”
Park Seona looked startled. “Huh? You’re not just stealing the shells—you’re planning to wipe out everything living there?”
“Can’t just steal on the way there.”
The method for obtaining a Storm Pearl was to enter a strait teeming with crustacean marine life and steal one. Thanks to a guide left by someone else. The reason users never considered clearing the area was because the strait’s owner was a deep-sea creature. But in the end, it was still just a marine organism, wasn’t it? Even if it was deep-sea grade, if it had come up to the surface, I judged it worth fighting.
“So, when can we depart?”
“Deep-sea hunting… Your way of thinking is completely different. The compass won’t be reusable until tomorrow morning.”
“Then we have time to spare.”
“In that case, may I suggest something to do in the meantime? It wouldn’t be a bad deal for you either, Nanggun-nim.”
“What is it?”
Park Seona pointed toward the rear of her island, at what looked like an old cruise ship. “I obtained this floating wreckage three days ago… but it’s a bit much for my abilities to clear out the creatures inside. If you handle the cleaning, you can keep all the random boxes within.”
After a moment’s thought, I shook my head. While I appreciated the favor, her excessive goodwill was starting to feel burdensome. Drawing a proper line was important.
“We’ll split the rewards fairly. I wouldn’t have any use for gunpowder anyway.”
Our post-meal cruise tour was thus booked.
***
Heaven’s Rabbit let out a cheer. One of the three human females had already succeeded in making contact with the Zombie Summoner. Moreover, she had integrated into his group without any major issues. ‘That’s it! My eye for talent never fails!’
“Congratulations. As expected of Heaven’s Rabbit.”
“He’s practically ours now. This is why males are so easy.”
“Since it’s a stage set by Rabbit, this outcome is only natural, as our association sees it.”
Congratulatory remarks came from all around. Amidst them, Heaven’s Snake smiled quietly. She had disliked Death’s Cat, but the Zombie Summoner had also been quite displeasing to her. Especially after the cat cosplay incident last time, her anger toward him had reached its peak. That was why she had prepared a hidden blade this time. Among the three females, she had successfully slipped in one who was under her influence—a snake-like woman. Her instructions had been clear: if she could lure the Zombie Summoner into signing a Success Myth contract, do so. But if it seemed like failure, kill him. Either outcome would be a satisfying conclusion from the snake’s perspective.
While waiting for the result, a pleasant event occurred. The Zombie Summoner’s mistake. Heaven’s Snake had created an excellent passage through which she could intervene in his world. And so the snake immediately put it into action. ‘Perfect…’
Heaven’s Snake’s prepared poison fangs were closing in on the Zombie Summoner, Baek Suhan, from all directions.
***
“Hehe, just trust me, my lady.”
Deputy Ju Giju crawled forward on his now two remaining arms toward the random box in the cruise ship’s lobby. Despite it not being his turn, he had suddenly stepped forward and declared he would open the box. ‘Is he… insane?’
Click— Ju Giju opened it, and various consumables including gunpowder poured out. He straightened his torso-only body as if showing off and bowed politely. Then, with burning eyes, he said, “Are you satisfied? This is me. Ju Giju.”
It wasn’t just Ju Giju. All the salaryman zombies, as if they had gone mad, began declaring they would open the random boxes. This had happened just minutes earlier. As planned, we had begun cleaning the old cruise ship. The native creatures were flatfish fishmen. They weren’t particularly strong, so I led my elite troops and steadily cleared them out. And inevitably, random boxes appeared. Time to open boxes. I naturally summoned the salarymen. But Park Seona, who hadn’t known the salarymen were box-opening zombies, wore a troubled expression. She had naturally assumed the leopards would bear the duty of opening them.
With a slightly trembling voice, Park Seona pointed to one of the leopards nearby. Then, squeezing her eyes shut, she said, “I’m sorry… I’ll have to ask you this time.”
Park Seona pressed a kiss to the selected leopard’s forehead—a small tribute and gift for a summon that might meet its end. And this was, in fact, the standard attitude toward random boxes. High risk, high return. Random boxes were items you opened even at the cost of sacrificing summons.
At that moment, one of the salarymen stepped forward. Of course, he had only crawled ahead because it was simply his turn. But to Park Seona, who didn’t know the circumstances, it looked as though the zombie had sacrificed itself in place of the leopard.
“Th-thank you…!”
Park Seona rushed over and hugged him tightly. She kept thanking him, her expression filled with a reverent, affectionate emotion as if she were facing a brave soldier. ‘Uh, um…?’
From that point, the problem began. The male salaryman zombies started fighting over priority, each insisting they would open the boxes. Even when one of them exploded right in front of them, they only flinched briefly before continuing to volunteer. ‘These… crazy bastards.’
Opening random boxes was actually a form of punishment I gave to the salaryman zombies. After all, I had a way to obtain supplies without any risk. It was simple. If a zombie that could withstand explosions opened the box, I could obtain infinite supplies without risk. I clicked my tongue inwardly. If they didn’t fear opening random boxes, how could it remain a punishment? Regardless of the benefit I gained, I didn’t like seeing the structure I had carefully built fall apart.
“Ahem… Let’s move on to the next one.”
“Yes, Nanggun-nim.”
And in that instant, I realized something. This could actually become the ultimate punishment. Seeing Park Seona following me around calling me Nanggun-nim, the salaryman zombies’ faces twisted in fury. Their expressions said they believed she was stealing the respect and affection that should have been theirs. ‘These guys are actually hilarious.’
Honestly, having a woman I’d just met constantly call me Nanggun-nim felt incredibly awkward at first. But suddenly, hearing it felt quite pleasant. I deliberately stayed close to Park Seona, moving as if escorting her.
“Watch your step there, miss. Nangja.”
Park Seona, who had been tilting her head at my sudden change, smiled and leaned toward me. “Yeees, Nanggun-nim.”
The sound of salaryman zombies grinding their teeth gently accompanied our cruise tour. I had discovered an excellent new form of punishment.