Chapter 321
Chapter 321
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 321
Chapter Title: Helper
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With just one day left until the support mission to China.
I checked over the gear I had on hand.
'Hwayeon Sword and bombs... Potions are all packed too... Well, if push comes to shove, I can just grab stuff from another world. And... can't have things getting boring, so I'll pack the gaming console too...'
I had zero intention of putting in real work once I got to China.
The performance points would pile up just from slacking around enough.
'Dying in China would be a loss for me alone.'
More important than performance points was my own life.
'Gotta play it smart and suck up the honey.'
I was about to head to Han Ha-rin's place when I picked up my smartphone. A sudden thought hit me—it was the day the Playful Life app's quests refreshed.
'Last time it was that "Kill the Gay King" quest... Fuck. Those gay bastards... Just thinking about it pisses me off again.'
If the reward hadn't been [Your and My Sex Doll], I never would've touched that quest.
I clicked my tongue and tapped to refresh the quests.
It used to be 3 before, but now it's 2. Seems the number of selectable quests varies with each refresh.
'This one's a dud.'
Killing 666 evil spirits for a measly 666 points? 1 point per evil spirit.
'Evil Spirits. That's some ghost-hunting drama. Finding hidden ones is tough enough... 666 of them.'
Too much hassle. Plus, this quest might take months at minimum.
'If the reward was better, maybe. Nah.'
I checked the next quest.
'What the hell is this helping protagonists bullshit... Wait, the reward is a Skill Enhancement Ticket?!'
'I had no idea something like this existed...! Can't pass this up!'
Who knew when another chance like this would come? And unlike that last [Kill the Gay King] one, no hidden penalties seemed to lurk here. As long as the worlds weren't total hellholes, clearing the quest should be smooth.
???
I stood on a rainy street in Seoul.
My whole body was soaked with rainwater.
'Damn it. What kind of start is this.'
I looked around. Cars were driving on the roads, but far fewer than I'd expect. The streets were empty of people, most shops shuttered. Nothing like the Seoul I knew.
I ran toward a nearby shop with lights on. It sold men's suits. Light leaked through the windows, but a "Closed" sign hung on the door.
Bang bang bang!
I pounded on the door.
"We're closed!"
The shop owner yelled irritably from inside.
"One million won! I'll give you one million! I'm in a hurry! Please!"
"...Come in, sir! Welcome!"
If money hadn't worked, I'd have smashed my way in and killed him. Luckily, the door opened.
I stepped inside. The smell of a clothing store hit me, along with neatly arranged suits.
I handed the shop owner the one million won I'd pulled from my inventory before the door opened.
"Just give me a decent suit. Oh, and a towel too."
"Of course, sir."
The owner swiftly pocketed the cash, bowing repeatedly as he led me to a spot.
I stripped without hesitation, toweling off my wet body while eyeing the TV on one wall. News was on.
-Breaking news!
-Hundreds of monsters have emerged from the Han River and are spreading across Seoul!
The TV screen shifted to the Han River under a torrential downpour.
No sign of humans. Black monsters rose from the water, crawling onto land. Dozens of them.
I realized which world this was.
-The Republic of Korea's military is mobilizing to save our citizens! Please stay indoors and wait at home!
I pulled out my smartphone and checked the Playful Life app.
'Miracle on the Han River... A fictional work within a fictional work.'
Miracle on the Han River was a Republic of Korea movie.
Not from our real world, but from the Vampire Detective world. Fiction inside fiction.
'In reality, with hunters hunting monsters openly, movies like this flop hard, so they don't even make them.'
But the Vampire Detective world was different. Vampires existed but looked human and could communicate. Plus, it was a world ruled by humans.
"Aigoo... Those monster bastards... The military needs to sweep them out quick so I can reopen normally..."
The owner, bringing my clothes, shook his head at the news.
"...Mister, you brought me a silver mackerel."
"Sir, this suit was imported straight from England. One million won is a steal..."
"Got it. Got it."
I waved him off lazily, stripped off my underwear, and put on the silver mackerel suit. Pulling clothes from inventory meant putting them back after returning to reality, which was a pain.
"...No underwear? I can throw some in for free."
"Nah. My dick's strong enough without it."
"...It does look sturdy."
It'd flop around if I moved rough, but I was used to it.
-Bang! Rat-tat-tat-tat-bang! Boom!
Gunfire and explosions from the TV. Footage of the military fighting monsters. The things took dozens of bullets without falling. They flinched from grenades, collapsing only after over a thousand rounds. Even then, it twitched.
"...How the hell did monsters like that pop out of the Han River... Coming from the river at all is weird... End times. End times."
The owner muttered gravely, fear leaking into me too.
"The U.S. bastards dumped poison in the Han, mutating those fish freaks. Ah, gimme that raincoat over there. On the house."
"What are you... More importantly, you planning to go out now? Stay inside till it calms! You'll run into those monsters and die! Dead!"
"The ones dying will be them."
I ignored his pleas and stepped out.
No time to dawdle. The military moving meant we were mid-to-late in Miracle on the Han River. Had to move to succeed the quest.
A mid-sized car sped by on the road. I walked toward it.
Screeech!
It stopped, window rolling down.
"You crazy fuck! Move it!"
I approached the door, punched the guy's head to knock him out, dragged him from the car, tossed him on the street, sat in the driver's seat, and floored it.
In the movie Miracle on the Han River, the protagonists were a family. Right now, that family was trapped in the monsters' lair. Their escape was the late-game plot.
'Two of the six family members die in that: the son and wife.'
Quest completion: Help protagonists to a happy ending.
'Meaning not a single one can die.'
Screeech.
Car stopped. I grabbed my rifle and Hwayeon Sword from inventory, armed up, and got out.
A massive collapsed bridge loomed. Monsters had piled the debris into a lair on land. Inside: food they'd caught, human corpses, etc.
The family hadn't been captured—they'd entered to survive. Now, with monsters scattered across Seoul, they'd try escaping.
'Problem: guard monsters remain.'
I enhanced my eyes with mana. A monster hid behind debris. I fired without hesitation.
Bang!
Bullet hit. But downing it would take hundreds.
The monster looked my way.
"Ugly bastard."
Bang!
Fired again.
Raging, it charged—faster than a human sprint.
'Still slower than me.'
I toyed with it, firing slowly at first. Then full auto. Emptied a mag; it didn't slow.
I tossed the rifle aside.
'Thunderbolt.'
Crackle! Lightning gathered in my hand, compressing into a swastika shape.
At 3 meters, it gaped wide—sharper teeth than a shark, stomach acid stench.
'Fire.'
Rumble!
Lightning blasted it. Sparks flew from the shocked body.
Thud!
It fell sideways.
'One down... Huh?'
It twitched, rising slime-ily.
'Resistant to electricity. Upper D-rank monster level.'
I drew Hwayeon Sword. No need for sword aura—stabbed its head. Twisted; blade sank easy.
"Hup!"
Sliced its head in two. It collapsed, dead for good.
'No big deal.'
Judging I could handle multiples, I headed to the lair.
Two more lunged en route; my swings beheaded them.
I dug through debris inside. Well-built for rubble. Dark, damp, narrow—two adults couldn't pass abreast.
"Anyone here~?"
Smartphone light pierced the dark as I advanced, spotting eggs on ceiling and walls. Dozens visible; thousands total probably.
'Monsters get massacred by the military eventually, so irrelevant.'
I halted. Presence ahead.
Light forward: puppy-sized baby monsters swarmed.
They charged as one.
Crackle!
Red lightning from the blade electrocuted them dead.
'Not adult-sized... And this is Red Thunder, not regular. No coming back.'
Poke poke. No reaction. I stepped over corpses, deeper in.
"Anyone theeeere~?"
"Quiet! Be quiet!"
An old man's voice from within.
"Oh. There you are."
"Didn't you hear me say quiet?!"
Human corpses everywhere. In a corner: the Miracle on the Han River family, hiding.
Grandfather, middle-aged man, middle-aged woman, young man and woman, boy around 10.
Six total. The protagonists.
"Wow. Everyone's alive. Good."
I scanned the family.
"Ah, please! Quiet down!"
Grandpa snapped at me. I eyed the protagonist's wife. Not pretty enough; interest gone.
Shifted to his daughter. Glaring warily—feisty type. Dirty now, but cleaned up, she'd be my style.
'Was gonna lead them straight out... Plan change!'