Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: 23. Blockhead (4)
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“In the end, my life’s conclusion is a bad ending.”
Kim Tae-jun, who had summoned the return button, spoke with a complicated expression.
In truth, one could say the tragedy was sealed the moment his name appeared as a candidate in the first elimination vote.
Even if he had killed the two First Swords here and gone off to find his family, a happy ending wouldn’t have been waiting for him.
That said, the worst hadn’t come yet.
“We still don’t know the ending. It’s only day three of the reset, and you’re still alive.”
When Young-woo said this, Kim Tae-jun gave a wry smile.
“You say it so easily. It’s just someone else’s problem to you, after all.”
With that, he bobbed the hand displaying the exit icon, as if to say let’s wrap this up quickly.
In response, Young-woo bowed deeply to Kim Tae-jun.
“If there’s good news, I’ll definitely let you know.”
Good news.
To Young-woo, at least, it held a double meaning.
The promise to inform him if he found Kim Tae-jun’s family, and...
‘Maybe somewhere out there’s an item that can turn friends back into humans. Somewhere in this universe.’
Of course, it was nothing more than Young-woo’s hope.
That’s why he couldn’t voice it, not wanting to torment him with false hope.
“Please take care, sir.”
Soon, Young-woo shook hands with Kim Tae-jun.
Clack!
At that moment, a blue light flashed, and Kim Tae-jun’s massive frame began to fade.
Shoooo...
VC Soft’s CEO, the three-day-old mutant of Gwanak District, was being incorporated as Young-woo’s friend.
“Ah...!”
Next, Young-tae’s body began to fade after Kim Tae-jun.
His summoning time had expired as well.
“Let’s meet again, for sure.”
Young-tae opened his long snout, letting out a reluctant voice.
And then.
Shrick.
He vanished without a trace.
“Ahh... This is...”
Jo Sang-ik gazed at the spot where Kim Tae-jun and Young-tae had been, his eyes full of lingering emotion.
He couldn’t put it into words, but as a fellow human, he was deeply moved.
He, too, had come to see mutants as people.
But the moment of sentimentality was brief. Soon, a golden orb appeared on the ground, signifying the mutant had been dealt with.
Pah!
“You have eliminated the mutated being.”
“Please select your reward to complete the procedure.”
The guidance message followed.
For Young-woo, this was the fifth such orb he’d faced.
In other words, choosing to spread karma this time would achieve the “Golden Flood” accomplishment.
Swoosh.
Young-woo silently glanced at Jo Sang-ik, who stepped back with the dutiful smile unique to bureaucrats.
“As agreed, the choice is yours, Young-woo.”
Of course, the two hadn’t explicitly discussed the binary choice.
It had simply been settled naturally through the battle with Kim Tae-jun.
With Jo Sang-ik voluntarily yielding.
“Thank you.”
Young-woo bowed to Jo Sang-ik as well, then placed his hand on the spinning golden orb in midair.
Thud.
The orb spun faster, displaying the elimination reward.
≪Guaranteed Reward≫
“Rock Guardian” - Mutation Gem
【Slot: All Physical Damage Reduction】
≪Choice Reward≫
[3 million karma]
or
[Distribute 30,000 karma to all residents in the region]
‘Ha, finally.’
After twists and turns, Young-woo had finally reached a binary choice in Seoul as well.
[Golden Flood]
|Summon golden rain in 5 or more regions. (4/5)
Young-woo glanced at the accomplishment he’d been sitting on for quite a while, then spoke while fixing his gaze on the spinning golden orb.
“Deputy Minister.”
“Yes.”
“Has golden rain ever fallen in Seoul?”
“Gold...? I didn’t catch that. Could you say it again?”
From Jo Sang-ik’s reaction, it seemed he’d not only never seen golden rain but was hearing the term for the first time.
He knew there was an option to distribute karma, but not in what form it manifested.
“Then see it for yourself. This is how I became Gyeongbuk’s Greatest Swordsman, which you were curious about earlier.”
With those words, Young-woo made his choice.
[Distribute 30,000 karma to all residents in the region]
The orb began to vibrate, then suddenly shot up into the sky.
Shoooo!
Moving swiftly and leaving a golden trail, from below it looked like a long golden diagonal line was being drawn across Gwanak District’s sky.
“...My god.”
Jo Sang-ik gaped at the unexpected spectacle.
Up until now, choosing “3 million karma monopoly” had just made the orb dissolve into thin air.
‘So this was the right answer.’
Jo Sang-ik swallowed hard, watching the orb fly to the edge of his vision.
And then.
Boom!
“Gasp.”
Soon, his pupils were dyed gold.
The orb had exploded at the end of the sky, filling the heavens with golden light.
“Wow...!”
The 52-year-old Jo Sang-ik let out a childlike exclamation.
It was the first sight since the reset that truly deserved to be called beautiful, so it was only natural.
And the climax was only beginning.
From the explosion point, the vast golden expanse began falling toward the ground.
Shaaaaaa...!
The sound of the golden lights falling, just like rain pattering down.
And in truth, it looked exactly like rain pouring.
“Gol... Golden rain. It was golden rain.”
Jo Sang-ik finally realized what word Young-woo had uttered moments ago.
And that golden rain had never once fallen in Seoul.
If it had fallen in even one region, it would have come up at the First Swords’ gathering.
Which meant...
‘...Ah.’
Everyone in neighboring regions would be seeing the golden rain falling over all of Gwanak District right now.
Thus, it would definitely come up at the First Swords’ gathering at 3 p.m. today.
“......”
A shadow tried to fall over Jo Sang-ik’s face for a moment, but the next event stole his attention.
《Gyeongbuk’s Greatest Swordsman ‘Jeong Young-woo07’ has given up 3 million karma monopoly and gifted 30,000 karma to all Gwanak residents.》
《30,000 karma will soon be distributed in commemorative coin form. Prepare yourselves.》
“Commemorative coins?”
Jo Sang-ik muttered in surprise, and Young-woo turned to him.
“They appear instantly, so grab them tight.”
“What do you...”
Before Jo Sang-ik could retort, a clink sounded right above his head.
And then.
Pah!
Three gold-tinged coins truly appeared in midair.
“Whoa.”
Jo Sang-ik was still flustered, but he was also Gwanak’s Greatest Swordsman, with total stats in the thousands.
So even in his panic, snatching three suddenly dropping coins was child’s play.
Thud thud!
Jo Sang-ik snatched the coins with lightning-quick hands, then opened his palm to see Gyeongbuk’s Greatest Swordsman Jeong Young-woo07’s face engraved on them.
“No way... How is this even possible?”
“Then was eliminating a mutant or becoming a First Sword any less impossible?”
Young-woo glanced at the commemorative coins in his own hand, then tossed them casually behind him.
Flick!
Then, from across the bridge where he’d parked Negig, another golden object shot out like a bullet.
-Keeek!
It was none other than the relic-grade slave, the Golden Goblin.
“......”
Seeing the goblin snatch the coins, Jo Sang-ik didn’t even feel like asking what that was.
By now, Jeong Young-woo looked almost like a being from another world in his eyes.
And truthfully, that diagnosis wasn’t far off.
Young-woo wasn’t a mere Earthling.
Paa!
[Quest Completed - “Debut in the Martial World”]
[Reward Distributed]
|5 million karma
As Young-woo had predicted, the quest system recognized the mutant as a “target with total stats over 3,000,” completing the mission given by Dogo.
And as promised.
Piiing!
“Huh?”
A sound came from the sky.
Shiiiii!
A tiny metal object came plummeting down with terrifying momentum.
“Gasp.”
“Eek! What is that?”
Thinking it was another attack, both First Swords panicked, but the unidentified metal halted near them, sparing them any unsightly flailing.
“W-What is this?”
In the end, Gwanak’s Greatest Swordsman Jo Sang-ik couldn’t hold back and asked Young-woo.
Young-woo approached right up to the object.
Whirr.
Now emitting a small vibration, the item spun at about 1.5 meters high.
‘...A card?’
It was a palm-sized rectangular card.
A credit card from the human world, that is.
“......”
Young-woo glanced briefly at the sky from which it had shot down, then picked up the card.
Thud.
On the black metal card, the number 5,000,000 floated up faintly.
“...Five million.”
“Five million? What does that mean?”
“Karma.”
This card was the quest completion reward issued by the alien arms dealer Dogo.
Perhaps even this card’s flashy flight was a form of product placement.
Young-woo swept his gaze over the now-empty surroundings devoid of mutants, then pocketed the card.
Having eliminated the mutant here, a merchant should appear soon.
He planned to check the wares first before deciding where to spend this 5 million.
“Then, what’s left is.”
As Young-woo muttered, Jo Sang-ik’s eyes widened.
“No way, there’s more...?”
Mutant elimination, “friend” summoning, and a golden rain performance borrowing the sky itself. He’d even seen a card descend from beyond the heavens—what more could there be?
“The most important thing is left. But no more surprises from here on.”
Young-woo said this as he shifted his gaze to the flashing alarm message before his eyes.
[Achievement Unlocked: Golden Flood]
|Achievement Rank: Legendary
|Achievement Rank: First
「Recommended achievement list has been updated.」
「There is 1 unclaimed achievement reward.」
He had finally cleared the main achievement that had driven him across countless regions.
The so-called golden rain route.
The first reward had been “Golden Flash” with sensory theft ability, and the second was “Golden Chastisement,” capable of inflicting asymmetric pain.
So what would the third be?
Young-woo looked at the golden gear wrapped around his arm and opened his mouth.
“Claim reward.”