The Returning Crisis (1)
Of course, to use a hair dryer, you had to plug the cord into an outlet to get power. And even more obviously, this world had no such thing as a socket for an electrical cord, whether it was rated for 110 volts or 220.
Yeong-sik stared at the hair dryer in Seo A-ra's hand with a headache brewing on his face.
In truth, he hadn't held high hopes for manufacturing mechanical products in the first place. What mattered most to him was leveling up his Structure Analysis skill, and manufacturing machines was just a means to that end.
But even so, for it to be this utterly useless? No outlet meant the hair dryer was impossible to use, no matter what. A machine that didn't work was nothing more than a lump of scrap metal with a complicated structure.
Yeong-sik let out a deep sigh.
"Is there really no way to use it...?"
"Hm. What if we use electric magic to power it?"
Seo A-ra asked that as Yeong-sik sighed. He shook his head in response.
"It's not worth going that far for something like this. Besides, no one here can use electric magic anyway."
Regretfully accepting that he'd have to settle for the proficiency gain in Structure Analysis, Yeong-sik picked up the hair dryer. That's when it happened.
Bzzz...
With a strange hum, the skin on his right arm split open. And in the exposed spot was, absurdly enough, a 220-volt outlet hole.
"What the hell is this...?"
Yeong-sik looked down at his right arm with a hollow expression. He wasn't the only one staring at it in disbelief. Seo A-ra touched it with her hand, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"No way... is this...?"
Just to be sure, she plugged the cord from the hair dryer Yeong-sik had made into his right arm.
Vrrr...
The hair dryer's power switched on, and warm air blew out.
A strange silence settled between Yeong-sik and Seo A-ra. Yeong-sik gazed down at his right arm, feeling an oddly wretched sensation.
"What kind of messed-up body is this...?"
In truth, having an outlet in his arm might be nothing compared to being able to launch his right arm as a Rocket Punch or having a Gatling gun pop out of his back.
But still. But this... It felt profoundly pathetic.
"W-well, at least we can use it now."
Seo A-ra made a subtle expression too and averted her gaze from him. Yeong-sik couldn't tell if he should be happy or sad that the machines he'd made could at least run this way.
'Guess I can scrap the idea of making money off these.'
Selling something only he could use would just earn him ridicule instead of cash, if he was lucky. With a sigh, Yeong-sik reached to unplug the cord from his right arm.
"Ah?"
At that moment, Seo A-ra extended her hand toward him with a somewhat regretful look. Yeong-sik eyed her, half-expecting what came next. She cleared her throat with a ahem and blushed faintly.
"Since we're already at it, how about testing it out once, just for fun?"
"...You really want to use the hair dryer that badly?"
Feeling even more pathetic by the second, Yeong-sik let out another deep sigh.
"Have a seat. I'll dry your hair."
"Ah... Th-thanks."
Seo A-ra sat down, thinking even she had made a pretty weird request. Yeong-sik plugged the dryer's cord back into his arm and began drying her hair.
As he dried her silky, gleaming locks that shone like fine silk, Yeong-sik found himself thinking anew how beautiful Seo A-ra was. He glanced down at her long, slender legs crossed elegantly as she sat in the chair and swallowed hard with a khmm.
"By the way, what powers your body, Yeong-sik? You eat food and drink water, right?"
"Beats me... At first, I thought I worked just like a normal person."
Yeong-sik glanced at his right arm, still connected to the hair dryer, and gave an awkward smile.
It was hard to claim he was the same as others looking like this.
"Well, we'll figure it out eventually."
Yeong-sik said that with a smile that somehow felt lonely. Seo A-ra glanced back at him and fell into thought.
Not being able to remember anything about himself. She couldn't imagine how solitary and frightening that must be.
"Yeah. You'll figure it out."
Seo A-ra said it with a softer smile. The cold demeanor from before was hard to find now.
"Still no luck finding them?"
In the port city of Bellen, a cold voice echoed from inside a four-story building at the center.
A pure white shield emitting light was emblazoned on the entrance.
"S-sorry!"
Jeong Chan-hyeok bowed deeply to the man yelling in front of him, sweat pouring down his face.
The man before him was Hong Seung-geol, branch leader of the Light Shield Guild's Bellen branch. Level 74—a powerhouse hard to find among the many new summoners in Bellen.
His hobby was luring in pretty newbie summoners fresh off the boat and forcing himself on them. His infamy had spread among summoners, with countless victims already.
"Urgh. You said she was drop-dead gorgeous, right?"
"Y-yes! Model or celebrity level!"
At Jeong Chan-hyeok's words, Hong Seung-geol started jiggling his burly leg with frivolous excitement.
"Ah... That's too good to give up."
Jeong Chan-hyeok had reported a prime catch, but they'd ditched the tracking badge. He'd gone back to check the spot where Yeong-sik's group had discarded it, only to find them long gone.
Normally, he'd have given up, but Hong Seung-geol had taken a huge liking to the model-beauty description and had been scouring Bellen for two weeks straight.
But it wasn't a tiny village—it was a proper city, and tracking them down wasn't easy.
"Maybe we should call it quits here..."
Jeong Chan-hyeok suggested cautiously. Hong Seung-geol hurled an object from the table at him.
Thwack!
"Gah!"
A groan of pain escaped Jeong Chan-hyeok as the thick book smacked his head.
"Shut up, you idiot! This is your fault for letting them slip away like a moron!"
Hong Seung-geol bellowed at him, seething.
It wasn't just his personal kink. The Light Shield Guild tricked newbie summoners into joining, then sold them as slaves to fund their operations. The guild itself thrived on human trafficking.
But this batch of summoners seemed sharper than expected—far fewer had fallen for it. For Hong Seung-geol, who had to pay tribute to the main guild in another city, it was a headache.
'If I can just get my hands on that girl...'
Beauty meant big money, whether on Earth or here. Especially here, where human trafficking and slavery were far safer and more lucrative than on Earth.
"I'll assign more guys. Comb every inch of the city. We need her to cover this quarter's tribute."
Hong Seung-geol said with a ferocious glint in his eye. Jeong Chan-hyeok nodded stiffly.
"Yes, sir!"
He replied energetically and turned to leave. Watching his back, Hong Seung-geol sighed deeply.
"Haa. This guild's getting risky. Need a big score and bail."
Not all guilds dipped into illegal dealings like Light Shield. In fact, few survived long doing it openly.
Usually, they got purged by rivals first.
It had been over ten years since Earthlings arrived, and their own rules had formed. Chief among them: the "agreement" barring killing, violence, or kidnapping new summoners for the first three days.
Break it, and the three major guilds would brand you public enemy, barring you from the eastern continent or wiping your guild off the map.
Light Shield exploited the loophole: hand out tracking-badge "gifts" to targets, then snatch them after three days.
Volunteers got the same grace period. But tricks like that wouldn't last forever.
Rumors of their dirty deeds had reached the big guilds' ears, with talks of a purge squad forming soon.
Even as one of the six strong guilds just below the top three, they couldn't stand against a united purge force.
Hong Seung-geol planned a final big haul before betraying and fleeing. But low summoner intake had wrecked that.
"Gotta catch that girl."
He muttered anxiously. It was essential for his greed and future plans.
Vrrr...
Then, the crystal orb on his desk began to vibrate. Hong Seung-geol reached out and stroked it.
"H-hyung!"
"What’s with the panic? Didn't I say find them quick?"
Hong Seung-geol snapped irritably. Jeong Chan-hyeok's urgent voice followed.
"Found them! They just showed up at the market by chance..."
"Ho?"
Hong Seung-geol's eyes lit up at the words. A thick smile spread across his lips.
Perfect timing, like the heavens themselves were helping.
"Tail them discreetly and find their lodging. If they leave the city... hit 'em then and grab her."
"Got it!"
They were greenhorns not even a month in—no need for him to go personally.
Hong Seung-geol leaned back, smirking, waiting for Jeong Chan-hyeok to deliver. He rose his massive frame, lips twisting.
'Can't rot here forever.'
He licked his lips with greedy eyes. No way he'd spend his life in this newbie dump.
Just advancing to Elnot Kingdom's capital would mean luxury beyond compare.
For that opulent life, he needed more cash.
'Got a decent stash already...'
With what he had, ditching the guild for a solo slave trade would rake in fortunes. Easier to dodge big guilds' eyes too—a win-win.
"Kekeke."
Hong Seung-geol chuckled at visions of his rosy future.
This world had rock-bottom morals and ethics. With money and power, you could indulge any filthy desire.
'Gotta collect on all that suffering.'
Four years since arriving, he'd clawed to this spot through hell.
His level cap was higher than average, but leveling itself was never easy.
Hong Seung-geol had barely reached 74 after countless near-deaths.
"Time to teach 'em this world's harsh lessons."
Recalling the three-person party Jeong Chan-hyeok mentioned, he grinned.