Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: 1-2. To Escape Fate
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“It might be the last shopping trip of your life, so do your best. Shopping is precious, you know!”
Watching Suiel nod to herself, he felt deep gratitude in his heart.
He had to choose properly, then.
Let’s take a look.
The structure was easy to understand.
It mimicked an online game interface, so anyone could figure it out.
Equipment was divided by class first.
Warrior, mage, thief, priest, and so on.
Clicking into each category revealed gear suited to that class.
There were separate sections for common equipment, potions, enhancement runes, and the like.
Holy crap, enhancements too.
These angels really went all out copying games. Was it the kind where you aim for +15 and your weapon explodes?
He’d checked the warrior section first, but it was full of heavy stuff.
Not for him—he was all about running and dodging.
Armor made noise, after all. There were silent ones in the upper categories, but they were way too expensive.
*Earth Dragon Armor (A-Grade).
An armor crafted from the byproducts of a fierce earth dragon. Intricately linked to withstand any attack.
Defense +128
Strength +40
Agility -12
Vitality +32
Special Abilities: Earthquake once per day / Perfect Heal 3 times per day / Summon Earth Elemental 5 times per day.
Traits: Silent / Lightweight / Expensive Repairs.
Grade Restriction: Wearable by Rank 2 Hunters and above.
Incredible….
An amazing piece of armor.
Even he, who knew nothing about armor, was impressed.
The design was stunning too.
The problem was the price: 380 billion.
A mind-numbing sum.
“My jaw’s gonna drop.”
Even with Suiel’s teasing, his mouth wouldn’t close.
“Is this how expensive the gear top hunters wear is?”
“Huh? Oh, the Earth Dragon Armor? It’s made from the scales of land-dwelling dragons, so yeah, it’s pricey. I think there are only about five in Korea.”
“So someone actually owns one.”
How could lives under the same sky be so different?
Feeling down, he decided to skip the warrior section.
He moved to the thief category. That should suit him better.
Under the broad thief classification were countless sub-classes.
Wind Walker, the one he’d found on that monster, fell under thief too.
Assassin, scout, pickpocket—branches upon branches under thief.
That meant endless items despite the clear categorization. Dedicated gear for advanced classes, even some for hidden ones.
“Try adjusting the filters.”
Following Suiel’s advice, he set the limit to under 10 billion. It looked much better now.
His criteria were clear.
High defense, no magical options attached.
If there were options, they had to be usable without being a hunter—self-activating ones.
“Let’s see…. This looks good.”
A Cloak of Invisibility. Seemed solid.
With tech advancements, invisibility cloaks were commercialized by 2035. But this magical one from the angels was leagues ahead in quality. Magic was superior, naturally.
“How much?”
2.8 billion.
More affordable than expected.
He was about to buy it when the Rank 7 Hunter restriction stopped him.
“Sigh…. Non-hunters are total paupers.”
In the end, he filtered for no grade restrictions again.
The items dwindled.
But he found a good one among them.
*Assassin Ham’s Night Garb (C-Grade).
Ham was a mediocre assassin with poor skills, yet he survived to retire. People believe the night garb he wore must be something special.
Defense +31
Agility +9
Poison Resistance +10% / Paralysis Resistance +10%
Transform into Shadow 3 times per day.
Traits: Extremely Lightweight / Cheap Repairs / Enhanced Durability.
A great fit for him.
No grade restriction, and best of all, the shadow transformation used built-in energy—even non-hunters could use it.
“Price…. Whoa!”
But 7.8 billion.
Just when it seemed perfect, no mercy.
“You found the best value item, huh? Good eye. It was one I was gonna recommend if you couldn’t pick.”
“Really?”
Suiel nodded.
“Ham was a nobody assassin, but he clung to life with that one outfit. Even as his talented comrades died. Of course, his cowardice helped too.”
“Cowardice is an excellent virtue. There’s an African saying: Cowards return to their hometown where their mom is. Avoid danger, and you survive.”
Suiel burst out laughing at his rebuttal.
She even clapped like it was a masterpiece.
“Hee hee hee. Such a hyena opinion. You’re the ultimate hyena.”
He shrugged and bought Ham’s garb.
No need to overthink. It was tailor-made for him.
-Confirm purchase?
A beautiful voice flowed from the system.
“Nice voice.”
“Yeah, right? It’s Gabriel’s.”
“A woman’s voice?”
“Huh? Didn’t you know? Gabriel’s a woman.”
What?
The superstar pretty boy Gabriel was a woman? He’d just heard a massive secret. And funnier still, the system voice… the angels recorded it themselves.
They really dove into game dev mode.
He hit yes anyway.
-Purchase confirmed. Attending angel initiating transfer.
“Leave it to me.”
Suiel snorted, rolled up her sleeves, and began the summoning spell, scattering light everywhere.
The room’s magic circle flooded with light.
Whiiiiiing!
Noise accompanied the system voice again.
-Remaining summon time: 1 hour.
A window popped up too, showing extra mana cost for instant summon.
Damn, these angels were thorough.
They even nailed the cash shop mechanics from games.
He wanted to give a standing ovation.
Naturally, he resisted the temptation and waited the hour.
Wooong.
When time was up, the machine-like hum faded, lights dimmed, and the magic circle vanished. In its place appeared black garb reinforced with leather.
“This is it….”
Trying it on, it was incredibly comfortable. And cool-looking too.
Only 5.1 billion left after, but a brilliant buy.
Suiel, her semi-long hair swaying, nodded repeatedly.
“Mmm, good. Now pick the rest. Speed-boost shoes would help for running. There are shield rings too. But with what’s left, you can’t grab many—choose wisely.”
It was life or death.
According to Suiel’s vision, he was on the brink of ruin.
Maximize efficiency with the remainder to boost survival odds by even 1%.
Eyes blazing, he scanned—then spotted a mystery box.
*Lucky Box.
Test your luck. Randomly yields F-Grade to SS-Grade items. Failed pulls slightly increase odds for higher grades. But opening any other window resets accumulated probability.
1 billion each.
Lord have mercy. Pure gambling.
1 billion per pull.
“You’re not thinking of… buying that, are you?”
“This?”
“Yeah, our angels’ worst creation—the Ruin Gift Set. Talented hunters have gone broke on those. Once you start, it’s only a matter of time till you’re wiped out.”
“But someone must’ve succeeded.”
“Of course. One guy pulled an S-Grade.”
An epic magic sword, auctioned for 1.28 trillion.
From 1 billion to over a trillion—he became hunter world legend.
“Devious thing.”
“Why devious?”
“Countless hunters fell chasing that success story. You know how it is: winners win, losers lose no matter what.”
Suiel shrugged pityingly.
But his gaze stuck to the Lucky Box.
Sure, testing luck with a few wouldn’t hurt.
He had 5.1 billion.
Besides, basic gear wouldn’t change much—high chance of death anyway. For a dramatic turnaround, he needed a gamble.
The last decade of his life had been gambles and adventures.
“I’ll take this.”
“Whaaat? You’re nuts?”
Suiel immediately objected.
“I get the sentiment, but don’t. No take-backs if you fail here. It’s built like a game system, but this ain’t a game!”
“But it’s hopeless either way, right? You said 99% death chance. What’s 1-2% better gonna do? With the rest, maybe a couple C-Grades, some potions with change. That save me?”
“But….”
“You entrusted me with this money. Let me choose what’s best.”
He didn’t love gambling.
But he refused a quiet death. This seemed the only path to find a way.
“…Fine. Do what you want.”
He nodded and bought 10 Lucky Boxes.
A whopping 1 billion spent.
His hands shook opening the summoned boxes.
Biting his lip, he ripped them open boldly.
-Congratulations! Obtained Elixir.
“Ah….”
Tension released in a sigh.
Elixir was top-tier recovery potion. Worth 120 million.
20 million profit.
Good pull.
But the second was trouble.
-Too bad. Got worn-out shoes. Useless-looking. Donate to a beggar.
“Ugh!”
1 billion for junk shoes.
Suiel, who’d sparkled at the elixir, now glared.
Don’t look at me like that—my heart’s breaking too.
He opened another.
-Bust! Cold food. Too stale to reheat. Lame!
“What the hell!”
He yelled, and Suiel tsked.
“Told you. Ruin Set.”
Terrified, he stared at the remaining seven and tore them open nonstop.
Contents:
-Liquid-soaked dildo.
-Rat meat crispy burger (sewer spice flavor).
-Rotted turtle.
-Food waste bag.
-Lucky letter (You who read this are cursed…).
-Hopeless Trio figures.
-Bundle of counterfeit bills.
Ding-.
His head spun.
“Aaah….”
1 billion gone. Breath caught.
That fortune vanished for trash.
He wanted to toss himself in the food waste bag.
“This is a dream….”
Suiel pitied him. “Stop there. 1 billion’s decent. Let’s pick other stuff. I’ll help.”
Her kindness tore him up more.
But he couldn’t back down.
Quitting now felt like surrendering to death. Crazy or not— he was crazy anyway.
Deep breath, then he demanded sternly.
“41 Lucky Boxes.”
Suiel’s face paled.
“Stop, stop! You maniac!”
But he hit yes on the purchase window anyway.
“This is nothing compared to the crazy shit I’ve done.”