Chapter 420
Chapter 420
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 420
Chapter Title: Burning Torch (1)
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I stroked my chin as I gazed at the system window floating before my eyes.
'The third version of the Karma Shop, huh.'
How much fun had I had thanks to the 「Karma Shop Ver.2 Update」 in the meantime?
The 『VIP Market』, which provided special items useful to the Awakened, and the 『Item Purchase』 feature, which made it easier to obtain goods from various dimensions—they had both been tremendously helpful.
So naturally, hearing that the shop had been further upgraded filled me with anticipation...
"...But even so, I didn't expect this."
I stared blankly at the list before me with a dumbfounded expression.
The shop had mostly kept its previous format, just with a few new elements added.
But as I was happily checking each change one by one, something suddenly lodged itself in my mind—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『Item Purchase - Detailed View』 └ Outerica └ Kanghwan Realm └ Earth 'Earth? Earth?'
It was that single word, 'Earth', boldly planted in the menu where only otherworld items could be bought until now.
"...So, you're saying I can now buy stuff from Earth with karma?"
In truth, that wasn't such a groundbreaking perk.
With my current influence, I could obtain most things without even spending karma.
If anything, using Earth's readily available currency was far more cost-effective than limited karma.
'But that's not the point right now. The question is why this change happened all of a sudden.'
The Karma Shop had always drawn a clear line with Earth up until now.
Awakened typically encountered it right after being sent to another world.
And if they eventually saved up a million points and chose to 'return' to Earth, the Karma Shop vanished forever, along with any chance of using it again.
'Well, I'm an exception since I exploited a loophole in the system.'
After awakening my unique skill, I'd been sent to another world but stayed on Earth too.
That contradiction was the biggest reason I could manipulate the system at will, wasn't it?
'Let's take a look.'
I selected the 'Earth' category with a serious expression and scrolled through the items one by one.
Having used this menu many times before, it didn't take long to gauge its scope.
And the conclusion I reached after checking...
"Whoa, they're selling airplanes all the way up to aircraft carriers? What's this? A space shuttle? No way they're selling nuclear warheads too... Holy crap, they are?"
Nothing was impossible in this Karma Shop.
Of course, the cost-performance was abysmal compared to otherworld items infused with mystery.
"You can buy an adult dragon heart for the late millions, but a measly fighter jet costs 100,000 points? An aircraft carrier without any onboard planes goes over ten million? Who'd buy this crap?"
Still, the fact that I could acquire them on a whim was impressive in itself.
But with cost-performance like this, I'd probably never buy anything.
I forcibly tore my gaze away from the nuclear bomb—its name alone exuding presence—and let out a sigh.
'What the hell does the system want from me?'
One thing was clear: this massive system spanning countless worlds wanted something from me.
Maybe even my discovery of the loophole wasn't mere coincidence.
The detailed exploration of 『Karma Shop Ver.3』 afterward was much the same.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『VIP Market』 『Invitation (1,000,000)』 - Forcefully awakens an ordinary Earthling into an Awakened. 『Return Ticket (2,000,000)』 - Pays the karma required for an otherworld-transferred Awakened to return. 『Odin's Eye』 - Continuously consumes karma to overlook anywhere on Earth. 『Hermes' Footsteps』 - Allows instant travel to any distant location. By then, the theme of this update was obvious.
'Everything's connected to Earth.'
As if I'd finally been granted permission to intervene there.
And the cause of this change was probably that.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『Karma Share (5%)』 It had been floating at the very bottom of the Karma Shop from the start.
I eyed it with narrowed gaze.
'Share, huh. Of what? The system? Earth? Other dimensions? What happens if I fill it to 100%? Do I just need to accumulate karma? Only usable points, or total accumulated points too?'
A whirlwind of thoughts churned in my mind.
Up until now, I'd charged forward solely to crush the Heavenly Rebellion Society, but this sudden unknown situation muddled my head.
Yet amid it all, one instinctual realization stood out.
'I don't know what it is, but I should raise it no matter what.'
It probably wasn't unrelated to everything I'd done so far.
Wasn't the Heavenly Rebellion Society's leader doing the same?
He wielded godlike power on Earth, yet he still roamed other dimensions gathering karma.
What if it wasn't just for greater strength, but to fulfill this 'share' condition?
'...I can't just sit back and let that happen.'
With my mind made up, I slowly nodded.
In that vein, I decided to hold off on buying the 『Sealed Fragment of a Human God's Divinity』, which wasn't cheap.
I'll wait until the price drops further... and use it as a decisive dagger if needed.
Bzzz— Bzzz—
Then, my smartphone on the side began vibrating.
It was a linked email notification—one that signaled urgency.
"This is..."
Sender: 'CCTV'.
A report from Andrew Weaver, to whom I'd entrusted various tasks in exchange for the language translation magic tool Howard made as a gift.
I checked the contents with a serious expression.
Along with updates on the assigned matters, there were attached screenshots of foreign local news articles.
Thanks to 「Xenoglossy」, I ignored the attached translations and instantly read the originals—then my eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
"Demons?"
News about demons frequently sighted in Southeast Asia lately.
The report noted that most articles had been taken down, as if someone was controlling information, and it brimmed with analysis linking the demons to the Heavenly Rebellion Society.
'Demons, huh...'
I tapped the table thoughtfully.
What a timely coincidence.
Having just had an exhilarating brawl against countless demons in the demon realm not long ago, this piqued my interest.
'If this intel is accurate, it's definitely no ordinary fiend.'
In truth, someone wielding demonic power on Earth wasn't that strange.
Among Earthlings sent to other worlds, plenty resorted to any means to survive, and demon pacts were a quick path to power.
'But the risks are huge.'
If you lost your soul and mind completely to the contracted demon, you'd lose Awakened status just like an undead—so only the exceptionally talented who overcame that returned to Earth.
Even just borrowing contract power was risky; cases like Ken's, fully becoming a demon yet retaining the self, were rare.
'And that guy's prowling near Singapore, my next target?'
Thus, the being in Andrew's report—eerily replicating a 'true demon'—was extraordinarily formidable.
Especially since this was analyzed from indirectly gathered clues; his unique skill 「Trajectory Observation」 couldn't even track the target, lending even more credibility.
'At minimum, a marquess-class demon... At maximum, maybe even demon lord-level.'
My eyes narrowed as I pondered.
The gap in estimates was wide, but unavoidable.
No matter how capable Andrew was, there were limits without direct observation.
If anything, compiling such a detailed report in those conditions was commendable.
'Yeah, time to raise his salary. He has plenty more work ahead; gotta treat him right.'
A faint hallucination echoed from beyond physical cognition, wailing for vacation over money instead... but probably just my imagination.
No one turns down more cash.
"That said, this is unexpected. Never thought I'd find it like this."
At the report's end, the capable informant Andrew had added notes on something else.
A certain force, driven to the brink by demons and their allied organization.
Hard-won intel from tracking the demon's aggressive movements—so the force's identity was anything but ordinary.
'So it does exist. Others besides me opposing the Heavenly Rebellion Society. Though their situation looks rough.'
Known as the 'Burning Torch'.
A secret society discovered amid their lonely fight.
United by the same goal as mine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A dilapidated house cluttered with odds and ends.
"Kuhk— Cough cough!"
A harsh cough erupted from one corner.
The person tried to stifle it somehow, but to no avail.
It wasn't just any ordinary cough.
"You okay, An? Maybe you should rest a bit..."
A burly man cautiously spoke up, but the black-haired woman, curled up and trembling, just shook her head.
Handkerchief soaked in blood pressed to her mouth.
"Hoo— Hoo."
After a brief moment.
She took a deep breath, carefully straightened, and a pale blue flame flickered from her hand, cleanly burning away only the blood on the handkerchief.
In the blink of an eye, it turned from red to white.
She pocketed it carefully and sighed deeply.
"You know I can't. The moment I slack even a little, this place gets found."
"...But just for a bit..."
"No. How many comrades have died because we got complacent?"
The man couldn't retort to her curt reply.
As she said, their situation was dire—empty words couldn't sugarcoat it.
A short rest could become eternal.
Without her, they'd have been wiped out long ago.
"...Sorry. If only I had the power to face that demon..."
"Don't be ridiculous. Three superhumans have already died to it—even with traps and joint attacks. You'd just be another corpse."
Her snide tone was to curb his recklessness; worry gleamed in her green eyes for him.
That demon had forced them to scatter and flee, after all.
"Hoo— Hope the others are safe... Ahh! Damn it! That viper, calling friends instead of a fair fight! You call yourself a man?!"
An, focusing to maintain her ability, finally exploded in rage.
The sudden interveners had shattered their organization, which had been pushing toward hope.
"Ugh, if only that damn Oracle hag hadn't meddled, we could've handled the Executioner somehow."
No guarantees of victory, but they could've minimized losses and retreated to fight another day.
Far better than fleeing torn apart from the Philippines to this Vietnam hideout.
"...Hoo! No, can't lose it. Stay calm, maintain composure."
After venting her stress, she regulated her breathing again.
Her ability tied not just their lives here, but the scattered comrades' survival too—no room for laxity.
"But why haven't Becky and Tola come back yet?"
As she calmed, she frowned, realizing the scouts hadn't returned.
Normally, she'd track allies effortlessly, but fully disrupting the Oracle's gaze left no spare capacity.
"Wait."
"...Jose?"
The burly man blocked her path as she grumbled.
Sniff sniff—
He flared his nostrils, then unleashed sharp intent outward.
His expression grave, he spoke quietly.
"Demon."
"No way...! How? Because I yelled earlier? No, it couldn't be that trivial...!"
"We're already pinpointed. Heading straight here."
Her face hardened at Jose's low words.
Their position exposed wasn't trivial.
It endangered not just them, but all hidden 'Burning Torch' members.
As she gritted her teeth in self-reproach, footsteps approached unceasingly.
Heavy, unabashed tread.
In response, fur sprouted across Jose's body, his frame expanding.
The moment he assumed a bipedal beast form—
"Phew, finally found you. Making me hunt down the exact spot while you lounge and give orders? Ridiculous."
A man entered through the creaky door.
"That damn human... His way of handling people feels just like our Demon King... Nah, coincidence?"
Grumbling nonstop, heedless of caution.
Noticing the pair bristling at him, he awkwardly scratched his nape.
"Ahem, so—"
The intruder cleared his throat.
Then, using a demon's linguistic rapport, he greeted them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Miyamoto Ken."
Overflowing with delight at conversing with Earthlings after so long.
"I've come to save you from despair."
Unfortunately, his sincerity didn't transmit.
Only a furry fist answered in reply.