Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: It's You Again - 2
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The man nodded slightly.
"Have a seat."
This could only be called instinct.
The moment she plopped down, Sung-ho released the bowstring.
The arrow pierced straight through the head of a goblin that had just darted out from the alley.
Kek!
A guttural scream echoed as he bent the bow again.
For some reason, Yeoul felt glad that the man had spoken to her politely.
As she turned to look back with that thought, another arrow sprouted from the goblin's mouth.
'He's strong...'
The man dispatched four goblins in an instant without much effort.
Each time an arrow hit, there was a sickening thunk, thunk.
The bows her group used suddenly felt like toys for babies.
The man retrieved his arrows from the goblins and rummaged through his pockets.
Yeoul stared blankly before finally standing up.
He hadn't even asked if she was okay.
He just quietly went about his business.
He seemed like a different kind of person.
Gathering her courage, she called out to him.
"Um... mister."
"Yeah?"
"I have something to ask. Could you spare a moment?"
"Not a problem... but how long have you been here?"
Only then did the two guys step up behind the girl.
They were the students Cheol-jun and Yu-ju had mentioned, the ones obsessed with farming.
"We've been here since July."
"Born and raised here. Locals, through and through."
Then they must know the area well.
Sung-ho nodded and glanced at the shop nearby.
"Let's talk over there."
"Sweet!"
The two guys seemed weirdly excited.
In a situation where they'd almost been attacked by monsters?
Sung-ho shot them an incredulous look and scanned the surroundings again.
A few zombies lurked in the distance, but they didn't seem poised to attack right away.
Mornings were always like this.
The three entered the shop, and Sung-ho took a position near the entrance.
"I'm Han Yeoul, this is Jun-ho, and that's Do-hyeong."
"Nice to meet you."
"Hey."
They bowed without hesitation, so they didn't seem like bad kids.
Or they were good actors.
Sung-ho uncrossed his arms and greeted them.
"Kang Sung-ho. Were you watching me since morning?"
The three exchanged glances and hesitated.
Like they were saying, you do it.
Yeoul let out a deep sigh and spoke up.
"We saw you setting the net traps earlier. Down by the pier."
"You want to know when monsters disappear at night, right?"
This guy was sharp.
Yeoul nodded.
At night, you couldn't see a thing.
Heading out to pinpoint when monsters vanished meant risking a poison sting.
Set traps after goblins cleared out, and you'd lose them to some kobold watching from afar.
Best to nail down the monster-free window.
Sung-ho made a vague face.
"You seem like good kids, so I'd like to help. Just one question: besides you three, are there other people around?"
"Yeah, there are."
Before Yeoul could respond, Jun-ho and Do-hyeong chimed in excitedly.
"Our school's nearby? Some folks there."
"Tons of people west of the train tracks too."
"What about standouts? People who look strong?"
"Uh... locals are all kinda average."
"You know the courthouse? Heard some folks opened an auction house below it."
"We gotta open one soon too, or we're in trouble."
"Bro, you got a shop or auction house open?"
The two guys were already calling him "bro" like old pals.
Sung-ho brushed it off.
"Yeah, shop's open. I'd like more on those courthouse folks... cool?"
He pulled jerky from his backpack, and their eyes lit up.
Man, meat after so long.
Yeoul snatched three pieces and handed them out.
Sung-ho got the trio's dynamic.
'Girl's the leader, huh.'
If their combat was average, it made sense.
Her trait probably wasn't combat-oriented either.
While the boys tore into the jerky, Yeoul spilled.
"Truth is, we don't know much about courthouse people. But we know one thing..."
"That bro they chased off?"
p>"He ran away, duh. Seemed super nice though."
There was a story there.
From what they said:
The courthouse group wielded heavy influence nearby and had recruited a young guy.
Problem: his trait was no joke.
"Ever see a trait that draws animals without scaring them? Insane."
"Threw a net trap once, and meat just swarmed in."
"...Really?"
Whiny #5 at the auction had said something similar.
"Courthouse group have a name?"
"End... End something."
"What was it?"
The guys fumbled, so Yeoul smacked her thigh in frustration.
"Assembly of People Preparing for the Apocalypse!"
EndPrep. Yeah, that tracked.
"So, guy with that trait either bolted or got booted. One or the other?"
"Yeah. That bro was real nice. Shared his catches with us. EndPrep folks, though... not great."
"How not great?"
"Tried locking him up. Stuck watchers on him if he went out."
"That's messed up."
Meant the trait was jackpot-level.
EndPrep probably thought:
—Kid's got no combat chops, we protect him, what's the issue? Ever hear of mutual aid?
Protection, right. More like imprisonment.
Combining Whiny #5's vibe and the kids' story:
One survivor with beast-affinity god-tier trait had escaped.
Sung-ho asked.
"That escapee... no clue exactly where?"
"Nah. Southbound, that's all."
Have to hunt him down while heading south.
After clearing the First Kill event, probably.
Sung-ho eyed the kids staring hopefully.
"Good info, so here's a deal: share your hideout, I'll check it tonight."
"That's the no-monster window?"
Yeoul's voice perked up.
"Varies with weather and temp, but you'll get the feel after a few tries."
"Teach me, mister, I'll learn."
Sung-ho extended his hand.
"Then... let's watch each other's backs."
"We're in."
She grabbed and shook it without hesitation.
"Yes!"
"Bro, just use our names."
What had them so hyped?
Maybe joy at finding someone reliable in the apocalypse.
Sung-ho wasn't that guy, though.
Sticking around awhile, teaming up wasn't bad.
The day arrived.
The orc First Kill event.
I spent time swapping intel with the trio.
Didn't slack on prepping for first place either.
Time to whip up flame cans.
Smashing ignition stones in the cave, Leader Dung Beetle approached with charcoal.
"Huh? What's that for?"
He gestured mixing ignition stone and charcoal powders.
"Mix in charcoal powder? Ratio?"
Some charcoal boosted firepower; too much weakened it.
Had to experiment for the sweet spot.
I ground ignition stones and charcoal to powder, mixing incrementally.
"Start with 2:1."
Test burns showed way more oomph than pure ignition stone.
Felt like 1.5x at least.
"Nice."
30% less ignition stone, 1.5x power?
Greed kicked in; more charcoal, flames dropped.
Leader Dung Beetle was right.
"Half to match original power."
So, charcoal halves precious ignition stone needs.
Solid.
Stockpiled ignition stones: barely 9.
Including new cave: about 15.
Charcoal? Plentiful.
"Not much stockpiled, but caves full of it..."
Per Leader Dung Beetle, dig and it's there.
No need to hoard.
Bottom line: charcoal doubles flame cans.
"This'll fetch top dollar."
No charcoal in shop; never seen in-game.
No goblin loot reports either. Forest exclusive.
I'm the sole seller.
"Flame cans are gold now, right?"
Recipe's out there thanks to us veterans.
But low drop rates mean few makers.
Auction house: everyone drooling for ignition stones.
"Even wild boar price, they'd buy..."
Yeah, one stone kills orcs. 1,000 points? Chump change.
Split charcoal powder: sales batch, sample batch.
Samples cheap for easy testing.
Tiny amounts, obviously.
"Promo time."
Posted ratio in comments; eyes lit up.
Cheap samples sold out instantly.
Sales batch auction kicked off soon after.
Chaos ensued.
I watched the bidding climb.
400 points easy.
Comments: bidders trash-talking.
Oh, right.
Test-listed a stone: pandemonium.
Stone hit near 1,500 fast.
Norm auctions don't spike like this.
First Kill hype fueled it.
"Event's so accessible..."
No one knows who'll win #1.
Everyone thinks, with a flame can, maybe me?
Douse the orc first, done.
Minions a minor hurdle...
I enjoyed the bidding frenzy on stones and charcoal.
Hype kept pushing higher.
Competition psych.
Even yes-jammers blanched at 2k.
My points? Not huge.
Didn't grind 'cause I had bulk methods.
"Like this."
Auction closed.
Stone: 1,980. Charcoal: 1,050.
Items vanished; 2,727 after fees.
"Profitable."
Total now: 3,550.
Richest besides Duck Down Quack, probably.
Just the start.
Forest = infinite point straw for survivors.
"Total points limited, but..."
Farming dungeons later boost economy.
For now, few buys.
Vids said Tier 2 shop post-First Kill.
"Elderwood Longbow, killer."
Light, powerful, user fave.
Price: absurd.
Tier 2 always pricey vs. Tier 3.
"2k? That much?"
Vet life: points overflow, ignored costs.
Arrows extra, but range boost OP.
Decent aim = snipe farther, survive better.
"Power solid too. Grab on shop open."
Adamant Spear w/ pierce up appealed too.
Stab orcs easy.
"Throws fine too."
Both mine.
Practiced bow and javelin.
Days later.
Roaming Masan downtown, spotted daytime kobold nutcase.
Not alone.
Others in matching outfits prowled.
Roof perch: spectate.
"Village uniforms, lame."
Unity flex?
Tracked to courthouse.
EndPrep vs. me for event.
Dimension gate open, hiding—big guy passed.
Whiny #5.
"Clear every bastard here. Got it? Watch the new guy especially. Big fucker."
Knows me.
Duh, been around.
Why hate?
"Just walking ain't crime?"
Saying goes: if someone's hating sans reason, give 'em one.
Time to deliver.
End of It's You Again - 2