Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Suspicious Trader
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Safe-grade entities were safe for no special reason. Unlike other dangerous entities, their abilities or peculiarities simply weren't hazardous.
[ Gangneung Arboretum ]
Of course, there were entities friendly to humans, but those were as rare as the Seven-Colored Serpent, so they didn't count. In any case, lacking anything unique meant they weren't popular, and lacking popularity meant there should have been few of them.
[ Arboretum Souvenir Shop ]
Yet safe entities were far more numerous than their lack of popularity suggested. Steam-listed games had achievements, and developers had included meeting or collecting safe entities as challenges.
"Do you have a flowerpot that's half yellow and half pink? The one with the Horn of Plenty drawn along the boundary between the two colors?"
"Pardon? Horn of... Plenty?"
"It's like a big horn-shaped basket. Filled with fruit inside."
"Ah, might be in the storeroom. Let me check."
Back when Survive the Entities was just a game, he hadn't paid much attention to achievements and hadn't gone out of his way to collect safe entities. But now that it was real, two weeks in, he was already hunting them down.
"Found it! It was in the corner of the storeroom. How did you know about it?"
"I vaguely remembered seeing it before. How much?"
"Five thousand won!"
With this, he'd collected every safe entity that appeared in fixed locations with clearly identifiable spots where they could be obtained right away. He returned home with the arboretum flowerpot and lined up all the safe entities he'd gathered so far in the living room.
"Only five in total."
He turned his gaze to each one, starting from the leftmost.
"Rubber Rubber Duck."
A small rubber duck toy that occasionally let out a quack if you were in the same space but not looking at it.
"Peace to the Big Toe."
A manicure that instantly healed ingrown toenails and prevented them from ever forming again for life.
"Mr. Ando Chef's Universal Sauce."
A sauce bottle that changed any food's flavor to its perfect match when sprinkled on, and never ran out no matter how much you used.
-Quack!
"WK Special Tumbler."
A tumbler emblazoned with the 'WK' mark that maxed out carbonation in any soda added and kept it from going flat over time.
"Pot of the God of Plenty."
A flowerpot that made any plant grown in it bear random fruits of random flavors once a month.
These five "entities" were more like wondrous, special objects than entities proper.
'I'll use these in my trade with the suspicious trader.'
-Quack!
Suspicious Trader.
A merchant whose name fit perfectly—shady as could be.
In the game, he'd traded safe entities collected by players for other special entities, entity byproducts, rare items, or creatures.
"There were entities and items available only from the Suspicious Trader."
It appeared in random locations, so he hadn't encountered it yet, but Golden Almighty Inc.
had revealed its position.
"Have you eaten, buddy?"
He packed up the entities and checked the plastic case on the shelf.
A snake with seven bulging heads and a massively distended belly was breathing laboriously from overeating.
"Already finished it all?"
The game hadn't implemented it, but according to the wiki, the Suspicious Trader dealt not just in entities but also rare flora, fauna, and items.
"You'll make a good trade item too."
He felt a slight attachment, but it was no more than fondness for a nice cup—not a pet.
-Quack!
'Head out tomorrow.'
He stuffed all five safe entities, including the Rubber Rubber Duck, into his bag and headed to the bedroom.
It was already late evening, so he planned to sleep early and set off first thing in the morning for the Suspicious Trader's location.
'A letter? An invitation?'
A single envelope lay on his pillow.
He tore it open and checked the contents right away.
[Mr. Lee Seung-hoon, given your extraordinary luck and skill in surviving contact with so many entities, we deem you qualified to trade with us.
For a pleasant transaction, we send this invitation.
Step outside while holding it, and you may enter our shop.]
No need to wonder who it was from.
"They said they'd send an invitation soon."
Well, damn.
-Quack!
No choice but to go right now.
He grabbed the bag with the entities and Seven-Colored Serpent, plus the invitation, and stepped out the front door.
The spot that should have led to the front yard instead connected to somewhere else entirely.
"You've arrived."
A cramped shop overflowing with all sorts of junk.
And behind the counter, a freakish being with six arms greeted him.
"Welcome, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon."
Seeing the monster exactly as illustrated in the game, he set down his bag and extended a hand.
"Pleased to meet you, Trader."
Its voice was nothing like expected—and that made it all the more intriguing.
-Quack!
No one could call the Suspicious Trader even remotely handsome, not even as flattery.
"It's been ages since we had a guest. Puts me in high spirits."
Its skin was an unnaturally stark white, like it'd been dusted with chalk powder, utterly hairless. Its eyes were narrow slits slanting sideways, its mouth and nose absurdly tiny—up close, it almost looked featureless.
"How's the tea?"
Most unexpected of all was the voice.
True to its indie roots, Survive the Entities had no voice acting, not even for the Suspicious Trader.
"Yes, it's good. What kind is it?"
"Brain tea, brewed from human brains."
"I see."
"You don't play along with jokes. It's just plain milk tea."
The Suspicious Trader's voice was feminine. Clear, bell-like, and pleasant to the ear.
"Are you an entity?"
"Quite direct. If you see me as one, then yes. Position is relative, after all—from my view, you're the entity."
"Casual semantics."
"Semantics it is."
As they chatted, he eyed the trader's body. Unfortunately, it was shrouded in a thick coat like those worn by mechanics in cold climes, revealing nothing.
"More importantly, I'd like to trade."
"Yes, but first, please read the rules."
The trader's six hands pointed to the counter.
[1. Trades are conducted with goods, not currency.]
[2. Living items may not be traded without their consent.]
[3. No compensation from the trader if received goods cause harm after the trade.]
[4. Those who harm the trader physically or mentally bear full responsibility for consequences.]
[5. No gold or silver accepted.]
"All read. But why no gold or silver?"
"Company gets nosy about it."
"I see."
"Indeed. Now, please bring out your trade goods?"
He pulled the safe entities from his bag, starting with the Rubber Rubber Duck.
"A fascinating entity."
The trader's slit eyes widened in an instant. Pupils ballooned to ping-pong-ball size, dilating and contracting like a camera lens, while six hands grasped and rotated the duck this way and that.
"But two issues. First, I prefer quiet. This one's a thrill-seeker that disrupts my peace—holding it till it sells would stress me out."
"Understood."
"Second, it doesn't want to come to me."
"Meaning it doesn't want to be sold?"
"Yes. It wants to stay with you. It tried scaring you for fun, but you never flinched, so now it's attached."
Intriguing. Even a trivial thing like the Rubber Rubber Duck had a sense of self.
"Oh ho, this one..."
Next up: Peace to the Big Toe.
"An early product from Dr. Janus. But I have no nails, and I doubt other customers would care for it."
Next: WK Special Tumbler.
"A product from the 1,000th anniversary of a WK Corp fast-food joint. Any other item might be different, but this is a participation prize—worthless. Poor sellability."
Next: Mr. Ando Chef's Universal Sauce.
"Ah! Mr. Ando Chef's sauce! From the legendary chef with a century-long reservation backlog. This has great market value!"
"Really?"
"Yes. Many customers crave fine dining—this'll satisfy them. Might even hold an auction for once."
Finally, a viable trade.
"What would you like in return? If nothing specific, I'll select something of equal value at my discretion. I swear on my reputation as trader not to shortchange you."
"I have something in mind."
He pointed to a fountain pen stuck in a pencil case at the back.
"Isn't that the Legacy of the Great Author?"
"Sharp eye. Yes, it is. You'd trade for that? It's far lower value."
"Yes, that one."
They swapped the fountain pen for the sauce bottle.
'Got my ID now.'
Next: Pot of the God of Plenty.
"This appeals too. Minor deduction for the power of a foolish transcendent, but bearing completely different fruits in taste and form regardless of plant type? Huge plus."
So many fine-dining enthusiasts, and this got rave reviews too.
"Trade this as well. What'll it be this time?"
"Something specific."
What he'd planned since learning this place's location.
"I want to enter the Broken Ark. Possible?"
The trader nodded.
"Quite possible."
The moment the Dial TV revealed a glimpse of one month in the future, he'd started pondering survival strategies.
What was the hostile entity's identity?
Its weaknesses?
Its traits in the game, and how to escape encounters?
Wiki info?
Synthesizing it all, survival demanded entry to the Broken Ark—a fixed entity owned solely by the Suspicious Trader.
"Here it is."
The trader led him deeper into the shop. Past myriad items, they reached a storeroom holding a small wooden chamber ripped forcibly from somewhere.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Yes."
Broken Ark.
Per the wiki: Noah's ark, corrupted and cursed by antichrists in later generations.
"It could be burdensome for a human."
"I'm fine. I need the time."
"Fair enough—for you, it should be."
Enter, close the door: transported to a special space, trapped for one year. While inside, external time halted. Users called it the Mind and Time Chamber—popular for stat gains.
'Pick your training beforehand, and stats skyrocketed dramatically.'
Lifetime use limit one—such a shame.
"Enter this time, see you in a year."
"Probably. I'll prepare tea."
"Then..."
He opened the weathered wooden door.
Stepped in, shut it—and was transported somewhere other than the shop.
"So this is Noah's Ark."
He stood on the deck now.
The deck of a colossal ship sailing an endless sea.
"Can't even compare to an aircraft carrier."
Like a moving island.
"Makes sense—gotta fit pairs of every animal on earth."
On deck: two bowls and a cup of food.
"Rye bread, milk, and cheese."
Taste was decent.
Nothing special.
Emptied them, blinked—bowls and cup refilled.
"Just as described."
Took in the sea view, then pulled the mental notebook from his pocket.
"Good thing I have the Legacy of the Great Author."
Trader stock rotated randomly per game run—he'd worried it might not be there.
"Would've bought something for endless ink replacement otherwise."
The Legacy of the Great Author: an elegant fountain pen.
Only giveaway was the ON/OFF button on top—otherwise, unremarkable.
"Without the button, it's just a normal infinite-ink fountain pen."
Using it for ID forgery could wait.
Infinite ink alone sufficed now.
"Alright then..."
He sprawled on the floor and opened his mental notebook.
"Gonna need every minute of the year to fill this."
He began jotting countermeasures to survive the entity the Dial TV foretold.