New Loot
New Loot
That muscle-bound pig was worth three hundred coins!
I couldn't help but be amazed.
Sure, he'd been a tough opponent, but in the end, it's not like I'd let the chance slip.
And for that, three hundred coins!
A whopping 300 contraceptives!
60 stamina enhancers!
....
When I put it like that, it doesn't sound like much.
I swallowed back the cheer that was about to burst out.
"Hey, Ha-yoon. Did you get coins or something too?"
"Huh? Ah... yes."
"Hm. So that's how it works."
So the reward system was standardized.
It looked like the system paid out currency appropriate for achieving certain feats.
In any case, discovering a second source of coins was a significant harvest.
It meant you didn't necessarily have to hunt another player; you could gain coins by hunting Named Entities.
"What can you do with yours? Do you, like, strengthen your abilities or something?"
"You're exactly right."
I just took a wild guess, and I was spot on.
So the others who've awakened abilities are on a similar wavelength as Ha-yoon...
Would they eventually become actual archmages or something?
"With coins, I can increase my total pool of 'Seoribal.' Strong attacks like the one earlier burn through more of it."
"So it's like MP in a game. You have to refill what you use with coins?"
"No. It recharges on its own over time. I said 'total pool.'"
Aha, so her mana pool increases.
Anyway, the ability's name is Seoribal...? That's a pretty archaic naming sense, isn't it?
Seeming to read the impure look in my eyes, Kim Ha-yoon's expression turned sullen.
"I didn't name it. It was just set from the beginning."
"Of course it was. Sure."
"...."
Stop glaring at me.
Who looks at their Master like that?
While I was debating whether to press her on it, Ha Hui-ryeong tugged at my collar and spoke.
"Hey, why are you dragging out such pointless chatter for so long? Let's explore first. There might be something useful."
"Whoa, what's gotten into you, actually suggesting something productive first?"
"Would you like to suffocate, good sir?"
I'd appreciate it if she didn't make such murderous remarks with that refreshing smile on her face.
"Perish the thought, fair lady. It was a jest, merely a jest. Come now, let us be off."
At my urging, Ha Hui-ryeong reluctantly took the lead.
Even after overcoming hardship together, the rift between Kim Ha-yoon and Ha Hui-ryeong remained vast.
The moment their eyes met, they'd start snarling at each other.
It was unspeakably vexing.
Anyway, our party began our search methodically.
This station was smaller than the one we'd passed by before, but it was roughly equipped with the basic amenities.
Yes. The bare minimum.
It was practically just a restroom, so we found ourselves debating whether to make a quick trip up to the surface.
"Hm. Should we just wash our hair and go up?"
"Yeah. I was feeling grimy anyway. You packed the hair dryer, right?"
"Yeah."
So we took a moment to clean ourselves up.
A full shower was out of the question, but we used the sink to wash our hair with the shampoo from our backpacks.
And luckily, we found an outlet right away.
Whirrrr.
"Long hair is such a pain at times like this. Should I cut it a bit shorter while I'm at it?"
While I was drying her moisture-laden black hair with the mini dryer, Ha Hui-ryeong's question drifted over.
"A short cut... is a sin. Don't you ever speak such blasphemy again."
I shook my head firmly.
Get rid of the hair I can pull during doggy style... I could never allow it.
"Wha, whatever. Don't overreact. I'm just asking how it'd look if I cut it about as short as hers."
"I like it long."
"Hmm. You do? Okay then."
A pleased-sounding hum.
Next to us, Kim Ha-yoon, who had been waiting, grumbled in a sulky voice.
"Unnie. Hurry up and dry off. I'm cold."
"Ugh, wait a bit. It's almost dry. And if you want to rush someone, rush him. He's the one drying it."
"...If you're going to take long, do it later. Can't you read the room?"
"What did you just say?"
"...Nothing. I didn't say anything."
"Ha, seriously. I'm speechless. Do you get more disrespectful by the day or what?"
"...Petty."
"That's it. Let's have a little fight. Maybe getting hit a few times will instill some manners."
"Aaah! Stop it, stop it! Why are you two always so hell-bent on tearing each other apart!?"
...Well, there was a minor incident where punches almost flew, but.
Thankfully, the incident remained just an incident.
I managed to somehow soothe and calm the bickering girls.
Seriously, aren't these chicks way too feisty?
It's already this bad with just two; I shudder to imagine what would happen if we added one more.
The path of the harem. Long and arduous indeed.
Anyway, after that, we meticulously scavenged what food we could and spare batteries from the surface.
Then we returned underground and hurried our steps toward our destination, Dobong-gu.
A day passed after that, and another day passed.
At last, we arrived at the station just outside Dobong-gu.
There had been no particular incidents along the way, but trouble arose the moment we reached our terminus.
— Hey! Hold it steady! It's hard like this!
— Stop it! I said stop it, you sons of bitches!
— Shut your mouth, fucker. Behave and we'll let you have a taste too. Though we'll be sampling her first, of course.
— Heh heh heh, yeah. We'll take good care of your girlfriend and then give her back.
This station was incredibly chaotic.
There were about eight of them in total.
One guy beaten to a bloody pulp.
And a group of six thugs circling around one woman, snickering nastily.
Looking at the situation, I had a pretty good guess what was going on.
I tapped Ha Hui-ryeong on the shoulder and whispered.
"Hey, Hui-ryeong. I feel like I've seen this scene in a lot of pornos."
"Me too. This is that, right?"
Gang rape.
A group bang session.
An orgy with NTR elements mixed in.
"What should we do?"
Ha Hui-ryeong tilted her head, asking for my intent.
I scratched my cheek.
These bastards were clearly the lowest sort of scum.
Even if I said, 'Carry on with what you were doing. We'll just be on our way quietly,' they didn't seem like the type to let us go peacefully.
We had two stunningly beautiful women with us, so the odds were higher they'd attack us, emboldened by their superior numbers.
"Hm. There's no resolving this peacefully through dialogue, is there?"
At my words, Ha Hui-ryeong grinned savagely.
"Then that's settled. We beat the shit out of all of them."
"Okay. Ha-yoon, on my signal, you're the one to kick things off. You know how to land a clean first strike?"
"Yes."
With that, we each readied ourselves for battle.
Ha Hui-ryeong at the front took a stance ready to charge at any moment, I positioned myself to support both the vanguard and the rear guard.
And Kim Ha-yoon at the very back suspended dozens of sharp icicles in the air.
"Fire!"
CRASH—!
At my command, she gestured.
Following her direction, the shards of ice shot out all at once.
Leaving trails of white snow, they shattered every last window on the platform and tore into the thugs.
Slash, crunch, AAAARGH! A string of cliché sound effects rang out as half of them were neutralized.
Tap-tap.
Immediately, Ha Hui-ryeong dashed forward.
Closing in on the center of the stunned thugs in a flash like a lightning bolt, she rained merciless blows with her bat upon those who were comparatively intact.
"Urghghghghk...!"
The ones struck by her blows flopped around like fish out of water.
And just like that, the entire gang of thugs was subdued without even putting up a proper counterattack.
"Whoa, you've gotten even stronger."
I let out a low murmur of admiration, looking over the area that had been reduced to ashes in an instant.
Without thinking, I stroked Kim Ha-yoon's head.
"...Please, don't."
She grumbled in a sulky tone but didn't push my hand away.
She really isn't honest with herself.
I let out a soft chuckle and walked over to Ha Hui-ryeong.
"Well, this is something. I didn't even get a turn."
"It was a surprise attack. Well, we would've won anyway."
That was true.
She'd conquered Seoul with her bare fists alone, so these no-name punks wouldn't have even been able to touch her collar.
"Alright then... who here can talk?"
As I surveyed the area and said that, someone with shallow puncture wounds on his arms and legs reacted.
"Grrrgh...! Fuck, what's wrong with you people! Why the hell are you suddenly doing this!"
"Why do you think? Did you have a reason for what you were doing?"
"...."
Having no words apparently, he just shut his mouth and glared fiercely.
Indeed, a man capable of self-reflection.
That alone put him in the top 1 percent.
"More importantly, what's with these two? Did you drag them here to fuck 'em? Or did you just randomly jump some passersby?"
"...."
"Haah... Stop keeping your mouth clamped shut and let's just talk. Don't make the situation worse for no reason."
I threatened the nameless punk by shoving my crowbar in front of his eyes.
Only then did he answer in a low voice, tinged with resignation.
"...There was a woman, so we pretended to help her and grabbed her."
"Aha. You approached them with the intention of fucking her from the start. And then you sucker-punched them when the time was right?"
"...Yeah."
"Alright, alright. I like that you're being honest. As thanks, I'll send you off in one hit."
"Wha, what!? W-wait...! Just spare—."
CRUNCH!
No more questions or answers.
I cut him off mid-sentence and swung my crowbar down.
His skull caved in around the blunt end.
That was his end.
Starting from where he'd been struck, he began to rot and decay, until the blood and flesh sloughed off his entire body, completely losing its form.
All that remained on the spot was white powder, like volcanic ash.
'Scum like this are a one-hit kill.'
The sensation of splitting flesh and piercing bone.
It was unspeakably revolting, but the moment I checked the notification window that followed, that queasy feeling transformed into elation.
[You have killed a Preliminary Player. Points are awarded.
Current Coins: 348 > 358]
10 points per person.
One might think it was small, but it was a fairly decent result.
Because this confirmed what I'd only been guessing at.
'Named Entities, ability users like me and Ha-yoon, and even ordinary people count toward the acquisition conditions. And most importantly, the last hit. You have to land the last hit to get the coins.'
A shame that regular zombies are an exception. It's surprisingly tricky.
I sighed inwardly and pushed the notification window to the corner of my vision.
In the meantime, Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon had brought the captured man and woman before me.
"...Don't... lay a hand... on Ji-min...!"
"Hic... sniff..."
The man's eyes were still alive, but he'd been beaten to within an inch of his life by the thugs and was on the verge of fainting.
The woman was physically unharmed, but seeing her constantly weep, she seemed mentally at her limit.
I quietly looked down at the pair, lost in thought.
They were prisoners we just happened to come across, so once again, their disposal was key.
'Looking at their relationship... it's obvious there's something deep between them.'
The raw fury the man had displayed wasn't something you could show without a profound bond.
Though I wasn't sure about the woman's feelings.
'Should I just fuck her as is?'
It felt like a decent enough option, but I hesitated.
My two companions. Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon.
I hadn't even managed to handle them properly yet. If I took in more here, would I be able to manage?
'No, wait, I could always just hit it and quit it. Tsk, but would Hui-ryeong even allow that?'
I wasn't sure.
Kim Ha-yoon was honestly the result of me forcing the issue, and it was unknown if that would work again.
As I was engrossed in thought for a while, Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon's gazes focused on me.
Eventually, Ha Hui-ryeong's lips parted.
"What do you want to do with them?"