Chapter 17

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: Inheritance

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Inheritance.

It carried various meanings, but in the Eternal World, it referred to the process of inheriting abilities or bound items.

The inheritance process Kang Seol was undergoing right now was strikingly similar to that, yet there was something subtly different about it.

"Urgh..."

"W-What's wrong with you?!"

Bill hurried over and supported Kang Seol.

Kang Seol's eyes showed only the whites, and veins bulged prominently on his neck.

It was obvious just from looking how much pain he was in.

Right now, Kang Seol was reliving the memories of his very first character from his lifetime: Snowman.

Whoosh—

Whish—

Incredibly vivid memories.

Memories flashing by like the scenery outside a high-speed train window, even more intense than a panorama.

'My brain... feels like it's burning up!'

And yet, amid all these memories, he began recalling things he had forgotten.

Bill's appearance from twenty years ago, the photo of his granddaughter he had received, his life from childhood to adulthood.

The memories of his first horse were fully etched into his mind.

'So that's how it was.'

The reason why the memories had broken off, forming gaps here and there.

As Kang Seol pieced together the fate of his first horse, he began to guess the reason.

'It remains with the horse.'

A portion of Kang Seol's memories had been fragmented and divided among the thirty horses, not residing in his own head.

Various pieces of knowledge jumbled chaotically into his mind.

Like a hopelessly tangled ball of yarn, some memories remained crystal clear, while others felt like they would only sharpen once he precisely separated them from the surrounding ones.

Absorbing the experiences of all the horses he had commanded was pure torment. The discomfort of peeking into someone else's memories.

'Does this mean every time I encounter one of the horses I gave up on in the game, I go through this process?'

The amazing part was that the memories of his first horse, Snowman, unlike the others, now felt completely natural—as if they were his own.

'...Reclaimed memories become mine.'

For now, that was the only way he could think of it.

"Huff... huff..."

"Are you okay? Have you calmed down a bit?"

"I-I'm fine."

It felt like he had taken a short time trip in just that brief moment.

'...Abilities too? And it went to Jamad instead of me?'

Not just memories, but abilities as well.

Kang Seol panted in a daze.

'And destiny? What the hell...'

Bill let out a heavy sigh as he looked at Kang Seol.

"Man, I thought I'd have to carve another gravestone."

"...Thank you for worrying about me."

"Worry? Pfft... Anyway, I'm planning to settle back in Kongori, so if anything troublesome comes up, feel free to drop by anytime. I might not be much help, but I can at least make you a watch."

"Take care."

"Yeah, thanks."

After Bill left, Kang Seol sorted through what had just happened.

'Traces of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my thirty horses are scattered across Pandea.'

This was an indisputable truth.

Their achievements were already recorded in books; there was no way no traces remained.

'And when I encounter those traces, I inherit parts of that lifetime horse's abilities and memories.'

He wasn't entirely sure if this could be generalized, but he figured he'd know once he found the next horse's trace.

'Finally, to achieve ascension, I need their abilities and memories. Or more precisely, my lost memories.'

Fill the gaps in his memories and become far stronger than before to ascend.

In this inheritance process, he had found a clue to ascension.

'That aside... Greed Blob, huh.'

His first horse hadn't lasted long before dying.

It was obvious it hadn't unlocked many abilities, so there couldn't be anything particularly useful.

'No, wait.'

There definitely was something useful.

The Greed Blob physique that had transferred to Jamad.

He recalled the memory from when he first created the horse.

A golden dawn light had surged behind the horse, and the gods had all marveled.

- No way! Innate luck right from the start!

- So what? Innate means physique, right?

- Greed Blob? Ha! Unbelievable.

Kang Seol, knowing nothing at the time, had asked:

- Is that good?

- You'll find out when you try. If raised properly, it'll become a monstrous beast.

- Lucky... Wonder when I'll get one like that.

Far from a monstrous beast, it had died early due to initial fumbles, but that potential had been immense—Kang Seol's first horse.

Having inherited its power and memories, Kang Seol bowed deeply toward the gravestone.

"Thank you."

On the gravestone Kang Seol had left behind, a broken pocket watch remained, watching the direction he had departed.

A month had flown by in the blink of an eye.

The people who had transferred here had long realized there was no escaping this perilous survival game.

"Maybe... there aren't any governments or nations left anywhere?"

"D-Don't jinx it! If we hold out, someone'll come rescue us! Of course, bullets gotta pierce monsters too, right?"

"Yeah? They'll come save us, right?"

As if.

Everyone already knew it.

Still, they uttered empty positive words aloud.

Though both worlds had been swept up in the merger, those from Earth called themselves "transferees."

In that month—long if long, short if short—the transferees had undergone many changes.

The most noticeable was their adaptation to this world.

"So, for this adventure... decided?"

"Kinda... but without info, who can relax?"

"What about your guild?"

"We're grouping with guildmates we kinda know, but I don't fully trust 'em."

"I get it. Same here. They filled the numbers, but stuck me with some kid and a bunch of pot-bellied geezers."

"Maybe solo recruit... lots of people doing that."

Men in their mid-to-late thirties muttered, making sure their not-so-curious chatter was audible.

"Dangerous out there—what, didn't hear? Transferees killing each other over gear."

"Oh, I heard. Total bastards, right? In this mess, screwing others to survive alone?"

"Exactly, can't fully trust anyone. So maybe stick with the guild instead of complaining."

"Kids are thrilled like it's a game. Ballsy, huh."

"Leave 'em. Idiots like that die first without knowing up from down. We play it safe and steady."

"Yeah, safe and steady."

Guilds' influence grew daily.

With nations gone and cities not protecting transferees, guilds were their self-chosen defense.

Kang Seol didn't think much of it, but most transferees operated under guilds anyway.

Of course, some went solo due to discomfort with guilds or confidence in their skills.

Kang Seol qualified on both counts, so he acted solo.

From the third adventure onward, excluding special cases like sudden or emergency quests, they could choose themselves.

Creak.

At the Adventurers' Association.

As Kang Seol flung open the door, many inside turned to look, but quickly lost interest and returned to their business.

He headed straight for the bulletin board.

Pandea's marvel was how its seemingly backward exterior harmonized surprisingly well with mechanical civilization.

Beep.

As Kang Seol held his ID to it, the board lit up.

He had already checked all posts up to yesterday, so he scanned for anything new, then the announcements.

Being the final ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day, party recruitments were bustling.

Usually, parties recruiting up to the last day had issues, big or small.

Eyes too high, demands too rare.

Kang Seol had no particular adventures catching his eye, so he closed the recruitment tab.

'All uninteresting. Time for something reliable.'

In truth, Kang Seol already had one in mind.

He had paused just in case some forgotten memory surfaced, but nothing came.

Well-known adventures with mediocre rewards.

He glanced around.

Everyone engrossed in their own interests, yet he felt two gazes.

Thanks to his level-up boosting his physical stats, his senses had sharpened enough to detect stares.

'One's the guy I'm looking for, the other's... a rando?'

Or maybe his flashy gear drew eyes.

'Whatever. Business first.'

Insteading of the reception desk, Kang Seol sat in a corner of the association and approached the man watching him.

The man had geometric tattoo-like patterns on his face.

"...What?"

Insight activated.

Even without it, Kang Seol could naturally pick the right choice mid-conversation, but to save time, he chose 4.

"You don't seem ordinary... What are you doing here?"

"What? Hahaha! Interesting."

The man stroked his chin and gestured for Kang Seol to sit opposite.

Thud.

As Kang Seol sat, the man leaned forward intently, starting his pitch.

Expecting the ambient noise to drown it out.

"Truth is... I've got a big deal, need to transport goods to Nobira. Looking for escorts for the wagon train."

Kang Seol replied calmly, face unchanging.

"...And?"

"Wanna entrust it to a reliable guy... Pay won't be stingy. So, what do ya say?"

"Am I the reliable one?"

"We've talked now, so yeah? No? I'm busy too."

He nodded, accepting the offer.

"Got it. Let's do it. Anyone else besides me?"

"Hahaha! Good choice. Gotta scout more from now. Name's Aden. Nice doing business."

"Snowman."

After a few more words, Kang Seol left with a "see you tomorrow."

'Up to here, just as I remember.'

Kang Seol, who had inherited his first character's memories via succession.

His first character, Snowman, had cleared this adventure before tackling Friendly 5 Brothers.

Thus, its hidden secrets were now known to him. No reason to refuse.

And another reason Kang Seol chose this adventure.

'My second character failed to get through this one.'

Some characters passed it, some didn't. Only Kang Seol knew why.

'Won't be easy. But I have to go.'

Because his second character might be there.