Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Izmo Kan's Resting Place
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Translator's note: ㅠㅠ means crying, sighing, or something similar, and is a symbol for tears in Korean culture.
The gateway's ceiling descended with a thunderous roar, and Kang Seol uttered Izmo Kan's name.
No scene could immerse the viewers and draw cheers like this one.
- 10 out of 5 points.
- Thought I was watching a full movie. Scary good.
- One side of my pants got damp.
- You don't need to mention every little detail...
- Sponsoring to pat him on the back lol.
- Somehow, after watching Snowman, other adventurers look lame. He's just on another level.
- A pro among amateurs?
- Spot on! Exactly!
- Overhyping. Plenty of vets play like that too. Especially the game addicts.
- What? Lol if they're vets, Snowman's nuclear waste.
Kang Seol was left alone in the pitch-black space.
The ceiling had come crashing down.
From there, he walked forward.
Step. Step.
After a short walk, stairs appeared before him.
He climbed them.
One step. One step.
With each step raising his head higher by the height of one stair, an eerie emotion washed over him.
He kept recalling Jilliak's terrified, madness-consumed state as he passed through these ruins.
Kang Seol had blazed through like he had the answer key, so he couldn't fully grasp those feelings—but that only made Jilliak seem all the more impressive.
Standing on the foundation of his sacrifice, he finally reached the ruins' end.
There—light.
'This is it.'
A plain space built of stone.
Compared to the previous gateway gilded in gold, it felt surprisingly modest.
Still, its scale was impossible to ignore.
The pillars lining both sides made it feel like a king's grand hall. Kang Seol swallowed his admiration as he scanned the area.
Finally, reaching the end of the space, a statue appeared.
A benevolent woman—Izmo Kan, without a doubt.
The odd detail: two lines drawn from her mouth like a puppet from a puppet show.
As he wondered at their purpose, her mouth opened.
They must have been a device to make it seem like she was speaking herself.
【Stranger. Welcome to Izmo Kan's resting place.】
Kang Seol noted her wide-open eyes and replied.
"Thank you."
【Izmo Kan shall grant you a gift. Use it wisely.】
Rumble rumble rumble!
No sooner had she spoken than the space around him shook violently.
Splash!
Crackle crackle—!
Thud... Thunk...
Something poured endlessly from the walls.
They were treasures of every color imaginable, as if the world's hues had been gathered here.
Dazzling gems, gleaming shields, golden chalices.
It felt like being Aladdin in the forbidden chamber, resisting the lure of treasure.
【Choice cannot be undone. Choose wisely.】
- Knew it! Lol we won't fall for it! Another trap, right? Don't touch anything!
- Totally got Izmo Kan figured out lol.
- ???: What? Not picking anything? Fine. Just leave.
- (30 years later) Snowman still hasn't picked a reward.
- Don't die, Grandpa Snowman! Don't cross that river!
- How do you even pick here lol.
- Guess: Even Izmo Kan couldn't pick here.
- Above all, you need to know what's good and what's trash...
As the viewers bickered over the rewards, Kang Seol couldn't decide easily either.
'They're all solid.'
This was early in the Eternal World, so finding something viable all the way to the endgame would be tough anyway.
He wanted something immediately useful, but the problem was he didn't know what he needed most.
'Tricky...'
Then, a message appeared to resolve his dilemma.
Reward from previous adventure ‘The Carriage Runs’ granted.
Discernment skill temporarily enhanced for 10 minutes.
The moment the message appeared, his surroundings suddenly brightened—not the space itself, but...
Whoooosh...
[Not an ordinary item.]
[Dangerous item.]
[Suspected to have a hidden story.]
...Endless Discernment success messages flooded in.
- Discernment too sweet!
- Discernment is the best satisfied
- Skipping the first adventure reward was to build momentum!
From then on, Kang Seol seriously hunted for the best reward within the 10-minute limit.
Whoooosh...
A shield emitting purple light.
Crackle...
Snap crackle...
A dagger glowing bright yellow.
He was feeling firsthand how his real-world-enhanced Discernment worked here.
'Discernment had this effect too. I knew, but damn, it's potent.'
Each item radiated a distinct colored aura.
In that short time, he narrowed it down to ones worth picking.
One was medium armor blue in color but bleeding red light. Another, a helmet shrouded in black.
Last, a somewhat worn eyepatch.
- Give to Karuna... please! To Karuna!
Kang Seol shook his head at the helmet and armor.
Their glows were lavish but sinister, and Discernment warned they were dangerous.
He pondered the eyepatch.
- What for? Lol which way now~ Eekoo! Ekku!
- Trying to be a 0/7/0 Lee Sin...
- Fr, looks like total trash. What stunt is this?
The viewers couldn't see the Discernment auras; they judged by looks alone, calling the eyepatch the worst.
- Backseat gaming even if he won't hear... gotta say it...
- Why pick eyepatch? Useless in combat. Go on.
- Fr, watching my wisdom teeth fall out.
- Then it's good?
- Right?
- Still frustrating lol. No eye for gear?
But to Kang Seol, what viewers missed was crystal clear.
Whoooosh—!
A brilliant golden halo clung to the eyepatch, outshining every other item from that tiny thing.
Kang Seol gripped it tight.
Izmo Kan's statue spoke again.
【Is your choice final?】
"Yes, this one."
【Do you desire more?】
"No."
【Izmo Kan brings abundance to the temperate.】
Whoooosh...
Clank!
[Additional reward chest generated.]
The extra reward looked practical—gold coins peeked out.
But first, he checked the eyepatch.
"Insight Eye!"
Kang Seol cried out involuntarily.
Such excitement from someone usually unflappable startled the viewers.
- Insight Eye! (No idea)
- Insight Eye! (Everyone's doing it)
- Insight Eye! (Someone explain)
- Not in early skill DB?
- But treasure rank?? Insane;;
Kang Seol's heart raced.
'Didn't expect the key to awakening Insight Eye here.'
Pandea had clans, groups, races with unique eyes—beyond mere sight, serving other roles.
With myriad eyes came myriad acquisition methods and events.
'Among them, Insight Eye suits me perfectly. Thought it'd be midgame at earliest...'
Slither...
Ignoring his slight hand tremor, he tied the eyepatch over his eyes. The instant he did,
Crunch...
"Gaaahhh!"
A horrifying sound like eyeballs shattering.
Squelch...
Squish...
"Urgh... kuhh...!"
The part he'd glossed over.
Ordinary-eyed players awakening special eyes faced unimaginable agony.
Drool spilled from his mouth, soaking the floor; his stance crumbled.
Mind fraying from pain, he gritted through it with all he had.
'Feels like my eyes are on fire!'
Time dragged in that hellish pain.
And then.
Puff...
The eyepatch crumbled to dust on its own.
Kang Seol slowly opened his clenched eyes.
Whoooosh—!
Brilliant golden light burst from them.
A vivid hue, like a dragon's gaze.
- Turn off headlights!
- Eyes hurt; Ultraman?
- Fading slowly;
- Pretty... Custom eyes like this now?
With his eyes fully awakened, messages appeared.
[Awakened Insight Eye.]
[A new gaze upon the world.]
[Hidden things become visible.]
[Vision enhanced.]
[Elite monster status displayed.]
[Training reveals more statuses, even from stronger foes.]
[Chance to reveal key object descriptions.]
[Training boosts chance and rarity.]
[Discernment proficiency greatly increased.]
- Where are the guys saying don't pick eyepatch?
- Here! Hands up, reflecting!
- I won't yap without knowing from now on.
- Crazy ㅠㅠ God roll!
"Hoo..."
Kang Seol exhaled deeply.
The reward for enduring that horror felt sweeter.
'The world looks totally different.'
Sharper, for starters.
Things once blurry now crisp.
Trained vs. untrained eyes differ vastly; he'd gained a trained one without the work.
Gazing mystically around, he nodded.
'With Insight Eye, I can dodge randomness.'
Mice get trapped not knowing it's a trap.
This eye would let him avoid some dangers ahead.
- Ruins smash S-rank success!
- Snowman probably looted biggest this season lol.
Grab the extra reward, and the adventure ends—as viewers said.
But from his long Eternal World experience, this felt half-complete.
Unresolved elements left him unsatisfied, regretful every time.
One loose end remained here.
'Borgo. Don't tell me he's dead?'
No.
He'd have gotten a message.
Kang Seol hadn't just bulldozed; he'd followed a scenario in his head.
And Borgo was key to it.
No need to worry—things were going as planned.
From the space's rear came booming laughter.
"Hahaha! Finally caught you!"