Chapter 17: No Chance.
Yeongdeungpo 21st Street. A back alley connected to the 12th Street market. This was a lane made for those who had crash-landed from other worlds. The crowds were far thinner than on 12th Street, but it still buzzed with energy. Most who frequented the place were crash-landed natives from the Mu continent of the otherworld.
Fifty years after Daybreak, dimensional crash-landings were still exceedingly rare, so a unique culture had blossomed here among them.
* * *
The atmosphere here was quite distinctive. Like 12th Street, it was a narrow alley flanked by tall, elongated buildings on either side—a spot that should have been shrouded in shadow without the sun. Yet, orbs of fire floated lazily in the air, casting a warm, bright glow.
The most common sight was beastkin. With their hybrid human-animal features, they began eyeing Kang-ho and Seol-a as the pair strolled by. Older beastkin murmured among themselves upon spotting him.
"It's the Beast King."
"The Beast King brought a new beast."
There was goodwill in their gazes. In the past, Kang-ho had rescued a beastkin village near Daegu from monsters and brought them to Seoul. Those who remembered bowed their heads as he passed.
Beastkin shared much in common with beasts' diets, being half-animal themselves. Their foods and ingredients were also vital for raising combat beasts.
Kang-ho exchanged light nods with the beastkin he passed as he walked on.
Next most common were those who looked human but had tattoos covering half their faces. They were known as Witches from the Mu continent. True to their name, they wielded abilities tied to magic.
The most famous Witch was undoubtedly Flame—Lee Min-ah—one of the five great heroes of old. Thanks to her, Witches were recognized as a talented magical race.
One quirk: they spent 80% of their lives looking youthful. Sure enough, every Witch passing by was a stunning beauty in her twenties.
Nng! Seol-a gazed at the Witches and beastkin with wide-eyed fascination, craning her neck up at Kang-ho and letting out eager little nng nngs.
'Why are they all so different?'
"These are other races. This era is one where we live alongside them."
Kang-ho patiently explained all sorts to Seol-a. It didn't matter if she didn't understand. For now, he just wanted her to experience the world.
And of course, no visit here was complete without this race.
"Well now."
Kang-ho stopped in front of a weapons shop stocked with all manner of arms. Guarding it was a bearded middle-aged man of notably short stature. Just over a meter tall, but built like a tank of muscle. A dwarf.
Dwarves excelled at weapon forging and magic stone processing, earning them high status.
"Mr. Choi Kang-ho!"
The man bowed deeply and politely.
Kang-ho smiled back. "Doing well, Smith?"
"Always poking around as usual, haha!"
Smith was one of the master magic engineering artisans. Kang-ho glanced inside the shop. Beyond lay a forge where dwarves bellowed at bellows and hammered away without rest.
"Busy these days?"
"Not at all. Napa Guild had a backlog of raid gear orders that just cleared, and then Baekya came calling."
Napa and Baekya—the two of Korea's Big 3 guilds. Top-tier commissions flooding in.
The artisan's shop was perpetually swamped. It looked shabby from outside, but delved five floors underground and rose five above—Smith's Workshop. Kang-ho's own bracelet had been born here as a peerless treasure.
"But."
Smith grinned, grasping Kang-ho's hands. "Your commission always comes first. Dwarves never forget a debt."
"You can forget it by now."
Kang-ho smiled wryly and unequipped his bracelet.
"Oerblade, eh? Something wrong?"
"Pulled it out after 15 years. Mind giving it a tune-up?"
Smith nodded. "Magic engineering's advanced leaps and bounds. We've got higher-output condensation tech now. We could upgrade it if you like."
He eyed the bracelet—Oerblade. "Forty years ago, when we made this, it was the limit. Though no secret transmission stone better than the one we used has ever existed, before or since."
Carved whole from a mineral straight out of fantasy, the bracelet was artwork in itself.
"Sounds good."
"Just need the magic stones."
"Labor fee?"
"We still owe you."
Kang-ho chuckled. "Keep doing business at a loss like that, and you'll go bust."
"That's dwarves for you."
Smith winked. "Probably two S-grade stones'll do it."
Kang-ho nodded and pulled two S-grade magic stones from his pocket.
"Carrying S-grades in your pocket? Still the same as ever."
Smith was one of the few unflappable by Kang-ho's eccentricities. Some lugged them in triple-locked vaults; this guy just pocketed them.
Kang-ho pulled an A-grade too and offered it. "This for labor."
"Now, now."
"Take it. Or I won't come back."
Smith relented with a grin. Fair price for the work.
"How long?"
"Half a day. New beast?"
Seol-a peeked out with one eye from his chest pocket. Kang-ho nodded. "Yeah."
"Then we're on it."
Kang-ho nodded and turned away.
"Mr. Choi Kang-ho's commission! Halt all others! His first!"
Smith's booming voice echoed from the workshop as Kang-ho headed to the beastkin ingredient market—the largest on 21st Street.
He scanned the stalls and asked the elderly owner, "How many Biolga roots you got?"
The owner was a white-haired grandpa with floppy ears and a dog-like face—long white brows giving him a cute look. An upper beastkin.
"The Beast King. It's been a while."
He bowed politely.
"Biolga roots—barely any found in 15 years, so prices are sky-high. Low-year ones sold out; only high-year left."
"What years?"
"Two 50-year, one 100-year."
"Good stock."
Kang-ho nodded. "Total?"
"300 million, no haggle."
Absurd to some, but a steal to Kang-ho. Biolga roots boosted beasts' vitality, accelerating muscle and bone growth while hardening them. Beastkin delicacy for special days—sky-high price, especially aged 50+ years. Hard to find at all.
"Fair price."
Post-war currency reform kept values stable with 50 years ago. Kang-ho pulled magic stones. "In stones?"
"Always welcome. Market rate—five B-grades."
B-grades ran ~60 million each. Higher grades skyrocketed. SS-grades went to national auctions. Processing high-grades was key—demanding precision. They hardened post-hatch like newborn skin.
Kang-ho handed over five B-grades without hesitation.
"Received."
The old man bowed. Kang-ho asked, "World Tree fruits?"
"Two left."
Perfect. They toughened beast hides. Warriors ground shells into mud paste pre-battle.
"Bagon tree seeds?"
"Ten."
"Citra stones, Countra stones."
"Six each."
"All of 'em."
The old man smiled. "Raising a combat beast, eh?"
Kang-ho nodded with a grin. "Yep."
"Different from the Shabel Tiger 15 years back. What kind?"
"White Fang subspecies."
Kang-ho took the old man's hand and guided it to stroke Seol-a's head in his pocket.
"Oho... A White Fang sub. Blessed in my old age to meet such a treasure."
The old man was blind. Seol-a didn't snap at him—likely his gentle aura.
"Total around 1.2 billion. A-grade stone covers it."
"Done."
Kang-ho handed over his last A-grade, sealing the deal. Items packed neatly into a small shopping bag. Total ~1.5 billion, but value showed to those who knew. Essentials for building a strong foundation young.
Kang-ho stowed them in his bag and left, wandering with Seol-a—snacking here, buying her clothes there.
"Upgrade's done smooth."
Half a day later, back at Smith's. Oerblade looked unchanged.
Clang!
Equipping it revealed the difference.
"Magic engineering keeps advancing. You can wield mana more freely now. Higher max output, naturally."
Kang-ho nodded. "Thanks."
"See you again?"
"Sure."
He grinned. "Catch you later."
* * *
Leaving 21st Street. Business in Seoul done—time to head home to Cheorwon and start work. He could vanish in an instant if he wanted.
But Kang-ho walked slowly. Truth was, a prickling gaze had nagged his nape since the 12th Street junction.
He patted his pocket. One S-grade left, plus C- and D-grades aplenty. More spent than planned, but enough for cooking the ingredients.
Pre-shopping: three S, two A, assorted lowers.
Someone might drool over that greedily.
'This why?'
Kang-ho glanced around casually, then tilted his head to a 10-story building leftward.
Suddenly—
Pop!
He vanished.
Reappearing on the rooftop, grabbing a man's nape.
"Guh!"
The man thrashed. Kang-ho knocked him out expressionless.
He removed the man's glasses and donned them.
Bzzz—
The world shifted to monochrome, blues the only color. Light orbs shimmered amid passersby.
Bzz— bzz— bzz—
Kang-ho grasped it: magic stone detector.
'Forgot these existed.'
Looking at his pocket—
Vrrrrm—
The S-grade screamed its presence.
Kang-ho smirked wryly, rifling the man's pockets. Smart phone out—unlocked via his retina. Messenger app:
Kang-ho eyed the man's telescope. Pulled it out—confirmed.
He chuckled. The mana-detection lens was familiar. Unreadable over 100k combat power. Im Cheol-bae at world rank 40 registered; they never dreamed of off-rank monsters.
Expensive gear, but the world had outliers. Unlucky for them—today's mark was the ultimate outlier, Choi Kang-ho. At 120k power, undetectable. Hence, "civilian."
Kang-ho scanned the man's face with his own phone—wanted list query.
"No chance."
A high-bounty fugitive. Portal search spilled his notoriety.
"Hmm..."
Kang-ho paused, then typed slowly.
Seemed he'd stumbled on that retired Awakener robbery gang in the news.