01. An Unfamiliar World
01. An Unfamiliar World
+++
We came out of the Instructor's house.
We decided to put off Luna for now.
"The inn lodging fee, I don't know how much it'll be, but 30 gold should be plenty, right?"
1 gold is roughly 100,000 won.
It's not luxurious, but it shouldn't be too tight.
"Then you're not going to make copies?"
"No, we are."
"I see."
We wandered around the city, did some light shopping, sightseeing, killing time, and eventually settled on a decent inn.
It wasn't super fancy, but it was livable enough.
"What, a human was here?"
"No way... A human trying to become a Tower Warrior? What species is that?"
"I'm telling you..."
The place was rowdy.
Tables were scattered here and there, with groups of people eating and drinking.
Every now and then, I caught snippets of conversation that seemed to be about me.
"Excuse me. How much is the lodging fee?"
Amid the noise, Bari went up to the desk and asked.
Silence fell over the bustling inn.
"Huh...?"
The same reaction again.
I wasn't even surprised anymore.
"Hu...man?"
Even the inn staff at the desk stared at me and Bari with a dumbfounded look.
Her ears were long and pointy, and she was stunningly beautiful—she must be an Elf.
I've seen a lot of Elves lately.
"How much is the lodging?"
"Ah! Sorry. Lodging is... 20 silver per day, 1.2 gold per week, 3 gold per month."
Hmm... Is that expensive?
20 silver per day,
And 1.2 gold for a week means about 100 silver per gold. Probably a discount.
If it's not a discount and that's the real value...
Too complicated, so let's just go with 100 silver = 1 gold.
"Meals are charged separately."
Bari looked at me.
What to do. Stay here long-term? Or copy some gold and buy a house?
"A week for now."
"Yes. One week stay. One room."
Bari handed over two gold coins.
The staff gave back 80 silver and a key.
Yup, 100 silver = 1 gold.
"Sihwan-nim, second floor."
"Yeah."
As we went up, all eyes were on us.
"They're really staring hard. It's annoying..."
"Shall I handle it?"
"No need to go that far... You're so aggressive, Bari."
"It's to protect you, Sihwan-nim."
"Yeah, yeah. Good girl."
The room was just as unremarkable as the inn itself.
Perfectly average, usable. The kind of visual you see all the time in games.
Cheolkeok
First, lock the door,
"Let's copy."
I gave the order.
"How much?"
"You said nanomaterial production isn't up yet, so it might affect combat if we overdo it?"
"Yes."
"Then for safety, how much max?"
"1,000 right now."
"1,000... Good. That'll last us a while."
1,000 gold is three years' salary for a trainee.
It was also the amount Yu Ina had offered me for Luna's slave price.
"Then I'll copy."
I nodded, and Bari placed a gold coin on her palm.
And—
Urururururu.
Countless gold coins appeared on Bari's otherwise empty palm, soon overflowing and clattering to the floor.
The metallic ringing as they hit the ground.
"1,000 gold coins. The engraved numbers and symbols have all been uniquely processed according to the laws."
"Nice. Good job."
Now if only we could get some nanomaterials...
"That'll take a bit of process."
"But it's possible?"
"Of course. We started with a tiny core when developing Planet Ryu Si-hwan too."
Yeah, makes sense. She's an AI, after all.
Nothing's impossible for her.
"How long?"
"We need space to build facilities first. And combat power will be down for a bit. But no need to worry."
"Got it. You'll handle it perfectly, Bari."
"Leave it to me, Sihwan-nim."
"Yeah."
"...."
"...."
Sudden silence.
No particular reason.
Just...
The silence from not knowing what to do.
"Bari."
"Yes."
"What now?"
"Indeed."
"...."
Bari sat on the rickety bed.
"It might be tough at first. You got bored even in a fully equipped house, and this place has literally nothing."
"Ah...."
Didn't think of that.
In VR games, you could just skip to the next day, but this is real reality—no such thing.
Meaning, you have to live through every empty moment.
"Wait, hold on..."
No movies.
No games.
No dramas.
No friends.
No girlfriend.
Nothing.
...
In other words, nothing to do.
You only realize the value after it's gone.
Suddenly, I craved those games I was addicted to.
"Man, there's seriously nothing to do!!"
But I can't waste precious nanomaterials on that.
Should've brought Luna if I knew it'd be like this?
At least with a girl around, there'd be something to do.
"Ha..."
Come to think of it, sexual relief is an issue too.
Normally, plenty of ways to handle it, no problem...
"...."
I looked up to see Bari staring at me.
...
...
No no no.
Even so, that's not it.
Bari's a machine, after all.
"Oh my, Sihwan-nim, I have all the parts equipped."
"That sounds so weird... 'Equipped.'"
"And what you were just thinking can be equipped too."
"No. Absolutely not. Never."
A flailing Bari? Horrifying.
"Let's sleep early tonight and think tomorrow."
+++
An old-fashioned room.
Even with its calm atmosphere, you get the illusion of gentle music playing from somewhere.
Gorgeous yet tastefully simple. Not frugal, but not extravagant either—somewhere in that perfect middle.
In the center, two women facing each other.
The black bob-cut woman spoke first.
"What do you think?"
"Quite unique. He doesn't just not know what a Tower Warrior is—he doesn't even know what The Tower is."
Yu Ina, called in right before clocking out.
But she didn't dare show a hint of complaint.
"Hmm~. More than unique~. He knows nothing and is here anyway?"
"Yes."
"He says he just woke up here..."
"Yes."
The woman took a deep breath.
"Hard to believe. How do you buy that?"
"Hard for me too."
The black bob-cut woman elegantly lifted her teacup.
Pinkie extended all the way— that was the touch.
"Still, it's fun. Sometimes a human like that is nice. Plus, that doll's something else."
Slurp.
"Oh. Don't you have a human slave? Perfect adult age. Name was..."
"Luna."
"Right. Luna. Why not buy her?"
"I suggested it, but he refused. Didn't take the money."
"...Why?"
Yu Ina chuckled at the unusually innocent expression.
"He told me, 'If I give you 1,000 gold to bear my child, would you?'"
"What'd you say?"
"That I'd kill you."
"Kuku. Yeah, that tracks."
She nodded a couple times with a smile.
"Gutsy for a human. Strong convictions. Not from the slums."
"But isn't he arrogant?"
Ha Yeon-seo agreed but shook her head.
"You said he knows nothing. Makes sense. If he doesn't even grasp the gap between us 『Noblesse』 and humans..."
The woman across, Yu Ina, waved her hand.
"It's not on that level. He's got something solid he believes in. Like he can handle any situation..."
"Hmm... Trusts that doll?"
"And subtly looks down on others. Like—"
"Us?"
"Yes. And the name's similar too, right?"
"The vibe's totally different."
"Maybe an ancestor was 『Noblesse』. It'd explain a normal human having such an Artifact."
Ha Yeon-seo pondered.
True, if a 『Noblesse』 ancestor mixed in and left that doll as legacy, it'd make sense.
'The doll was the main reason for A-rank, but he himself wasn't bad for a human...'
Something hidden, beyond stats. A latent ability.
"So what? Adopt him under us?"
"No way. Just, since it's possible, let's watch."
"You handle that... Interview tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Should be fun. First trainee from humans in history."
"There was one."
"That's an exception."
Ha Yeon-seo stood.
"Alright, rest up. Tomorrow's gonna be tough."
"Yes. Good night."
+++
Dark night.
Even the inn where dozens slept soundly was blanketed in pitch black.
"Time to move."
Among them, suspicious figures.
Huddled in a room, cloaked in black robes.
"A human strutting around without an owner? Arrogant."
They'd definitely seen it at dinner.
Two humans checking in.
No owner in sight, seemed like free folk—that irked them more.
Historically, humans caused endless trouble, leading to population limits. Lowly species.
No exceptions—enslave them all to keep them down.
That's what he thought.
"Kill the man, take the woman. Plenty of uses."
"Okay."
Radical, twisted mindset, but plenty agreed.
Probably because Sihwan's group didn't look too shabby.
They cautiously opened the door and stepped out.
Same second floor, just down the hall...
Jiing...
"...Huh?"
Ahead, the woman they'd seen earlier stood shrouded in darkness.
With a strange sound.
A noise they'd never heard, making it all the creepier and scarier.
They shuddered involuntarily.
They prided themselves as noble Advanced Races, full of arrogance, but the presence before them exuded such chilling killing intent it shrank them.
Or was it even killing intent? She just stared coldly. With something glowing blue.
No detectable aura. Pure nothingness. That's why they hadn't sensed her right outside.
"You're late. With those filthy desires, I expected you sooner."
Bari.
Sihwan's household AI.
Don't underestimate "household"—she could develop on a planetary scale.
Humans use these AIs to advance planets, build weapons, wage wars.
Bari's never warred, but influenced by Sihwan's love for games and subculture, she holds vast weapon lists. With enough nanomaterials, she could print planet-killers now.
Dealing with these pests? Child's play. No wonder she scorns all non-humans as "vermin."
"For big matters, I'd wait for Sihwan-nim's orders... But cleaning trash like you? No need for permission."
She raised her hand.
Source of the creepy sound and blue glow.
Uuuuwoong.
Not a human arm.
Internal skeleton— not even bone, metallic structure—deployed like wings, buzzing with wires and mechanisms pumping massive energy.
Where a hand should be, a flat cylinder spun, spewing blue light—eerie enough to make a baby flee.
"W-what the hell, bitch."
He finally spoke.
Couldn't before.
The atmosphere and pressure sealed his mouth.
"D-don't freak us out for nothing! Filthy human bitch!"
Enraged, he lunged.
To crush and teach Advanced Race superiority.
But,
"Deleting."
With Bari's icy words, a dull Tuwoong- rang out, and the front man's upper body vanished.
"...?"
Blood lagged, spurting late.
No warning attack.
"What..."
"Delete."
Tuwoong.
"Delete."
Tuwoong.
Each word flashed intense blue, killing one by one.
Except the first, nothing left—not even lower halves.
Existence literally "deleted."
Soon, one remained.
"U..ah..."
The one who first proposed and pushed the plan.
Tak tak.
Bari approached.
"You planned this insolence, so I spared you alone. Don't get comfy. Death's just easier."
Bari's eyes glowed red.
In the dim hall, utterly chilling.