The Asteroid Bazaar and Sudden Sparks
After saying goodbye to old man Yupiter and Rowi, I stepped out of the headquarters building.
"Whoa..."
A massive, transparent dome revealing the stars above, buildings perched atop the asteroid. The interior maintained clean, breathable air at optimal oxygen levels thanks to atmospheric regulators. The gravity felt a tad heavier than Earth's standard for Terrans, but not enough to bother most regular folks. Even though this was a whole other world, old habits die hard—I kept comparing everything to Earth.
"Hmm... but it's kinda noisy."
All around me, countless materials, structures, and objects assaulted my senses. Information about them flooded my mind nonstop. And not just that—the thoughts and emotions of nearby people, even intricate details about their bodies. It was convenient, sure, and my true body could process this volume effortlessly without a second thought. But damn... it was getting annoying. Like constant background chatter from outside, trivial noises I couldn't tune out. Can't I just filter it to only receive info when I want?
The moment that thought crossed my mind...
"Huh."
Suddenly, the barrage of information from every direction cut off clean. Like having a dozen windows open on a computer, working away, then it crashes—black screen reflecting my dumbfounded face. Okay, grim example, but point is, it got dead quiet. No more info deluge, no phantom whispers. Just what my eyes saw, ears heard, nose smelled, skin felt. Pure, human senses. No infrared or electromagnetic waves in sight. Not even the gravity of that red supergiant twenty light-years away tugging at me!
For me, not even a full day into this reincarnation, this felt way more natural. Nice. So it really does whatever I want. Hell yeah, this is what a god's like. Makes me feel like a proper isekai protagonist living a normal life in another world! Heck, if I tweak things with my true body, slipping in some overpowered cheats, it's straight-up munchkin territory.
"Still, staying like this full-time might get inconvenient."
But reverting to that overload state? Nah. Like those emotion-reading skills in fantasy novels—could I cherry-pick only the info I want? ...Yeah, feels like it'll work. Probably happens the instant I think it. Let's test on that pebble rolling nearby.
"Oh, it works."
Staring at the pebble, I willed it—and details poured in: composition, weight, where it used to be attached, how it tumbled to this roadside. Eh, didn't need that much on a random rock. Anyway, being able to control it is a win.
"Whoa! So now I can block info and explore this unknown sci-fi world blind!"
Exactly! They say knowing something intellectually versus seeing it firsthand are worlds apart. True, but diving in blind? That's peak fun!
"Hell yeah, info on demand—Outer God OP."
Time to tour this pre-advanced-civ asteroid base with zero spoilers. ...Though total ignorance might be awkward. Filter to just common space adventurer knowledge? Perfect. Self-filtering ftw. Selective info intake depending on the sitch. All set—now, out into the base streets.
For real, aliens of every shape and size bustling between buildings. Asteroid's gotta be 100km across. They flattened the top for the base, turning it into a decent-sized city sprawl. Crowded as hell, naturally—space adventurers mixed with permanent residents, probably Galactic Union staff or corp employees.
Passing modern high-rises around HQ, I ducked into a narrower alley-like zone. Low-rise shops stretched out in a rowdy commercial district.
"Damn, this is wild."
Long rows of squat shop buildings on both sides. Merchants hawking wares outside. Crowds of countless species shuffling through. Every race under the stars. Terrans, green-skinned folks with extra joints on limbs. Even those classic tentacle-squid aliens from old sci-fi. Visually? Just diverse species, nothing mind-blowing. Like a bustling, well-developed market. Kinda underwhelming for sci-fi, honestly.
But one peek at the goods for sale flips that script.
"Step right up! Lowman teeth from Protos Planet! Perfect for alloy armor reinforcement! Just 500,000 SP each—going fast!"
"Terek skewers here! Chewy and delicious!"
"This here's from a giant monster bone I snagged at B388 base..."
"Oh yeah, Kartshy species, right?"
Lowmen, Terek, Kartshy—names I'd never heard pre-reincarnation. Common as dirt here, though. Lowmen: wild beasts from Protos, way out in some distant galaxy arm. Picture a bipedal elephant with long arms, trunk, razor teeth and claws. 10m tall bruisers. Their teeth and claws? Hard as hell metal—hot sellers for ships and weapons. Overhunted near extinction once; now protected by the Union, limited quotas make 'em pricier lately.
Tereks? Giant chickens. Taste like chewy chicken. Kartshy... no clue beyond "giant monster." Rare enough it's not basic adventurer trivia.
Sci-fi market peddling that kinda stuff. ...Man, those Terek skewers smell insane.
◈ 1 skewer: 200 SP
◈ 3 skewers: 500 SP
Sizzle—look at that golden crisp. Savory chicken aroma hitting hard. Mouth watering like crazy.
...Wait, I got no cash.
SP's the Galactic Union's official currency. My ID handles digital transfers; they also print bills from tough metal fibers. Used to be chaos with every species having their own coin, but the Union's standardized it—ubiquitous now.
Rough Korea conversion? 100 SP ≈ 1,000 won.
"......"
Sizzle—fuck, that smells divine. Gulping involuntarily. 200 SP's like 2,000 won. Could I whip some up with my powers? No one'd notice counterfeit or dupes, right? Or just clone the skewer outright... Nah. Screw that. Got Outer God pride. Can't fake or copy for a lousy 2k skewer. Damn... should've hit up old man Yupiter for pocket change. Can't exactly job hunt now. Sigh.
Obviously, food's optional. Avatar bodies don't need nutrients like the true form. But taste? That's the joy—noble pursuit of pleasure. Look at that juicy chewiness. Familiar chicken flavor too—makes it worse, 'cause I can imagine it!
"...Hey, not buying? Move it."
Finally, the vendor waves me off, annoyed at me blocking his skewer-stare.
Sob... A god who bends universal laws, foiled by 2k won. Pathetic.
Right then—
BOOM!
"...?!"
Something exploded back at HQ. Attack? Gas leak?
"What the hell?"
"Space pirates?"
"No invasion ships around, though..."
Market folk murmur in panic. Massive energy surge hits. Loosen info filter a bit to peek at HQ.
"...Old man Yupiter?"
There—old man Yupiter facing off against two Rubaran tribesmen.