Sparring Request

[A manager announcement has been posted to Channel 3.]

'Now that the announcement is up...'

I thought it would be good to have a quid pro quo next.

After all, even regular people, not just looters, were viewing the Gallery negatively right now.

'Can't be helped.'

I increased the number of items I could list on the exchange by three.

Originally, I had increased it to 30 to list items for the people in Channel 2.

But this time, I increased it by three more to list items for the people in Channel 3.

[Rice Ball] 2 Points (Quantity: 10,000)

[Cup Ramen] 2 Points (Quantity: 10,000)

[Bottled Water 2L] 2 Points (Quantity: 10,000)

Naturally, I set it so only people in Channel 3 could use it, and I worried inwardly.

'Will the trading volume of Awakening Stones and Bloodstones decrease because of this?'

Of course, it didn't seem like it would decrease drastically.

Even excluding food, more than half of the traded items were weapons and armor.

'Instead, points will be earned easily.'

Since the Gallery exchange is easy to use, the potential to earn points was high.

The items I just listed were originally 1 point each, so if they all sold, it would be a total profit of 30,000 points.

'And it doesn't even take a few seconds for me to list items on the exchange.'

Having settled the Channel 3 business with this, I closed the Gallery for a moment to take some time to think...

Ttiring~!

'Hm?'

[All Rice Balls listed on the Channel 3 exchange have been sold.]

[All Cup Ramen listed on the Channel 3 exchange have...]

Before I could even take time to think, a message popped up saying all the items I listed had been sold.

'Come to think of it, the population of Channel 3 was 2.5 million, right?'

Even if only half of those 2.5 million people used it, the supply was definitely insufficient.

However, it wasn't a problem at all, and I used Modern Item Purchase to restock the supply again.

'Shall I list different kinds this time?'

There were many varieties of rice balls and cup ramen.

So, when I listed different varieties, they sold out in an instant.

"..."

For some reason, it reminded me of when I first listed red bean bread in Channel 2.

For reference, in Channel 2, perhaps because the item list had increased to 30, they were selling at a leisurely pace.

'Though they know I'll refill them once they run out.'

Anyway, as I listed different kinds of rice balls and cup ramen over and over again, my points increased quite a bit.

[Points: 1,181,725]

'It's almost 1.2 million.'

Even though I provided relief supplies to Channel 1 and supported the tavern and inn on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth in Channel 2, my points just kept increasing.

Furthermore, if I keep listing items on the Channel 3 exchange like this, my Modern Item Purchase level will naturally rise as well.

'Since my Modern Item Purchase level is currently at level 5.'

At this rate, I thought I might reach level 6 within a few days.

Personally, I was curious about what would appear in Modern Item Purchase that could even solve the dimension travel problem.

Ttiring~!

'Sold out again.'

Should I list 20,000 to 30,000 instead of 10,000 next time?

As I thought about it and entered the Gallery Channel 3, posts with different content than before had appeared.

[From now on, call them Manager-nim!] [37]

[Manager! Is he a god?!] [40]

[All zombies are dead today!] [43]

[No more worrying about food from now on lol] [45]

[Two zombies for a free rice ball!!] [49]

[Can the Manager also purchase items?] [51]

[Wasn't the Manager from Channel 2?] [44]

[Wow! Rice ball! Wow! Cup ramen!] [47]

[Rice balls and cup ramen keep coming up endlessly!] [52]

[The Manager listed food on the exchange!] [54]

............

......

"..."

These people, didn't they say I was scary just a moment ago?

Looking at it, they seemed to value food that could be obtained anytime, anywhere, more than hidden camera filming.

Besides, since I listed it on the Gallery exchange, they could easily get food if they just had points.

'Still, this reaction will probably only last for now.'

Perhaps it might go quiet again by tomorrow.

Whether that happens or not, the important thing is preventing the apocalypse, so I didn't care.

[Friend, 'Ice Queen☆' has requested a 1:1 chat.]

In the meantime, Ice Queen contacted me, and I had a few guesses as to why.

'Is it because of the Manager functions or the exchange items?'

Since I had an idea, I immediately accepted Ice Queen's chat request.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): I saw it. The authority of the Integrated Channel Manager is amazing.>

<Survivor★(2ch): I can do various things, but only within the Gallery.>

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): By any chance, can I also use the functions you used, Survivor-nim?>

The functions I used?

<Survivor★(2ch): Which functions are you talking about?>

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): All of them.>

It seemed like she was talking about everything, starting from hidden camera filming to nickname verification, point collection, and sending items.

To be honest, a Sub-Manager is also a Manager, so if I just unlocked them, it was possible to use them similarly.

<Survivor★(2ch): All functions is difficult. And it costs a lot of points, too.>

For reference, even checking just the cheapest function was 30,000 points.

[List of Gallery functions exclusive to Sub-Managers.]

[Nickname Verification: 30,000 points.]

'If I look for the functions I used here...'

[Nickname Surveillance Camera Operation: 350,000 points.]

Conversely, [Point Collection] and [Sending Items] were not in the Sub-Manager functions, perhaps because they were the authority of the Integrated Channel Manager.

<Survivor★(2ch): Among the functions I used, you can only use the nickname verification function and the surveillance camera.>

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): That's a shame. If I had the function to send items, I would have taken care of all the looters.>

'How much does Ice Queen hate looters?'

It seemed like every time the topic of looters came up, she said they all had to be killed.

'Well. In a sense, they are more harmful than zombies.'

I could tell just by looking at Hwang Byeong-cheol this time.

He tried to find and loot survivors who were hiding quietly.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): Then, could you unlock just the nickname verification method and the camera function for me?>

<Survivor★(2ch): That's almost 400,000 points just for those two?>

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): 400,000?>

Ice Queen corrected her words at the larger-than-expected point amount.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): If it's that many points, it would be difficult to ask. Can't be helped.>

'But nickname and surveillance camera functions...'

I recalled Ice Queen suddenly appearing in the Channel 3 broadcast before and wiping out the looters.

It seemed like she appeared using the ability of a teleportation Awakened, and if there was no distance limit, it made rough sense.

'Nickname and surveillance camera. Does she intend to find and kill looters with these two?'

Actually, considering the points I possess, it wouldn't matter if I unlocked the functions.

But thinking about Ice Queen going around killing looters gave me a slight sense of aversion.

'It feels a bit like I'm killing looters by borrowing someone else's hands.'

Ice Queen could also be in danger in the process of killing looters.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): Anyway, I've selected some decent abilities from the Awakened in my group.>

Ice Queen then told me about the Awakened abilities within her group.

There were about 10 of them, and as I looked through them one by one, I couldn't find any ability that was really appealing.

'Aila has wound healing.'

I didn't know how much power wild bear summoning would exert against Labyrinth monsters.

I thought it would be better for me to just hold a gun and shoot rather than summon a bear.

'It would be good to send them for scouting, though.'

Besides that, there were spider web traps, provocation scarecrows, vision blocking, and such abilities.

<Survivor★(2ch): What kind of ability is vision blocking?>

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): If you throw a black sphere, they lose their vision for a moment. It's only for about 1 or 2 seconds, though.>

"..."

It was a good ability against people, but it didn't seem like a very good ability against Labyrinth monsters.

The monsters were already in a dark Labyrinth, and they might have overcome vision in ways I didn't know.

<Survivor★(2ch): What about the provocation scarecrow?>

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): It's an ability where if you install it, all zombies attack the scarecrow.>

<Survivor★(2ch): If it also works on Labyrinth monsters, that would be fine.>

It might be a useful ability, especially for drawing attention or escaping.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): There are better abilities, but they are A~B rank.>

Hearing that, I thought I needed to get a High-Grade Awakening Stone quickly.

I lent the Blast Crusher to the Incheon Union Assault Captain, but it still felt insufficient.

'Should I lend a Water Demon to another group?'

While I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was thinking, Ice Queen asked more about the Ability Orb.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): By the way, you said Ability Orb, right? Can non-Awakened regular people use it too?>

Huh?

'Regular people?'

I hadn't checked that, but it wasn't particularly difficult.

There were two people in the Hero Party who weren't Awakened, so I could check by tomorrow.

<Survivor★(2ch): I'll check. It's possible by tomorrow.>

Since the Ability Orb could only be created once a day, I could only check tomorrow.

Apart from that, if regular people could use the Ability Orb as Ice Queen said, it would be helpful, but...

'Since I make it once a day, it's hard to distribute it to regular people.'

Still, if there was a good ability, I could save it and give it to Ice Queen or others.

<Ice Queen☆*(3ch): I'll also try posting on the Gallery that I'm looking for a High-Grade Awakening Stone.>

I agreed for a moment, thinking that in Channel 3, they might view Ice Queen more favorably than me.

<Survivor★(2ch): Yes. Please do.>

The next day.

24 hours passed, and Tipina created an Ability Orb once again.

Just like yesterday, after saving Elisicia's ability, I had Rubyel, who is non-Awakened, use it.

Pat―

Then, surprisingly, I could see Rubyel using Elisicia's [Instant Acceleration].

"Wow. I could use this too?"

Rubyel marveled at her body, which had become faster for a few seconds.

Anyway, I knew the fact that regular people could use it, but since mass production was impossible, it was hard to utilize.

'I have no choice but to use it as a trump card in a truly critical moment.'

To do that, I needed to obtain at least an A-rank ability, so I needed a High-Grade Awakening Stone.

'Ice Queen said she'd look into it, so I should get a message soon.'

Or, if I waited a few more days, the Assault Captain might get it for me.

[Friend, 'Cheongwolhwa' has requested a 1:1 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chat.]

In the meantime, Cheongwolhwa from Channel 1 requested a 1:1 chat with me.

Additionally, I didn't open the arena last night, and I thought it might be because of Jin Cheong-un.

'Since Jin Cheong-un is suffering from Simma, I must have suspended the arena for a while.'

Thanks to that, Sirien's complaints came out, but it was a trivial matter.

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): What were you doing?>

<Survivor★(2ch): I'm progressing through the Labyrinth as usual. More than that, how is Jin Cheong-un?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): He's lying there, staring blankly at the ceiling.>

It seemed like he still hadn't recovered from the shock.

'What should I really do?'

I thought about it and told her about the limitations of the Taehwa 9-Style.

<Survivor★(2ch): No matter how excellent a gun is, it won't be able to beat Monk Hyegak. Have you talked about that?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): Monk Hyegak also said that if he fought you, he couldn't guarantee the outcome?>

<Survivor★(2ch): Couldn't guarantee the outcome?>

That meant I had quasi-transcendent level skills, which was nonsense.

<Survivor★(2ch): No way. How could I beat Monk Hyegak?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): It seems Monk Hyegak thinks differently. Other than that, it might be a slightly difficult request, but can you grant it?>

<Survivor★(2ch): A request?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): Since Young Master Jin has fallen into Simma, my grandfather has decided to step in. Could you spar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with my grandfather ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠today?>

"?"

<Survivor★(2ch): What does Young Master Jin falling into Simma have to do with a sparring match between me and your grandfather?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): It's to show how strong martial arts is, and that the path you are walking now is not wrong.>

In a word, does she want me to be a sacrificial lamb?

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): Of course, my grandfather will subdue you without a single scratch, so don't worry.>

Anyway, it seemed Jin Cheong-un was an important fighting force.

Besides, since it was partly my fault that Jin Cheong-un fell into Simma, I decided to accept it.

<Survivor★(2ch): Alright. I just have to spar, right?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): Yes. I'm sorry. For making you do this.>

<Survivor★(2ch): It's okay. More than that, how strong is your grandfather?>

<Cheongwolhwa*(1ch): He is someone who has reached Hyeongyeong beyond Hwagyeong.>

Beyond Hwagyeong to Hyeongyeong?

'Wasn't the edge of Hwagyeong quasi-transcendent?'

I thought about it, and naturally, the position of Cheongwolhwa's grandfather came to mind.

'Could it be... a Transcendent?'