Chapter 153: The Era of Cataclysm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: The Era of Cataclysm
—"The entire world is trembling in fear, isn't it? A city in the USA, the global superpower, has been reduced to rubble. In LA, the City of Angels, where many Koreans reside, the estimated death toll is nearing 60,000."
As the man spoke, he reached out to the side, and a drink flew into his hand.
—"Anyone can use a simple item like this, even if they aren't an Ability User. However..."
Crack!
In an instant, the drink in the man's hand froze solid.
—"True power like this cannot be obtained simply by acquiring an item. It would be easy for a Player, of course. They’re the type who gain abilities through items alone. But are you all Players? Likely not."
Whoosh!
This time, flames erupted from the man's hand, and the frozen block of juice began to melt.
—"A threat that even the USA cannot properly handle is approaching. We have entered a world where becoming a Player changes your life. But did you know? Even if you become a Player, if you can't survive, that opportunity just vanishes into thin air. In the end... you must prepare. Against the Otherworlders who could invade at any moment. Against the opportunities from Cloyd that could arrive at any time. The best Stockpile Training Center! Call Burst Call. Martial Artist Class, Magic Class, Crafting Class, and Hybrid Class. Our entire faculty is ready to arm you."
Thud.
Seo-un tossed the tablet aside and shook his head.
"What is this?"
"It's all the rage these days. Stockpilers or former Players selling abilities. It’s reached the point where they’re running YouTube ads like this."
"What? I know people are anxious, but this is so blatant."
"Well, until recently, everyone was walking on eggshells around the Central Bureau, so this reaction isn't surprising. But the world has changed. It's the 'survival of the quickest to adapt' mindset. Nowadays, Ability User content dominates YouTube."
Seo-un clicked his tongue.
"It's better than not learning anything, I suppose, but can you really learn that stuff overnight? And besides... look at the state of these instructors."
Seo-un looked through several videos with a deeply skeptical expression.
"That's generally the level of most Stockpilers. But it's not all bad. Look at this guy who's trending lately."
Gi-chan clicked on a channel, and several video thumbnails appeared.
[Master Fireball in Three Months?]
"It's a different strategy from the rest, right? He claims he'll make you master Fireball within three months, guaranteed."
"Is that even possible?"
"Who knows? Maybe for a natural genius like Lyle. But Fireball is 2nd Circle Fire Magic. For an ordinary person to master it in three months is a bit..."
"It's a total scam."
"Well, depending on how you look at it, maybe. Just think of it as the dawn of the Great Ability User Era."
As Gi-chan finished speaking, Juriel and Li Lingwei walked out of a room, stretching.
"Did you sleep well, ladies?"
"Yeah. When did you get here?"
Gi-chan answered Li Lingwei's question.
"Just now. I thought I'd bring some news of the world to you hermits."
It had already been over a month since Seo-un returned from the USA and holed up in the mountains of Wonju. Naturally, Juriel and Li Lingwei had stayed with him in the remote mountain village.
"What news?"
At Juriel's question, Gi-chan held out the tablet.
"Oh, this. I've seen it."
"Eh?"
"It keeps popping up on social media."
Gi-chan looked dazed at Juriel's response.
"Those two are addicted lately. The moment training is over, they're glued to their phones," Seo-un remarked.
Gi-chan spoke with a deflated expression. "Then you must have seen Suwon's video too?"
"Suwon?"
"Who's that?"
When the two women showed interest, Gi-chan smirked and pulled up a video.
—"Thank you, Suwon!"
—"Tha-thank you! Suwon!"
—"Thanks, Suwon! We. Love. You."
A rapid montage of numerous celebrities expressing their gratitude to "Suwon" played on the screen.
"What is this? Who is Suwon... Seo-un?"
"Exactly. It's Jin Su-won. Pfft."
"Huh? Me? But why is the pronunciation like that?"
"Because the kids who first filmed this video pronounced it that way. Now it's spreading like a trend. Besides this, they're talking about building a park in your name. It's a madhouse. Hey, why don't you just open an Ability User academy? People would flock to it..."
"Stop talking nonsense. It seems your body has stiffened and only your tongue has grown bold from all the idling. Come up so we can loosen you up."
Seo-un left the house, and Gi-chan followed behind him.
"Go on ahead. I'll wash up and follow you shortly," Juriel said.
Seo-un nodded and raised a hand. "Sure."
Gi-chan didn't miss the subtle shift in the atmosphere between the two.
"Huh? Hyung, when did you start speaking casually with her? You were always so formal... Did something happen while I was gone?"
"What do you mean 'something happened'? We've just been training, eating, and sleeping together, so it happened naturally."
Seo-un quickly used a Lightness Skill to disappear, but Gi-chan chased right after him, his tongue still wagging.
"Ayy. I'm sure something happened. Right? Am I right? Did you guys—"
Thwack!
Having reached the clearing in an instant, Seo-un moved his hands rapidly, cutting Gi-chan off.
"Your tongue is exceptionally busy today, isn't it? Let's see if your skills have ripened as much as your mouth."
"Wa-wait! Since when do you use clones?!"
Thud, thud, thud! Bam! Thwack!
Three versions of Seo-un unleashed the Boundless Fist, pummeling Gi-chan's entire body. Gi-chan had a grueling time just trying to defend himself.
By the time Juriel and Li Lingwei changed into athletic wear and reached the clearing, Gi-chan was lying on the ground, swollen all over and gasping for breath.
"Oh? Tired already?"
"He's definitely lost his edge from slacking off."
Gi-chan had plenty he wanted to say in response to the two women, but he had no choice but to endure.
Lately, Seo-un had been working on integrating the Blood Bone Claw, the foundation of his physical techniques, with the Boundless Fist. Li Lingwei and Juriel, who were directly assisting in that training, were experiencing an extraordinary level of fatigue.
Juriel, who focused entirely on magic without investing a single Coin into martial arts, and Li Lingwei, who had to fight Seo-un without using her poisons, had seen their close-quarters combat response improve significantly from facing Seo-un's fierce attacks every day.
"Whew."
Li Lingwei wiped her sweat and regulated her breathing, while Juriel used magic to create a breeze to cool herself down. Both sat down on the ground.
"Juriel, it's not good to rely too much on that item on your shoulder. I feel like your casting speed has dropped lately. And Lingwei, it's good that you use various weapon techniques, but you're too vulnerable once I get within hand-to-hand range."
Both women nodded at Seo-un's critique. However, Li Lingwei didn't miss the chance to get a word in.
"It's become harder to deal with you as the power behind your Blood Bone Claw increases. There's a limit to how much I can block your advances. Honestly, at this point, I can't even put up a fight unless I use poison."
Complex emotions filled Li Lingwei's eyes as she watched Seo-un, who had grown rapidly through recent games. A martial artist's competitive spirit and jealousy mixed with the joy and pride of seeing her partner grow. She shook her head to clear the thoughts.
[Ding! A new game has been matched.]
[Difficulty: Medium-High]
[Game Version: Duo]
[Would you like to participate? (O) (X)]
Naturally, all four of them pressed the X button.
"That's the tenth one already," Gi-chan said as he declined the match.
"It's good that games are continuing without any maps opening up on Earth, but..." Li Lingwei trailed off.
"We can't let our guard down yet. We never know when another real-time game might take place," Seo-un said.
Juriel nodded. "Based on what I've heard from the other team members, the other two worlds seem fine for now. But we should probably hold off on participating in games for a while."
Gi-chan looked at Seo-un with a hint of anxiety. "Can we really keep pushing back game participation? Our ranks will drop quite a bit."
If they didn't participate while others continued to grow, they would inevitably fall behind in the rankings.
"Does it bother you?"
Gi-chan shook his head at Seo-un's question. "Not exactly. But it's true I'm a bit uneasy. I don't want to fall behind the other Players on Earth, and more than anything, looking at the Player community lately, the rising activity of Japanese Players is concerning."
"We have a history with them, after all," Li Lingwei added.
Seo-un patted Gi-chan's shoulder. "Items and Coins aren't the only things that build strength. Let's just wait and see for now."
As the four of them chatted during their break, their gazes simultaneously shifted in one direction. Under their collective stare, several people ascended the mountain, with Jeong Su-hwa leading the way.
"Did something happen?"
At Seo-un's question, she landed in front of him and spoke.
"I've come because there are a few things I need to inform you about."
As Seo-un and the others looked at her with curiosity, she began her briefing.
"Ability User training academies are popping up everywhere lately. It seems they're thriving due to the rising anxiety of the general public, combined with curiosity and interest."
"Yeah, I've seen a few videos online."
"Yes. The government generally views the current situation positively. It's a fact that we're lagging behind other countries in terms of cultivating Ability Users. In this situation, the path to training Ability Users through private education has opened, and support has been finalized."
Gi-chan tilted his head and said, "It feels weird to hear the term 'private education' applied to that."
"It won't feel weird for long. Universities are already moving to establish related departments as soon as government support was confirmed."
Seo-un, who was drinking from a water bottle, nearly choked.
"Cough! A Stockpile Department?!"
"It's more like Ability Studies. In fact, magic and alchemy are the most sought-after fields in the world right now. People are even saying the Fourth Industrial Revolution is Magitech."
"I-is that so? Anyway, I don't see what that has to do with me."
"I'll explain. While Stockpile academies are sprouting up like mushrooms after rain due to government support, several places that are likely to become problematic have also appeared."
"Scammers?"
Jeong Su-hwa nodded at Seo-un's guess.
"There were definitely some guys running unbelievable ads like 'Master in 3 Months.'"
"Beyond just exaggerated ads, there are many cases where non-Ability Users are deceiving people with 'theoretical classes.' They're just registering as related academies to target government funds once they heard about the national support project."
She paused, looked at Seo-un, and continued.
"Therefore, while discussing future practicalities, such as implementing a verification stage to see if they're capable of receiving support, the idea of founding an Ability User Association to serve as a verification body came up. And as for the first Association President..."
"I refuse."
Seo-un shook his head flatly before she could even finish.
"Sigh."
She smiled and nodded as if she had expected this.
"I figured Jin Seo-un-ssi, who technically has a different nationality, wouldn't accept."
"But you came to ask anyway because of the pressures of your job."
The reason she had come all this way, knowing him as well as she did, was obvious.
"The higher-ups are trying their best not to lose their connection with you. That's also why they're paying special attention to your family. Considering the influence you've gained after the US incident, they probably wanted to gather Ability Users around you."
"I don't have time to be their puppet. More importantly, I heard the Japanese Players are growing fast."
"...It's not so much that their growth is fast, but rather that they've been supporting Players for a long time, and those results are starting to show. They have the highest survival rate among the new Players who joined after the Ranked Games. And I know they put a lot of effort into bringing Subaru Jin back after his incident."
"Back?"
"I believe they got their hands on a Player Rights Revival Ticket. I heard the Kim Chi-sang Guild left Korea entirely and settled in Japan to help him."
Seo-un's brow furrowed at the mention of that unpleasant name after so long.
"I'd forgotten about that guy. He's been so quiet I didn't even know he was still around. That bastard... went to Japan?"
"Yes. I understand he took his entire guild with him."
Gi-chan chimed in after hearing her words. "We should probably take care of that prick."
"Jin Seo-un-ssi is currently the focus of the world's attention. Attacking someone who is now a Japanese citizen without a justification would be a burden."
"There's no burden. I have legal immunity. And I don't really care about public opinion. I didn't care about that stuff when I killed those crazy brothers in Russia either. I'll just go and kill him."
Gi-chan's lips curled at those words.
"But not now. He's the type who will definitely come at me again once he thinks he's gained enough power. That's when I'll strip him of everything he has. Until then, just think of him as an item warehouse working hard to farm on my behalf."
Gi-chan shook his head at Seo-un's remark. "That's even more cruel."
Seo-un smirked at Gi-chan.
"Now, for the final piece of news. Abnormal signs are being detected in Africa."
"Africa?"
"What kind of signs?"
At Seo-un and Gi-chan's questions, Jeong Su-hwa reached out, and a man who appeared to be her subordinate placed a tablet in her hand.
"Take a look at this."
The video on the tablet she held out showed a desert background with a subtle sense of wrongness.
"Something is..."
As Gi-chan trailed off while watching the video, a familiar yet strange creature appeared.
—"Kieeeek!"
"That!"
The creature that appeared, swinging a metal club with its short stature and red skin, was a Mutant Goblin.
"This is Africa?"
Seo-un, his brow deeply furrowed, asked as he watched the video end with the camera frantically moving away.
"Yes."
"How did this happen?"
"We aren't entirely sure either. They say they searched the desert where the goblin was found thoroughly afterward, but they couldn't find any more goblins or traces of the other world."
Juriel spoke up. "How could the dimensions have overlapped?"
"I'm not sure, but it must be related to Cloyd."
Seo-un was certain it was connected to the recent real-time game.
"The administrators must have some kind of intention."
"..."
As everyone fell into heavy thought, Jeong Su-hwa left after a polite farewell.
"There's no way to know just by thinking about it right now."
Seo-un nodded at Juriel's words.
"Why don't we go out for a change of pace? It's been a while."
"Right. It's been a while since we've seen Karina too. I don't mind the mountain life, but occasionally getting some fresh air helps with training."
Seo-un nodded at the words of Li Lingwei, who was his senior as a martial artist.
The group skipped their afternoon training, headed down the mountain, and climbed into Juriel's Bentley. The back seat, which had been scorched black, had been perfectly repaired.
They visited his parents for the first time in a while, met with Karina to hear about the current state of the world, and before they knew it, the sun was setting.
"Is it that time already? Let's hurry."
Seo-un, holding his half-finished coffee, looked at the hurrying Juriel and Li Lingwei with confusion.
"Shopping," Gi-chan answered as he stood up, and Karina smiled.
"Then have a good time. I should head in and rest."
Swept along by the three of them, Seo-un ended up at a department store in Myeong-dong, following them around with a bored expression.
"Hmm... this one. And this one. Please."
"I'll take these sunglasses."
"Mmm, it's warm. I'll take this too."
As he watched them buy things at a terrifying pace, Gi-chan approached him.
"Aren't you buying anything, Hyung?"
"It's just expensive. Doesn't even look that good."
When Seo-un, dressed in cheap athletic wear, said that, the sales clerk's brow furrowed for a moment. However, thanks to the three people who were buying items like crazy, she couldn't bring herself to show her displeasure.
Looking around in boredom, Seo-un noticed a large store next to the luxury brand hall. The store, which felt like it had just been established, had a much more solemn atmosphere than the luxury hall. Seeing the place, which even had iron bars installed inside, naturally piqued his curiosity.
"What's that place?"
"I don't know. A new brand?"
At Gi-chan's answer, a nearby staff member spoke up.
"That is the Cloyd Item Collection, which recently opened for the first time in Korea here at our Jinsegye Department Store main branch. It's a place that gathers items boasting prices that make the luxury goods nearby look cheap. I heard Players are the main clientele."
The staff member spoke with the intent of humbling Seo-un, who had wealthy friends, but Seo-un didn't seem to care.
"Ho. They have places like that now? I'll go take a look first."
As Seo-un stood up and left the luxury hall, Juriel and Li Lingwei, who were in the middle of their shopping spree, quickly wrapped things up.
"Cu-customer, you haven't seen all the new items in this line yet..."
"It's fine. We don't have time."
The staff member's eyes widened as Juriel swept all the items she had bought into her subspace in an instant.
"Seo-un! Wait for us!"
The luxury hall staff stood with their mouths agape as the three followed after him.
"You could have taken your time."
"Shopping should be done together."
"That's right."
Seo-un's mouth twitched at the two women's words. Is this what 'together' means? He didn't say it out loud, but Seo-un vowed to stay away from shopping with them in the future.
Watching Gi-chan, who seemed to enjoy himself and bought things tirelessly, with fascination, Seo-un entered the newly opened store.
"Welcome. Could you please stand over here for a moment?"
At the words of a female staff member in a neat suit, Seo-un and his group stood to the side, and she put on a small monocle.
"Mmm. You are Players. I'm sorry, but could you please remove your subspace rings for a moment?"
Since it was a store dealing with high-priced items, they were being meticulous. It seemed they were being cautious beforehand to avoid any unpleasant incidents with Players.
As they placed their subspace rings on the black tray she held out, she held up a uniquely crafted silver bracelet. At the same time, the firmly closed iron bars opened with a clank!
"Have a pleasant farming session."
Gi-chan spoke as he walked inside, amused by the carefully chosen phrase. "They said Players were the main clientele, and they've certainly prepared well."
"I hope they've prepared items to match."
As they entered, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the manager came forward to greet them.
"Greetings. I am Chad of the Cloyd Collection. Is there a specific item you are looking for?"
"Can we see some accessories?"
"Yes. This way, please."
The inside of the store wasn't clearly visible from the outside, and the reason was that an Illusion magic had been cast inside.
"Ho. They've even set up Illusion magic."
"Your discernment is excellent, as expected of Players."
As they walked further in, past weapons and armor hanging on the walls, they saw many items like old rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets arranged inside display cases.
"Wow, there's quite a variety."
"As the first offline shop in South Korea, our Cloyd Collection has completed extensive preparations. Our quality is as excellent as our quantity, featuring only the finest products."
The group nodded at the man's words and began examining the accessories one by one. After about three minutes of looking, the interest on their faces began to fade.
"D-do you not like them?"
At the man's flustered question, Gi-chan answered with an awkward smile.
"They aren't exactly high-grade items."
"The stat boosts and other options are pretty pathetic."
At Li Lingwei's blunt opinion, the man's face grew deeply troubled.
"P-please, don't tease me. The items we've prepared are all top-tier."
"It’s not bad, I guess. But we already have better items. Do you have anything that boosts unique stats instead of stuff like this?"
Seo-un’s dismissive reference to his inventory as "stuff like this" dealt a heavy blow to the man’s pride.
"Is there something specific you are looking for?" the man asked, his tone stiffening.
Ignoring the man’s prickly attitude, Seo-un replied, "Accessories that boost special stats, like Luck, rather than just basic stats."
The man looked puzzled at the mention of anything other than basic stats.
"I guess you don’t have any. Let us know if you get items like that in stock."
Seo-un handed over Karina’s business card and turned to leave the shop, but the man spoke up urgently.
"If it’s not too much trouble, could I appraise the items you’re currently wearing?"
Seo-un didn’t really have a reason to comply, but seeing how wounded the man’s pride was, he took off the rings filling his nine fingers and showed them to him. The man pulled out a magnifying glass item used for inspecting item functions and began checking the options one by one.
By the fifth ring, the man let out a sigh and handed them back to Seo-un.
"Blink... I’ve never even heard of a skill ring like this. Since you possess such items... it’s no wonder our goods didn’t catch your eye. Where on earth did you get these...?"
"I farmed them myself," Seo-un said nonchalantly as he put the rings back on.
The man leaned in close to Seo-un’s face and spoke.
"Would you be interested in supplying items to our collection? I promise to buy them at the highest possible price!"
Seo-un shook his head at the offer.
"I already have a place I do that with."
"Y-you do?"
"I can’t really go into details. Just call me if any special stat items come in."
The man sat down heavily in his chair, staring blankly at the backs of the four as they walked out.
As they finished their shopping and stepped outside, Seo-un’s phone rang.
—"This is Jeong Su-hwa."
"I know. Keep it brief. I’m exhausted right now."
Seo-un was drained from the shopping trip, but the words coming through the receiver were unbelievable.
—"Signs of the Otherworld have been detected in the mudflats near an island called Daebudo."
Seo-un's eyes widened. The era of cataclysm was truly beginning.