Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 36 11. Alien (4)

Amidst the strange high-pitched sound, Young-woo saw his Achievement profile changing.

Swoosh.

〔Your Achievement disposition is “Thug”.〕

||Completed Achievements: 3

|Caller of Golden Rain [Legendary]-First

|Forgive Your Enemies [Hero]-#46

|Golden Platform [Legendary]-First

As announced, the number of completed Achievements had decreased by one, and the legendary Achievement ‘Premium Social Worker’ had also disappeared.

His Karma being reduced to 4,000 came after this.

‘I became a beggar in an instant.’

But before Young-woo could even finish this thought to himself.

Flash!

His shoulder and left wrist glowed, and the promised items were equipped one by one.

「Black Raincoat」 – Hero Cloak

【Nullifies Obsidian Rain.】

「Snake of Greed」 – Epic Compass

【Always gazes toward precious things.】

“Huh.”

While the Black Raincoat being a fairly thick cloth cloak contrary to expectations was one thing, the Snake of Greed was enough to surprise Young-woo.

-Hiss!

Because it was a real snake.

He could see life glistening in each blue-green scale.

The creature wrapped around Young-woo’s left wrist, constantly writhing its body without rest, yet kept only its head pointed north without budging.

【Always gazes toward precious things.】

Whatever it was, it meant something precious was in that direction.

‘Then what I need to do from now on is.’

Wait for the night when Obsidian Rain falls and continue moving to different regions.

Complete Golden Rain series Achievements while using the Snake of Greed for equipment farming…

‘North is the same direction I was heading. Either way, I’ll reach Seoul eventually.’

Young-woo’s current location was Sangju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do.

If he continued north from here, he would reach regions like Mungyeong and Chungju.

After that, if he turned west, he could visit Anseong, Pyeongtaek, and Suwon in order, and if he chose to continue north instead of going west, he would take the path to Yeoju, Icheon, and Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do.

‘Then enter Seoul via Seongnam.’

Seoul, the Republic of Korea’s largest city.

What might be happening there by now?

“…”

As Young-woo looked toward the direction where Seoul was, Kubu, who was still making a long tear in the air, spoke to him.

―The transaction has been completed. If this was a satisfactory transaction, please designate me as your primary intermediary.

‘Primary intermediary?’

―If you designate me as your primary intermediary, there will be no need to reauthorize Data Access permissions, and the existing 20% commission will be reduced to 10%.

‘The commission gets cut in half. In exchange, Kubu becomes the intermediary for the next transaction too.’

It didn’t seem much different from having a primary bank.

‘But being able to designate a primary intermediary means other intermediaries exist too, right…? Other intermediaries might have much cheaper commissions to begin with.’

It was a question disguised as talking to himself.

Kubu remained silent for a while, then blinked twice.

―The available products for purchase also vary depending on the intermediary’s status.

Apparently wanting to say that their status was higher compared to other intermediaries.

But it wasn’t the answer Young-woo wanted.

‘If you reduce the commission further for the second transaction, I’ll designate you as primary intermediary. You probably don’t know what Gyeongbuk First Sword means, but my status as a trader isn’t low either.’

The latter part was half true.

Wasn’t he the official strongest in the major region of Gyeongbuk? And on only the second day of the reset at that.

It would be hard for anyone to deny that he was a trader with a relatively bright future.

Perhaps that’s why.

Kubu stopped talking again and blinked.

It was extremely difficult to sense any expression from Kubu, who only showed large eyes, but at least now there seemed to be clear signs of confusion.

―Additional commission reduction is impossible. Instead, I will provide other types of benefits as your primary intermediary.

Eventually, Kubu presented their own compromise.

‘Additional reduction is difficult… no, impossible? There must be something to it.’

Young-woo was inwardly convinced.

Whether Kubu’s status was truly high or some kind of intermediary law existed, his intuition told him it wasn’t for ordinary reasons.

‘What kind of other benefits…?’

Kubu blinked again at Young-woo’s question.

―I will show you the list of all trading groups that bid at that time point and arrange for you to directly select your trading partner.

In other words, they would let him preview the trading partners and choose one among them.

‘So earlier, I only met one randomly selected from multiple bidders?’

Learning that there might have been various types of merchants besides the rock he saw earlier, a strange feeling crept up his spine.

‘Good. I’ll designate you as my primary intermediary.’

When Young-woo nodded, his vision flashed momentarily and a system message appeared.

「You have designated intermediary Kubu as your primary intermediary.」

Then Kubu directly offered their greetings.

―Thank you! All transaction procedures have been completed. Please step back.

‘…?’

When Young-woo tilted his head and stepped back three or four paces, two of the five rocks disappeared, leaving only three that began to cry.

-Kwaaaaaa…!

It was exactly the same cry he had heard when first discovering the trading group.

Only the rocks that couldn’t sell their goods remained here.

In other words, those who came late would only encounter the goods left behind by those before them.

Swish!

Kubu, having finished his work, closed his eyes deeply and disappeared without a trace.

‘So being a mediator was a day job.’

His first negotiation with an alien.

As a mere human, it was an incredibly rare experience.

* * *

1:29 PM.

After completing the transaction, Young-woo immediately began running north.

He was heading to visit ‘Mungyeong’, the next adjacent city.

‘If I’m lucky, I might encounter another mutant in Mungyeong….’

As Young-woo swiftly crossed through somewhere in Sangju City with this thought, his expression soon hardened.

He belatedly remembered Gimcheon City, which had turned into a living hell due to mutants being left unattended all day.

For most people, it was never a stroke of luck. Having mutants remain without being dealt with in time.

Moreover, it seemed that Sangju City was beginning to become a living hell as well.

“Ugh, aaaaah!”

“Save me!”

Just as Young-woo was about to leave the urban area, screams flooded in from somewhere like a torrent.

‘What.’

When Young-woo turned his head, he could see terrified people pouring out from between the buildings in the distance.

And soon after, behind them.

Kudududu…!

A dullahan mounted on a black horse came galloping after them.

‘…That one.’

A dullahan much smaller in build than Sangju Mayor Kim Hyun-ho he had seen earlier.

It was one of today’s monsters from Sangju City that had appeared alongside the mutant.

Because Young-woo had slaughtered Sangju First Sword and his subordinates, the monsters hadn’t been properly dealt with.

‘I don’t see a monster mark… Is it one that broke away from the group?’

Young-woo shot out like an arrow toward the opposite side of the fleeing people and cut down the dullahan’s body in one stroke.

Kwaaaaak!

Then the people who had been running from it stopped one by one and cautiously approached Young-woo.

“Th, thank you….”

“You’re our lifesaver.”

Even while saying this, they all kept looking around with anxious eyes.

They were conscious of dullahans that might appear again at any moment.

Meanwhile, one person who had been staring intently at Young-woo’s face opened his eyes wide.

“Oh…!”

Next, he hurriedly searched his pocket and pulled out a golden coin.

“Oh, it really is him!”

The commemorative coins Young-woo had scattered throughout this city after defeating the Sangju Mayor.

He had recognized Young-woo’s face engraved within them.

“What’s right?”

“Huh.”

“Oh, is this person perhaps….”

People began pulling out golden coins in the area.

“Are you by any chance Mr. Jung Young-woo?”

“I think it’s him.”

“That… this person is the newly arrived….”

That last statement had the word ‘First Sword’ omitted.

They too knew well what process the First Sword went through for succession, so they held back their words.

But as everyone knew, the newly appointed First Sword had scattered karma throughout this city, and hadn’t he just saved them as well?

Because of this, people thought Young-woo was a good person who would use his power for their sake.

That’s why they gathered around Young-woo without any particular wariness.

However, Young-woo himself.

Clink.

While picking up and collecting the coins left by the recently killed dullahan, he asked this:

“Why are you still carrying commemorative coins? If you had raised your stats with those, you would have been able to fight monsters.”

At this, people hesitantly fidgeted with their golden coins.

“Well, that’s because it’s too dangerous…?”

“What if we die from recklessly attacking?”

Everyone seemed to think similarly as they nodded their heads.

However, for Young-woo, it was an attitude difficult to understand.

“Isn’t it better for at least half to survive rather than everyone dying? There’s no one here now to hunt monsters for you.”

The crowd stirred at Young-woo’s words.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You… Young-woo, you’re here.”

At these bewildered responses, Young-woo frowned.

He knew well that if he set his mind to it, he could slaughter everyone here and recover the commemorative coins.

The reason he didn’t put this into action was because he held some conscience as a human and a bit of optimism.

The optimism that at least some could use the commemorative coins as a foundation for survival and become self-sufficient.

But the people here seemed to have already lost their fighting spirit and were only thinking of depending on the strong.

Then would there be any meaning in keeping them alive? Weren’t they people who would die soon anyway?

Rather, if he killed them now, at least he’d get money….

“…!”

Young-woo unconsciously tightened his grip on the black sword, then squeezed his eyes shut.

Then.

Click!

He sheathed the black sword at his belt with lightning speed.

The movement was so fast that everyone around flinched, and some sensitive ones seemed to feel killing intent for a moment and stepped back.

“Are you going to live your whole life depending on others’ mercy? This isn’t a world where you can do that anymore.”

Now that there was no law or ethics, the strong could do anything and the weak could suffer anything.

The current situation was the same.

Young-woo was in a state where he had the power to kill everyone in the crowd without bearing any responsibility, meaning without facing revenge.

But even this Young-woo had once been at the bottom of the food chain.

So weak-looking that he was attacked first even after securing Early Bird.

“….”

When Young-woo finished speaking and moved through the people to head north to his original destination, everyone without exception stepped back and made way for him.

While doing so, they looked at Young-woo’s retreating figure with eyes full of regret.

Probably because surviving in a city without a First Sword would never be easy.

However, the citizens of Sangju weren’t in the absolute worst situation.

Thud.

Just as Young-woo was about to firmly step on the ground and dash away.

Ping!

Because the second basic welfare was applied along with the system’s characteristic alarm.

「As of this moment, a daily Quest will be applied to Sangju City.」

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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