Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 44

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Chapter 44: Open Door (1)

「As the second mutant in Mungyeong has been eliminated, basic welfare will be applied to this area.」

| Remaining time until the daily quest application: 20 minutes.

| Remaining time until the appearance of a merchant: 5 minutes.

Contrary to the grandiose system messages, what Yeongwoo was doing was not at all dignified.

He was crouched on the floor, rummaging through the corpse in every way possible.

However, it was inevitable since he didn’t know what form the mutant gear that Jang Chunyong had would take.

‘He’s not even wearing a ring… Could it be something he carries in his pocket?’

Swoosh.

He searched through both pockets, but all that came out were a few crimson coins.

‘There’s no way he didn’t catch the mutant on the first day.’

If that were the case, what he saw earlier doesn’t make sense.

“….”

Just as Yeongwoo wondered what this was all about, he raised his head, and in his field of vision, his own wrist came into view.

No, to be precise, it was the green snake coiled around his wrist that caught his eye.

Because the creature’s head was bent at a strange angle.

「Serpent of Greed」 – Epic Compass

【Always seeks rarity.】

‘Always yearning for the rarest things….’

Yeongwoo’s gaze followed the snake’s head.

Then, he naturally saw Jang Chunyong’s face.

‘His face…? Is it something worn on the head?’

But no matter how closely he examined it, there was no equipment on Jang Chunyong’s head.

‘What’s going on?’

It couldn’t be an error.

Yeongwoo thought for a moment, and this time, the snake-encircled wrist approached the face of the deceased.

Swoosh.

Once again, the snake began to turn the head in a certain direction after a few adjustments.

‘Is it… the eye?’

Regardless of what this mutant gear was, the conclusion was that it was somewhere in Jang Chunyong’s left eye.

“….”

Yeongwoo carefully lifted the left eyelid of the deceased with a surprised face.

And then he saw it.

Something faint was covering the lifeless pupil of Jang Chunyong.

That is to say.

‘It’s a lens.’

A lens.

The moment Yeongwoo saw it, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

It was more of an instinctive disgust than fear.

Is someone telling me to put a lens, whose origin and grade as a ‘mutation’ lens cannot be known, over my eye?

Moreover, isn’t it something taken off a corpse?

‘Surely not… There can’t really be something like a mutant lens, right?’

Yeongwoo shook his head and, spreading his index and thumb, brought them close to Jang Chunyong’s left eyeball.

Then.

Tsuip.

He pinched and pulled out something that was lying on the eyeball.

‘Ugh.’

Then, a horrific situation that Yeongwoo had foreseen unfolded all at once.

Snap!

「One Eyed Sentinel」 – Mutant Cornea

【It watches over you while you sleep.】

The lens in question was indeed a mutant device.

‘Ah, for real.’

Moreover, officially it was not a lens but a cornea.

Although it was extremely nauseating, Yeongwoo had no time or reason to hesitate.

There was a mountain of things to do besides this.

He needed to check the mutant gear left by the mutant Jang Daemyung and also bring down the Golden Rain in Mungyeong City.

‘Wearing this won’t make me go blind. Jang Chunyong was perfectly fine.’

After taking a small breath, Yeongwoo lifted the left eyelid of his own eye.

Then.

“…Hoo.”

Exhaling, he placed the mutant cornea on his eyeball.

And then.

Squelch!

“Ugh…!”

As if it were alive, the ‘One Eyed Sentinel’ stuck to Yeongwoo’s pupil on its own.

‘This, what… the hell is this?’

Startled, Yeongwoo, unable to close his eyes, screamed, but the ‘One Eyed Sentinel’ showed no reaction.

After that short movement, its presence itself seemed to disappear.

Perhaps it had completed its attachment.

Unknown to him, until Yeongwoo fell asleep, there would be no visible movement.

‘This…’

Yeongwoo, stood still for a while, with his face turned towards the ground, eyes wide open, finally gave in.

Squish.

He closed and opened his eyelid once.

However, the presence of the One Eyed Sentinel that had attached to his eyeball just a while ago was not felt at all.

‘Is this correct…? A mutant cornea?’

After blinking a few more times, Yeongwoo could finally accept the fact that he would carry a substance in his eyeball until his death.

‘If it says it watches over me when I sleep… maybe it examines the surroundings on my behalf when I’m in a sleep state.’

This would be impossible to know until he falls asleep.

Anyway, now the remaining procedure is.

“…”

It was still about making contact with the golden sphere spinning in mid-air.

Reward for defeating the mutant Jang Daemyung, a mutant on the second day in Mungyeong City.

Thud.

As Yeongwoo placed his hand on the sphere, the golden sphere rotated faster, displaying a message.

「We have defeated the mutant.」

「Please choose your reward for the completion of the process.」

≪Confirmed Reward≫

「Blue Blood」 – Mutant Drug

【30% increase in strength for 10 minutes.】

【Number of uses: 4】

≪Selected Reward≫

[3 million karma]

Or

[Grant 30,000 karma to all residents in the area]

After the cornea, now it was a substance that needed to be ingested into the body.

“…”

With a somewhat resigned face, Yeongwoo chose the selected reward.

Snap!

[Grant 30,000 karma to all residents in the area]

Then, the golden sphere rapidly spun and soared into the sky, followed by exploding in the upper atmosphere, showering down a golden rain.

Saaaaah…!

《Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword ‘Jeong Yeongwoo 07’ gave up his monopoly on 3 million karma and gifted 30,000 karma to all Mungyeong residents.》

《Soon, 30,000 Karma will be paid in the form of commemorative coins. Get ready.》

Just yesterday, even deciding on the selected reward was difficult, but now there was no hesitation at all.

After all, having already attached a mutant cornea to his eyeball and soon to drink orc’s blood, selecting a reward was not a big deal.

Tap!

Among the golden rain, Yeongwoo skillfully grabbed commemorative coins and opened the achievement window.

[Golden Flood]

|Summon golden rain in more than 5 areas. (4/5)

‘Just one more now.’

In addition, with four titles of the Strongest Swords in Gyeongbuk, his position had become more solid in various ways.

Shirrrit!

After a while, something like a bluish wave appeared in the air and began to take the shape of a palm-sized bottle.

It was the mutant drug ‘Blue Blood.’

‘I didn’t expect there would be doping.’

Yeongwoo put the bottle in his pocket and sighed as he looked at the commemorative coins scattered all around.

‘Isn’t there something like automatic picking up? If you can make doping potions, implementing a pick-up function should be possible, right?’

But instead of automatic picking up, something else appeared.

Quaaaaang!

It was a thunderous sound as if tearing through the sky.

Swoosh!

Then, a conspicuous pillar of light, nothing other than the merchant’s emblem, emerged, splitting the clouds.

‘Is it northeast? This time, it’s not that far away.’

As Yeongwoo estimated the location of the black pillar, loud honking sounds echoed from the back road.

Vroom!

A gray SUV was rushing straight towards him.

It was the vehicle of the Jeong family.

They had successfully returned without encountering orcs during their escape as instructed by Yeongwoo.

“Yeongwoo!”

Keeping a safe distance, Myeongho parked the car and leaned out of the window, calling Yeongwoo.

He was asking if everything was resolved.

In response, Yeongwoo stuck the knife into the scabbard and gestured towards Myeongho.

“Hurry up and pick up the money. We need to move again.”

* * *

Karma: 560,000.

After collecting all the coins in the area with Myeongho, the total amount reached a whopping 560,000.

Collecting all the coins in the area with Myeongho, the total amount reached a whopping 560,000.

When converted into stats, it was a substantial 560 points, meaning it was money that could turn anyone into a skilled monster hunter in an instant.

‘…Unbelievable.’

Myeongho couldn’t easily take his eyes off the pile of coins on the ground.

And rightly so, with this much money, it seemed entirely possible to protect his mother on his own.

However.

“Did you pick up the commemorative coins from earlier?”

“Huh? Oh, yes… of course.”

“Then let’s use that for the travel expenses.”

Ironically, Yeongwoo had no intention of investing money in the worn-out Jeong family.

Swish.

As Yeongwoo swept the pile of coins on the ground into his backpack, Myeongho, who had been watching, cautiously asked.

“Uh… Yeongwoo, sir?”

“Yes?”

“Are you heading to Chungju now?”

Chungju, the city where Myeongho’s father, the last member of the Jeong family, lived.

However, given the current situation, whether he could tow the vehicle to Chungju was entirely up to Yeongwoo.

There were no combatants left to guard the vehicle from monsters and others.

“Oh, well. We have to go to Chungju, but…”

“…?”

With a strange remark from Yeongwoo, Myeongho made an uneasy expression.

Then, with eyes that seemed to ask, “Could it be?” he looked at the black pillar of light visible in the distance.

Yeongwoo’s gaze had shifted in that direction.

“Something will appear there soon.”

“…Yes.”

“So let’s just meet that and then move.”

“Meet… it?”

Since Myeongho was also looking at the merchant appearance timer, he naturally knew that the opponent Yeongwoo wanted to meet was a ‘merchant.’

However, was that a merchant as commonly understood?

Just looking at that ominous black pillar of light…

“W-Well, okay. I understand.”

In the end, Myeongho bowed his head hesitantly, contrary to his true intentions.

There was no other choice.

Feeling this, Yeongwoo, despite knowing that comforting Myeongho would be of no help, made an effort to reassure him.

“It won’t be dangerous this time. We’re not going to fight.”

“Oh… Have you met it before?”

“Yes, but also no.”

“I have, but not really.”

“…?”

Despite Myeongho’s bewildered response to the vague answer, Yeongwoo had actually stated the truth.

Now that he had chosen a middleman, he would likely meet Kubu again, just as in the previous transaction.

However, what kind of being would appear as a ‘merchant’?

Even looking at the ominous black pillar, one could only vaguely guess…

Chaglack.

After sweeping the last coin into his backpack, Yeongwoo checked his current balance in the stats window.

『Character: Jeong Yeongwoo07』

[Strength] 600 (19+581)

[Stamina] 350 (21+329)

[Endurance] 550 (13+537)

[Sensory Perception] 100 (24+76)

* 1,000 Karma is consumed per ability point.
* Available Karma: 894,000

Current total assets are 894,000 Karma.

Although investing all of this in stats could lead to significant growth, for Yeongwoo, who is considered a major adversary for Strongest Swords in other regions, raising the stats by about 890 points would not yield any significant results.

Why?

‘Strongest Swords that swallowed even the second-day mutants will appear soon.’

And if those Strongest Swords have chosen to monopolize 3 million Karma for both quantum choices, the expected minimum total stats would be 6,000.

So, for Yeongwoo, whose current total stats do not even reach 2,000, adding 890 to the stats is meaningless.

At best, it might make it easier to deal with monsters in battle.

However, if he loses in a confrontation with another Strongest Sword, what good would it be?

‘I need something that can create a significant variable, like the Sensory Perception-stealing incident.’

And Yeongwoo planned to create that variable through the Golden Rain achievement and a transaction with an extraterrestrial upper class.

Kwarrung!

Meanwhile, the time remaining until the appearance of the merchant was approaching 1 minute, and cracking sounds started emanating from the black pillar, as if preparing to reveal the presence of another dimension.

It seemed like the beings from another world were getting ready.

In response, Yeongwoo slung the backpack onto his back and pointed towards the SUV.

“Let’s go, meet the extraterrestrial.”

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