Chapter 29 (1/2)

When Seol materialised back in the Neutral Zone's plaza, he got to hear the noises of people taking deep breaths from here and there. Actually, their expressions looked like they've just come across a scary ghost or something.

That was quite understandable, though. The longest he took to clear a mission was only around five minutes. Yet, he took several hours this time, so people were thinking that maybe he met an accident and got killed, whether through carelessness, or by a mistake.

But, here he was, unharmed and healthy, as if to taunt everyone looking on.

”Keh, kek! Ahahahaha!!” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Seol tried to clarify what happened, adding that it was all just a misunderstanding. That only caused Hyun Sahng-Min to beat the floor while guffawing his head off.

”The s, skeleton k, killed itself…. Ahahaha….” (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)

Even s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah was in tears as she laughed her head off, her breaths eventually running ragged and short.

Seol found this scene a bit mystifying to behold, though.

Only two months had pa.s.sed since the ending of the Tutorial. Yet, these two seemed to have gone through a rather remarkable transformation. Maybe it was the new attire they had on? They seemed different, and the aura exuding from them also had gone through a substantial change.

s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah and Hyun Sahng-Min laughed their hearts out, and then complained how difficult it was to talk to him for the last couple of months, never mind even seeing his face. So, the three of them chatted for a long time.

Hyun Sahng-Min's Job was 'Archer'. His quick wits and that active personality of his combined to make the decision to not hold back on spending his SP as soon as the Awakening was completed. Which resulted him getting a head start over his peers and helped him earn more points as well. Consequently, he was now known as someone quite skillful in the Zone.

Although the team he worked for wasn't as amazing as Odelette Delphine's, Hyun Sahng-Min said they were steadily clearing the missions, so he was happy with where he was currently.

As for s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah, her life turned for the better after the Chamber of Awakening opened up. Her Job of Priest was a highly sought-after rare cla.s.s, only losing out to that of a Sorcerer. Thanks to that, the moment her Job was revealed, the number of teams that tried to court her couldn't be counted at all. Some even tempted her with the promise of advance SP payment.

s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah entered the team that offered her the most amount of signing fee.

She was very proud of herself, saying that she was finally living like a normal human being now, only to be promptly shot down by Hyun Sahng-Min. He mocked her for showing off in front of Seol, who had far more points than she could ever dream of.

Seol simply smiled while listening to their banter. Realising that these two had adapted well and were carving out their own paths now put his mind at ease.

”Ah, right. What about Miss Yun Seo-Rah?” (Seol)

Seol suddenly remembered about her in the midst of listening to the duo's antics and asked them offhandedly. He met up with Yi Surl-Ah and her brother, Yi Sung-Jin, a few times in the last couple of months, but he hadn't seen Yun Seo-Rah once.

Hyun Sahng-Min stopped talking for some reason. s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah's complexion darkened at the same time. Seeing their reactions, Seol felt his heart skip for a moment.

”….Did she die?” (Seol)

”No, she's… more or less alive.” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Hyun Sahng-Min corrected Seol. But what he said sounded far more ominous. She was 'more or less' alive?

”Well, she…. I think it's really tough for her. With her right arm in that state….” (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)

s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah's voice was full of pity.

Seol inwardly went, Oh, c.r.a.p.

Now that he thought about it, she lost her right arm's mobility for good during the treasure hunt, all thanks to Kahng Seok and his cronies ambus.h.i.+ng her. The image of her silently shedding tears next to the item draw machine floated back up to the top of his head.

Yun Seo-Rah received around 300 SP at the end of the Tutorial. That amount was way too short to endure two months of stay in the Neutral Zone. Even if she saved up like a madman and lived frugally, she couldn't have enough to endure for more than a fortnight, at most.

”I think the Yi siblings have been constantly helping her out until now. Ah, that's right. You also gave out some SP, didn't you? Miss s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah.” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

”It was… only once, though.” (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)

s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah averted her gaze and hesitated slightly.

”I couldn't heal her arm, maybe because my Job level is still too low…. I tried to give her some of my points, but Miss Seo-Rah didn't want to take them. And it feels like she's been avoiding me for a little while now, too….” (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)

Listening to her voice getting progressively smaller, one got the impression that she was trying to come up with excuses. Actually, she was feeling ashamed for bragging about living pretty well nowadays.

Hyun Sahng-Min waved his hand about and said that there was no need to act like this. It was understandable for someone like Yi Surl-Ah, who was indebted to Yun Seo-Rah for her life. However, there was no reason for someone with a self-centered personality like him to go out of his way to help Yun Seo-Rah.

Even Seol had nothing much to say in this regard. Quite frankly, he had completely forgotten about this matter as he was too busy with the training regime until now.

After a lengthy bout of silence went by, Hyun Sahng-Min slowly got up from his seat.

”You shouldn't worry about her too much. Sure, you can help her out if you've got some wiggle room yourself, but you know this too, don't ya? That we're all equally having a rough time out there, trying to fend for ourselves.” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

That was also true. It could get pretty hectic trying to survive within the Neutral Zone. Looking after someone else in this place was basically a luxury very few could afford.

”Well, I should get going now. If we have a chance later, why don't we do some missions together? I'm confident of being more helpful to you now, you see.” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Hyun Sahng-Min lightly tapped on his crossbow and grinned.

”Me too. If you need any help, you can call on me anytime, regardless of when. I'll cancel everything and run to your rescue.” (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)

s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah waved her hand goodbye as well and walked away.

After separating from the two, Seol returned to the plaza. He was planning to have a go at the remaining untouched 'Hard' mission types right away. However, he was feeling a bit restless inside. So, he figured that, by immersing himself into clearing missions, he'd be able to forget about everything for a while.

The number of different Hard difficulty mission parchments found on the noticeboard was 11. All of them were combat missions, while the SP completion reward on offer varied greatly from 500 to 1000.

The 'escape from encirclement' mission Seol ran to the ground just so happened to be one of the most dangerous available among the Hard difficulty. Since he didn't encounter any hards.h.i.+p completing that, he was confident of blitzing the remaining ones in no time.

Some time later….

The remaining attempts for the missions were 15 for every single type, but he only did six times each before moving on to the next one. Even still, he got to earn another 43500 Survival Points.

'This should be enough.' (Seol)

He could probably do more, but, after chatting to s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah and Hyun Sahng-Min, he decided not to monopolise. Their stories taught Seol of the harsh reality that, although completing missions became easier than before, there were very few who could afford to live as good a life as him among the survivors, even now.

For example, if four people cooperated and completed a mission rated 'Slightly hard' worth 300 SP, the reward would be split evenly according to the number of partic.i.p.ants. Of course, the individual survival rate would go up, but at the same time, all their hard work would only result in a measly 75 points per partic.i.p.ant.

The truth could be seen from the way s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah described her situation - someone as in demand as her didn't say that she was rich, but merely that she was ”living like a human.”

Seol wasn't too worried about others criticising him for hogging all the high-paying missions. But, there was this one thing he came to realise during the treasure hunt. Because he got too enthusiastic and swept away every coin he could find, s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah and Hyun Sahng-Min had to go through so much trouble. As for Yi Sung-Jin, the boy had to search throughout the night too, without rest.

As time went on, more and more teams would start attempting the Hard missions. Since he left behind more than half of each mission types, the survivors should not complain. Not too much, at least.

Besides, it wasn't as if there were no harder difficulty missions, either.

[You have successfully completed a 'Hard' difficulty mission.] [950 Survival points have been added to your tally.] [Current SP: 128,780 SP]

Seol clenched his fist tightly.

He decided to stop doing the missions for now. There was something else he needed to do first before moving on to the next difficulty.

'Very Hard' difficulty had a total of six missions. The lowest points payout was 10,000. That was ten times the reward of the most dangerous Hard missions. When he skimmed through the mission detail, it sounded rather challenging, as well.

From here onwards, a need to prepare beforehand couldn't be avoided anymore; not only a set of equipment such as armour and potions, but also, capable comrades as well, when necessary.

Right on top of the noticeboard, there was the lone 'Impossible' difficulty mission, but he didn't pay that any attention whatsoever. Although its payout was a humongous 172,800 points, the mission goal was completely, utterly absurd and no one would be able to clear that.

Seol turned around to leave.

There were several things he needed to prepare. But he already knew what needed to be bought first.

The eighth floor.

As Seol stepped outside the VIP store, he had to do everything in his willpower to calm his wildly beating heart. Within his grasp were two small medicine vials.

They were Ambrosias - the mysterious liquid that would evolve one's already awakened abilities.

He didn't stop at that, though. Even after he bought both of the available vials of Ambrosia, he still had a fair amount of SP left, so he bought a bottle of Elixir for Magic Power as well. With the conclusion of this transaction, the VIP store no longer had Ambrosias or an Elixir to boost one's Magic Power for sale.

All thanks to their enormous price tags, Seol's Survival Points tally dropped all the way down to 38,780 in a single breath.

With the remaining points, he could've bought another bottle of Elixir. However, he held back with what could only be described as superhuman patience. He still needed these points to purchase his equipment, after all. He thought that, after getting himself the best equipment on sale, he'd be able to earn back the points in no time.

”Ehem.”

However, no matter how hard he tried to restrain himself, he couldn't prevent a foolish grin from bursting out of his lips. He even momentarily thought that the entire world was blooming in a rosy colour.

'I should wait until I get to my room first…. No, no. Waiting around might invite a disaster.'

He only had to climb up two flights of stairs, but Seol couldn't wait anymore. He drank both vials of Ambrosias in one go. Fearing that his other abilities might evolve instead, he fervently thought of 'Nine Eyes' and nothing else.

[Your Innate ability, 'Nine Eyes' is evolving.] [The lower direction (1) of your Innate ability - Nine Eyes, the Black colour: Escape Immediately, has been unlocked.] [Your Innate ability, 'Nine Eyes' is evolving.] [The upper direction (1) of your Innate ability - Nine Eyes, the Gold colour: Golden Commandment, has been unlocked.]

Finally, he got to pull back the two layers of veil covering his ability. With this, he unlocked four out of five directions. The only one remaining was the 'right'.

Seol activated his ability right away and fell into deep contemplation.

Yellow colour was for 'Attention Required'.

Vermillion was for 'Do Not Approach'.

Crimson was for 'Immediate Retreat Recommended'.

As for the new colour, Black, it was for 'Escape Immediately'.

Judging from this, the newly unlocked colour, Black, was an extension of already available emergency warning signals.

'I get what's up with Escape Immediately, but…. Golden Commandment?'

He pondered for a while, but he couldn't quite grasp what it did. That wasn't the only riddle he could not solve, however.

The 'lower' direction only opened up after he had unlocked the 'left' direction first. So, he thought that the 'upper' direction would also open up only after he unlocked the 'right' direction. The order of the things had been changed, as far as he could tell. Was it because the colours were on the opposite directions?

'How can I use it without knowing what it does….?'

Seol began walking again and climbed up the stairs, all the while shaking his head slightly.

But then….

'Gold colour?!'

His eyes shot open abruptly.

Beyond the tenth floor railing, he could see a clear and radiant golden glow, coming from a spot right in front of his quarters.

He hurriedly ran up, and found a person quietly waiting there. Seol's thought process dimmed just for a bit when he confirmed who it was from her back. She was certainly one of the last people he expected to see in the Neutral Zone.

”You've finally come.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

As if she sensed his approach, the business-suit wearing woman turned around to greet him.

”Hi.” (Seol)

It was none other than Kim Hahn-Nah.

”Been a while.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

She smiled refres.h.i.+ngly. And sure enough, her entire body was bathed in golden hue.

Seol couldn't help but be confused. For one, he was curious why she was here, and two, why was there a golden colour coming from her….?

”Can we go inside? It's a bit awkward to talk out here and all.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Her friendly voice brought Seol back to reality. As soon as they entered his room, Kim Hahn-Nah couldn't hide her astonishment.

”Oh my word~. It's so grand in here. Honestly, I never dreamed that you'd end up using this room.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah's facial expression implied that she wasn't sure where to park her rear as she stood around, before she chose a spot on a comfy couch and settled down. Seol quickly sat on the opposite side. Seeing this, she burst out a fit of giggles.

”Why are you in such a hurry? What, are you that surprised to see me?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

”Yes, I am surprised.” (Seol)

”Hmm…. Before we get started, I should go about appeasing that curiosity of yours, no? Fine. What would you like to know?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Seol almost blurted out 'Why is your body glowing in a golden hue?', but somehow was able to change his words at the last second.

”How did you get here?” (Seol)

”Well, because I know how to?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

”Hey.” (Seol)

”Just kidding. Of course, the Neutral Zone isn't a place that anyone can just come and go as they please. However, I'm an exception, you see.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Seol stared at her without saying anything.

”You idiot. Didn't you read the Invitation letter?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

The Invitation letter? What about it? Seol was about to ask her, before going ”Ah.”

He just remembered that, in the gold stamp Invitation letter, there was a clause about him being able to bring along one 'helper'.

”You don't have to fret, okay? Miss Cinzia knows about me being here. I went through the proper procedures, so no problemo.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

”In that case…. That's a relief.” (Seol)

Suddenly, Kim Hahn-Nah raised her hand.

”Hold on. Can you answer me one thing first?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)