Chapter 24

“Hmm, this should be enough to get by for now.”

Inwardly thanking the kindhearted philanthropist, Yuseong smiled at the thick feeling in his pocket as he entered a shabby motel nearby.

“Hello. Do you have any rooms… huh?”

Approaching the counter to get a room, Yuseong momentarily doubted his eyes seeing the paper posted on the wall.

“I think there must be a mistake in the price here.”

“What?”

“It says 150,000 won per night, isn’t that written wrong?”

“It’s written correctly.”

“Come on, this isn’t a 5-star hotel, how can it be 150,000 won per night?”

“150,000 won is cheap. Go check other places. They might charge more, but you won’t find anywhere charging less.”

Though startled by the unimaginable price, recalling the current situation, Yuseong shook his head and handed over all the money donated by the thug, then went to the room marked on the key.

“The prices are absolutely insane. I’m busy enough just trying to get stronger, now I have to worry about money too.”

There were many ways to make money.

The government was hiring Contractors to hunt monsters and restore deteriorating public safety, Contractors were forming companies to profit from monster hunting byproducts, and wealthy people were hiring Contractors as bodyguards.

While it might be difficult for ordinary people, if a Contractor had the will to work, making a living wasn’t too hard.

‘But these jobs are difficult due to the time difference between Earth and other worlds. If I start a quest I could disappear for days, even tens of days in severe cases, so regular jobs are impossible. I need work that’s irregular but can earn a lot at once.’

“Maybe sell items obtained from quests… no, that’s too dangerous.”

The ability to bring items from other worlds was solely the power of users.

As he’d said in the community before, Yuseong was very wary of other users.

‘If products of super-science or special items that don’t exist on Earth start circulating, they could track me through them. Even if I sell quest items, it should be limited to things obtainable from monsters existing on Earth. Then that means I have to hunt monsters after all…’

Going round and round to finally reach the conclusion that he needed to become stronger himself, Yuseong smiled bitterly as he took out the goggles from his chest.

[Community – You have unread messages (489)]

[Welcome RoomDweller to the Community!]

Though he had no intention of getting involved with users, he didn’t plan to completely cut off relations either.

As these were conversations between those moving the world from behind the scenes, there was plenty of classified information impossible to obtain through the internet.

For example, that made in usa needed cutting-edge semiconductors made by South Korea’s Ilsung for the weapons they were making, or that Russia, having lost considerable territory unable to repel monster invasions, was seriously considering using nuclear weapons.

‘Couldn’t I make a lot through stocks with this? Or just buy some things likely to increase in value…’

While using information too openly risked being tracked, using it little by little shouldn’t be noticed.

After putting useful information into his head one by one while scrolling to the bottom, Yuseong noticed unfamiliar users conversing and sent a message.

-RoomDweller: Nice to meet you.

A moment of silence, then new messages appeared.

-MartialGod: I heard from SuperAnt.

-RoomDweller: You may not believe it, but it’s true.

-MartialGod: How you became a user is none of my business. I want just one thing. If you find an item called Divine Fragment during quests, I’ll give you anything you want in exchange, so make sure to bring it and sell it to me.

-RoomDweller: Divine Fragment?

While pondering the seemingly familiar name, MartialGod left the community and a new user sent a message.

-Nirvana: If you find an item called Prime Code, let me know. Money, honor, power, women, drugs, whatever else you want, I’ll give you anything. Got it? Prime Code.

Seeing Nirvana also just say their piece and leave like MartialGod, Yuseong laughed hollowly.

He’d expected anger or intense questioning to discover his identity due to his words about avoiding contact for now, but such a plain reaction made him feel rather awkward.

‘Do they think I’m not worth helping right now regardless of knowing my identity or not?’

Though it was true, he still felt a bit annoyed.

Once again etching in his heart that he needed to get stronger as quickly as possible, Yuseong left the community and searched for quests.

[Accessing multi-dimensional exploration system]

[Successfully observed quest]

-Girl Seeking Salvation (784 hours)

-Please Kill Those Who Murdered My Son 15 Years Later

-Until Death Do Us Part

-Looking for a Way to Save the World Tree

-271 Members of the Suicide Squad Who Want to Escape from the Demon Realm

…

……

………

Despite the endlessly printing list, Yuseong maintained a serious expression while checking each entry to find a suitable quest.

Originally he’d planned to repeat seemingly easy quests to gain experience and steadily gather skills and items, but his thinking changed somewhat after completing the “I Want to Make My Country and Comrades Proud” quest.

‘Using otherworld abilities doesn’t seem that difficult?’

The first two quests with nothing required suffering to death or gambling, but the third quest where he could use martial arts was so much easier than expected it was almost boring.

If clear rank and rewards decreased he might have reconsidered, but since he could raise the change rate above 100% by achieving results beyond the given goal, he thought he could try slightly higher rank quests while actively using otherworld abilities.

[I Can’t Take It Anymore]

-Civilization Classification: K-46

-Civilization Grade: 0.71

-Difficulty: D+

-Leon, a student at Elland Academy, is going through a very difficult time. Though enduring while thinking of his family’s expectations, he feels he can’t take another day at the increasingly difficult academy. Please help resolve the hardships Leon is experiencing.

-Clear Conditions:

1. Partially resolve hardships: 100,000 Karma, Imperial Common Gold Coinsx10, Lesser Magic Stonex1, Bermund Vision Mana Training Method Part 1

-Additional Conditions:

1. Completely resolve hardships: Imperial Common Gold Coinsx20, Lesser Magic Stonex2, Bermund Vision Mana Training Method Part 2

“This looks good.”

A D+ rank quest.

Though he worried it might be dangerous to suddenly challenge such a high rank quest in a non-science based world, Yuseong decided on this quest for two reasons.

First was the rewards.

‘At this rate I’ll be worried about meals in just days. If I sell the gold coins and lesser magic stones from the rewards, I can at least put out the urgent fire.’

While he generally wanted to avoid selling otherworld items to stay under the radar, fortunately information was circulating online that gold coins could be found in goblins and magic stones in some monsters’ bodies, so these seemed okay to bring.

The mana training method was also appealing.

Though he’d received various martial arts through Hae Cheongyeong, there was one type he hadn’t obtained – mental techniques (心法).

‘Don’t learn mental techniques? Why? Aren’t they most important?’

-…Though you claimed to know nothing of martial arts, you know this well. You’re right. Mental techniques are the most basic foundation for learning martial arts. Without proper mental techniques, martial arts can’t even demonstrate a tenth of their true power.

‘Then why shouldn’t I learn them?’

-Because you don’t understand martial arts. Asura Perception Way that enhances senses, Flash Step that stakes everything on one step, Snake Shadow Whip Technique that mimics snake movements, Pain Nullification that removes pain sensation. These have little issue even if performed wrong or mistakenly, but mental techniques can severely wound body and mind with even small errors.

Hae Cheongyeong explained that to prevent such misfortune, one needed either an extremely easy yet stable mental technique like the Three Calamities Method, or a proper master to provide guidance, but since neither was possible for Yuseong, he shouldn’t learn mental techniques.

‘Come on, someone with the grand title of Heaven-Communicating Divine Demon must surely know a few easy mental techniques?’

-Ahem, this one was called the martial world’s greatest genius and thus only learned difficult and powerful arts from the start, paying no attention to lesser ones. While I can recreate sword or fist techniques from watching others perform them, mental techniques aren’t something that can be understood just by seeing…

‘……’

Too smart to know any easy martial arts.

Though absurd, considering Hae Cheongyeong’s strength, it was an understandable reason.

“A mana training method should serve roughly the same role as mental techniques.”

If there were side effects or dangers, he could just ask the client and discard it if it seemed problematic.

And the second reason was the decisive factor in choosing this quest.

‘Quest difficulty doesn’t necessarily correspond to rank.’

Just as the “Final Moment of the Heavenly Demon Sect” quest received the lowest F rank despite its murderous difficulty due to Hae Cheongyeong’s special circumstances, examining descriptions carefully revealed several quests where rank and difficulty seemed disproportionate.

This “I Can’t Take It Anymore” was one of them.

‘If my prediction is right…’

[Starting ‘I Can’t Take It Anymore’]

[Initiating Deus Ex Machina Program]

[Dimension coordinates specified and Ariadne’s Thread connection complete]

[Initiating spirit particle transfer]

* * *

A deep blue sky and clear air, beautiful buildings in unfamiliar styles entered his vision.

Just as he was about to look around for more information, Yuseong felt his vision flash.

“Got time to look around? Haven’t been beaten enough lately?”

“Move aside. I’ll knock some sense into him in one go.”

Boys surrounding him with mocking smiles.

Receiving punches and kicks from all directions along with insulting words, Yuseong slightly raised the corners of his mouth.