Chapter 35

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 35: Alien (3)

Alien.

Intelligent life is believed to exist on celestial bodies beyond Earth.

Therefore, the being in front of me must be an alien.

I saw it clearly coming down from somewhere in the sky along with a black pillar of light.

And that ‘somewhere’ is likely a part of the vast universe.

So, Yeongwoo couldn’t help but doubt his eyes.

‘That thing was living in the universe…?’

What kind of place was the universe, after all?

Yeongwoo felt as if his concept of the universe, which he had known, shattered in an instant.

Because the actual appearance of the alien was too different from what he had imagined.

If the being that appeared had been equipped with advanced gear or had a form like a cluster of light, it might have been understandable.

But the real alien that appeared was…

-Quaaaaaa…!

Huge rocks emitting a chilling scream.

They occupied the intersection of the city without resting, shouting incessantly.

Whether it was because of the bizarre sounds or the violent vibrations of the air in the area, Yeongwoo saw his sword trembling.

“….”

These rocks, reaching a height of 4 meters, had a chaotic spiral pattern like clam shells, standing in a row with about the width of a human forearm between them.

-Quaaaaaa…!

The strange screams continued.

Yeongwoo, holding his sword in front of the ‘rocks’ about twenty meters away, suddenly realized something.

The appearance of these rocks was slightly different, and they even had their own unique tones.

In other words,

‘It’s not a merchant here, but… it’s the upper part of the trade.’

Each of these large rocks was an alien merchant.

In other words, Yeongwoo was facing extraterrestrial merchants.

‘One, two… four, five.’

The total number of rocks that visited Earth as merchants was five.

‘Anyway, did they come here to trade? What should I do?’

Amidst the continuous screams, Yeongwoo felt his sword gradually calming down.

In the meantime, he had adapted to this mysterious scene.

But the method of trading with the rocks from outer space was still unclear.

Unlike the exchange office he saw on the first day of the reset, they didn’t provide rules in his mind, and they didn’t seem to use human language.

Just making eerie noises that felt like squeezing one’s heart.

“….”

Therefore, Yeongwoo reluctantly walked towards the rocks.

‘If I try to make contact, they’ll show some reaction. Even if they look like rocks on the surface, they must be intelligent beings.’

It was purely a deduction from a human perspective, but surprisingly, it was a valid thought.

-Gooooo…!

As the distance between Yeongwoo and the rocks decreased, the sounds they produced began to change.

And when the distance between the two sides approached five meters.

-Swooooosh…!

The cries that filled the space suddenly stopped as if it were a lie.

And then.

Swoosh.

The space between Yeongwoo and the rocks was torn vertically.

Thud!

“….?”

When Yeongwoo realized that the shape of this ‘torn space’ resembled an eye, already, within the pitch-black eye hole, a white pupil was rising.

So, this… really, that eye had noticed him.

Just an eye of something that was definitely not human, using eyelids to form the empty space.

‘What… what should I do.’

Suppressing the instinct to step back, Yeongwoo stood firmly in place.

Then, the white pupil that had been staring straight ahead for a while moved slightly to the side and looked at Yeongwoo.

‘…Ugh.’

It was at this moment that a system prompt appeared in Yeongwoo’s field of vision.

「The intermediary requests permission to access data for Jeong Yeongwoo 07. Do you approve?」

[Requested Data]

|Unique Code

|Language Used

‘Unique code and language used…? Does this mean it’s necessary for mediating the trade with those rocks?’

Through this ‘request,’ Yeongwoo could vaguely realize that even the extraterrestrial beings that began appearing after the reset have their own hierarchy or work system.

In other words, the ‘eye’ introduced as a mediator is undoubtedly a more powerful being than a human, right?

And yet, it is still asking for permission to access that side’s data.

‘It didn’t even ask me directly. The system just informed that they want access.’

In other words, Yeongwoo was unknowingly under the protection of the system.

Of course, he didn’t know specifically what was providing the protection.

It could be the beings from the council that first notified about the reset, or there might be some kind of security program embedded in the Earth itself.

Anyway, the important thing is.

‘At least these guys won’t be able to harm me.’

As the thought reached this point, Yeongwoo felt a bit relieved.

The uneasiness that had been creeping up gradually subsided.

‘But to make a trade.’

Permission must be granted for the access to the two pieces of data that the mediator requested.

Staring intensely at the strangely white eyes of the mediator, Yeongwoo approved the request.

‘Data access granted.’

Then, the white eyes of the mediator flashed for a moment and instantly turned blue.

Swaat.

What happened next was an unexpected ‘declaration.’

―Greetings to the human of Earth, the strongest in Gyeongbuk, Jeong Yeongwoo 07.

‘Huh…?’

Despite the strange voice, the content was very polite.

But what could that mean?

When Yeongwoo tilted his head in response to the introduction made by the alien, the other party continued speaking.

―I am Kubu, the guardian of Tenta and the owner mediating this trade.

‘Ah, is it some kind of universal courtesy to exchange greetings like this.’

After hearing the introduction of the mediator ‘Kubu,’ Yeongwoo nodded silently.

―The mediation fee for this trade is 20% and is included in the product price. The trading partner is the representative upper part of Charugo.

―Will you proceed with the trade?

As Yeongwoo couldn’t fully understand the content except for the fact that the mediation fee was 20%, he nodded once again.

‘Charugo? Is that the name of the planet where those rocks live?’

While Yeongwoo was having such thoughts, the mediator Kubu blinked his eyes quickly three times, and in response, the previously silent rocks began to make sounds.

However, this time, the sounds were much lower and more subdued.

-Eooo….

-Uueeem….

-Gaaaah…!

The fact that the tones of each of the five rocks were more distinctly differentiated was a noticeable feature.

“….”

As Yeongwoo quietly listened to the rocks’ chorus, Kubu soon spoke.

―The product list is complete.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Poof!

After Kubu’s line, something like blue spots suddenly appeared in front of Yeongwoo and rapidly changed shape.

In the form of human characters.

Sss, sssss.

‘Ah, this is.’

It didn’t take Yeongwoo long to understand the meaning of the blue characters.

It was a quite straightforward price list.

1 ― 「Extractor」 – Ancient One-Handed Hammer

【Changes equipment into a slot gem.】

◇ 40,000 Karma

2 ― 「Black Wind Cloak」 – Hero’s Cloak

【Nullifies black magic.】

◇ 100,000 Karma

3 ― 「Void」- Artifact One-Handed Sword

【–Empty slot–】

【–Empty slot–】

◇ 300,000 Karma

4 ― 「Blank Check」 – Unique Currency

【Once, it transforms into touched currency.】

◇ 1,100,000 Karma

5 ― 「Serpent of Greed」 – Epic Compass

【Always seeks rarity.】

◇ Legend Achievement 1

‘Oh my goodness.’

Not a single ordinary item.

Moreover, the prices started from 40,000 Karma.

‘Basic welfare… it seems that trading with merchants was not originally intended for ordinary people.’

Currently, the majority of people are struggling to earn even the 1,000 Karma they have to pay as taxes every night.

In other words, trading with extraterrestrial merchants was limited to the powerful individuals who succeeded in hunting monsters in this area.

Of course, even being Jeong Yeongwoo, he couldn’t afford to buy all the presented items.

‘My current total assets….’

104,000.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, it could be considered a stroke of luck.

If he had invested in his abilities every time he earned money, he wouldn’t have saved up even this much.

‘I can only buy one of the Extractor or the Black Wind Cloak. To properly use the merchant, I also need to pay attention to cash holding.’

However, it wasn’t as if Yeongwoo had no income.

He indirectly learned how to fill the ’empty slots’ on his current equipment.

‘It seems like using the Extractor to extract the effects of equipment and transfer them to empty slots.’

It was a common method seen in games, so understanding it was easy, but at the moment, there was a more important product than the Extractor.

That was.

2 ― 「Black Wind Cloak」 – Hero’s Cloak

【Nullifies black magic.】

◇ 100,000 Karma

‘Black magic. Probably strange weather that occurs at night.’

And Yeongwoo was currently in a state where he had an achievement that could only be accomplished by avoiding strange weather.

[Nocturnal]

|Spend a night outside of your residence.

‘With the cloak, I can break the achievement on nights when the black magic rain falls. I must buy that.’

Especially since there was no guarantee that the next merchant he met would sell the same product.

‘Number 3 is useless for me without an Extractor, and anyway, I don’t have enough money. The same goes for number 4….’

As Yeongwoo scanned the list again, his gaze stopped abruptly at the last product.

5 ― 「Serpent of Greed」 – Epic Compass

【Always seeks rarity.】

◇ Legend Achievement 1

Although it was the highest-rated equipment, fortunately for Yeongwoo, it was immediately purchasable.

‘Bought with a legendary achievement? What exactly does that mean?’

As Yeongwoo asked this silently in his mind, the mediator Kubu understood and explained.

―One achieved legendary-grade achievement will be completely deleted from your data. As a result, the progress of related subsequent achievements may become impossible, and the number of completed achievements will also be deducted.

‘Ah… then what happens to the rewards received for achieving achievements?’

―Already paid achievement rewards will not be collected.

In other words, in exchange for one achieved legendary-grade achievement, Yeongwoo could immediately pull in a high-grade piece of equipment, without knowing what significance it might hold in the future.

‘It’s like betting on the future. If bringing in the equipment now can result in a bigger profit, then it’s right to make the trade. If not, it could be a loss….’

Poof!

As Yeongwoo opened the achievement window, the achievement profile unfolded at the top of his field of view.

【Your achievement inclination is “Stubborn.”】

||Completed Achievements: 4

|Caller of the Golden Rain [Legend]-First

|Forgive Your Enemies [Hero] – #46

|Excellent Social Worker [Legend]-First

|Golden Fund [Legend]-First

Out of the 4 completed achievements, there were a total of 3 ‘Legend’ achievements.

However, strictly speaking, the only one that could be sold was ‘Excellent Social Worker.’

‘If I mess with the Golden Rain-related achievements, I might even lose the Golden Flood achievement.’

On the other hand, the achievement ‘Excellent Social Worker,’ which involved sending mutants away, did not lead to subsequent achievements even after completion.

Perhaps it was a standalone achievement?

‘If that’s really the case, it would be better to sell it when I can. The number of completed achievements or whatever doesn’t mean anything if I die tomorrow.’

Due to constantly spreading the golden rain, Yeongwoo had lower stats compared to other Strongest Swords.

Therefore, it was natural for the Serpent of Greed, which seemed helpful for equipment farming, to catch his eye.

‘I’ll waste more time if I think about it further. I’ll buy the Black Wind Cloak and the Serpent of Greed.’

Once Yeongwoo made up his mind, Kubu blinked and confirmed his intention to purchase.

In response, Yeongwoo approved the purchase without hesitation, and shortly after, two of the five rocks responded with high-pitched sounds.

-Quuiiiii…!

-Paaaahhh!

‘It seems like the trade has been successful.’

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]