SWNOVELXO Chapter 47
Chapter 47
“Does someone as significant as you have a way to resist paralysis? I regret not setting the stage a bit bigger if I had known this would happen.”
The room manager had mistaken Jaehyuk for a great figure.
‘The merchant was the same.’
Was it me who won the 80,000-point item?
No way.
There are people who demand 500,000 points as an entrance fee just to ask their own questions.
Being treated as a big shot with just 80,000 points was nonsense.
There must have been other factors that made the room manager and merchant mistake him.
That was probably…
‘The voice.’
When the character information was set to private.
A mask was overlaid on Jaehyuk’s face, and his voice was modulated.
The mask was said to be the ‘default type’, so the only thing to suspect was the voice.
‘My voice is the only thing that sounds different.’
Jaehyuk’s modulated voice was intense enough to make one think it would sound like the roar of a beast even with a slight raise in tone.
‘I thought it was simply determined randomly.’
Was there a separate rule?
‘It must be a rule related to achievements.’
The most important thing in the community was points.
The surest way to gather points was by achieving accomplishments.
It might have been natural for the community to treat those with great achievements well.
And Jaehyuk, upon awakening, had cleaved through lightning and established a legendary achievement.
A legendary achievement was a domain that even S-rank players could not easily reach.
It made sense that people would mistake Jaehyuk for a big shot.
“Would you like to meet and confirm for yourself if you’re curious?”
“Haha, even with a mask, it seems I can’t hide my beauty? It’s a shame. I am an expensive person and can’t easily meet you.”
“Your wishes don’t matter. It’s up to me to decide.”
Beyond the plain mask.
Jaehyuk’s jet-black pupils were intently focused on the room manager.
A sensation like being pierced through the lungs.
The room manager, suddenly chilled to the bone, bowed her head.
“I apologize for being rude.”
She realized her mistake.
The man in front of her wouldn’t be surprised to know what the White Serpent was.
He was a big shot with the capability to trace back the bracelet and uncover her identity.
Yet she arrogantly chattered with no regard for the sky above.
‘I should have just handed over the item and let him go quickly.’
She regretted it so much she wished she could turn back time.
Through her trembling body, Jaehyuk realized a very important fact.
Contrary to the reality where one had to hide their power and intentions, in the community, flaunting one’s skills was advantageous.
‘High-level players would likely find anonymity limiting.’
The woman in front of him was evidence.
Those selling high-grade items or information had a chance of being identified and had no choice but to fear an unknown being stronger than themselves.
He became convinced that using their fear would cause him no loss in the community.
“Here… is the item.”
The room manager swallowed dryly and cautiously handed over the bracelet.
The White Serpent’s Bracelet.
If it weren’t for the curse, it would have formed a ‘minimum price’ of 200,000 points as an artifact.
The item, which reduced resource consumption, faced overwhelming demand compared to the scarce supply.
A 20% reduction in consumption was an exceptionally rare figure.
『You have obtained 〈White Serpent’s Bracelet〉.』
『80,000 points have been paid.』
He had paid the entrance fee and purchased the item, yet he had 117,000 points left.
Jaehyuk, satisfied with the unexpected gain, became a light and disappeared.
***
Jaehyuk logged out and returned to reality, opening his inventory.
An inventory consisting of 8 slots.
Since his level was still low, the storage space was very limited, and the bracelet was neatly stored there.
It was the White Serpent’s Bracelet that he had just won.
When he tried it on his wrist, the size adjusted to fit Jaehyuk’s physique.
“Amazing.”
The fact that items purchased from the community transferred to reality…
The more he experienced the system, the more astounding it was.
How uncomfortable and frustrating life had been during his non-awakened days, when he could not benefit from the system, he realized anew.
〈Two Sickles to Stop the Carriage〉
Jaehyuk deployed his skill.
Two auras appeared in the shape of scythes, slicing through the void.
The consumed mana was 80 instead of 100.
Most importantly, the curse…
『You have resisted the 〈Curse of the Dead Serpent〉.』
“Good.”
As expected, he resisted it with ease.
He had managed to buy an extraordinary item, which he might never have come across again, at a bargain.
After testing the skill a few more times, he enjoyed a good night’s sleep for the first time in eight years.
He slept for four hours straight without waking up from nightmares.
His encounter with Jo Sunghyun and the accomplishments in the community refreshed the boy’s heavy heart for the first time in a while.
***
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Is it that obvious?”
The man who had logged out from the community and opened his eyes answered while sipping the water handed by the steward.
“I’ve met a valuable person.”
“Oh, finally, one of those individuals…”
“It’s not them. But it seems he possesses a similar ability. I need to confirm it, so bring out all the items we haven’t sold yet.”
“Yes.”
The steward headed to the safe.
The middle-aged man, left alone, opened the bottle of his favorite liquor.
He recalled the man with the mundane mask.
Due to the community’s anonymity, it was impossible to deduce appearances or ages, but the man’s eyes were strongly imprinted in his memory.
Not dark brown, but completely jet-black eyes.
The symbol of madness.
The eyes of Yaksha.
“In this day and age, a Yaksha follower?”
In the past, it was common for people to use Yaksha as a username in the community.
Their eyes would all be dyed pitch black.
It was the time when the legend of Yaksha, who smashed the National Treasures of other countries every time a World Gate appeared, was at its peak.
A good commander is better recognized by his enemies than his allies.
Yaksha’s fame was more prominent overseas than in Korea.
But eight years ago, during the East Asia Gate conference, when his dantian was shattered, he was quickly forgotten by people.
On the contrary, his fame plunged overnight when Koreans took the lead in treating him like a has-been, and no one dared to impersonate Yaksha anymore.
However, the man he met today…
‘Could it be Kang Daesung?’
No, it was a ridiculous guess.
Even though Kang Daesung was one of the top-tier among the Future Generation, he couldn’t have already achieved legendary accomplishments.
Furthermore, it was improbable that Yaksha’s son would masquerade as Yaksha.
To avoid his identity being uncovered, he’d act unrelated.
‘Moreover, Kang Daesung’s status, whether dead or alive, remains unconfirmed.’
The middle-aged man was indifferent to the small country of Korea.
But he had once taken an interest in and investigated Yaksha’s eldest son.
He found out that Kang Daesung had gone missing in a very hazardous area three years ago.
The likelihood of Kang Daesung being alive was almost zero.
“Who are you, to pose as Yaksha and make me revisit the past with a drink?”
The middle-aged man indulged in nostalgia for the first time in a while.
***
Sunday.
Jaehyuk, who woke up in a pleasant mood, washed up and headed to the dining hall.
“Ga, Kang Jaehyuk!”
In the dining hall, he encountered Jinsung and Baesoo. With a reflexive, pavlovian reaction, the startled pair was gazed at by Jaehyuk nonchalantly.
“Why are you making a fuss from the morning? Just eat.”
“Are you suggesting we eat together? You know not even a dog is disturbed while it’s eating, right?”
“I wouldn’t know, I never raised a dog.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Your house has that huge, fluffy dog!”
“How did you know that?”
Jinsung, with his face flushed, tightly shut his mouth.
Recently, he’d been so interested in the Kang family that he’d found out quite a lot of things online, which was a bit embarrassing to admit.
“But why are you alone today? You always hung out with your team.”
Baesoo shifted the subject.
His large, moon-like face appeared even more puffed up.
Watching him chew with a full mouth of food looked so wholesome that Jaehyuk found it appealing.
“The guys have been dining near the shooting range recently.”
“Shooting range? Come to think of it, I heard there was a huge commotion there yesterday.”
“Why?”
“The president of the shooting club nearly killed an outsider.”
With a mouthful of brisket, Baesoo gesticulated, prompting Jinsung to finish explaining.
“Some crazy guy reserved a slot claiming he’d shoot arrows but ended up slashing targets with a sword.”
“What are you talking about?”
Stories detached from common sense are usually hard to grasp.
Having somehow swallowed the copious amount of meat, Baesoo continued.
“Apparently, he went berserk because his arrows weren’t hitting the target and ended up slicing all the targets with a sword. The shooting club leader, who was there, nearly committed murder.”
“… Is that for real?”
“Yup, it just happened yesterday.”
“There truly are all sorts of lunatics out there…”
Jaehyuk, who was about to click his tongue stopped halfway.
Talking about lunatics, a specific person came to mind.
Coincidentally, Jinsung also thought of the same individual.
“You mentioned your team eats near the shooting range. Why? Are they practicing shooting by any chance?”
Baesoo, too, caught on to the situation.
“That red-haired senior, he genuinely seems a bit off.”
“… Still, Baek Dojin, he’s kind of pure.”
Jaehyuk found himself at a loss for a better defense.
Having finished his meal quickly, Jaehyuk returned to the dorm building.
He already knew which room belonged to Baek Dojin.
Knock, knock.
After gracefully knocking first.
Bang!
When there was no reply, he kicked the door.
“What’s going on, Kang Jaehyuk? That startled me.”
Baek Dojin was lying on his bed.
His small body was covered in bruises.
“At least they didn’t break your bones. Maybe they went easy on you since the hospital ward provides potions for serious injuries?”
“I thought it was thanks to the shooting club folks stepping in.”
The sight of him chuckling with swollen eyes was spectacular.
“Why do you go around getting beaten? You’re strong, aren’t you?”
“There are stronger guys. How am I supposed to handle a club captain when my level is not even 30 yet?”
“Is your level low among second-year students?”
“I’m middle tier, I suppose. The gap with the upper tier is just too wide.”
Among the second-years, there were already students who had reached C-rank and participated in assignments.
Some were even rare B-ranks.
They were on a different plane compared to the first-years.
Jaehyuk tossed an apple, which he had picked up as a get-well-soon gift, to Dojin.
“Eat that and recuperate well. You need to get better to level up, right?”
“Thanks.”
Jaehyuk didn’t ask for detailed circumstances.
He had pondered enough on his way here.
Baek Dojin may occasionally act out, but he wasn’t insane.
He only went ballistic when someone harassed him first or he witnessed an unjust situation, among others.
Would this time have been any different?
‘How dare they.’
Jaehyuk’s expression grew icy as he made his way to the shooting range.
At the same time, at the range.
“You shall not be forgiven.”
A guest arrived for the shooting club members, who were laughing and gossiping about last night’s incident.
“Pay the price for laying a hand on my brother.”
It was a boy with green hair and golden eyes.