Chapter 22

1 Limited-Edition Item Box. A coin item sold for a limited time during past scenarios in TWSA. W-wait… Wh-what’s that box doing here?! Biryu had shown up a little too late and was in shock. I-I thought we did a full product recall on those! According to TWSA, this item had quite a complicated history. It had been released for sale long before the scenarios began on planet 8612, before being forcibly recalled by Star Stream management. This was inevitable because the ability to put in a low-grade item and get a guaranteed high-grade item in exchange was way too powerful—enough to upset the balance of the scenarios. Furthermore, the price tag on this ridiculous item was a whopping one million coins. Constellations had been furious about this blatant money grab, and the foolish goblin who had created it had been fired from management. D-dear constellations, that’s… I don’t know why that box is—! H-hee-hee-hee-hee! End stream! [Channel #BI-7623 has been shut down momentarily.] Once Biryu disappeared, the constellations went silent as well. Too bad I couldn’t hear their reactions to this nonsense. It must have caused quite a stir. Vrrrrr. I looked at the vibrating chest. The random loot box was starting the gacha process. [You have placed a sword-type item in the box. The reward will be of the same type!] [Random loot gacha has begun!] A limited-Edition Item Box spits out a high-grade item no matter what grade item is inserted. In other words, it could be anything from C-grade to SSS-grade. It was all down to luck. [The item offered to the box is related to a certain constellation!] [You have greatly increased the chance of receiving an item related to that constellation.] …Huh? I hadn’t expected that. But it didn’t seem to be a bad thing. My clenched fists got sweaty. I’d never gotten this anxious, even when I’d paid for monthly gacha in an online game. Please be A-grade or higher! [A high-grade item has appeared!] [The box has 0 uses remaining.] Finally, it stopped shaking, and the bright lights were dimming. I looked at Sangah and Gilyeong, whose eyes were twinkling with curiosity. “Shall I open it?” “Yes!” We opened the box. “Wooow!” Gilyeong shouted so loud that it startled me. But even more surprising was what was inside. An elegant-looking hilt and a pure white blade…It reminded me of Broken Faith somehow. I looked up the item information right away. <Item Information> Name: Unbreakable Faith Grade: Constellation Artifact Description: The sword wielded by the hero Kaizenix, who led Grunciad into the golden age of magic in the past. It is imbued with Kaizenix’s mastery of aether and can generate Blade of Faith with Fire, Dark, or Holy element. As an added bonus, this item increases the user’s stamina and strength stats by two when equipped. I was speechless. No way…Is this for real? Not an alphabetically graded item, but a bona fide constellation artifact? “D-Dokja! I can tell it’s an amazing item just by looking at it!” It was, indeed. In TWSA, constellation artifacts are the only items which are excluded from the grade system. Not only because they have great power, but also because they are very special. Every constellation artifact contains the power of a constellation when they were alive. Its ability varies depending on where the associated constellation was from and how well-known they were, but the simple fact that it contains a constellation’s power makes it extremely valuable. Additionally, this one increased strength and stamina by two. Items are rated A-grade just for granting one stat point, so this was S-grade at the very least for the stat bonus alone. Even Junghyeok likely hadn’t acquired something like this yet. I turned to Sangah and Gilyeong out of courtesy. “…Is it okay if I keep this?” “Yes, of course! It’s yours.” Sangah answered enthusiastically. Gilyeong nodded energetically. I took a peek at Myeongoh, but he was munching on a ground rat’s leg with a dazed expression while muttering to himself. I thought he would’ve spouted some nonsense about how he should get the item…Weird. [You have obtained a constellation artifact.] [The owner of the constellation artifact is curious about you.] Based on that message, I assumed this constellation still existed somewhere. I should look through TWSA later. “Let’s start heading back. No need to take the meat. There are plenty of ground rats outside, so we just need the Mana Brazier.” “How will we get back?” “With Gilyeong’s ‘Interspecies Communication’—” But the boy didn’t look well. “Dokja, um…” “Yeah?” “There are no insects around here.” All the insects around us had been killed when I’d fought the warden of the dark. I hadn’t considered this. “Not even one? There should be some alive. If you use your attribute while we’re on the move…” There were so many insects in this world, so there should have been some left to communicate with. But Gilyeong looked worried. “Actually, there’s one I can call…” He mumbled something, closed his eyes, and began concentrating. “Dokja, something’s wrong with him!” The boy’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. Blood dripped from his nose. “Gilyeong?” Suddenly, there came a loud thud followed by tremors from above us. Dust and dirt rained down from the ceiling of the tunnel. The vibrations were from aboveground. I instantly had goose bumps all over my body. “Gilyeong! Gilyeong Lee! Snap out of it!” “Uh…Dokja?” His eyes came back to normal. “Gilyeong! Deactivate your skill! Now!” That seemed to jolt him awake, and he stopped his skill immediately. Once the tremors died down, I breathed a sigh of relief. I remembered that the surface was teeming with incredibly dangerous monsters. There was the level-7 monster plague rhinoceros I’d seen before entering Geumho Station. And I’d also spotted at least one monarch species insect of an unknown level. Of course, as the name suggested, a monarch species insect was also an insect. “Sheesh…” I was going to say something, but put my hand on Gilyeong’s head instead. I can’t believe he can call on a monarch species insect…Who is he, Jean-Henri Fabre? We could’ve been buried alive. “Don’t use that skill for a while unless I tell you to, okay?” “Okay…” Gilyeong looked a bit sullen. We had no choice but to wait. “If we go into the dark fold now, we’ll get lost. Let’s wait until small insects return to this area.” It had been easy enough to enter, but the dark fold was a dangerous place. One wrong turn, and we could get lost for days without realizing. Sangah raised her hand. “Um, if we’re just trying to get back, I think I can help instead of Gilyeong.” “…How?” I nearly blurted out, “Are you going to communicate with the dark fold this time?” But I stopped myself, because it would’ve sounded sarcastic. “I have a similar skill,” Sangah said reluctantly. That reminded me. I still didn’t know who Sangah’s sponsoring constellation was. “What skill is that?” “One way to explain it is…it’s a thread that shows the way you came…” A thread? “…Excuse me, Sangah, but may I ask what your attribute is?” I couldn’t read Sangah’s thoughts because she wasn’t a character from the novel, just like I couldn’t read the thoughts of Myeongoh or Gilyeong. “Um, it’s…” Sangah looked like she didn’t know what to do. It would’ve been less frustrating if I could use “Character Profile” on her. I tried activating it one more time as a test. [Exclusive skill “Character Profile” has been activated.] [This person is not registered in “Character Profile.”] I thought so. But there was another message this time. [Currently collecting data about this character.] …Huh? I hadn’t seen this one before. I just remembered that I’d heard a similar message when Sangah had activated her “Interpretation” skill. Originally, that message hadn’t been there. By any chance, did “Character Profile” update as time went on? No way… This gave me quite a lot to think about, but reassuring Sangah came first. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You did the smart thing. Be careful about telling others your attribute from now on, too.” “Dokja, it’s not that I don’t trust you, I—” It felt like Sangah was trying to tell me something. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. “Sangah, by any chance, did your sponsoring constellation say anything about me?” She looked distressed and lowered her head. “I’m sorry.” She barely managed to reply with her quivering lips. It looked like her sponsoring constellation had done more than just tell her about me. They had most likely sworn her to secrecy, on pain of death. I didn’t know who her sponsoring constellation was, but they must’ve decided to give her their full support. “It’s okay. I understand.” “Thank you…” No need to thank me. It’s not like the only way to find your sponsoring constellation is from you… In fact, this made my heart beat with excitement. Let’s call it a reader’s instinct to fill in the blanks. “I’ll use the skill, then.” Shiny threads soon appeared from Sangah’s fingertip and began to extend. “Actually, I thought this might happen, so I spooled a thread.” One thread was connected to me, and another one stretched out to the tunnel. My guess was that the other end was connected to Hyeonseong or Huiwon. “Let’s get going.” There was no way Sangah had had this kind of skill from the start. It was probably a stigma from her sponsoring constellation. A thread that leads you out of a labyrinth…Sounds like a constellation I know. [Channel #BI-7623 is now online.] A message indicated that the constellations were coming back into the channel. [A small number of constellations have filed a complaint about the channel’s transmission system.] [Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon is curious about what came out of the random box.] Heh, you didn’t see what happened, did you? Well, too bad. Damn it! What did that bastard do to my channel…? Ha-ha-ha! Hello, everyone. Did you miss me while I was gone? Yeah, I kinda missed— I caught myself. It’s a voice I’m used to. That’s all. It was Bihyeong. …I see you’ve been up to even crazier antics while I was gone. Am I the reason you were away? Well…in a way, yeah. I got a warning from management for abruptly cutting off the stream and putting on ads for too long. Only I could hear Bihyeong’s voice. This was “Goblin Communication,” which allowed their kind to talk to one another secretly. Of course, it was a violation of the rules to use it with me, an incarnation. But I’ve decided not to sweat the small stuff. A few trips to see management aren’t gonna kill me. By the way…how did you know about the random box? I just knew. Ugh, I can’t believe you saw my greatest failure… Your greatest failure? …… …Wait, you were the one who came up with that absurd pay-to-win item? Even I, the biggest fan of TWSA, hadn’t known about that. Damn it! I got way too greedy with that one… “Wow, this is really yummy!” Bihyeong’s yapping was cut off by Huiwon’s exclamation. Ten minutes ago, we had reunited with the rest of our gang with the help of Sangah. Thankfully, Huiwon and Hyeonseong had guarded the barrier until our return. “You’ll feel better if you eat this.” “Mmm, I think I do already.” Huiwon tried stretching her arms, and I could clearly see that she had recovered from the poison. Ground rat meat has a detoxifying effect when properly cooked. “Looks like you scored a bunch of items down there. Not just the Mana Brazier…” “Guess I did pick up a few things,” I answered, glancing at Hyeonseong. For the last few minutes, he’d been trying on the Rusty Iron Shield I’d given him, carefully polishing it like it was brand-new car. [Character Hyeonseong Lee feels slightly loyal to you.] Huiwon looked at him enviously. “Anything I can use?” “Nope.” “That sword, maybe?” “It’s mine.” “You’ll share the meat with everyone, right?” “If they pay coins.” “…You really love money, don’t you?” “Let’s say I love staying alive.” We bantered as we walked back to the station, carrying a cooked ground rat each. Before we knew it, we’d arrived at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, it was bright, and I could see the people of Geumho Station. But something was off. Everyone seemed on edge. [Twenty minutes remaining until checkout.] [Please prepare to pay the survival fee.] I realized what was going on after looking at the clock. It’s that time already? I didn’t know the word “checkout” could be so scary. “Coins, please give me coins!” “My kid doesn’t have coins. Please, someone…!” If they’d been diligent about clearing the scenarios, it wouldn’t have been difficult to earn a hundred coins. But diligent humans are rare. “I’ll give you a million—no, ten million won! Who’ll sell me one hundred coins?” The price of coins was going up by the second. How ironic. Currency which had no value before the apocalypse had a premium exchange rate. I spotted a group watching from the distance, sneering at the people’s desperation. The ones who already had enough coins for the survival fee—Inho Cheon and the Cheoldu Gang. A few women ran over to argue with them. “B-but you said a hundred coins for one go!” “Hmm, did I? I don’t remember.” “What…?” “Things have changed. How about a hundred coins for twice? Not a bad deal, right?” The sound of Cheoldu Gang’s laughter. I could guess what was going on. Huiwon had already pulled out her sword and was glaring at the gang. “Sick bastards! I’ll—” [Character Huiwon Jeong’s attribute is about to evolve.] It was almost time for Huiwon. This wouldn’t be a bad time for her attribute to evolve but…it was a little too early. She needed to hold back for a bit longer in order to get the attribute I wanted her to have. At that moment, there was a message from the system. [Soon, the survival fee will be processed.] “Help me! Help me!” Each of my companions seemed to react differently. Hyeonseong looked at the ground in sadness. Huiwon bit her lip hard as she gripped her sword. Everyone here knew the price for not paying the survival fee. They’d experienced enough of the scenarios to know there’d be no mercy. “…Dokja.” Sangah looked at me. “Yes.” In this world, coins are power. A person with coins can buy items and increase stats. A person with coins can have it all. [Some constellations have joined the channel following a recommendation.] [Constellation Secretive Plotter awaits your decision.] [Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband awaits your decision.] [Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire awaits your decision.] And right now, I’m the person with the most coins in Geumho Station.