Deal (2)
The ministry spirit sighed.
– Sigh…
She shook her head and said,
– You people, the desire of the mortal, is a very hard concept to understand. Why the hell are you so eager for?
For what? To survive, to be prepared. Seeing that it was classifying humans as mortals, did this an that the spirit’s identity was immortal? I wasn’t sure, but I was a little upset to hear that.
‘Well, whatever I may feel like, I just have to get what I need.’
I asked as if to hurry her up, “What do you think? I think it’s a fairly fair and reasonable deal.” I was saying it with much boldness wrapped around my face. In fact, the story I just told her was a lie. Well, not a complete lie, but rather my subjective valued judgnt? There is no conventional understanding or an international agreent that 10 SS-Class items were equivalent to one SSS-rated item.
I just said it without any basis.
‘In the beginning, there is no record of SSS-Class items being traded in this era just yet.’
Even though I knew for certain that what would return is a rejection, there was a good reason to risk it.
‘This should be the first and last ti soone can make a deal like this in return for stopping a dungeon break below A-Class!’
A Hunter, who had similar experiences in my previous life, said that the system ssage added him a hint. That wouldn’t include any additional benefits for him in the future because of the gap in compensation at a difficulty lower than A-Class. In other words, to try this kind of deal again, he had to show similar performance on the breaks above the S-Class next ti, which was next to impossible.
‘I had to do everything I could this ti!’
The spirit looked at the Mana screen in front of her with a look of great annoyance. A few subsequent gestures follow. The diagram and Archid characters inside were quickly rearranged and create strings of texts like flowing water. Considering the general process, and ignoring the unknown words, was…
‘It’s kind of a simulation.’
The screen that the spirits see seed to be connected to the ‘system.’ Assuming a situation in which 100 SS-class items were given to one Awakened, it checked the result of it.
‘It’s too lazy to argue with , so she’s doing the math right away.’
The result ca out imdiately. The Archid word that popped up was very easy, so I understood it right away.
‘Impossible.’
The spirit spoke determinedly.
– What you asked for is an excessive reward. 100 SS-Class items are not of the sa value as 1 EX-Class item. In the first place, item classes are not calculated by simple mathematics, and the criteria you gave are calculated to be accepted among the natives of that dinsion, right? It’s impossible to impose a 100:1 value comparison here.
This much of the response was expected. I knew it wouldn’t work, so I just did it. I didn’t have to bend down from the beginning. Now it’s ti to listen to the other party’s suggestion.
“Then, to what extent is it possible?”
– As suggested in the beginning, one SS-Class item, and if you tell about the additional requirents, I will review them and accept the available ones.
She was robbing . I clicked my tongue inside, ‘Rather than it only being able to do so… It’s just lazy for her to give this and that!’
With the personality, I have encountered so far and concluding from the data that piled up, later on, the ministry spirit’s attitude was like a bureaucrat who was tired of excessive work and tried to resolve as possible.
‘That doesn’t an that I have to back off imdiately.’
The more I annoyed her, the more likely I’d get what I want. That was how they work every ti.
“If 100 is too much. Let’s go with 50.”
Then the spirit’s eyes were filled with explicit emotions. If I had to put it in words, this would be the right description for it. She thought I was a pain in the backside.
– Ah…. Seriously…
She frowned heavily, but she couldn’t kick out right away.
‘Only when she is done giving the reward, by any ans, and has to agree on the reward, could she get out of this place too!’
The guess turned to conviction.
– Wait a minute.
She didn’t even pretend to think or contemplate. Instead of finding a way, she imdiately entered sothing on the screen and interpreted the result. After a few attempts were repeated several tis:
– 10 SS-Class items. I recomnd that you be satisfied with this much. How is that?
I had already checked the screen that the spirits saw, so I knew that there was still room for that counteroffer, even if I didn’t understand it 100%. I hit it back without delay.
“20 SS-Class items. All of them by my designation. And an additional request apart from the item.”
If she reduced 100 from 50 to 20, it was natural that she should pay a corresponding price.
– I’m not accepting the offer yet, but I’d like to hear what the additional requests are before we go further.
“When the tutorial is over, I know it’s possible to upgrade your unique skill or change them to a completely different kind.”
– How do you know that? That’s strange. That information can’t have been announced at this dinsion yet.
“I have been in contact with an alien race who have been wandering in various dinsions.”
– ···So?
“My tutorial is not over yet, but I want to upgrade my unique skill at this point.”
Whether it was [Mana Drain] or [The Successor’s Eyes], it was a bigger win than acquiring a decent SS-Class item if any of the two’s performance could be increased.
But then.
– Impossible.
The spirit refused imdiately without looking at the screen. I was calm because it was the reaction I had expected.
‘Supplying an EX-Class item is impossible. Upgrading my unique skill is impossible. What they have in common is that it’s not a choice until the tutorial is over.’
I asked, “You’re saying the end of the tutorial is such an important reference point? If so, even if I don’t upgrade it right away, can I know in advance what options exist in the future?”
The spirit sighed lightly.
– I’m not assigned to you in the first place. Compensation that I can give you can only be made within my authority.
I imdiately changed my requirents, “Well, what about this?” So far, I’ve been requesting, well knowing that it would be impossible. But from now on, there was sothing that I was determined to receive.
“I want all the information about an Awakened with a unique skill called [rcadius’ Seed].”
She made a strange face.
– ···If it has a skill of that na in the first place, the being wouldn’t be from your dinsion.
It was consistent with the explanation of the immortal.
– In any case, I can’t access or intervene with soone’s unique skill. I don’t have the authority. The person in charge of that case will not be involved in this dinsion until the tutorial is finished.
“Then let’s change the terms. I want information about an alien species that ca to Earth at least before 2023 and had direct or indirect contact with .”
Fifteen years ago, the original Seo Jin-Wook first experienced the symptom of the curse, so there was no need to consider those who had co to Earth since then. If the range was reduced as much as possible, it was focused under this condition.
“I am aware. The information about the Awakened of the dinsion where the tutorial is in progress is protected.”
She wouldn’t answer if soone asks the ministry spirit for my information at the Altar of Trials.
But then.
“The na of the skill [rcadius’ Seed] has a proper noun and ans it has already been modified, right? The being I’m looking for must have completed the tutorial quest and should not be subject to information protection, yes?”
The spirit stared at for a mont without saying a word. And, there was a slight frown between her eyes.
– I can’t refute that. You really know a lot of things.
And whispers softly.
– Oh, that’s a real hassle.
That doesn’t an it’s impossible. There we go!
– But I can’t give you all the information you want. It’s not my authority in the first place. I can extract a list of the Awakened beings who have already completed the tutorial, and their current location, which visited Earth before 2023. Do you accept?
That alone was a huge step forward. Since I was making a breakthrough with the situation where I had no idea where the curse originated, I wanted to know at least. However, I wanted to sing for the joy of it.
‘Before I put an end to it, I should get what I can.’
I didn’t an to be satisfied with only this, “Then, 20 SS-Class items and the information of the Awakened according to the conditions I suggested. Do you agree?”
– No, wait a minute. I think you’re mistaken now, but I didn’t accept the condition of 20 items in the first place. Wait a minute.
She looked at the simulation again on the screen and said,
– Not 20. 10 for SS-Class. You can’t adjust the amount of the item any further.
That wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t solely the truth. There is still room for this offer. If I could manipulate the item, I could ask for sothing else.
“Well, I suggest it again.”
Now there was a look on the face of the ministry spirit that seed to say, ‘What a disgusting human being!’ A sickening look. I said without hesitation, “10 SS-Class items. Provide the information I requested. Add one more… Give the authority to receive the ‘Selection quest.’”
– ·······Have you heard the concept of the selection quest from the alien being?
I lied, “Yes, I have.” The concept of a quest was unfamiliar to humankind now, but in fact, all hunters were still performing the sa kind of quest. The quest was nad ‘Tutorial.’
‘Tutorial quests are quests shared by all hunters.’
The content was simple. When a dungeon opened, clear it, block the brakes, and beco stronger. Everyone forgets because it didn’t provide an exact target, but we are all currently conducting the quest at this mont.
‘However, from the latter part of the tutorial quest, only a select few hunters would experience additional challenges.’
The system classified them as ‘chosen’ when they show outstanding capabilities and performance compared to other hunters. Such an Awakened is entitled to receive and perform quests shared only with individuals or minorities. If one succeeded, the individual gets a reward that others can’t get from an ordinary dungeon.
‘For example, the dagger that Angelica held in her previous life. Becoming Angelica’s attributed item, it was the only item that could break the dinsional bird’s egg and as a reward for finishing a personal quest.’
Co to think of it now. Angelica must have completed the quest and taken the dagger to gain control of the egg.
‘Since it’s a personal item, no one could break it as long as Angelica is determined not to break the egg. She created a situation where soone had to kill Angelica to take the knife away.’
Before that, she killed everyone on the other way around.
‘I need to be qualified before others for it to be advantageous.’
The spirit hesitated for a mont.
– That’s…
“Is that impossible too? It’s going to be in the tutorial anyway. Isn’t it a different story from EX-Class items and unique skill modifications?”
-That’s true, but I was thinking of starting the screening quest in a few years in this dinsion. If I open the quest to only one person in advance…
She would not say that it was against fairness. In the first place, tutorial quests were made up to beco stronger and weak ones would be left behind the wall.
The following words were as I expected.
– ········ getting a little annoying.
“It’s not impossible, is it?”
The spirit, looking at the screen, suddenly startled and scread.
– Wait a minute!
It seems that it had noticed sothing.
– Oh, my God. Have I been here this long?! How long has it been?
I think it’s been less than 10 minutes from my point of view. But the spirit was frightened and fed up by it.
– Yes, yes, okay! All right! Let’s wrap it up here. 10 SS-Class items, information about an Awakened that ets certain conditions, and sharing a screening quest only to you in advance.
She glared at as if she would not tolerate anymore.
– Do you agree?
I didn’t think I should play any more tricks, ‘I’ll have to settle for this.’ I nodded my head, “I agree.”
The spirits rushed to type sothing into the screen.
– Then, we will proceed in reverse order of what you requested. I’ll give you your last request first.
Swish!
A cluster of light, like the stars, poured out of the sky and fell on the back of my hand. A blue flash illuminated and created a pattern on the back of the hand.
‘Mark of the Chosen!’
It was similar to the seal engraved on the body when I Awakened, but it was different. This is a kind of a secondary Awakening. I received the certification to access a kind of a main quest within the tutorial quest. As soon as I looked at it, I heard an automated ssage. It was not a ministry spirit, but the control cognition.
– A total of 108 quests are currently available for the user.
At this mont, I was the only one who could access this quest list on Earth.
Said the spirit.
– Now, the next… is an alien being that ca over to Earth, right?
She kept grumbling.
– Ah…. This is such a hassle.
At that mont. Weing! The landscape around us changed at once.
‘This is!’ I had a cognitive impairnt for a second then… I returned to normal due to the unique skill’s effect, ‘I see it now!’
The thing that suddenly appeared looked like seeing a part of the vast galaxy or the map of neurons that I saw in a book sowhere. Countless dots were spread out, and each of them was connected by a fine line, creating a net-like dense sh.
I could see for sure what it was, ‘It’s a type of a map!’
It was a three-dinsional map that used all the surrounding spaces. I checked the center of the map that the spirits looked at. On the small dot she stared at, a long Archid text string was arranged, most of which were numbers. And the short word next to the number ant, ‘Earth.’ I felt goosebumps all over my body for a mont.
‘Oh, wait a minute. This thing right now?’
While the spirit was working, I was busy keeping this huge three-dinsional map in my eyes. If what I’m guessing was right…!
– Well, let’s see. That’s a lot more than I thought.
The spirit’s task was to observe the past record of interactions between the interconnected points. For example, the point marked Earth and the other point connected by a line has the word ‘Krashen’ written in Archid characters and the long number next to it. As the spirit gestured, additional text strings appeared above the line, describing the two points’ relationship. A physical passage between the two points was temporarily created in 2021, followed by the description that an Awakened being had crossed from ‘Krashen’ to ‘Earth.’
And before the Awakened crossed to Krashen, it was in another dinsion connected to it, and the na of the dinsion and the number beside it was clearly stated. There were several other similar cases.
‘I see!’
I understood the identity of the huge map that the spirit was looking at now.
‘This was a map of the coordinates and nas of all dinsions… around the Earth!’
Reviews
All reviews (0)