Chapter 29: Land (2)
TL: Hanguk
I finally managed to safely reach land, just as I had hoped.
Although I calculated quite a bit, it was clearly a dangerous mission, and there were a few precarious moments due to actual sea monsters.
Thus, I was very happy about the success and frolicked around the vast land with a light heart.
The name of the place I arrived at was 'Pado-ri, Taean, Chungnam .'
Unfortunately, there were no waypoints or safe zones in Pado-ri, so I had to travel about 8km north to reach a place called Manripo.
8km might seem far, but it's much easier than flying 1.5km above the sea.
So, I started moving without hesitation...
But at about the halfway point, 4km in, I got caught up in an unexpected commotion.
"Kuk!"
"Shoot! Shoot and kill him!"
-Tatatatatang!
Screams filled with malice and the rough sound of gunfire.
Along with the rampant swearing, added with screams, felt like I was in the middle of a battlefield.
'No, isn't this nearly a battlefield?'
I smirked bitterly at the bullets noisily hitting the barrier in front of me.
How did things end up like this?
I just discovered a refugee camp in Pado-ri and asked for directions to Manripo.
'Of course, I can't say it's not my fault at all.'
When some crazy guy started swinging fists at me, I reflexively twisted his arm.
Then, another guy suddenly started shooting at me.
'Since when did South Korea become a frightening country where people shoot first over a quarrel?'
Of course, I understand that everyone is struggling because of the great disaster, but this was crossing the line.
So, after subduing the guy who shot the gun, two more appeared and started shooting.
After subduing those two, four more appeared and opened fire.
Eventually, the situation escalated, and about a dozen people were firing at me.
'These bastards?'
Pointing and shooting a gun means putting the will to kill the opponent into action.
There was no need to show mercy to such people.
So, without hesitation, I launched an attack on the group shooting at me.
I slashed at their bodies with my sword imbued with sword energy, aiming for their heads and shot magic bullets.
"Uaaaak! Mon, monster!"
Fighting against people with guns is not easy, but anyway, my head will be protected by the Light-Woven Helmet.
Even if my body turned into rags, drinking a high-grade healing potion would recover it, so I had no hesitation.
However, the opponents I faced didn't even necessitate taking out a high-grade healing potion.
[Kim Tae-sik / Level: 3]
[Choi Hyung-ki / Level: 1]
[Jo Min-su / Level: 2]
Whether they blindly trusted in their guns, their combat power was as pitiful as the levels displayed by the Exploration skill.
Using the Leap and Stepping Stone skills to intricately run through the air and ground, the gun barrels couldn't keep up, and when I spread a wide net, I approached them by deploying a defensive barrier.
Thanks to that, those guys couldn't hit me with a single bullet, and they were too easily annihilated, much to their dismay.
-Slice!
After closing the distance of about 10 meters in one leap with the Leap skill, I cut off the last guy's neck and looked at the blood on my sword, furrowing my brows.
When killing monsters, their blood also evaporates and disappears, so there's no need to worry, but human blood was different.
Eventually, I pulled out a tissue from my inventory to wipe it off and clicked my tongue.
-Click.
And after putting away my sword, I took in the sight of the bodies of the attackers scattered around.
'I knew a day like this wouldn't come but...'
In the end, I had taken human lives.
I had thought such an incident might happen someday, but I never expected it to happen as soon as I set foot on land.
But strangely, I felt no emotion.
It just felt like I was doing what needed to be done.
[Magic Power as a stat isn't just for increasing the energy to use skills. It also enhances the user's mental strength.]
I remembered what Willia had said.
Perhaps my ability to stay calm is also due to the high Magic Power stat, just as she had mentioned.
At first, I was apprehensive that increasing magic power might even erase my humanity, but now, I think it's fortunate that such a function exists.
If I had panicked or hesitated to fight after killing someone, I might have been the one lying on the ground instead of those thugs.
"Doesn't seem like they were soldiers. What kind of people were they?"
As I examined the bodies, I tilted my head in confusion.
They all appeared to be in their 20s to 30s, with long hair and various hairstyles, which didn't match the typical image of soldiers.
Just then,
"Wow, woah!"
"Ah, you scared me."
Suddenly, a man ran towards me, screaming.
I almost drew my sword in response, but his subsequent actions made me withdraw my hand from the sword.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. Great hero!"
Great hero?
What is he talking about?
[Choi Ik-chan / Level: 4]
As I looked puzzled, someone named Choi Ik-chan, who seemed a bit frivolous, approached with a cautious demeanor.
[Choi Ik-heon / Level: 5]
Another man with a similar name, apparently brothers.
"I'm sorry. My brother is obsessed with martial arts... These were the guys armed with guns who had occupied our village and oppressed us. Since you've taken them down, it's as if you've saved our village."
Understanding the situation from the older brother Choi Ik-heon's explanation, I felt this situation was oddly similar to the one on Gauido Island.
The difference, however, was
"Woohoo!"
People who had been hiding in the abandoned school cheered and poured out, their number incomparably greater than those on Gauido Island.
It was surprising that over 500 people had been hiding inside the abandoned school, but the enthusiastic reaction despite having killed people made it clear these thugs truly deserved their fate.
Thanks to this, I was surrounded by people thanking me for a long time.
'I just dealt with them because they started shooting all of a sudden.'
Being treated like a hero by so many people didn't feel too bad.
"But great hero, aren't you going to collect the bodies?"
How long had I been receiving people's thanks?
Choi Ik-chan, known as the martial arts fanatic, came up to me with a curious question.
Thinking of his strange title as just part of his personality, I asked what he meant, and Choi Ik-chan looked slightly surprised before smiling kindly.
"You can collect coins and items they had in their inventory from the dead."
"Really?"
It was a system I was completely unaware of.
So, following Choi Ik-chan's words, I placed my hand on a body.
[Coins held: 542]
[Inventory Items]
- 12 pieces of Goblin Leather
- 60 rounds of 5.56mm rifle ammunition
[Equipped Gear]
- Goblin's Obsidian Dagger (Advanced / Strength +1)
A message window like the above appeared in front of me.
Items could be collected simply by touching them.
'Why is there such a system?'
It was a system I wouldn't have easily noticed if Choi Ik-chan hadn't mentioned it.
But looking at this system made me frown once again.
It felt as though humans were included as targets for farming, just like monsters.
'This is a system that hinders human cooperation.'
Perhaps it's a small mercy that it doesn't absorb experience points?
If killing people allowed one to level up, it truly would have opened the gates of hell.
'Of course, being able to farm items from humans is malicious enough...'
I was able to collect a significant amount of coins and items from the 20 bodies.
Honestly, aside from the coins and gun-related materials, the rest were basic items of little use, but they were too good to give away, so I collected them anyway.
"Um..."
Then, Choi Ik-heon, the older of the Choi brothers, cautiously approached me.
Even without him saying anything, I had a feeling I knew what he was about to ask.
Just the fact that they know how to collect items from corpses shows what kind of treatment they received from those thugs.
They probably think they ended up in that situation because they were powerless.
In that sense, firearms are the items that can most easily provide power.
"Do you want the firearms?"
Perhaps because I read his mind too easily, Choi Ik-heon's face turned red.
"Yes, that's correct. Of course, I can't shamelessly ask you to just give them to us without compensation, so we'd like to pay for them."
Out of the 20 K2 rifles, 3 were destroyed during the battle, leaving 17.
Plus, there were about 3,000 rounds of ammunition.
I was curious.
What they would offer in return.
"For now, if the people of our village pitch in, we can gather 2,000 coins."
It's a large sum from the perspective of ordinary people.
But from my standpoint, it wasn't a satisfying amount.
"We'll give you the initial 2,000 coins and then, over five installments, we'll provide an additional 2,000 coins each time."
However, the subsequent proposal was so unexpected that I couldn't help but show my surprise.
"You mean to take the firearms on an installment plan?"
"Yes, is that insufficient?"
A down payment of 2,000, plus 2,000 more five times.
It meant a total payment of 12,000 coins.
Considering my entire fortune was 18,000 coins, it was not an amount to be ignored.
'Is this what they call the economy of scale?'
Even if the amount each individual can obtain seems insignificant from my perspective, when accumulated, it becomes a significant sum.
"I'll give you 15 guns and over 2,500 bullets."
I intended to keep 2 firearms and 500 rounds of ammunition for myself.
Choi Ik-heon nodded without any complaints.
"It doesn't seem like you're the village representative, can you make this decision on your own?"
"I don't think persuading them will be difficult."
"Still, go and consult them."
"Understood. I'll be back shortly."
Following my instruction, he ran off somewhere and gathered a few people.
After a brief exchange of words, he returned in less than 3 minutes.
"I got permission."
That fast?
I was puzzled by their actions.
Though it was a significant amount of money, making it hard to refuse, it somehow felt like they were at a loss.
"We'll pay 2,000 coins every 7 days."
And the payment period was short.
Just hand over some guns and bullets I got from a brief fight, and I'd magically get 2,000 coins every week.
'Wait, every week? Ah, is that what it is?'
I finally understood their intention.
"So, you want me to come by every week to check on you all and, incidentally, help out if there's any danger?"
Looking at it now, the specified amount included protection money along with the price for the firearms.
They were quite clever, weren't they?
"I'm sorry if this offends you. We just don't have anyone else to rely on..."
"Why do you trust someone you just met?"
"Just from your actions and conversation, it's clear you're not a bad person. Especially since you didn't know how to collect from the bodies, it means you're different from those thugs."
"But I'm just an individual?"
"An individual who easily took down 20 armed men by themselves."
I let out a chuckle.
Though I was nearly exploited unknowingly, I wasn't angry since they tried to ensure I got my fair share.
And thanks to them, I saw the potential for a new business.
"So, if I keep receiving coins, does that mean I just become the new boss?"
"Being forced to give under oppression and paying protection money for freedom are fundamentally different."
"How much were they extorting from you?"
"Between 1,500 to 2,000 coins every day."
"Alright. Then it seems I can raise the price."
"What?"
"Let's do 3,000 each week, for 5 payments."
I had to make sure to collect the value of them trying to use me without saying anything.
"Guh... Understood."
"In return, I'll actively help you in times of crisis."
"Th, thank you!"
And so, I handed over the firearms and ammunition, receiving an advance payment of 2,000 coins.
As a result of forming this connection, they were to pay me 3,000 coins weekly.
Although it's set for five installments initially, if our relationship continues satisfactorily, it would naturally be extended.
'I kind of feel like I've become a gangster?'
I shook hands with Choi Ik-heon and Choi Ik-chan, then asked them for directions to Manripo.
"Do you know where the Manripo safe zone is?"
I had already pinpointed the location of the waypoint to Gyeryong base through a satellite call with my father.
For now, the closest waypoint from here is Manripo.
"G-Great Hero, are you heading to Manripo?"
However, my question seemed to fluster Choi Ik-chan, the martial arts fanatic.
I asked why, and from him, I was able to hear about Manripo.
"Actually, there's a rumor that the thugs you defeated were sent from Manripo. I've heard that a force centered around the police has formed there, and it's almost like an army. They're probably continuing oppressive exploitation not unlike what we experienced here."
"Hmm..."
Why does every place with people turn out like this?
It hasn't even been a day since I arrived, and I'm already missing Wolgwang Island.
"Still, please tell me the location."
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TL: I'm looking for an Editor/Proofreader for this series. If you are interested, DM me on Discord. Thanks.
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