Chapter 47
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 47: Open Door( 4)
Open Door.
This word has two literal definitions.
First, opening one’s domestic market to allow other countries to freely engage in trade or economic activities.
Second, leaving the door open for anyone to come and go without restrictions on entry.
And looking at the current situation, the meaning of open doorapplied in this world was both of these.
Even now, strange monsters are invading under the pretext of being pioneers, and those beings from outer space are appearing out of nowhere and conducting business.
Moreover, none of this was approved by humanity.
The only thing that the majority of humanity unanimously agreed on was that something was wrong with the world and something had to be done.
‘But how did it come to this?’
Yeongwoo scratched the ground noisily, staring blankly at the approaching stone box.
Thud, thud.
The box that eventually arrived at Yeongwoo’s feet showed little movement for a while.
Boom!
Suddenly, with a loud noise, it opened its lid.
Clang!
Surprised, Yeongwoo drew his black sword like lightning, and the trio watching him from a distance also flinched, each taking a combat stance.
But what appeared from the box was…
-Crunch.
A small goblin carrying only its body size. Moreover, its skin was golden.
“Uh, this is….”
As Yeongwoo unintentionally pointed at the goblin with his finger, the goblin looked up at him.
-Kek?
Then, a tooltip appeared in Yeongwoo’s field of vision.
Thunk!
「Golden Goblin」 – Relic Slave
【Stores items in a pocket dimension.】
【Picks up things that turn into money.】
With just that eye contact, the golden goblin became Yeongwoo’s possession.
An Relic-grade slave.
‘Is this really an item? It just looks like a living being….’
Meanwhile, the golden goblin was rummaging through the shattered stone box with its small hand.
And then.
Whoosh.
It seemed to have found something.
It was none other than…
「Kekidite」- Hero’s Gem
【Slot: 10% Magic Resistance
It was a slot-specific gem that Yeongwoo had purchased along with the goblin.
A tiny black gem the size of a human thumbnail.
-Kit!
Confirming that Kekidaite had transferred to Yeongwoo’s possession, the golden goblin, carrying it on its shoulder, spread the tip of the bag it had on its shoulder.
Then, the golden goblin gestured as if asking if it was okay to store this item in the bag.
‘Ah, confirming with the owner before putting it in. So, is that like a pocket dimension bag?’
Yeongwoo nodded towards the goblin, curious to see how the pocket dimension worked.
The goblin tossed the kekidaite into the bag, and in that moment,
Whoosh!
The interior of the bag, glimpsed through the tip of the bag, transformed into a space resembling the universe.
“…!”
Yeongwoo, peeking at it, felt a momentary sense of disorientation so strong that he took a step back.
‘What was that just now?’
Yeongwoo blinked, looking at the bag again, but the goblin had already tightly closed the bag’s tip.
-Crack!
The goblin, locking the bag, looked up at Yeongwoo and made a sharp sound, seeming to be a sharp warning.
“…”
Although no one translated or explained, Yeongwoo instinctively sensed that it was some kind of warning not to look inside the bag when the pocket dimension was open.
-Kit!
Next, the goblin found and held up Yeongwoo’s last item, the ancient scroll.
After placing the bag on the ground, this item, despite its name “scroll,” was not paper but a grayish stone slab.
「Morning Star」 – Ancient Scroll
【Activated in the Open Door state.】
As it was the size of a large encyclopedia, Yeongwoo had to receive it with both hands.
Thud.
‘What is this…?’
Deeply engraved on the stone were hieroglyph-like symbols, but naturally, they were unreadable.
However, there was no guidance or information appearing in Yeongwoo’s hands, the owner.
Externally, it looked like just a useless large rock.
But the merchants of Voltak had priced it at a whopping 80,000 karma, and the Serpent of Greed, an epic compass, also claimed it to be a rare item.
The tooltip only mentioned that it activated in a open door state, so Yeongwoo couldn’t understand not only the usage of “Morning Star” but also what kind of item it was.
Crunch.
He tried biting the corner of the slab secretly, but it remained silent.
‘Or does it activate automatically in specific situations?’
In the end, Yeongwoo couldn’t find a solution until the SUV of the Jeong family appeared on the other side of the road.
Brrrr!
At first, it was an approaching SUV with a quite loud engine noise, but not far away, the sound suddenly quieted down.
It was because they belatedly discovered something inside the black pillar of light.
“Hey, Mr. Yeongwoo?”
As always, Myeongho parked the car from a distance and only extended his head, calling out to Yeongwoo.
“Are you okay?”
This was also a question about whether he and his mother will be safe.
Upon this, Yeongwoo glanced briefly at the trio still standing in place and then moved towards the Jeong family.
Then,
-Kitkit!
The golden goblin, who had been circling the box debris, surrounded Yeongwoo and ran after him.
And all of this seemed revolutionary in the eyes of the trio.
“Uh… Mr. Jeong Yeongwoo!”
So much so that they rushed towards him, pushing commemorative coins engraved with Yeongwoo’s face and name into his hands.
“…?”
Turning at the sound calling him, Yeongwoo saw that just ten minutes ago, those who used to show him hostility were now standing with polite demeanor.
“What are you doing?”
Yeongwoo asked with a raised eyebrow, and the man in the leader-like outfit among the trio bowed deeply.
“Please take us in!”
“…What?”
He had received requests for help or temporary shelter before, but the phrase “take us in” was a first.
“Whether colleagues or subordinates, I won’t accept such requests.”
As Yeongwoo replied, memories of parting with Yechan, which already felt like a long time ago, flashed through his mind.
According to Yechan’s judgment, it was difficult for Yeongwoo to form a party.
For ordinary people, fighting monsters would be nearly impossible without increasing their party size.
However, as the Strongest Sword, Yeongwoo was different.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
His main opponents were not just monsters but much stronger mutants and the Strongest Sword from other regions.
Therefore, unless they were strong enough to help in battles with them, party members would be a burden—no, a weakness.
“Don’t talk nonsense and think about surviving on your own. Your chances of surviving are higher that way than traveling with me.”
Although Yeongwoo stated it firmly, the man in the leader’s outfit seemed dissatisfied.
“No! We are weaker than you, of course, but we can follow you and learn at least…!”
“Whether you learn or not, you’ll die within today or tomorrow.”
In gaming terms, it was like a user who had just finished the tutorial following a high-level hunting ground user.
Swish.
After finishing his words, Yeongwoo was about to continue walking towards the Jeong family, but the man who had been continuously bowing behind him raised his head and pointed at the SUV.
“What about those people? Are you saying those people will die within tomorrow because of Mr. Yeongwoo too?”
“…”
It was an undeniable point.
Upon this, Yeongwoo slowly turned around.
Then, in a subdued voice, he spoke.
“Yes. One person has already died. So, they’re expected to fall apart soon.”
“…!”
The pupils of the three individuals widened significantly.
However, the man in the leader’s outfit was not usually persistent.
“Then please let us stay with you until we part ways.”
At this, dissent arose within the trio for the first time.
“Why go to such lengths?”
“Just being with them is dangerous enough. Let’s stop here.”
The other two were not only scared by Yeongwoo’s words but also had no desire to follow someone else by clinging desperately.
It made sense, as the three of them had been doing quite well on their own so far.
Yeongwoo had refused their joining for the same reason.
However, the man in the leader’s outfit was looking far into the distance.
“We might have a chance to see how someone like that operates and moves from a distance. We need to understand how the world works to find a proper way to survive.”
While saying this, the man pointed at the SUV of the Jeong family once again.
“It’s not like we gain nothing. If we join that vehicle, we gain mobility. It’s not a losing choice at all.”
“But how do we know those people want to be with us? That’s also unknown.”
Another member immediately countered, but the man gestured that there would be no problem.
“Are there people who don’t want to live, no right…? Already one person has died, and soon Mr. Yeongwoo won’t be there either. They won’t refuse our request to join them.”
Although continuously attaching ‘Mr.’ felt burdensome, Yeongwoo found the man’s last opinion strangely convincing.
If, according to the previous agreement, they were to part ways in Chungju and go their separate paths, the Jeong family without combatants would practically be as good as dead.
It was quite selfish, but it was an opportunity to unload the burden on his mind.
“Okay. If the condition is to join them when I part ways with you, I’ll allow you to travel together for a while.”
Yeongwoo, who had been firm until now, suddenly changed his stance, and the man in the leader’s outfit’s expression brightened.
On the other hand, the other two members looked more serious and expressed resentment.
“I’m not interested. Essentially, we’ll be following that guy.”
“We know he’s an outstanding person, but if he can’t take responsibility for our lives, there’s no reason to follow him.”
Sizzle.
The atmosphere inside the vehicle changed, and the composition seemed different.
With the two stepping back, it no longer looked like a trio.
Yet, the man in the leader’s outfit was obsessively fixated on Yeongwoo, to an unusual extent.
“I want to know how that person fights and what thoughts guide him. If you’re going to stay here, I’m going, even if I’m alone.”
“What?”
“Then, it’s just the two of us.”
By declaring their departure so simply, it seemed they weren’t family.
Now that it had come to this, Yeongwoo was also intrigued by the man.
However, since he couldn’t drag out the time, he intervened in the conversation of the trio.
“I’m leaving now. If you really plan to follow, decide now.”
Saying so, Yeongwoo continued walking towards the vehicle.
The man in the leader’s outfit adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and moved along.
The other two, once the man stepped back, made blunt remarks as a farewell.
“Crazy bastard.”
“Don’t regret it just before dying.”
At the same time, Yeongwoo, who had arrived at the SUV, opened the rear seat door with a surprised look at Myeongho.
“Spare a seat for one more person, will you? Let him sit in the front passenger seat.”
“Uh, yes… of course…”
However, Myeongho’s gaze was not on the new member, the man in the leader’s outfit, but on the golden goblin that had bounced onto the back seat with Yeongwoo.
“Yeongwoo, excuse me, but what is that?”
Looking around the back seat with the rearview mirror, Myeongho cautiously asked.
At the same time, Myeongae, who was startled, pressed herself against the opposite window.
“W-What kind of monster is that?”
In response, Yeongwoo handed the artifact ‘Morning Star’ to the goblin he was holding.
“It’s my slave. You can store your belongings with this little guy now.”
However.
-Kitkit!
For some reason, the goblin did not accept the certificate that Yeongwoo handed over.
“Why is that?”
Yeongwoo handed the item once again, but the goblin, like before, did not react.
The reason became clear when the man in the leader’s outfit climbed into the front passenger seat.
“Shi-aat…!”
Suddenly, a gray slate, or rather a sooty slab, began to emit white smoke and break apart when the man stepped onto the seat.
“Oops…!”
Realizing something, Yeongwoo went out of the vehicle holding the crumbling slab in his hand.
At that moment, the slate that had maintained its outline so far scattered into the air.
“Uh?”
Myeongho, who extended his head only as far as the driver’s seat window, the man in a stylish suit trying to see Yeongwoo from the passenger seat, and Myeongae who still looked dreadful, all focused their attention on Yeongwoo.
With all eyes on him, Yeongwoo saw a new message appear in his field of vision.
[Achievement Unlocked: Model]
| Achievement Grade: Artifact
| Achievement Rank: First
‘ model…?’
Yeongwoo, receiving the gaze of those around him, looked at the dust-like particles of the shattered slate that had soared to the dark sky.
‘What did I advertise?’
Just as Yeongwoo had this unsettling question, a faint timer appeared at the top of his field of vision.
| Time until advertiser arrival: 04:30:00
Soon after.
‘Huh.’
| Time until advertiser arrival: 04:29:59
The timer started counting down.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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