Chapter 96
‘Agasachang’.
It meant that someone else spoke the words I was supposed to say.
Another way to put it: putting the blame on someone else.
That was exactly what was happening.
“Haa, ha. Damn it. Seriously.”
A young girl sat on the ground, letting out deep, frustrated sighs.
Why.
She was the one secretly spying on me, yet she was the one getting mad?
“This makes no sense. Impossible. I… I, Thunderstrike, getting my stealth detected by some participant? How does that make any sense?”
Well, I did understand.
She was probably used to walking around with her shoulders high because she was a Ranker.
Getting seen through by someone she considered beneath her must have been quite a shock.
Of course, if she knew I had the utterly broken skill that was the Old Man next to me, maybe she’d feel differently.
‘Or maybe not?’
I didn’t know.
Sometimes, when I looked at the old man, I wondered.
If his prime self were let loose in this world, what rank would he take?
‘He’d definitely make top 20.’
As a hunter, I did have instincts.
Between Jang Daewoong and the old man…
I’d choose the old man without hesitation.
‘But.’
Beyond that, even I couldn’t say.
According to Jang Daewoong, the gap between Rankers was enormous…
Maybe you’d never know until you met them in person.
“Hah, damn… I was completely dispersed into elemental form. Hey! You!”
“…?”
The girl suddenly jumped up and pointed at me.
“Answer me already! How in the world did you find me? This technique is nearly impossible to detect even for other Rankers.”
“Well.”
I snorted and spoke casually.
No matter how high-ranking she was, there was no reason to speak politely to someone who treated respect like a snack.
‘Although.’
She was a foreigner, so it probably didn’t matter to her.
“As I said earlier, you’ll have to explain why you were spying on me and who you are.”
“You’ve got to be kidding…”
Grit.
The pale-skinned girl ground her teeth in frustration.
“Fine. Rules are rules. I’ll explain.”
Crackle—!
Electric sparks danced across her body.
Like watching Pikach— a million volts, the crackling lightning exploded with a sharp snap.
Pa-zik!
Her form, which had disappeared, reappeared midair.
An impressive movement technique.
“I’m Rank 84, Thunderstrike Floa. One of the judges. You’ve heard of me, right?”
“…?”
I was slightly surprised.
Thunderstrike Floa.
Who wouldn’t know a Ranker of that caliber?
When it came to Rankers, my head was basically an encyclopedia.
Information about her flashed through my mind.
[Rank 84, Thunderstrike Floa]
– Age: 23, female.
– From Germany.
– Unique ability: lightning manipulation.
– Pure destructive power surpasses many Rankers above her, but she has poor stamina.
– As an elemental-type, matchups matter a lot.
“Anyway. I introduced myself. Now tell me how you spotted me!”
“You were just… visible.”
“What?”
“You peeked out a little. I was surprised and attacked. That’s all.”
I couldn’t say the old man had told me, so I answered loosely.
“…That’s it? Just a coincidence?”
The girl slumped weakly.
“Getting hit with a penalty over something like that…”
Ah.
At that moment, I could make another guess.
These judges received some kind of penalty when detected by participants.
Then yeah, I could understand why she’d been sighing so heavily.
“Anyway.”
She shook her head.
“Rules are rules. According to the guidelines set by Delilah, those who find a judge receive a special privilege.”
“A privilege?”
“Well, I wouldn’t even call it a privilege. The Trial Points Shop is supposed to open in a month, right?”
“…?”
Trial Points Shop?
Ah.
So that’s what the trial points were used for?
“You just get to check the shop early and use it once. A simple perk. Still, feel honored.”
“Honored? Why?”
“You’re the first. The first person to find a judge within a week.”
“……”
It wasn’t honor.
Shouldn’t she be the one feeling ashamed?
I almost said it but held the words back.
She was still a double-digit Ranker.
Aggravating her wouldn’t do my life any favors.
“Here.”
Floa clapped her hands in the air.
“Anyway, staring at each other isn’t fun, so let’s get this over with.”
Shrrrk—!
A window appeared before me.
[Ring!]
[Judge ‘Floa’ is opening the Shop.]
[Currency: Trial Points.]
[All items can only be purchased once per person.]
[Item List – 10/10]
[1. Grade A Antidote – 1,000 points]
[2. Grade S Antidote – 3,000 points]
[3. Theme 1 Pass – 5,000 points]
[4. Theme 1 Information – 10,000 points]
[5. Theme 2 Information – 10,000 points]
[6. Elixir – 10,000 points]
[7. Grade A Random Box – 10,000 points]
[8. Grade S Random Box – 30,000 points]
[9. World Tree Root – 50,000 points]
[10. Wish-Granting Scroll – 100,000 points]
“…?”
My eyes rolled around.
What was all this?
Why was everything so expensive?
“Go on, look through it.”
Floa shrugged.
She looked at me with a bored expression.
“You’ve only been here a week so I’m not sure how much you’ve saved, but at least buy some antidotes. I saw you gulping down poisoned mushrooms earlier.”
“……”
I didn’t bother answering.
I simply stared at the shop window, thinking.
I had 24,630 trial points.
Enough to grab quite a few things.
“Theme 1 Pass…? What’s this?”
When I muttered while staring at item 3, Floa nodded.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. For 5,000 points, you automatically pass and advance to Theme 2. Honestly, not a bad choice. Why risk dying to some random stray blade when you can guarantee survival?”
“Hmm, not interested.”
There was a reason.
This place was a paradise of poison.
I intended to stay as long as possible and consume every poison I could.
‘Besides.’
Now that I saw the shop items…
Of course I had to buy everything, right?
‘World Tree Root, and the Wish-Granting Scroll.’
Together they cost 150,000 points.
I was curious.
There was always a reason something was priced that high.
“I’ll buy information first.”
“What, information?”
Floa blinked.
“Information is 10,000 points. You already have that much?”
Apparently, judges didn’t know participants’ point totals.
“You must have really chugged those poisoned mushrooms… wow. Still, 10,000 in a week? Record-breaking.”
She kept muttering to herself.
“So. Theme 1 info? Or Theme 2 info? Theme 1 info seems wasteful though. You could just buy the pass for 5,000! That’s what I’d do!”
“No need. I’ll buy both.”
“Eh?”
Information was priceless.
Since I already planned to buy the entire shop, it didn’t matter whether it was Theme 1 or Theme 2.
“Did I mishear? What did you just say?”
“I said I’ll buy both.”
I pointed at items 4 and 5.
The icons gleamed.
“Uh… it’s actually letting you? R-really?”
Floa’s jaw dropped.
“You saved over 20,000 points? Really? In a week?”
“……”
I didn’t answer.
I just waited for her to finish the process.
[Purchasing ‘Theme 1 Information (S-grade).’]
[Purchasing ‘Theme 2 Information (S-grade).’]
[20,000 points used.]
[Remaining points: 4,630.]
Two envelopes appeared in my hands.
Elegant black paper sealed with red wax.
“Wow. This is insane. A non-Ranker doing this? How?”
Floa kept muttering in disbelief—
Pa-zik!
Then vanished.
Apparently, there were rules I didn’t know about.
—
– “Hmm, ever since I started tagging along with you, life’s been entertaining. Never a dull moment. Now, shall we open them?”
“Of course.”
I grinned and headed toward a quiet corner.
Vrrrm—!
I gathered the energy of the Supreme Azure Mind Method into my palm.
Condensed, the energy produced a faint light.
Using that, I lit up the envelope.
“These are thanks to you, Elder. We should read them together.”
– “Right, open them quickly. Only ten minutes left before the summon ends, you brat.”
The old man seemed just as curious, constantly urging me.
Adorable.
Rip!
I tore open the Theme 1 envelope first.
[Opening ‘Theme 1 Information (S-grade).’]
A single sheet inside.
Packed with information.
#1. After 30 days from the start of the trial, the creature ‘Toxin Mist’ will appear in the central region.
Toxin Mist is a fog monster containing every poison from this region.
Participants must survive for one week after it appears.
#2. There are three ways to pass Theme 1.
One, purchase a Theme 1 Pass at a shop.
Two, survive one week after the Toxin Mist appears.
Three, kill every participant and be the last one alive.
#3. Shops appear 30 days after the trial begins.
Currency is Trial Points, earned by consuming foods.
PS. Poisons grant bonus points.
#4. Special privileges exist.
Participants may locate judges secretly observing them.
If found, participants may use the shop early.
#5. There are two ways to obtain this information coupon.
One, purchase it from a judge with Trial Points.
Two, find the coupons hidden by judges around the map.
I clicked my tongue.
“So I didn’t need to buy this. Judges scattered them everywhere.”
– “Think positively. The earlier you get information, the more valuable it is.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded.
Thanks to this, Theme 1 was now clear.
“So we need to avoid this Toxin Mist…”
– “Heh, Toxin Mist…”
The old man met my eyes.
I saw a particular emotion in his gaze.
The emotion of: ‘jackpot.’
– “No matter how I look at it, your talent isn’t skill or effort.”
“…?”
– “Your real ability is luck, boy. Look at this. All the poisons of this land coming to you on their own. What a blessing. Ah, if only such a thing existed in my day, I could have reached a higher realm so much faster.”
“……”
-“Hurry along and give thanks to this Delilah woman. A deep bow.”
“…You want me to walk into the poison fog?”
– “Of course. Didn’t I tell you? Poison is something to smile at when you find it.”
Somehow…
I had a bad feeling that this Toxin Mist was no normal poison.
‘Anyway.’
I’d think about that later.
I looked at the second envelope.
Theme 2’s information.
Naturally, I had to open that one too.