Blazing Torch (1)
I stroked my chin as I looked at the system window that popped up in front of me.
‘It’s the third version of the Karma Store.’
How much fun have you had thanks to the “Karma Store Ver.2 Update”?
『VIP Market』, which provides special products useful to awakeners, and 『Product Purchase』, which makes it easier to obtain items from each dimension, have also been of considerable help.
As such, I couldn’t help but feel excited when I heard that the store had been further upgraded…
“…Anyway, I didn’t expect this.”
I stared blankly at the list that appeared in front of me with a shocked face.
The store overall had a format with some new elements added from the previous version.
However, as I was happily checking out each and every change, something suddenly stuck in my mind…
『Product Purchase – View Details』
└Outerica
└Kang Hwan-gye
└Earth
‘earth? ‘Earth?’
It was the single word ‘Earth’ that was stuck on the menu where only items from another world could be purchased.
“So, you’re saying that now you can purchase things on Earth with karma?”
Actually, that in itself wasn’t that great of a benefit.
With my current influence, I could easily obtain quite a few items without having to use karma.
In fact, it was much more cost-effective to use Earth’s currency, which was easily available, rather than Karma, which had limited ways to obtain it.
‘But that’s not what’s important now. The question is why this change suddenly occurred.’
In the meantime, Karma Store was drawing a clear line with Earth.
Usually, the first time an awakened person encounters it is right after being sent to another world.
And when you finally collect 1 million points and choose to ‘return’ to Earth, the karma store disappears and the opportunity to use it again is gone forever.
‘It’s like I dug into a loophole in the system and circumvented it, so I guess I should consider it an exception.’
After awakening his unique skill, he was obviously transported to another world, but he also remained on Earth.
Isn’t that contradiction the biggest reason why you can use the system as you please?
‘Let me see.’
With a serious expression, I selected the ‘Earth’ item and looked through each product.
Since it was a menu I had used many times in the past, it didn’t take long to roughly check where it was available.
And the conclusion reached after the confirmation was…
“Wow, they’re selling airplanes and aircraft carriers? What is this again? space shuttle? “You’re not even selling nuclear warheads… you’re really selling them, right?”
The truth was that nothing was impossible in this karma store.
Of course, the cost-effectiveness was the worst compared to the mysterious items of this world.
“You can buy an adult dragon heart for around a million, but a fighter jet is only worth 100,000 points? There are over 10 million aircraft carriers without a single aircraft? “Who buys something like this?”
Still, the fact that you could buy it right away if you wanted to was great in itself.
However, if the cost-effectiveness is like this, I will not buy it again in the future.
I sighed, forcing my gaze towards the nuclear bomb that boasted its presence just by its name.
‘What on earth does the system want from me?’
One thing was certain: this gigantic system encompassing all the world wanted something from itself.
Maybe it wasn’t just a coincidence that he discovered a trick to bypass the system.
The situation was similar during the detailed tour of 『Karma Store Ver.3』 that followed.
In the 『VIP Market』, 『Invitation (1,000,000)』, which can force ordinary earthlings to become awakened, as well as 『Return Ticket (2,000,000)』, which pays the karma necessary for the return of awakened people sent to another world, have been added. It was done.
In addition, there were convenience items such as the ‘Eye of Odin’, which allows you to look down anywhere on the Earth while continuously consuming karma, and the ‘Steps of Hermes’, which allows you to travel to any place at once, no matter how far away it is.
At that point, I couldn’t help but naturally realize what the theme of this update was.
‘They are all related to the Earth.’
As if they were saying that they were finally given the right to intervene on Earth.
And that is probably the cause of the change.
『Karma Share (5%)』
A sentence that appeared at the bottom of the Karma store from the beginning.
I looked at it with narrowed eyes.
‘It’s market share. About what? system? earth? Or another dimension? What happens if I fill that to 100%? Should I just collect karma? Does this only apply to points that can be used? Or the total points accumulated so far?’
All kinds of thoughts swirled in my mind.
Until now, I had been running with the sole intention of destroying the Beoncheonhoe, but when I was suddenly faced with an unknown situation, my mind became complicated.
But even in the midst of all this, there was one thing I instinctively realized.
‘I don’t know what it is, but let’s upload it anyway.’
That doesn’t seem to have anything to do with what you’ve done so far.
In fact, isn’t this the same thing that Beoncheonhoeju is doing?
He had enough power to call himself a god on this earth, but even at this moment, he was continuously traveling through other dimensions to receive karma.
But what if it is not simply because of stronger power, but to satisfy the ‘share’ condition?
‘···I can never leave you alone.’
Having made up my mind, I slowly nodded.
In that sense, I decided to postpone the purchase of 『Divine Fragments of the Imprisoned Human God』, which was quite expensive.
First, wait until the price falls further… and then use it as a dagger at a critical moment.
Ugh— Ugh—
At that time, a vibrating sound came from the smartphone that was placed next to me.
It was a notification of receiving a linked email.
This is also about situations that need to be reported urgently.
“This···.”
Sender name ‘CCTV’.
It was a report from Andrew Weaver, who had given Howard the language interpretation magic tool he had made as a gift and entrusted him with various tasks.
I checked the contents with a serious expression.
Attached to the email was a report on the work entrusted to me as well as foreign local articles that seemed to have been captured somewhere.
And thanks to Xenoglossy, as soon as I ignored the translation posted below and read the original text in an instant, my eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
“devil?”
News about demons that have been frequently sighted in Southeast Asia recently.
The report, which said that most news had already been taken down as if they were trying to control information somewhere, was full of information listing the connection between the devil and the Buncheon Society.
‘He’s a devil…’
I tapped the table and was lost in thought.
What kind of coincidence is this?
As someone who had recently participated in an exciting battle with countless demons to determine the realm of the devil, I couldn’t help but find this an interesting story.
‘If all of this is true, he’s definitely not an ordinary guy.’
In fact, it wouldn’t be that strange if there were people on Earth using demonic powers.
Among the Earthlings sent to this world, there were quite a few who would do anything to survive, and the devil contract was one of the means to gain power relatively quickly.
‘The risk factor is also significant.’
The moment your soul and mind are completely taken over by the devil you contracted with, you lose your authority as an awakened person just like the undead, so the devil contractees who returned to Earth were only those who were strong enough to overcome it.
Simply borrowing the contracted power is enough, but there aren’t many cases like Ken where he completely turns into a devil and returns with his original identity intact.
‘That guy is wandering around Singapore, my next target?’
Therefore, there was no doubt about the extraordinary nature of this being that seemed to be an exact replica of the ‘real devil’ that appeared in Andrew’s report.
Above all, this report is only the result of analyzing clues obtained indirectly while collecting information, and the fact that he was unable to observe the opponent at all with his unique skill, “Trajectory Observation,” made it even more persuasive.
‘At the very least, he’s a marquis-level demon. ···If you max it out, it might be at the level of a demon lord.’
My eyes narrowed as I was lost in thought.
Although the gap in estimates of enemy levels was quite large, this was unavoidable.
No matter how competent Andrew is as an informant, there are limits to what he can find out without directly observing the other person.
Rather, it was admirable that such a detailed report was written even under those circumstances.
‘Well, I guess I’ll have to raise my salary even more. There’s a lot of work to be done in the future, but we need to treat them reliably.’
It seemed like I could hear an auditory hallucination beyond the physical realm, crying out for a vacation instead of money…
It’s probably just a simple illusion.
There’s no way in the world that wouldn’t like to be given more money.
“Anyway, this is surprising. “I never thought I would find it this way.”
Andrew, the talented informant, added other details at the end of the report.
About a force that is constantly being pushed to the edge of a cliff by not only the devil himself but also an organization that operates in conjunction with the devil.
As this information was barely found out while tracking the movements of the devil, who was showing rough behavior, the identity of the force was definitely not ordinary.
‘It still existed. There are people other than me who oppose the Buncheonhoe. ‘Things don’t seem so good though.’
Commonly known as ‘Burning Torch’.
I discovered it while continuing my lonely fight.
It was a secret society made up of people with the same goal.
***
An abandoned house with miscellaneous things strewn about.
“Cough—cough!”
A harsh coughing sound came from a corner.
The person concerned seemed to be trying to suppress it somehow, but it was no use.
Because it wasn’t just an ordinary cough.
“You’re okay, aren’t you? After all, it’s better to rest a little…”
The sturdy man cautiously opened his mouth, but the short-haired black-haired woman, who was crouching and trembling, just shook her head.
He held a blood-stained handkerchief to his mouth.
“Whoo—whoo.”
After a while like that.
She took a deep breath and carefully stood up. A bright blue flame flowed from her hand, burning away only the blood on the handkerchief.
The handkerchief changed from red to white in the blink of an eye.
She carefully packed it away and sighed deeply.
“You know there’s nothing you can do about it, right? “The moment I take a break, even for a moment, I’ll be found out right away, right?”
“…But if it’s just for a moment…”
“it’s okay. “How many comrades have died so far from responding so complacently?”
The man couldn’t bear to refute those blunt words.
As she said, their current situation could not be said to be good even with empty words.
So much so that a brief rest may turn into an eternal rest.
If it weren’t for her, everyone would have been killed already.
“···sorry. “If only I had the strength to deal with that demon…”
“That’s nonsense. There are already three superhumans killed by that devil. Even though they dug a trap and joined forces, it still happened. “If you get involved, all you can do is add one more body.”
Her tone was sarcastic, but it was only to prevent him from acting recklessly, and her green eyes showed concern for the other person.
That’s because the devil who forced them to scatter and run away was a threatening enemy.
“Whew—I hope the others are safe too… ···Ahh! sh*t! That poisonous snake, you shamelessly brought your friends to the real sword fight! “Are you still a man?”
An, who had been concentrating his mind to catch his breath and maintain his powers, finally couldn’t hold back his anger and burst out in rage.
It was natural that an organization that was somehow moving towards hope was ruined by those who suddenly intervened.
“Ugh, Oracle, if that damn old woman hadn’t intervened, we could have done something about the executioner.”
Although we cannot guarantee victory, at least we would have been able to retreat with minimal damage and look forward to the future.
At least the situation would have been much better than having torn to pieces and running away from the Philippines all the way to Vietnam.
“···after! You can’t do this, you can’t do this. “If you don’t keep your composure.”
She was upset for a while, as if to relieve stress, and then regained her breathing.
Since the life and death of not only themselves here but also their scattered comrades depended on her abilities, they couldn’t relax for long.
“But why don’t Becky and Tola come here?”
While I was calming my mind like that.
She frowned as she suddenly realized that those who had gone out to scout had not yet returned.
Normally, he would have been able to keep track of his colleagues’ positions, but now that he was doing his best to distract Oracle’s attention, he didn’t have the time to focus on anything else.
“for a moment.”
“···José?”
A sturdy man blocked the way Ahn was grumbling.
Sniff—
It flutters its nose and spreads sharp force outwards.
His expression soon became serious and he quietly opened his mouth.
“The devil.”
“no way···! how? Is it because you got angry earlier? No, it can’t possibly be that bad…!”
“I have already been identified. “It’s coming straight here.”
Her face hardened at Jose’s soft words.
It was by no means a simple matter for one’s location to be discovered.
A serious situation that could endanger not only themselves but also all of the ‘Burning Torches’ who are scattered and hiding.
Even as she was gritting her teeth as if blaming herself, the crowd did not stop and approached the abandoned house.
With the sound of trudging footsteps, as if they had no intention of hiding their presence.
Accordingly, hair sprouted all over Jose’s body and his body began to grow larger.
And finally, the moment he took on the form of a beast standing on two feet—.
“Whoa, I finally found it. I just give directions from a convenient location, but let me find the detailed location on my own. “Does this make any sense?”
The door to the abandoned house opened and a man came in.
“That damn human… I guess the way he manipulates people is similar to our Demon King…. “I guess it’s just my mood, right?”
I threw away all caution and continued to grumble.
Then, when he realized that the two men and women in front of him were gaining momentum towards him, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Hmm, so—.”
An uninvited guest cleared his throat and cleared his voice.
From Noble mtl dot com
Then he said hello using the devil’s unique verbal communication skills.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Ken Miyamoto.”
I am filled with joy for the people of Earth, with whom I have had a conversation for the first time in a long time.
“I have come to save you from despair.”
But unfortunately, his feelings were not conveyed to the other person.
Instead of answering, the only thing that came back was a hairy fist.
