Chapter 27
The Final Human (1)
As soon as Yeongwoo confirmed receipt of the reward, a golden flash burst before his eyes.
Pah-ma-mat!
Just like the last time he claimed a reward, a list of obtainable items appeared.
But the item descriptions were anything but ordinary.
"W-What is this?"
It wasn't a matter of whether the items were good or bad. Their effects were so vague that it was impossible to predict what they actually did.
Golden Punishment — Legendary Bracelet
Inflicts pain upon enemies.
Accumulated Golden Ratio: 2
Specialization: "Golden Foundation"
Amber Whistle — Legendary Necklace
Calls a friend.
Specialization: "Top-Tier Social Worker"
One item inflicted pain on enemies, while the other called a friend...
"They're legendary items, so the effects must be amazing..."
Still, Yeongwoo couldn't help feeling confused.
At least with Golden Flash, he had been able to roughly guess what it did.
These two items, however, displayed no numerical values, and their effects were too abstract to evaluate without actually using them.
"Inflicting pain is easy enough to imagine... but what does it mean to call a friend?"
His gaze settled on the Amber Whistle.
Amber Whistle — Legendary Necklace
Calls a friend.
Hong Yeong-tae
The name written at the bottom was most likely Hong Yeong-tae, the mutant from Gimcheon.
The very first mutant Yeongwoo had ever sent back.
"Does it mean I can summon him to fight alongside me?"
As soon as Yeongwoo looked away from the item description, the acceptance process completed.
Sha-ma-mat!
A cool sensation wrapped around his wrist as a golden bracelet appeared.
Then a whistle hanging from a thin cord settled around his neck.
"It's really... an actual whistle."
A whistle capable of calling Yeong-tae.
Since Jang Seon bok—the mutant he had met in Gumi—wasn't listed, it seemed only mutants whom Yeongwoo had personally returned could be summoned.
"If I have more friends later, can I summon multiple people?"
Thinking about that, Yeongwoo stopped running for a moment.
Carefully, he raised the whistle to his lips.
A whistle appearing out of nowhere was absurd enough already.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he blew into it.
Biiiiiiiii!
The sharp whistle echoed powerfully through the air.
At that instant, the colors of the surrounding scenery faded.
[Your friend, Yeong-tae, answers your call and is being summoned.]
"Holy crap. It actually works."
While staring at the message in disbelief, a crack appeared in midair about ten meters above him.
Then—
Hong Yeong-tae smashed through the rift and dropped down.
"GYAAAAAAAH!"
His presence was as overwhelming as ever.
Even the muzzle that Yeongwoo had smashed to pieces before looked completely restored.
KWAAANG!
Hong Yeong-tae landed in front of him, crushing the asphalt beneath his feet.
"...!"
Yeongwoo instinctively stepped back.
Partly because he wondered whether they might end up fighting again.
But there was another reason.
Above the mutant's head floated a nameplate:
[Jeong Myeongwoo07's Friend — Hong Yeong-tae]
That was completely different from what mutants normally displayed.
"What happened? Are you really the same Hong Yeong-tae I sent back earlier?"
Yeong-tae glanced up at the label above his own head before answering awkwardly.
"Yeah. How much time has passed?"
The first thing he asked was about time.
Just like every other returned mutant.
"Not much. Less than an hour, probably."
Yeong-tae's eyes widened.
"What...? That's it? I thought at least several months had passed."
"Were you waiting in that darkness again?"
"No. I was lying in a room. That's why I was waiting for you to call me."
Yeongwoo struggled to process what he was hearing.
"So there's a separate world where returned mutants are isolated, and if you want a better life there, you have to help me? Is that what you're saying?"
Yeong-tae shook his long snout.
"Then what?"
Yeongwoo stared into his eyes.
There wasn't a trace of deceit.
"Every returned mutant gets a room. But right now it's literally just a room. You can't leave, there's nothing to do. You just stay there. It's better than waiting in darkness, but it's still a living hell."
He glanced briefly at the sky before looking back.
"The voice said that if I help you earn achievements, my life in that room will gradually improve."
Yeongwoo couldn't respond immediately.
"So... what do I need to do right now?"
Yeong-tae seemed interested only in earning achievements and returning.
And if everything he said was true, his entire future depended on how many achievements he could accumulate through Yeongwoo.
Unfortunately—
"Sorry, but there's nothing for you to do right now."
"...What? You're sending me back? You don't understand. There's literally nothing there. That place is—"
Suddenly he stopped.
A terrified expression spread across his face.
"What? What is it?"
"Time's up... I can feel it."
Yeongwoo looked at the nameplate above him.
"Ah."
Only then did he notice.
The letters of Yeong-tae's name were slowly disappearing from top to bottom, like sand draining from an hourglass.
"So the summon isn't unlimited."
"Please call me again. I'm begging you."
With his ears flattened, Yeong-tae dissolved into the air.
Ssshaaa.
A strangely unsettling ending.
"So now he's back in that room, waiting endlessly for another summons?"
Yeongwoo considered blowing the whistle again but stopped himself.
There was no enemy worth summoning him for right now.
Better to save it until a major battle where achievements could be earned quickly.
"Assuming he can actually earn achievements."
He tried imagining Hong Yeong-tae fighting alongside Sangju's First Sword.
The picture didn't come together.
Current Region: Sangju
Regional First Sword: Dokgo Se-hwan01
Defense Count: 147
While traveling along the mountain road, Yeongwoo noticed that Sangju's First Sword had increased his defense count yet again.
"That lunatic killed someone else already...?"
Then he remembered.
"No, that's a defense count. If he attacked first and killed someone, it shouldn't increase."
Since most of Yeongwoo's kills had technically been self-defense, he had never paid much attention to how the system calculated the statistic.
Yet even that explanation didn't fully make sense.
"With a defense count that high, people are still challenging him?"
Either way, one thing was obvious.
Sangju and Gimcheon were completely different.
Even after seeing distant farmhouses, there were no red beams of light.
Not even blue ones.
No mutants.
No demon clear rewards.
It was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Tap.
He concealed his insignia and continued down the road toward the farms.
Unlike Gimcheon, where corpses littered the outskirts, Sangju was relatively clean.
There were occasional bodies in rice paddies and fields.
But not many.
Instead—
"Huh?"
He spotted living people.
About two hundred meters ahead, several figures were gathered in front of what looked like a warehouse.
"People? Out here? Usually survivors gather in the city."
As he approached, they noticed him as well.
Some rose from where they were squatting.
Others walked forward as if to greet him.
Step. Step.
The distance steadily closed.
Soon Yeongwoo could clearly see them.
"They're old men."
Six elderly men.
Weathered skin.
Deep wrinkles.
Nothing particularly intimidating.
Just ordinary farmers.
Though every one of them carried weapons—swords, shields, spears.
Things that had become common in this world.
Yeongwoo quietly watched as they subtly spread out to surround him.
Their blades were all stained dark red.
A sign that they had killed many people.
Step. Step.
Walking casually into the middle of them, Yeongwoo asked:
"I just arrived in Sangju. Can someone tell me what's happened here?"
One old man pointed his axe toward Early Bird.
"If you know enough to carry that, why ask?"
"No, I genuinely don't know. I don't even understand why you're risking your lives over what I'm carrying."
"If you feel sorry for old men risking their lives, hand over your money and leave."
"And put down that sword."
The last two comments came from the men behind him.
A polite way of informing him that he was already surrounded.
"Hm."
Yeongwoo found it strange that none of them paid any attention to Golden Flash.
Maybe they were simply too old.
Perhaps they lacked enough game knowledge to recognize unusual equipment as dangerous.
"Maybe they just think I found some weird-looking glove somewhere."
Before attacking, he asked one final question.
"Where can I meet Sangju's First Sword?"
The question was so unexpected that several old men laughed.
"Completely insane."
"The First Sword? You'll find him at city hall."
"City hall? Which direction?"
As he asked, Yeongwoo lightly tapped his backpack, causing the coins inside to jingle.
The old men's eyes lit up immediately.
"Follow that road all the way there. Though I don't think you'll make it."
One of them chuckled and pointed down the road.
After confirming the direction, Yeongwoo put the whistle into his mouth.
He had considered summoning Yeong-tae to deal with these minor enemies and earn achievements.
He was curious what would happen.
The old men, meanwhile, had begun wondering whether he might be mentally impaired.
After all, he was a young man dressed strangely and carrying a whistle around his neck.
But in the end, Yeongwoo didn't blow it.
A message appeared.
[You have 1 friend summon remaining today. Continue?]
"Seriously? Couldn't you have told me that earlier?"
Fortunately for Yeong-tae, he would never know that one of his two daily summons had almost been wasted.
"No choice. I'll finish this quickly and head for city hall."
The shadows of the old men had already reached his feet.
Without hesitation, Yeongwoo hurled Early Bird at the man in front.
Kkwae-mae-aeck!
The silver blade shot forward like lightning and pierced the old man's forehead.
Then it immediately returned to its owner.
Whirrr!
"Huh?"
"W-What...?!"
"What the hell is this kid?"
Even men unfamiliar with the game were deeply impressed by a flying sword.
The moment Yeongwoo caught it, they launched a desperate coordinated attack.
Tatatat!
But their opponent was the First Sword of two regions combined.
Yeongwoo simply released the pressure of the First Sword's Aura, effortlessly breaking their assault.
Then, like a flash of light, he swung his blade.
Hwa-hwa-hwat!
The difference between his strength and their durability was so great that it felt like slicing tofu.
Thud. Thud.
Several elderly heads rolled across the ground.
"..."
After collecting the small amount of Karma from their corpses, Yeongwoo stepped onto the road leading toward city hall.
What kind of place was Sangju?
He had a feeling he was about to find out.