Chapter 9

What It Was to Be a Level 4 Extra (Z)

“Uh….”

It was inevitable.
Yongwoo couldn’t take his eyes off Yechan’s fate record.

Creation… 2006, modified due to forced conception.
Termination… Year 39, suicide after killing a customer while intoxicated at a bar.

In short, Yechan was the result of rape, and perhaps because of that, he was abandoned in the world and raised in neglect. Then, in his mid-thirties, he was destined to kill a customer at a bar and end his own life.

Of course, Namwoo’s fate—being killed by a drunk man three years later—was shocking too, but it didn’t even come close to Yechan’s.

And then—

“…So you didn’t know.”

Seeing Yechan’s gaze fixed on the term “forced conception,” Yongwoo swallowed dryly.

What was he thinking right now?

“This… is insane.”
“So I was supposed to die next month?”
“W-who decided this? Are you saying my life was already predetermined?”

The area, which had been quiet for a moment, began to erupt into chaos again.

Everyone was shocked that both their origins and endings had been predetermined.

But where was this?

A post-reset world.

A world where dragons and quests existed, where swords could fall from the sky.

Anything could happen here.

And one of those things had just been confirmed—what had been predetermined all along: their fate, their class.

It didn’t take long for the once-noisy crowd to fall silent again.

Then Park Do-hwan, who had been silently observing them, spoke.

—We express our regret to everyone. Those who confirmed the harshness of fate must be deeply disappointed.

—On the other hand, those who were destined for fortunate lives have also lost that privilege due to the reset.

In other words, the existing concept of fate was no longer valid in this reset world.

Several immediately objected.

“Then what are we supposed to do now? Live without fate?”
“So what, just figure it out ourselves?”
“Even if fate is gone, people are still people. Those born as Level 1s are still Level 1s, right?”
“So stats weren’t reset? Then what’s the point of all this?”

The argument was reasonable.

Even Yongwoo’s physical abilities remained unchanged, making him superior in running and combat.

But there was a more pressing issue.

“If fate is gone, how are we supposed to live? Money, food—everything’s gone back to zero.”

“Yeah, so where do we even get money?”

The sight of people worrying about survival so seriously, holding coins in confusion, was both absurd and unsettling.

Then Park Do-hwan clapped lightly, as if waiting for this moment.

Clap!

Immediately, all the fate record entries vanished, replaced by numbers.

From zero to figures reaching into the hundreds of thousands.

Yongwoo had 153,000.

「153,000」

—What is now engraved in your fate record is the amount of Karma you currently possess.

—From now on, you can use Karma to change your appearance, enhance your physical abilities, and even restore objects from the previous world that have turned to stone.

“Change appearance… enhance physical abilities?”

While Yongwoo looked confused, others rushed to ask questions.

“What about those who don’t have Karma right now?”
“How do we get more?”

The holographic president clapped again.

Clap!

And Yongwoo immediately understood the meaning behind the numbers.

‘…Karma held.’

Not just a simple amount—it included contractual agreements as well.

The verbal contract between him and Yechan had been automatically reflected in the fate record.

A large timer appeared in the sky with the sound of applause.

When everyone’s attention turned upward, Park Do-hwan continued.

—The only way to obtain Karma is by defeating the mutants and monsters that will appear in about 25 minutes.

“…Mutants?”
“What is he talking about?”

People tilted their heads, but unease spread across their faces.

And Yongwoo was the same.

“…They’re coming back. The ones who chose mutation.”

Erasure, scattering, decomposition.

Those who had been forcibly pushed into three choices by the public—and among them, those who chose to become monsters.

They were now returning to this world.

‘…Revenge.’

Yongwoo looked around.

Now he understood why weapons had been distributed from the “Sword Mountain.”

—Most mutants will appear in groups of similar types, and they will drop Karma when defeated.

“What…? So we’re supposed to fight monsters for money?”
“What if we refuse? Some people can’t fight at all!”

Naturally, protests followed.

No one wanted to earn a living by fighting monsters.

But the disaster wasn’t over yet.

Clap!

Park Do-hwan clapped once more.

Below the timer, new numbers appeared.

「1,000」

—Starting tomorrow, a tax of 1,000 Karma will be automatically collected every night at 10 PM.

—Those who fail to pay will be immediately erased at the time of collection. You must secure Karma.

“...!”

It was like a bolt from the blue.

Only 3,000 Karma had been given as basic survival funds, and most people hadn’t even secured that properly due to the chaos at the exchange center.

In other words, if they didn’t fight monsters, they would die from unpaid taxes within days.

—22 minutes remaining until mutant arrival. Good luck.

With those words, Park Do-hwan’s form faded, and the “Newbie Quest” was completed.

Ping!

<Quest Completed – “Newbie”>

→ Survival Equipment

With a rustling sound, belts appeared on everyone’s waists.

A kind of sheath belt with metal loops for attaching weapons.

“What…”
“What is this…”
“This is the survival equipment?”

Just as dissatisfaction spread…

BOOM!

A tremendous roar echoed from the sky.

At the same time, dozens of massive beams of light began striking various parts of the city.

So this was it again.

Everyone knew instinctively.

Those were spawn points for monsters.

One of the beams landed less than 10 meters away.

“Kyaaaah!”
“R-run!”

Most people instinctively chose to flee.

But Yongwoo was different.

“…Run? The only way to earn money is fighting monsters, and we have to pay taxes starting tomorrow. Where would I even run to?”

That thought was only possible because it was Yongwoo.

A man who had steadily built “success experience” in the reset world.

Early-bird acquisition at the exchange center, shield secured at Sword Mountain, and even surviving a 1v3 fight to become the “Strongest Sword in Gumi”…

To him, these threats were not things to fear, but things to overcome.

However, his instincts based on his Level 4 settings were still holding him back.

His hand gripping the weapon was already trembling.

‘Monster strength shouldn’t be that insane. If it’s around average human combat level, maybe it’s manageable. They said monsters are the only source of Karma.’

He looked around at the light pillars filling the area.

Then he noticed Yechan standing blankly beside him.

The boy was staring at the empty spot where the fate record had been, like someone whose soul had left him.

Still shocked by his “birth secret”?

“Are you okay?”

As Yongwoo gently tapped his shoulder, Yechan’s lifeless eyes slowly returned.

Then Yechan asked:

“Are you okay, mister?”

“Huh? Me? Well…”

Yongwoo’s background flashed through his mind—his mother a Level 1 supporting character, his father a Level 6 extra. He too had questions about his origins, but that was secondary.

“…Yeah.”

Because in 19 minutes, mutants and monster hordes would appear.

“First, let’s settle our agreement as promised. You did well. I’m grateful too.”

Yongwoo handed over the coins for Yechan’s share.

“…Didn’t you say we’d settle this in a safe place?”

“Is there anywhere safer than here right now?”

“Well…”

Yechan looked around and couldn’t argue.

Everyone else had already fled.

“Take this first. You can’t keep both hands tied.”

“Huh?”

Confused, Yechan accepted the coins.

With his hands free, Yongwoo drew his blade from the sheath.

“I’ll rest here for a bit and then fight the monsters. You’re on your own now. Our escort contract ends here.”

He sat down, still facing Yechan directly to guard against ambush.

Sword in one hand, shield in the other.

Yechan hesitated, then sat down as well.

“Aren’t you afraid of staying here alone, mister? Wouldn’t it be safer to go somewhere crowded?”

“But crowded places mean more chances of ambush from behind. And more monsters to deal with.”

Better to face a single wave here.

“That’s….”

Yechan started to object, then stopped.

After all, this man was the “Strongest Sword.”

He couldn’t afford to let his back be exposed.

Then Yechan spoke again.

“…What about someone fighting beside you, not behind or in front, but next to you?”

“Beside me?”

Yongwoo scratched his chin.

“…One person might be fine. But if I misjudge you, you could die here.”

Yechan smiled faintly.

“Well, I would’ve died anyway, even without you.”

Whether he meant the fate record or earlier events was unclear.

Then, quickly changing the subject, he asked:

“By the way, I heard Karma can enhance physical ability. Is that true?”

Yongwoo pulled out a coin.

“It didn’t seem like he was lying… but he didn’t tell us how to use it.”

A crimson coin the size of a 100 won piece.

Nothing on the back. A single horizontal line on the front.

‘Is this the 1,000 Karma mark?’

They tried everything—touching it, throwing it—but nothing happened.

“If it worked just by touch, we would’ve known already…”

Then Yongwoo suddenly froze.

‘Can you… eat it?’

In a world like this, even that didn’t seem impossible.

Without hesitation, he put the coin into his mouth.

And then—

Ping!

Before he could even bite down, something happened.