907 Episode 50 The World After The End (10)

The sword mark was identical to the sword mark I found at the examination table right after I entered the city.

A sword technique with a trajectory similar to [Breaking the Sky Sword Technique].

In other words, that message was left by someone who used that sword technique.

"Ascendant, Ascendant Murder! What on earth is going on...!"

The examiner sighed. There was a commotion everywhere.

"I heard a corporate notice has been issued!"

"The ascension ceremony has been canceled!"

"A new revelation has been issued from each constellation!"

I looked at the message once more.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but unlike the other incarnations, the message didn't feel that threatening to me. In fact, I felt a certain conviction in the trajectory carved into the wall.

For example...

"Are they trying to stop the incarnations from ascending to the upper scenario?"

Nirvana, who was looking up at the sky next to me, muttered in a voice full of joy.

"There's only one guy who would do something like this. The Light Sword Emperor. That's him."

At the same time, a sound like something was being cut off in the high air was heard. The center of the orbital elevator that had been operating normally was cut off, and the probability of the sky collapsing.

"Orbit, orbital elevator!"

It seemed that someone had destroyed the center of the orbital elevator.

"Believer, wait here for a moment."

With those words, the body of Nirvana disappeared into the sky. He seemed to have chased after the culprit who destroyed the 'orbital elevator'.

That was the signal for the executives of each company to move.

"It's the Light Sword Emperor! That person is nearby!"

The ascendants and incarnations scattered, and a new message floated through the room.

Jo Jincheol and Reinheit, who had come to their senses, also moved. Even in the midst of this, the two of them did not forget to leave a short [transmission], perhaps because they felt sorry for me.

—See you next time, rookie.

—I made a fool of myself this time. However, my true abilities are in no way inferior to the Salvation Cult. I expect your wise choice.

The examiner who brought me in also opened his mouth.

"I guess I'll have to postpone your application until the next opportunity. For now, here, take this with you."

What the examiner gave me was a temporary ID card made of hologram.

"If you have this, you'll have no problem living in the city. You're really unlucky. Why are you coming in as a new employee at this time of the year… Anyway, let’s meet again."

"Hey, wait a minute!"

It seemed like he was just going to say what he wanted to say and disappear, so I quickly grabbed the examiner.

Nirvana was also going as planned, and the attention was diverted by the murder of the ascendant. Maybe this was the only time I could move around freely without being noticed.

"There’s a company I want to work for."

"Hmm? <Tamra Middle School>?"

"No."

"You’re an interesting friend. Even after receiving such an offer from Nirvana, you’d choose another company? Well, I guess you came in as an 'irregular examinee' because you’re so talented."

When I smiled instead of answering, the examiner coughed and continued.

"Nakwonseongje’s <Olympus Technology> or Hyeokgokkwonma’s <Heukunjae Foundation> wouldn’t be bad choices either. If you succeed in getting hired, no matter how much of a savior he is, he won't be able to touch you."

The examiner seemed to believe that I was going to choose one of the ascended companies today.

"Not those companies."

"Then? Could it be <Veda Biotech>? That's not a bad choice either—"

"■■■ Company, do you know about it?"

I don't know if I pronounced it correctly, but the examiner's expression changed strangely.

"What did you just say?"

"■■■ Company."

The examiner's face slowly turned pale.

I said the company name again.

"■■■ Company!"

"I-I did hear that, so stop saying that name!"

It was as if mentioning that name itself was ominous.

The examiner rolled his eyes around in case someone heard, then said in a small voice.

"I don't know how you know that company, but it's been in decline for a long time."

"Decline?"

"I'll contact you again soon. I don't know where you saw that company name, but stop having strange thoughts and just join a large company! That's good for you too!"

With those words, the examiner suddenly disappeared from the ascension platform.

Suddenly left alone, I looked at the identification card the examiner had given me and fell into thought.

If this is the case, then I have no choice but to find out various things on my own.

There were two tasks facing me now.

One, to find out the identity of the '■■■ Company' that exists in this city.

Two, to find out which scenario my 'colleagues' are in.

I thought the second question would be naturally solved in the process of solving the first question, so at first, I planned to hide behind Nirvana and gather information here and there.

From across the sky, the sound of thunder could be heard once again. It seemed that the ascenders who had chased the 'Light Sword Emperor' earlier were putting in effort.

Since it has come to this, why don't we look for that 'Light Sword Emperor' person together?

If my guess is correct, that 'Light Sword Emperor' person is...

"Benefactor."

There was still someone left in the Ascension Hall where I thought everyone had left. When I looked back, I saw a familiar face.

"Namgung sohyeop?"

It was Namgung Myung, the head of the Namgung family that I had met at the entrance to the Fear Realm.

We had a short conversation while walking through the streets of the 'New Murim District'.

Namgung Myung seemed quite excited, perhaps because he was happy to see me again.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to treat you to a simple meal. There's a restaurant I know nearby."

"Good."

However, we couldn't eat at the restaurant we visited.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know the prices had gone up this much..."

Namgung Myung said in a pitiful voice, scratching his head.

In fact, I was going to get off, but Namgung Myung strongly dissuaded me.

"No! If you go a little further in, there's a really cheap and delicious restaurant. I'll definitely treat you!"

"If that's the case..."

I entered the main alley of the 'New Murim District' with Namgung Myung.

Even from afar, the skyscrapers were dazzling.

Those buildings in the city center were probably the headquarters of 'companies'.

However, not everyone in the 'New Murim District' was living a luxurious life.

"Please give me a D-coin..."

As we entered the side street, I saw incarnations sitting all over the street. Incarnations without arms or legs. Incarnations who looked like they had been ruined by a broken danjeon were grabbing the trouser legs of people passing by.

A child reached out to me, so I hesitated for a moment and put my hand in my pocket.

This time, it was Namgung Myung who stopped me.

"Benefactor, you shouldn't do that."

"Huh?"

"Hey! Back off! This is a rascal!"

The child, startled by Namgung Myung's threat, limped and ran away in a hurry.

Namgung Myung said as if making excuses.

"Don't be fooled by appearances. There are no children here. That guy is a famous Nomadoo who has mastered the art of slaughter."

Actually, I knew that too.

Because the atmosphere I felt from his whole body wasn't that of a child.

I pretended not to know and nodded.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You should never sympathize with those beggars. They are all former Gae-do. They enjoy provoking sympathy from newcomers who have just entered the city or luring them to their hideouts and attacking them. If Benefactor had entered this street alone, they would have definitely attacked him in a group."

Upon closer inspection, I saw that large and small violence was already taking place in the alleys.

Perhaps it was because the appearance of a child was advantageous for eliciting sympathy.

Among the beggars, there were many little kids without arms or legs, like the guy who had been hanging on to me earlier.

"Don't trust anyone. All of this city’s infrastructure is built around 'D Coins', and the incarnations here will do anything to earn coins."

"That sounds like you’re telling me not to trust Namgung sohyeop either."

"Yes. That’s right. You shouldn’t trust me either."

I couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not, but Namgung Myung’s honesty didn’t seem all that bad to me.

It felt like he would honestly answer any questions I asked him.

"You just mentioned 'D Coins', but what exactly is that?"

"D Coins are the currency of this city. They’re special coins that can only be obtained through certain events or requests, and everyone in the city uses these coins. Since the story sensitivity is high, you can use this coin to raise the level of your story or skills, so it is very valuable in the city."

An item that can raise the level of story and skills?

There was no such fraudulent item in 'Ways of Survival'.

What on earth was the coin issued to make such a transfer possible?

"The 'D Coin' is what moves the companies. The company with the most 'D Coins' becomes the 'large company' that dominates this city."

In other words, this city is an ecosystem formed based on 'D Coins'.

Only then did I understand why the city's incarnations were abnormally strong.

Did they all use that 'D Coin' to raise their skills or story levels?

"Usually, new recruits get their D Coins stolen as soon as they enter the city, so I was very worried about the benefactor. I can't tell you how surprised I was when I saw the benefactor in the Ascension Hall. I never thought you would be chosen by the 'Savior'... "

"Ah, that's it."

"I heard that the Salvation Cult lost all of its followers in the lower scenarios and is suffering from madness. It's the first time I've seen that madman show such a lively appearance."

I never thought Nirvana had such a secret.

It was embarrassing to admit it was a lie now, so I just laughed bitterly.

"Anyway, I'm really jealous. Since three large corporations have shown interest in you, benefactor, your ascension is pretty much a done deal."

"Ascension seems to be quite difficult, huh?"

"It's very difficult. Most people don't even get close to ascension. Especially people like me who came from small and medium-sized businesses..."

Namgung Myung muttered with a dark expression.

Come to think of it, Namgung Myung must have joined a certain company too.

"Can I ask from which company Namgung sohyeop is?"

"Oh, I… "

The moment I said that, a series of messages came to my mind.

It was a message from the Recorders of Fear.

An intruder?

The guys continued to chatter, whether they knew I was listening to their messages or not.

Wait a minute, is that about me?

It was a few seconds later that the messages from the Recorders became an incident.

"Benefactor."

Nangung Myung, who was nervous, stopped walking, and five men appeared blocking our path. The man in the lead was familiar.

Namgung Myung asked with a hardened expression.

"Hwang Minhyeok, what's going on?"

He was the incarnation of <Tamra Heavy Industry> that I had met at the entrance just before entering the city.

The man glared at me with a hostile gaze and said.

"Hand that guy over."

"This person is my benefactor. Tell me what's going on first."

"I have no business to tell you."

Namgung Myung frowned at the faint murderous tone in his voice and asked.

"Are you trying to 'step on a newbie'?"

It wasn't hard to understand the situation.

Looking at it, all five incarnations, including that incarnation called Hwang Minhyeok, were from <Tamra Heavy Industry>. In particular, the two or three at the back were the ones who had strongly opposed me when I was chosen by Nirvana.

"Your benefactor has already been chosen. Don't you know that if you mess with him now, you won't be able to avoid the wrath of the Salvation Cult?"

"That guy is not yet a member of <Tamra Middle School>."

The two incarnations standing behind Hwang Minhyeok growled and showed their momentum.

"'Double Ascension' is a power that requires a large amount of D-coins to be used once every few months! I don't know how they roasted and boiled Nirvana-nim, but do you think I would open my eyes and watch some idiot I've never seen before monopolize such an opportunity?"

As the five men showed their momentum, a sinister murderous aura spread throughout the area.

Maybe because my sense of aura had developed a lot, I could clearly see the opponent's level.

The four in front were 'early great-grade'. And the one in the back was...

Kooo.

How interesting. 'Late great-grade'.

Even the guy's sponsor was a constellation that I already knew well.

I blinked blankly and came to my senses.

Wait a minute. The Lord of the Swindlers?

Isn't this a coin event?

It was already difficult because the currency used in the city was different, so I thought it was a good thing.

"Benefactor, run away."

"No, over there right now..."

"You'll die if you go."

"Coins..."

"Even if you hand over the coins, they won't spare the benefactor!"

"If you hit them, they'll give you coins..."

"Don't worry. I won't be bought by coins just because I get hit a little."

"Then, the two of us together..."

"If I'm alone, I can somehow buy time!"

"Look here, Gungmyung-ssi."

"Even though they're a large corporation, if our executives who have already ascended to the throne find out I'm stepping down like this, they won't forgive me. And my name isn't Gungmyung, it's Myung!"

His stubbornness almost rivals Kim Dokja's.

I smiled bitterly as I watched Namgung Myung stubbornly block my path. It was a sight that Breaking the Sky Swordsman would really enjoy. Even though Murim has fallen, it seems that there is still a sense of compromise.

However, the moment I was about to say that I cannot forgive anyone who interferes with my coin event, I saw Namgung Myung's back stepping forward.

Had he changed into new clothes? On his back, the name of the company that had been covered in dirt and dust before was clearly written.

<■■■ Company>.

Damn, why doesn't he listen to people?