Burning Torch (1)
I stroked my chin as I looked at the system window that appeared before my eyes.
‘This is the third version of the Karma Shop.’
How much fun have you had thanks to the “Karma Shop Ver. 2 Update”?
The 『VIP Market』, which provides special items useful to the Awakened, and the 『Item Purchase』, which allows you to obtain items from each dimension more easily, have also been of great help.
As such, I couldn’t help but feel excited when I heard that the store had been further upgraded…
“···No matter what, I didn’t expect this.”
I stared blankly at the list that appeared before my eyes with a trembling face.
The store overall had a format that was similar to the previous version with some new elements added.
But as I was happily checking the changes one by one, something suddenly stuck in my mind—.
『Purchase Items – View Details』
└Auterica
└Kang Hwan-gye
└Earth
‘Earth? Earth?’
It was the single letter of the word ‘Earth’ that was clearly written on the menu where you could only buy items from another world.
“···So now, you’re saying that you can buy things on Earth with karma?”
In fact, it wasn’t that great of a benefit in itself.
With his current level of influence, he could easily obtain most items without having to use karma.
Rather, it was much more cost-effective to use Earth’s currency, which was easier to obtain, than Karma, which had limited methods of acquisition.
‘But that’s not what’s important now. The question is why this change suddenly occurred.’
Meanwhile, the Karma Shop has been drawing a clear line with Earth.
Usually, the first time an Awakened person encounters it is right after being transferred to another world.
And when you finally collect 1 million points and choose to ‘return’ to Earth, the Karma Shop will disappear and you will never have another chance to use it again.
‘I guess I should consider myself an exception since I exploited a loophole in the system and bypassed it.’
After awakening his unique skill, he was clearly sent to another world, but he also remained on Earth.
Wasn’t that contradiction the biggest reason why he could manipulate the system as he pleased?
‘Let’s see.’
I chose the ‘Earth’ item with a serious expression and looked through the products one by one.
Since it was a menu I had used many times before, it didn’t take long to roughly check where everything was possible.
And after that verification was completed, the conclusion was…
“Wow, you’re selling airplanes and even aircraft carriers? What the heck? A space shuttle? You’re not selling nuclear warheads, are you? You’re really selling them, right?”
The truth is that nothing is impossible in this karma shop.
Of course, its cost-effectiveness was the worst compared to the mysterious items from another world.
“An adult dragon heart can be bought for a couple million points, but a fighter jet costs a mere hundred thousand points? An aircraft carrier without a single plane costs over ten million? Who would buy something like this?”
Still, the fact that you can buy it right away if you want is amazing in itself.
But if the cost-effectiveness is like this, I won’t buy it in the future.
I sighed, forcing my gaze away from the nuclear bomb, whose presence was evident just by its name.
‘What the hell does the system want from me?’
One thing was certain: this huge system that encompassed the entire world wanted something from him.
Perhaps it wasn’t just a coincidence that he discovered a trick to bypass the system.
The situation was similar during the detailed exploration of 『Karma Shop Ver. 3』 that followed.
The VIP Market also included items such as the Invitation (1,000,000), which can force ordinary Earthlings to become Awakened, as well as the Return Ticket (2,000,000), which pays the karma required for the return of Awakened people who have been sent to another world.
In addition, there were conveniences such as the 『Eye of Odin』, which allowed one to look down from anywhere on Earth while continuously consuming karma, and the 『Footsteps of Hermes』, which allowed one to instantly travel to any distant place.
By then, it was inevitable that I would realize what the theme of this update was.
‘They are all connected to the Earth.’
As if to say that now is the time to intervene on Earth.
And that’s probably the reason for the change.
『Karma Share (5%)』
A sentence that has been floating around at the bottom of the Karma Shop from the beginning.
I looked at it with narrowed eyes.
‘Possession. What about? System? Earth? Or another dimension? What happens if you fill it up to 100%? Do you just collect karma? Is it only the points you can use? Or the total points accumulated so far?’
All sorts of thoughts swirled through my mind.
Up until now, I had been running with only one thought in mind: to destroy the Bancheonhoe, but when I suddenly encountered an unknown situation, my mind became complicated.
But even in the midst of all that, there was one thing I instinctively realized.
‘I don’t know what it is, but let’s just upload it and see.’
That it might not be unrelated to what he has been doing so far.
Isn’t what the owner of the Buncheonhoe doing the same thing?
He had the power to call himself a god on this Earth, but even at this moment, he was constantly traveling to other dimensions to collect karma.
But what if it’s not simply about being stronger, but about satisfying that ‘occupancy’ requirement?
‘···I can never leave it alone.’
Having made up my mind, I nodded slowly.
In that sense, I decided to postpone the purchase of 『The Divine Fragment of the Confined Human God』, which was quite expensive.
First, I’ll wait until the price drops further… and then I can use it as a dagger at a crucial moment.
Woohoo— Woohoo—
At that moment, a vibration sound came from the smartphone placed next to me.
It was a notification of receipt of linked emails.
This is also a situation that needs to be reported urgently.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“This is···.”
Sender name ‘CCTV’.
It was a report from Andrew Weaver, who had given Howard a language interpretation tool as a gift in exchange for entrusting him with various tasks.
I checked the contents with a serious expression.
The email contained reports on the work that had been assigned to me, as well as foreign local articles that seemed to have been captured from somewhere.
And thanks to “Xenoglossi”, I ignored the translation attached below and read the original text in an instant, and my eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
“devil?”
News about demons that have been frequently sighted in Southeast Asia recently.
The report, which said that most of the news had already been taken down, as if some attempt was being made to control information somewhere, was full of content listing the connection between the devil and the Burning Crusades.
‘The devil···.’
I tapped the table and sat lost in thought.
What a coincidence.
As someone who had just recently engaged in an exciting showdown with countless demons in the Demon World, I couldn’t help but find the story interesting.
‘If all of this is true, then he’s definitely not an ordinary guy.’
In fact, it wouldn’t be that strange if there were people on Earth who used demonic powers.
Among the Earthlings sent to another world, there were quite a few who would do anything to survive, and a devil contract was one of the ways to gain power relatively quickly.
‘The risk factor is also considerable, you know.’
Because if one’s soul and mind were to be completely transferred to the demon they made a contract with, they would lose their authority as an Awakened being just like the undead, so the demon contract holders who returned to Earth were all those with exceptional abilities that could overcome that.
Even if you simply borrow the power you contracted, it would be to that extent, so there wouldn’t be many cases where someone completely becomes a demon like Ken and returns with their identity intact.
‘So that guy is wandering around Singapore, my next target?’
Therefore, the extraordinary nature of this being, which seemed to be a direct reproduction of the ‘real devil’ that appeared in Andrew’s report, was beyond description.
Above all, the fact that the contents of this report were merely the result of analyzing clues indirectly found while gathering information, and that he was unable to observe his opponent at all using his unique skill, “Trajectory Observation,” made it even more convincing.
‘At the very least, it’s a Marquis-level demon. … At the very most, it might be a Demon King-level demon.’
His eyes narrowed as he became lost in thought.
The gap in estimates of enemy levels was quite large, but this was inevitable.
No matter how capable an informant Andrew is, there are limits to what he can find out without directly observing the opponent.
Rather, it was remarkable that such a detailed report was written even in that situation.
‘Well, I guess I’ll have to raise my salary. I’ll have a lot of work to do in the future, so I’ll have to make sure I’m treated well.’
Beyond the physical realm, beyond the cognitive realm, it seemed as if I could hear an auditory hallucination crying out for a vacation instead of money···.
It’s probably just a delusion.
Because there’s no way anyone in the world would hate being offered more money.
“By the way, this is unexpected. I never thought I would find it this way.”
Andrew, the capable source, added some other details at the end of the report.
About a force that is constantly being pushed to the edge of a cliff by the devil himself as well as an organization that is linked to the devil.
As this was information that was barely obtained while tracking the movements of the demon that was showing rough behavior, the identity of the force was by no means ordinary.
‘So there really are. There are others who oppose the Bancheonhoe, other than me. The situation doesn’t seem to be all that good, though.’
Commonly known as the ‘Burning Torch’.
Discovered while continuing a lonely fight alone.
It was a secret society of people with the same goal.
***
An abandoned house with junk strewn about.
“Keuhp— koolook koolook!”
A harsh cough erupted from a corner.
The person involved seemed to have tried to suppress it somehow, but it was no use.
Because it wasn’t just any ordinary cough.
“Are you okay? I think it would be better to rest a bit···.”
The man with a sturdy build cautiously opened his mouth, but the woman with short black hair, who was crouching and shivering, simply shook her head.
Holding a handkerchief soaked in blood to his mouth.
“Hoo— hoo.”
After some time had passed like that.
She took a deep breath and carefully raised her body. A bright blue flame spurted out from her hand, burning away the blood on the handkerchief.
A handkerchief that changes from red to white in the blink of an eye.
She took it in carefully and sighed deeply.
“You know there’s nothing I can do, right? The moment I take a break, I’ll be discovered right here, right?”
“···But even if it’s just for a little while···”
“Okay. How many comrades have died so far because of such complacent responses?”
The man couldn’t bring himself to refute her blunt response.
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 she hadn’t been there, everyone would have been killed already.
“···I’m sorry. If only I had the strength to face that demon···.”
“That’s ridiculous. That demon has killed three superhumans already. Even though we set traps and attacked together, that’s how it happened. Even if you join in, it’ll only add one more body to the pile.”
Her tone was sullen, but it was only to prevent him from being too aggressive, and her green eyes were filled with concern for the other person.
The devil who had forced them to scatter and flee was a threatening enemy.
“Whew— I hope the others are safe too… .. Aaah! Damn it! That poisonous snake bastard, how dare you bring your friends into a deadly duel! Are you a man after doing that!”
An, who had been concentrating to maintain his power while catching his breath, finally lost control of his anger and burst out in anger.
It was only natural that the organization that was somehow moving towards hope was torn apart by those who suddenly intervened.
“Ugh, if only that damned Oracle hadn’t gotten involved, we could have done something about the executioner.”
Although they couldn’t guarantee victory, they could at least retreat with minimal damage and look forward to a later date.
At least it would be better than having to flee from the Philippines to Vietnam, torn to pieces like we are now.
“···Ugh! This won’t do, won’t do. Keep your composure, keep your composure.”
She had been venting her anger for a while as if to relieve stress, but then she caught her breath again.
They couldn’t relax for long, since the life and death of their scattered comrades, as well as those of themselves here, depended on her abilities.
“But why aren’t Becky and Tola coming?”
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.
If it were normal, he would have been able to easily figure out where his colleagues were, but now that he was doing everything he could to distract the Oracle, he had no energy to devote to anything else.
“for a moment.”
“···Jose?”
A man of sturdy build blocked the way for An, who had been grumbling like that.
Sniff sniff—
Flaring his nose, he let out a sharp blast of air towards the outside.
His expression became serious and he quietly opened his mouth.
“It’s the devil.”
“No way…! How? Is it because you got angry earlier? No, it can’t be that bad…!”
“It’s already been determined. It’s coming straight here.”
Her face hardened at Jose’s soft words.
It was by no means a simple matter that his position had been discovered.
A serious situation where not only themselves but all of the ‘Burning Torches’ who are scattered and hiding could be in danger.
Even as she gritted her teeth, as if blaming herself, the sounds of people continued to approach the abandoned house.
With the sound of footsteps trudging along, as if they had no intention of hiding their presence.
In response, hair began to grow all over Jose’s body and his body began to grow larger.
And finally, the moment he took the form of a beast standing on two feet—.
“Whew, I finally found it. I just give directions from a comfortable position, and you tell me to find the exact location on my own. Does that make any sense?”
The door to the abandoned house opened and a man came in.
“That damn human… somehow the way he orders people around seems similar to our Demon King… Is it just my imagination?”
He kept grumbling, throwing away all his vigilance.
Then, he realized that the two men and women in front of him were strutting their stuff, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Ahem, so—”
An intruder who clears his throat with a cough.
Then, he used his devilish communication skills to say hello.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Ken Miyamoto.”
I am so happy to see the Earthlings I haven’t talked to 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 an answer, only a hairy fist came back.
