Deep Web
[You have earned the title: Legend of Soloing. All stats increase by 5% when playing solo.]
In the last game, he had watched everything unfold like a ghost staring at his own dead body. But this time, his physical body was intact.
Naturally, his hands moved faster, sucking up vitality and rummaging through the loot box.
He grabbed a few items quickly, trying to stash them into his subspace—but the subspace wouldn't open.
[The game has ended. You can no longer loot. The item listing is complete.]
At that message, Seowoon slumped down to the ground.
[Ding! You have obtained 240 reward coins. You achieved the most kills in this game. Kill bonus! You have been awarded an additional 100 coins. You've reached the final five for the second time in a row. An extra 15 coins have been awarded.]
'355 coins?!'
His jaw dropped at the gap between first and second place.
Even without the kill rewards, the difference in reward coins between first and second place was double.
'Isn't that gap a bit too… well, whatever.'
After all, reaching first place wasn't something that could be guaranteed with skill alone. Luck was just as important as gameplay.
[Summoning item list.]
[Martial Arts Manuals: Seven Star Swordsmanship (50 coins), Seven Star Internal Art (50 coins), Seven Star Footwork (50 coins), Seven Star Spirit Art (50 coins), Fragmented Secret Manual (60 coins), Fortune-Stepping Technique (50 coins)]
[Magic Books: Ice Lance (40 coins), Wind Blade (40 coins), Flame Bird (55 coins), Lightning Chain (55 coins)]
[Skill Books: Rush (5 coins), Rapid Fire (15 coins), Spin (10 coins), Endure (10 coins), Arrow Enhancement (5 coins)]
[Accessories: Cursed Brooch (5 coins), Ascro's Necklace (1 coin), Toka's Ring 2 (60 coins)]
[Miscellaneous: Throwing Dagger (1 coin), Broken Cloak of Stealth (1 coin), Lightning-Struck Cottonwood Bow (15 coins), Subspace Quiver (15 coins), Power Glove (15 coins), Magic Explosion Scroll 3 (5 coins), Awakening Potion (10 coins), Shield Scroll (5 coins), Philosopher's Stone (50 coins), Artisan's Heavy Iron Sword (30 coins), Fortune Heart Ring (20 coins), Lamia's Tear (1 coin), Cloak of Stealth (70 coins), Red Energy Pill (90 coins), 3rd Circle Stone (25 coins), 4th Circle Stone (50 coins), Dakan's Chain Sword (30 coins), Plasma Orb (10 coins), Troll Family Vest (15 coins), Fire Orb (20 coins), Golden Weapon Box (150 coins), The Unruly Hamit (100 coins), Airboard (30 coins), Jerky (1 coin)]
Looking through the item list, Seowoon shook his head at the sheer number of items. From trivial stuff to fairly good items that weren't of much use to him, there was quite a mix.
'More than anything… they're expensive!'
—Master, I beseech you not to make the mistake of ignoring me.—
Hamit, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up, making Seowoon tilt his head.
"Well, to be honest, 100 coins for your performance feels like a bit of a luxury."
Joking along with Hamit, Seowoon could feel the weapon wrapped around his hand quiver slightly.
—Oh mighty master, 100 coins for me is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!—
Sensing that Hamit was barely holding back its anger, Seowoon, now amused, teased further.
"Well, I'm thinking it might be better to just spend 50 more coins and grab another Golden Weapon Box."
—Hey, you damned master! Have you no heart after all we've been through?! Damn it…—
"Keep going and I really won't pick you."
—Ahhh, master, your mercy is boundless.—
Just then, the system notification Seowoon had been waiting for popped up.
[Ding ding ding! The final five receive a draw ticket.]
[Player, you have 3 spins available.]
Seowoon stared at the roulette wheel that appeared with the chime and took a deep breath.
"Hoo."
Hamit, perhaps sensing the tension, waited in silence.
[Whirrrrrr… Ding! You have obtained Ascro's Necklace. Congratulations.]
"Ah…"
A wave of déjà vu hit him, and his limbs went limp at the familiar disappointment.
"Hoo."
He took a deep breath again, clenching and unclenching his tingling fists, and spun the wheel once more.
[Whirrrrrr… Ding! You have obtained The Unruly Hamit. Congratulations.]
"That's more like it!"
—That's more like it!—
Getting one of the key items, the 100-coin Hamit, made this draw a success already.
"But I've still got one more shot left."
[Whirrrrrr… Ding! You have obtained the Fragmented Secret Manual. Congratulations.]
"Uh…"
His expression turned ambiguous.
The Fragmented Secret Book was an item that, for its usefulness, was absurdly expensive and had practically become something Seowoon considered discarding.
It wasn't immediately usable, and the thought of spending 60 coins on it didn't sit well with Seowoon, even though he had obtained it for free. The reaction was, understandably, lukewarm.
'Well… I did draw Hamit… It's free, so it's not terrible.'
Trying to console himself, Seowoon looked longingly at the items on the disappearing roulette list: Toca's Ring, the Cloak of Invisibility, and the Exchange of Hostile Power.
"Last time, I had 4 coins left, so now I have a total of 359 coins…"
Seowoon hesitated briefly as he considered the Circle Stone for magic resistance.
It was a difficult decision.
If he chose a 4-circle stone now, it would be wasted when a 5-circle stone came around next time. He couldn't ignore that possibility.
In other words, if that happened, the coins would be wasted.
'But I can't not take it either… What should I do?'
After much thought, Seowoon's hand eventually settled on the Circle Stone and the Ice Lance.
Just those two items cost him 90 coins. He couldn't leave the Exchange of Hostile Power behind either.
In the blink of an eye, he selected three items, and 180 coins vanished.
After a moment's hesitation, Seowoon chose Toca's Ring and the Cloak of Invisibility.
The Cloak of Invisibility wasn't very durable, so spending 70 coins on it felt burdensome. He briefly considered taking Toca's Ring as a pair of rings, but ultimately, given its performance, he couldn't pass it up.
'It's not exactly a great drop either.'
49 coins remained, but Seowoon decided to finish his selections, just in case the next item would be useful.
He had chosen the 4-circle stone, Ice Lance, Exchange of Hostile Power, Toca's Ring, and the Cloak of Invisibility. A total of 310 coins had been spent, and the remaining coins would accumulate.
Would you like to complete your item selection?
The moment Seowoon pressed the "O" button, the space before him became bright, and everything was consumed in a blinding light.
[Thank you for your efforts. We wish you luck in the next game. The items you acquired can be retrieved from the void.]
At the same time, Seowoon's small studio apartment came into view.
Checking himself, wearing the torn clothes he had thrown away, and the necklace of Cameron, Seowoon quickly opened the void space and retrieved the Exchange of Hostile Power and the 4-circle stone.
He felt no signs of fatigue—he was in perfect condition. He immediately placed the Exchange of Hostile Power in his mouth.
As he absorbed the hot energy from the Exchange of Hostile Power, the room began to heat up.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes, he immediately used the Circle Stone.
"Ugh!"
As expected, every time he used the Circle Stone, his heart tightened, and headaches and nausea washed over him—nothing had improved.
Rolling on the floor, Seowoon began to breathe deeply as his body became drenched in sweat.
After what felt like a long and painful wait, he finally spoke.
"My information."
[Name: Jin Seowoon.
Race: Human.
Trait: Mage. (Sorcerer)
Strength: 55
Health: 40
Agility: 40
Stamina: 63
Magic Resistance: 20
*Trait Stat: Internal Energy: 360
*Trait Stat: Mana: 60]
Seeing the stats, Seowoon couldn't help but smile proudly.
With this second playthrough, his growth had been exponential.
Now that he could confirm his progress through his stats, everything felt real, and he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
He opened the void space and put on Toca's Ring, raising his Magic Resistance from 20 to 60.
Then, he took out Hamit.
-Master! What the hell took you so long to take me out!?-
"I wasn't going to take you out, but here we are."
-What!?-
Seowoon, watching the squirming, grumpy Hamit, pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Seriya."
-Did you call for me?-
Seowoon flinched as she watched the AI respond with a soft voice.
"I'm hungry."
I'll help you. Below is a list of food delivery restaurants available. –
"Did you see that? What can you do for me when I'm hungry?"
I, I am… a weapon. –
"That's right. You're a weapon, so you can't really do anything, can you? Right?"
Hamit could only tremble, unable to say anything.
"But what now? The world I live in is one where carrying weapons around is hard. Even a regular sword requires a permit to carry. So, what should I do with you?"
W-Well, like last time, I could transform to something you can wear… –
As she spoke, Hamit quickly transformed.
"No. No one goes around wearing that. People will think it's weird."
Then… what about this? I could transform into a cool cape. Though it's a bit humiliating for me as a weapon to transform into a cape… but since it seems like the owner likes capes… –
This time, Hamit quickly transformed into a flashy cape.
"No. In the world I live in, no one wears capes like that."
At Seowoon's firm response, Hamit grew more anxious.
Then! How about this? –
This time, Hamit transformed into a simple necklace.
Isn't this simpler than the one you're wearing now? –
Seowoon nodded, stopping the playful banter, while noticing that Hamit was directly referring to Cameron's extravagant necklace.
She thought to herself that this AI had become quite obedient.
If it kept acting up, she would consider getting an AI from a telecommunications company next time.
"Well then… shall we eat first?"
Confidently, Seowoon ordered food through Siri, then opened her old laptop. Hamid, showing interest, started asking various questions.
Seowoon answered lazily while focusing on her search.
Deep Web.
The words spoken by the man, Kang Gi-chan, from earlier kept echoing in her mind. It lingered more than usual because he was Korean.
"A part of the internet that doesn't appear on regular portals…"
The search results revealed that the Deep Web is a special browser-accessible space where most illegal transactions or exchanges happen due to its characteristic of constantly bypassing an individual's IP and leaving no traces.
"They mainly trade drugs, weapons, and hacking materials? Is this for real…?"
The fact that drugs and weapons were traded online didn't strike Seowoon much, given her background as a Korean.
"A special browser is required… but where do I get one?"
She continued her in-depth search, from green screens to goggles, when the food she ordered arrived.
After paying and setting the food on a small table, Seowoon began her meal.
The world the owner lives in is so convenient. A few words and a few finger taps, and food is brought to you. Looking at the house, it doesn't seem like he's very rich, but he lives well without needing to envy nobles. –
"Why? You don't like having a poor owner?"
Well, judging by the owner's abilities, it looks like he'll become rich soon. –
Seowoon chuckled and began eating the jajangmyeon.
After finishing her meal, she moved to YouTube and searched for superhuman-like keywords.
No matter how much she searched, she couldn't find the video she had seen last time.
Then, she found a video on YouTube that summarized the Deep Web and was able to find a browser for accessing it.
Below the link, the person who uploaded the video had written a warning.
I advise you not to access it recklessly out of curiosity. –
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]