Chapter 150 - Episode 21. God of Ashes (3)
Chapter 150: Episode 21. God of Ashes (3)
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Naked people wherever he looked. Naked people everywhere else, too.
Jaehwan quietly watched the passengers walking around naked everywhere, then gave a brief assessment.
“What a strange place.”
At Jaehwan’s words, the Allies all turned to look at him.
Rene shook her head in disbelief, and starting with Runald, everyone chimed in.
“Coming from you, Jaehwan-nim, that makes it sound like something is seriously wrong.”
“If everyone’s naked, it’ll be hard to find you too, old friend.”
Jaehwan replied.
“That’s not true. I’m wearing clothes.”
“You are. You got dressed today.”
“Looks like those people are still in ‘Yesterday.’”
The Allies grinned and laughed at Pilgrim’s joke.
Meanwhile, a few passengers brushed past them. After studying their clothes up close, Runald asked,
“Looking closer, they’re not really naked. They’re Skins that make them look naked. Why are they wearing things like that?”
“Trends always come back around. Looks like it’s finally time for my Worldview to come back into fashion.”
“Your Worldview has never been in fashion.”
Unless some god and their Followers in 〈Metaverse〉 had all collectively gone insane, there was no way outfits like that had ever been fashionable.
“Wait. Don’t tell me.”
The Allies exchanged glances, then all opened their shop windows at once. As if waiting for them, a message began to appear.
[New package released to commemorate the ‘War of the Six Gods’!]
They had not noticed at first, but looking closer, every god on the street was in the middle of Skin gacha draws. Some were even broadcasting their draws after receiving promotion deals from the Alliance. What they were trying to pull was obvious.
[Legendary Skin, ‘Naked Stab Jaehwan’ released!]
“Ooooh! I got it! A Naked Stab Legendary!”
[Some gods cast envious glances.]
A moment later, a brilliant light burst from the passenger who had drawn the ‘Naked Stab’ Skin, and soon they transformed into the appearance of the real ‘Naked Stab.’
“Wahahahaha!”
A naked body gleamed gold. The solidly sculpted chest and abs were convincing enough that someone might mistake it for the real Jaehwan at first glance.
“Damn it, then me too!”
“I’m burning all my trust today, seriously.”
Not to be outdone, the passengers started drawing for Skins as well. It was hard to tell why they were so fired up until Jaehwan saw the event notice.
[Passengers who are first to obtain all five new Legendary Skins will receive a ‘Legendary Part Selection Voucher.’]
Runald muttered as if this might actually be a good thing.
“If everyone’s naked, then even if Jaehwan-nim takes his clothes off, there’s less chance he’ll get caught. This might actually work in our favor, so maybe...”
Runald trailed off there, then flinched in surprise when he looked to the side.
“Rayray-nim?”
“Hmph. Why do you call for me, boy?”
“Why are you suddenly talking like that?”
“It is a Setting. Whenever I come to the martial world, I start speaking this way without even realizing it.”
“And when exactly did you draw that?”
Rayray’s entire body was gleaming in flamboyant nakedness.
After clearing their throat a few times, Rayray answered.
“If Great Hero Jaehwan strips when he fights anyway, then it would be better for me to be stripped as well. It should help confuse the enemy.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“The truth is, I still have the habit from my Anonymous God days. Whenever new Skins come out, I end up buying them without thinking. More importantly, take a look at this.”
Runald looked at the product catalog Rayray held out.
[Magic Skin, ‘Tearful Pretty Boy Runald’ released!]
Runald’s eyes widened as he looked around the street again.
Now that he examined the passengers one by one, he noticed the occasional short passenger dressed exactly like him.
After snatching Jin Eunsae’s hat and pulling it low over his head, Runald muttered,
“So this is what it feels like to be one of the Seven Divine Thrones...”
“There you go overreacting again.”
“There’s one for Andersen-nim too.”
[Common Skin, ‘Moya Moya Andersen’ released!]
The moment Andersen saw the Skin’s name and was about to say something, the nearby passengers started cursing first.
“Moya Moya? Why the hell did they make trash like this?”
“Fuse it, fuse it!”
Watching the passengers hit the fusion button without even properly checking the Skin, Andersen ground her teeth.
“The Alliance bastards. This time, I’m killing every last one of them.”
In any case, judging from the state of the Eighth Floor, it did not look like the Alliance was about to attack the Allies right away. If anything, it felt more like they were ready to hire Jaehwan as an advertising model.
Even while the Allies noisily chattered about Skins, Jaehwan kept silently scanning every corner of the Eighth Floor. His gaze made it seem like he was looking for someone.
Martis, who had been secretly doing Skin gacha draws with the Gods of Today in the back, suddenly stepped forward.
“Jaehwan-nim. If it’s all right with you, I’ll escort you from here.”
Martis was already fully equipped with a naked Skin.
“I’ve been to the Eighth Floor a few times. If you’d like to see the Setting Shop or the Part Shop, I can guide you there.”
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Ah, so there’s a soul you’re searching for. In that case...”
“Is the ‘Black Shop’ still on the Eighth Floor? That’ll probably be the easiest place to find them.”
Martis tilted his head at Andersen’s words.
“The Black Shop, you mean? But if you’re looking for someone, there’s really no need to use that place...”
“Do you know where it is or not?”
“I do.”
* * *
While Jaehwan, Runald, and Andersen followed Martis to the Black Shop, Rene and the other gods decided to prepare separately for the battle three days later.
“I’ve got some Companions on the Eighth Floor. I’ll go meet them.”
“I’ll go look for some gods too, in case something happens.”
Rene and Rayray disappeared down the eastern road, while Gale and Pilgrim vanished toward the western shopping district.
Some of them might not return. Even so, Jaehwan thought it could not be helped. He had fought only a single battle alongside them. The bond between them could only weigh as much as that brief history allowed.
Then what about this crow?
“What are you staring at?”
By the time he came back to himself, he was already following Andersen without question toward the ‘Black Shop’ Andersen was searching for.
Jaehwan felt a strangely unfamiliar emotion. It was a feeling he had only known long ago, in the days when he climbed the 《Tower of Nightmares》 with his Companions. Jaehwan found that side of himself a little unfamiliar.
“What is the Black Shop?”
“If I had to put it simply, it’s an underworld information broker. It was around five hundred years ago too. If you want to find your friend, that’s the most reliable place.”
Not long after, they arrived at a small inn tucked away between alleyways.
Martis spread both hands toward the inn and said,
“This is it.”
[Martial World Inn]
An ordinary name, written in a clean, polished script on the signboard.
Andersen sighed.
“This place really hasn’t changed.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yes. The signboard and exterior have changed a little, but I don’t know whether the god I knew is still the owner. It’s been a very long time.”
Martis threw the inn’s door wide open to announce Jaehwan’s arrival.
“You there, innkeeper...”
Almost at the same moment, Martis was hurled back out of the inn.
Martis’s face flushed red, and just as he was about to unleash his World Force in anger, Jaehwan gestured with his hand.
“Wait. I’ll go in first.”
“What? But...”
Jaehwan walked straight toward the door. The moment he stepped over the threshold, he felt something invisible blocking his way.
A barrier.
Apparently this was the force that had sent Martis flying.
Using 「Doubt」, Jaehwan grasped the principle behind the barrier, then activated 「Understanding」 and pushed his hand straight into it.
A moment later, bluish light wrapped around the entire inn, and the presence of the barrier vanished.
As Jaehwan stepped inside, a short man who looked like a waiter sprang to his feet.
“We’re not open yet. How did you get in?”
“I came looking for someone.”
The man’s face twisted at Jaehwan’s curt tone.
“Is the Formation System broken again? No matter how far our shop has fallen, now even every random nobody comes knocking.”
At the waiter’s words, several passengers seated at the tables turned their heads toward Jaehwan at once. A chilling killing intent began to consume the inn’s air.
“Who sent you? Answer properly, or you die.”
“Andersen.”
“Andersen?”
Apparently, the man did not know Andersen.
Jaehwan decided to explain for him.
“That’s the name of the crow sitting on my shoulder.”
“You lunatic. Kill him.”
At the man’s signal, the other passengers in the inn all rose at once. Every one of them possessed sharply honed World Pressure.
Whoosh!
The middle-aged passenger to Jaehwan’s left threw chopsticks, and at the same time Jaehwan lightly stirred his World Force. Under normal circumstances, he would have blown them all away with 「World Stab」, but if he launched too large an attack here, there was a risk he might kill even the gods who could help him find Yoonhwan.
Jaehwan dodged two steps to the left and one step back, then drove both fists forward.
「Normal Stab」
With a sound like a drum bursting, two assassins were smashed into the corner of the inn.
He had tried to hold back, but his base World Force had increased so dramatically that even 「Normal Stab」 was lethal to most gods.
“You’re better than I expected.”
In the end, the waiter stepped in personally.
Red World Force surged from the waiter’s palm and swept toward Jaehwan as if it would swallow him whole. It was a technique that looked less like a Setting and more like martial arts.
A manipulation-type Setting, 「Red Demon Thunderbolt Palm」.
Jaehwan did not dodge the technique. Instead, he met it palm to palm.
Until now, he had mainly used Stab with a sword or fist, but there was no reason he could not use Stab with his palm as well.
As the force of Stab spreading from Jaehwan’s palm began shatteringly to break apart the Red Demon Thunderbolt Palm, the waiter’s eyes flew wide open and his hand trembled.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen anyone like you on the Eighth Floor.”
The waiter’s face turned pale as he ground his teeth and raised his World Force even higher.
It had become a full-fledged clash of World Force. The opponent was no easy match, so if the fight grew this intense, Jaehwan would have no choice but to take it seriously as well.
Jaehwan curled his lips faintly and prepared 「World Stab」.
“Stand down, Baeko. He is not your opponent.”
An old man’s voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
“Master, but...”
Faster than any reply, old hands seized both Jaehwan’s wrist and the waiter’s wrist at the same time.
“My Disciple has been rude to a guest. I shall apologize in his place, so please withdraw your hand this once.”
At the polite apology, Jaehwan slowly lowered his hand. Only then did the waiter seem able to breathe again, gasping as he collapsed onto the floor.
Jaehwan studied the old man who had grabbed his wrist. With a large Chinese cleaver and a pot hanging from his waist, he looked for all the world like a cook.
The old man clicked his tongue, then scolded the waiter sprawled on the floor.
“You fool. You call yourself the gatekeeper of the Black Shop, and you couldn’t recognize that face?”
“Who is that bastard? Is he supposed to be one of the Metaverse Six Gods?”
“Young fool, are you saying you don’t even watch 《Little Brother》?”
“Aren’t you the one who said staring at that stuff all the time would rot my brain, Master?”
Grumbling, the waiter hauled himself back to his feet and began carefully studying Jaehwan’s face. Then he looked at the crow perched on Jaehwan’s shoulder, and at Runald, who had come in behind Jaehwan. The waiter’s eyes slowly widened.
“No way?”
The old man stepped forward in place of the flustered waiter and said,
“A famous guest from 〈Metaverse〉 has arrived. God Slayer Jaehwan.”
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