Chapter 34
“Kurgh!”
Seong-Hwi pulled out his Shaco Knife from the chest of a wide-eyed man. He had killed a three-man team that had attacked him just earlier.
[154 Karma obtained.]
A white pillar of light surged from the dead man’s chest. Seong-Hwi tore the man’s shirt with the Shaco Knife, and a Teleport Rock fell out. Seong-Hwi grabbed it and placed it in his pocket.
That’s the third one.
He only needed one for himself, so he planned on selling the other two for the right price.
I could give it to Shin Jun’s team if needed.
Seong-Hwi wondered whether the seed he had sown had bud. If it did, it needed to weather the storm to bask in the sweet sunlight.
Kim Seung-Jun, was it?
Seong-Hwi was reminded of the handsome young man on Jun’s team. He had caught Seong-Hwi’s interest because he had a sword D Weapon. Like Earth’s blood type personality analysis, there was a D Weapon personality analysis in the Mirror World.
According to the blood type personality test, those with type A blood were faithful and timid. Those with type B blood were free-spirited and ambitious. Those with type O blood were versatile and easygoing. Those with type AB blood were either geniuses or idiots. However, this was only a pseudoscience, and people rarely took it seriously.
The same went for the D Weapon personality analysis, but people didn’t completely brush it aside because of some matching points. For example, those with armor D Weapons were introverted and protective. Those with shield D Weapons were extroverted and altruistic. Those with glasses D Weapons were highly inquisitive, caring more for the truth than good or evil.
Among them, those with edged D Weapons had the resolve that kept their blade sharp, meaning they were highly ambitious and desired power and acknowledgment, doing whatever it took to achieve their goals.
They’re just popular beliefs, but... the light in his eyes seemed dangerous, Seong-Hwi thought.
Seung-Jun averted his gaze from Seong-Hwi whenever their eyes met, but stared covetously at Seong-Hwi whenever he used his skill. Seong-Hwi had seen many like him in the Mirror World—those who witnessed others with power that far transcended their wildest imaginations and desired to become exactly like them.
People like them cross the line without a second thought if given the chance.
***
“Well... This is unexpected,” Seong-Jun said as he stared at Seong-Tae with a smile.
“Fucking traitor! How could you do this to a teammate?!” Seong-Tae raged as he tightened his grip on his shield.
“Haha. You thought she was useless too, didn’t you, Seong-Tae hyung?”
“Shut up! I’m not your hyung!”
Seung-Jun smiled widely and shouted, “I’ve never thought of you as my hyung anyway, damn two-bit thug!”
Seung-Jun summoned his cutlass D Weapon, and turned to the thickets. The sounds and vibrations of battle were still echoing throughout the forest.
He asked, “How did you find us? There’s no way you could’ve heard us.”
It had been the perfect opportunity. Even if they had made noise, it would have been snuffed out by the sounds of battle.
“Min-Jae told me he thinks you might be carrying out black quests!” Seong-Tae shouted.
He had not forgotten even for a moment what Namgung Min-Jae had told him before heading to the Mirror World.
“Listen carefully. I think Seung-Jun might have gotten the Dark Seal. He sometimes acts in ways I can’t understand... It might be because of the black quests.”
After that, Seong-Tae thoroughly observed Seung-Jun but did not feel he was doing anything unusual. However, ten minutes ago, he became uneasy that Hwa-Yeon and Seung-Jun were alone together and set off, telling Jun and Ho-Geun that he would bring them back. Ho-Geun said to leave them be, sure that they would be back soon, but Seong-Tae could not rest easy as his heart beat rapidly from anxiety.
“Keh! Namgung Min-Jae... I knew it.” Seung-Jun brandished his sword and said, “Now that it’s come to this... I’ll leave the team immediately. Kekek! It’s better this way. Two people, huh? I’ll use one to clear the black quest and the other to obtain a Teleport Rock!”
Seung-Jun dashed toward Seong-Tae.
“Fat chance, motherfucker!” Seong-Tae shouted, taking a stance with his shield and using his new skill.
[Activating Skill: Take Root.]
Seong-Tae felt his feet firmly planted on the ground.
Dammit! How long can I last with this? Seong-Tae thought anxiously.
He, like Hwa-Yeon, hadn’t gotten any decent skills. Unlike Jun’s Immovable, the skill Take Root did not infuse Seong-Tae’s shield with mana, which was why Seong-Tae was put in the sub-tank position. Fortunately, as a result, he focused on investing Karma into raising Health and Magic, allowing him to become an expert in enduring long battles while keeping his skill active.
“You can’t beat me!” Seung-Jun shouted.
[Activating Skill: Double Slash.]
Seung-Jun quickly approached Seong-Tae and aimed for his legs, but after being forged in battle, Seong-Tae could easily predict Seung-Jun would aim for his legs, which weren’t covered by the shield, first.
Son of a bitch! He’s so damn fast, Seong-Tae thought as he blocked Seung-Jun’s attack. He was at a massive disadvantage in close combat. If only I had at least a sword!
Seong-Tae missed his sword, which the Fallen Knight broke. Seung-Jun drove Seong-Tae into a corner and showered him with attacks.
“Idiot! You should’ve brought Park Ho-Geun or Shin Jun if you were suspicious of me!”
“I’m more than enough for trash like you!”
Seong-Tae endured Seung-Jun’s barrage of attacks, which were getting stronger by the second, like a turtle in its shell. He could only muster this as he had no viable attack methods.
I’ll hold on until Ho-Geun and Jun come to look for us!
They would surely notice something was off if Hwa-Yeon, Seung-Jun, and he did not return soon.
Seung-Jun clicked his tongue. “Tsk, annoying prick.”
He figured out Seong-Tae’s motive. He would be in trouble if he wasted any more time.
Since it’s come to this, I’ll show you! Seung-Jun shouted inwardly, his eyes gleaming maliciously.
He charged at Seong-Tae again.
[Activating Skill: One Point.]
Seung-Jun saw a weak point in Seong-Tae’s shield. It was one of the three holes made during their first battle against a Fallen Knight. Just then, a light dangerously flashed from Seung-Jun’s cutlass. A blood-red aura wrapped the sword, exuding a metallic scent.
“DIE—!”
[Activating Unique Skill: Blood Drinker.]
The cutlass pierced the shield, sinking into Seong-Tae’s flank. It was the same area that was hurt in their previous battle.
“Kurgh!”
“Kekek! It finally went through!” Seung-Jun shouted as he pulled out his sword from Seong-Tae.
Seong-Tae’s blood was sucked into the cutlass before it even dripped on the ground.
“Fucking... coward! Stabbing an opponent where they’re injured? And what the hell is that?!” Seong-Tae shouted, enduring the pain.
He had never seen Seung-Jun use such a skill.
“Oh, did I not tell you? I established a rule for my D Weapon, too. This is my unique skill.”
The unique skill, Blood Drinker, allowed Seung-Jun’s sword to grow sharper the more blood it absorbed.
“I learned a lot from Card. The most important thing when establishing a rule is a strong wish! I know exactly what I want. I want to take things from others!”
Seung-Jun had done the same on Earth—he had gained the affection of others with his looks and got what he wanted from them.
“It wasn’t a coincidence that I got a cutlass as my D Weapon, Kekek, it’s a weapon used mainly by sailors. Sailors can become pirates at a moment’s notice!”
“Son of a bitch!”
Seong-Tae was driven to the brink of danger. His plan of buying time went out the window.
“I’ll suck out all your blood! Kekek. I never liked you from the beginning. You act too nice and straight-laced for a mere thug! You make me wanna puke!” Seung-Jun shouted as he charged toward Seong-Tae, raising his sword.
The gears in Seong-Tae’s head rapidly turned.
If I can’t buy time, I need a unique skill too! he thought.
He already had one in mind.
***
Seong-Tae’s family was not well off. He had two older brothers and one younger sister, and his parents were always busy working. He always had to wear hand-me-downs from his brothers and give all the delicious food to his sister. The young Na Seong-Tae was just a poor, scrawny kid, desperate for attention.
“Hey, anchovy! Come here!”
“Why are you so damn weak? I thought anchovies were full of calcium.”
“Blegh! You stink, anchovy!”
Seong-Tae’s nickname in school was anchovy because he was far skinnier than his peers, making him a target of bullying.
I’m not an anchovy!
Seong-Tae wanted to be acknowledged more than anyone. He always wanted to prove himself, possibly because he was the third of four siblings. Hence, he started exercising intensely to build his body. No one dared to disrespect him once he got older, entering middle school and then high school. However, his nickname changed.
“Damn muscle pig.”
“Can you even scratch your back?”
“Why are you such a gym rat?! I wouldn’t have bulked up like that if I were you.”
He worked out because people called him an anchovy, but it only changed the name people called him by. He found it hilarious because he could feel his peers’ envy. He was proud of what he saw in the mirror. He had become healthy in both body and mind. He learned that anything could be achieved by putting one’s mind to it. He had proven himself.
***
“Yes, sir. It’s wonderful, isn’t it? It has low mileage and hasn’t been in any accidents. Yes. Yes, please come check it out in person.”
After graduating from high school, Seong-Tae began working at a used car dealership in Incheon, which his gym buddy introduced him to. He remembered how happy he was when he received his first business card, which said Na Seong-Tae: Used Car Dealer. It symbolized that he was now also a working member of society and earning money. He had become a useful person.
Due to his young age, he was initially disrespected several times. Hence, he always wore a suit at work regardless of the weather. He even followed his senior coworker’s advice and got tattoo sleeves on both arms, so he was not looked down upon—a dragon on his right arm and a rose on his left.
As his senior advised, the number of rude customers decreased once Seong-Tae got the tattoos. When a customer cursed, he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, which always de-escalated the situation. The customers sometimes insulted him by calling him a swindler, but he always worked with pride because he was making honest money. Unlike other dealerships, his workplace did not bait customers with false information—at least, that was what he had thought.
***
“Na Seong-Tae! Where is that motherfucker Na Seong-Tae?!” a man in his fifties shouted as he stormed into the dealership.
Seong-Tae had been in the middle of showing a car to a young couple.
“Just a moment, please,” he said to the couple, asking for their understanding. He was familiar with the man because he sold a car to him about a month ago. He asked, “Mr. Park? What brings you here?”
“What brings me here? You goddamn swindler! How dare you scam me?”
“Scam you? You must be mistaken. We run an honest business.”
The man slapped Seong-Tae. Seong-Tae stared at the man dumbfoundedly.
The man shouted, “Honest? You have some nerve, saying that when you messed with the odometer!”
The odometer? What is he talking about? Seong-Tae wondered.
He remarked, “Uhhh... there seems to be a misunderstanding.”
He rummaged through his black clutch bag, which he always carried with him. He saw the ones his senior coworkers had and bought something similar online. All his documents were in it.
He pulled out the transaction document and showed it to the man, saying, “Mr. Park. If you look here, it says the car is less than a year old with a mileage in the seven thousand range—”
The man snatched the document and Seong-Tae’s clutch bag, shouting, “Do you expect me to trust that bullshit document?! I’ve already confirmed everything at a repair shop!”
The man tore up the document. He was about to throw the clutch bag, but laughed mockingly at Seong-Tae after taking a closer look at it.
“Would you look at this? What the hell is this faux leather bag? I should’ve known a swindler would carry around knockoffs.” The man threw the clutch bag on the ground and continued, “Your clothes are knockoffs, your bag is a knockoff... your entire life is a goddamn knockoff!”
The man turned around to leave the dealership and shouted, “This dealership had better be ready for a lawsuit!”
Seong-Tae remained silent, his face red from the man’s insults.
A lawsuit? I have nothing to worry about. I’ve never messed with the odometer, Seong-Tae thought. He suppressed his humiliation and picked up his clutch bag. The man’s words echoed in his head. A knockoff bag... my entire life is a knockoff?
“This place must be a scam.”
“Let’s go, honey.”
The young couple Seong-Tae was showing cars to, turned to leave the dealership.
“P-please wait!”
Seong-Tae chased after them out of the dealership, but they left without turning back. He then noticed two men on the street. One was the man who mocked Seong-Tae, and the other was the dealership owner.
“It seems like we were fooled too, sir... I swear we will catch the person behind this if you settle with us,” the owner begged.
What? Why is he trying to settle when we did nothing wrong?
Seong-Tae was about to go to them, but the manager, who followed Seong-Tae after witnessing the commotion, grabbed his shoulder.
He said, “Don’t.”
“Pardon? Why not? Why should we beg for a settlement when we’re not even the ones who messed with it?”
“Huuu... we did.”
“What?”
“We did mess with the odometer.”
He discovered that the dealership manipulated the odometers to fool their customers about the cars’ mileage. Seong-Tae had been engaging in false sales, believing the information was genuine.
I was... a swindler this whole time?
Seong-Tae was shocked. He took pride in making a living with an honest job. He believed he could do anything by working hard and using his accomplishments to prove himself.
It was all a lie!
Seong-Tae clenched his clutch bag as voices endlessly echoed inside his head.
Knockoff bag... Knockoff life.
***
Seong-Tae quit his dealership job and started his own business, using the know-how he had gathered. He took orders, purchased vehicles, performed tests, did product maintenance, checked current prices, and followed up—it was far too much for one person to handle, but he did his best regardless.
His business policy was only honesty. He did not get many customers at first because the dealership was so small, but word of mouth slowly spread thanks to his outstanding service from sales to follow-ups. Additionally, safety and trust became crucial once air purification equipment became a necessity due to the toxic environment. Seong-Tae took that opportunity to grow his business because he was known among his customers for his honesty policy.
The first thing he did once he started earning more money was buy a premium clutch bag. Next, he purchased a premium suit, dress shoes, a belt, a watch, leather gloves, a fountain pen, and much more.
Look at me now! I don’t have a knockoff life! I’m living a premium life!
He healed past wounds by wearing premium goods. He built his body to prove himself in his childhood, but that wasn’t enough in the world of adults. He needed premium goods, an important indicator of the kind of person one was, to put on his built body. A person couldn’t become premium, but premium goods made a person.
Seong-Tae had become successful. A car dealer with no university degree had become husband material by wearing premium goods.
I’m handsome, too. Hah! Nah, even I have to admit that’s a lie.
Seong-Tae was initially proud to be covered in premium goods, but later realized everyone he interacted with did not see Na Seong-Tae as a person but as Na Seong-Tae covered in premium goods. He had thought premium goods were the only way to prove himself, but one could also say that he was worthless without premium goods.
Something’s... wrong. I wanted to proudly live a premium life, not become a person covered in premium goods.
With that thought in mind, Seong-Tae was Lost while performing maintenance at the dealership.
***
The Dark Forest was fair to all in a way. Everyone started from the bottom, no matter what life they had on Earth. Seong-Tae’s premium shoes, watch, and belt were useless. Skill was the only thing that mattered in this place—one had to prove their worth endlessly. This struck a chord with Seong-Tae. He was reminded of when he initially felt useful to society as a car dealer.
He then met comrades. Shin Jun was a year younger than him, but was highly capable. Park Ho-Geun seemed like a regular old man, but was braver than anyone, always charging head-on at the enemies. Kim Seung-Jun was capable, but a bit of a prick. Namgung Min-Jae was the kind of person one could always entrust one’s back to. There were also the kind-hearted Choi Hee-Gyeong, the little brat Nam Do-Hyun, Ha Rin the dog lover, the smart high schooler Han Ye-Ji, and the bitch Yoo Hwa-Yeon.
In this place, one was acknowledged for oneself rather than one’s social position, age, sex, occupation, or whether they were premiums or knockoffs. Once he realized that his comrades saw him as Na Seong-Tae, the person, he was filled with a strange sense of satisfaction he had never felt on Earth.
What is this feeling? It feels good.
It was the first time Seong-Tae thought he didn’t care if he was the main character—he just wanted to be helpful to the team, which was why he had invested in Magic and Health to be a sub-tank. However, that wasn’t enough. This world was too dangerous, and he needed a stronger ability. He needed a rule for his D Weapon, the clutch bag—the black knockoff faux leather clutch bag he had bought for the first time in his younger days.
“D Weapons that may be hiding or holding something unknown are often part of the conjuration category.”
Seong-Tae recalled what Card had said about his clutch bag possibly being a conjuration D Weapon.
What do I want to come out of this clutch bag? he asked himself. I hope it’s something helpful to the team. I hope it’s something that will make my life premium.
He wanted to prove his worth. He wanted something truly premium to come out of his clutch bag.
***
Seong-Tae threw aside his shield, tattered from Seung-Jun’s endless attacks.
“Huff, huff!”
“Kekek. Giving up?” Seung-Jun asked.
Anyone would think Seong-Tae had given up on life.
“N-no! Run... away!” Hwa-Yeon shouted, mustering her remaining strength to speak.
Seong-Tae turned to Hwa-Yeon and laughed, “Heh! Are you treating me like a knockoff? I’m not running or giving up. My life is a goddamn premium.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Kekek! Have you gone crazy? I’ll send you off painlessly, for old time’s sake,” Seung-Jun said as he raised his sword.
His opponent no longer had a shield, so he could end him in one strike. Just then, Seong-Tae summoned his black clutch bag.
“Hahah! What are you gonna do with that garbage? Stop resisting and just die!” Seung-Jun shouted as he charged.
Seong-Tae shouted, “I establish a rule!”
[Commencing rule establishment of Destiny Weapon: Faux Leather Clutch Bag.]
[Please establish an ability.]
“The skill name is Fiery Gloves!”
Seong-Tae directed his mana to his heart because he learned from Card that those with conjuration D Weapons needed to know how to send mana to their heart. His heart felt like it was about to burn, but he continued to imagine the ability he wanted as he set mana as the restriction.
[Establishment complete.]
[Converting Destiny Weapon Faux Leather Clutch Bag to Premium Clutch Bag.]
...
[Premium Clutch Bag (Destiny Weapon)
Rank: F(51)
Description: A clutch bag for a premium life. The holder can conjure gloves imbued with the fire element in exchange for mana.
Unique Skill: Fiery Gloves]
The clutch bag zipper opened. Two balls of crimson fire shot out from inside the bag, enveloping Seong-Tae’s fists as if he were wearing gloves made of fire.