Chapter 1849 – 1849. Eternal Eden
I checked my assets. The only expensive items in sight were the laptop in front of me and the smartphone next to my bed. What about cash? Checking my bank app, I had about 5 million won in cash. Considering I was a first-year college student, 5 million won in pure cash was quite a lot.
‘Did I get support from my family? Or was it from a part-time job?’
The answer was simple. I had transaction records. I received 500,000 won a month from my family and earned about 1 million won from a barbecue restaurant part-time job.
‘500,000 won a month means my family is at least middle class.’
I also found out about my university.
Seoul Buyoung University, first year, Department of Sports Science. There was also a group chat, so I checked it. I scrolled up through the chat history.
Ki Seung-pal: These days, the first-years are so undisciplined. When you see a senior at school, bow and greet them.
Ki Seung-pal: Especially Sung Yu-jin.
Ki Seung-pal: I heard you were hitting on someone?
Ki Seung-pal: Seriously, are you out of your mind?
Ki Seung-pal: If I hear that kind of talk again, I won’t let it slide. I’ll throw your college life into the gutter. Damn.
Ki Seung-pal: Aren’t you going to answer?
Sung Yu-jin: Yes. I’m sorry.
‘Ki Seung-pal? Who the hell is this guy acting up?’
It was a chat from a week ago. I knew it was before I came into this world. But looking at the chat history made me angry. After checking a few more times, I found that Ki Seung-pal had a particularly bad personality and had been especially nasty to me for the past three months.
‘It’s not even reality, it’s a game world… Should I go find him and kill him now?’
But it was too much of a hassle.
‘I’ll kill him if I run into him later. Though that’s unlikely.’
There were 30 days left until the zombie outbreak. There was no reason to go to university.
‘I need money.’
I knew the future, but stocks and lotteries were impossible. The names of the companies in this world were unfamiliar, and the original game didn’t give out lottery numbers. I didn’t know what might happen in the next 30 days.
‘I think I could manipulate stock prices? If I buy stocks and then kill the CEO of a rival company, wouldn’t the stocks I bought skyrocket?’
Could I make a lot of money that way?
‘No matter how I think about it, robbery seems like the most sensible option.’
I crossed my arms and pondered. I thought about what I would need in the zombie apocalypse. A woman, shelter, food, weapons, and subordinates. These were the five things that immediately came to mind. Of course, a woman was important.
‘A pretty woman is important… Should I kidnap a celebrity?’
Where would be a good place for shelter? Preferably in Seoul, but… Seoul would be the most chaotic place during a zombie outbreak.
‘Damn. Food is also a problem. Especially since I’m picky. I don’t want to live eating tasteless food.’
It would be good to have a chef. But not just any chef could satisfy my palate.
‘Subordinates are also important. It would be great if they were capable subordinates who had awakened their abilities.’
I scratched my head. There was so much to prepare that my motivation was fading. Still, the zombie outbreak was 100% guaranteed to happen in 30 days, so I had to do it.
I got up and took out a bag from a corner of the studio apartment. It was a sturdy hiking backpack. Judging by the hiking gear inside, I must have had a hobby of hiking.
‘I probably won’t be coming back to this crappy studio apartment… Let’s just take what I need. The expensive laptop, of course… And some clothes would be good too.’
The most important thing was a weapon.
I saw a baseball bat and a tennis racket in the corner. I looked around and went to the kitchen, grabbing a kitchen knife. *Fzzzt*. A blue current flickered on the short blade of the kitchen knife.
‘Ah, this cool and heavy sensation… A knife is the best weapon after all.’
The traits and skills I chose when I entered this world were Absolute Spirit, Lightning, and Lightning Heaven Style. There was no mana in this world, but there was something similar to mental energy. There was no reason why I couldn’t use Lightning Heaven Style when I could use Lightning.
*Click*.
I packed everything I needed and went out into the hallway. The doors of the studio apartments were lined up closely on the hallway walls. It was an old and cheap studio apartment, so it felt like a chicken coop. I headed to the door next to mine.
‘Were they trying to advertise it as modern? They’ve all got electronic door locks. Makes things easier for me.’
I grabbed the electronic door lock and used Lightning. *Fzzzt!*
*Beep beep beep!*
The door opened.
‘Electronic door locks are a piece of cake. The structure isn’t that complicated.’
I went inside and stole anything that could be turned into money. It was a woman’s room, so there were quite a few accessories. I found underwear in a drawer under the bed. A cup. My interest vanished. After trashing the studio apartment, all I got was 23,000 won in cash.
‘Damn it.’
It was natural that there wasn’t much. This was modern South Korea, after all.
After robbing all the empty studio apartments, I had a total of 157,000 won. Knowing that this wasn’t enough, I clicked my tongue and went out of the building through the window. Unlike the hallway, there were CCTVs at the building entrance. If I avoided CCTVs and black boxes as much as possible, the police wouldn’t be able to track me easily.
Wearing a baseball cap pulled low and a mask, I clenched my fists a few times. My current physical abilities were at the level of a good athlete, better than an average person. It was natural since I was in the sports department and had done various sports.
‘I have abilities, but I can’t use them infinitely. It’s like my stamina decreases every time I use them?’
Thanks to recovery, my stamina recovered quickly after a short rest. And I deliberately made a cut on my hand to check the effect of recovery. It was passive. My stamina recovered automatically. But that meant that stamina was consumed as well.
Recovery, one of the top-tier abilities. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was that good of an ability.
‘I can’t rob a bank with my current abilities.’
Even if I robbed a bank, escaping would be a problem. I didn’t have a space teleportation scroll, and I didn’t have any companions. Even if I stole cash, it would be hard to move it alone. If the police were determined to chase me, I would be caught.
I sighed.
• • •
Na Chae-young sighed.
She was one of the 300 players who had entered this world.
She didn’t know why she had entered this world. She had been playing the game [Eternal Eden]. When she opened her eyes, she was in the game world, and there were only 30 days left until the apocalypse on July 30, 2022.
‘Why did this happen?’
[Eternal Eden] was a survival game involving 300 players. The last one to survive wins. So, if she became the last one, wouldn’t she be able to return to her original world?
‘…That’s too optimistic.’
The game had become reality.
At first, she had tried to rely on the government or corporations. She was confident that she could persuade them by showing them her abilities. But she gave up after seeing the fate of a player who had acted before her. She had seen a player being captured by soldiers and dragged to a research lab in Gangwon-do.
What would they do to her in the lab? It was obvious. She would be subjected to all sorts of experiments. Na Chae-young didn’t want to be a test subject.
‘There are only 30 days left. At this rate, I won’t last long and I’ll die.’
Players had abilities depending on their four classes. Her class was Technologist. It was the class with the lowest combat ability in the early game. For her to survive, she had to rely on forces like the government or corporations. But she had clearly seen a player being dragged to a research lab, so it was hard to approach them easily.
So, she decided to create her own group, but it wasn’t easy.
What she needed were capable people. It would be even better if they were awakened, but even in a computer game, finding early awakeners was difficult. Besides, not all awakeners were capable. Most of all, it was hard to trust people.
In the end, she hadn’t been able to form a group to this day. She couldn’t help but sigh. She was a player, but she wasn’t using the advantages of being a player.
‘…Because games and reality are different.’
Still, she couldn’t just sit still, so she was making progress step by step. This world was similar to Earth, but it wasn’t Earth. Unlike the Korea she had originally lived in, the underworld was quite large in this world’s Korea. To put it bluntly, the power of the gangs was significant.
Na Chae-young supplied weapons to the gangs. Guns, of course. Because that’s where the money was. Besides, maintaining a good relationship with the gangs would be advantageous for survival. When the zombie outbreak happened in 30 days, the gangs would come looking for her, the weapon maker. Then, she could negotiate. She was preparing various things for that.
Na Chae-young put two pistols on the workbench into her bag. She took off her white coat. She put on bulletproof jeans and a t-shirt. She put on a jacket over the t-shirt. It was a bit hot, but she couldn’t help it. She had to prepare for the worst.
*Screech!*
She opened the door of the workshop and went outside. Before she got annoyed by the hot sun, she quickly got into her compact car. She started the car and looked at her house. ‘Gyeongcheon Used Shop’. It was an old shop in a remote area of Gwangju. Inside that shabby shop were her treasures. A place she could never abandon now.
“Haa.”
She sighed and drove up to Seoul.
The gang that Na Chae-young traded with was the Gosan faction, which controlled Gangdong-gu in Seoul. They mainly did loan sharking. So, they had a lot of money.
She parked her car in a suitable place and got out with her bag. Eyes were drawn to her. Even though she dressed as plainly as possible, her natural beauty drew attention to her. She put on a cold expression. That was the only way to keep men from hitting on her.
She headed down a secluded path. Her destination was the loan shark office. The deal was already done, so she just had to go there, hand over the guns, and receive a burner account. Then the deal would be over. With that money, she would buy materials and make new weapons or strengthen her shelter.
*Thud*.
As she turned a corner in the alleyway, she bumped into a man who came out from the side. Na Chae-young frowned without realizing it. The man, who looked like a college student, scanned her up and down with lustful eyes and said,
“Sorry.”
The man, who apologized rudely, waved his hand and walked towards the loan shark office. He glanced back at Na Chae-young as if he was pondering something, but Na Chae-young stood still, staring blankly into the air.
Because she could see something that others couldn’t.
「Individual Name: Sung Yu-jin
Potential: ★★★★★
Awakened Abilities: Absolute Spirit, Lightning, Recovery.
Traits: Dullard, Lecher, Purity, Agility.」
