TGFTE 73

Chapter 73….

Clang.

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ (LOL)]
[Looks like Ji-han really likes it.]
[Wow, but seeing it in first person, the field of view is insanely wide.]
[Wouldn’t you get motion sickness pretty badly?]
[Is this okay?]

Lee Ji-han’s head had been replaced with a glass fishbowl.

With a nametag that read HAN on his head, Ji-han tapped the glass several times while looking into a mirror.

“This is amazing.”

Inside the fishbowl, flames flickered like an alcohol lamp, shifting color depending on his emotions.
His voice still carried out, thanks to game logic.

[Feels like he’s submerged in water?]
[Or kinda like being inside a container LOL]
[This is wild.]
[They even give you free voice modulation.]
[Wow, this is a flawless persona—no one can tell who you are LOL.]

Just like the chat said, his identity was perfectly hidden.

Today was PunkSuli Trial Day.

Time left: just under three hours.

[Since items and perks you earn now partly carry over, are you gonna jump straight into quests?]
[Or maybe meet some other people?]
[For now, just clear the starting bottom floor and move up to the lower levels.]
[Think of the bottom floor as the tutorial zone.]
[LOL Ji-han really did his homework before coming.]
[That’s right, our Ji-han studied and even did the homework properly.]

Punk Loader and PunkSuli had one thing in common: everyone started in the lowest floor.

This was the tutorial zone—
the place where all new players began, separated into instanced servers so they wouldn’t overlap with others.

“The lower floors, huh… Do you think I can make it up today?”

Ji-han asked.

[Nope, you won’t be able to go up yet.]
[Everyone’s probably just unlocking access to the lower floors.]
[Watching other streams, they’re all still doing story quests right now.]
[Most likely they’ll just qualify today, then tomorrow when the server officially opens, everyone will rush up.]
[It’ll be chaos.]
[LOL should we just hang out down here then?]
[Ji-han doesn’t seem like the type to grind super hard anyway.]

“Hmm, well then. Since I’ve got a new head now, why don’t we get a feel for things first?”

With that, Ji-han left the Implant Shop and headed toward a tavern.

The sign read: Trashy Shot Tavern.
The letter “ㅅ” in “Shot” dangled loosely, adding to the atmosphere.

[Enjoy it while you can, things will get rustic once you move up.]
[LOL it’s PunkSuli after all.]
[Down here it’s Western-style, but upstairs it looks like a Korean countryside village LOL.]
[Countryside? No way!]
[LOL if it says “ri” in the name, that’s countryside.]
[It only counts as a town if it’s an “eup.”]

Step. Step. Step.

Ji-han walked in.

[Ohhh, a lady!!!]
[Noona, you’re so pretty!!!]

Inside was a seductive woman with elf ears.

“A new face, huh? Do you have citizenship?”

Her alluring, lilting tone.
HAN shook his fishbowl head side to side.

[LOL that head is adorable.]
[Look at him shake it.]
[So the concept is staying silent?]
[If that’s the concept, it’s kinda badass.]
[But with a fishbowl head, not really LOL.]
[You poor soul, you just don’t understand the beauty of object heads.]
[Admittedly, that’s a pretty niche fetish LOL.]
[Still, at least it hides the face completely. Bottoms up~]

“So, you’re looking for a secret route to sneak up to the lower floors, right? I know one.”

She stayed calm, her elf ears twitching.

“But I can’t just tell you for free.”

Her smile was sweet—yet dangerous.

“Well? Wanna try?”

Nod.

HAN gave a small nod.

“Good. Then check out these requests.”

She handed him an old tablet, listing four available jobs.

[Quest 1: Sewer Rat Extermination]
Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆
Reward: 1500 credits

[Quest 2: Food Delivery]
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
Reward: 2500 credits

[Quest 3: Ingredients for Medicine?]
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Reward: 3500 credits

[Quest 4: Alleyway Cleanup]
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Reward: 4500 credits

Naturally, higher difficulty meant higher pay.
The trick was always to find the most efficient quest.

Ji-han instinctively knew that and looked them over carefully.

“Sewer Rat Extermination… so I just enter the sewers, kill some rats, and bring back 10 tails?”

His voice buzzed hollowly inside the fishbowl.

“What, you can talk?”

The elf woman laughed in disbelief.

[LOL there goes the silent concept!]
[Guess he’s not going mute after all, scrap the idea LOL.]
[Talking’s easier anyway.]
[Yeah just talk, Ji-han.]

“I can talk. So, I just bring back the rats, right?”
“That’s right. But be careful. The rats down here are pretty big.”

[LOL not just “pretty” big.]
[They’re HUGE.]
[Scary as hell, I thought it was a chihuahua the first time I saw one.]
[More like a golden retriever LOL.]
[And that’s only one-star difficulty? Should be at least two.]

Veterans of Punk Loader in chat were reviewing the quests for him.

“Food Delivery, huh. So just… delivering food?”
“Exactly. My sandwiches are really good, you know. But down here in the bottom floor, there are so many starving people…”

[LOL hungry folks are the scariest.]
[What if they shoot you over food LOL.]
[Where would they even get guns down here LOL.]

“Ingredients for Medicine… crafting quest?”
“That’s right. Ever brewed a tonic before?”

[LOOOOOOL]
[Making herbal medicine on Day 1, what a game.]
[This game’s kinda violent though.]
[Yeah, brutally so LOL.]
[Skip that one.]
[3,500 credits isn’t worth it for brewing tonics LOL.]
[You make double that just by hitting the lower floors.]
[Well, unless you want to learn the recipe—it might pay off later.]

Ji-han noted the chat’s warnings.
But still… recipes could be profitable.

Yet Ji-han was an honest man. Always had been.

“No, I’ve never made one before.”
“Then it’ll be tough for you.”

[LOL nooo, you should’ve just said yes! They would’ve taught you anyway—it’s a tutorial quest!]
[That leaves the last one: Alleyway Cleanup.]
[But why is that four stars?]
[LOL because it’s “cleaning.”]

Ji-han slowly moved his eyes to the last request.

“…Cleanup, really?”
“The gangs here are the filthiest of them all. They’ve lost their humanity. Which makes them nothing but trash.”

Her words dripped with venom—her hatred was clear.

But that was her personal problem.
Ji-han had to decide rationally.

“Guys, how much is 1000 credits worth in real money?”

He muted his mic and asked chat.

[About 10,000 won (~$7.50).]
[A gun costs like 50,000–100,000 credits.]
[Think of this money as just living expenses.]
[Or there’s another way…]

DUN DUN DUN!

[‘PunkLoaderIsFun’ has donated 50,000 won.]

Convert it!

“Oh, thank you, PunkLoaderIsFun-nim, for the 50,000 won donation. But… what do you mean convert it?”

Just then—

Cha-ching!

You’ve received 5,000 points.
1 point = 10 credits.
Would you like to convert?

A hologram message appeared in front of him.

[LOL instant money laundering.]
[Hey hey, it’s just trial day anyway.]
[There aren’t any good weapons here, just buy a melee weapon and roll with it.]

“So, which job are you gonna take? Time’s limited, you know.”

The elf woman teased.

Ji-han calmly scanned the tablet, then chose the most cost-effective mission.

“Alleyway Cleanup.”
“…What? You? The guy trying to sneak into the lower floors today is taking that one? Sigh, guess I’ll be picking up another corpse.”

She shook her head.
Ji-han shrugged, then asked:

“By the way… do you sell weapons here?”
“…What?”

At that ridiculous question, she burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! A weapon, huh? Fine, take this. Think you can clean up with it?”

She placed a rough dagger on the table.
It had strange runes engraved on it.
Too dull to be a proper combat knife, but too sharp to be just a decoration.

[LOL kinda half-assed.]
[Feels like it has a hidden story though.]
[I saw a major storyline thread earlier too.]
[Yep, that’s Ji-han for you.]
[Of course he’d pick the story-rich quest.]
[We’ve got time today, let’s see it through.]

“A dagger, huh. The blade’s dull.”
“That’s a blade that’s lost its edge. Only a few down here can sharpen it.”

She gazed at him intently.

“Hwangryongpa.”
“Hwangryongpa?”
“The gang boss of these back alleys. He’s the one you need to clean up.”

Her hatred deepened.

“They killed my husband.”

[Wait, she’s married??]
[No, she’s a widow now, technically.]
[Does widow still count as married?]
[But you can’t really call that single either.]
[Single is single, duh.]
[Anyway LOL you idiots, that’s not the important part!]
[No, actually it kinda is important??]

“Will you avenge him for me? Properly? Or will you just die there too?”

Ji-han grinned.
Of course, HAN’s face couldn’t grin—
but the fire inside his fishbowl glowed a bright orange.

“…Are you smiling right now?”
“You could say that. Think of it as a confident smile.”

[LOL who roleplays like that!]
[Best way to deliver the author’s intent: just narrate it LOL.]
[Ugh, that’s so corny!]

“Haha, a confident smile, huh. Fine. Don’t die on me. I’ll pay you 4,500 credits, plus that dagger, and a little extra.”

So it was a personal revenge quest.
But the extra pay didn’t hurt Ji-han’s motivation.

[So he’s just gonna wipe them out and bounce?]
[Or just grab the dagger and dip?]
[That’s possible too, right?]
[Yeah, it’s a sandbox game—do whatever you want.]

Ji-han grabbed the dagger, spun it once in his hand.

“Showing off with a dull blade, huh?”
“You know, even a dull dagger can kill if you stab someone with it.”
“Hah! All talk. Then again, do you even have a mouth?”

He shrugged.
Whatever the case, one dagger was enough.