Chapter 18—I’m Just a Normal Merchant, But in Babel?! (3)

“Huff— why is this… huff— so far… huff!!”

From the palace entrance I had sprinted nonstop, and yet I lasted barely ten minutes before collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air.

How do people who enjoy running even function?
Are their bodies built differently?

I wanted nothing more than to flop over and sleep right there, but this road was exactly where those monsters had thundered past, kicking up dirt everywhere.

Breathing dirt… disgusting.

I spat out the gritty sand collecting inside my mouth.

Anyway, if I followed this path, I should eventually run into Wolf Fang.

I didn’t know exactly which direction they were in.
So I simply followed the direction the monsters had charged.

But since I didn’t hear any battle sounds, they were still pretty far off.

Okay. Let’s rest before I collapse for real.

If I kept going like this, I’d just drop dead halfway.

While catching my breath, I looked around.

A dried-up fountain.
A half-collapsed clock tower.

“Looks like this used to be a plaza.”

I muttered softly as I took in the scenery.

Unlike Korea, everything around me screamed medieval fantasy.
A clear reminder that I was inside the Tower.

Rows of buildings lined the plaza roads—restaurants, inns, weapon shops.

None of them were intact.

Just like Alessandro, the former Knights Captain of Falkon, had said—
Once the dark mages took over this place, the whole capital city had been abandoned and left to rot.

They didn’t have enough manpower to rebuild all this, huh?

If there were lots of dark mages, they would’ve turned the capital into their stronghold already.

Then again, maybe they didn’t because they prefer darkness and thought this place was “too bright.”

While thinking nonsense, I opened my inventory.

“Ohhh… cold!”

I pulled out an F-rank item: Styx Spring Water.

Completely unsold, forgotten at the bottom of my inventory.
The effects were tiny, but it was perfect for killing thirst.

My eyes drifted to a broken wagon smashed into the corner of the plaza.

…Why did I run here when I could’ve just used a vehicle?

Did I sweat so much that I lost brain cells?

“Sammy, look for transportation in the Market. Something around 1,000 gold.”

***

[> Available Items
– Kremra’s Baby Tricycle: 32G
– Old Wagon: 110G
– ■■ Mage Tower Invention No. 82153: 879G]

***

“…Are you insane? A baby tricycle? Do you even know what ‘baby’ means?”

How was that on the recommended list?

We’d been together for over a month, but this AI still hadn’t learned anything.

I sighed deeply.

Obviously, I wasn’t riding a baby tricycle.

The old wagon required a horse.

That left only one option.

“What’s the Mage Tower invention?”

Just a number.
No description.

[⁕ It is a patented invention from a Mage Tower in another dimension 🙂
Mage Tower inventions are distributed using patent numbers as standard.

“Ohhh, so that’s how it works.”

Since I came from a world with no magic or Mage Towers, I had no idea about these rules.

“Well, let’s see what it is at least.”

I wasn’t planning to buy it.

But “Mage Tower invention” sounded fancy, and since I had more money now after moving into Bahman Mansion…

Maybe it was something magical and cool.

Then information filled my screen:

***

[■■ Mage Tower Invention No. 82153 (C)]

Inventor: Nocturne Garth, researcher of ■■ Mage Tower.

A permanently moving magical vehicle powered by Heavenly Wheels, maintaining perfect balance.
Fueled by a high-grade mana stone, its efficiency is unmatched, offering up to 80 hours of use.

Allows high-speed movement regardless of the user’s stamina.
Its dual-wheel mana-transfer system is revolutionary.

It surpasses all previous forms of transportation, running smoothly across any terrain or elevation, with zero risk of magical explosion.
Its maximum speed is twice that of a normal wagon, at half the weight.

The Heavenly Wheels are crafted from a special ether-alloy refined through ten years of research, making them extremely durable.

Note: Efficiency decreases by 20% on rainy days. Exercise caution when passing through puddles.

/No potential abilities/

***

“……”

I choked on air.

This Nocturne Garth guy must be overflowing with self-love.
Why was the description so long?

And then I looked at the picture.

And froze.

“…It’s a bicycle.”

* * *

Correction.

It wasn’t just a bicycle.

It was a bicycle sent from heaven.

Right now, without even moving my legs, I am gliding effortlessly across the ground.

Magic is amazing.
Nocturne Garth—bless you.

You are truly a genius, sir.

The pedals?
They were just footrests.
Decorations.

This wasn’t a bicycle.

This was basically a motorcycle.

Even the speed matched a motorcycle—
My hair whipped painfully behind me in the wind.

Should I sell this?

Inside the dungeon, cars didn’t work, so hunters relied on summons or movement skills.

High-rank hunters didn’t need this, but mid-rank hunters definitely would.

They’d laugh at it at first…
But eventually?
It would sell.

Bought it for about 800,000 KRW… Maybe I can sell it for 3 million?

Capitalism made me smile.

Plus, the road was nicely flattened thanks to the monsters charging earlier, making this unexpected drive kind of fun.

Even with a world-ending timer running… the breeze was nice.

I was smiling when—

Dudududu—

The same sound I heard an hour ago.

I glanced behind me.

Nothing.
Just the bumpy tracks my bike left.

But when I squinted into the distance—

A massive wave of dust was rolling toward me like a tidal wave.

“…No way.”

I checked my analog wristwatch—
the only thing that worked without reception.

The hand had just passed the hour mark.

“Crap!”

The third monster wave was coming.

Instinct screamed danger.

I slammed my feet onto the pedals—

Nothing happened.

No speed change.
No boost.

Nocturne Garth—
You could’ve been worshipped,
but you forgot the most basic feature:
speed control.

Who decorates a bike with fake pedals?!

While I was panicking,
The monstrous presence behind me grew stronger.

The roar of the ground splitting,
the bone-rattling cries,
the violent wind —

“Ah, I’m screwed!”

I risked a glance back—

And instantly swore.

They were close.
Very close.

They were shaped like boars—
but undead, half-rotted, bones clattering as they ran.

And they were faster than my bike.

What good was “no risk of magical explosion”
If I was going to be trampled to death?

And unlike NPCs,
Monsters couldn’t talk.

My Merchant’s Mark wouldn’t work on them.

If they stepped on me,
That was the end.

As they drew closer, the stench of decay stabbed into my nose.

“Son of a—”

Is this where I die?

I thought I was destined to save Earth with my EX-grade title.

But maybe I’d die without ever solving my brother’s secret.

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing for impact—

“……”

But nothing hit me.

My bike wobbled briefly, but that was all.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes—

And saw dozens—
hundreds—
of undead monsters’ backs moving away.

I froze, goosebumps covering my arms.

They weren’t interested in me at all.

They just ran forward, dropping flesh and bone fragments as they stampeded.

Like their target was fixed elsewhere.

I didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.

And after ten long minutes,
I was alone again in a storm of dust.

“Haaa…”

Finally, I let out the breath I’d been holding.

Did the Merchant’s Mark work on monsters too?

Strictly speaking, these undead creatures were artificially made by dark mages—
So maybe the Mark also applied to them?

If so… jackpot.

I was grinning slyly when another notification popped up.

***

[Title Advancement Quest (5)]

Promote “Friendly Market” to the strong candidate Chae Geundam.
Reward: Skill EXP for “Dimensional Gate,” +1,000G

I scrunched my face.

Chae Geundam—
the leader of Wolf Fang.

But that wasn’t the problem.

“What do you mean ‘strong candidate’?”

Was Babel playing word games?

I stared at the message, frowning.

Babel kept tossing hints at me like breadcrumbs,
but I didn’t understand any of them.

Before I could think further—

From far away, I heard:

Shrill monster screams.
And beneath them—
the unmistakable sound of battle.

Wolf Fang!

I finally found them.

Weird timing, but still—
I found them on the third wave.

I sped toward the sound.

A distant cluster of monsters grew bigger and clearer.

Their screams were desperate—
the screams of monsters losing the fight.

That meant Wolf Fang held out.
And I was not too late.

But they had to be exhausted.

Fighting three waves of 1,000 stat-stealing monsters?
No one comes out fine.

Gotta hurry.

The battlefield was just ahead.

Monsters crumbled into dust.
leaving debris everywhere.

Soon, I entered the swirling dust storm.

As I slowed and passed through it—

Silence.

Complete silence.

I knew instantly:
Wolf Fang had survived this wave.

Bodies of monsters lay everywhere—
not yet fully turning to dust.

A brutal scene.

But the battlefield itself was quiet.
Too quiet.

Wait…

Then I saw him.

Not Wolf Fang’s full force.
Not a squad standing together.

Just one man.

Kneeling, slumped against a massive greatsword,
as if he’d fall apart at any moment.

In the vast wasteland, his silhouette looked ready to crumble into dust too.

I stared, forgetting to blink.

It was the leader of Wolf Fang—

Chae Geundam.

Collapsed.

After cutting down a thousand monsters
all alone.