The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

It was a flower that radiated a bright, black glow.

What Janet, the Merchant of Madness, pulled out was a Shadow Flower.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t know the value of this item, but I don’t normally sell this to first-time customers, alright?”

“...A flower?”

“That’s right! It’s a flower that still radiantly glows light even though it’s been a decade since it was picked. A Shadow Flower.”

[[Shadow Flower]

Quality: Rare

Recommended Level: N/A

Weight: 0.1kg

Even though they grow in Flegueria, there is a good chance you won’t ever see this flower unless you are lucky.

Bonus Effect: You can forcibly use Shadow Summon on a much stronger opponent once. The summoner will be considered 10 levels higher when using this item. If the Shadow Summon would still be unsuccessful with an increase of 10 levels, Shadow Summon will fail.]

‘I can get a Shadow Flower… this early?’

Seol knew that item well.

It was an item that was somewhat comparable to a volatile skill.

It was in the same category as a scroll with a power spell imbued into it or a potion that gave your superhuman strength to escape a dangerous situation.

These items played a huge role in critical moments in turning a failing Adventure into a success.

‘And more importantly, right now, there was nothing bad about having it on hand.’

All he had to do was hold onto it and eventually find a moment to use it.

Janet was reading Seol’s reactions.

Seol pretended to be apathetic since as long as there were other Merchants of Madness, he didn’t have to rush to a deal right away with Janet.

“What do you think ab–”

“How much is it?”

“It’s exactly 3,000 Madness. It seems you realized the value of it, yes?”

“...”

“D-Don’t you think it’s too expensive?”

Seol was contemplating right now.

The item was certainly valuable but the two items that he had already picked out earlier were quite convenient. Since Seol didn’t know how valuable Madness was, it was hard to make a decision.

‘Is it expensive or cheap for the price?’

As Seol furrowed his brows, Janet came to him with a proposal first.

“Then… if you purchase the Shadow Flower, I’ll give you the items that you purchased earlier for free. How does that sound?”

“Both the seasoning jar and the ingredients pouch?”

“Yes! But I’m sure you’re already aware that those items are worth over 600 Madness, right?”

Before Seol could nod in response, Janet continued.

“But, I want you to promise that you’ll only trade with me next time.”

“Next time?”

“Since I’ll be taking a slight loss, I want to make up for it with consistent trades. Don’t you think that’s fair?”

Seol saw through what Janet was saying and nodded.

“So you don’t want me to meet any other Merchants of Madness until the next time we meet, right?”

“Yes, you would be meeting me the next time you have to trade something.”

Was that a profit or a loss?

I was able to get the Shadow Flower thanks to her adding on the two items but Janet’s proposition was the worry this time.

“You don’t need to buy any items next time either. I just want you to take a look.”

“...Alright.”

“Alright, then it’s a deal! The items have been safely delivered to you.”

Since he was in his dreams, Seol was confident that the items would have been delivered to him. It was likely that Janet, the Merchant of Madness, was also one of those transcendent beings he met before.

Before he could wake up from his lucid dream, Janet quickly reached out to Seol.

“Ah! I almost forgot this! Here, take this.”

Janet handed him a piece of paper with a demon design on it. It sort of looked like a piece of currency.

“...What is this?”

“You might find it uncomfortable if I just show up randomly whenever I want. Whenever you want to purchase something with Madness, tear up that invitation.”

“I don’t know how much Madness I’ll have though?”

That invitation triggered an awkward event if you ripped it while possessing no Madness.

“Don’t worry. I gave that to you while considering everything. I want you to know that I don’t give that invitation out to just anyone, alright? Only an extremely rare number of people ever get that invitation.”

It was an invitation for a chosen few and Seol was now one of them.

“...I understand.”

“Then, with our promise of meeting again the next time, I’ll take my leave! Please do well to survive until then.”

[You have acquired a ‘Shadow Flower'.]

[You have acquired a 'This&That Seasoning Jar'.]

[You have acquired a 'Fresh Ingredients Pouch'.]

* * *

As expected, the items were on the table when Seol woke up.

A refreshing breeze accompanied by the sound of birds chirping flowed in through the gap in the window.

Regardless of wherever you go, your biological clock matches the time there after a good night’s sleep.

Seol, right now, felt exactly just that.

It felt natural to wake up in Pandea.

‘This thing called Madness… it might be a more fun system than I thought?’

- Yo~

- Hey~!

- So he bought those from the Merchant of Madness! He bought some weird ass stuff lmfao

- It’s going to be boring if all he does is rest for a month, why should I watch this…

- That’s still case by case. I read that there’s still a lot to do during break. Obviously, there are still probably going to be idiots who actually just rest, but…

- Snowman proved himself! I’m only going to watch this stream.

Since Seol spared no effort at the beginning of his journey to acquire the best rewards, it was natural that he caught the attention of those that lived in another world.

There was no one who could show off as many strange and hidden things like he could.

‘If you can’t avoid it, make the most of it.’

Seol started drafting plans to make the most of Madness like how Kodon told him.

He then organized the things he had to do in the rest area.

First, I have to allocate the skill points that I received.

Second, I have to confirm what the next Adventure is.

Third, I have to check the trends of other players.

Fourth, Clear the ‘A Lost Pocket Watch’ side quest that I got in the Pointy Mountains.

And there was something that he found out only recently.

‘Parts of my memory… are missing.’

Seol first believed he remembered everything about all of the Adventures in The World of Eternity.

But, he was mistaken.

He wasn’t sure how a certain Adventure started. He wasn’t sure which important option he selected and what results they brought.

‘I never thought I was arrogant, so why couldn't I remember it?’

He felt like someone who woke up after a long sleep in one of the cryogenic chambers from the movies.

The fact he had a hazy memory was shocking to him.

‘Even if the Adventure’s content changed with the official version, it’s pointless if I can’t even remember the original Adventure. Damn it…’

Because he trusted his memory above all else, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of doubt.

‘It’s unfortunate but I should be a bit careful for a while.’

An easy Adventure could easily change into a difficult Adventure based on your information.

He planned to delay or give up the Adventures he couldn’t remember for now.

Seol then took a bath, fixed his equipment, and left his room.

The sun was bright in the sky as Seol noticed some strange movements.

‘Was the square this close?’

A crowd was gathered in the square.

Some people had huge dark circles around their eyes, potentially because they slept at the square. It seemed as if everyone gathered here were players.

Someone was standing on the podium, shouting.

He looked ordinary but there was a hint of coldness to him for some reason.

“I’m telling you, we’ve been forced into the worst incident in human history!”

“Wh-what’s the government doing?!”

“Who cares about the government?! Does anyone know where we even are? How are we supposed to find the government if we don’t know where we are?!”

“I-Is everyone here all from Earth?”

“I’m scared… I’m so scared.”

“Are we going to get dragged back into that hell after a month?”

Seol watched the man standing on the podium. He started saying strange things to the people gathered here.

“ Everyone, isn’t the most important thing in times like this unity and cooperation?”

“Unity and… cooperation?”

“Is he saying that we should work together?”

“Exactly. Is there a reason to kill ourselves by splitting up? Think about the people that died during the Adventure or whatever it’s called!”

“Hm…”

[Insight Activates]

[Speech 1 is being used.]

[You are no longer influenced by it.]

“How are we supposed to work together? Don’t we need someone to be our central pillar, then?”

“That’s right! Who are we supposed to trust? If we just group up without a pillar, it’s all pointless!”

Seol wasn’t interested in what they had to say since it didn’t relate to him and left before he wasted more time.

A few moments after Seol disappeared, the man on the podium continued.

“That’s why I brought him.”

A man stepped onto the podium.

The man’s massive muscles made him look almost like a caveman.

“Who is that?”

“Who is he?”

“Everyone, I’m sure you’re all aware that the person who placed 1st in the Points Leaderboard made their existence private.”

The people started whispering among themselves.

“That’s right! They did!”

“Don’t tell me…”

The man standing on the podium introduced the new person.

“It is. This person is the person who ranked 1st.”

“Th-that person is…”

“So we’re going to work together by trusting him?”

“The decisions are up to you, I’m just proposing an offer. Because the only thing that you can trust in a dangerous situation like this isn’t faith or friends… It is simply strength. And can anyone deny that he is the person who is most likely to survive around here?”

“Well…”

“Wh-what should we do?”

The man gave a smile.

“I plan on creating a group.”

Similar things were happening throughout Kongory.

‘Guilds’.

Since they were in a fantasy world now, it was more appropriate to call it a ‘guild’ than a ‘Dure’ or a vigilante group.

PR/N: Dure is a group in small Korean farming communities, involving farmers working together to support each other.

Seol saw many people creating groups, other than the first guy he met, as he walked around the city.

And whenever he saw that, he laughed.

It’s an organization created to protect people but how many would really be able to keep that noble mindset?

Seol wasn’t really that interested in real people anyway. Indifference and Deceit.

There was no way that he would be normal when he grew up in an orphanage and had the same dream for 17 years.

He only trusted himself and he trusted people even less after he was betrayed by the gods.

‘I’m sure they’ll do fine on their own.’

Seol went to the Class Training Center.

Shadow Summoning was in the Black Magic category.

And because of that, Seol went to a building that had the name ‘Prophets of the Dark’ written on the wooden plaque. He faced a man covering his face in a robe.

“What brings you here?”

The moment Seol saw him, he saw some options.

[[Black Magic is researched here. The person who seems to be in charge of this facility has asked you why you’re here. How do you respond?]

1. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to learn a new skill.

2. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to enhance a basic skill.

3. I wish to test my skills.

4. Is there a task you can entrust to me?

5. [Required: Shadow Summoner, Wall of Awakening] I heard that there was a Shadow Summoner here.

……]

Options 5 and below were unable to be chosen and were grayed out.

“I came here to strengthen a basic skill and learn a new skill.”

“Alright, follow me.”

Seol followed behind the man.

When you were on a Rest, you had to always check and inspect your skills.

“In here. Please, enter.”

“Okay.”

It was a pitch-dark room.

The man led Seol into the room and left.

It was completely black in front of him. Seol felt like he entered the solitary confinement room of a prison.

And just then… something came up.

Hum…

It looked like a phantasmal tree.

At the roots of the tree, there were phrases such as ‘Shadow Summon’ or ‘Shadow Hand’ and countless branches were coming out of it.

‘So this is how the skill tree was realized.’

Since Seol already knew about this system, he was quick to adapt to it.

He moved his hands quickly to strengthen and unlock the skills that he wanted.

[You enhance Shadow Summon.]

[You use 2 skill points.]

[Upon a successful Shadow Summon, the summon will now pass on skills more smoothly than before.]

[Upon a successful Shadow Summon, the summon will now retain at least 40% of their stats.]

First, he strengthened his most important skill.

After using 2 points to enhance Shadow Summon, his main skill, he still had 2 skill points left.

‘I need 4 skill points for the next level.’

Seol looked through the other skills until he eventually found the skill that he wanted. He reached his hand out to it.

[Passive: Enhance Summons is awakened.]

[You use 1 skill point.]

[Your summons’ stats have increased by 5%.]

[Passive: Expand Shadow Space is awakened.]

[You use 1 skill point.]

[You expand your Shadow Space by 10%, giving you more free space for summons.]

- Whether he’s awake or asleep, all he worries about is his summons… Snowman, the type of man who doesn’t get even a single skill for himself!

- He’s thinking completely differently from us. He basically thinks that he doesn’t need to worry about his skills since his summons are going to do everything for him.

- Leave summoners alone! Leave summoners alone!

- Jamad and Karuna are about to be fucking units now sheeesh

- This man… There are two wolves inside of you.

Seol reached out to another skill as a test. He then got this message.

[You do not have enough skill points.]

‘I’m not getting strong as fast as I wanted to.’

Seol, despite thinking it was a bit of a shame that this was all he could do, thanked the master as he left and finished allocating his skills.

[[Snowman]

Title: The One Who Brought Down The Moon and 4 others.

Race: Human

Level: 5

HP: 690/690

MP: 1320/1320

Unallocated Stats: 0

Strength 10(+1) Dexterity 10(+1) Constitution 14(+2)

Intelligence 14(+2) Wisdom 40(+18) Spirit 14(+3)

Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1

Skills: Shadow Summon 2, Shadow Hand, Passive: Enhance Summons 1, Passive: Expand Shadow Space 1

Shadow Space: 800/1320]

‘I guess this is still on the stronger side though?’

After he finished checking his stats, Seol headed to a bar.

“So, some strange group was trying to take you somewhere?”

“Even though I was a NEET back on Earth I’m super popular here… Surprising, right?”

“What the hell happened to the world…”

The bar was filled with talks about guilds.

“‘Steel Heart’ or whatever their name was… It’s super tacky, right?”

“At least it’s better than ‘Black Tiger’. I heard some old man made that guild.”

“That’s amazing… wow…”

- LMFAOOOO I’m a Black Tiger!

- My stomach’s going to rip! LMFAO! Stop making guilds!

- I get it, I get it… Your naming senses are so awful… I’m so bored I want to kill myself.

- That old man’s guild… I kind of like it?

- Is Snowman making a guild?

- The legendary ‘Private’-chan won’t make a move that easily~

- The secretly powerful protagonist sheeesh

- The reason he’s hiding his strength: because no one asked…

- Social distancing OP…

The reason that Seol didn’t want to join a guild was simple.

He wasn’t going to get much help from them and he can’t directly help them himself.

He thought of Kodon’s final words for him.

- Keep in mind that if you talk about the things that happened in the heavens out loud, it gives the gods justification to intervene. You will definitely die if that happens. Please, you must be wise. I wish you luck, Snowman. I hope to meet you again someday.

If Seol helped someone with his experience, it could reveal where his skill was from.

‘For now, I’ll work alone.’

He concluded.

‘Well that’s that, but… I wonder if anyone knows anything about this pocket watch.’

Clink.

As he looked at the broken watch while contemplating how to clear this side quest, he felt a gaze.

Slide.

Seol looked back. A white-haired, distinct old man stopped drinking his alcohol to stare at Seol’s face.

Stand…

He then suddenly approached Seol.

‘What? Who is he?’

Seol prepared to summon in case but watched the old man for now.

The old man approached Seol with his face red from alcohol.

“That…”

“Hm?”

“That watch…”

The old man wasn’t looking at Seol. He was looking at the pocket watch.

“That pocket watch… It looks like a watch that I know… Could I please take a look?”

Seol was sad when he thought he’d have to scour the city for a clue.

But now, thanks to insane amounts of luck, the quest NPC was right in front of him.

“...Do you know this watch?”

“Of course, I do, because…”

Seol’s jaws shut when he heard the old man’s response.

“I was the one that made that watch.”

Seol had found a clue for ‘A Lost Pocket Watch’.