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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Inheritance
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Inheritance.
It carries various meanings, but in the Eternal World, it refers to the process of inheriting abilities or bound items.
The inheritance process Kang Seol was undergoing now was similar to that, but there were some differences somewhere.
"Urgh..."
"W-What's wrong with you!"
Bill hurried over and supported Kang Seol.
Kang Seol's eyes showed only the whites, and veins bulged on his neck.
It was clear from the outside just how much pain he was in.
Right now, Kang Seol was reviewing the memories of his first character from his lifetime, Snowman.
Whoosh—
Swish—
Incredibly realistic memories.
Memories like looking out the window of a high-speed train, flashing by like arrows.
'My brain... feels like it's burning!'
Even so, amid all these memories, he recalled things he had forgotten.
Bill's appearance from 20 years ago, the photo of his granddaughter he received, his life from childhood to adulthood.
The memories of his first horse were fully imprinted in his mind.
'So that's how it was.'
The reason why the memories had formed gaps, breaking off in parts.
As Kang Seol pieced together the fate of his first horse, he began to guess the reason.
'It remains in the horse.'
A portion of Kang Seol's memories had been split and divided among the 30 horses, not in his own head.
Various pieces of knowledge mixed chaotically in his mind.
Like a tangled ball of thread, some memories remained vivid, while others felt like they would only become clear after precisely separating them from specific recollections.
Accepting the experiences of all the horses he had handled was unbearably tormenting. The discomfort of peeking into someone else's memories.
'Do I have to go through this process every time I encounter one of the horses I gave up on in the game?'
The amazing thing was that the memories of his first horse, Snowman, unlike those of the others, were now etched in him as naturally as his own, without any issue.
'...Memories reclaimed become mine.'
For now, that's all he could think.
"Hah... Hah..."
"Are you okay? Have you calmed down a bit?"
"I-I'm fine."
In that short time, it felt like he had gone on a time travel journey.
[Fated: An adventure for Things That Must Be Reclaimed has been scheduled.]
[You have inherited the 'Snowman's' will.]
[Inheriting the deceased's abilities.]
[Constitution: Inherited Greed Lump.]
[The ability is not suitable for the body.]
['Jamad of the Mountain' inherits Constitution: Greed Lump.]
[Jamad now gains 10% more experience and has a 15% chance for additional ability unlocks.]
[Fated: Contents of Things That Must Be Reclaimed have changed.]
Fated. 'Things That Must Be Reclaimed'
You have undergone a mysterious experience whose meaning you cannot comprehend. From a fateful connection with a complete stranger, you have come to know everything about him.
His memories, his thoughts, his regrets, and even his abilities.
Perhaps in this world, there are more such mysterious connections.
Each time you face your fated destiny, you will gain new things and recall old memories.
Goal: Confront all fated destinies
Remaining time 「None」
'...Abilities too? And it went to Jamad, not me?'
Not just memories, but abilities as well.
Kang Seol panted in a daze.
'And fated destiny? What the hell is this...'
- Merging? What's going on?
- What's this shit?
- You inherit if you find someone with the same name as you.
- Oh, I see. Source?
- My brainfart. Sounded plausible, right?
Bill looked at Kang Seol and let out a big sigh.
"Man, I thought I'd have to carve another tombstone."
"...Thank you for worrying."
"Worry, my ass... Anyway, I'm planning to settle back in Kongori, so if anything troublesome happens, come find me anytime. I won't be much help, but I can make you a clock or two."
[Bill's favorability toward you has increased.]
"Take care."
"Yeah, thanks."
After Bill left, Kang Seol, left behind, organized what had just happened.
'Traces of my 30 horses are scattered across Pandea.'
This was an undeniable truth.
Their achievements were already recorded in books, so there was no way no traces remained.
'And when I encounter those traces, I inherit parts of the horses' abilities and memories from my lifetime.'
He wasn't certain if this could be generalized, but he'd know once he found the next horse's trace.
'Finally, for ascension, I need their abilities and memories. No, precisely, my lost memories.'
Fill the gaps in his memories and, based on them, become far stronger than before to ascend.
In this inheritance process, he had found a clue toward ascension.
'By the way... Greed Lump...'
His first horse had died not long after starting.
It was obvious it hadn't awakened many abilities, so there couldn't be any useful ones.
'Hmm, no.'
There was definitely a useful ability.
That was the Greed Lump constitution inherited by Jamad.
He recalled the memory from when he first created the horse.
A golden halo rose behind the horse, and the gods all marveled.
- No way! Innate luck from the start!
- So what? Innate is constitution, right?
- Greed Lump? Ha! Unbelievable.
Kang Seol, knowing nothing at the time, had asked back.
- Is that good?
- You'll find out when you try. If raised properly, it'll become an insane monster.
- Lucky... When will I get one like that?
Far from an insane monster, it died early to goblins, but the potential of Kang Seol's first horse had been tremendous.
Having inherited its power and memories, Kang Seol bowed deeply toward the tombstone.
"Thank you."
On the tombstone Kang Seol left behind, a broken pocket watch remained, watching the direction he departed.
* * *
Before he knew it, a month had flown by.
The transmigrators had long realized there was no way out of this dangerous survival game.
"Maybe... there's no government or country left anywhere?"
"D-Don't jinx it! If we hold on, they'll come rescue us! Of course, bullets don't pierce monsters?"
"Right? They'll come save us?"
As if they would.
It was a fact everyone already knew.
But they uttered positive words anyway, not wanting to say it out loud.
Both worlds had been caught in the world merger, but those from Earth called themselves transmigrators.
In the long-if-long, short-if-short month, the transmigrators had undergone many changes.
The most noticeable was their adaptation to this world.
"So... decided on this adventure?"
"We did, but... I'd feel better if we knew more."
"What about the guild? What'd they say?"
"We're grouping with guildmates we know, but I don't fully trust them."
"I get it. Same here. They filled the numbers, but stuck me with some brat and a bunch of fat old geezers."
"Maybe solo recruit... Lots of people doing that."
Men in their mid-to-late 30s gossiped loudly about things no one cared to know.
"Risky as hell, haven't you heard? Transmigrators killing each other for gear..."
"Yeah, I heard. Total assholes, right? In this situation, scamming others to survive alone—is that okay?"
"Exactly, can't trust anyone. So maybe stick with the guild instead of talking big..."
"Kids are thrilled like it's a game. Whew... Gutsy."
"Leave 'em. Idiots like that will die first without knowing up from down. We'll survive thin and long."
"Yeah, thin and long."
Guilds' influence grew day by day.
With nations gone and cities not protecting transmigrators, guilds were their self-chosen solution.
To Kang Seol, it looked pathetic, but most transmigrators moved in guilds anyway.
Of course, some went solo due to discomfort with that or confidence in their skills.
Kang Seol fit both reasons, so he acted solo.
From the 3rd adventure on, excluding special cases like sudden or emergency adventures, he could choose himself.
Creak.
At the Adventurers' Association.
When Kang Seol flung open the door, many inside turned to look at him. But they quickly lost interest and went back to their business.
He headed straight for the bulletin board.
Pandea's amazing point was that, despite its endlessly backward exterior, it strangely blended with mechanical civilization.
Beep.
When Kang Seol held up his ID, the board lit up.
He had checked all posts up to yesterday, so he scanned for other important notices and announcements.
Being the last day, party recruitments were active.
(New)[Post by 'Baron's No Good']
[Posted: Just now]
[Title: Looking for Anonymous.]
Fr, our party is super strong, recruiting for Anonymous, who were rank 1 and 3. If no contact by end of day, we'll find someone else.
- Looks like a kid's party.
- Feels like I'd be babysitting. Pass.
(New)[Post by 'YatFinally']
[Posted: Just now]
[Title: Recruiting Anonymous Ranker.]
We are those who do not fear this world.
More like, we've always awaited this moment?
Probably Anonymous rank 1, you have the same vibe as us? Waiting till end of day, otherwise someone else.
- Excuse me, can you keep this crap to yourself?
- Why the beef?
- Special rule: Boot if you can't name 3 fave animes.
Usually, parties recruiting till the last day had issues, big or small.
Eyes too high, or demanding rare conditions.
- These guys are hilarious lol
- So many crazies
- Why chase Anonymous so hard
- Obvious at a glance. Just want a carry.
- Mr. Bus Driver, planning to solo that big bus?
- Mister! Open the door!
With no adventures catching his interest, Kang Seol closed the recruit window.
'All uninteresting adventures. Guess I'll go with the sure thing.'
Truth be told, Kang Seol already had one in mind.
He had paused in case some forgotten memory surfaced, but nothing came.
Mostly known adventures with mediocre rewards.
He glanced around.
Amid everyone absorbed in their interests, he felt two gazes.
Thanks to his level-ups boosting physical stats, his senses had sharpened enough to detect stares.
'One's the person I'm looking for, and the other... a rando?'
Or maybe his flashy gear drew eyes.
'Whatever. Business first.'
Instead of the reception desk, Kang Seol sat in a corner of the association and approached the man watching him.
The man had geometric tattoo-like patterns on his face.
"...What?"
When the man spoke, options appeared.
[He looks suspicious somehow. What will you say?]
1. What're you staring at? Picking a fight?
2. Need help?
3. You seem interested in me.
4. [Req: Insight] You don't seem ordinary....
...
Insight activated.
Even without it, Kang Seol could naturally pick the right option as conversation flowed, but to save time, he chose 4.
"You don't seem ordinary... What are you doing here?"
"What? Hahaha! Interesting."
The man stroked his chin, gestured for Kang Seol to sit opposite.
Thud.
As Kang Seol sat, the man leaned forward to talk.
Expecting the ambient noise to drown him out.
"Truth is... I've got a big haul to transport to Nobira. Need escorts for the carriage caravan."
[Insight activates.]
[The man is lying.]
Kang Seol replied calmly, face unchanging.
"...And?"
"Wanna hand it to a reliable guy... Pay won't be stingy. So, what do you say?"
"Am I reliable?"
"We're talking now, so yeah? No? I ain't got all day."
[The man has requested escort for Nobira transport. How will you respond?]
1. Got it.
2. Look elsewhere.
3. How much exactly for pay?
4. [Req: Insight] To Nobira, right? Doesn't seem so.
He nodded and accepted.
"Got it. I'm in. Anyone else?"
"Uhaha! Good choice. Gotta find more from now. Name's Aden. Nice doing business."
"Snowman."
[Nobira transport escort adventure scheduled.]
[This is a linked adventure, cannot choose next.]
After a few more words, Kang Seol left with plans to meet tomorrow.
'Up to here, just as I remember.'
Kang Seol, who inherited his first character's memories via inheritance.
His first character, Snowman, had cleared this adventure before tackling Friendly 5 Brothers.
Thus, this adventure's hidden secrets were now known to him. No reason to refuse.
And another reason Kang Seol chose this adventure.
'My second character didn't make it through this one.'
Some characters cleared it, some didn't. Only Kang Seol knew why.
'It won't be easy. But I have to go.'
Because his second character might be there.