"The Tyrant Legion is a legion that resides in our territory after paying the proper dues. If they caused this trouble without reason, we will not forgive them. This concerns the reputation of our Livs Legion."
In other words, the Tyrant Legion was paying taxes to the Livs Legion to reside in Sector 174.
And since managing their homes was also the responsibility of the landlords, they couldn't simply back down.
If I were in my Heavenly Demon state, I would have ignored them and fled, but I wasn't the Heavenly Demon at the moment.
"I am Sung Yujin, a member of the A-Plan Legion."
"The A-Plan Legion...? Ah, that legion that's been making headlines lately. I am Ophelia, the 3rd Squad Leader of the Livs Legion."
Ophelia.
I decided to remember her name. I never cared about men's names, but a beauty's name was a different story.
"It'll be easier to understand if you see this rather than me explaining it."
I pulled a crumpled piece of paper from my pocket and tossed it to Ophelia. She cautiously accepted it and carefully unfolded it. Her emerald-green eyes widened slightly as she read the contents.
Those eyes... they reminded me of emeralds. Captivating eyes. A slight stirring between my legs.
"This is..."
The paper was, of course, a letter from the Tyrant Legion to the A-Plan Legion, demanding they surrender their territory or face war.
"This is a declaration of war from the Tyrant Legion to our Legion. Yes, they literally declared war by letter."
"...I see. This isn't a matter for us to intervene in."
Since Tyrant had declared war first, Livs Legion had no reason to get involved. Tyrant and Livs weren't allies, and even if they were, intervening would be a risky move.
We could just ignore the pretense and attack anyway... but thankfully, Livs seems concerned about their reputation, which means they're probably one of the more moderate Legions.
I hadn't heard much about Livs Legion. Their lack of distinct characteristics likely meant they weren't involved in criminal activities.
"My apologies for the intrusion."
"Not at all. I'm sorry for the commotion. Ms. Ophelia, do you always manage this place?"
Ophelia nodded coolly.
"Managing Sector 174 is my job."
Good. I've got the information. Maybe I'll come back later in my Heavenly Demon form and see if she'd be interested in me.
"By the way, what are you going to do with the corpse?"
"Ah, I was just planning to burn it."
"Aren't you going to collect the spoils?"
I had originally intended to, but now that I was about to, it seemed like a real hassle. Plus, I had other things scheduled afterward. Saving time would be best.
"I'm a bit busy... Ah, could you collect the spoils for me instead? I'll give you half."
"Half? That's generous. Fine."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Take the spoils to the fortress in Area 601."
"Understood."
I greeted them and walked past.
Once they were out of sight, I strolled between the zelkova trees and retrieved a piece of paper from my inventory. It was another letter.
This one was more than three times longer than the Tyrant Legion's message, but the gist was the same: hand over the territory or face the consequences.
Idiots, as always.
Any sane person would be impressed by a legion that conquered a territory no one else could.
But fools think differently.
They conquered Area 601? That's only because the entry conditions prevented anyone else from even trying. Pure luck. What's that? A legion tried to conquer it before and got wiped out? That's just because they were weaklings.
They're just underestimating us because the A-Plan Legion is full of rookies. They're chalking it up to beginner's luck.
I pulled out another letter.
The contents are all the same... just a bunch of losers.
I still had two more Legions to visit.
I figured I'd try to resolve things with words if possible. No grand reason I was just tired.
But life rarely goes as planned.
A few days later, rumors spread that the A-Plan Legion was merciless and ruthless. Not that I cared.
As Sung Yujin's retreating figure disappeared, one of the Reeves Legion members turned to Ophelia.
"Should we just let him go like that? He's no ordinary man. We should at least put a tail on him..."
Ophelia shook her head.
"He's the man who single-handedly annihilated the Tyrant Legion. A clumsy tail would only complicate things. Let him go. There's no need to make an enemy of him."
"Understood."
Her subordinates began processing the corpses and collecting spoils. As Ophelia watched them work, her mind drifted to Sung Yujin and the A-Plan Legion.
A Legion that had conquered a Territory in just two months.
In the past, this wouldn't have been particularly remarkable. Back then, there were still many easily conquerable Territories. But now, none of the remaining Territories are easy. Even if the entry conditions were the key, figuring them out still required ability and skill.
A promising Legion has emerged after a long time. And that man, Sung Yujin, wielded lightning.
Ophelia had clearly seen and heard it: the colossal lightning bolt surging from the ground to the sky, and the thunder so deafening it nearly ruptured her eardrums.
Thinking of Sung Yujin controlling lightning instinctively brought another man to mind.
In any case, he's definitely extraordinary. I need to emphasize that when I report to the Master.
I arrived at the AP Shop in the 4th District.
As its name suggests, the 4th District is where shops that accept AP are located. It's directly adjacent to the 2nd District, the City of Today.
AP can be used to purchase special items, potions, daily necessities, and to exchange for Pennies, the currency used in Atlantis. However, converting Pennies back into AP is impossible.
The exchange rate was 1 AP to 100 Pennies.
1 AP equaled 100 Pennies.
The value of a Penny was such that 100,000 Pennies were roughly equivalent to 1 million Korean won.
Of course, I hadn't come here to exchange AP for Pennies.
So many people.
The Shop was bustling with a constant stream of customers. No one dared to block the entrance or cause trouble, as this territory was directly managed by the System. Anyone who tried would be instantly subdued and penalized.
What made this Shop particularly interesting was that despite its popularity, there was no need to wait in line. The reason for this became clear as soon as you stepped inside.
Ding.
I opened the Shop door and entered.
It was an entirely different space.
The room was dimly lit. A door leading outside stood against one wall, and a chair and table occupied the center of the room.
The Shop is the same for everyone who enters, but it transports them to different spaces. In game terms, it's like being on different channels.
I sat down in the chair facing the table.
Welcome to the AP Shop.
The AP Shop allows you to buy items using AP or sell items for AP. Only items with a Rank can be sold, and they will be sold at 30% of their market value.
The AP Shop is only accessible for 2 hours per day.
What would you like?
At first glance, the Shop resembled the NPC shops in games that always sell items, but in reality, the quantities of items available were limited.
My current AP balance is...
AP Balance: 178,943
From my perspective, it was a bit ambiguous, but for the other rookie Exiles, it would be enough to make their stomachs burst with envy.
I immediately checked the potions first.
High-Grade Healing Potion - 11,000 AP
Remaining Quantity - 2,194,914
'I had a feeling it would be expensive. It's better to import high-grade potions from the modern world.'
Low-Grade Healing Potion - 200 AP
Remaining Quantity - 171,241,561
These were the potions most commonly purchased by rookies.
I wouldn't even use such low-quality items, but for rookies, they'd be a godsend.
'Forget the potions for now. Since I'm here, let's check out the special items first.'
Permanent Mana Increase Potion - 100,000 AP
This item can only be purchased once.
Remaining Quantity - 0
Currently out of stock.
'...Well, I expected as much.'
A potion that increased Mana by 1 for the relatively low price of 100,000 AP.
It was a win-win situation: you could either consume it yourself to boost your stats or sell it to others for over 100 million Pennies, equivalent to more than 1 billion Korean Won. No wonder everyone was after it.
The situation seems the same for other stat-boosting potions.
I searched for other items.
D-Rank or higher. Price under 100,000 AP. Includes Skills, Traits, Equipment, Consumables, and Materials.
Information about items available at the Shop flooded my vision. I quickly scanned through them with my eyes. With only two hours to spare, there was no time for careful examination.
Oh, this looks promising.
What I found was a Skill:
Lightning Speed - 100,000 AP
This item can only be purchased once.
Remaining Quantity: 3
Lightning Speed
Temporarily transforms the body into thunderbolt for movement, granting immunity to physical attacks.
Type: Skill
Rank: D
This skill can only be used by those with thunderbolt-related traits or whose attribute is thunderbolt.
This skill was perfect for me.
Physical immunity...
It couldn't be complete immunity to all physical attacks. This skill was only D-Rank. The immunity likely only applied to attacks without mana. I wondered how it would change with a higher rank.
I can gradually increase the rank later. For now, I'll buy it!
You have purchased Lightning Speed.
100,000 AP has been deducted.
You have learned a new skill.
"Lightning Speed!"
I immediately activated the skill.
My body crackled and transformed into pure thunderbolt energy. Looking down at my transformed form, I shouted, "I am God Sung Yujin!"
I remembered some guy who ate a weird fruit and tried shouting it out, but it wasn't even remotely fun.
Zzzzt.
The Electric Body Transformation lasted only three seconds before my body reverted to its original state. There was no pain, and aside from feeling lighter, I didn't notice any other changes.
I tried using Lightning Speed again, but it failed.
This skill cannot be used consecutively.
After that, I used the skill every five seconds and roughly determined that it could be used about every thirty seconds. It also consumed a significant amount of Mana.
"While I'm using this, my movement speed increases. Further testing is needed, but it's a useful skill. To get such a skill for only 100,000 AP... I'm lucky!"
The reason such a good skill remained unsold and in stock was easy to guess.
The skill's requirement likely involved possessing a Thunderbolt-related Trait. Lightning was an exceptionally rare attribute compared to other elements.
"Next up..."
My true purpose for coming here.
20th District Transfer Scroll - 57,000 AP
Remaining Quantity - 13,209
Originally, I planned to buy this scroll and then use the remaining AP to purchase a Village Transfer Scroll. If I hadn't acquired Lightning Speed, I would have done just that. For reference, a Space Transfer Scroll costs 54,611 AP.
"Plenty of stock. Well, the 20th District isn't exactly a popular destination. It's monster-free, after all."
I bought this because of the suspicious request Pesica gave me two weeks ago: come to a specific location in two weeks. That location was the 20th District.
It's a place that would take a week of nonstop travel from the 2nd District, the City of Today, to reach.
Two weeks might seem like plenty of time, but I had to juggle my identities as both the Heavenly Demon and the Thunderclap Slayer. I couldn't abandon my mission to conquer Area 601 of the A-Plan Legion due to personal matters.
Living a double life is so exhausting.
I grumbled inwardly as I rose from the chair and stepped out of the shop.
Space Transfer Scrolls couldn't be used inside shops.
Finding a secluded spot, I donned the Clown Mask and tore open the Area 20 Space Transfer Scroll.
You have entered Area 20, the Plains of Silence.
A cold night wind swept across the plains.
I tilted my head back and scanned my surroundings.
Beneath the starlit sky, an expansive plain stretched out before me. The starlight was so bright that the plain was clearly visible, not shrouded in darkness. Scattered across the plain were massive, dolmen-like stones.
Where should I go?
The commission only specified to arrive at the 20th District by 10 PM, without any precise location details.