Surviving Among the Entities

“I’m just joking. Haha! My apologies to you, customer, but since the Blood Friday Incident, All-Capable Gold Corporation has ceased direct trade involving entities.”
“I see.”

Though I had expected as much, hearing it directly left me unable to hide my disappointment.

“However, what I said earlier was the truth. If we were still trading, that much gold would have been required for the transaction to be established.”
“Does that mean information about entities is also impossible to trade for?”
“Ah! Information can be traded!”

I took out the remaining ingots from my bag.

“Oww! Wah! Owww! Woww! Ask me anything! I promise to conduct a fair trade in accordance with its value!”
“How much gold is needed to learn about the Blood Friday Incident?”
“That too is an exception, like with entities. Company policy strictly prohibits divulging internal matters.”

Without time to feel regretful, I moved on to the next question.

“How much for information to expel or destroy symbiosis, danger, and annihilation grade entities from this world?”
“Starting from a minimum of 16 trillion, 6342 billion, 561 million tons, 1 to a maximum of 97 times that much gold is required per entity.”
“Can this transaction only use the gold I currently have on me? Or is it possible to use gold I own in other locations?”
“At All-Capable Gold Corporation, transactions can only be made with the gold you have physically brought.”
“Is it possible to trade for summoning my gold from other locations here?”
“Yes, that’s possible. The amount needed to summon 1kg of gold is 1kg of gold.”

The number of ingots I currently have is 4 totaling 60kg. Using them all means today’s trade will end.

“Questions are free of charge. Information exchange is mandatory for transactions, after all.”
“Let me ask again. Is it possible to learn the locations of specific entities too?”
“Of course. However, the amount of gold required varies per entity, so please tell me which entity you wish to find, and I’ll inform you of the needed amount.”

Fortunately, I inquired about a few entities I had long wanted to locate.

“The One Remaining Monkey’s Paw.”
“13 tons of gold is required.”
“The entrance to the world where no one exists.”
“167 tons of gold is required.”
“The Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt.”
“16,780 tons of gold is required.”

I asked about the locations of many other entities too, but they all required tens or tens of thousands of tons of gold.

“The Suspicious Merchant.”
“30kg of gold is required.”
“That’s cheap.”
“He always sends invitations to those likely to become valued customers. From what I can see, you’ll receive an invitation from him before long. That’s why it’s inexpensive.”

This wasn’t a setting that existed in the game or wiki. Like the other entities that became reality, it seems new settings I didn’t know about have arisen.

“I’ll trade.”

Or perhaps it was just one aspect of entities that couldn’t be fully covered by the game and wiki.

“Thank you!”

Two ingots vanished in the blink of an eye. Simultaneously, the location of the Suspicious Merchant was etched into my mind.

‘It feels like My Mind’s Notebook.’

Suit Guy, cradling the ingots I first traded and the two from just now in his arms and crotch, moaned:

“Oww, yes! Owww! Woww! Waaoww!”
“Pardon the interruption of your enjoyment, but how much would information about Dial-A-TV For You cost?”
“That too is 30kg of ingots. Originally more expensive, but it’s a service for consecutive traders.”
“Then I’ll trade for that too.”
“Yes!”

The location of Dial-A-TV For You was etched into my mind.

“Oh, oohh!”

The remaining two ingots also vanished into Suit Guy’s embrace. The ingots cradled against him melted like slime, soon forming a viscous puddle on the floor.

“Gold! Wow! Golden sex!”

Suit Guy writhing in that puddle looked like a pig wallowing in a mud pit on a hot summer day.

“It was a good trade.”
“I too am satisfied with the trade.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes, my apologies for not being able to see you out properly. Another staff member will guide you outside.”

After finishing the trade, I exited. On my way out, moaning sounds continued from behind me.

-Oww! Wow! Golden shot! Golden multi shot! Golden multi orgasm!

A bountiful harvest. An extremely satisfactory trade.

‘It seems I can continue trading here from now on.’

I had acquired a place to legally trade while also trading for entity information, something that could have been rejected.

‘While most entities require too much gold to trade for, if I keep looking, there may be tradable ones too.’

I should keep asking every time I come.

“Sir, having splendidly completed your first trade with All-Capable Gold Corporation and brought the highest quality gold, earning high points, please accept this business card.”
“Thank you.”

As I was leaving, a staff member handed me a business card. A woman, but just like Suit Guy, her face was so ordinary that I would immediately forget it after exiting.

‘This person’s name is also Suit Guy, huh.’

Written on it was just the incantation to enter this place, and the name Suit Guy.

“There’s no location?”
“Due to a recent troublesome entity constantly attacking our company, we periodically change locations. Please understand that various security policies apply to all customers.”

According to the text on the back of the business card, All-Capable Gold Corporation can only be used once a month, with the location changing each time and the new location appearing on the card.

“Please come again.”
“Yes, thank you.”

Once outside, it was just the ordinary Jongno 3-ga district.

‘Time to head back.’

I had things to do. As I drove down the road, I reviewed my upcoming plans.

“Hey, are you driving with your eyeballs pulled out!”

Should I go retrieve Dial-A-TV For You first? Or meet the Suspicious Merchant first?

“What kind of lunatic are you really! Hey! Are you unlicensed!?”

No, it might be better to meet the Suspicious Merchant after acquiring safety grade or peculiar entities first. Or maybe I should just wait until I receive that invitation, as Suit Guy said.

“You psycho motherfucker! Don’t you drive! Hey! Pull over! Stop!”

I should go retrieve Dial-A-TV For You first.

-The white sedan vehicle ahead, pull over to the side of the road, pull over.

As I finished that thought, a police car called out to me. As expected, I pulled over and followed their instructions.

“We’ll start with a breathalyzer test first. Now, blow hard.”

Despite the test, my reading was naturally zero.

“…You weren’t drunk driving?”
“Officer, how did you get your license?”
“I passed the written test on the first try. It took me 12 attempts to pass the driving test.”
“Where are you from? We should look into this.”

That’s how I ended up being taken to the police station.

“Crossing the center line 27 times, driving on the shoulder or in bus/multi-occupant vehicle lanes 11 times, speeding violations 50 times, illegal passing 37 times, improper lane usage 40 times, failure to maintain safe distance 112 times, reckless driving…”

The investigating officer and the officer beside him couldn’t close their mouths.

“…This all happened in just one day?”
“Sir.”

It was a car I had only recently purchased.

“With a total of 1860 demerit points, your license is suspended for 3 years.”

I became unable to drive for 3 years.

“Processing completed.”

The penalty fines amounting to millions of won were a given.

“Back to being a pedestrian, I suppose.”

I took public transportation home and went down to the basement. Since I had agreed with Singu Hwerang to trade on the 1st of every month, I checked the gold ingots before going back upstairs to rest and recover from the day’s exhaustion.

[Next stop is Suwon, Suwon Station.]

The next day, I immediately took the subway to Suwon.

“Where can I take you?”
“Do you go to Sukgok-ri in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province?”
“Just enter it in the navigation.”

It was faster to go from Suwon than Hwaseong, so I took a taxi and traveled for dozens of minutes.

“We’re here.”
“Thank you.”

My destination was a rural area of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Though my first time there, I instinctively knew the location of what I was seeking, as if a navigation system was installed in my mind.

‘This must be it.’

An old rural house with an open gate, an unknown breed of dog tied up in the yard wagging its tail, and an interior visible through the wooden floor.

“Is anyone home?”
“Yes, coming out.”

When I knocked on the gate, an elderly woman who seemed to be the owner came out.

“Hello, I am this sort of person.”

I handed her a fake business card I had prepared in advance.

[Antique Collector Seung-hoon Lee]

“Ma’am, I happened to pass by this area before and saw you had an old TV.”
“Huh? When did you see it?”
“Hmm, it was so long ago I can’t recall exactly.”
“I changed my TV a long time ago.”
“Anyway, I’ve been collecting antique TVs recently, so I came to purchase that model.”
“Oh my, what luck! It was just taking up space in the storage anyway! Please come in!”

The transaction was easy, if not quick.

“Young man, have a meal before leaving!”
“Haha, I’ll happily oblige.”

While there are many stories in online communities about the clannishness and malicious personalities of rural folks, everything depends on the individual – this elderly woman was a kind soul.

“How’s this? It’s ddongkuranaetang leftover from the Chuseok holiday, does it suit your taste?”
“It’s delicious.”
“Oh, it warms my heart to see you enjoying it so happily. There’s also galbi and yukgaejang, so eat your fill.”
“But ma’am, why did you keep this old TV instead of throwing it away?”

I gestured towards the old TV the elderly woman had given me, beside the table. An extremely aged antique TV with a cylindrical dial to adjust channels and volume, a rarity nowadays.

“That thing? My late husband told me not to throw it away before he passed, so I kept it in storage.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right. Our patriarch had a sort of psychic sensitivity in his lifetime, everyone said he should become a shaman with how accurately he could predict good and bad events. But he refused to do it.”

This elderly woman is an amazing cook. I’m already on my second bowl of rice, yet my appetite hasn’t waned.

“So I kept it because he told me to. What did he say again? In his final years with dementia, he couldn’t speak properly, so I just kept it without thinking much of it. It doesn’t even turn on anymore, so I stored it away since it was useless. Must be broken.”
“That’s how antiques usually are.”

After the meal, I pressed a bundle of 10,000 won bills into her hand.

“Oh my! This is too much!”
“It’s a hard-to-find TV, that’s why.”
“Seems my late husband was right about it being valuable.”
“Then I’ll be going.”

I returned home with the TV. The moment I arrived, I set it on the table and pressed the power button.

“It’s not turning on.”

Quietly observing the powered-off TV, I recalled its information.

‘Dial-A-TV For You.’

Grade: Safety.
Ability: By quietly watching it, the power will occasionally turn on to inform the owner, in news broadcast format, of good or bad events happening around them.

‘However, since it’s in news format, there are more stories unrelated to the owner.’

In other words, it’s a TV that can foresee the future.

“If there’s a downside, it’s not knowing when it will turn on.”

In the game, it was an entity that helped avoid dangerous entities appearing or allowed encountering beneficial ones.

‘The probability of it turning on in the game was only 1% per turn, so it wasn’t that helpful.’

At that moment, the TV’s power turned on.

[Hello everyone.]

Along with the characteristic noise and volume of an old TV.

[I am the news anchor for Dial-A-TV For You News.]

The 1% probability had activated.