"… … ."
Suho was speechless.
What was your first impression of the city that unfolded before your eyes?
'... Chinatown?'
Of course, there are many different places in Chinatown, but among them, this place has a rather bad and dark atmosphere.
Colorful neon signs.
A messy and disorderly street.
Shabby walls covered in mold.
And the expressions of the people gathered in the corner of the stone wall, puffing out cigarette smoke, were somehow glo
omy.
"Oh, that's right! I had exactly that look on my face!"
The captain of the guard chuckled again at Soo-ho's expression.
"Why? Are you really surprised? All the guys who first came to this city reacted like you did."
"… … ."
The captain of the guard seemed to have some pride in this city, and explained everything Soo-ho might be curious about b
efore he could even ask.
"To put it simply, this place is a bit like Chinatown. There are Koreans, North Koreans, Chinese, and Russians living there to
o."
As he said, the people wandering around this disorderly city in groups of three or four had all kinds of different behaviors.
Not only their appearances but also their nationalities were diverse.
The reason why there were no other countries was obvious.
This is probably because North Korea is located adjacent to China, Russia, and South Korea.
But anyway, there were two things that Suho noticed.
One.
[Your Majesty, all the humans here have magical powers.]
Nod.
Suho nodded silently at Ber's whisper.
'City of the Awakened'
In a way, this might be natural.
Would it be possible to survive in North Korea until now without being an Awakened Person?
Most of them would have been killed by the demons, or would have been consumed by magic and burned to death as mist
burns.
The journey to get to this city would not have been easy for the Awakened even in the first place.
But this fact was not that surprising.
The second thing that caught Suho's eye was the problem.
"Are you curious about the necklaces around those guys' necks?"
"...yes."
If you pretend, it will work.
The captain of the guard checked the people Suho was looking at and smirked.
Among the people smoking, there were often those wearing 'bomb necklaces'.
But it looked a little different from the one I had given to Sirka.
The outer surface of the necklace had LED 'numbers' that were flashing.
"That necklace is different from the one I lent to your summoner. It's a modified version that has had its magic binding func
tion removed, leaving only the bomb."
"There is no magic suppression function?"
"Yes. Of course, it will explode if you give it any impact, so if you take it off carelessly, your head will be blown off."
"… … ?"
Suho made a puzzled expression.
You removed the magic suppression function from the device used to restrain the villains?
So then what on earth does that thing do?
"But the purpose of its use is completely different. It's called the 'Credit Choker.'"
"Credit choker? Credit… … necklace?"
"No, a loan necklace."
Hehe.
The captain of the guard, who had been so kind the whole time, had a cold smile for the first time.
"All the guys wearing chokers are debtors. They're the ones who haven't paid off their bank loans yet."
"Bank loan?"
"Yeah. Don't you understand? You'll get used to it soon anyway. You'll need money to live here anyway."
Just then, a large building appeared in front of them.
[Paradise Bank]
There was a large sign on top of the building where the captain of the guard personally guided Suho and Sirka from the gat
e.
"...bank?"
"Yes, this is also a place where people live, so you'll need at least money to buy food, right? You'll also need lodging to slee
p."
'Oh, so that's what it was.'
Only then did Suho realize the true nature of the sense of discomfort he had felt the moment he entered the city.
Somehow, despite his fierce appearance, the captain of the guard was treating Suho quite kindly.
Except for the first time we met, the atmosphere was so welcoming that I wondered if they could be so kind to an unidentif
ied outsider.
He is the gatekeeper who supposedly guards the castle walls.
But now I think I know.
The original purpose of the high walls surrounding this city was to prevent the invasion of demons.
If that's not a demon but a person.
Especially if an Awakened person had the power to come this far, they would be welcomed in this city.
"Here, foreign currencies are useless. Transactions are made only with coins that are used only in our city. That's why newc
omers like you have to first borrow money from the bank."
Suho nodded.
"So you're going to be a debtor from the start."
"That's right. Don't think too strangely of it. That's how everyone starts out. Don't worry, you'll be able to pay off your debt
soon anyway."
"… … ?"
I wondered how to repay that debt, but that question was quickly resolved.
"Open! Newcomers welcome!"
As the security guard kicked open the bank door and burst into the room, an employee working on paperwork inside recogni
zed him and beamed.
"Oh, Mr. Park Young-jun! Is it your turn to be on guard duty today? You brought a new customer with you?"
"Hahaha! Okay, Inma! Pay me the introduction fee right now!"
"Yes, yes. I'll pay you right away. You're lucky. A newbie came to me on his own on the day of your shift."
For a moment, the staff's gaze quickly scanned the figures of Suho and Sirka standing next to the captain of the guard.
Then, with a bright smile on his face, he held out two documents in front of Suho.
"Welcome to paradise! Here is one copy of your citizen registration card, and the other is a loan certificate to help you settle
in."
"… … ."
I glanced at the document and saw that it was translated into Korean, Chinese, and Russian side by side.
It's a citizen registration card, so you just have to write your name, but the problem was the living expenses.
I understand that they are lending money instead of giving it as a settlement, but the problem was the interest rate.
'The interest rates are crazy. I don't think even the most private loan sharks would go this far.'
Outrageous interest rates.
What kind of bank would dare to ask for such a thuggish loan?
But considering the environment outside the city, it might have been natural.
If you don't like it, you can just get out of this city.
As evidence, this was Soo-ho's reaction when he carefully read the documents and then asked the employee a question.
"Can I borrow the money later?"
"Yes, of course! We never force you to take out a loan!"
Despite his friendly tone, Suho caught the employee's eyes furrowing for a moment.
But the staff member quickly put on a bright expression, glanced at the captain of the guard who had brought Suho himself,
and spoke as if making an excuse.
"It's common for first-time visitors to our city to be reluctant to accept credit cards. But don't worry too much. If you just co
mplete a few of the requests our bank gives you, you'll be able to repay your settlement money in no time."
"A request?"
"Yes. In terms of games, it's like a quest? Haha, I think younger people understand it faster if you use a game as an exampl
e. If you complete a quest, you get a reward."
"Ah, give me my reward first!"
"By the way, there is a reward for finding an outsider like this person and guiding them to the bank."
The captain of the security guard who had been bringing Suho along for a while was urging the employee to give him an intr
oduction fee.
The officer said, "Okay, then," and handed the captain a few coins.
Clang.
"Okay, okay? Well, it's not like you have any debts, so how much is that? Anyway, you can come back later to ask about the
loan. For now, just write your name on this citizen registration form and leave."
The captain of the security guard, who was happily receiving the introduction fee from the employee, suddenly said somethi
ng next to Su-ho.
"By the way, can I use a pseudonym?"
"… … ?"
When Suho looked at him, the captain of the guard smirked and said.
"What, you really thought I'd come all the way here and stupidly use my real name?"
Suho's eyes widened at those words.
It was not because of the words that came next, but because of the words that confidently told me to register as a citizen u
nder a false name in front of the staff.
"If I do that, Woo Jin-cheol will chase after me and grab me, saying, 'Ugh?'"
"… … ."
"Tsk, isn't it boring? Anyway, these days."
As he listened to that unfunny dad joke, Suho finally realized.
[Your Majesty, here… … .]
'okay.'
The true identity of this city.
This was the final settlement of the villains who successfully escaped to North Korea to avoid none other than Chairman Wo
o Jin-cheol.
'Then the Chinese or Russian people must be villains who escaped from those countries.'
[Kill them all right now. Oh, and before that, we need to have Harmakan to get experience from these guys… … .]
He was dismayed to realize that Berga Harmakan, who had been quietly planning mass slaughter with an evil look in his eye
s, was absent.
It wasn't a good idea to kill all the villains once you found them.
Before that, you had to surround this area with Harmakan as an instance dungeon so that you could gain experience from th
em.
If Harma Khan, who I left behind in Korea for a while, were here, he would have burned down this bank, regardless of the lo
ans and everything.
"But you are really lucky. Where on earth did you catch that little elf?"
Finally, towards Suho, who has completed his citizen registration and is leaving the bank.
Even the bank employees showed curiosity as they watched Sirka following Suho around obediently.
* * *
"Okay, if you just tell me about the bank locations and credit chokers, you've basically paid for the referral fee… … I'll just gi
ve you a few things to watch out for."
After coming out of the bank.
On the way back to where he came from, the captain of the guard gave Suho a tour of the city and said:
"For your information, there is no separate city hall here. Since it is a lawless area to begin with, no one will say anything if y
ou do whatever you want. However, if you rely too much on your power and act too aggressively, you will die without anyone
knowing. Even if you are an awakened person, you are defenseless when you sleep."
His finger pointed to the large avenue that ran through the center of the city.
"Here, on one side of the main street, Chinese people live, and on the other side, Koreans live. The North Korean and Russi
an areas are over there. It's not like there's a huge divide based on nationality here, but if you live with people of the same ho
metown, you'll have a safe place to sleep. Of course, it's all a matter of the heart."
A lawless area that is neither illegal nor unlawful.
The saying here was that if someone were to suddenly and secretly come to the dormitory and try to kill someone while the
y were sleeping, no one would be able to protect them.
"Be especially careful of debt collectors with chokers around their necks. Those with high numbers are really dangerous. Did
you see the interest rates earlier? The interest on their necks is rising even at this very moment. And if they can't pay their de
bts, then boom! It's all over."
"So, if you don't want to die, you have to carry out the requests given by the bank."
"If you don't want to be ripped off in commissions, you can do business yourself. If you don't have any debt, bartering is oft
en easier."
Suho suddenly remembered the numerous request forms that had been stuck next to the bank employee earlier.
The details of the requests varied greatly, but in summary, it was something like this.
1. Elf Hunt
2. Hunting for demons (edible)
3. Bring home the home appliances or furniture requested by the client from outside the city.
Some of these requests were made directly by the bank, but most were from people living in the city asking the bank for thi
ngs they needed.
In the meantime, the bank collects a brokerage fee.
But, as expected, the thing I was most curious about was 'Elf'.
Why on earth do people here hunt elves?
'Even if that's true for me, why on earth are these people not getting any experience points?'
Suho asked the captain of the guard.
"I saw earlier that the quest to capture elves had the highest reward, but why do we have to capture elves?"
"Why? Of course… … ."
The captain of the guard answered him in a nonchalant tone.
Pointing to Elvenwood, which stands tall in the center of the city.
"There is no better fertilizer for growing Alfheim than the corpses of elves."
"… … !"
Suho covered Sirka's ears with both hands without realizing it.
I guess you wouldn't have understood since it was in Korean anyway.
And then he turned his eyes and looked at Elvenwood again.
Come to think of it, there was one thing that was noticeably different between the nine Elvenwoods we had found so far an
d this one.
That's just the size.
The elvenwood growing in this city was twice as thick and large.
Surely that reason is… … .
"In this land of the North, you can strangely find quite a few elves. If you catch them and bury them in this land, Alfheim wil
l be very pleased."
Suho asked.
"Is Alfheim the name of that tree?"
"Oh, are you by any chance weak to mythology?"
"I have a rough idea."
Alfheim.
I think that's what the land of the elves that appears in mythology was called.
… … It seemed like the name was probably given because the elves found it effective in growing the tree.
Well, it didn't matter why it was named that way.
More than that, Suho couldn't help but be concerned about one part of what the captain of the guard had said.
"But what does it mean to grow that tree?"
"If you feed Alfheim and make it fat, it will bear 'fruit.' There are no healers in this city, so when we get hurt, we eat the 'fru
it.' The 'fruit' greatly increases your vitality and regenerative power. It even does things like that."
The captain of the guard pointed to a dark alley where a group of choker-wearing debt collectors were gathered.
There… … there existed a figure that was difficult to call human.
At that sight, Suho, Sirka, and even Ber's expressions hardened.
"The arm… … ."
"… … !"
[… … !]
By the way, the ability to heal a completely severed arm was an ability only available to advanced healers.
Moreover, there were not even any healers worse than him living in this city.
What should I do if my arm is cut off in that situation?
A normal person would die just from the bleeding from the cut surface.
But among the debtors pointed at by the captain of the guard, there were some who particularly stood out.
Humans with grotesque appearances, with giant demon arms attached to their shoulders where human arms should be.
"Isn't that amazing? If you eat the 'fruit,' you can transplant the body of a demon into your body."
Only then did Suho's vision come into view of the city's true form.
Deep darkness beneath the glamour of colorful neon signs, just like in a club.
The villains here were ragtags who had survived by grafting monster bodies onto their own.
"We call those ragtags 'enhanced humans.' You too, when you get hurt one day, you'll eventually end up going to the bank
on your own two feet and taking out a loan. To buy 'fruit.'"