The Apocalypse Has Been Downloaded – Chapter 30

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Choosing my reward for this achievement was driving me crazy.

“Just… what…”

What should I choose?

Why did I always have to be at a crossroads like this?

Was this also an effect of my 666 luck?

“I’m happy… Though I feel like I’m going insane…”

“Oppa, your expression is really strange… Are you sick again?”

“M-Master, why are you crying?”

“Sigh… I’m happy… I’m happy. I’m really happy.”

Eun-ji and Ha-rin, who were looking at me strangely as I shed tears of joy, immediately understood my reaction after I explained the reward options to them.

“All three are legendary.”

“Right, Eun-ji? I think I’m getting choice paralysis. I don’t know what to choose.”

It was too difficult to choose just one out of the three. Any of them would be good, but my hands trembled at the thought of choosing only one.

I wished they would just give me all of them. Or not show me the choices at all. Why torture me with these choices?

“Master. There’s no detailed information about the Black Market or the Pawnshop, right?”

“None at all. That’s the problem.”

Judging by their names, I figured that they were both places where I could meet hidden merchants, but the problem was that I had no idea what the Black Market sold or what was in the Pawnshop.

If I knew the details about the Black Market and the Pawnshop, it would make my choice a little easier.

The unhelpful descriptions didn’t tell me anything about them at all.

“Oppa, having a merchant NPC accompany us also seems good, right?”

“Yeah. Once we find one, we can keep using them without having to search for another peddler again.”

If I kept a peddler with me, wouldn’t he eventually sell something like the Black Serpent’s Core again? Then, I could have another slave consume it and achieve the same achievements I did, eventually collecting passes for both the Black Market and the Pawnshop.

‘For now, the only way to obtain the core is through the peddler’s random sales…’

Of course, it was also frustrating not knowing when I would meet a peddler again.

‘But the peddler from before… He seemed really happy when he left. If he accompanies us, he won’t be able to leave, will he?’

Wouldn’t that ruin my relationship with the NPC?

I had worked hard to increase his favorability by buying out his items. What if his favorability plummeted after receiving the Gold Chip?

‘No. There’s no way they would design such a shitty system where an NPC’s favorability decreases just by having them accompany you. And just because they accompany you doesn’t mean they have to be with you from beginning to end. Maybe they have their own schedule. Yeah. Let’s think that way for now.’

I doubted they would design a system where an NPC’s favorability would plummet in real-time.

‘Or maybe they would. I mean, the game operators are vicious and cruel enough to try to kill all the survivors with the first update. Maybe the NPC’s favorability really will plummet when they accompany you.’

I wouldn’t know how it worked until I chose the Gold Chip and gave it to a peddler, so I stopped worrying about favorability for now. Anyway, it was a good reward, and even if their favorability plummeted, they wouldn’t be able to escape me since they would be bound to me by the system. That was enough, wasn’t it?

“Hmm…”

Just then, Ha-rin, who had been pondering with her eyes closed, let out a small groan. Was her unique intuition working again?

“Do you have a feeling about something?”

“No. Not at all. I have no idea.”

Damn it. I wished Ha-rin’s intuition would just make the choice for me at times like this.

“Sigh… What should I do?”

“What are you leaning towards, Oppa?”

“Well… I want to choose between the Black Market and having a merchant NPC accompany us. I guess I’m most drawn to the Black Market.”

I was also curious about the Pawnshop, but I was more interested in the Black Market and having an NPC accompany me. Putting aside the NPC favorability issue, I wanted to choose between those two.

‘The Black Market seems like it would sell items that are unavailable elsewhere. And having an NPC accompany us is a guaranteed good deal.’

Let’s decide based on what Eun-ji and Ha-rin choose.

“What do you think, Eun-ji? Choose between the Black Market and having an NPC accompany us.”

“Um, I also like the Black Market, like Oppa. We might be able to meet a peddler again, but we can only access the Black Market and the Pawnshop through achievement rewards, so they might be harder to encounter again. If I had to choose, I would pick the Black Market.”

“Oh. Eun-ji makes a valid point.”

As Eun-ji said, peddlers were NPCs we would likely encounter again if we continued surviving. Moreover, they had a chance of appearing as long as there were more than ten survivors gathered in one place, so the conditions for their appearance weren’t that strict.

On the other hand, the Black Market and the Pawnshop could only be accessed through achievement rewards. There was no other way to encounter them so far, and if we missed this opportunity, we might never see them again.

‘But that doesn’t mean having an NPC accompany us is bad.’

The problem was that there was no guarantee that the peddler was the only merchant NPC. New merchant NPCs might be added in future updates. And these new merchant NPCs might have stricter appearance conditions than the peddler.

If I used the Gold Chip then, I could keep a merchant with strict appearance conditions with me and use them continuously.

As expected, there was no clear right answer. This was a choice where I had to rely on my gut feeling, and Eun-ji and Ha-rin’s opinions.

“What about you, Ha-rin?”

“I’m drawn to both the Black Market and having an NPC accompany us, but… I also choose the Black Market. I feel like there will be a lot of unique items there.”

“Okay, good. Let’s go with the Black Market.”

I made my decision. Since two out of three of us wanted the Black Market, it was the right choice.

I also wanted to choose the Black Market. It was a place that appealed to a man’s romanticism.

The Black Market also seemed cooler and more stylish than the Pawnshop.

If all three options were equally good, it was right to choose the coolest one.

“I choose the Gambling Master’s Black Chip!”

A black chip, like the ones used in casinos, fell from the sky as soon as I chose the reward. I quickly picked it up before it could roll away. This was an item I had to treat with extreme care until I met another peddler.

“Phew. Done. I’ve obtained all my achievement rewards.”

“Yay-!”

“Good work, Master.”

“It’s all thanks to you two helping me choose.”

It definitely would have taken longer if I had tried to choose everything by myself. Thanks to Eun-ji and Ha-rin helping me choose, I was able to finish relatively quickly.

“Then shall we choose your skills now?”

“Me! Me first!”

“Unnie…”

“Ah, right. I’ll let you go first this time.”

“Thank you.”

Eun-ji had chosen her skills first last time, so it seemed like she was going to let Ha-rin go first this time.

“Alright. Then let’s start with Ha-rin’s skills.”

Eun-ji and Ha-rin had each leveled up four times. They were both level 9 now, and they could each choose four skills.

As a Barbarian, Ha-rin’s Strength and Stamina had increased significantly.

‘It’s a class specialized in survival. It has decent self-buffing skills and suitable support skills.’

Ha-rin would probably have survived well on her own even if she hadn’t met me.

While Eun-ji and I had obtained eye-related skills like Altered Vision, which allowed us to see through darkness, and ***Peering Gaze, Ha-rin had obtained a skill that enhanced her other senses by sacrificing her vision.

‘And it’s a skill that allows her to sleep even when alone. As expected of a class specialized in survival.’

Expanded Senses was a skill that prevented surprise attacks and night attacks even while sleeping. This was important. If she were alone, she wouldn’t know when enemies would attack, so her sleep pattern would be disrupted, and her fatigue would accumulate. But with Expanded Senses, she could sleep relatively safely even when alone.

Even if she fell asleep, her heightened senses would alert her to enemy attacks.

It even allowed her to continue fighting by relying on her other senses even when her vision was blocked, so it was a must-have skill for Ha-rin if she were alone.

“What would be good?”

“I recommend ‘Overflowing Rage’ and ‘Barbarian’s Roar.’ There are those guys coming after Master, right? I think we’ll need these skills to fight them.”

‘Overflowing Rage’ was a skill that allowed Ha-rin to temporarily surpass her limits, but I expected that there would be a drawback. ‘Barbarian’s Roar’ would demoralize enemies but could also attract the attention of nearby zombies.

“Then let’s choose Barbarian’s Roar first. Choose.”

“I’ve acquired it, Master. Barbarian’s Roar can also damage spirits.”

“Spirits? Are ghosts going to appear later?”

“Wow…! Awesome! Ghosts!”

Eun-ji, a horror movie enthusiast, was visibly excited at the mention of ghosts.

Was she happy at the thought of seeing ghosts? It was a bit of a difficult preference to understand, but since it was Eun-ji, I didn’t say anything.

Unlike Eun-ji’s reaction, Ha-rin looked uncomfortable.

“Ghosts… Ugh…”

Ha-rin seemed to be scared of ghosts and hated talking about them. She wanted to change the subject quickly. I also didn’t want to imagine facing ghosts directly, so I quickly moved on to the next skill selection.

“Then the next skill.”

“Oh… This is a skill I definitely need.”

Since I felt like I was going to die every time I acquired a skill, pain tolerance was a must-have for me.

“I’m envious…”

It was an effect that allowed you to continue fighting even when injured. If I acquired this, I could endure longer in isolated situations without losing my mind.

“I’ll choose Overflowing Rage for now.”

“Okay.”

Ha-rin chose a skill that would increase her combat power in preparation for the upcoming battle.

Now there were two left.

“I’ll choose this.”

“Choosing this skill right away… Are you sure?”

“Yes. I was drawn to it as soon as I saw it.”

“Okay.”

Ha-rin’s choice was quick. She chose the charge skill as soon as she saw it, saying it was a skill she had to have.

“It’s Ground Slam, right?”

“Yes. I really like it.”

With this, Ha-rin’s skill selection was complete.

Thanks to her choosing skills with combat in mind, we were able to finish quickly.

“Next is Eun-ji’s turn.”

“That was quick.”

“Yeah. Ha-rin seems to have firmly established her concept as a barbarian warrior.”

“N-no. It’s not that I’m barbaric, it’s just… I chose the skills that would help me fight better…”

“Wow. Barbarian warrior Ha-rin is so cool.”

“Uh… yeah…”

For some reason, Ha-rin seemed embarrassed when I called her a barbarian.

“Let’s see, Eun-ji…”

As an assassin-type class, her Agility was the highest. It was a natural stat since she needed to move quickly.

It was a similar skill to Ha-rin’s Stone Throw, but this one was limited to daggers. Perhaps its accuracy was higher because of the restriction. Just from the description that it had a weak tracking effect, I could sense how threatening this skill was.

“Throwing Blade Mastery would be the best, right?”

“I don’t think Hemorrhage is necessary, and Lie Detection isn’t useful in combat. Pain Amplification is good, but Throwing Blade Mastery is still better, right?”

I wanted to use Pain Amplification to make our enemies suffer and weaken their mental strength, but Throwing Blade Mastery was a better choice for now. It would allow her to use the shadow daggers she created with Shadow Weaving more effectively.

“Wow. That’s crazy.”

“Oppa, let’s choose this.”

This was a skill that could deliver unpredictable attacks. She could throw a throwing blade and then use Shadow Thorn to target the enemy’s back.

If Eun-ji gained good control of this skill and used it well, it could create various combo attacks.

“Wow… Evidence Elimination. If this wasn’t the apocalyptic era, wouldn’t I be the perfect murderer, Oppa?”

“You’re right. You conceal your presence, stab enemies to death with shadow weapons, and there’s no evidence left afterward. You even dispose of the body. These are the abilities psychopaths dream of.”

The thought of encountering Eun-ji as an enemy sent shivers down my spine. It was as if death was slowly approaching from the darkness…

“I think Pain Amplification would be better than Evidence Elimination for now.”

“I think so too.”

It would be good to be able to inflict extreme pain on our enemies with Pain Amplification and weaken their mental strength. And the screams of their comrades writhing in pain would be quite terrifying and demoralizing.

“Let’s choose Leave Afterimage for the last skill.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s do that, Oppa.”

Leave Afterimage wouldn’t work on zombies, but it would be effective against humans. She could create afterimages to deceive the enemy about her location and ambush them.

“Done. We’ve chosen all the skills.”

Now let’s move again. I had to offer Steven’s Pillar to Kashnax.

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T/N – Well, it was a basic skill choosing chapter. Ha-rin is basically becoming the team’s vanguard and tank, while Eun-ji is becoming scarier with her assassin class. Shadow Thorn alone sounds insanely good.

Also, you might notice that I changed a lot of the skill names in this chapter. I might do this from time to time to make the skill names sound better and for a smoother reading experience moving forward. As for backtracking to change the skill names, please spare me from that. 😅

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.

*Was “Slinging Stones” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Stone Throw” from now on.
** Was “Barbarian’s Shout” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Barbarian’s Roar” from now on.
*** Was “Revealing Gaze” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Peering Gaze” from now on.
**** Was “Shadow Invisibility” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Shadow Concealment” from now on.
***** Was “Induce Bleeding” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Hemorrhage” from now on.
****** Was “Identify Lie” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Lie Detection” from now on.
******* Was “Increase Pain” before, but I’ll be changing it to “Pain Amplification” from now on.