Riceball is an item, but at the same time, it is alive. It understands speech, has abundant emotions, and even thinks—an ego sword. This small creature, which chirps with "Piyu, Piyu," will slowly disappear, transforming into a dagger after Yoon Seo dies. Bound items vanish between one day and ten days after their owner's death.
All this time, Yoon Seo hadn't thought to acquire an unbinding item, as he had assumed Riceball had died in the dungeon.
'It's a relief I managed to get to the black market just in time.'
This is a rare item that seldom appears in online item trading sites or offline item markets. But surely, it would be found here.
"Riceball, would you mind going into the inventory for a bit?"
Piyuu.
"Just for a moment. I'll take you out in five minutes."
Piyu.
Still bristling with spikes, Riceball was struggling with a strong desire to fight. Being a weapon item, it had a particular weakness for the smell of blood. Yoon Seo placed Riceball in the inventory and pulled his hat down low. He asked one of the black market staff scattered throughout the area where he could buy an unbinding item, and they quickly directed him. Since the success rate of unbinding items was only 10%, he purchased about twenty of them just to be safe and then casually headed to a café and ordered a drink.
There are cafés, restaurants, and even a black market inside the dungeon…
It felt strange, how much the world had changed.
Some people still remain stuck in the past, while others move forward into the future.
This recurring thought had recently been weighing heavily on Yoon Seo's mind.
***
Kwon Jihan returned from testing the weapon's performance. All four were successful, and as expected, he liked the 'Sword of the Cold Wind' the best. His face was filled with satisfaction.
The two briefly chatted at the café before getting up to browse more items.
One held the
Their eyes gleamed as they roamed the streets, picking out a few more items that seemed to perform well.
"Hyung, have you ever made an item?"
"Huh?"
"There's an item creation box."
As they were about to head back to the café after shopping, Kwon Jihan stopped and pointed at something.
['Item Creation Box'
Rank: C
If you place an object that fits inside this box, it will transform into an item. Don't carry it around too heavily, just store it in your inventory.
Number of items you can create: 1/1]
It was a small wooden box, and it was empty inside. The concept of "itemizing" meant that no special performance would be added, but the object would simply be storable in the inventory. The box was so small it seemed only something like a stone could fit inside.
[The God of Life takes an interest.]
[The God of Death shows curiosity.]
"You've never made one before, right, hyung? Try it once. It's fun."
Kwon Jihan bought the box with his own money.
The two of them placed the small box on the café table and pondered what to put inside.
"It's really small. Only something like the medicine you take could fit in here."
"Medicine?"
"Try it. Making items is actually quite a fun experience."
Yoon Seo placed one of his medicine inside. However, a message appeared, saying it couldn't be used because the grade was too high.
"So C-rank can't handle things like medicine. Maybe we should try putting in something like a random pebble."
Piyu!
Riceball circled around the box curiously, then slowly slipped inside. Of course, nothing happened, but Riceball remained intrigued, sniffing it and scratching at the box with its claws.
"Ah, I have something that's the perfect size for this."
Kwon Jihan removed a black earring from his right ear and handed it to Yoon Seo. The black earring played a big role in making him look like a cocky delinquent at first glance.
But instead of putting it in himself, he handed it to Yoon Seo. It seemed like he really wanted Yoon Seo to experience it.
When Yoon Seo placed the earring inside, Riceball showed interest.
Piyu.
"Don't eat it. Get out of there, Riceball."
Piying.
Once Riceball was out and the lid was closed, smoke gently rose from the box and then disappeared.
When they reopened the box, the earring had been transformed into an item.
['A Black Earring That Only People with a Strong Inner Self Can Wear'
Rank: C
This earring makes the wearer look cocky on the outside. However, the wearer's inner self is undoubtedly solid.
Durability: 10/10]
"W-what? What is this nonsense…"
Yoon Seo stammered, flustered by the item name and description.
[The God of Life is worried that your face has turned too red, wondering if you're sick.]
[The God of Death says it's not illness but embarrassment.]
Kwon Jihan burst into laughter.
"Item naming is heavily influenced by the creator's mindset. I didn't realize you thought so highly of me, hyung. Not that I'm surprised. Hmm. I am pretty solid on the inside. Actually, I'm solid physically too. I'm a sturdy younger man, after all."
"Stop spouting nonsense."
"My nonsense is solid too."
Kwon Jihan said this while picking up the earring.
Despite his playful words, Kwon Jihan felt a bit uneasy. Though he always seemed full of confidence and sure of himself, he felt infinitely small in front of Yoon Seo because of the mistakes he had made in the past…
"Shall we see if I can wear this earring well?"
Kwon Jihan, hiding his anxiety, put the earring on his right ear. The earring snapped into place on his earlobe as if it had always belonged there. Then, Kwon Jihan, as if he had been confident all along, puffed up with pride.
"Look at this! Did you see how perfectly it fits? I'm just that solid on the inside."
Yoon Seo silently vowed never to make items again.
As Kwon Jihan enjoyed watching Yoon Seo's face flush red and slowly return to its normal color, he suddenly exclaimed.
"By the way, something just occurred to me—can someone who isn't solid on the inside really not wear this? How does the Gaia system even judge if someone's got a strong inner self or not?"
"I don't know the criteria, but I assume it figures it out. Gaia system already distinguishes between good and evil people with the
"That's a specific characteristic of a summoned creature. There's no such thing for items."
"There are… I have one."
Kwon Jihan's eyes widened.
"You have an item like that, hyung?"
"Yes."
"What's the condition?"
"It's about whether someone has a good heart… The condition is that the item only works for someone with a good heart."
"Wow. How does the item even determine that? By what standard does it divide good from evil?"
"What can't it divide? There are universal standards. Stealing from others is evil. Helping others is good."
"Of course, hyung, by both universal and subjective standards, you're a good person. But in most real-life situations, dividing things strictly into good or evil isn't that simple. If a poor man is on the brink of starvation and steals rice because he has no other choice, is that evil? If a rich man amasses wealth by doing bad things but later donates, saving a hundred poor people from hunger, is that good?"
"..."
"Is there even a right answer? Even if Gaia is a higher being, or a god that governs the world, this is the kind of thing that can't be judged. I think these ambiguous conditions, where flexibility is needed, should be eliminated. Is it a really good item?"
"It's an S-rank item."
"Oh, then it definitely shouldn't disappear. Such items need to exist. It's lucky it ended up in the hands of someone like you, hyung. Any chance another one might drop?"
At Kwon Jihan's sudden shift in attitude, Yoon Seo couldn't help but smile. But that smile quickly faded.
Kwon Jihan was about to ask to see the item but stopped when he noticed Yoon Seo deep in thought. Instead, he started pestering Riceball.
"Riceball, why don't you wander around and bring back something good? An S-rank item will recognize another S-rank item."
Piyu?
"Look at you pretending not to understand. Cute."
Piyung.
[The God of Life is lost in thought.]
For a moment, Yoon Seo thought the message was reflecting his own state. Like the God of Life, Yoon Seo too was lost in thought. But no matter how much he thought about it, there was only one conclusion.
Even with such ambiguous conditions, it would be great if there were more items that only good people could use.
Neither the weak nor the strong could wield them—only the good.
If he ever got involved in item creation, that's the kind of item he would make.
***
At 9 p.m., the vendors began to close one by one. The café where Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan had been was closing too, so the two headed toward the ruined intersection, now used as a plaza.
They had finished buying what they needed and seen all there was to see. Hunters who were just waiting to leave had gathered at the crossroads. Park Kang was visible on the other side, with his group. Yoon Seo didn't feel the need to greet him.
Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo plopped down by the roadside.
"Do you think this was originally a city where aliens lived?"
"More like it's similar to a game terrain. Even if we destroy everything and leave, once a dungeon forms here, it will reset to how it was in the beginning."
"That reminds me of the cosmological theory that we live in a simulation."
Yoon Seo had never heard of such a theory.
"While our reality may not be a simulation, you could say that this Proxima b is."
"Do you think there were other aliens who passed through this simulation besides us?"
Kwon Jihan looked up at the night sky. In the dungeon, there isn't always just one sun or moon in the sky like on Earth. Sometimes, up to two suns rise, and there are usually three moons. Tonight, three moons hung in the sky.
"There probably were. The universe must be filled with intelligent life forms besides humanity."
"I kind of want to meet them, but at the same time, I don't."
Yoon Seo looked at Kwon Jihan, surprised.
He had assumed Kwon Jihan would definitely want to meet them. As an S-rank hunter full of competitive spirit, Yoon Seo thought he would be eager to encounter aliens or whatever to uncover the secrets of the Gaia system.
Riceball is an item, but at the same time, it is alive. It understands speech, has abundant emotions, and even thinks—an ego sword. This small creature, which chirps with "Piyu, Piyu," will slowly disappear, transforming into a dagger after Yoon Seo dies. Bound items vanish between one day and ten days after their owner's death.
All this time, Yoon Seo hadn't thought to acquire an unbinding item, as he had assumed Riceball had died in the dungeon.
'It's a relief I managed to get to the black market just in time.'
This is a rare item that seldom appears in online item trading sites or offline item markets. But surely, it would be found here.
"Riceball, would you mind going into the inventory for a bit?"
Piyuu.
"Just for a moment. I'll take you out in five minutes."
Piyu.
Still bristling with spikes, Riceball was struggling with a strong desire to fight. Being a weapon item, it had a particular weakness for the smell of blood. Yoon Seo placed Riceball in the inventory and pulled his hat down low. He asked one of the black market staff scattered throughout the area where he could buy an unbinding item, and they quickly directed him. Since the success rate of unbinding items was only 10%, he purchased about twenty of them just to be safe and then casually headed to a café and ordered a drink.
There are cafés, restaurants, and even a black market inside the dungeon…
It felt strange, how much the world had changed.
Some people still remain stuck in the past, while others move forward into the future.
This recurring thought had recently been weighing heavily on Yoon Seo's mind.
***
Kwon Jihan returned from testing the weapon's performance. All four were successful, and as expected, he liked the 'Sword of the Cold Wind' the best. His face was filled with satisfaction.
The two briefly chatted at the café before getting up to browse more items.
One held the
Their eyes gleamed as they roamed the streets, picking out a few more items that seemed to perform well.
"Hyung, have you ever made an item?"
"Huh?"
"There's an item creation box."
As they were about to head back to the café after shopping, Kwon Jihan stopped and pointed at something.
['Item Creation Box'
Rank: C
If you place an object that fits inside this box, it will transform into an item. Don't carry it around too heavily, just store it in your inventory.
Number of items you can create: 1/1]
It was a small wooden box, and it was empty inside. The concept of "itemizing" meant that no special performance would be added, but the object would simply be storable in the inventory. The box was so small it seemed only something like a stone could fit inside.
[The God of Life takes an interest.]
[The God of Death shows curiosity.]
"You've never made one before, right, hyung? Try it once. It's fun."
Kwon Jihan bought the box with his own money.
The two of them placed the small box on the café table and pondered what to put inside.
"It's really small. Only something like the medicine you take could fit in here."
"Medicine?"
"Try it. Making items is actually quite a fun experience."
Yoon Seo placed one of his medicine inside. However, a message appeared, saying it couldn't be used because the grade was too high.
"So C-rank can't handle things like medicine. Maybe we should try putting in something like a random pebble."
Piyu!
Riceball circled around the box curiously, then slowly slipped inside. Of course, nothing happened, but Riceball remained intrigued, sniffing it and scratching at the box with its claws.
"Ah, I have something that's the perfect size for this."
Kwon Jihan removed a black earring from his right ear and handed it to Yoon Seo. The black earring played a big role in making him look like a cocky delinquent at first glance.
But instead of putting it in himself, he handed it to Yoon Seo. It seemed like he really wanted Yoon Seo to experience it.
When Yoon Seo placed the earring inside, Riceball showed interest.
Piyu.
"Don't eat it. Get out of there, Riceball."
Piying.
Once Riceball was out and the lid was closed, smoke gently rose from the box and then disappeared.
When they reopened the box, the earring had been transformed into an item.
['A Black Earring That Only People with a Strong Inner Self Can Wear'
Rank: C
This earring makes the wearer look cocky on the outside. However, the wearer's inner self is undoubtedly solid.
Durability: 10/10]
"W-what? What is this nonsense…"
Yoon Seo stammered, flustered by the item name and description.
[The God of Life is worried that your face has turned too red, wondering if you're sick.]
[The God of Death says it's not illness but embarrassment.]
Kwon Jihan burst into laughter.
"Item naming is heavily influenced by the creator's mindset. I didn't realize you thought so highly of me, hyung. Not that I'm surprised. Hmm. I am pretty solid on the inside. Actually, I'm solid physically too. I'm a sturdy younger man, after all."
"Stop spouting nonsense."
"My nonsense is solid too."
Kwon Jihan said this while picking up the earring.
Despite his playful words, Kwon Jihan felt a bit uneasy. Though he always seemed full of confidence and sure of himself, he felt infinitely small in front of Yoon Seo because of the mistakes he had made in the past…
"Shall we see if I can wear this earring well?"
Kwon Jihan, hiding his anxiety, put the earring on his right ear. The earring snapped into place on his earlobe as if it had always belonged there. Then, Kwon Jihan, as if he had been confident all along, puffed up with pride.
"Look at this! Did you see how perfectly it fits? I'm just that solid on the inside."
Yoon Seo silently vowed never to make items again.
As Kwon Jihan enjoyed watching Yoon Seo's face flush red and slowly return to its normal color, he suddenly exclaimed.
"By the way, something just occurred to me—can someone who isn't solid on the inside really not wear this? How does the Gaia system even judge if someone's got a strong inner self or not?"
"I don't know the criteria, but I assume it figures it out. Gaia system already distinguishes between good and evil people with the
"That's a specific characteristic of a summoned creature. There's no such thing for items."
"There are… I have one."
Kwon Jihan's eyes widened.
"You have an item like that, hyung?"
"Yes."
"What's the condition?"
"It's about whether someone has a good heart… The condition is that the item only works for someone with a good heart."
"Wow. How does the item even determine that? By what standard does it divide good from evil?"
"What can't it divide? There are universal standards. Stealing from others is evil. Helping others is good."
"Of course, hyung, by both universal and subjective standards, you're a good person. But in most real-life situations, dividing things strictly into good or evil isn't that simple. If a poor man is on the brink of starvation and steals rice because he has no other choice, is that evil? If a rich man amasses wealth by doing bad things but later donates, saving a hundred poor people from hunger, is that good?"
"..."
"Is there even a right answer? Even if Gaia is a higher being, or a god that governs the world, this is the kind of thing that can't be judged. I think these ambiguous conditions, where flexibility is needed, should be eliminated. Is it a really good item?"
"It's an S-rank item."
"Oh, then it definitely shouldn't disappear. Such items need to exist. It's lucky it ended up in the hands of someone like you, hyung. Any chance another one might drop?"
At Kwon Jihan's sudden shift in attitude, Yoon Seo couldn't help but smile. But that smile quickly faded.
Kwon Jihan was about to ask to see the item but stopped when he noticed Yoon Seo deep in thought. Instead, he started pestering Riceball.
"Riceball, why don't you wander around and bring back something good? An S-rank item will recognize another S-rank item."
Piyu?
"Look at you pretending not to understand. Cute."
Piyung.
[The God of Life is lost in thought.]
For a moment, Yoon Seo thought the message was reflecting his own state. Like the God of Life, Yoon Seo too was lost in thought. But no matter how much he thought about it, there was only one conclusion.
Even with such ambiguous conditions, it would be great if there were more items that only good people could use.
Neither the weak nor the strong could wield them—only the good.
If he ever got involved in item creation, that's the kind of item he would make.
***
At 9 p.m., the vendors began to close one by one. The café where Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan had been was closing too, so the two headed toward the ruined intersection, now used as a plaza.
They had finished buying what they needed and seen all there was to see. Hunters who were just waiting to leave had gathered at the crossroads. Park Kang was visible on the other side, with his group. Yoon Seo didn't feel the need to greet him.
Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo plopped down by the roadside.
"Do you think this was originally a city where aliens lived?"
"More like it's similar to a game terrain. Even if we destroy everything and leave, once a dungeon forms here, it will reset to how it was in the beginning."
"That reminds me of the cosmological theory that we live in a simulation."
Yoon Seo had never heard of such a theory.
"While our reality may not be a simulation, you could say that this Proxima b is."
"Do you think there were other aliens who passed through this simulation besides us?"
Kwon Jihan looked up at the night sky. In the dungeon, there isn't always just one sun or moon in the sky like on Earth. Sometimes, up to two suns rise, and there are usually three moons. Tonight, three moons hung in the sky.
"There probably were. The universe must be filled with intelligent life forms besides humanity."
"I kind of want to meet them, but at the same time, I don't."
Yoon Seo looked at Kwon Jihan, surprised.
He had assumed Kwon Jihan would definitely want to meet them. As an S-rank hunter full of competitive spirit, Yoon Seo thought he would be eager to encounter aliens or whatever to uncover the secrets of the Gaia system.