The sword mark was identical to the shape of the sword mark I’d found at the screening gate right after entering the city.

Swordsmanship with a trajectory similar to the [Heaven-Breaking Sword Art].

In other words, that message had been left by someone who used that swordsmanship.

“Ascender, it’s an ascender murder!”

“What in the world is this……!”

The screening officer’s lament. Uproar boiled up all around.

“They say a corporate notice came out!”

“The ascension ceremony got canceled!”

“Each nebula has issued a new revelation!”

I examined the message once more.

「No one can leave this city.」

I don’t know if it was my imagination, but unlike the other incarnations, the message didn’t feel all that threatening to me. From the trajectory carved into the wall, I could feel something like conviction instead.

For example……

“Is it saying it’s going to stop incarnations from going up to the upper scenarios?”

Beside me, Nirvana, who had been looking up at the sky, smirked with a voice brimming with delight.

“There’s only one bastard who’d do something like this. Mad Sword Emperor. It’s that bastard.”

At the same time, from high up in the sky, I heard a sound as if something had snapped. As the center of the orbital elevator that had been operating perfectly fine was severed, the Plausibility of the firmament was collapsing.

“Th-The orbital elevator!”

[The function of ‘Orbital Elevator’ has been suspended.]

[The ‘ascension ceremony’ is canceled.]

Looks like someone had destroyed the core of the orbital elevator.

“Disciple. Wait here for a moment.”

With those words, Nirvana’s figure vanished into the sky. It seemed Nirvana had gone to chase the culprit who broke the ‘orbital elevator’.

As if that was the signal, the executives of each corporation began to move.

“Mad Sword Emperor! That woman is nearby!”

Ascenders and incarnations scattered in all directions, and a new message drifted through the venue.

[Regarding this ‘ascension ceremony’, notices from each nebula are scheduled to be announced.]

[All corporate executives and screening personnel in the venue, please gather at your corporation’s main headquarters.]

Jo Jincheol and Reinheit, who had come to their senses, also moved. Even in the middle of that, as if I was still a shame to them, the two of them didn’t forget to leave a short [Voice Transmission].

—We’ll meet again next time, rookie.

—This time, I showed an unsightly display. However, my true body’s skill is by no means inferior to the Salvation Cult leader. I look forward to your wise choice.

After that, the screening officer who had brought me here also opened his mouth.

“Looks like your employment will have to be postponed to the next opportunity. For now, here, carry this around.”

What the screening officer gave me was a temporary ID made as a hologram.

“With just this, there shouldn’t be any problem living in the city. You really have terrible luck. Of all times, to come in as a rookie at a time like this…… anyway, then, see you again.”

“Excuse me, wait a second!”

It looked like the screening officer was going to say only what he wanted and disappear, so I quickly grabbed his arm.

Nirvana had also vanished on his own, and with the ascender murder incident scattering everyone’s attention… maybe this was the only time I could move freely without standing out.

“There’s a corporation I want to join.”

“Hm? <Tamla Heavy Industries>?”

“No.”

“You’re an interesting one. You received an offer like that from Lord Nirvana, and you’re still going to choose another corporation? Well, I suppose you have the chops, if you came in as an ‘irregular screening candidate’.”

When I grinned instead of answering, the screening officer cleared his throat and continued.

“Paradise Holy Emperor’s <Olympos Technology> or Blood Jade Fist Demon’s <Black Cloud Foundation> aren’t bad choices either. If you can just succeed at joining, then even the Salvation Cult leader won’t be able to lay a hand on you.”

The screening officer seemed to believe I was trying to choose one of the ascenders’ corporations today.

“It’s not those corporations.”

“Then what? Don’t tell me it’s <Veda Biotech>? That side isn’t a bad choice either, but—”

“■■■ Company. Do you happen to know it?”

I was thinking I wasn’t sure if I’d pronounced it properly, when the screening officer’s expression changed strangely.

“What did you just say?”

“■■■ Company.”

The screening officer’s complexion slowly went pale.

I said the corporation name once again.

“■■■ Company!”

“I-I heard you, so stop saying that name!”

It was a nuance as if even mentioning that name itself was ominous.

The screening officer rolled his eyes around to make sure no one was listening, then spoke in a small voice.

“I don’t know how you know that corporation, but it’s been fallen for a long time.”

“Fallen?”

“I’ll contact you again soon. I don’t know where you saw that corporation name, but don’t think weird thoughts and quietly join a major corporation! That’s better for you too!”

With that as his last words, the screening officer hurriedly vanished from the ascension platform.

Left alone, I fell into thought as I examined the ID the screening officer had given me.

If it came to this, for now I had no choice but to carry this and look # Nоvеlight # into various things on my own.

The tasks right in front of me were two.

First, to find out the true identity of ‘■■■ Company’ that existed in this city.

Second, to find out which scenario my ‘companions’ were in right now.

I thought the second question would naturally be resolved in the process of solving the first, so at first, I’d planned to hide behind Nirvana’s back and gather information here and there.

From beyond the sky, urrrr, the sound of thunder rumbling rang out once again. It seemed the ascenders who had gone after ‘Mad Sword Emperor’ earlier were using their power.

Since it had turned out like this, wouldn’t it be better to look for that person called ‘Mad Sword Emperor’ together, instead?

If my guess was right, that person called ‘Mad Sword Emperor’ was……

“Benefactor.”

There was still someone left in the ascension venue, where I’d thought everyone had left. When I turned around, I saw a familiar face.

“Young Master Namgung?”

Namgung Myeong—the young head of the Namgung Clan I’d met at the entrance to the apocalypse region.

We walked the streets of ‘New Murim Earth’ and had a short conversation.

Maybe he was glad to see me again, because Namgung Myeong looked fairly excited.

“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to treat you to a simple meal. There’s a restaurant I know nearby.”

“Sounds good.”

But we couldn’t eat at the restaurant we visited.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know the price would go up this much…….”

Namgung Myeong said in a strained voice, scratching his head.

In truth, I was going to pay, but Namgung Myeong firmly refused.

“No! If we go a little farther in, there’s a place that’s really cheap and delicious. I’ll treat you for sure!”

“If you insist…….”

I entered the main alley of ‘New Murim Earth’ together with Namgung Myeong.

Glittering skyscrapers that were flashy even at a glance from far away.

Those buildings placed in the center of downtown were probably the corporations’ main headquarters.

However, just because it was called ‘New Murim Earth’ didn’t mean everyone was living a decent life.

“Just one D-coin, please…….”

When we entered a side street, I could see incarnations sprawled out all over the streets. Incarnations missing an arm or missing a leg. Incarnations whose dantian had been shattered and who had become ruined people at a glance, grabbing at passersby’s pant legs.

A child with no arm clung to me and held out a hand, so after hesitating for a moment, I reached into my pocket.

Even then, the one who stopped me was Namgung Myeong.

“Benefactor, you mustn’t do that.”

“Pardon?”

“Hey! Get back! You old monster!”

At Namgung Myeong’s threat, the child, startled, limped away in a rush.

Namgung Myeong spoke as if making excuses.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances. There are no children here. That one is a famous old demonic villain who learned Bone-Shrinking Art.”

In truth, I knew that too.

The aura I could feel from the whole body wasn’t a child’s.

I nodded as if I didn’t know and said.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You must never pity them. Those beggars are all former members of the Beggars’ Sect. They enjoy stirring up the sympathy of rookies who just entered the city, or luring them to their hideouts and attacking them. If you had entered this street alone, they would definitely have swarmed you in a group.”

Now that I looked closely, violence incidents, big and small, were already breaking out in between the alleys.

Maybe because the appearance of a child was advantageous for squeezing out sympathy.

Among the beggars, there were many little kids missing arms or legs, like the one who clung to me earlier.

“Trust no one. All the infrastructure of this city is built around ‘D-coins’, and the incarnations here can do anything in order to earn coins.”

“That makes it sound like I shouldn’t trust Young Master Namgung either.”

“Yes. That’s right. You shouldn’t trust me either.”

I couldn’t tell if he meant it or not, but Namgung Myeong’s honest demeanor didn’t come across too badly to me.

With this person, it felt like even if I asked more, he would answer honestly.

“Just now you mentioned ‘D-coins’, what exactly are they?”

“D-coins are the city’s currency. They’re special coins that can only be obtained through specific events or commissions, and in the city, everyone uses these coins. Because they have high tale resonance, you can use these coins to raise the grade of your tales or skills, so they’re extremely precious within the city.”

An item that could raise the grades of tales and skills?

Even in Ways of Survival, an overpowered item like that had never appeared.

What in the world were these coins minted from, for something like that to be possible?

“It’s also that ‘D-coin’ that moves the corporations. A corporation that has a lot of ‘D-coins’ becomes a ‘major corporation’ that rules this city.”

Meaning, this city was an ecosystem formed around ‘D-coins’ as the base.

Only then did I understand why the city’s incarnations were abnormally strong.

Did they all use those ‘D-coins’ to raise their skill or tale grades?

“Usually, rookies get their D-coins robbed the moment they enter the city, so I was very worried about you, Benefactor. I can’t even tell you how shocked I was to see you at the ascension venue. I never imagined you’d receive the ‘Salvation Cult leader’s’ choice…….”

“Ah, that’s.”

“From what I heard, the Salvation Cult leader lost all the disciples in a lower scenario and is suffering from madness. That lunatic showing such warmth—it’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

I had no idea Nirvana had that kind of backstory.

It was too late to confess it was a lie now, so I just smiled bitterly.

“Anyway, I’m truly envious. As many as three major corporations have shown interest in you, Benefactor, so your ascension is practically confirmed.”

“Does ascension seem pretty difficult?”

“It’s very difficult. Most people can’t even get near ascension. Especially someone like me from a mid-sized corporation……”

Namgung Myeong muttered with a dark expression.

Come to think of it, Namgung Myeong was probably also joined to some corporation.

“May I ask which corporation Young Master Namgung belongs to?”

“Ah, I….”

The moment he said that much, a series of messages floated up in my head.

[The ‘Horror Recorders’ of this region begin communicating.]

It was the Horror Recorders’ messages.

[A ‘Horror Recorder’ who has not revealed its existence says that a meddler seems to have come in.]

A meddler?

[A ‘Horror Recorder’ supporting <Olympos Technology> says that if so, it might be better to remove him quickly.]

Whether they knew or didn’t know I could hear the messages, those guys kept babbling on.

[A ‘Horror Recorder’ writing <Veda Biotech> says he’s going to disappear soon anyway, so there’s no need to worry about him.]

Wait. Are they talking about me?

[Some ‘Horror Recorders’ begin ‘recording’.]

The Recorders’ messages became an incident and appeared a few seconds later.

“Benefactor.”

A tense Namgung Myeong stopped walking, and I saw five men blocking our way. The man standing at the front among them had a face I’d already seen before.

With a hardened expression, Namgung Myeong asked.

“Hwang Minhyuk. What is it?”

He was an incarnation affiliated with <Tamla Heavy Industries> I’d met at the entrance right before entering the city.

The man glared at me with a hostile gaze and said.

“Hand that guy over.”

“This person is my benefactor. Say your business first.”

“There’s no business I need to tell the likes of you.”

At the faint killing intent in his tone, Namgung Myeong frowned and asked.

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to ‘step on rookies’?”

It wasn’t hard to understand what was going on.

From the look of it, the five incarnations, including the one called Hwang Minhyuk, were all affiliated with <Tamla Heavy Industries>. Especially, the two in the back were guys who had strongly opposed me when I received Nirvana’s choice.

“Benefactor has already been chosen. Don’t you know that if you touch him now, you won’t be able to avoid the Salvation Cult leader’s wrath?”

“That bastard still isn’t affiliated with <Tamla Heavy Industries>.”

Two incarnations standing behind Hwang Minhyuk growled and let their momentum show.

“‘Accompanying ascension’ is an authority that’s only permitted if you use a massive amount of D-coins once every few months! I don’t know how you roasted and boiled Lord Nirvana, but do you think we’re going to sit by and watch some idiot we’ve never seen before monopolize that opportunity with our eyes open!”

As the five men let their momentum loose, a savage killing intent hung around the area.

Maybe because my ability to sense presence had developed a lot too, I could see the other side’s “level” as clearly as day.

The four in front were ‘early stage of the hero-grade’. And the one in the back was……

Gooooo.

Interesting. ‘late stage of the hero-grade’?

On top of that, the backer constellation behind that guy was a constellation I already knew well.

[The constellation, ‘Lord of the Rabble’, increases synchronization with its incarnation!]

I blinked blankly, then snapped back to my senses.

Wait. Lord of the Rabble?

This is a coin event, isn’t it?

I’d already been in trouble because the currency used in the city was different, so instead, I thought this was perfect.

“Benefactor, run away.”

“No, over there right now…….”

“If you go, you’ll die.”

“Coins…….”

“Even if you hand over the coins, those guys won’t spare you, Benefactor!”

“If you hit them, they give you coins…….”

“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to be bought off with coins just because I take a few hits.”

“Then the two of us together…….”

“If it’s just me, I can buy time somehow!”

“Hey, Mr. Goongmyeong.”

“Even if the other side is a major corporation, if they find out I retreated like this, our executives who already ascended won’t forgive me. And my name isn’t Goongmyeong, it’s Myeong!”

That stubbornness is almost on the level of Kim Dokja.

Watching Namgung Myeong block my way by force, I smiled bitterly. If the Heaven-Breaking Sword Saint saw it, he’d like it a lot.

Even if Murim has fallen, it seems there’s still something like chivalry left.

But just as I was about to say I couldn’t forgive anyone interfering with my coin event, I saw Namgung Myeong’s back as he stepped forward.

Had he changed into new clothes in the meantime? On his back, the corporation name that I hadn’t been able to see properly earlier because it was covered in dirt was written clearly.

<■■■ Company>.

Damn it, no wonder he wouldn’t listen to people’s words.