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Chapter 574: The Black Zone (6)

‘Riding someone else’s ship on the way back.’

The moment someone says that, you already know he’s a thief.

So what could that possibly mean?

“Are you saying we should steal a ship to get back? No one’s going to give us a ride.”

When Yeongwoo asked this, Kejen nodded.

—Of course we steal one. Well, if we’re lucky, we might find an abandoned ship lying around.

“And if we’re unlucky?”

—Then we steal one that isn’t abandoned. But robbery’s always like that, isn’t it? Things usually have owners.

“…”

As annoyingly logical as it was, Yeongwoo had nothing to say.

—Naturally, stealing something that has an owner might cause… minor disputes.

“…Disputes? That’s not a dispute. That’s just a robber fighting a ship owner.”

—Compared to what happens inside the Black Zone, that doesn’t even count as a fight.

Then Kejen asked again.

—So, kid. Are we going with the ‘cheap option’?

“How cheap?”

—The planets adjacent to the Black Zone sell one-way tickets.

About forty million karma.

Kejen explained it was basically buying a disposable shuttle—barely capable of a single one-way flight.

“Forty million?”

Yeongwoo blinked rapidly.

Renting a round-trip ship normally cost two hundred million karma in rental fees plus a four-hundred-million deposit.

But if they gave up on a safe return, they could get transportation for only forty million.

“This hardly even needs thinking.”

—Right? If you’re crazy enough to walk into the Black Zone on your own legs, stealing a ship is nothing.

Perfectly villain-like logic.

But Yeongwoo’s mindset was already pitch black, so he nodded without hesitation.

“But if it’s one-way only, how do we find your seal?”

—We’re not buying a drop pod. We’re buying a small shuttle that’s one breath away from death. It just has low remaining travel distance. It’s not locked to a specific route.

“So we’re not heading straight into the Black Zone—we’ll find the seal first?”

—Correct. We can swing by my hideout on the way. Probably.

“Wait—probably? You’re saying that now?”

—Everything in life is eighty percent skill, twenty percent luck. That’s why we need Lord Chopan’s blessing.

“…Chopan, Chopan. If you were so blessed, why did you end up locked in prison until now?”

Kejen burst out laughing and stroked his beard.

—And yet here I am, headed right back to my seal, aren’t I? That’s luck’s twenty percent at work.

Then he turned to Earth, who was manning the navigation system.

—Look at the outer edge of your detection range. You’ll see a planet named Dik. Send us there. I’m transmitting the detailed coordinates now.

『Dik…?』

Earth quickly found a planet labeled Dik and looked at Yeongwoo.

Since Yeongwoo was the actual owner of the ship, permission was required.

And soon Yeongwoo said.

“Yeah. To become a bigshot, sometimes you need guts. Let’s go to Dik.”

『If it were me, I’d just pay the deposit and rent a return-capable ship… I truly don’t understand you people. Is madness contagious?』

Even though Earth was technically a planetary ship, as a born celestial body, he couldn’t wrap his head around spacefaring species who voluntarily embraced danger.

It almost looked like they enjoyed it.

FWIMMM!

A small portal opened beside them, created by Earth.

『Step through here—you’ll transfer to the shuttle headed for Dik. Try not to do anything too insane. And please, try to come back alive.』

“So it begins.”

Ignoring Earth’s farewell, Yeongwoo stepped next to the portal leading into the shuttle.

Then he looked at Jeonggu—the most timid of the group.

“Father, you go first.”

“Hm? Me?”

“You’re the most likely to run away.”

“…I may be scared, but I’m not going to flee before departure.”

As Jeonggu stepped up to the portal, Kejen and the golden goblin lined up behind him.

—Move it, old man. We’ve got mountains of work to do.

Kejen urged him, and Jeonggu—looking extremely tense—took a step forward.

FWIP!

He vanished instantly, sucked into the cramped one-use shuttle.

Kejen followed without hesitation, diving straight into the portal.

Then—

“My turn, huh.”

Yeongwoo stepped in with the golden goblin.

WHOOSH.

He was pulled forward, the world switching in an instant.

“…This place again.”

It was the interior of the same disposable shuttle they used when visiting the prison.

『Dropping three shuttles simultaneously. Destination: southern Dik, per Kejen’s coordinates.』

“Got it. Approved.”

When Yeongwoo, cramped inside the shuttle, responded, he heard locks disengaging.

CLACK.

Then—

BOOOOM!

A massive blast shook the shuttle.

They were now hurtling toward planet Dik at extreme speed, right on the border of the Black Zone.

“But what coordinates did you give Earth exactly?”

Yeongwoo asked, and Kejen’s voice came from above.

—Right in the rental company’s front yard.

“What? That’s allowed?”

—This planet basically counts as part of the Black Zone. This is normal here.

“…”

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What kind of hellish life do people live in the Black Zone?

As he sighed, the shuttle shook violently and a timer appeared.

[00:10]

Ten seconds to arrival.

Kejen began explaining the rules.

—Once we land, don’t take out your weapons.

“…Huh? Why?”

—It’s an unwritten rule. Fights involving weapons happen only inside the Black Zone.

“It’s for protecting rental companies?”

—Pretty much. If you pull out a weapon here, you’ll never get a ship.

“So why not just rob whatever ship is sitting outside?”

Yeongwoo proposed, robber-style.

Kejen clicked his tongue.

—Kid, planets here survived anywhere from decades to billions of years on this border.

In other words, the merchants here were monsters, and their security systems were top tier.

—One emergency button and the entire stock drops underground. Nothing’s as easy as you think.

“Fair. The shopkeepers here must be no joke.”

—The weak ones all got robbed by people like you and died or went bankrupt ages ago.

Merchants who supplied the Black Zone were naturally extraordinary.

—Don’t pull out a weapon. And… there’s more, but explaining everything would take too long. I’ll tell you things as they happen.

Meaning: don’t even think of ditching him.

Then—

BEEP.

The timer hit zero.

They had arrived on Dik.

KUUUUNG!

The shuttle slammed into the ground and disintegrated.

CRASH!

Yeongwoo was thrown upward, and landed cleanly, drawing a smooth arc like a practiced veteran.

THUD!

Kejen landed nearby with equal ease—clearly used to disposable shuttles.

Meanwhile Jeonggu, stepping into outer space for the first time—

“UWAAAAH!”

He completely failed to keep his balance and face-planted.

WHUMP!

“You’ll do better next time.”

Yeongwoo stepped past his fallen father.

Their landing point really was right in front of a rental company.

A one-eyed man in a suit was leaning against a pile of scrap metal, looking their way.

—Black Zone?

He pointed vaguely upward—the direction of the Black Zone.

Yeongwoo nodded and assessed the man.

‘He’s out here alone…? Either insane or ridiculously strong.’

Even unarmed, the man’s perfect inverted-triangle physique screamed close-quarters combat mastery.

“You the rental guy?”

Yeongwoo asked.

The one-eyed man grinned.

—First time, huh? Follow me.

Kejen quickly moved beside Yeongwoo and whispered.

—New rule.

“…What now?”

—Keep your mouth shut. You’re giving off newbie stink.

“Why does that matter? We’re just paying for a shuttle.”

—Kid. This is the doorstep of the Black Zone. Everyone you see here is a scammer.

“What?!”

While they whispered, the one-eyed man turned right.

Kejen instantly stopped walking.

—Not that way.

—What?

—We’re here for scrap.

The moment Kejen said “scrap,” the one-eyed man flinched and turned back.

—Ah. One-way. My mistake.

He turned and walked left—the exact opposite direction.

“What the hell.”

Yeongwoo frowned.

Kejen snorted.

—What else? He tried to fleece you.

“Fleece?”

—If we followed right, he’d show us the sucker inventory. Overpriced, shiny garbage for first-timers.

“…Then what’s ‘scrap’?”

—Scrap is… literally scrap. Things that can fly only by miracle.

“…That’s what we’re buying?”

—We only need a shuttle barely capable of one-way flight, right? Naturally, the goods are garbage.

“…So that’s why they call it scrap.”

Yeongwoo understood now why the man’s behavior changed.

Going into the Black Zone without a return ticket was the ultimate sign of being a veteran local.

Real Black Zone survivors always stole someone else’s ship to escape.

—Ideally pick something missing a wing or with half a busted engine.

“…Why?”

—It still needs to be able to take off. If it’s too broken, the shop will patch it up with whatever parts they have lying around.

“You mean they’ll repair it… sloppily? What kind of place is this?!”

As Yeongwoo stared in horror at the utterly insane system, Kejen grinned.

—Welcome to the Black Zone, kid.

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