Before heading to the Tower, I resolved to acquire a new weapon.
If even mere pebbles could strike with such force, what might I achieve with a true throwing weapon?
****
[Coins Held: 612]
My 612 coins had been accumulated by hunting thirty Man-Eaters.
While goblins were said to yield a paltry one or two coins at most, Man-Eaters had consistently dropped nearly twenty each.
Evidently, I was quite wealthy.
These coins served as currency not only within the Tower but also at the auction house integrated into MartialNet.
The complete disregard for spatial constraints was, of course, a testament to Demon God (TL Note: 마신, Mashin. The Demon God is a powerful entity or being in this world, and their technology is often described as advanced or magical.) technology.
With my newfound wealth, I resolved to acquire the weapon I had previously envisioned.
[Search: Boomerang]
[No results found.]
Yet, inexplicably, searching for ‘boomerang’ in the auction house yielded no results.
Curious, I tried ‘sword’ instead, only to find over six million registered items.
To ascertain the cause of this unusual phenomenon, I attempted to navigate to the Boomerang Gallery.
[No results found.]
Yet, strangely, the search returned [No results found.], indicating that no such gallery existed.
After a brief pause for thought, clarity struck me: ‘They must be grouped within the Throwing Weapons Gallery.’
[Throwing Weapons Gallery]
[Anonymous) I’m a newbie, where can I get a boomerang? Why isn’t it in the auction house?]
The comment read: ‘Can’t you use coins in the auction house? Why does searching for boomerang yield nothing?’
Below it, a cryptic reply: ‘└ ㄱㄱㄹ (TL Note: A Korean initialism, often used to dismiss or redirect, implying ‘go to another gallery’ or ‘go away’).’
However, the query posted in the Throwing Weapons Gallery was met with nothing but an enigmatic initialism.
‘What could ‘ㄱㄱㄹ’ possibly mean?’ I wondered. ‘Frog? Hook? Gold dust?’
Another comment asked: ‘└ What’s ㄱㄱㄹ?’
To which came the blunt reply: ‘└ Other Gallery.’
And then, even more directly: ‘└ Get lost to the Other Weapons Gallery.’
I was utterly dumbfounded for a moment.
While I could comprehend the absence of a dedicated Boomerang Gallery, given that several niche weapons often resided within broader categories.
But to be told to ‘get lost’ to the Other Weapons Gallery, rather than the Throwing Weapons Gallery itself? Wasn’t a boomerang unequivocally a throwing weapon? Why, then, was I being driven away?
[Anonymous) Boomerangs go to the Other Weapons Gallery? Why??? Y?]
They questioned: ‘A boomerang is a throwing weapon, isn’t it?’
The replies were swift: ‘└ Oh, look, the Boo-sistance (TL Note: A portmanteau of ‘boomerang’ and ‘resistance,’ implying users who stubbornly advocate for boomerangs in the wrong gallery) is back again.’
Followed by: ‘└ ㄱㄱㄹ.’
Far from addressing my questions, they were cordially branding people as the ‘Boo-sistance’ and instructing them to ‘get lost’ to the Other Gallery.
Consequently, I decided to observe the typical conversations in the Throwing Weapons Gallery.
[zzZl_Lord_Shurikenzz) How good is this new shuriken I got?]
[SecretSkill_FullSkyRain) Day 14,922 of Full Sky Rain (TL Note: A martial arts technique) training. I believe I’m finally seeing the path.]
[FlowingCloneTechnique) Just a little humble-brag) Damn, I finally pulled off a three-clone technique!]
The weapons predominantly featured in the Throwing Gallery were shurikens and throwing knives, wielded by individuals who were typically rogues, ninjas, or martial artists.
The unifying trait among them was their penchant for concealing hidden weapons within their garments, ready for a sudden, ambush strike.
It dawned on me: the Hidden Weapon Cartel had effectively banished the honorable hunting weapon, the boomerang, from the Throwing Weapons Gallery.
‘Rogues, ninjas, martial artists—they’re all cut from the same cloth, aren’t they?’ I mused. ‘Ugh. Hidden weapon prejudice (TL Note: 암평, ampyeong. A portmanteau of ‘hidden weapon’ and ‘prejudice,’ implying discrimination against certain weapon types, or more specifically, the ‘prejudice’ of hidden weapon users against other weapons.).’
Unable to contain my indignation, I posted: [Anonymous) Just as expected from cowardly bastards who rely on hidden weapons—their personalities are utterly despicable, tsk tsk.]
I continued: ‘You lot are the kind who would offer a hand in greeting, only to be fatally poisoned by a hidden dagger concealed within your own sleeve.’
The replies poured in: ‘└ Why is this newbie’s curse so incredibly specific, lololol.’
‘└ Well, the Throwing Gallery folks all meet the same end, don’t they, lol.’
‘└ Are you implying that sects employing poison and hidden weapons are nothing but scum constantly seeking opportunities for betrayal? (Yes, that’s precisely what I’m saying).’
‘└ This newbie shows promise! You, join the Poison Sect.’
‘└ Those who aspire to become rogues, seek me out….’
‘└ Do you understand chivalry?’
‘└ Not all trash are ninjas. But all ninjas are trash.’
Having unleashed a curse upon those who dared to defile my beloved boomerang, I then departed for the Other Weapons Gallery.
[Anonymous) Is anyone here who uses boomerangs??? Please come and answer a newbie’s questions.]
My query continued: ‘I searched for boomerangs in the auction house, but not a single one appeared. Is this some kind of bug? Does MartialNet even have glitches?’
The immediate responses were scathing: ‘└ Boomerang lololololol How can anyone possibly wield a boomerang as a weapon lololololol.’
‘└ Among newbies who try boomerangs, one-third are struck dead by their own returning weapon, and two-thirds are slain while attempting to retrieve a boomerang that flew astray.’
‘└ Discard your boomerang at once, or you will surely perish!’
‘What was this?’ I wondered. ‘Had this gallery, too, been overrun by hidden weapon infiltrators?’
Yet, it was a single individual who relentlessly spammed comments denigrating boomerangs.
Soon enough, they unveiled their true identity.
The user continued: ‘└ A yo-yo, with its effortless attack and retrieval, is undoubtedly a superior alternative to the boomerang, haha!’
‘└ If you’re a newbie, start with a yo-yo immediately!’
I thought: ‘Is a yo-yo a weapon?’
And then: ‘Wasn’t it just a toy?’
My innocent question triggered an explosive response: ‘└ You f****** (censored) └ You piece of s*** (censored).’
My innocent remark, questioning whether a yo-yo was merely a toy, caused the other user to erupt into a monstrous tirade.
They unleashed a torrent of vile, uninterpretable curses—words that needed no explanation and certainly should not be analyzed.
‘Let’s all strive to foster a positive chat culture,’ I mused sardonically.
Suddenly, a new voice interjected: ‘└ Where does this yo-yo fanatic (TL Note: 요요충, yo-yo-chung. ‘Chung’ is a derogatory suffix, here implying a fanatical or annoying yo-yo user) think they’re going, harassing our precious boomerang newbie!!!!’
‘└ Welcome, newbie! It’s good to have you. Feel free to ask anything about boomerangs!’
At last, a boomerang user materialized to welcome me.
Yet, the infuriated yo-yo user promptly launched into a renewed barrage of criticisms against boomerangs.
The yo-yo user spewed: ‘└ Did you honestly think my earlier words were a jest? No joke, two-thirds of boomerang newbies perish because they try to retrieve their weapon bare-handed!’
‘└ You imagine you can simply throw a boomerang, strike your target, and it will zip right back? How many years do you think it takes to achieve that level of mastery?’
‘└ If you’re going to expend internal energy (TL Note: 내공, naegong. Internal energy or chi, used in martial arts) to retrieve it, why not just employ sword-flying (TL Note: 이기어검, igieogeom. A martial arts technique allowing one to control a sword with internal energy, making it fly) instead of a boomerang?’
‘└ In contrast, a yo-yo remains physically tethered to its user, meaning even a baby could retrieve it, let alone a beginner on their first day!’
‘└ Do you finally grasp that yo-yos are inherently superior to boomerangs?’
‘Hmm,’ I thought. ‘I certainly grasp your point.’
My response was simple: ‘└ But yo-yos aren’t cool.’
‘└ Yo) You f****** (censored).’
‘└ Boo) What a foul-mouthed friend.’
‘└ Boo) Must be all that anger from using a yo-yo ^^.’
‘└ Boo) How about we talk about boomerangs, newbie?’
‘└ So why aren’t there any boomerangs in the auction house?’
‘└ Boo) Well, that’s….’
The boomerang user hesitated, and the yo-yo user seized the opportunity to interject once more.
‘└ That’s because they’re utterly useless, trash weapons that people just throw on the ground or sell to general stores!’
‘Could that possibly be true?’ I mused.
‘There were six million sword listings in the auction house!’
‘Not six hundred, but six million!’
‘And boomerangs were zero, meaning none appeared?’
‘Could that possibly be true?’
‘└ But there’s an upside to that, too.’
‘└ Newbie, how about we search for a boomerang in the auction house again?’
Following the boomerang user’s suggestion, I searched for ‘boomerang’ in the auction house once more.
This time, there was a single listing.
─────────────
[Four-Legged Reaper]
·Type: Boomerang
·Grade: Legendary
·Physical Attack: +55
·Special Ability: Strength +2, Senses +5, Perception +3
·Special Ability 2: Returns to the user’s hand when a command is chanted. “Hoo-it!”
[Sale Price: Current Bid 0 coins / Instant Purchase 10 coins]
‘Was this not an incredible item?’
My fingers, moving faster than my thoughts, had already clicked to purchase it.
Even if it wasn’t great, losing ten coins wouldn’t be a significant loss.
‘No, how could this possibly be bad?’
‘└ So, I bought a legendary boomerang for 10 coins that was listed.’
‘└ Was that you who listed it?’
‘└ Yeah.’
‘└ Thanks.’
Within ten minutes of entering the Other Weapons Gallery, I had been ‘pickpocketed’ by a veteran boomerang user.
I examined the boomerang, which had been instantly delivered via cutting-edge Demon God technology upon purchase.
True to its name, the boomerang was X-shaped, its white, lightweight form seemingly crafted from bone.
But why were there no visible seams?
No creature could possibly possess bones shaped like this.
‘Was it, then, a lavish item, carved mostly from a much larger bone, with only this portion remaining?’
Considering its weight, it should not have been a weapon capable of high attack power, but as a legendary item from the Tower, there surely had to be a powerful reason for it.
‘└ Yo) Lolololol How desperate must they be if they’re listing and transferring a legendary item for 10 coins?’
‘└ Yo) What a pathetic, trash weapon lololololololol.’
‘└ Boo) Yo-yos are the same, aren’t they?’
‘└ Boo) You’re in the same league.’
Observing their conversation, it seemed like a clash between two proud geniuses—no, two proud idiots.
‘Ah, no, I shouldn’t insult the benefactor who just ‘pickpocketed’ me.’
‘I take back what I just said.’
‘I’ll retract those words immediately.’
‘└ Honestly, it’s best to have thrown a boomerang for at least ten years before entering the Tower, but with this weapon, you might be fine going straight in.’
‘└ It eliminates the risk of it being stolen by enemies or not being retrieved.’
‘└ This is what you call ‘gear-power,’ right?’
‘└ Haha, so, newbie, what difficulty are you on?’
‘└ Hard?’
‘What was this?’
‘I had never tried to curry favor with this person.’
‘I merely stated that I was a newbie interested in boomerangs.’
‘Yet, to show such affection for me.’
‘Just how desperate for newbies were they?’
‘└ I’m on Insanity difficulty.’
However, as soon as I posted this comment, the atmosphere suddenly turned frosty.
‘└ Idiot lololololololololololololololololol.’
‘└ They thought someone who graduated from Extreme and was just ‘visiting’ Insanity was a newbie, and they handed over a legendary item lololololololol.’
‘└ What sane newbie would choose a boomerang as their weapon, seriously lololololol.’
‘└ They’ve already chewed, torn, tasted, and enjoyed everything the Tower has to offer, and only chose a boomerang as a hobby sub-weapon lololololololol.’
The yo-yo user was ecstatic.
They seemed convinced I was a ‘used newbie.’
The boomerang user, however, appeared somewhat flustered.
‘└ Ah, you originally used a different weapon.’
‘└ That’s alright. I’m just happy you showed interest in boomerangs.’
‘This person seems genuinely kind, don’t they?’
‘└ I am a newbie.’
‘└ I started on Insanity difficulty.’
‘└ I’m about to go to the second floor.’
‘└ Boo)?’
‘└ Yo)?’
It had begun again.
‘Hook collection.’
‘└ Boo) Are you that newbie who pulled the Martial God’s (TL Note: 무신, Mushin. The Martial God is a powerful, female deity in this world.) talent?’
‘└ Boo) No way, that can’t be right.’
‘└ Yeah.’
‘└ That’s me.’
‘└ Yo) Don’t lie, there’s no way.’
‘Since I’ve acquired a good boomerang, shall I head straight to clear the second floor?’
‘I’ll report back after I return. Wait for me.’
