Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Main Quest (2)
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The new place was even nicer than I'd expected.
Leaving behind the peaceful sight of Leo and Daeho each claiming a sunny windowsill and a plush chair for their naps, I started unpacking bit by bit.
I didn't have much stuff, but I needed to sort out the important things first.
My computer took its spot right away, followed by the various items.
The ones I'd gotten from clearing that casino quest nagged at me—I'd been too caught up in one chaotic event after another to even check them properly.
The items from Dongto had to be submitted to White Tiger for inspection per regulations, but now that I had this handy inventory ability, it was the perfect time to take a proper look.
I opened the small box shoved in the corner.
Inside were the three items from the casino. But...
"What the hell is this..."
Two out of the three were clearly damaged.
One was half-gone, and the other had deep scratches and bite marks on the surface.
And those marks? Anyone could see they were from beast teeth. Sharp, powerful ones at that.
Only one suspect came to mind.
I yelled toward the tiger lounging innocently in the living room.
"Daeho! Get over here!"
At my call, he sauntered over lazily, like it was a huge bother.
I grabbed his front paw and shoved the damaged items in his face, laying into him.
"You did this, didn't you! Spill it! Did you eat them or not?"
I pictured him yesterday, turning that strange man into light and absorbing him.
Maybe he'd done the same to these? As I pressed him, Daeho put on the most wronged expression in the world and let out a pathetic "Grrrrm..."
His eyes even looked a little misty.
But no one else could be the culprit.
Leo might be a rascal, and he'd bulked up fast lately, but he couldn't have wrecked items this sturdy like that.
"Don't you dare touch stuff like this again! Got it? It's not food!"
After lecturing him sternly, he gave a reluctant nod, sort of.
Who knows if he really got it.
I sighed and checked the one item that was intact.
Its description read [Word Detector].
It said if you recorded a specific word here, it would pinpoint locations where that word was mentioned nearby.
Seeing is believing, right?
I pressed the button on the recorder-like device and softly spoke my name into it.
"Minjun."
A moment later, a short message popped up on the tiny LCD screen.
[Word: Minjun, White Tiger Apartment 402]
White Tiger Apartment 402.
I was in 302, so right above me.
Someone upstairs must've been talking about me.
No idea yet how it'd help, but it felt like something I'd definitely use someday.
I nodded, satisfied, and tucked the Word Detector into my inventory.
"Whew... all done."
With the last box unpacked, the empty new place finally felt lived-in.
Now with some downtime, my mind wandered back to what the detector had shown.
My name, mentioned in 402 upstairs.
Part curiosity, part testing the item, I quietly slipped out the front door and climbed the stairs.
402's door was wide open, mid-move judging by the stacks of boxes out front.
A voice drifted out from inside, someone on the phone.
"Grandmaaa~! I told you, I got this! Stop worrying so much!"
It was whiny, but somehow familiar—a woman's voice.
Through the open door, I glimpsed her back as she paced busily, glued to the call.
Not your average outfit.
It was vibrant and unique, like a modified hanbok or traditional garb.
First time seeing anything like it—straight out of a shaman's wardrobe.
The voice kept going.
"What do you mean hold on? I'm not a rope or anything... And who does that these days... Ugh, seriously!"
The tone grew more familiar.
Then she turned, and I recognized her instantly.
It was Bora. First time seeing her in that flashy getup.
Made sense—she was always suited up at Dongto. This might be her real look.
It suited the exorcist title perfectly.
She didn't notice me at the door, still deep in her grandma chat.
"No, about Minjun? Nah, I haven't asked him to do anything yet... Huh? What do you mean try what? Grandma, come on!"
My name perked me up. What were they talking about?
I edged closer to listen, but she spun around mid-call and our eyes met dead-on.
"...Eek!"
She jumped, fumbling, "I'll call back later! Yeah! Bye!" and hung up.
Face a bit red, she gave me an awkward nod.
"Uh... what brings you here...?"
"Oh, just... wondered if someone was moving in upstairs."
She stared at me for a second, then asked like she'd given up.
"...How much did you hear?"
I shrugged honestly.
"From 'What should I do with Minjun...' onward."
She slapped her hands over her face, glanced at her outfit.
"Oh, hold on! Let me change real quick!"
Then she bolted inside.
I chuckled, eyeing the now-empty living room.
Bora in 402. We'd be bumping into each other a lot.
And the Word Detector worked like a charm.
She emerged soon in a plain hoodie and sweats.
"You've got a lot of stuff. Need a hand?"
"Uh... th-thanks..."
Awkwardness faded; I stuck around to help with the move. Way more boxes than mine.
Minimalist compared to this. When I asked why so much, she said mostly exorcism gear and clothes.
Peeking in one, yeah—bundles of yellow talisman papers and neatly folded hanboks.
Like the one she'd worn, but varying colors and patterns. Gorgeous.
"You wear hanbok a lot?"
She hesitated, then smiled sheepishly.
"Not outside much, but at home sometimes. Especially with talismans... old habit. Can't focus without it."
Talk shifted naturally to talismans.
After a pause, she made a careful offer.
"Um... you interested in... exorcism?"
"Exorcism?"
I double-checked; she elaborated.
"If you are, I could test if you've got talent as an exorcist. And if you do... I could teach you what I know—like how to use talismans like mine."
Tempting offer.
I'd seen her talisman arts up close: versatile for attack, defense, support, and packing real power.
If I could wield that, it'd be huge for future crises.
"Of course! What do I do?"
Her face lit up at my quick yes.
Excited, she grabbed a bundle of yellow talisman papers from an open box and handed me one.
"This isn't ordinary paper. It's special—holds human energy, qi. Watch."
She took another, blew a light breath onto it.
Then tossed it like a paper plane.
Incredibly, it didn't fall—instead, it fluttered midair like it had a mind of its own, zipping to stick fast to the far wall.
Wild.
"You want me to try?"
She nodded.
I mimicked awkwardly—blew and tossed.
Flutter.
It flopped limply to the floor.
Same every time.
Bora encouraged from the side.
"Infuse it with strong belief it'll reach that wall. Gather your inner energy in a deep breath and release! One more time!"
"Inner energy..."
Hard to grasp in words.
I gripped it tighter, like putting strength into it.
Chanting in my head 'Reach it, reach it!', focused, deep breath, blew and tossed.
This time, it actually shivered and sliced forward.
Wobbly, but it hit the wall like hers.
She stared, stunned, then muttered disbelievingly.
"...No way..."
Did I nail it?
"Just raw strength on thin paper like that..."
Guess not.
I looked bummed; she laughed, patted my shoulder—kidding.
She walked over, picked it up, showed me.
"Look."
"Huh..."
The edge was singed.
"You've got talent."