Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Preliminary Preparations
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That guy was someone I didn’t even know the real name of.
Just “Nameless Blue Tiger Gang Bruiser No. 1” or something like that.
“What the hell is this back-and-forth bullshit? Branch Chief, isn’t this going too far?”
Chae Tae-won’s expression hardened.
“My apologies. I’ll handle it right away.”
I could sense mana activating from his body.
He’d been nothing but polite, calmly asking for my input this whole time, but Chae Tae-won was still someone who’d clawed his way up using violence and fear as weapons.
If I left him to it, we’d end up with a scene straight out of a noir film. Not the kind that ends with a slap or two, but the brutal kind. I grabbed Chae Tae-won.
“Branch Chief, hold on a second.”
“Yes?”
“Who’s this guy?”
“Director Gu Jin-cheol left one team behind.”
Ah, so he left them as troublemakers?
That Gu Jin-cheol guy really was thorough. From the looks on their faces, out of this group of less than thirty, about five were his plants.
“Then, mind if I have a word with him?”
“Well… no, go ahead.”
Damn, I was getting more and more tangled up with the Blue Tiger Gang. Still, no way could I let guys like that stick around overnight.
I approached him slowly.
“Hey, big guy? Didn’t have dinner? What’s got you so pissed?”
“What’d you say? You wanna throw down?”
His build, speech, everything was rough and massive, reminiscent of that Kwak Dae-yong guy I’d seen before.
His mana was fully activated too. He was nowhere near strong enough, but clearly cocky enough to mouth off in front of Chae Tae-won.
“Nah, who’d wanna fight? I’m a guest—if I hurt the host’s family, that’d be awkward.”
“Branch Chief’s been spoiling you, huh? Even a wizard’s nothing special up close—one good hit and you’re done, right?”
“One hit? How exactly?”
“Hah, this little punk can’t even swing…”
As he said it, he subtly turned his head.
Not avoiding my gaze—he was checking Chae Tae-won’s position. In an instant, he lifted one foot, aiming a kick at my shin from an angle Chae Tae-won couldn’t see.
[Grasp of the Dead]
But my prepped spell went off first.
A spectral hand burst from the ground, seizing his ankle and yanking him down with immense force.
“Ugh? Uwaaah!”
Crash!
He let out an embarrassingly shrill yelp as he tumbled over spectacularly.
His huge frame made the fall look all the more epic. Even I had to admit it was kinda funny. Snickers erupted from around us.
“Argh! You bastard, magic out of nowhere!?”
“Yeah? Didn’t you say one hit up close and I’m done?”
“You! You started it!”
What? Hey, you were the one going for my shin first? Honestly, if that kick had landed, my leg would’ve snapped like a twig.
But apparently, that cause-and-effect stuff didn’t matter anymore. He threw his body back, coiled up, and sprang to his feet.
No, there was killing intent in the motion. Not just standing—it was an attack leap.
Or at least, that was the plan.
Until my second spell fired.
[Chains of Domination]
『Don’t move.』
“!?”
“Hey, check your stance? You stretch your leg out like that and jump, and boom, I’m the one getting kicked. Right? No brains?”
“!?!?”
“To jump straight up, you gotta go vertical. Vertical! Here, I’ll help.”
[Leap]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]
[Spell Enhancement: Multiple Casting]
『Jump straight up.』
A super-leap exploiting a game bug.
Too risky to try on myself, but whatever. The moment he broke free of the bindings, he rocketed into the sky, defying physics with absurd momentum.
“Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…!”
His scream faded until it vanished entirely. I looked up, but it was night—couldn’t see a thing.
“…”
He wasn’t coming down.
Even as everyone stared up at the sky in unison, he just… didn’t descend.
Did he go to space? I might’ve overdone the mana. No resistance at all?
Murmurs of unease spread just as we heard something welcome.
“Look! There he is!”
“He’s coming back! Thank god!”
Yeah, phew. Didn’t punch through the atmosphere!
“Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…!”
His scream grew louder again.
This guy—more talent for slapstick comedy than thug life, maybe?
I cast [Feather Fall] on him right at the last second.
The brute trembled in midair, tears streaming down his face. No idea how far he went, but I felt a little bad.
“Alright, big guy. Up you go.”
“Huh? Huh? Huuuuh!?”
“Heh. You’re right—we dragged all these busy folks here, so sending ’em home empty-handed feels rude. You and, uh… you guys over there? No, not you. Right from here to here.”
I pointed out Gu Jin-cheol’s plants.
“U-Us?”
“Yeah. Could use your help. Time to do some digging.”
“Digging?”
Better to keep them busy where I can see ’em, so they don’t stir up trouble.
I got Chae Tae-won’s okay and tweaked the crew’s positions a bit. Then I actually went beyond the walls with Gu Jin-cheol’s goons and started digging.
“Huff… huff…”
“Urgh…”
Real digging. Shovels in dirt.
“Um, uh, M-Mage?”
“Yeah?”
“H-How long do we gotta dig this?”
“Till you match what I’ve done. Fair’s fair.”
“What you’ve dug so far?”
“Nah, gonna dig more now. Hold up.”
[Great Upheaval]
Rumble rumble BOOM!!
Quakes hit, earth erupted, rocks thrust up.
A huge swath of land flipped in seconds.
“R-Really sorry to ask, but…”
They’d gotten real polite, huh.
“What?”
“C-Couldn’t you just magic this too…?”
“Sigh… Magic doesn’t do everything on command.”
“…”
I said that, but cut ’em some slack eventually.
Wasn’t just messing with ’em.
Petty provocations are cute enough, but leave ’em unchecked and who knows—they might sabotage something critical.
Plus, we really needed to dig.
“Alright, let’s max this out.”
If nothing shows after all this, it’s just pointless labor—but that won’t happen. Overpreparing’s never a waste.
Massive magic circles formed around me and across the upheaved earth.
No more visitors tonight anyway, right?
I built the biggest, broadest spells my mana regen allowed.
Started off pumped, cranking out all sorts, but by the end I was drained—worse off than Gu Jin-cheol’s crew, who’d actually shoveled.
“Urgh… What luxury am I chasing here…”
After all this, if that bastard Gu Jin-cheol doesn’t show, I’ll march over and deck him myself.
“Anyway, this should do it here.”
Never thought I’d be slaving away like this at night.
But preps for a safe night weren’t done yet.
I dragged my exhausted body back to the mansion.
Third floor again.
Why no elevator in a place this size? Could’ve had escalators.
“Mage! You were outside?”
“Huh, miss?”
Jeong Hyeon-ah stood in the third-floor hall.
Right in front of the parlor they’d given me.
She stared at me, eyes wide.
“...?”
Wondered what she wanted to say, so I met her gaze.
“Ugh…”
Soon she clutched her forehead, looking dizzy.
Her bodyguard freaked out (“Miss!!!”), but she half-ignored him.
“Mage, do you always wear that mask?”
Ah, she’d been trying to look me in the eye.
Common question. And I had my standard answer.
“’Cause I’m a wizard.”
Covers 90% of annoying queries.
“’Cause you’re a wizard…”
Not much meaning, but she pondered it seriously. Pretty high-schooler reaction. Junior high, she’d have flipped harder.
“Do all wizards have to wear masks?”
Variation on a theme. Heard that one too.
I fiddled with my mask.
“Nah. Not required. But I need mine, and being a wizard’s part of why.”
“I see.”
She nodded quick, but looked confused.
Of course. I’d just spouted nonsense. Couldn’t exactly say I was nuts, though.
Anyway… it’s 2 a.m. already.
Too late for a kid to wander. What’d she want this late?
She snapped to.
“Oh, I came to talk. If you’re okay with it…?”
Ah, business? Hope it’s quick. Risky hour.
Well, I’d come up here for her anyway.
I glanced around.
“Then not here. Come in.”
Pointed at the parlor door.
“Thanks.”
It’s your house. I shrugged.
Bodyguard tried stopping her, but she said “Be right out” and shook him off.
The sunglassed young guard fidgeted, but settled for door duty.
Relax, nameless guard NPC.
Unless my skull splits five ways, no underage bonding events here. [Cthulhu World] doesn’t even have those.
To stress: this world has no heart-fluttering affection events, period.
If something like that happens? It’s just prelude to a Cthulhu mythos disaster.