Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Achievement
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[You have saved a human corrupted by the fluids of the 'Black Goat that Spawns Madness'! This is an astonishing feat no one in this world has ever attempted. The abyssal beings are watching the achievement you have accomplished. Some may feel interest in you, others rage—but you press on, unconcerned, following your own path.]
Righteous path or whatever, I only did it to complete the quest. About 40% of it was just curiosity about how far I could go. Anyway, these messages keep framing me like I'm some champion of justice... I have no idea what they really want.
[Astonishing achievement unlocked! You have expelled the power of the 'Black Goat that Spawns Madness' and restored an otherworldly being to humanity. You have obtained the 'Mythic Achievement: Insulter of Abyssal Beings.'
As a reward for the achievement, you gain the hidden trait 'Secret Knowledge: Life Creation' and bonus experience.]
A ridiculous reward just dropped out of nowhere.
The phrasing about insulting abyssal beings rubbed me the wrong way a bit, but the payoff was a hidden trait.
Hidden trait [Secret Knowledge: Life Creation].
I'd never seen this trait before. Whoa, something like this exists?
As [Secret Knowledge: Life Creation] activated, new knowledge flooded into my mind—things I'd never known before.
Now, if I just had the materials...
'I can even create humans...?'
What is this insane knowledge? To think something like this was hidden away. I only did it to finish the request, but I got an unimaginable reward.
'I don't know where to use this knowledge yet.'
What would I even do with created humans? Plus, the required materials are utterly absurd.
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next stage. Level up by 1.]
[You have defeated fixer Lee Chang-hyeok.]
[You have defeated a 'mutant.' Your understanding of god's kin in general has increased.]
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next stage. Level up by 2.]
[Discovery: You have acquired 1 secret item. Experience gained.]
This must be the reward for obtaining Shub-Niggurath's fluids... I'll have to turn them in anyway, but the extra experience is nice.
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next stage. Level up by 1.]
Level 14 now? These were opponents that would've been a slog even to gain a single level from under normal circumstances... but thanks to that freak's shenanigans, I leveled up way more than expected.
The quest reward experience hasn't come in yet, so I should hit 15 before the night is out.
Once I get back to Cafe Basilika and hand over Lee Chang-hyeok and the fluids to Tudor, it'll all be done.
'Oh, right—one stop first.'
The place I hit before returning to Tudor wasn't anything special.
Lee Chang-hyeok's trashed motel room.
The situation's resolved, but I wrapped it up so fast the motel owner hasn't even come back.
The guests have evacuated to the motel lounge, forming a long line...
But since I blasted through the wall with magic at the end, I could slip in without going through the lounge.
'No time to lollygag.'
This lawless dump won't get a quick police response even if someone calls.
Hell, it'd be faster to pay a broker extra for a fixer.
Anyway, things are finally dying down, and gawkers are starting to poke around outside.
I just need to grab one thing and bounce. I dumped the restraint-wrapped Lee Chang-hyeok in a corner and searched the room.
He's not dead, but he's out cold—won't be waking up for days.
Ah, there it is.
I found the security briefcase he'd chucked earlier.
If I put the [Black Goat Fluids] extracted from Lee Chang-hyeok's body in here, it becomes the requested target: [Artifact: Secure Briefcase Containing the Test Subject].
Of course, no such description will pop up anywhere, but precision is everything in artifact recovery requests.
Even the slightest damage or deviation from the terms, and it's no good. They won't just shrug it off with an 'Oh, okay?' even for unavoidable reasons.
Especially with shady corps like Helistic involved.
But a slight issue cropped up.
'Hey, the volume increased?'
The briefcase has a magitech security setup inside.
When I tried to pour in the [Black Goat Fluids], I realized there was more than the specified amount.
'Did it absorb something from Lee Chang-hyeok and grow...?'
Not a huge problem. I can just split my mana and fill it to the exact measure.
Zzzzap—
It didn't increase by much. After sealing the fluids in the briefcase, only about a pinky finger's worth was left over.
'This'll come in handy too, probably.'
It's dangerous stuff, no doubt. The moment it parasites into me, I'd turn into a monster like Lee Chang-hyeok.
Still, dumping it would be riskier, and more importantly...
This is an incredibly valuable catalyst. I could sell it to a corp hostile to Helistic for hundreds of millions.
In the end, I rummaged through the fridge, found a water bottle, and emptied it.
Cheap plastic bottle, but the material doesn't matter. The shape to contain something... the intent holding it, and the mana—that's what counts.
I infused the PET bottle with mana to form a glowing magic circle, then sealed the Black Goat Fluids inside.
Now it can't escape unless I allow it. Of course, it's just a temporary fix; I'll need to make it more secure later.
And... in the wrecked motel room, I found some jewelry and three bundles worth about 5 million won each. Roughly 15 million total? Probably part of his escape fund.
He wasn't planning to flee overseas on pocket change like this. From what's visible in the room, he's got bigger stashes elsewhere... but no time to hunt them down now.
Probably buried under some garlic field in the boonies, or parked in a slush account under a false name, or held by a proxy.
I swept up all the miscellaneous papers and IDs Lee Chang-hyeok had into a bag too.
Maybe there's a lead to his funds in here. Of course, he might've already handed it off to a smuggling broker, or stashed it beyond tracing... but no harm in grabbing these papers.
In the process, I found a massive suitcase.
I'd been wondering how to haul Lee Chang-hyeok's dead weight—perfect.
It was packed with escape essentials, but once emptied, it could fit a full-grown adult. Excellent.
I strolled out and grabbed a taxi.
Destination: back to Geumchon-dong. Really racked up the mileage today.
This cabbie looks excited too. He tries chatting a few times, hoping for some cool fixer tale, but quiets down when I don't respond.
Are all Paju drivers like this?
After a long drive, the taxi pulled over on a roadside with a clear view of the massive bronze Buddha statue at Hagyeong Mountain Forest Park.
Night had fully fallen, and Geumchon-dong's neon signs flickered to life everywhere, casting garish glows. The fluorescent lights reflecting off the bronze Buddha gave it an eerie, demonic vibe.
Now, meet Tudor, collect the cash, and today's work is done.
'Huh?'
Basilika is a cafe open 24/7, year-round.
Run by staff of indeterminate humanity and a witch of unknown age, it's also a brokerage hub relaying underworld info and services.
Its influence spans Paju and the whole metro area... point is, it's never empty, no matter the hour.
Yet Basilika had zero customers.
Sure, it was late—I checked the smartphone from Lee Chang-hyeok's stuff: 3 a.m.
Not weird for no patrons, but the vibe felt off.
The giant beauty—no, witch—Tudor was waiting at the entrance. She opened the door and said,
"Regular business is closed for the night."
"Not telling me to head home now that you're done selling, right?"
"Right. I chased out all the gossip-hounds so we could chat easy. Come on in, hon."
Tudor led the way, chattering happily in a delighted tone. She seemed in high spirits.
"Lee Chang-hyeok... in that suitcase, huh? You didn't dismantle him, did you? Orb! Come take this bag!"
"He's alive and well in the suitcase."
Orb approached—the one with a huge monitor instead of a head—and took the suitcase.
The moment I handed over the Lee Chang-hyeok suitcase and security briefcase, the quest completion popped up.
[Despite an absurd twist, you overcame the crisis with astonishing wisdom and profound magic, capturing the vile criminal Lee Chang-hyeok. Many eyes are turning to your exploits. Your contracted broker, Tudor, feels deep fondness for you. She will provide more requests and rewards in the future.]
[Quest completed!
[Bounty Quest: Hunt Lee Chang-hyeok]
Reward: 50,000 XP (Plus monetary reward promised by broker.)]
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next stage. Level up by 1.]
[Level 15 reached!
Level-up reward: 1 bonus stat point to freely allocate.]
I allocated the bonus stat point to Charm, as planned.
****
Kim Shin-hwa
Class: Abyss-Gazing Wizard
Level: 15
Magic Tier: 1st Order
Madness: [Mask Obsession], [Triskaidekaphobia]
Strength 5(+3) (Corrupted Flame Ring)
Vitality 6
Agility 8
Intelligence 30
Mentality 14
Charm 17
****
"Hon, you okay?"
Tudor leaned down a bit, peering at me with her huge eyes. You don't notice when sitting, but she's tall—around 1.9m? But her proportions are ideally balanced for her height, no awkwardness at all. She's like a goddess statue brought to life, pure perfection. Charm 20 really isn't for show.
But beyond that sky-high Charm stat, there's an intense aura and pressure. Maybe non-human blood mixed in, but the game doesn't reveal that far, so I don't know the details.
I waved off Tudor's gaze and said,
"I'm fine. Just zoned out for a sec."
Even a witch like Tudor, hiding insane power, can't see message windows or status screens. Does that mean she's just a game character after all?
Tudor gave a worried look at my mental state for a moment, then flashed a bright smile. Her expressions shift so fluidly.
"I figured it'd be juicy, but damn—you handled it with one hell of a racket?"
"Were you watching?"
"Nah, but it was such a wild incident. The broker network's already buzzing with the details."