Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Investigation and Exploration
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An enormous wave surges into Paju's dark back alleys.
How many times is this now?
Rumble—
"Ah, seriously. I'm so sick of water I can't even look at it anymore!"
[Gravity Inversion]
Boom!!
The wave pouring through the narrow back alley shoots straight up into the sky all at once.
"You coward!"
The one who summoned the wave from the middle of downtown shouts.
"Who's the coward? You can go flying too!"
What I'm sick of isn't just the water, waves, and torrential rain.
I expand the range of Gravity Inversion, preparing to launch another unwelcome element into the air.
"Urgh, aaagh!"
The deep-sea hybrid with green skin screams.
Thanks to that, the next spell he was preparing to attack me with unravels, and I seize the opening to add a new effect to the magic circle he was forming.
"You've gathered a ton of water again."
[Adhesive Explosion]
Splaaash!
The hydraulic force he created explodes as is, spewing out a massive amount of adhesive.
Yongsu, the last survivor of In-su Village, who had been flipped upside down and sent flying into the sky, sticks fast to the outer wall of a four-story building.
Seo Cheon-seul sees it and laughs heartily.
"Bahaha! Looks like a fly caught in a web."
Ignoring Seo Cheon-seul, I speak to Yongsu.
"Hey, Mr. Yongsu, you gonna keep getting in my way?"
"I came here to kill you! I'll avenge my kin no matter what!"
"Man, the deep-sea folk struck first, didn't they? Can't I say I'm just avenging my dead human kin?"
"Shut your nonsense! You think the life of a lowly human is worth the same as the glorious offspring of the deep sea?"
No use talking. They're a different species with fundamentally different logic and worldviews. It's unavoidable.
If a cow one day started talking about avenging its kin and killed dozens of humans, we wouldn't just shrug and say, "Well, can't be helped since we ate their kind first."
"They say the Sea God is persistent, and damn if it isn't tenacious."
Amid the chaos in In-su Village, Yongsu survived and returned.
Moreover, whether by the Dragon King's grace or gift, he's grown much stronger, stalking us with relentless, gruesome determination.
This makes three times Yongsu has ambushed me and Seo Cheon-seul. I'd decided from the start to tolerate it only twice, so—
"Guess it's time to stop letting him go."
"Hmm, Mr. Kim? What are you thinking?"
"To make sure he can't follow us anymore."
"No way—?"
You think I'm gonna make him bleed? As if.
"Not that 'no way,' so just hold on a sec."
Let's see. There was someone caught up in the wave Yongsu made earlier, right? Ah, there he is. I approach the man and speak to him.
"Hey, excuse me. I just saved your life, right?"
"Ugh— Th-thank you, thank you."
"You're grateful, yeah? Then can I borrow your phone? Your phone."
"H-here."
Taking the smartphone, I dial a number from my memory.
"Uh, hello? Is this the Foreigner Management Agency? Yes, no. Something horrific just happened! Yeah, exactly. A weird guy with green skin was using magic and killing people—it's total chaos! Reptilians, definitely Reptilians. What? You don't know Reptilians? You know, those lizard aliens that disguise themselves as humans and infiltrate! Oh come on, it's real! There's even someone collapsed here. Ah, thank you. Yes, yes. Yeah. Right. Yes. The address here is, uh..."
After hanging up, I hand the smartphone back to the man still sprawled on the ground.
"Hmm, that should do it. Oh, thanks for the phone. The Foreigner Management Agency will be here soon to help."
"Th-thank you."
"Whew, no problem. More importantly, you see that green-skinned alien over there? Keep an eye on him."
That oughta do it.
"There, problem solved. He won't be following us now."
"Isn't the Foreigner Management Agency those guys under that Mr. Kim with all the eyes from before?"
"They were just caught off guard encountering goblins in broad daylight, but normally they fight better than that, so don't worry."
Seo Cheon-seul makes a "Hmm, is that so?" face and says,
"But Mr. Kim, you got duped by that water ghost again in the end."
"I told you, there wouldn't be any here. That's why I said just leave it to me and wait at Cheon-geum-dang, and I'd wrap it all up for you."
"Bahaha! Can't do that."
"No, seriously, you're a hindrance! You insisted on coming this way, and that's why that Yongsu bastard caught us again?"
"Hmm, how can I trust Mr. Kim, who's been dragging his feet on the Tiger Hunt His Majesty assigned? I'm the supervisor here. Supervisor."
"Ah, right. I forgot. Your Excellency the Supervisor."
"Bahaha! Good, serve me well!"
Seo Cheon-seul laughs heartily and pulls out an octagonal, bizarre compass.
"Ah, that thing again? I think that [Bagua Compass] is just making us wander more."
It's an item that locates specific magic or targets. For days now, we've been roaming all over Paju, led by that feng shui compass or whatever it is.
"Mr. Kim, let's head that way this time."
"Won't do any good even if you check with that. How many other races and ability users are around here?"
Ah, how many days has it been?
Day three.
I recall that day three days ago for a moment.
* * *
"Duksini?"
"Ah, you don't know? Mr. Kims wouldn't."
"No, I do."
"No, I bet you don't, Mr. Kim."
"No, I do know!"
Tudor, who had been laughing loudly at our exchange, wipes tears from his eyes and says,
"Ah, too funny. Just listen to the boss a bit."
"Sigh, Duksini are just corrupted goblins."
"Just—? How rude, Mr. Kim."
"Yeah, not just any."
"Tudor, you stirring the pot on purpose? You want me to really just go home?"
"No, no. My bad. Look, boss? We both know what Duksini are, so no worries."
Seo Cheon-seul makes an "Is that so?" face and says,
"The Water Ghost King forced his way out, damaging the barriers and spirit gates badly."
"So the goblin friends exposed to the stagnation lost their identity and became Duksini, right?"
Tudor elaborates on Seo Cheon-seul's words.
Yeah. I know what event this is.
Duksini.
Or Duksini (頭抑神).
As [Cthulhu World]'s apocalypse approaches, the ancient gods' power wanes, and their minions corrupt into servants of the abyss.
If I'd accepted Mangum Great King's offer and gone the [Cheon-geum-dang Guardian] route, I could've endlessly enjoyed yokai hunter events like this.
But I'm not a [Cheon-geum-dang Guardian], and I don't serve any ancient god. It's a quest I could've ignored.
"Some Mr. Kim provoked the Water Ghost King so bad that this happened."
Yeah, blame me, huh?
At this point, Tudor summarizes like a briefing.
"The core of this request is this: Help capture the Duksini with our visiting Cheon-geum-dang boss here."
"Simple enough request. But with Cheon-geum-dang boss?"
"Yeah, with me."
"Hmm, Cheon-geum-dang boss. But you can't even see them, right?"
"Right, I'm a goblin, after all. Gotta stay away from blood."
Goblins' weakness is red. More precisely, blood.
Not like a phobia, though.
Overexposure to too much blood makes a goblin lose power and dissipate, or corrupt into a Duksini.
"But hunting Duksini means you can't avoid it, right? Hey, Your Excellency Cheon-geum-dang, got a plan?"
Once corrupted into Duksini, blood is no longer a weakness.
Duksini grow stronger by feeding on blood, death, and human fear.
Thus, hunting Duksini means tracking the corpses they leave, and we'll face blood splattered everywhere.
"Of course there's a plan."
Intriguing. What's the counter for blood? Facing the same issue myself, I listen closely to Seo Cheon-seul's solution.
"Mr. Kims like seeing blood, right? So I decided to find a Mr. Kim to help me. You and I team up, and it'll be solved in no time."
"Sigh—"
I let out a sigh.
"Cheon-geum-dang boss. Lately, I've been, you know..."
"But if you refuse,"
Seo Cheon-seul dons the goblin mask in his hand and slowly approaches me. Bending down due to his height to meet my eyes, he says in clear threat,
"His Majesty Mangum Great King will deem you lacking the will and ability for the other requests he assigned."
* * *
Anyway, that's why I'm wandering Paju's damp, dark, stinking back alleys with Seo Cheon-seul.
This is Gwangtan-dong, west of Gaemyeong Mountain, where I first awoke in [Cthulhu World].
In reality, Gwangtan is a myeon, not a dong, but in [Cthulhu World]'s altered worldview, it's a sprawling new city fully redeveloped.
And in the process of Gwangtan-dong forming, these bizarre back alleys emerged. No official administrative name, but Paju's criminals and other races call it the Waste Alley.
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim. This is too inconvenient."
To put it nicely, Seo Cheon-seul is a troublesome companion and a whiny supervisor.
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim. Walking on two legs is such a hassle. One step only moves you one step's distance?"
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim. If these buildings got out of our way, we could move faster. Why do we have to go around them?"
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim. No flying Mr. Kims around. Don't you guys zip around on flights or whatever?"
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim. Too damp here. Is Paju always like this? No wonder the Water Ghost King's minions roam. Can't make the sun come out?"
Ah! Enough!
"I told you? Just wait at Cheon-geum-dang, and I'll bundle up the Duksini or whatever and deliver them!"
"How can I trust Mr. Kim? You've been ignoring His Majesty's orders for 20 years already."
"20 years? It's not even half a year yet."
"Ah, is that so? Anyway, we need to wrap this up quick. If not done by tomorrow, His Majesty will be disappointed."
"By tomorrow?"
"Hmm, no, maybe a bit more leeway?"
"How much leeway?"
"Uh, about 3 years?"
Anything else aside, on this imprecise sense of time, Seo Cheon-seul isn't messing with me.
'Mangum Great King's requests to me have deadlines over 500 days too.'
Goblins like Seo Cheon-seul have a different time sense from humans.
Forcing it to human terms leads to absurdities like finishing in a day or three years.
On this point, Seo Cheon-seul is actually being considerate to me.
'I'd like to think so, but I don't know this guy's real goal, and it's frustrating.'
Duksini hunting isn't easy for Seo Cheon-seul either. So why stick to me and cause this mess?
Supervision is probably an excuse. Plenty easier ways if that's all.
Does he have some grudge against me?
'Hmm, bound to have some resentment.'
Mangum Great King tried to put me in the Cheon-geum-dang boss seat. When I refused, he took Seo Cheon-seul's clothes and gave them to me.
If I were Seo Cheon-seul, I'd use this job as cover to tail me and kill me at the first chance.
"......"
Somehow ominous.
Unlike their vague time sense, goblins have a clear, definite sense of favors and grudges.
'Though it works differently from humans.'
Legends of goblins repaying a small kindness with lifelong treasures, folktales of ruining a human for a minor slight.
All from fairy tales, but these guys are straight out of them.
'Might be dangerous if things go south.'
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim."
"What now?"
"I smell blood."
"Indeed."
A nauseating scent mixes into the air. Vomiting urge rises. Blood.