Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: Plan
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“Kim. So, what’s the plan now? Got one?”
“A plan...”
Come to think of it, Seo Cheonseul had asked the same thing back at the club. I’d been too out of it to answer then.
“A plan. Of course I do.”
“Hah, feels like it’s been three days since I last heard that.”
Maybe it was just the goblins’ warped sense of time, but even to me, a good chunk of time had passed.
A lot had happened in that short span.
Fleeing from the Foreigner Control Agency, setting up the barrier, catching our breath—only for my madness to flare up out of nowhere, followed by that bizarre daydream.
‘Sure, it feels like I wasted time on pointless stuff...’
But it had all been necessary.
Especially the daydream. Charging in blind without that info could’ve led to something truly horrific.
“But it’s still not enough. To finalize the plan, I need a few more solid leads.”
“Leads?”
“Better to take it step by step. Captain Thousand Gold—I know where they are.”
“You do? How?”
“Right before the gate closed, I cast a spell on that elephant-headed freak.”
[Hater’s Pursuer]. He should be writhing in agony from his rotting guts by now.
“Damn, Kim, pulling that off in the chaos? Impressive. So, where?”
“East from here—well, Paju Samneung.”
“Paju Samneung? Royal tombs?”
“More precisely, the graves of two kings, their queens, and a crown prince couple.”
It got canceled after the Great Collapse, but it used to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“What are they doing there?”
“Hmm, it’s a spot with stable mana flow in feng shui terms—perfect for rituals. Following your typical cultist dreams, probably a summoning rite.”
“Summoning. You mean the [Blood Demon King]?”
“Not certain, but high chance. Summoning the [Mountain Predator], aka the [Blood Demon King], requires massive amounts of blood.”
“Blood. That explains why those goblin bastards were so desperate to collect it.”
Yeah, it all lines up that way.
But Seo Cheonseul still looked skeptical.
“But rushing like that—can they even pull off a summoning?”
Good point.
“Right. That’s what’s got me stumped.”
“Oh, so that’s the part you meant when you said it’s lacking?”
“Yeah. You can’t just force an abyssal being to descend on a whim.”
Even the deep ones in Insu Village spent decades prepping for Dagon.
Building hidden bases in remote spots, slaughtering hundreds.
And even then, they had to wait for a specific date.
‘Of course, I wrecked that...’
To ruin their plan, I forced the ritual early.
Dagon’s avatar did descend, but not in the form they wanted.
Wrong date, no stable vessel ready.
I recalled that unstable incarnation of Dagon—constantly collapsing, unable to hold its shape.
Sure, as the [Ending] neared, it got easier, but we’re nowhere close now.
“Doesn’t seem like a straightforward summoning. I need to know what to disrupt and what to destroy to make a plan.”
Do they have a medium on par with Jang Hyun-deok?
Goblins have more power than humans but belong to the outer paths. They can’t serve as mediums.
‘Truth is, goblins aren’t that helpful for summoning rituals. And the Gourmet Expedition Corps aren’t weaklings.’
The game never had an absurd event where the Gourmet Expedition and goblins teamed up to gather blood.
Digging into unknown quests from the ground up was making my head spin.
“Screw it, let’s drop it. Chasing shortcuts is gonna bust my brain. Captain Thousand Gold—better stick to the basics.”
“Basics?”
“Same as the scrap alley. Gather intel, secure leads.”
“Hah, you mean we gotta check that newspaper?”
“No, not that—”
I pointed at Seo Cheonseul’s sack and continued.
“Pull out Madam Yeom from that sack. She knows something.”
Seo Cheonseul didn’t hesitate.
“Madam Yeom, Madam Yeom, Madam Yeom.”
A whooshing wind came from the sack,
“Gaaah!”
Crash!
Madam Yeom tumbled out onto the floor.
“Ma’am, I know it’s confusing, but—”
I started explaining the situation, but she rolled her eyes under her messy hair and yelled.
“Aaah! Please spare me! Forgive me! I didn’t know! I had no idea who they were! I didn’t even help much! They just asked for food, so I got some! Uh, no! Real food, not people! Told ’em about Paju geography, lent a few cars—that’s it!”
“......”
Well, at least we skipped the long negotiations.
I tried prying her off.
But it just confirmed that a fit middle-aged woman’s strength far outmatched a frail wizard like me.
“Ah, damn it. Let go!”
Whirr!
I finally shoved her off with mana and said to Madam Yeom.
“Fine, you didn’t know? Got it. Let’s say you were just used without realizing.”
Her face brightened at my agreement.
“Yeah! I had no clue they were turning my men into those monsters!”
I caught the key phrase amid her words.
“You said you gave them food earlier? What kind?”
The Gourmet Expedition eats monsters. Humans as occasional treats. They wouldn’t ask for regular food.
“Uh, no, real food. Cows, pigs. That sort.”
“Cows, pigs?”
Not their favorites. Lower than humans as sacrifices. Why bother?
I stared out the window, lost in thought.
‘Night already.’
We needed to hurry,
But there, between the dark clouds—a full moon.
‘Wait, full moon?’
Full moon, cows, pigs, goblins, Gourmet Expedition, turning humans into goblins, reshaping human cuisine, Paju Samneung, and back to full moon.
“Ah—aaaah! I get it now.”
“Oh, Kim finally figured something out?”
I finally understood what this quest was and how it ticked.
“No wonder the Gourmet Expedition’s boar bastards made no sense!”
Seo Cheonseul chased only goblins, I chased only the Gourmet Expedition—no answers!
Should’ve factored in the two clashing forces merging.
“With goblins in the mix, it’s got that Eastern theme! They’re sacrificing retainers of the Ox General Chodura and the Pig General Kunbira!”
This was DLC story.
Korean tradition colliding with Cthulhu.
“Ma’am, cows, pigs—what else did they ask for? How many total?”
“Uh... thirty cows, forty pigs, fifty sheep, and a hundred snakes.”
“That must’ve cost a fortune. Did you get them all?”
“Only about half. But they said it was fine, so I figured whatever.”
“Half. Guess they planned to make up the rest with human blood.”
I looked at Seo Cheonseul.
“Captain Thousand Gold, see what they’re after?”
“Whoa—”
She stared at me blankly, then glanced out the window.
“Full moon tonight—the Great Yin. Related?”
“Exactly. Captain, full moon. Cows, retainers of the Ox General Chodura, sprout shoots and unearth underground power to the surface. Snakes, retainers of the Snake General Indara, embody pure yin.”
“Ah, now I get what you’re saying, Kim. Sheep follow the Sheep General Alnira, who heralds the Start of Autumn—expel yang, fill with yin. Pigs, domain of Pig General Kunbira, winter’s peak—yin at its extreme.”
Ox General Chodura, Snake General Indara, Sheep General Alnira, Pig General Kunbira.
The Twelve Divine Generals representing the earthly branches in Eastern lore.
Seo Cheonseul continued.
“This is goblin sorcery. Add human blood and the Great Yin to form the Five Yins Stripping One Yang array.”
“Yeah, those brute Gourmet Expedition idiots couldn’t pull this off. Learned it from the goblin Dokkaebi.”
“Gather five yins, expel yang, invert the power of the Medicine Buddha who heals all—living become ghosts, dead rise from graves.”
“In this case, ghosts are probably goblins. That elephant-head said something similar.”
They wanted to force goblin eating habits on humans.
“What the—that’s...”
Madam Yeom’s mutter.
Probably wondering what nonsense this was.
I gave her the short version.
“Ma’am, just know the Gourmet Expedition is about to pull off something horrific.”
“Ritual? What happens then?”
“They’re heading to Paju Samneung now. The buried there will wake as undead, every human nearby turns goblin.”
“Nearby? How far?”
“Depends on blood they’ve gathered. But all of Paju City’s in range.”
“Fuck, what? I’ll turn into a monster too!”
“Hmm—your ‘merits’ got them this far, ma’am?”
“I didn’t know! Thought they just wanted food!”
Madam Yeom was sharp.
Clinging to me the second she popped out proved it.
Her whining was just theater. She’d grasped her situation and next moves instantly.
She knew those animals were ritual sacrifices.
Knew her geo info and rides would lead here.
‘The goblin sightings clustered in Triad turf and scrap alleys.’
She must’ve cheered watching Gourmet goblins smash rivals.
I laid it out for her.
“No time, drop the act.”
“What do you want from me? Punishment? Justice isn’t your goal, right?”
She balled her fists, backing away.
Threats, torture—could work, but not today.
No clue what’s squirming in my head, but better play nice for now.
“Same deal as our first meet. Help with a few simple things, and I’ll more than cover your losses—with rewards.”
I glanced at Seo Cheonseul and added.
“On behalf of Thousand Gold Hall.”
Madam Yeom’s face lit up dramatically.
“Y-Yeah! Fine! I’ll help with anything! Sick of those freaks! Better off with Thousand Gold Hall!”
“But Kim, you got a way to stop this?”
“I do.”
“You do? They probably built a massive feng shui array for it.”
“I can.”
Different story, but I’d done similar in the game.
“Good. Ma’am, we need two things.”
“What?”
“First, transportation. Get us to the west side of Gongneung Mountain by Paju Samneung.”
“Easy. And?”
“I’ll make a request like the Gourmet Expedition.”
Ah, Seo Cheonseul won’t like this. I leaned in and whispered to Madam Yeom.
“Th-Thirty cows? By when?”
“One... two hours? You can manage.”
“Ah. Fuck, fuck, where do I get cows this late?”
Hmm—I shot Seo Cheonseul a look.
“Deliver, and Captain Thousand Gold will be so moved she’ll take you into Thousand Gold Hall.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, Kim. Nail it, and I’m moved.”
It was the Captain’s guarantee, her感動. Eyes darting, Madam Yeom steeled herself.
“Ha—damn it. Free my crew. I’ll get ’em on it now.”
“Perfect.”