Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Doubt
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Jang Hyun-deok's colt van heading toward Geumchon-dong.
I turn my head toward the window beyond the car glass, and there’s the night view of Paju City under the dark sky, emitting a bewitching glow.
And the eerie shadow faintly reflected in the car window. More chilling than that bizarre nightscape that doesn’t exist in reality…… It’s my face.
No, not my face—it’s a mask.
Earlier, I’d worn a gas mask to deal with the frog humans from Shangbulsa spewing deadly poison, but now it’s a different one.
Four eyes emitting a bright yellow glow.
The mask I wear most often, [Mask of Carcosa].
‘Well, this one’s the most unassuming for everyday use.’
Anyway, it’s starting to feel like this is my real face.
“Man, those old guys were seriously thorough, huh?”
Jang Hyun-deok, who’s driving, suddenly speaks up as if something just occurred to him.
“Guys from a big corporation have to be that meticulous to earn their paychecks.”
The meticulous old guys from the corporation—not talking about Kwak Dae-yong, of course.
The stern-faced future strategy advisors from Yeonam Group who came with Kwak Dae-yong to clean up after Shangbulsa.
Those folks were no pushovers.
They scraped together every last thing that could be salvaged from the Shangbulsa site with ruthless efficiency, and they kept pestering me several times, suspicious that I might’ve pocketed something.
“Those guys were even scooping up the dirt from the floor—what’s that about?”
“Well, they might want to research异種族 genes or bodily fluids, and residual mana can be worth a fortune if extracted properly.”
“It’s customary to hand over some of the leftovers after a suppression job, but those bastards have no business ethics.”
“That’s true, but I already took what I needed, so I don’t care.”
“Huh? What’d you snag in the meantime?”
“You think I carry Ddol-ddoi around just for show?”
Grrrruk—
Ddol-ddoi, sprawled lazily in the back seat.
“Oh, Ddol-ddoi, you! No wonder you’ve been so quiet—what’d you eat? Did the wizard give you something tasty?”
“Eyes front! Eyes on the road!”
“It’s fine at this speed! Whoa!”
Screeech!
We nearly rear-ended the car in front.
Grrrruk—
What I’d taken was a completely smashed brass Buddha statue.
Just like the strangely shaped rock that bore traces of [The One Who Waits Silently], this item held traces of [Upper Head Buddha].
With this, I could create even stronger barriers.
‘The flow’s not bad.’
The reason I could create this flow—ultimately, it’s thanks to future Kim Shin-hwa summoning Lee Ha-seo, isn’t it?
The day I escaped Paju Central Hospital. Future Kim Shin-hwa had Gong Yi-su bring in Lee Ha-seo.
‘Which means I have to meet Lee Ha-seo again tomorrow.’
As payment for helping with the escape, I’d agreed to assist Lee Ha-seo with “fun and safe” health checkups and human experiments.
Well, if I could uncover even one secret about my body or this world in the process, it wouldn’t be a loss.
‘Not sure how Gong Yi-su will react, but considering what he said back then, he won’t do anything that harms me.’
I suffered a lot in that hospital, but in the end, everything worked out for the best. Thanks to future Kim Shin-hwa—
“Huh?”
“Yeah? What’s up, wizard?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Huh?
Huh? Something feels off.
As I replay the hospital events in my mind, odd details start surfacing.
First off, the bag.
‘It disappeared at some point in the middle.’
I was mesmerized by the mask and lost my senses while moving, but I wasn’t so out of it that I’d drop the bag off my back.
I even clearly remember exactly how I moved at that time.
‘Yet somehow the bag ended up that far away.’
And second.
Where did Gong Yi-su get the keystone from?
I’d definitely put it in my bag.
‘But it vanished from the bag.’
If it had still been there, I could’ve handled everything without Gong Yi-su’s help.
‘Of course, at that point—I’d declared he’d help me no matter what.’
Future me couldn’t ask Gong Yi-su for help unless I woke up, but to wake up, I needed Gong Yi-su’s assistance.
‘A contradiction, just as the raven mask said.’
A way to resolve that contradiction came to mind.
“Conversely—”
“Hm?”
“Thinking about it the other way around makes the causality fit.”
“What does?”
“Listen carefully. My bag just happened to fall in that spot, so I encountered [The Hungry Old Man]—er, the old geezer.”
“Huh?”
“Because I tussled with that bastard, I ran into [The One Who Waits Silently], you know?”
“Uh—don’t really get it, but so what?”
“Ugh, why am I even explaining this to you?”
“Glad you figured it out now, at least.”
“Phew—”
What if I hadn’t met [The Hungry Old Man] back then? I probably—
‘Would’ve grabbed a few more things around that point and slipped out of the hospital.’
Then I wouldn’t have fought [The One Who Waits Silently], wouldn’t have lost consciousness, wouldn’t have needed the keystone, and wouldn’t have required Gong Yi-su’s help.
And—following this flow, future Kim Shin-hwa could’ve asked Gong Yi-su while still in perfect shape.
“Future Kim Shin-hwa didn’t ask him to wake me up!”
“Whaaat?!”
“She asked him to steal my bag and swipe the keystone!”
“Wizard?”
“And she put me in danger to force me into a situation where I had no choice but to use the keystone! Kim Shin-hwa, you crazy bastard! Pushing me into a corner just to get Gong Yi-su involved with me?”
“Uh—wizard?”
“Hyun-deok.”
“Yeees……”
Jang Hyun-deok looks uneasy.
“I’m not crazy.”
“Aaah…… R-right, sure.”
“I thought someone helped me out, but it doesn’t seem like it was for my sake. In fact, that bastard put me in danger. What would you do in a situation like this?”
“You got played?”
“Probably?”
“Then why’d the one who played you do it?”
“Probably—for their own gain?”
“Hmm…… Should we get revenge?”
“……”
Revenge?
On future me?
Well, future me is still me in the end.
Even if future me acted out of selfish motives— it’s still me, right? So ultimately, it was for my benefit?
“Hyun-deok, sorry, but let’s head to Vasilisa instead.”
“Vasilisa?”
“Yeah, got something to ask Tudor.”
“Got it.”
Jang Hyun-deok changes direction.
We were almost at Geumchon-dong anyway, so we arrived at Vasilisa in no time.
As I get out of the car, I say to Jang Hyun-deok,
“Alright. This might take a while— what’re you gonna do?”
“I was thinking of swinging by home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah, home.”
“Why go back and forth to home— oh, your home? Got it.”
“Phew, had me worried for a sec. That’s your place, wizard—mine’s way out in Jjeogie.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Call me when you’re done.”
Jang Hyun-deok drives off.
‘Hm, maybe I should just have him move in permanently at the right timing.’
It’s partly to protect him, but having him around the house…… is more convenient than I thought. No need to waste time calling him out needlessly……
Come to think of it, he’s not much use otherwise. He doesn’t do housework or help guard the mansion.
Well, I can figure that out later.
I turn and head into Vasilisa.
* * *
“Huh? Orb’s not here?”
“Hey, Kim Shin-hwa.”
This sharp, curt voice…… I have to tilt my head down a bit to meet her gaze.
Long hair bleached bone-white, a gleaming red leather jacket.
And her petite stature. Curtain Call, Vasilisa’s top martial artist fixer.
“……What?”
“Kim Shin-hwa, what the hell did you do at that hospital?”
“Oh—”
“What’d you do to cause all that chaos? Even that crazy bitch showed up?”
Crunch—
The spoon in Curtain Call’s hand crumples like paper.
“Hey! Is it my fault Yang Seo-ho went nuts?”
I raise my voice to match her shrieking, and—
“Gaaah, Kim Shin-hwa! Calm down!”
“G-Gim Shin-hwa! What’s gotten into you too?”
“Collie’s always like this!”
“Collie! Tudor said no fighting!”
Certin and what seem to be Curtain Call’s crew mates swarm in, blocking the space between us.
Somehow, more people seem startled by me than by Curtain Call.
“Hey! Outta my way! Move it!”
Crash! Clang!
Curtain Call swings her small arms, and burly guys twice her size go flying.
“Waaah—Kim Shin-hwa, just let her win once—she’s pissed because Yang Seo-ho smashed her zanmado at the hospital.”
Ah, so that’s where the zanmado went…… That explains her rage. And on top of that……
Dragging in the cultists and Yang Seo-ho at the hospital—it’s all on me, yeah.
“Got it, got it. Sorry.”
“Sorry? Sorry my ass—fight me!”
“Hm, pass.”
Crash!
“Gyyyaaah! Collie, calm down!”
“Hey, let go! Just for a sec! Let go, I said!”
The commotion finally dies down only after Orb returns from the warehouse.
“Collie—calm down, calm.”
“Orbbb—Kim Shin-hwa wrecked my zanmadooo—”
Seizing the moment, Curtain Call clings to Orb.
“Alright, Curtain Call. Next time, I’ll get you something better than the broken zanmado.”
“Better?”
With Orb beside her, she at least pretends to listen.
“Don’t have anything right now, but I promise.”
“Absolutely better than the zanmado.”
“Sigh, fine.”
Ugh—getting shaken down for no reason.
“And like I said before, it’s Yang Seo-ho and those cultist punks who are the problem—not me, right? You get that?”
No, in other cases maybe, but the lobby chaos at the hospital is definitely my fault.
“Well, yeah. Oh, you’re wanted now, by the way?”
“Wanted?”
“One trillion won.”
A pleasant voice cuts in.
“One trillion won to whoever captures and brings in Kim Shin-hwa. Cash payout. Note that’s pre-tax. It’ll shrink a lot after taxes.”
“One trillion? That’s a hefty bounty.”
“Yeah. Now you’re officially a fixer with a price on your head.”
A flashy dress, pointed hat, and red hair cascading to her waist—an outsider. Vasilisa’s owner, Tudor.
“Might get a bit annoying from here on out.”
“Hahaha, we won’t bother you, so don’t worry.”
“Yeah, who’d pick a fight with Geumcheon-dong’s monster except some no-name drifter?”
From the vibe, it doesn’t seem like a bounty from some official authority like a foreign oversight agency.
‘One trillion? They’re not even joking.’
Bounties inflated like this with absurd amounts aren’t worth worrying about.
‘Considering all the incidents I’ve caused so far, it’s actually late in coming.’
Instead, I’ll unlock random assaults from real psycho pro bounty hunters…… Whatever, at my current level, no need to sweat unless it’s a top-tier threat.
‘More importantly, Park Kwang-rim’s probably still out there trading on my name……’
Well, he’d have heard about it before me. Not a big deal anyway. “Whatever on the bounty—Tudor, let’s settle the mid-payment.”
I say that while pointing to Tudor’s office.
“Hmm……”
Tudor narrows her eyes and pokes near my chest with her finger before continuing.
“Wonder what’s got you asking for a mid-settlement all of a sudden.”
* * *
Tudor’s office.
The moment she sits, I say,
“Tell me about Gong Yi-su.”
“Gong Yi-su?”
“Bubblehead. He used to be a fixer, right? Figured you’d know something.”
“What I know is already in the file I gave you. He wasn’t one I managed directly.”
The file Tudor provided already detailed Gong Yi-su’s past activities thoroughly.
But that’s not what I’m curious about.