Chapter 233
Chapter 233
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: Wish
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“A rising star who drew everyone’s attention.”
Tudor began recounting Gong Isu’s story, his eyes narrowed.
“Bubblehead. I mean Gong Isu. He popped up out of nowhere, like he sprang from the ground itself—and solved a ton of cases in the blink of an eye. All of them insanely dangerous and convoluted.”
Tudor’s voice flowed with a singsong rhythm.
“Beyond his incredible skills, he was famous for his bizarre mannerisms and odd appearance too. You just met him yourself, right?”
“His head’s a little off.”
I replied with double meaning.
“Exactly. Similar to you, in more ways than one.”
Sudden newcomer.
Solved tons of cases, incredible skills, bizarre mannerisms, odd appearance—even a weird head.
“My head’s firmly attached.”
“Kakaka—Even his looks matching my tastes. Just like you.”
You could tell Tudor’s tastes from Ob. Head replaced with something else? That’s her type?
“Did you ever get a chance to make a deal with him separately?”
“Hmm… Honestly, I tried everything to lure him in, but he wouldn’t budge.”
“Nothing besides this useless info?”
“Well? If you want, I could hand over info on the fixers who dealt with Gong Isu back then, but most retired or died, so it’s just as useless.”
“Hmm…”
I figured there’d be some connection between Tudor and Gong Isu since he worked as a fixer. Weird.
“Hehe, seeing you this bummed out—”
Tudor drawled, stretching her words.
Her face, like flawless ivory perfectly carved—flashed a truly stunning smile as she dragged it out.
“Oh? So there was something.”
“Hng—It’s nothing much. I told you, right? I tried luring him multiple times. We just had a few personal chats.”
“What’d he say?”
Tudor cleared her throat once and mimicked Gong Isu’s voice.
“Your wish has already been granted, beautiful lady.”
“…”
“Huh? You’re not thinking something weird, are you?”
“Probably—with slightly different wording?”
And ‘witch’ instead of ‘beautiful lady’.
“Hmph. Yeah. He told me not to bother him anymore? Didn’t want to get tangled up with me? Sheesh—”
“What wish did you mention?”
“What wish would I tell a fixer who’d debuted less than a year ago?”
Tudor replied in disbelief.
But she side-eyed me for a moment, gauging my reaction, then continued.
“Basilissa was made thanks to you, or something like that. Back then I thought he was nuts….”
“Guess it came out later? About Gong Isu—”
“Yeah, rumors spread about his time-travel ability after a bit? So I mulled it over later. That filing cabinet I got so quick was actually—”
“Got it.”
So he dug into Gong Isu’s behavior separately because it bugged him.
“Yeah, maybe Gong Isu granted some wish I don’t even know about? That’s what I thought. Hehe—in that sense, then.”
Tudor flicked her hand to the left.
Keeeeek—
The desk between us flew left at her gesture.
“Huh?”
She spread her arms wide, as if to embrace me, and said,
“Bring even greater change and distortion to this world—chaos, uproar, tangles, mutations. All of it, just what I want.”
Her bright red hair strands fluttered like tentacles of some horrific creature. Her pale, slender fingers evoked a beast’s maw.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s a wish?”
“A wish?”
“I’ve watched what you do as you go around—and you seem to grant every request asked of you?”
“Me?”
“You just yielded to Thirteen when he asked you to lose to Collie earlier?”
“That’s—”
“Oh? You think I’d say this based on just that? Sure, not everything said comes true. Probably conditions or rules? What could they be?”
Tudor smiled, chillingly beautiful.
“How’d you get to Paju? When, and how? Who wished for what back then?”
“What the hell are you saying?”
“Kakaka—just kidding.”
Grurrrk—
The desk slid back into place.
* * *
“No harm in wishing ahead, right? If that last one’s too hard, at least make it so Basilissa can expand and relocate to a five-story building near Unjeong Station later.”
“…You could do that now?”
“Urgh—sure, with money. But this neighborhood has too much that money can’t buy.”
If a dark broker like Tudor operated from a building near Unjeong Station instead of Geumchon-dong’s back alleys, pressure would come from all sides.
“A sturdier friend would make moving fun. In that vein, I hope you grow big and strong?”
“All that wish talk, and it boils down to that? I’m taking on plenty of jobs lately.”
I’ve got sixteen requests on hand right now. Ah, solved three today, so thirteen now?
“Kakaka—True. What’s with the sudden work ethic?”
Yesterday, raiding the sanctuary tied to [Predator of the Mountains] cleared about five quests?
I can recall quest routes and layouts perfectly, so I take everything solvable in similar spots and clear them in one go. Basic open-world time-saver.
“Oh, you—speaking of. Wanna try this? Request from Yeonam Construction.”
“Yeonam Construction?”
“Yeah. They’re building some research lab on Seoraksan, need escorts. Local bigshots are hiring fixers to sabotage over interests or environmental issues?”
Ah, so that’s what Moon Seung-hee’s been up to? Seoraksan research lab—yeah, I know the quest.
It’s tied to Elder Things, ancient ones.
“Not interested. I’ve taken a lot from Yeonam lately, but not because of them.”
“Hmm… Can’t pin down your criteria for requests anymore. Care to share?”
“I take anything related to the Gourmet Expedition Team, no conditions.”
“Gourmet Expedition Team? Those lunatics… Oh? The ones you finished today were the Sangbul incident…”
Tudor pressed her finger to her lips, pondering, then realization dawned.
“Hah—hospital? Yeah, now I get it. You were beating down the guys who attacked you back then?”
“Simply put, yeah.”
“You’re quite the vengeful one.”
“What’s vengeful? If they hit first, you hit back.”
“Revenge breeds revenge. Do jobs that actually help your interests, like a proper fixer.”
“Not into interests.”
Same with money. Stack it up all you want—what’s the point? I’m heading back to my original world before this one collapses anyway.
“Anyway, now I know what kind you want. I’ll let you know if something fits.”
“Good. Oh, and earlier.”
“Earlier?”
“The bounty. Where exactly was it posted? Everyone’s chuckling like it’s a joke, so probably nothing serious.”
A ridiculous one trillion won.
If a legit one-trillion-won bounty were officially on me, it’d be chaos by now.
“That? Government just issued a warrant. Money’s from the Hunter Mutual Aid Association.”
“Ah, figured.”
“You know you can get thirty million for cutting off your arm? That one’s from Daejeon City—real cash.”
“…I know.”
* * *
“You can get one trillion for capturing the wizard? One trillion? For real?”
Jang Hyun-deok’s exclamation.
Wrinkles crease Hwang Sang-hyeon’s pale forehead.
“An absurd amount, isn’t it? How could they post a sum like a mid-sized city’s monthly budget?”
“Wow—what could you do with one trillion?”
“The amount means nothing, so ignore it. And Hyun-deok, why are you eyeing the bounty payout?”
“Means nothing? That’s enough for fixers to band together and hunt you, right?”
A hundred teaming up could split ten billion each per head.
“It’s the Hunter Mutual Aid Association. Try it, and no payout.”
“Ah, those crazies? Then—”
Jang Hyun-deok deflated.
“—no money even if we catch you.”
“Yeah. But something’ll come.”
“Phew, Hunter Mutual Aid means I’m safe. Lucky.”
“What? As long as you’re safe, that’s it?”
“You said not to worry!”
“But don’t get that smug about it!”
Hwang Sang-hyeon watched us bicker, rolling his corpse-like eyes before speaking.
“Hmm… Hyun-deok, what’s the Hunter Mutual Aid Association?”
Ah, he wouldn’t know this.
“Oh, the Hunter Mutual Aid is—uh—how to explain?”
Jang Hyun-deok glanced at me.
I sighed and answered Hwang Sang-hyeon.
“Sang-hyeon, the Hunter Mutual Aid Association is old PVP nuts… no, bounty hunters’ guild.”
Originally a lobby for pro bounty hunters?
About ten years ago, new chairman took over—turned into a club for freaks with bizarre pride.
“Point is, capture me, but without membership, no payout. And custom is returning 90-100% of bounties received.”
“100% return?”
“Yeah—gotta fund the next hunt, right?”
“That’s… what kind of nonsense? Then the bounty is…”
Yeah, one trillion this, that—it’s just wordplay. That’s why other fixers snickered like it’s spectacle.
“Just them flexing their prey’s a big fish.”
Sounds absurd in reality, but hey—this game’s like that.
‘Forcing an excuse so players can use society’s infrastructure even with bounties?’
Association runs like a rotating savings club, but their money’s real.
And the monster that earned them that fortune is an Association member.
Soon—more realistically than Seo Cheon-seul’s ‘soon’…
‘A whole different league from those outpost defense events so far.’
Real monsters active since the Great Collapse twenty years ago will hunt me.
“Already swamped, now this hassle.”
Won’t show in a day or two, though?
Lost in calculations, Hwang Sang-hyeon approached with resolve.
“To protect you, I’ll—”
“No, Sang-hyeon, no need for you to do anything. Better to reinforce the estate and Jangmyeongsan barriers.”
“Hmm—You sure?”
“Of course.”
If anyone needs to step up, it’s not him…
I glanced at Jang Hyun-deok.
“Achilles! You rascal! Hahaha!”
We were just talking bounties and Association, but he’s already petting Achilles excitedly.
Boosting the barriers and wards on Jang Hyun-deok is an option…
“Hey, Hyun-deok—”
“Yeah?”
“You wanted to learn magic before?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Want me to teach you?”
“Uh, really? You’re granting my wish?”
“…”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“That was your wish?”
“Ah—yeah. Ma~gic~ is cool.”
“A wish, huh?”
“Hmm—why?”
“Nothing. Heard something nagging earlier today.”
“Nagging?”
Did Jang Hyun-deok wish that before, leading me to decide to teach him magic?
‘Tudor and her pointless chatter, getting in my head.’
If true, I’d have taught him already. This has nothing to do with his wish.
“Anyway, I’ll teach you something magic-like.”