Chapter 234
Chapter 234
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: An Interesting Discovery
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Clank—clank—thud!
The attic of the Starving Mansion.
A bizarre device installed in the window piercing toward the sky begins to move.
Gears rotate in perfect unison, and pulleys zip back and forth across the ceiling.
'No matter how I look at it, this thing's designed with the most irrational structure imaginable.'
Most of the gears aren't connected to anything else, just spinning pointlessly in empty space, and the ends of those frantically moving pulleys have nothing attached.
And yet, the device flawlessly completes the necessary calculations and outputs the results.
"Hmm..."
Beyond the window in the roof, the night sky stretches out.
Using the constellations twinkling up there, emitting their eerie glow, this purely analog computer—made entirely of mechanical parts—provides me with the information I need.
'Five now?'
The number of stars that have returned to their positions has increased by one.
T's Clock.
A device that shows the time remaining until doom, guiding the game's progress.
'Down to four left.'
Including the five already in place, when all nine stars fully reclaim their positions—this world ends.
"Usually, they'd design it the other way around."
If they're thinking about the player's sense of accomplishment or sense of purpose, shouldn't the more stars that return, the further you get from doom? That's the norm, right?
Doesn't it make more sense to give regular gamers that 'I'm winning this game' feeling? That's the healthier approach.
'Well, this is that kind of game.'
No matter what the player does, doom can't be stopped.
This world is doomed anyway.
That's the more natural, proper state.
Players just struggle on, believing what they're doing is right—flailing against the natural order—delaying the inevitable end that's supposed to come.
'And what I can do isn't much different.'
Escaping this world might be impossible. But that doesn't mean I can just stop and give up.
Things are starting to happen, bit by bit, that diverge from the game's script.
If those ripples build up—maybe I can find a way to break free from the fate this game, this world, has set.
"Hmm."
I stood up and stepped away from T's Clock.
Creak-creak-creeeak—
The attic's machinery undergoes its complex, irrational process to return to its previous state.
"Churrrurrruluk—"
A grotesque noise from the dark corner of the attic. I beckoned toward it and said,
"Yeah, it's done. And I won't mess with you anymore, so relax and come out, Kkumul."
Kkururruk—churruk—srurrruluk—
A bizarre shape slowly crawls out from the darkness.
A strange creature with no limbs, only able to wriggle along—that bows its head toward me.
"Churrrurruluk—"
It used to be a familiar of [Predator of the Mountains], but I forcibly renamed it 'Kkumul' and made it mine.
"You really don't look like something I could call an [Intestine Snail] anymore, huh?"
Less like a snail, more like an earthworm or snake. Or maybe an amphibian—axolotl without legs?
It's about 30 cm thick, and its length... just the visible part is over three meters.
I released the growth limits it had while nestled in human guts, fed it the poison-laced mana I'd squeezed from those immortal amphibians, and it grew like this.
"A little more growth, and it won't fit inside a human body anymore..."
It could just swallow a person whole.
'How much bigger will it get?'
Eventually, it might take on a form worthy of being called an earth dragon.
It's not there yet, but right now, it has its own role to play.
"Churrrurruluk!!"
Kkumul suddenly panics and writhes.
"Hmm, yeah. I felt it too, so don't worry."
"Churr—churruk!!"
"Stop flailing—it's fine. Come closer to me."
Kkumul slowly approaches at my gesture. My fingertips touch something slightly warm and soft—with a peculiar, velvety texture you wouldn't feel on most animals.
Shyrrrr—
It loosely coils up my body. The head—without eyes or ears—reaches my face.
"Good. Stay still. Focus your mind."
I pressed my forehead to Kkumul's shark-like brow, closed my eyes, and synced with its consciousness.
"Yeah— I can see it."
"Churrrurruluk—"
Through Kkumul's senses, I perceive the entire Changmyeongsan Mountain. The state of the barriers—movements of the specters—flow of mana—and the troubleshooters scrambling in from the south.
"Not impressive at all."
A group of troubleshooters drawn by rumors of ghosts on Changmyeongsan. Six of them? Nothing special—
"Yeah, move the specters gathered in the forest to the south. For enemies at that level, that'll be enough. Good. Moving the specters will create mana flows on its own."
"Churrrurruluk—"
The specters, drunk on Dream Haze, are now fully friendly to me—so they obey even Kkumul's requests without hesitation.
"Yeah. That's it. Don't just chase them off—make those amateurs pay for barging in."
Not kill them. Kkumul uses the specters and barriers to drive the enemies away, and in the process—
"They dropped some decent gear, huh? Have the specters bring it to the mansion."
"Churruk—"
As soon as the specters dump the items at the mansion entrance, I feel Dolldori dash over and scoop them up with a whirl.
Low-level troubleshooters, but their artifacts were pretty solid. I can dismantle them for materials later or sell them.
"Yeah. That's the way. Feel how the southern barrier's more active now? This is artificially boosted for now, but figure out how to keep it that way permanently."
I already know efficient methods, but I don't tell—letting it figure things out on its own.
Churrrurruluk—
Kkumul happily interacts with various parts of Changmyeongsan.
Good call assigning it this role.
"Yeah, keep at it then. I'll drop by later."
"Churrrurruluk—"
* * *
After Seo Cheon-seul's visit, the [Starving Mansion]'s influence expanded further. Think of it as reaching [Residence Level 3]?
Now, the area I can control and manage covers not just the yard and surrounding thickets, but the entire Changmyeongsan Mountain.
'At this scale, I can't micromanage it myself.'
That's why I handed barrier management around the mountain to Kkumul. More precisely, I'm teaching it to take over. Fortunately, it's absorbing knowledge and growing at an astonishing rate. Once it levels up more, it might become something like the mountain's land god.
"A bit more practice, and it'll run fully automated without me lifting a finger."
Thinking that, I head down to the living room—and spot another one who's been studying as hard as Kkumul lately.
"Hyun-deok, how's it going?"
Jang Hyun-deok looks at me with a troubled expression. He's got a big talisman plastered to his forehead.
It looks kinda funny, but that's a talisman to boost mana detection.
"Uh... not sure?"
He holds up one hand. A faint wisp of mana gathers at his fingertips.
"Hmm, not bad—you've got talent."
"Oh, is this it? Can I use magic now?"
"You think you can blast spells after a day or two? If it were that easy, everyone'd be a wizard—why do troubleshooters bother with guns?"
"Ugh—it's harder than I thought."
Jang Hyun-deok seems dissatisfied, but it's solid progress. Considering how much Dream Haze he chugged, this is the least he could do.
'Anyway, starting tomorrow, I can teach him properly.'
This area's overflowing with yin energy and mana, so once he gets the basics, he'll grow fast.
"Keep practicing. Taking the day off today?"
"Oh, yeah? Then what's with the bag?"
"Got an appointment."
* * *
"Hmm, this is fun. So interesting."
"I'd like to share in that fun."
"Oh, can't tell yet!"
"......"
Whirr-whirr-whirr—
The loud hum from the massive MRI machine. Trapped in the cramped tube, I let out a small sigh.
Paju Central Hospital takes in patients with supernatural issues—or those who could cause supernatural disasters—isolating and protecting them.
Hence the top-tier security and guards.
But—
I've already breached that security twice.
And this is the south wing of Paju Central—not the heavily guarded lockdown ward.
Yi Ha-seo had this to say about the south wing:
"This area's got nothing but boring equipment, so no one pays much attention. I've snuck in and used it tons of times already—no worries~"
Compared to the lockdown ward full of monsters, normal gear like X-rays and MRIs must seem dull.
"Security cameras?"
"Fake footage I prepped is recording."
"On-duty staff or patrols?"
"Clear for the next two hours~"
"Usage logs on the machines?"
"I can swap those out easy."
If she says so, it should be fine.
X-rays are done; just the MRI left.
'Unsettling. Really unsettling.'
Yi Ha-seo was assigned by [Future Kim Shin-hwa].
No debate on her skills as a doctor. But as a 'person'... she's unstable as hell.
So what could be so crucial that I'm risking exposing my body to someone like her?
The endless MRI noise finally stops—and I soon hear Yi Ha-seo's diagnosis.
"This is genuinely fascinating. You're gonna be shocked!"
She's flushed with excitement.
"Alright, hit me with this fascinating news."
Only now do I get to hear it—
"But couldn't we do an endoscopy too? If you're squeamish about colonoscopy, upper GI's fine~"
"......"
Just a bit more. Really, just a little.
"I'll decide on more tests after hearing the interesting part first."
"Oh—right. You'll be hooked once you hear!"
I couldn't hold back and went right up to Yi Ha-seo, peering at her monitor.
"What do you think?"
"Wha—too close~ A little, just a liiittle further~"
Yi Ha-seo blushes beet red and backs away. What's this reaction?
"Uh, sooo—your organs aren't that different overall~"
"Not that different means some detailed differences."
"Look here, at this image~"
The video slowly moves, revealing bones, muscles, and organs beneath my skin.
What it shows...
"This... is inside my body?"
Even to a medical illiterate like me, Yi Ha-seo's footage clearly showed a problem.
"Yeah, here, here, and here. Not shadows—something more deliberate, meaningful—like—likeee—"
Yi Ha-seo, entranced by the footage of my guts, breathes raggedly, barely stringing words together.
What she's pointing at...
On my organs and bones? Etched or inscribed?
"Writing."
"Yes! Exactly! There's writing!"
I swept my hair back and stared closely at the monitor.
'I can't read it.'
But it's not completely alien.
"Any idea what language it is~?"
Yi Ha-seo's face brims with joy, awe, and curiosity. If it weren't my body, I'd find it intriguing too.
"Ancient tongue."
"Ancient? From which country—or culture?"
Not quite that scale.
"No. This predates humanity."