Chapter 261
Chapter 261
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 261
Chapter Title: A New Phobia
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“Actually, it’s not that difficult a question.”
It was half a foregone conclusion.
“Sokcho.”
To be precise, Mount Seorak.
That was the most likely spot for the Laclrex Grimoire—the one that bastard beyond the message window had mentioned. The one whose name was some gibberish like [|\|`/a®|_a†|-|◎+ëP]? Not even joking. Anyway, that thing had said the grimoire was...
‘To be exact, it said the Laclrex Grimoire had been transferred to the Abyssal Being known as the Great Source.’
And a fragment of that Great Source’s flesh remained on Mount Seorak.
Mentioned at this exact timing? There was no way I could ignore it.
Of course, Mount Seorak wasn’t the only place tied to the Great Source...
But this was an Abyssal Being’s own flesh, a part of its body.
Even if it had been discarded long ago, left to rot and decay, the presence of that flesh allowed descent without one of the key prerequisites: a medium.
They could just use the abandoned fragment as the conduit.
And right now, they were even gathering ability users suitable as sacrifices at that very spot for the Lianyan Construction project.
If they knew the ritual, the Great Source’s cultists could pull off the descent with ridiculous ease.
Having made up my mind, I called Tudor first.
“It’s settled, then.”
- Heh heh, perfect, sweetie. I’ll let Lianyan Construction know. When do you want to head out?
“Hmm, nothing major, so—”
Tomorrow?
Wait, hold on.
There was one major thing left.
I still had an empty Madness slot.
‘Depending on what Madness I get, I might need to adjust the schedule.’
“It’s confirmed for now, but I’ll finalize the departure tomorrow.”
- No problem. Oh, right—they said they can send transport if you need it. What’s your plan?
They were even providing transport. How touching.
“I’ve got my own driver. No need to borrow someone else’s car.”
- Hmm, riding with that kid again? I know she’s good enough for Tanheon, but can she handle going all the way to Sokcho?
Fair point. Getting to Sokcho meant crossing vast danger zones from west to east.
For low-level folks, that alone required serious prep for the journey.
But at my level now, the driver’s skill wasn’t the issue.
“She could cross Seoul if she pushed it, so don’t worry. Of course...”
Having Jang Hyun-deok tag along while I worked in Sokcho might be a hassle.
“Anyway, I’ll think it over, transport included.”
- Sure. The route to Sokcho’s been cleared ages ago, so no need to agonize. Just pick whatever’s easiest for you.
“Got it.”
I ended the call with Tudor and dialed the next person.
* * *
“I thought it over, but I’ve got double-booking, so I probably can’t join you.”
- Ah, so that’s how it is? Guess I’ll go solo, then?
Park Kwang-rim sounded openly disappointed.
“Hmm, but I’m not completely washing my hands of it.”
- Oh? And what does that mean?
“I’ve made some cultist friends lately who are pretty skilled. I’ll introduce you. Teaming up with them should make infiltrating the cult side easier.”
- Cultist friends? Not Bongil Cheonpa or the Three Associations?
“Yeah. Cultists.”
- Heh, now you’re commanding cultists too? Planning world domination next?
“World domination? We’re small fry compared to Yang Seo-ho. Speaking of which—don’t push your luck approaching him.”
No matter what scam Park Kwang-rim pulled, it wouldn’t stick with Yang Seo-ho.
“Honestly, Kwang-rim, I don’t expect any big wins from you.”
- Ouch, aren’t you underestimating me?
It wasn’t underestimating him. Nor did Yang Seo-ho have some genius insight to see through scams.
Yang Seo-ho probably wouldn’t even listen.
The moment you babbled nonsense to someone with off-the-charts strength and aggression, his fist would fly.
Hell, you’d be lucky if your head didn’t explode on impact.
I laid it out bluntly, then elaborated calmly.
“Even if the cultists band together and try something, Yang Seo-ho will smash them anyway. So don’t risk it for big gains—just come back alive. Tell me what went down, and I’ll reward you handsomely.”
- Hmm, understood. But...
Even after I said all that, Park Kwang-rim hinted he’d stick to his plan. The drawn-out talk dragged on a bit longer before I could hang up.
“Hmm, whatever. Do what you want.”
I hadn’t exactly accepted the quest, but I’d decided to back his play.
The event’s outcome was obviously Yang Seo-ho’s win, but I needed intel on what the cultists mobilized and exchanged in the process.
‘Best if I see it myself.’
Honestly, this event felt fishy.
There’d been something similar in the game, but the current quest setup was different.
Baekma River Ruins, of all places?
Those ruins tied to the Source of All Filth—an incarnation of the Great Source.
‘Definitely suspicious.’
The opponent was an Abyssal Being.
More incarnations didn’t mean stronger; fewer didn’t mean weaker.
The Great Source had exactly two incarnations.
The Source of Life and the Source of All Filth.
‘That bastard said the Laclrex Grimoire was near the Great Source, but it might mean the Source of All Filth in Buyeo.’
That bastard being the one with the gibberish name, obviously.
Either way, with potential tricks in play, planting an antenna was standard procedure.
* * *
“Ah, I’m beat. What a way to end vacation.”
Less the last day of vacation and more the day before shit hit the fan.
I was sitting in the living room, pondering which cultist to introduce to Park Kwang-rim, when Heo Sang-hyeon approached.
“Shin-hwa.”
He looked worried.
“Did you hear from Hyun-deok?”
“Jang Hyun-deok? What’d he say?”
Wrong question. I hastily corrected myself.
“Looks like he hasn’t said anything to you either?”
Jang Hyun-deok, off to Ansan to see his siblings, had been MIA for three days.
“He said vacation ends today, so he’ll be back soon.”
“I prepped dinner expecting him tonight. Too hasty, I guess.”
Heo Sang-hyeon looked regretful.
The thick oily smell wafting from the kitchen suggested a feast of fried foods—Jang Hyun-deok’s favorites.
“Guess he’s got no fate with the grub.”
“You don’t eat much, Shin-hwa.”
Ah, the food waste angle.
“Hmm—guess I’ll chow down hard today.”
“Not good for your stomach to overdo fried stuff.”
Ugh. Painful truth.
If I’d known low Health would cramp my fried food intake, I’d have allocated stats differently.
Huh, hold up?
Something with massive mana just entered my detection range.
- Grrr rumble!
A warning growl from Kkumul in the attic.
“Keee!”
Rumble-rumble—crash-crash, roll-roll—
“Enemy? Battle stations!?”
Heo Sang-hyeon bolted for the entrance. But I yelled toward the attic.
“No! Kkumul, stand down! Leave it!”
Heo Sang-hyeon froze, sensing something off, and turned to me.
“Leave it? Not an enemy?”
“No, it’s someone here to eat the fried food in Hyun-deok’s place.”
From outside the mansion, a rumbling engine roar. And with the noise, a familiar laugh.
“Bwahaha! Guardian of Cheon-geum-dang, Captain Cheon-geum has arrived!”
An otherworldly bike with goblin fire blazing blue where wheels should be.
Riding it in a flashy rider jacket: Seo Cheon-seol, soaring in.
* * *
“Bwahaha, impressive cooking for a grudge spirit!”
A taboo phrase in this house, but expecting better from Seo Cheon-seol was hopeless.
The dubbed “grudge spirit” Heo Sang-hyeon gave a hollow smile and accepted the praise. I quickly changed the subject to keep similar words from spilling out.
“Anyway, what brings you here so suddenly?”
“Oh, Kim. Remember those yokai you entrusted to me eight years ago?”
Eight years...
“Didn’t leave ’em that long ago, but yeah, I sent some tribute to King Man-geum.”
Last time Seo Cheon-seol visited with Monghyang, I’d loaded her up with gold smuggled from In-su Village.
“Right, last week or whatever? Date doesn’t matter. In thanks for your tribute, King Man-geum sent a gift.”
“A gift? Color me curious. What is it?”
“Here.”
From the sack at Seo Cheon-seol’s waist came a long stick-like thing. Obviously longer than the sack, but no one here would bat an eye at parlor tricks like that.
Not just a stick. It was rolled-up alien leather—no, an umbrella.
“Oh, the [Umbrella of Warding Off Disaster]?”
[Umbrella of Warding Off Disaster (S-grade Defensive Gear) - An umbrella made from the hide of a monster native to the spirit world. Handle carved from a sacred gingko tree, ribs from blessed gold.
Ward Off Disaster - Merely carrying provides S-grade defense against curses, soul attacks, and illusions; B-grade against all elemental attacks.
Seek Refuge - Opening deploys an S-grade barrier auto-blocking fire, lightning, impact, and physical attacks.
Release - Stores absorbed impacts and unleashes as a shockwave. Power proportional to absorbed amount.]
‘Oh, something I don’t need at all.’
[Abyssal Madness] already blocked curses, soul attacks, and illusions just fine. And an S-grade barrier? When would I have time to pop open an umbrella? I could just “[Barrier]!” anytime.
B-grade all-element defense was nice, sure.
‘Rare item, though. Perfect for gifting. Who to?’
I expressed profound gratitude for King Man-geum’s generosity, delighting Seo Cheon-seol.
Gacha whiff this time, but high-rank artifact nonetheless. Gotta aim for guaranteed pulls later.
“Sweet. Mind if I trouble you with another batch? I’ve got tribute piling up for King Man-geum.”
Dump junk, get high-rank artifacts. Best to spin whenever possible.
“Oh, I could, but not this time.”
“Not this time?”
“Yeah. Got a separate mission from King Man-geum.”
“Mission? What?”
Eerily perfect timing.
“Bwahaha, it’s a secret.”
“Ah, gotcha. Top-secret mission from King Man-geum, huh? Now I’m even more curious.”
“Ehe— but secrets are secrets. Means not even telling you, Kim.”
“Right. Anyway—Sang-hyeon, mind grabbing a few bottles of that Chinese liquor the Blood Hound gave us from the pantry?”
* * *
“Bwahaha—see ya!”
Seo Cheon-seol zoomed off in high spirits.
Drunk driving? She’d sobered up completely before takeoff, so no issue.
“Damn, all I got was booze.”
“Not helpful info?”
“Nah, you helped me learn plenty.”
Heo Sang-hyeon caught on quick, keeping Seo Cheon-seol happy with endless dishes. She eventually spilled everything.
“Bwahaha—off to Busan to wipe out a nest of hengeyokai.”
Hengeyokai.
Yokai from Japan.
And Cure Medical Care was Japanese-backed.
“Hmm—trouble.”
As suspected.
Accept Cure’s request, and I’d fight Seo Cheon-seol.
“Better approach that carefully.”
So official requests narrowed to ‘Sokcho’ and ‘Buyeo.’ Buyeo I wasn’t hitting personally, so Sokcho it was.
‘Busan too... Better plant an antenna like Buyeo and call it.’
“Oh, almost midnight, and still no word from Hyun-deok.”
Heo Sang-hyeon checked the clock, worried.
“Hmm, he’ll show soon. Probably—”
-Around 3 or 4 a.m.?
I was about to say it when a message window blocked my view, and I shut my mouth.
[System : Penalty trait ‘Shattered Mind’ activates. You have 1 Madness slot available, so a random Madness manifests.]
Ah, vacation’s finally over?
What this time? Flight phobia came with anger issues that were a pain, but still manageable.
Hope this one’s decent too—
[System : ‘Madness – Magic Phobia’ is inflicted upon your mind.]
“Huh?”
“Shin-hwa?”
“Ahahaha—uhahaha!”
“Shin-hwa? Shin-hwa! You okay?”
The time had finally come.