Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Paju Call Van
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“Why was an office lady dragged all the way out here?”
It’s an apartment complex or whatever, but this place is ultimately a construction site.
Why would a regular office worker snoop around a place like this and get kidnapped by a ghoul?
The corpses gathered here are from the workers, site managers, and a handful of security guards who were on duty when the initial ghoul outbreak happened.
Doesn’t it seem odd for a petite woman in a suit to be mixed in among them?
And the most damning evidence is Kwak Daeyong’s reaction.
If she were just some random office lady, there’s no way Kwak Daeyong—a total site guy’s site guy—would remember her name and face.
“Ms. Seonbin is… um… Director Moon Seung-hee’s…”
Kwak Daeyong looked a bit troubled as he hesitated.
“What? His girlfriend?”
“…Director Moon Seung-hee’s strategic advisor for future affairs.”
“Oh.”
“Strategic advisor for future affairs” is basically code.
It’s originally a title for more practical, professional types, but around Paju, it means something a little different.
Predicting the future and preventing supernatural incidents…
In other words, it means wizard or shaman. In less formal settings, like Moon Seung-hee earlier, they just call them magic consultants.
So when Moon Seung-hee first said the magic consultant was useless, he must’ve meant this woman.
She probably entered the site right after problems cropped up to assess the situation and ended up like that.
“I wondered how she lasted so long among the ghouls. Guess she’s got some skills.”
Even so, she’s completely lost her mind now, so it’s all over for her.
Kwak Daeyong seemed to be thinking the same, murmuring with a bitter expression.
“But like this, it’ll be hard to face her from now on… She was a good person…”
“Yeah, well. I’m heading out now. Tell Tudor it all went fine.”
“Got it. Hope we cross paths again.”
Meeting me again would mean something they couldn’t handle on their own had come up, and yet here he is saying that.
I haven’t decided on the mid-to-late game plot yet, but if I end up picking a route tied to Moon Seung-hee, I’ll probably run into Kwak Daeyong annoyingly often.
If not… who knows?
Kwak Daeyong’s team is a ragtag bunch that doesn’t even qualify as a proper corporate outfit.
If it’s not Moon Seung-hee-related, I probably won’t see him again.
No need to say that out loud, so I gave a vague reply.
“Yeah, if the schedule and money line up, we will.”
Kwak Daeyong gave a wry smile, said his goodbyes, and headed off to his crew.
Guess I should head home too.
I took the stairs up to the surface.
The surface was still dark.
On the way, the security guards stationed up top spotted me—no, more precisely, my mask—and there was a brief commotion with screams, but… luckily, it didn’t escalate into a big problem.
“Is this damn mask the issue…?”
Truth be told, it’s not just the mask—my whole condition is a mess.
My clothes and body were utterly covered in ghoul blood, dust, and soot.
Even without the mask, running into me in the dead of night would be pretty horrifying.
“Phew… At least the hoodie’s black, so that’s a relief.”
At this stage, I have no choice but to wear this mask around, but if I level up just once more… once I can use second-circle magic, I could cast an illusion spell to project a normal face over the mask.
From that point on, I could move around a bit more freely.
Anyway, time to contact Tudor.
The time… 4 a.m. now.
Insanely late, but Tudor picked up like it was nothing.
- Hey, babe. Job done? You’re later than expected.
“More stuff popped up than I thought.”
- Heh… Well, as long as it’s handled?
“Yeah, no one’s gonna complain. Get the details from the Yeonam Construction folks, and wrap up the payout if everything checks out.”
- Mm, I’m sure you handled it fine. Don’t worry about the payout—I’ll make sure it’s proper no matter what the client says. Swing by when you’re free.
“Then… I wanna rest, so maybe next week.”
- Sweet! Want me to throw together a celebration party?
“…No need. More importantly, handle the ride like I said earlier.”
- Got it. Calling one now, so hang tight. Like I said, the Foreigner Control Agency’s on high alert, so no wandering around—stick to secure taxis for a while.
“Mm… Secure taxis are pricey…”
- Huh? Babe? Didn’t I tell you what those Foreigner Control Agency guys are like?
“I’ll just hole up in my room for a bit.”
- Yeah, that might be best. I’ll send a taxi if you need one.
“Cool. Anyway, I’m beat—hurry up and get something here. Wanna get home and crash.”
For some reason, my words cracked her up, and Tudor laughed hysterically for a good while before hanging up.
Secure taxis are for fixers heading out on shady jobs—escapes, smuggling, that sort of thing.
They offer ironclad security and top-tier service, but naturally, you pay through the nose.
‘Well, it’s on Tudor tonight, so I’ll just use it…’
Geumchon-dong isn’t that far from here anyway.
I’d thought it was a hassle coming here, but now, without a secure taxi, I could get nabbed by the cops on the way back in this state.
As I waited with those thoughts, a sleek white call van pulled up before I knew it.
‘Faster than I expected.’
There was an eye-catching logo on the side.
[Quick Call Van]
The window of the call van slid down slowly, and the driver greeted me cheerfully from the front seat.
“Hey there, hello!”
Coming here, it’d been a burly, scarred old fixer type, no question.
This time, it’s a young punk… no, a handsome blond guy.
Not wrong about the punk first impression.
Blond-dyed hair, and eight piercings—big and small—in his ears.
He blinked his big eyes, looking flustered.
I could see broad shoulders and long limbs through the window.
“Got any luggage?”
“Nope, none.”
“Right, then hop in the back… Whoa! What the—! What’s with that face!?”
He finally noticed my mask and jumped, yelling.
“…”
“Ah, no, I won’t ask. I’m fine! I’m good! I’ve got a pretty tight lip, even if I don’t look it!”
“It’s a mask.”
“Oh, gotcha! A mask! Whew, what a relief. Hop in!”
No idea what’s relieving about it, but I brushed it off and went to get in the back seat…
“Wait.”
It wasn’t deep thought—just saw the pristine seats in the back and realized how filthy my clothes were.
‘No big deal.’
I shook myself off lightly and drew up my mana.
[Purify]
Keeeeng…!
Light burst from my clothes and palms wherever my hand brushed, gathering the dust, stains, and massive amounts of blood from my clothes at my fingertips.
“Guess I got pretty drenched in blood.”
I dumped the clump of filth on the ground and climbed in.
As soon as I settled in the back, the driver twisted around to face me.
“Uh, sir, what was that just now…? Like, were you… I mean, is your job… y’know…”
“What? Tudor didn’t tell you?”
“Just that you’re super competent and kinda scary…”
Scary how…
“It’s magic.”
“Whoa! Knew it! Never seen magic like that before! You’re the first real wizard I’ve worked with, sir. Rode with a psychic once, but a real-deal wizard? First time ever!”
The young driver started chattering excitedly. Felt like he’d go on forever if I let him, so I cut in.
“Let’s get going first?”
“Ah, yes. Heading to… Geumchon-dong, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Roughly heard, but just a secure transfer? Any changes?”
“No pursuers or tails, so take it easy.”
“Roger that!”
With that, the van started moving.
Maybe because I was a wizard, the young driver kept flinching and sneaking peeks at my face—or mask?—through the rearview while driving. Eyes on the road would be nice…
Despite his sloppy driving, the van glided smoothly.
Anyway, I ignored his stares and sank into thought.
Would be nice to get another look at Moon Seung-hee’s face sometime.
Curious how saving that NPC, Lee Seonbin, would affect my ties with Moon Seung-hee and the Cthulhu World plot going forward.
‘She seemed totally bonkers anyway—probably a pointless move?’
And if something like this happens again, what should I do?
Is it okay to wildly derail the game’s story?
Or would it be better to let it follow the plot I know?
I gazed out the window at Paju’s nightscape flowing by.
It looked similar to the real world I’d lived in at a glance, but it was definitely not the same city.
The Paju I knew didn’t have this glittering skyline, skyscrapers, or lawless superpowered freaks.
‘Tch, it’s already twisted all to hell anyway…’
Better to act than sit still.
The endings this mad dev cooked up for the game? All of them worst-case apocalypse, no exceptions.
Following the game’s flow to the end just means endless battles, eldritch horrors, and gruesome doom waiting for me.
I have to shake up the plot somehow and escape this world.
Decision made, I looked forward again.
‘But… why’s this guy keep doing that?’
The driver was still flinching and eyeing me.
No, not me…
Something’s off.
I deliberately ignored his glances, biding time, then spoke up at the right moment.
“What’re you curious about?”
“Huh? What? Uh? No?”
“If nothing, why keep staring?”
“Gah, how’d you know?”
Jeez, that startled… Did he think I wouldn’t notice? But I gave him the answer he was probably hoping for.
“‘Cause I’m a wizard.”
“Gasp…!”
He made a choking sound. Kinda fun. Playing [Cthulhu World] as a game, I never got chats like this with NPCs.
Sure, there were scripted driver NPCs tied to quests or events, but they were direct plot links.
This world’s different from the game—every NPC, everyone, is alive with their own thoughts and quirks.
“So, what’s on your mind?”
“It’s not so much curiosity… more like…”
He paused, then continued.
“That mask. Where’d you get it?”
“Mask?”
I unconsciously touched the mask covering my face—the Mask of Carcosa.