Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Helistic's Aftermath
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The abandoned hospital, or rather the Ga-5060 Secret Research Lab, didn't have anything particularly impressive.
Sure, someone might argue that evidence of human experimentation or artificial dimensional entities weren't trivial, but compared to what they had hidden in the basement, those were nothing.
The other stuff could be recreated somehow, and other corporations could whip up similar things, but the items in the basement were impossible to replicate.
It had layers upon layers of security, but honestly, the mere fact that they'd outsourced the reclamation of a place harboring such secrets to external fixers was enough to raise suspicions of some conspiracy.
So it made sense that they would ask me—and Go Kyung-soo from Wild Guns, who'd at least gotten access to the secret lab—about the basement.
‘But why is Cure asking about it instead of Helistic?’
Cure Biotech was a multinational bio-corp running research similar to Helistic's. If you asked which was bigger, Cure Biotech had the edge in scale.
They'd been the frontrunner from the start. But Helistic, having absorbed tech from extraterrestrial entities, had grown at breakneck speed and become a powerhouse that could look down on Cure despite being the latecomer.
And in the game, Helistic had far more prominence. Cure's depiction was middling at best—no notable named NPCs, no standout quests.
"I just cleared out what I saw and got out. Never saw the basement."
There was no need to discuss the basement with Go Kyung-soo.
"Eh, whatever. Anyway, when outsiders who aren't even stakeholders start sniffing around, unexpected dangers tend to crop up... Watch your back."
"Noted."
Go Kyung-soo raised his glass for a moment, realized it was empty, and set it down with a regretful sigh.
"Alright, business is done. Time to head out."
He rose with a groan.
The gold watch on his wrist clinked noisily against his gold bracelets.
"And mage friend. Name's Kim Shin-hwa, right? Keep that business card safe and give me a call whenever... Just guy-to-guy friendship, or if you're passing by our office and get hungry, grab a meal..."
Go Kyung-soo tried the pitch again, then caught Tudor's growl and backpedaled.
He muttered something about "sticking around here means getting beat to death by Tudor" and left the cafe.
"He just came for a business partnership."
Tudor explained why Go Kyung-soo had visited.
"Even if he phrased it like that, they're short-staffed lately. He wants help if they ever need a mage."
"I see."
It might not align perfectly with Tudor's explanation, but this was exactly why I'd chosen her over Go Kyung-soo.
Tudor had vast networks beyond other brokers, her influence stretching from Paju to other cities.
It wasn't common, but she occasionally offered access to quests exclusive to other brokers.
Sure, the terms and fees differed from going directly to them... but that was tolerable.
"Whatever he asks, I'll block anything that doesn't suit you at my end."
Tudor said that as she led me to her office.
The moment I sat down, I asked her a question.
"Helistic didn't give you any grief?"
Truth be told, the money could've been wired, so there was no real need to visit Basilisa.
The reason I'd come today was curiosity about Helistic's aftermath.
"While you were ghosting everyone, Helistic dropped by, among other headaches."
"Any major issues?"
"They asked a few things, but I handled most of it myself. I answered a lot on your behalf without asking..."
"Without asking?"
"You gave me that smartphone and never picked up!"
Tudor raised her voice briefly—not in anger, but with a playful edge.
"What was I supposed to do? I just did a virtual interview for Mr. Kim Shin-hwa. Helistic was satisfied anyway, so the truth doesn't matter."
"I had reasons I couldn't answer."
No need to admit it was just because I was sleeping.
"Hmm, sure, you're you."
Tudor pulled out a binder as she spoke.
"If you're curious what I answered for their questions—A, B, C, whatever—check this out."
The binder floated lightly from her hand and drifted toward me.
She must've prepared it anticipating the question.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
Pleased by my genuine gratitude, Tudor replied with an elegantly radiant smile.
Tudor occasionally flashed expressions so stunning they left you speechless.
Some of Basilisa's regulars probably haunted the cafe daily just for a glimpse of that smile.
Reviewing the documents, I noted Helistic hadn't mentioned the basement at all.
‘High security clearance issue.’
Best not to mention what you want to keep secret.
Instead, the lab director's computer came up several times.
"My solo mission, huh?"
It was recorded as if I'd answered, not Tudor—as Kim Shin-hwa.
That was probably what she'd emphasized with "you" earlier.
Thanks to this, Helistic might think I was polite, kind, and efficient.
"The content's mostly based on what Colly told me."
"Then why use my name instead of Curtain Call?"
"Oh? Bad idea?"
"Not really. Just curious."
"I told you I'd sell you out for business? You need to get more famous."
"I left the fame-building to you, so I can't complain."
"Plus, Colly's on rocky terms with Helistic... basically blacklisted. She takes their jobs under aliases."
"Curtain Call wouldn't have touched this gig without me."
"Heh, true. But you satisfied your curiosity thanks to her."
Win-win? If I twisted it, I could say Tudor played me. But she laid it out plainly, and I had no real complaints—not that it mattered. We used each other within bounds, and as long as those weren't crossed, no issues.
"Yeah. Nothing more to say on that."
No need to read further.
Even if I'd answered, I'd have lied anyway, so her handling it was a boon.
It was even more meticulous and flawless than I'd imagined.
"More importantly, what's this about Cure?"
"Exactly what Go Kyung-soo said. They didn't say it outright, but they were fishing about a basement or secret room in the abandoned hospital."
"Was the basement public knowledge from the start?"
If rumors had spread despite Helistic's assumptions, it would make sense.
"Nope. Cure's the first to bring up the basement."
Tudor paused thoughtfully before continuing.
"Lately, Cure's been weirdly sharp. Must've snagged some clever intel source?"
Intel source... Nothing like that in the game. Was this another deviation?
"It's more surprising they asked Go Kyung-soo."
"Surprising?"
"Yeah. Wild Guns had no survivors, right? No way they're dumb enough to grill someone with no access."
"Maybe they're not after the basement... but want to spread word that they know about it?"
Tudor nodded in agreement.
"I think so."
Down there were machines beyond modern tech and magic grimoires.
Helistic's researchers had experimented with fluids from the [Black Goat that Birthes Madness], creating dimensional entities that traversed between realms.
Which was it? Was Cure after the super-tech gadgets, the Black Goat, human mods, dimensional entities, or the grimoires?
Logically, as rivals, they'd eye Helistic's human augmentation leads...
‘Eh... too straightforward.’
More reason to decode those grimoires.
"Anyway, nothing else to pass on. You cut it close—almost had to relay Wild Guns' wink myself. Dodged that bullet."
"You're close with Go Kyung-soo?"
Tudor groaned dramatically. Pretty chummy, apparently.
No such personal ties in the game—kinda fun.
"I helped him get established as a kid. He was a diligent little punk back then, so I favored him. Now he's independent and keeps pestering me. Annoying as hell."
I knew her witch heritage meant she was old, but hearing it straight from that youthful face felt a tad off.
Go Kyung-soo was early forties. If she'd helped him from childhood...
"Got it."
"Now, time for settlement? As discussed, 120 million total. Curtain Call took 5 upfront, leaves 70. Objections?"
"70. None."
"Wire as usual?"
"Yeah."
My account balance was 180 million now.
This brought savings to 250 million, plus cash stashed in my room—around 300 million total.
‘Never made this much back home...’
"I talked Helistic out of lowballing you, FYI."
"That happened too?"
"Corporate gigs are always like that. Just trust me—it's easy. Not called a top broker for nothing."
I humored her self-praise.
"Yeah. Looking forward to more."
"Good. So, condition-wise? Would be nice if you took jobs again soon."
"Soon how soon?"
"Heh... Right now doable?"
"You're not acting that urgent."
"Ugh, sharp as ever."
"If it was urgent, you wouldn't have chatted with Go Kyung-soo."
"Fair. Check this out. Most have flexible timelines, so pick at leisure."
She handed over a slim binder.
A quick flip showed quests summarized compactly—one or two per page. Roughly 100 pages—50 quests even conservatively.
"That's a lot..."
"Paju's got that many jobs only someone like you could handle."
"Hmm."
None looked easy.
Backlogged for days, months—cases like the Gamak Mountain hospital where fixer teams or merc groups got wiped.
"Tough ones only."
"But the pay's solid. That one on your page? Clean solve guarantees over a billion."
"Intriguing."
"Mm..."
Tudor hesitated with a groan, then said,
"You think it's about time to come clean?"