Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Cheongho (2)
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“The value of an item changes depending on the person. To me, it’s nothing more than an antique, so I’ll gladly hand it over.”
“Thank you.”
“But not right away.”
I waited silently for Cheongho’s next words without much response.
“It’s not that I can’t—it’s just in the family warehouse in another region. Could you wait a little?”
This felt like a lie. But he wasn’t the type to toy with me over something that didn’t exist. Though I couldn’t be sure, I had a hunch that Cheongho was using the book as an excuse to see me again.
“No rush on my end, so that’s fine. If you happen to come across any information on similar magic tomes elsewhere, I’d appreciate a heads-up.”
“Haha! I can certainly help with that. Anything else you need? Say, a way to acquire magic tomes… How about the black market? I could get you in.”
Cheongho’s efforts to win me over were almost touching.
“I’d appreciate that too, if possible.”
“Heh… It might take a bit, but I’ll arrange something soon.”
“Thank you.”
“By the way, wizard. Your name’s Kim Shin-hwa, right?”
“Yes.”
“You might think it comes out of nowhere, but how about a proposal?”
“A proposal?”
“Not about black market access or anything like that. How about working with me instead?”
“…….”
“Wizards have always been slow, expensive, shady, unlucky, and arrogant to boot. Ah, my apologies—not you, other wizards. But you, Kim Shin-hwa, you’re different. You’ve got real skill, you’re sharp, and you’re trustworthy.”
“Hmm…….”
“The Three Heads might sound grand, but it’s really not. Back then, it was a chaotic, dangerous time, so we could forcibly bind things that shouldn’t mix. But not anymore, right? In Paju, which is finally finding peace, the Three Heads name is no longer a shield—it’s an uncomfortable shackle.”
Surprisingly, Cheongho was talking about splitting the Three Heads. It wasn’t shock at hearing it for the first time—I’d been through this event a few times. There were just conditions for it to trigger.
One: Form a solid alliance with one of the Three Heads’ leaders.
Two: Player level 50 or higher.
My current level was 28. Why was this event triggering now? Did it mean my abilities matched level 50?
Considering the feats I could pull off or the enemies I could challenge, it made sense. But it was too soon. And more than that……
“We’ve been stuck because there are two others. I bet they feel the same. One on one, sure, but not two at once. But with you, Kim Shin-hwa, I think we could take on three. What do you say? I’ll give you the best treatment I can offer.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not looking to join any organization or group for the time being.”
I had no intention of working under Cheongho.
Nor did I have any interest in the other Three Heads factions. Their manpower and underworld infrastructure were appealing, but only on a human level.
Even looking at Chae Tae-won, a high-ranking Three Heads executive, his character and skills were respectable—but still human-tier. Compared to Curtain Call, who was practically a beast, Chae fell short.
The beings I’d face going forward were beyond human level. Compared to those monsters, the Three Heads’ grunts were just an ant colony.
“I see…… Well…….”
Cheongho looked bitter, probably thinking he’d shown too much desperation. It wasn’t entirely wrong, so I didn’t correct him.
“And this is advice separate from the proposal…….”
“Advice?”
“Don’t think peace has come to Paju.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Cheongho finally dropped the formal speech. It wasn’t resentment over my refusal—just pure shock.
“It might sound like prophecy, but soon, a crisis beyond anything before will hit not just Paju, but the whole world. For that, keep the Three Heads together or…….”
If you plan to fight, move faster than anyone. I didn’t say it outright, but Cheongho seemed to get the drift.
“But my forces…….”
“I’ll keep taking jobs through Basilissa for now. If terms align, we might talk again.”
“Got it…… Yeah…… Magic tomes? Fine. I’ll get you as many as you want.”
Cheongho boasted boldly, but it was empty bravado born of ignorance about magic tomes. He’d freak out once he realized how hard they were to obtain.
After rejecting the partnership, the conversation lost its substance. Cheongho couldn’t fully let go, bringing up his tomes a few more times. Only after promising to meet again when delivering it was I free to go.
* * *
Another two weeks passed.
No word from Cheongho, who was supposed to deliver the tome.
Instead, I received 300 million won through Tudor.
Regardless, our solid alliance stood, so I waited patiently. Without some special event, he wouldn’t betray me.
In the meantime, I handled a few commissions to pass the time.
Pocket change stuff, mostly. Caught some wanted criminals, secretly blew up a mercenary outpost that pissed off a big corp, and stole a precious idol from a cult’s holy site.
That last quest was particularly lucrative.
In snatching the idol, I cleaned out their sacred relics too.
Not immediately usable, but I scored a ton of versatile catalysts and materials.
“Sigh…… I need a proper workshop or lab soon.”
No—precisely, I needed a warehouse. A warehouse! My tiny one-room couldn’t handle the loot piling up.
Cursed fake gold turning black, monster fragments, magic artifacts, catalysts galore, gleaming magic stones—and in one corner, the golden dancer’s head on display like decor.
Just managing these could set up a decent alchemy workshop.
“Whatever, can’t do it here.”
I’d done limited work and experiments here, but limits were hit.
Loot piled up, cash too. Trust with Tudor and my fixer rep were solid, so riskier quests would roll in now.
Pushing further, my rep would flip to infamy. Then the fun begins: wanted posters, bounty hunters, assassins……
All leading to one conclusion.
“Time to relocate my base.”
With money and Tudor’s help, securing a safehouse was easy.
But I needed bigger than that.
Ideally, one with resident-friendly unique traits.
Should I just [Seize Residence]?
I could kill some pushover NPC and take their house. Heinous crime, but fitting [Cthulhu World]’s brutal system.
Pick wisely, though. Good houses have heavy defenses or strong owners. Closer to downtown, higher chance of cops or regulators sniffing around.
‘Tch, how’d it come to this?’
Dressed up as game mechanics, but it boiled down to murder and theft. Real-world Kim Shin-hwa wouldn’t dream it, let alone do it.
Screw it. What then? Haven’t I killed before? Alternatives? Delay more, and the ruin track advances, triggering the doom-only main event. To escape this world before that, gather power by any means.
“No, wait. Just don’t kill anyone?”
Right. There are houses to seize without innocent blood. Some owners even beg you to take them……
Perfect one in mind. Decent place, great wizard perks.
Tough section, but clear it for early access to mid-to-late game power.
Decision made, I escaped my cramped home and headed to Basilissa.
Entering the cafe, it went quiet.
Everyone eyed me, whispering.
No clear sentences, but words like Je Mu-kyung, Three Heads, Wild Guns floated.
Recent change. No one at Basilissa didn’t know me now.
Even outside, Kim Shin-hwa and my Carcosa mask were gaining notoriety.
Ignoring stares, I went to Tudor. As usual on slow days, he lounged in the corner with a fantasy novel.
“Oh, honey, you’re here? Didn’t even call you this time?”
“Yeah, got something to ask.”
“Oho, you asking? That’s scary.”
What’s scary? Ignoring his joke, I said,
“For the next commission, narrow the conditions a bit.”
“Conditions? Ah, looks like you’ve got something in mind.”
“Yep.”
Tudor handled commissions I wanted, but specifying felt off.
How to dodge?
“Got some necromancy stuff lately, wanna experiment.”
“Ah, figured you snagged something from that mess.”
That mess: the cult holy site I raided. Quest cleared, idol recovered… but building collapsed, fire, monster from sky—chaos.
“Didn’t expect full-on summoning cultists. Anyway, nothing traceable.”
“You wouldn’t leave tracks anyway. Necromancy—what exactly?”
“Even low-tier’s fine. Hook me up with a haunted house or property suppression gig.”
“Any haunting?”
“No possessions—too annoying. Something wide-area suppressible, tied to a house or real estate.”
“Hmm…….”
Tudor tapped his lips, thinking.
At this point, a few should match.
“Might have something in the network… Probably skipped ’cause terms sucked.”
“Pay doesn’t matter much.”
“Cool, I’ll check and sort it. Latest tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
“Necromancy, huh…… Consider that lane more?”
Tricky kindness. Necromancy was just an excuse to convince Tudor.
“Like I said, practice. I’ll see after this.”
Not really after necromancy practice. Just a prime quest for loot, pay, and needs.