Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Focus on the Future
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The first day's investigation had wrapped up, and another day had passed.
A few researchers, including Woo-seok, had examined the corpse and the remaining victims whose minds were completely gone, while the other staff members busied themselves with their own tasks.
"Alright, let's go over this and sum things up."
In one corner of the research lab, the corpse at the heart of this incident lay sprawled on a massive dissection tray.
Se-jin and the rest of the New Tale Investigation Squad, along with Woo-seok, stood encircling it.
"Woo-seok, if you would."
"Sure. For starters, the people showing the same symptoms don't have any brain damage. They're displaying all the basic reactions they should, too."
"Then?"
"Their memories... all the memories that make up a person are gone, that's my estimate."
Woo-seok flipped through his documents, displaying various graphs.
Tae-jun, who hadn't been on the job long, and Do-hyun, who had never really cared much for this stuff, couldn't even interpret the graphs, but Se-jin got the gist.
"Hmm, this part's definitely a total mess. I had my suspicions, but I didn't think it'd be this bad."
The keyword memory—after seeing those blue and red tissues sold at the shop, it was almost certain the shop was involved.
"Let's set the shop aside for now."
"Yeah, I don't think the Horror Shop plays much of a role in this incident anyway."
But at least this time, everyone agreed the shop wasn't heavily implicated.
They already knew the shop did business every single day.
So, someone bought something from the Horror Shop every day, and it was only natural that it would pop up somehow.
"Those memory-loss victims are probably from the tissues, but this corpse is the real issue."
To be precise, the shop's items had been used in this incident, but that wasn't the whole story.
"Woo-seok, anything more on this body?"
"We identified him, at least."
"Oh? How?"
"Ah, not my doing. The investigation team pieced it together from nearby surveillance cams and witness reports."
Woo-seok grinned sheepishly.
"Name's Kyu Hyeong-seok. Looks like he bounced around gambling dens scraping up cash, then blew it all on booze and women. Total playboy type."
"Just confirming it's a person makes the intel valuable enough. Anything else?"
"Well... it'll take a few more days for the full metrics, but it's definite a tale was involved. Whether it was a living thing or an object, no idea."
"Ugh... looks like I gotta play detective again after all this time."
"Things have been weird lately. It's not always like this."
"True, but still."
Se-jin let out a deep sigh.
"Tae-jun, any thoughts?"
"Huh? Oh..."
Tae-jun pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
In truth, he hadn't caught even twenty percent of the conversation.
The rational urge to share what he knew clashed with an inexplicable gut feeling that he shouldn't—not yet—forcing him into paralysis.
With his mind torn between the two, he couldn't focus on the discussion or even daily routines.
It was far too cruel a conflict for a newbie at the Bureau, making him resent that whatever "angel" had chosen him instead of Se-jin or Do-hyun.
"Hmm. Well, speak up whenever something clicks."
Se-jin was worried about the rookie, who seemed off lately, but work took priority right now.
"Woo-seok, that's everything for now, right?"
Woo-seok closed his documents after mentioning that the gambling den owner was something of a known figure around here.
"Okay. Good work. Now our team's linking up with the response unit to dig deeper."
"Huh? I'm not coming along this time?"
"Why would you? You wanna?"
"Nah, just... you always drag me along."
"That was when it wasn't so risky."
Se-jin grimaced.
"Just a hunch, but this case feels dangerous."
"Ooh... wish you'd been that considerate before."
"Nope. Can't. You know too much already."
"You're the one who taught me all that."
Woo-seok pulled a face like it was the most ridiculous thing.
They bantered lightly, but the situation was actually pretty urgent.
Whatever the details, some bastard who could reduce people to that state was still out there, and who knew what chaos that could unleash.
It was just casual talk to ease the tension.
"Alright, let's head out."
Do-hyun and Tae-jun followed Se-jin's lead.
"What we're looking for now is..."
"The gambling den owner, right."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Focus on the future, not the past.
The kind of advice you'd get from a fortune teller if you whined, "Things just aren't going my way lately."
If I'd heard it at an actual fortune teller's, I'd have forgotten it in ten minutes flat.
But hearing it from a tale changes everything.
And yeah, I'd been obsessing over the past lately, digging for lost memories, so it fit the situation perfectly.
Quit wasting time on pointless worries and plan for what's ahead, right?
My first take matched the shop's, but a little thought reveals how off it is.
Can you even call that "information"?
It's just vague mumbo-jumbo, not intel.
Real information needs to be more specific.
"Argh, no clue. Should've been born a genius."
I'd opened up shop early hoping to do business, but no customers, nothing going right today.
I shifted my gaze back to the glass beside the time-persistent camera, displayed like new.
"Gotta wait for that to hit big, huh."
No official odds released, so even if the chances are good, no telling when.
Even a 50% shot could flop repeatedly if my luck's crap.
Let's recap the mysteries so far.
The game protagonist and my name, Shin Jin-seong; the shop's vanished memories; the mystery core embedded in my bedroom floor.
They seem linked at first glance, but digging deeper shows no real connection.
My memories are spotty gaps; the shop lost everything before we met—so no obvious tie between us.
And that core? Zero relevance.
"No matter what I do, it's like zero progress."
Hmm.
I'll lend a hand.
"You? Why?"
Irks me watching you slack off on business over pointless brooding.
A guy who barely cares his own memories are gone—guess my worries count as pointless to you.
"Fine, how're you gonna help?"
Heh, forgotten all the times I've helped you?
Come to think of it, even if it mostly spouts nonsense, the shop has pulled my bacon off the fire plenty.
For starters, is that "King" guy's word trustworthy?
"Eh... not sure if it's reliable, but probably not a lie?"
A narcissist drunk on his own hype lying?
A useless poser might fib to save face, but the King actually has the chops.
So, let's assume "focus on the future" is legit advice.
The window vanished, and after a long pause, a new one appeared.
Took a while to sort my thoughts.
I figured you were just stalling like that so-called King.
Don't lump me with that loser.
If your bluster's truth, then he's just a clueless blowhard.
"Still, the King got pretty close to godhood."
Ha, how would a fool who doesn't even know what a god is know that?
"Anyone'd think you've seen one."
Back to the point.
State your take.
What is the future?
The opposite of the past, the direction I'm heading in time.
"What's gonna happen next?"
Yes, conventional thinking.
But what if we twist that perspective?
"What're you on about? Explain so I get it."
How dense.
Can't you figure it out from that?
"You didn't say anything but 'twist your thinking,' you know?"
Even his two loyal retainers couldn't glean shit from that alone.
My fault for not accounting for your empty head.
"This bastard—"
First off, the King never became a god.
So he couldn't know what happens in the future.
"Makes sense."
Then how could he give advice to focus on the future?
"Well, it's a tale. Figured out some way."
The glass I got from the King gave me exactly the guidance I needed—imagine what something higher up could do.
But you're mistaken: barring gods, nothing can predict the future.
That glass of yours runs on different principles.
So how do you know?
"Assuming you're right, what's the conclusion?"
If the future already happened in the past, it all fits.
"What the...?"
Your face says you get it.
"No, but that's ridiculous. Too big a leap."
Why a leap?
"Your whole 'can't predict the future' claim had zero proof to start with."
True enough.
But this intel is solid.
"Why?"
It's proclaimed as truth across all my domains.
"That's what no proof means."
Hold on. There's a reason I think that.
The moment the shop fell silent, the shop door swung open.
A customer, right now of all times.
"Shop, we'll finish the rest after business!"