Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Encounter with the Killer
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In the heart of downtown, where sunlight filtered between towering buildings to cast layer upon layer of shadows, Tae-jun stood.
Countless citizens, each flaunting their individuality through their fashion, passed by him, and Tae-jun eyed them with the sharp gaze of a hawk.
He was searching for the perpetrator of the recent murders.
There was plenty of debate about whether scouring the city and checking people's faces was the proper approach for handling tale-related incidents, but in the end, it was the most cost-effective method by far.
"Hmm."
Of course, Se-jin and Do-hyun—excluding Tae-jun—were tackling more challenging tasks.
"I know the police are searching too, but... is it even possible to find him among this sea of people?"
The casino owner in question even had an unclear identity, and strangely enough, he was rarely caught on surveillance cameras.
If he appeared on one site's camera, he wouldn't show up on the next.
That left them with no choice but to rely on the testimony of the sole eyewitness, Kwak Young-cheol.
"Haa..."
In truth, Tae-jun wasn't particularly invested in hunting down the culprit.
Usually driven by his convictions, this time he was just following orders from above.
Considering the strong sense of justice he'd held since his police days, it was a rather unusual state for him.
Tae-jun closed his eyelids for a moment to relieve the fatigue straining his eyes.
Sunlight filtering through his lids bathed his vision in a warm orange glow, and atop it, the image of the watch floated into view.
He'd barely touched it lately due to his busy schedule, but whenever he had free time, Tae-jun had been diligently investigating it.
Even checking the serial number yielded no owner information, only deepening the mystery.
All he knew was that something major was set to happen in a few months.
"The future... the future, huh."
As Tae-jun lost himself in thought, forgetting his role for a moment, someone tapped his shoulder and walked past.
"Oops... my apologies. I've been a bit out of it lately. Figured a young fellow like you would understand."
When he opened his eyes, an old man who seemed to have bumped into him by accident was walking away.
The old man's words carried a selfish undertone, but Tae-jun responded with the usual courtesy.
"No, it's fine."
The old man brightened at that and continued on his way.
He was short in stature and looked quite elderly, yet he exuded a remarkably sturdy impression.
"His clothes, the vibe he gives off... it feels just like that testimony..."
A possibility flashed through his mind in an instant.
"Huh?"
Tae-jun only uttered that one word, but it carried a multitude of meanings no great author could capture.
Before he could even process them, his feet were moving.
It didn't take long to spot the old man.
He was simply strolling slowly along the street,
"What should I do?"
Tae-jun lacked Se-jin's insight.
He immediately contacted Se-jin, and the reply was, "I'll head there now—tail him."
Following that message, Tae-jun trailed the old man from about five meters away.
Tailing was a first for Tae-jun, but for someone fearless, it felt like second nature.
Se-jin must have been coming from quite a distance; even after ten minutes, there was no sign of him.
As Tae-jun checked his phone for another message, the old man abruptly turned into an alley.
At that unnatural movement, Tae-jun followed suit.
The old man kept venturing deeper into the alley.
His actions felt awkwardly deliberate, as if luring Tae-jun in, but he had no other choice but to pursue.
And after another sharp turn, the old man was facing him.
"Well now... young man. Why are you chasing after me like this?"
The old man grinned slyly.
"You're Hyeok Tae-jun from the New Tale Investigation Squad, right?"
For a brief moment, Tae-jun was stunned by how the old man had pierced his identity so casually, but he quickly regained his composure.
Seeing no hint of surprise on the old man's face, it seemed Tae-jun had been the target from the start.
"How in the world did you—"
"Me? My memory's a bit fuzzy. But instinct keeps telling me to kill folks, right?"
The old man cut him off and, without prompting, began spilling his story.
For Tae-jun, it was a good situation—buying time until Se-jin arrived.
"And that's been quite the motivator... nah, that ain't important."
The old man trailed off and looked up at the sky.
"It really ain't far off now..."
To Tae-jun, the old man's mind seemed far from sound.
"Are you the perpetrator of the recent murders?"
"Eh? Yeah... well, you already know that much."
A chill wind bounced through the alley.
"Guess it's time to get started..."
In that instant, the old man's demeanor shifted.
Tae-jun thought to himself,
The moment he didn't know what power the old man wielded, he was already at a disadvantage.
The old man drew a butcher knife from his pocket.
His stance was the pinnacle of seasoned expertise, hinting at whatever rough life he'd led in his youth.
As tension thickened, the old man lunged at Tae-jun with startling speed.
The raw power matched his age as per the testimony—feeble—but his velocity defied belief for any elderly man.
Tae-jun barely dodged the attack and pulled his pistol from his back pocket.
There was no hesitation.
The trigger squeezed tight unleashed a deafening crack, propelling the bullet forward.
It struck the old man's abdomen dead-on and halted its straight path, having fulfilled its duty.
"Oops."
In that moment, Tae-jun witnessed the unbelievable.
Black liquid oozed from the wound, and his abdomen regenerated on its own.
Undeniably a tale.
"Darn, tsk. Went and showed somethin' I didn't wanna."
Tae-jun raised his pistol again, aiming at the old man.
Just then, Se-jin's voice echoed from afar.
"Heh, already here? Well, don't matter much—got what I came for anyway."
With those words, the old man hurled the butcher knife at Tae-jun with bullet-like speed.
"Gahhh!"
Unable to react fully, the blade embedded in Tae-jun's leg.
From that point, his leg began to mutate like the corpses they'd seen.
"Aaaagh—!"
Unbearable agony surged, as if his flesh were being sliced and stitched with a knife and thread.
"Tae-jun? Where are you!"
With Se-jin's searching voice as the last thing he heard, Tae-jun blacked out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ So, how did you obtain the result you wanted?
"Eh, more or less."
I found clear proof of the history alteration, spaced out for about twenty minutes, then returned to the shop.
Through recent arguments with the shop, I'd believed in the history change about eighty percent, but confirming it firsthand delivered a shock that wouldn't fade easily.
How did you reach that conclusion?
"Ah, well, see."
The place I went was the center of the Earth.
Its sci-fi interior and familiar items made me suspect future humans or aliens, but given it was a tale from the start, dwelling on that setup was pointless.
"Getting inside was a nightmare."
Its sole value lay in the fact that, from the moment the tale spawned, it remained untouched by any history alterations.
So?
"Finding the entrance stairs was tough enough on its own, and the fact that I barely managed it means no ordinary human could enter."
Does a being exist in this world who knows the strategy like me and has the power to execute it?
"But there were signs of human activity inside. Thick ones."
Wrappers from convenience store instant foods, traces of unknown experiments, even an experiment log.
"The log was in such terrible handwriting, with sentences that didn't connect, so I couldn't make sense of it."
Still, one thing stood out clearly.
"Every entry's date pointed three months from now."
I shook the research log I'd brought back.
Hmm... quite impressive.
Something from before the history change lingered into the altered present.
But with the disjointed sentences, couldn't it just be the ravings of a madman, worthless fiction?
I'd considered that too.
But what are the odds a lunatic breaches that peril, then writes entries dated from a future point?
"Exactly."
Of course, questions remain.
How did that person reach the Earth's core? What were they researching?
Did the research succeed? Who even was he?
No way to know for now.
What are your plans going forward?
The answer's simple.
Uncover the history before it changed.
I was set on that even before confirmation, and now my resolve burns stronger.
I can predict what you'll do.
But don't forget—you're the Merchant, and you must always do business.
"Yeah, I know."
In other words, what I'm saying is start business for the day.
"Fine, quit nagging."
The cat form activated, and business began.