Mansion Exploration
The message Automatic Combat Mode Activated floated before my eyes, and my body immediately began to move, following the afterimage in front of me.
“This bastard really…!”
The scarred hunter must have been in the business for quite a while. He drew his dagger with impressive speed and swung it at me.
Normally I would have stepped back to dodge, but the automatic combat system had other ideas.
“What the—?!”
I slipped straight into his guard, swatted the dagger hand aside, and drove my fist into his solar plexus.
“Urk…!”
Struck in a vital spot, the hunter let out a choked cry and collapsed backward. The hunter who had been blocking the path behind him stared at me in open astonishment at the fluid, perfectly efficient movement.
It was the kind of motion that used every ounce of my physical ability; trying to copy it after seeing it once would have been nearly impossible. I was quietly impressed with the automatic combat system’s performance when the hunter blocking my way clicked his tongue and muttered.
“A Murim warrior, huh. Damn it.”
Murim warrior. The movement from earlier really had resembled martial arts, so the misunderstanding was understandable.
“Since I am a Murim warrior, don’t call it cowardly.”
Deciding he couldn’t handle me alone, the hunter whistled, sending a signal. A group of hunters immediately emerged from deeper in the alley.
“I can’t just take this lying down. It’s a matter of pride now. Let’s trade a few blows, yeah?”
Whether it was pride or sheer stubbornness, the hunters blocking my path clearly had no intention of backing off. I kept my fist clenched, refusing to loosen my stance.
Predicted win rate: 85%
It still looked manageable. Without hesitation I prepared to continue the fight, but right then—
Crunch.
A green hammer suddenly burst from the sewer grate and swept the surrounding hunters away in a single swing. Everyone froze at the abrupt turn of events. Green slime then crawled out of the grate and coalesced into a humanoid shape.
“Cleaning, cleaning~ Another fun day of cleaning~”
Humming cheerfully, the green slime turned its gaze toward the hunters. Realizing their doom was at hand, they panicked and tried to flee.
“Shit, it’s a janitor…! Everyone run—”
“Pew.”
Like a child playing pretend, the green slime pointed a finger at them and made a gunshot noise with its mouth. Slime bullets instantly fired from its fingertip, slicing clean through the hunters’ waists and annihilating the entire group.
While I stood stunned at how the hunters couldn’t even mount a proper resistance, the slime’s eyes turned to me.
“Huh? What’s this? There’s one more piece of trash that needs cleaning?”
Predicted win rate: 0.5%
An icy killing intent washed over me. Those eyes weren’t looking at a person—they were looking at an object.
Ah, damn it. Had I stepped on a landmine?
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the hammer to come crashing down.
“Wait. What is this! This is a citizen! What is this!”
“…Pardon?”
“Nice to meet you!”
The slime beamed at me with a bright, sunny smile. Completely thrown off by the unexpected reaction, I could only stare as the slime continued cheerfully.
“Oh dear, where are my manners? I must greet you properly first. Nice to meet you, citizen! We make the streets clear and clean for everyone! I’m Oxy, the proud sanitation worker who serves the citizens!”
The slime’s tone was straight out of a public service announcement. I answered in a dazed voice.
“Uh… nice to meet you too?”
“I’m really, really glad to meet you too! Wow, this is my first time using that greeting. Ehehe.”
Unable to understand why she was treating me so kindly, I cautiously asked for the reason.
“Um… why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because serving citizens is a public servant’s duty, of course! I’m a proud environmental sanitation officer.”
“…Then what about those people?”
I glanced at the hunters Oxy had just turned into paste. She answered as if it were nothing.
“Illegal residents using fake citizenship instead of proper government-issued IDs. If it were up to me I’d purge every last one of them, but…”
“Ah.”
Now I understood why Oxy was treating me so favorably. The citizenship I had purchased wasn’t from the Hunter Guild—it was official government citizenship. That was why the slime had identified me as a legitimate citizen and responded this way.
“Then… I’m fine?”
“Of course! We must treat citizens well. You’re the ones who pay my salary, after all. Oh, here—take this.”
The note Oxy handed me was a crudely drawn map.
“Let’s grab a meal together sometime! That’s our quarters. If you visit, I’ll treat you like royalty!”
“Um. If I have time later.”
“You have to come! Promise!”
She really seemed sincere. It might not be a good idea to brush it off as empty politeness. While I was smiling wryly at the thought, Oxy asked another question.
“By the way, what brings you to an alley like this? Security isn’t the best around here, so please be careful. It’s not as bad as the back alleys, though.”
“Ah, well… I’m looking for work.”
“Work? In that case…!”
“No, I’m looking for a specific request. I heard there’s one around here to investigate a ghost mansion…”
“…A ghost mansion request?”
Oxy’s voice trailed off.
“Hmm… I’m not an expert on hunters, but I’d advise you to ignore that one.”
“Why?”
“The pay is pretty high, right? Requests like that are usually… not very savory.”
It seemed this request was quite well-known if even the street sweeper recognized it. Oxy was trying to dissuade me, thinking I had no idea what I was getting into. I reassured her.
“I know. That it’s probably a trap.”
“Then why…?”
“Well…”
I’m here to exploit the strategy guide and get free rewards.
I couldn’t say that, so I improvised an excuse again.
“It just doesn’t sit right with me. Tricking clueless beginners like that. The quality’s pretty low, don’t you think? I hate that kind of thing, so I’m going to turn the tables and devour them instead.”
“Wait, what are you even…”
Oxy stared at me with a completely dumbfounded look. It was the sort of answer that deserved a “What kind of nonsense is that?” But when I simply put on a shameless expression that said I had no intention of explaining further, a small chuckle escaped her.
“You really are pure, citizen.”
“Pure? When my head is full of plans to backstab them?”
“You are pure. It’s just… rare to see that kind of attitude in this city.”
Muttering to herself, Oxy reached into her slime body, pulled out a phone, and held it out to me.
“Here, quickly.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s exchange contacts. If things go south, call me. I might not be much help, but I can at least offer you a place to stay.”
“Ah, thank you.”
After we exchanged numbers, Oxy kindly told me where to find the ghost mansion request.
“If you’re really going to take the ghost mansion request, you should check the alley on the opposite side instead of this one.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“See you next time, citizen!”
Smiling brightly, Oxy gathered the remains left in the alley and disappeared back into the sewer. I turned my steps toward the opposite alley as she had suggested.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the previous one. Instead of being dry and gloomy, this alley was flashy with glowing temporary signs. Most of them had embarrassing slogans like “Beginners Welcome” and “High Income Guaranteed,” but it was still easy to find what I was looking for.
It looked less like an information broker and more like a bunch of touts, but that made things convenient for me. I followed the signs until I heard a familiar voice.
“A reward of 100 million credits? Ooh, I’ll take it right away!”
Wondering if it could be, I looked toward the source and saw a familiar face talking with an old hunter.
“Hwa-ryeong?”
When I called her name, Hwa-ryeong—who had been about to sign the contract—turned around. Her face immediately lit up with delight, and she greeted me with her usual dramatic flair.
“Well, well! Who do we have here? The rookie everyone in Shion is talking about, the final survivor of the tryouts! If it isn’t Helper himself!”
“Are you still doing that?”
“I have to say something nice first so nice words come back to me, don’t I?”
I let out a helpless laugh at her long-winded, sly greeting. It was nice to see a familiar face again, but what was Hwa-ryeong doing here?
“What brings you here?”
“Unfortunately I didn’t receive any guild scouting offers. So I’ve been going around like this. Did you also come after seeing the post on the board, Helper?”
“The board?”
For a second I wondered if she could see the Community board too, but her next words cleared up the misunderstanding.
“Yes, the Hunter Net. They say every hunter who comes to Shion should join it.”
“Hunter Net, huh? Ah. Yeah, I saw it there too.”
Hunter Net was an internet community where hunters chatted and occasionally posted useful tips. I knew it existed, but my ability made me reluctant to browse it. Just reading the Last Shion board already gave me a headache; adding Hunter Net on top of that was too much.
“How could I pass up a chance to earn 100 million credits?”
“…You don’t think it’s suspicious?”
“Well, after talking with them it seemed like a reasonable request. 100 million is the maximum reward, and it decreases based on performance. Still, they guarantee at least 1,000 credits.”
“Performance?”
“They said we’re the vanguard that goes in before the veteran hunters. Our job is to explore the mansion’s interior structure. We can retreat if it gets dangerous, so it’s not a bad gig, is it?”
“The client must be loaded.”
“Some rich person posted it, apparently. Strange rumbling noises keep coming from the mansion in Mist Street—so loud they can be heard beyond the street itself.”
“Beyond the street?”
“They said the noise reaches all the way to the client’s villa.”
While we were talking, the man seemed to think I was interrupting and answered curtly.
“So? You accepting or not?”
After a moment’s thought, Hwa-ryeong nodded vigorously.
“Good. I accept this request. Together with my friend Helper here!”
“Wait, me too?”
“Weren’t you planning to take it?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Excellent. Everyone’s got guts. Sign the contract here. Commission is 60%. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.”
“Understood!”
I glanced over the contract while signing, but there were no hidden trap clauses. Maybe the real goal wasn’t to exploit new hunters but simply to send sacrificial lambs ahead.
“I’ll contact the client. Wait in front of the Hunter Guild in thirty minutes.”
“Understood.”
I left the alley with the energetic Hwa-ryeong. The moment we stepped out, she quietly asked me.
“…There’s something more to that request, isn’t there?”
“There is.”
“I thought it was strange you’d accept something so outrageous. So I was right!”
“You knew it was outrageous? Then why did you—”
Was she thinking the same thing I was—turning the trap around and exploiting it instead? When I voiced my confusion, Hwa-ryeong answered boldly.
“Because I’m broke. I figured I could bear a little risk.”
“A little?”
“Well, more than anything, I was certain you would show up, Helper.”
“You came because of me?”
“You always have a plan, don’t you? Like during the practical exam—I plan to pick up the crumbs that fall from your side again.”
“Hah.”
Well, she did know I had gained something during the practical exam. Even if she didn’t know exactly what, she clearly understood I wasn’t an ordinary rookie. Since she was offering to help, there was no reason to refuse—especially considering her mysterious combat ability.
Unable to measure predicted win rate. Target not detected.
“All right. I have some preparations to make, so come with me.”
“Ooh, what is it?”
“Holy water.”
“Holy water? What for?”
“Just in case. Figured it’d be good to have at least one.”
I checked the map and headed for the church in the central district. Fortunately it wasn’t far from the Hunter Guild, so I figured I could buy the holy water and return within thirty minutes.
The building was modern, more like a store than a traditional church. It didn’t have the strong religious atmosphere you’d see outside Shion.
“This is the Cross Church, right?”
“Yeah, probably.”
I’d heard that religions other than the Cross Church were forbidden from contacting the outside of Shion, so the church in Central Street had to belong to them. We stepped through the automatic doors. A strange mix of disinfectant and faint incense greeted us.
As we entered the lobby, a nun at the counter spoke to us.
“Are you here to pray?”
“No, we’d like to buy some holy water.”
“I see. Holy water is 50 million credits.”
“…50 million?”
I was stunned. 50 million credits was more than I currently had.
“You’re not a Hunter Guild member, and you’re not affiliated with any guild partnered with the Cross Church. Therefore, no discount applies.”
“Ugh…”
This was completely unexpected. Maybe I should just give up on buying holy water? As I bit my lip in thought, Hwa-ryeong spoke up.
“50 million credits, you say?”
“Yes, 50 million credits.”
“Then this one shall pay.”
Hwa-ryeong confidently paid the 50 million credits in my place. I stared at her with wide eyes. She simply shrugged as if it were nothing.
“It just so happens that I have plenty of money.”
“Seriously… thank you, Hwa-ryeong.”
“It’s nothing. If you’re that grateful, just buy me a meal later.”
“Of course.”
I was genuinely grateful for the generous help, but my questions about Hwa-ryeong only grew. Where on earth did she get this kind of money? It was suspicious no matter how I looked at it. Still, pressing her probably wouldn’t get me any answers, so I decided it was best to keep our current relationship as it was.
“Here is your holy water.”
After Hwa-ryeong finished paying, the nun handed over a small metal canteen. The liquid inside gave off a faint moonlight glow. I took it and carefully placed it in my bag. At 50 million credits, I couldn’t afford to lose it by accident.
“Hmm, it’s not quite what I expected.”
“Let’s go. We’re short on time.”
I dragged the grumbling Hwa-ryeong toward the meeting point. Before long, a black vehicle stopped in front of us.
“Ghost mansion exploration. That you two?”
“It is.”
“Yes, that’s us.”
“Get in. Quickly.”
At the man’s urging, we climbed into the vehicle without complaint. It immediately left the main road and entered Mist Street, weaving through thick fog so dense we couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
I tried to memorize the route, but the fog was too heavy. After dozens of minutes, the vehicle finally stopped in front of a massive mansion whose silhouette could barely be made out through the mist. Even from the outline alone, it was clearly enormous.
“Get out. See that? Investigate the mansion and return here. That’s your job.”
“Understood.”
We bowed politely and stepped out. The chilly fog clung to our faces. So far nothing seemed particularly suspicious. According to the strategy guide, necromancers would ambush us on Mist Street, so I stayed on guard.
“An ambush is coming soon. Stay alert.”
“Understood.”
I warned Hwa-ryeong as we slowly approached the mansion through the fog. But there were no necromancers—not even a stray cat. All we heard was a giant heartbeat-like rumble coming from the mansion itself.
We reached the creaking iron gate without incident. Hwa-ryeong whispered quietly.
“…Didn’t you say there would be an ambush?”
“Why aren’t they coming…?”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I cleared my throat and reached out to touch the firmly closed gate. At that exact moment, skeletons burst out of the ground.
When I saw them, I let out a sigh of relief and shouted.
“There you are!”
These guys were way too late.