Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Hidden Passage
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That day.
Seokwoo suddenly found himself tagging along with the two girls as they wandered from place to place.
"Since we're already doing this, be our guide, oppa. This is our first time here."
"The city streets all look the same anyway."
"Come on, don't be like that. Aren't you worried about me and Haneul? What if some sketchy people start following us?"
With excuses like that.
He ended up spending half a day with them as their protector and guide.
"Um... is it okay if I call you oppa?"
"Call me whatever you're comfortable with."
"Then, Seokwoo oppa. C-can I get your... KakaoTalk ID...?"
"Sure, why not."
Exchanging messenger IDs with Haneul along the way was just a bonus.
Only after seeing them off at the terminal could he finally return to his main job.
As the dark gamer's full-time worker in Agas, that is.
"Whew, I'm beat."
It had been a day full of surprises.
Perhaps because of that, the fatigue he'd felt since going to pick them up had doubled.
Even though he hadn't walked that much.
Seokwoo.
No, Luke stretched long and tall, looking around.
The small city's scenery spread out in all directions.
Among it, the densely packed houses of the residential district caught his eye especially.
"Guess I'll start with the locked ones."
Infinite lockpicks.
And the Lockpicking skill.
With just those, he could open locked safes or warehouses like yesterday.
Of course, only level 1 locks.
But recalling the first warehouse he'd opened, the rest were likely level 1 as well.
"Oh, before that."
Luke pulled a thick robe from his inventory.
It was the full-body robe he'd stolen from Tengkun's safe yesterday.
The robe draped over his Ancient Hunter's outfit.
It was equipment with no options, but that didn't matter.
He was wearing it to hide his appearance anyway.
'With what happened with Haneul this time, better to go back to hiding my face like before.'
Agas's customization system was quite limited.
The only things you could tweak were eye color, hair color, skin tone.
And body type, to some extent.
'Even that body type is extremely limited.'
So he was disguising his features in advance.
In case he ran into someone like Haneul.
'Besides, outfits like this aren't that rare.'
Hoods.
Robes.
Cloaks, etc.
There were users wandering around in such getups occasionally.
For style.
Or some other reason.
Of course, it might look suspicious with others, but as a thief, that wouldn't be an issue.
Flutter!
The robe billowed.
Luke pulled up the hood and stepped forward.
'Alright, let's go.'
Dozens of safes and warehouses spotted in the residential district.
Out of them, 9 were locked.
Excluding the first one he'd tested, 8 remained.
The first had been disappointing, but the others might be different.
That was why he'd snuck into the second resident's house with some quiet anticipation.
'Just checking the warehouse for a bit.'
This house had a locked warehouse.
Luke quickly approached the warehouse door he'd scouted earlier.
[Ramin the City Resident's Warehouse]
[Status: Locked]
[Lock Level: 1]
Fortunately, this one was level 1 too.
'Are all locks in Parten level 1?'
If so, he could pick every door and chest with just lockpicks.
Even the baron's manor, maybe.
'Though that's probably overkill.'
Muttering to himself, he inserted the lockpick and dagger into the keyhole.
After twisting it left and right a few times.
'Here!'
He quickly found the sweet spot.
Click!
The door cracked open.
Darkness visible inside.
And shelves slowly revealed in that darkness.
Finally, the secretive warehouse interior lay before Luke's eyes.
'Oh, this looks promising?!'
There were quite a few things on the shelves.
So, naturally.
His expectations rose.
But.
'Oh.'
'Oh...'
Animal hides.
Plant leaves.
Mana stone powder.
And other materials of unknown use.
Nothing of any real value.
'Are these guys all screwing with me?'
Luke rubbed his forehead.
The unlocked stuff seemed more profitable.
The warehouse had nothing worth stealing.
'This is basically a junkyard.'
As he sighed and rummaged through the shelves.
'Hm?'
Late, he noticed a note at the end.
- Goat hide, mandrake leaves, mana stone powder, stone of corrosion...
- Fourth test subject. Need many sturdy males. Request urgent additional procurement...
What could it be.
This note of unknown origin.
There had been a similar one in Tengkun's safe.
'This one's more detailed.'
Still about experiments, just as useless.
"Whatever experiments they're doing isn't my busi... Wait, sturdy males?"
Wondering if he'd misread, he checked again.
Many sturdy males needed.
It was correct.
'...What the hell kind of experiment is this?'
Doubt began to creep in.
Mysterious notes popping up one after another.
Suspicious materials hinting at human experimentation.
'No way.'
At first, he thought it was a miswrite.
Or some other experiment.
So he'd focused on picking locks.
But.
- Fourth test subject mutation, experiment success, modification, necrosis after 1 hour of mutation, fourth experiment failed too...
Why did every locked spot have a note?
All related to experiments.
- Fifth experiment...
- Sixth experiment...
- Anomaly during experiment...
- Personnel to lab...
The experiments never stopped.
Even with failures or issues, they continued.
'Does that mean they're still experimenting now?'
It started as light speculation.
- No major issues capturing D-zone test subjects so far...
But it quickly turned to suspicion.
A to D zones.
Specific places mentioned in the notes.
Residents were securing live humans there, and it seemed ongoing.
Creeak!
The last resident's house.
He'd witnessed them stuffing a note into the safe.
'They store all experiment records in safes and warehouses?'
As experiment logs.
'Yeah, no one sneaks into their homes, and even if they did, they can't pick locks...'
Safe to collect and exchange records.
'A to D zones.'
The problem was where those zones were.
'Haven't seen residents going to other streets much...'
At most, shopping district.
Or craft district.
He'd even tailed some, but no leads.
'The route for capturing and moving test subjects.'
Without that, he couldn't dig deeper.
'Something smells off.'
Hidden piece.
A massive secret enveloping the whole small city.
He'd uncovered a piece through theft.
All that remained was turning suspicion to certainty.
But he needed solid proof or to witness it himself.
That's why he was hiding in the last house, but nothing yet.
'Am I just wasting time?'
As impatience grew.
Drag-
Suddenly, strange noises from downstairs.
Drag, drrrag-
Like pushing something open.
Listening intently, Luke froze.
'It stopped?'
Even pressing his ear to the floor, no more sounds.
'...'
His gaze naturally drifted to the stairs.
The urge to go down and check surged.
But it was risky.
If caught, guards would swarm, and no more investigating experiments.
'Killing to silence is high-risk right now.'
What to do.
'...What else.'
If he wasn't caught, problem solved.
Luke gripped Braincleaver confidently and descended cautiously.
The first-floor hallway felt empty of presence.
'No one.'
Hallway.
'Here too.'
Living room.
'Here too.'
Kitchen, basic rooms—no residents.
'Then only that room.'
The room at the hall's end that had bugged him.
Door slightly ajar, as if recently used.
Gulp!
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Sticking to the wall, he approached.
Peeking through the door gap.
'No... what's that?!'
A desk pushed aside.
And a large hole where the desk had been.
The resident must have gone through; room empty.
Hidden space.
No, a hidden passage maybe.
'A passage inside the house.'
Circumstantially, likely the test subject transport route.
Meaning a zone at the end for capturing them.
'If I'm checking, now.'
Who knows when another chance.
So Luke entered without hesitation.
'Did he already head to the zone?'
Straight underground passage ahead.
Torchlight on walls.
No residents visible, as expected.
As expected.
A hidden piece.
First discovery, no less.
'Good, before they grab more test subjects...'
Check the end.
Luke dashed forward.
After running a while.
'Exit!'
Stairs at the passage's end.
'Leads to the surface?'
Upward stairs.
Luke looked around, then climbed.
A worn, shabby door appeared.
'...'
Ear to the door—no sounds beyond, luckily.
'This old door wouldn't block sound well.'
Trap possible, of course.
'Zones in notes all inside city. Test subjects are live humans captured directly.'
Meaning capturing takes time, whatever method.
Right now, shortly after resident left, was the chance.
Creeeak!
Door opened slowly.
A stench wafted in.
Familiar smell.
Familiar sight of trash strewn about.
'This is...'
His face hardened at the familiar street.
'The slums?'