Chapter 32
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: An Invitation from the Society
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Startled by a sudden scream echoing from downstairs, I hurried to the first floor. The coffee shop part-timer was hopping around in a panic, not knowing what to do.
"What happened?"
"Th-there! Something's moving inside that!"
"Pardon?"
I checked where the part-timer was pointing. A mailbox was rattling away.
There were mailboxes set up behind the first-floor lobby for the building tenants, and it looked like one of them was having issues.
'No way, that's...'
Of all the bad luck, it was our office's mailbox that was shaking.
It was always empty except for the occasional utility bills like electricity or water. So what the hell had someone shoved inside?
"Looks like something arrived for me. I'll check what's in there, so don't worry and head back to the shop."
"Sh-shouldn't we call the police!? What if it's dangerous?"
"It's probably nothing. Looks like a prank, so I'll take a look alone."
After reassuring the part-timer and sending them back to the coffee shop, I slowly opened the mailbox.
[Name: Paper Bug Bearing a Breath]
[Risk Level: Caution]
[Classification: Shikigami, Vessel, Messenger]
[Basis: The Society's invitation, crafted from gathered insect souls]
[Extermination Method: Accept or incinerate]
As soon as I opened the mailbox, something burst out from inside.
"What the hell is this?"
It was a paper craft folded into the shape of a beetle.
Someone had origami'd paper into a bug and left it in the mailbox—and somehow breathed life into it, making it wriggle like the real thing.
This was an invitation from a mysterious society.
While examining the info window of the squirming paper bug, my skill activated naturally.
I began to understand the creator's occupation and the intricate techniques woven into this tiny craft.
It was literally infused with the souls of insects, capturing the spirits of lowly creatures in paper.
Infusing souls without leaving a trace on something this small couldn't have been easy.
Pouring this much care into a single invitation—probably to flaunt their prestige?
'Unnecessarily elaborate.'
Only an onmyoji or a shaman could pull this off, but the meticulous craftsmanship pointed more toward an onmyoji with exceptional artisan spirit.
To gather more info, I grabbed the wriggling paper bug and unfolded it completely.
The patterns drawn on the paper shifted on their own, reforming into neat invitation text.
『Talisman Gate Society』
[Invitation to the 65th New Talent Academic Festival]
We cordially invite you to the 65th New Talent Academic Festival.
This festival is a gathering to share the latest research on records and traditions embedded in talismans, as well as their creators.
Date: Five days after Grain Rain in the Year of the Wood Snake, during the Shen hour
Location: Ssangmun Women's University, Sullye Hall A2, Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul
Required Items: This invitation and at least one genuine Nameless Talisman
[Notes]
*Entry is restricted to invitees only. Only those possessing the invitation and a 'Nameless Talisman' may pass through the gate.
*Destroying or discarding the invitation will be treated as declining participation.
An invitation to an academic festival hosted by the Talisman Gate Society.
Five days after Grain Rain in the Year of the Wood Snake, during the Shen hour.
That meant the event started between 3 and 5 p.m. this Friday at Ssangmun Women's University in Ssangmun-dong.
Nothing suspicious so far. It seemed like a standard gathering for shamans.
But the required items and notes raised red flags.
'Nameless Talisman?'
[Name: Nameless Talisman x3]
[Risk Level: Caution]
[Classification: Talisman, Tool, Throwable]
[Basis: Produces a mysterious effect—the 'currently needed effect']
[Usage: Apply to target or hurl it]
The Nameless Talismans were rewards from conquering the Cursed Mountain Lodge.
I hadn't obtained them through any traceable channels or routes others could sniff out—it was pure, out-of-the-blue loot. So how did they know I had them?
I'd never even used one once.
Questions piled up: How had the society detected my possession of the Nameless Talismans? And how did they get my address?
'I've used seal characters like Seal, Bind, and Open plenty of times. But I've never once revealed a Nameless Talisman. And yet they figured it out.'
They must have some method to detect Nameless Talismans.
The fact they'd pinpointed it so quickly and sent an invite meant the Talisman Gate Society was a force to be reckoned with.
"Hubby, what's that...?"
"No idea. It's an invite to some academic festival. Debating whether to go or ignore it."
"Is it dangerous...?"
"Dangerous? Well..."
I doubted anything too bad would happen, but it could drag me into unnecessary trouble.
It was a group I'd never heard of, so I needed to investigate first.
"Then... why don't you ask those people you always question about stuff?"
"The gallery?"
"Yeah... You always post questions there for unknowns..."
Sowol had a point. Time to query the World of Doom Gallery.
It was handy to treat it like a knowledge encyclopedia when tangled with mysteries.
After purging the crazies, trolls, and lurking anomalies, the World of Doom Gallery had become a treasure trove of info. Answers usually came through.
I snapped a photo of the invitation and posted it to the World of Doom Gallery with a question.
[Title: Invited to a society—what is this?]
(Photo attached)
Woke up to a moving invitation in my mailbox.
They call themselves the Talisman Gate Society—anyone know them?
It had been a while since I'd posted. Gallery users started commenting one by one.
Most were welfare checks or "no idea" replies—useless noise. But one had real info on the Talisman Gate Society.
"Huh? This person..."
It was the same veteran who'd given detailed answers when I'd asked about the Cursed Mountain Lodge before.
I'd memo'd "Veteran" next to their ID code, so I spotted it right away.
Talisman Gate folks are a talisman fetishist club. You've tangled with the weirdos—
This user clocked it the moment they saw my post.
True to veteran status. I didn't know their full story, but their guides like the "World of Doom Survival Manual" often hit concept-post quality.
Probably someone who'd survived years in the brutal World of Doom without Baby Mode.
"What do they say...? Dangerous place?"
"Dangerous, yeah. Cult-like group. Talisman obsessives—otakus among onmyoji, spirit mediums, and shamans."
"Ah..."
So the Talisman Gate Society was where Korea's espers who were especially fixated on talismans gathered. Every member had encountered a Nameless Talisman somewhere—copy, replica, whatever—and fallen for its allure. They'd formed the society to hunt the original.
In short, this New Talent Festival was basically a networking meetup for folks craving Nameless Talismans.
"Guess someone in the society wants to snag my Nameless Talisman. Can't cut loose in the city, so they're luring me to their turf. Translation: the invite might be a trap."
"Then... shouldn't you skip it...?"
"Hmm."
That was worth pondering.
According to the veteran, the Talisman Gate was a nest of fanatic talisman lovers—but also a place where you could get help. Not black-and-white logic.
Besides, I had three Nameless Talismans. What if I traded one for cash or better artifacts?
'With Ancient Text Deciphering and Humanities Literacy, I could eventually whip up replicas...'
Sure, they'd be inferior copies, but I could probably replicate similar effects.
I wasn't attached to originals—similar performance was fine, replica or not. I even preferred mass-producible copies.
Handing one original to obsessives in exchange for something bigger? Solid deal.
"Kinda curious how much I can squeeze out of them. Might go check."
"Then... I'll come too..."
"Not sure if you can tag along."
"Huh...?"
Unfortunately, the note said "entry forbidden to non-invitees."
Talisman Gate members were secretive, sharp-eyed, and paranoid. Bringing Sowol might make them bail on meeting me altogether.
"Still, hide in the ring properly and come along. If you conceal your presence well, they might let it slide."
The talisman junkies were them, after all.
I was going out of curiosity about the group and potential gains. They'd desperately want the original Nameless Talisman, so they might overlook Sowol.
The festival was this Friday, so I'd prepare accordingly until then.