Chapter 39
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Picking Up the Girls
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The two girls hiding in the storage room were too terrified to even lift their heads.
They seemed to have fallen into complete panic upon realizing their eavesdropping had been discovered.
Having been caught red-handed by the very person who had just killed spirit artists bare-handed moments ago, they had no idea what punishment awaited them. It was understandable to be scared.
"Hey, kids. Answer me. How much did you overhear?"
"W-We... we didn't hear anything... really, nothing at all..."
"...We didn't properly hear a thing."
Lies. I could definitely sense the faint ripples.
A typical spirit artist wouldn't have detected their eavesdropping at all.
How confident must they have been in their skills to pull off something so bold even as people were dying outside?
Was it the recklessness unique to kids, or overconfidence from lack of experience?
Whatever it was, they couldn't escape my perception. With an Awareness stat of 50, I can see through most stealth or tricks.
Even Yuryeong, the secretary of the renowned academy, couldn't hide her transparent stealth from my eyes.
Normally, with so much information flooding in, I keep my senses half-shut and don't scan the surroundings this sharply. But when I fully activate them, it's hard to slip past my eyes and ears.
While hunting the corrupted spirit artists in the venue, I'd cranked my senses to full throttle. I might not catch everything outside, but inside, I could grasp it all.
"If you keep lying, scary things will happen until you answer properly."
"Eek... S-Silence... Let's answer... We're already busted..."
"..."
The girl wearing the pitch-black orb over her head, called Silence, finally spilled what she'd heard.
She seemed to decide there was no point hiding anymore and laid it all out.
"We heard that the real Nameless Cloth is in your hands... and that a cult group called the Black Yao Society will come after you..."
"So you heard all the important stuff."
"I-It wasn't like we wanted to eavesdrop... We were just checking the situation outside..."
"No excuses needed. Unfortunately, you've learned that I have the real Nameless Cloth and gained info on the group after it."
"Are you... going to kill us?"
Of course, I had no intention of killing them.
But knowing they'd get ideas if I eased up too soon, I let the tension linger a bit.
These girls needed taming. From the atmosphere to their actions, it felt just like dealing with the runaway kids from Bucheon-dong.
To properly lead immature, rebellious kids, you need to show some sternness first. So I silently stared down at the two girls.
It was partly to scan their detailed info and partly to let their fear build in the silence.
The girl with the mosaic over her face was unusually self-taught in sorcery.
To master sorcery from internet scraps without formal teaching and apply it to modern tech—freak didn't cover it; she was a genius.
She looked useful. With media anomalies like ASMR on the rise, modern sorcery's value would only grow over old-school stuff.
Unlike Go Yu-rim, whose thinking had shut down from fear, the onmyoji Jeong Ha-yeon with the black orb over her head was still racking her brain for survival.
Her fierce will to escape alive was clear. As Haecheonmun's 'sole survivor,' her survival skills must be top-notch.
Yu-rim and Ha-yeon both had the skills to compete here. Yu-ha was exceptionally talented for her age too, but these two were talents too precious to vanish in a place like this.
Yet without adults to rely on, they felt precarious. Why was that?
"I won't kill you, but for now, you'll stick with me."
"Y-Yes...?"
"Stick with you? What do you plan to do with us?"
The onmyoji Jeong Ha-yeon asked suspiciously. Coming from Busan, she had a sharp personality. Or maybe just her speech?
Ha-yeon seemed rough-raised, fearing me yet holding firm. Unlike the frail-looking Yu-rim, she was like a wild animal.
"No plans to do anything. Protection's the goal. Do you have anywhere to go back to?"
"We..."
Neither Yu-rim nor Ha-yeon could properly answer my question.
Their clothes were ragged, and they both looked unwell.
I wasn't even sure if they ate properly.
"Do you have parents?"
"..."
"No..."
"Homes? Somewhere to sleep?"
"...No."
"Right now... we bounce between saunas... and PC bangs."
I'd asked just in case, but neither had parents, as expected. If they did, they wouldn't be wandering like this.
I didn't know Yu-rim's circumstances, but Ha-yeon likely lost hers when Haecheonmun was wiped out.
"Couldn't find any adults to lean on, huh."
"...It's a long story."
"W-We were used."
"Used?"
"Yes... They imprisoned us... and exploited us..."
Ha-yeon tried to hold back, but Yu-rim couldn't and poured out their past.
Yu-rim even removed her mosaic, tears streaming as she stammered through it.
It was a tragic tale.
Orphanage-raised Yu-rim was adopted by a cult leader and exploited her whole childhood without leaving. Ha-yeon, seeking help from out-of-town onmyoji after losing her parents, got kidnapped by the same group and forced to work.
"And you escaped together?"
"Y-Yes... H-Hayeon got me out..."
"Crazy."
Exploited since childhood, Yu-rim lacked independence. Ha-yeon, with sharp survival instincts, dragged her out of the cult.
They fled to Seoul, living as runaways until an invite arrived at their hideout abandoned building.
"Who sends invites to two kids with no proper place?"
"No idea. But it said we were invited, and we knew the Nameless Cloth rumors, so we came. Honestly, we wanted to snatch your Nameless Cloth, mister. But we sensed we couldn't win and hid here."
Ha-yeon's survival instincts kicked in again.
She'd gauged I was unbeatable, grabbed Yu-rim, and hid in the storage room.
Eavesdropping was to gather info for survival, but they got caught.
They'd trusted their skills too much. Frogs in a well, arrogant.
"Street spirit artists couldn't handle our combo... but you spotted us instantly."
"Overconfident or arrogant? Street fakes are plentiful, so you two could fool them easy. But act rash in the real world, and you die."
Ha-yeon removed her black orb and nodded.
She was a normal-looking girl underneath.
"Alright, story time's over. I'll take you both to my building first. Meals and essentials provided. Hide there until I wipe out the Black Yao Society."
"You're... taking us in?"
"Not officially. Temporary protection till you can stand alone. How old are you?"
"I'm 19, Yu-rim's 17."
"Around Yu-ha's age, huh."
"Huh? Yu-ha?"
"There's a spirit medium your age named Yu-ha."
Ha-yeon and Yu-rim would help Yu-ha grow.
Kids the same age compete and improve naturally.
All three had talent I recognized: Yu-ha as spirit medium, Yu-rim as sorcerer, Ha-yeon as onmyoji.
Three young spirit artists together? Synergy potential.
"Outside's Mountain Lord Kang Sanjung, a big shot, so greet him nicely. Black Yao are persistent as you overheard. Step out of safe zone, who knows what happens. Got it?"
Ha-yeon nodded, grasping the warning: death in unknown ways outside safety.
My Fixer Office building had 'admin rights' for protection. Outside? Black Yao attacks.
Yu-ha should stay there too. Tell Taoist Moon Seon-woo the situation.
I led the two girls out of the storage room.
Kang Sanjung, guarding Yu-ha, approached waving.
"Who are those kids?"
"Hiding in storage. Taking them temporarily. Thanks for watching Yu-ha, Mountain Lord."
"Hoho, no big deal. That anomaly... yours? Quite... hoo."
Kang Sanjung eyed Sowol, neatly packed with human skin hides.
To others, she'd look insanely dangerous.
"Yes. My anomaly."
"Ho... You a sorcerer? Onmyoji?"
"Neither. Just a fixer."
"I see... She's fully under your control?"
"Of course. Sowol! Let's go!"
At my call, Sowol grinned wide and returned to her ring. Kang Sanjung watched, chuckled in disbelief, and patted my shoulder.
"No idea what trick, but handling a disaster-level anomaly so easily means a deep bond. Won't pry."
"Appreciate it."
"Hoho. Met a quirky one. Fun."
Kang Sanjung didn't push on Sowol, deeming it pointless.
Luckily, no demands to eliminate her here—that'd be trouble.
He seemed disinterested beyond his mountain. Worldly matters for others.
"Want to chat more, but gotta go. Yuryeong's dead, barrier breaking. Need to catch the rat too. Set a date later. Waiting at Seoraksan."
"Got it. Will visit."
Satisfied, Kang Sanjung hurried off.
The Heavenly Stealth fog over Sulye Hall lifted, barrier dissolving.
Time for us to leave. Sulye Hall linked to the back world—outside barrier gone, inside collapses too.
Bodies and blood would vanish. Planned for evidence wipe.
"M-Mister..."
"Yu-ha, I know you have lots to say. Later—out now."
"Okay..."
Yu-ha looked ready to talk, but no time.
The stage crumbled, space shaking.
Linger, and we'd get flung to some back world spot.
Like Cursed Mountain Lodge collapse. Had to escape fast.
"You two run too. Car outside—hop in and go."
"Yes...!"
"Understood."
Grabbed everyone, bolted from Sulye Hall.
Regret. Wanted to browse exhibits more.
No time to snag crafts—space vanished too quick.
The onmyoji Kitsune attended the academic festival to confirm the Nameless Cloth.
Eyes on evading Kang Sanjung, he targeted Osa Madam alone to quietly eliminate her.
But shockingly, a blinding light seared his eyes, Osa irrelevant.
'That strong...? Not human.'
The hand on Osa's throat wielded unfathomable power.
A monster in human skin.
Kitsune instinctively knew: enter the venue, disaster.
His judgment spot-on. Entering meant death.
'That guy's probably the fixer with the Nameless Cloth. Knew he was strong, but not this much—should've sent someone else.'
To avoid detection, Kitsune hid his presence, fled far from the venue into exhibit shadows.
Didn't want near that monster. Presence alone terrified.
Quickest-witted attendee, Kitsune slinked away slyly, dodging disaster.
Black Yao grunts slaughtered sans executive? No issue—recruits anytime.
Priority: his survival.
Confirming Nameless owner disaster-class+? Mission accomplished.
Even if he died inside, Black Yao would've called it success.
'Why die early?'
Soon, catastrophe ended—barrier lifted, entrance opened.
Kitsune bolted first, vanishing.
Unaware a massive bear trailed, more cunning than the fox.
Confirming no fox corpse, the bear stealthily pursued its sly prey.