Chapter 40
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Chapter 40
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Mobilizing Allies
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As we exited the Alcohol Arts Hall, the sun had already set.
The Twin Gates Women's University campus was pitch black, save for a few research labs; not a soul was in sight.
A glance at my watch showed it was already past 10 p.m.
Bungbung had been waiting for us for over five hours.
"Bungbung! Over here!"
I waved my hand and called out. Bungbung, who had been dozing in the public parking lot, flashed its headlights and pulled up in front of the building.
One might think it would have scampered off somewhere far away, but Bungbung clearly recognized me as its owner. When I told it to wait, it stayed put without distraction.
"W-What... is this...?"
"The car... is moving on its own..."
Yu-ha, having ridden in Bungbung several times before, casually opened the passenger door and took her seat. But Yoo-rim Go and Ha-yeon Jeong stood frozen in front of it, unsure what to do.
That was the typical reaction for first-timers.
"Get in quick. We need to go."
"O-Okay. Let's go, Yu-rim."
"Y-Yeah... Got it, sis..."
Ha-yeon Jeong took Yoo-rim Go's hand like a protective older sister and led her to Bungbung.
I told the two, who had awkward expressions as they climbed into the back seat, to buckle up, then set Bungbung off.
The Black Yao Society was known to be particularly active at "deep night," so it was best to hole up in a safe place once darkness fell.
"Bungbung, take us back to the office, fast."
At my request to get to the office as quickly as possible, Bungbung tore through the roads at incredible speed, taking shortcuts I didn't even know existed to avoid traffic.
It was as if it had its own built-in navigation; Bungbung knew Seoul's layout almost perfectly.
"M-Mister! Isn't this too fast!?"
"Hoho... Looks like Bungbung's excited."
Thanks to that, we arrived at the office quickly.
I sent the kids up to the third floor first, then immediately activated my administrator privileges.
[Special Area Designation Authority]
▼ Article 4
Absolute domain creation and registrant designation authority over the entire building.
Note: Capable of temporary spatial stabilization via external interference blocking and distortion resistance.
Using Article 4 of the administrator privileges, I created an absolute domain over the entire building, excluding the first-floor coffee shop. If I included the shop, customers couldn't come, so I left it out... but I could monitor for issues beforehand, so this should suffice.
It was the bare minimum measure anyway. With the situation unpredictable, I had to do my best.
"Restrict entry to unauthorized personnel."
This should keep most out.
Of course, if the Black Yao Society came at us in force, they'd try every trick in the book to get in. But at least direct entry through the front door would be blocked by the absolute domain.
"Next up..."
I wasn't sure if he'd pick up at this hour, but I called Yu-ha's guardian, Taoist Moon Seon-woo first.
He was always busy and hard to reach even normally, but since this involved Yu-ha, I needed to inform him quickly.
-Unable to connect. Beep. Connecting to voicemail. Call charges will apply.
As expected, no answer.
True to form for someone who roamed the nation taking down major to disaster-class anomalies, he turned his phone off at night.
Still, I sent a text so he could grasp the situation later.
'Alright, next...'
I decided to contact everywhere I could for help.
I didn't need to shoulder this alone. First up, Sister Shin Seo-hyeon.
Now that I'd uncovered that the Black Yao Society worshipped some unknown ancient god and aimed to awaken the Earth-Shattering Ghost King, labeling them heretics should bring church aid.
A group specialized in heretic hunts wouldn't ignore them.
"Hello? Yes, Sister. Sorry to call so late."
Luckily, Sister Shin Seo-hyeon picked up.
I quickly explained today's events and handed over all info on the Black Yao Society.
Her standing in the church had risen significantly after the Andromalius subjugation, so she promised to push for maximum church involvement.
Church done; now Buddhism.
'You messed with the wrong people...'
Flame Rock Hye-ryeong Monk was a rising star in the White Lotus Order with thick support. Plus, with the Cursed Mountain Lodge raid and Woo-hyeon Monk's rescue, I'd made my mark with the Korean Buddhist Association too.
And the Earth-Shattering Ghost King was clearly some Eastern evil deity analogue from its name. No way Buddhism would sit idle if it awakened.
Unlike the church's heretic-hunting specialty, Buddhism excelled at sealing and guarding ancient evils—they'd jump at this.
"Hello, Monk. Sorry for the late hour. I heard about an ancient evil reviving..."
Flame Rock Hye-ryeong Monk was shocked at the news of the potential Earth-Shattering Ghost King awakening and the Black Yao Society's involvement, then promised to handle the matter gravely.
Perfect. Two calls, and I'd pulled in the church and Buddhism. The Black Yao Society was no longer a secret society—it was an evil organization ripe for extermination.
With their intel shared, I expected contacts from them soon.
The group at the forefront of anomaly incidents in Korea, with unmatched info networks...
"Ah, Agent. Long time."
The Anomaly Management Department called first. At Agent Park Jae-hyeon's question about what I knew of the Black Yao Society, I spilled everything I'd gathered.
Secrecy? Quiet handling? Not my style.
If the enemy hid in shadows, drag them into the light and smash them together.
The church or Buddhism might've handled it internally due to their structures; the Anomaly Department would've struggled for inter-group cooperation.
But as a freelance fixer and sole proprietor, I could do this. The top perk of the job.
Taoist Moon Seon-woo would rally the Lunar Blossom Sect's guardians upon reading my text and crush the Black Yao Society for targeting his cherished disciple and goddaughter.
He'd hunt them like rats, eyes blazing.
The Black Yao Society's options were few: disband, go deep underground... or kill me, steal the nameless registry, and awaken the king before others struck.
Deep down, I hoped they'd come to me.
"Phew."
For now, a breather.
With contacts made everywhere possible, I just had to watch and wait.
I summoned Sowol from the ring and headed up to the office.
"Kyaaah!"
"Guhk..."
Yoo-rim Go, seeing Sowol in the flesh for the first time, screamed. Ha-yeon Jeong gulped.
They'd been awkwardly seated on the office sofa when Sowol appeared, and now they averted their eyes in terror.
I sat Sowol between the two, then addressed Yu-ha.
"Yu-ha."
"Yes, Mister...?"
"As you can see, things have gotten weird. For the time being, no going back to your place—stay in this building. I contacted your master, so expect a call."
"Okay..."
I told Yu-ha she couldn't return to her room, grabbed drinks from the fridge for the kids, handed them out, and sat down.
Time for a talk.
"First, to explain to Yu-ha: these two are Ha-yeon Jeong and Yoo-rim Go, survivors of the academic festival. This is Nam Yu-ha. You're all around the same age, so get along for now."
"Of course."
"Ugh..."
"Yes! Got it, Fixer!"
Yu-ha nodded naturally. Yoo-rim Go, next to Sowol, seemed half-dazed. Ha-yeon Jeong, spooked by Sowol, replied loudly with honorifics—clearly well-mannered. Rebellious kids needed a handler; it socialized them.
"M-Mister. What exactly happened? I haven't gotten a clear explanation."
"Was just about to. Listen up, you two."
To Yu-ha's question, I gave a condensed rundown on the nameless registry and Black Yao Society.
I explained Ha-yeon and Yoo-rim's situation to her and that I'd give them a spare room here for a while.
Finally, multiple groups would intervene, wrapping things up quickly.
"Oh yeah, you two aren't going to school, right?"
"N-No... We dropped out of middle school..."
"Same here, Fixer."
"Then you two just stay put. Yu-ha, call school tomorrow and say you can't attend. Got it?"
"Yes..."
Yu-ha, as an athletic specialist, could skip anytime with a teacher's note.
Her master Moon Seon-woo was some intangible cultural asset; Yu-ha just aimed to graduate high school and had more freedom than regular students.
"Um, Mister."
"Yeah?"
"Today's events... They were necessary, right?"
After briefing, Yu-ha pulled me aside. Her eyes held faint unease.
She must've been shocked seeing me dispatch all those sorcerers.
For a girl not yet of age, the scenes were brutal.
"Necessary. Had to be me... or it wouldn't get done. If you're disappointed or scared of me now... leave once the Black Yao mess ends."
If she felt uncomfortable, let her go. Her master would understand. Yu-ha had grown plenty via Sowol anyway.
"N-No, I don't want to leave. I just wanted confirmation from you."
"Got it. Sorry for worrying you. Letting them live would've caused issues. Some already had. So... I handled it."
"Okay... That's enough. If your heart's clear, no doubts, full conviction... I support you."
Yu-ha returned to normal, as if my words dispelled her inner doubts.
"You'll stay here tonight, so I'll grab essentials and food. Hungry?"
"I-I'm fine..."
Grrrowl.
"Ah."
Ha-yeon Jeong's stomach growled as she spoke.
They'd skipped dinner, trembling in fear till nightfall.
"No deliveries—too risky. I'll get takeout. Yu-ha, can you eat?"
"Uh... Stomach's still off..."
Yu-ha still looked unwell.
Seeing all those bodies killed her appetite.
"Got it. Rest easy with Sowol. I'll be quick."
"U-Um... This anomaly...? Sowol, right...?"
"Yeah. She won't harm you, so don't be too scared."
"O-Oh. Okay..."
Yoo-rim Go nodded stiffly.
I get it's scary, but unavoidable. Sowol would handle any trouble while I was out.
"Sowol, you know?"
"Yes... Darling... Just guard these kids...?"
"Yeah. Thanks. And when I get back... we'll do that."
Sowol nodded vigorously, ready for the task.
After devouring so many sorcerers, Sowol seemed ripe for 'evolution'—upgrading to disaster-class.
Boost her rank when I returned. It'd take time, so not right now.
'Oh, right. Before I go...'
I grabbed my wallet, left the office, and took the elevator.
Pressed 6.
-Ding.
-6th floor. 6th floor.
The doors opened to a pitch-black hallway shrouded in darkness. From the inky void, Elevator-chan approached shyly.
Seeing her often lately, I could tell she was inwardly pleased.
"H-Hi..."
"Good to see you. Doing well?"
"Y-Yes... I-I'm fine... You...?"
"Wish I could say the same... As you see."
"Oh..."
My clothes were still caked in blood. No time to change.
Elevator-chan looked up, as if asking what happened.
"Got tangled with some unpleasant folks."
"Unpleasant... folks...?"
"Yes. Weirdos called the Black Yao Society—they're after me and my friends' lives."
"Wha...?"
The elevator shook.
Lights flickered; the floor number shot up wildly, stopping at 666.
"Where... are they...?"
"Not sure. Seem to move via the back world, but intel's fuzzy."
"Black Yao... Any more... details...?"
I shared everything I knew: night prowls, strange god-linked powers, behavior patterns.
Elevator-chan nodded.
"I'll make them... lost forever... Can't forgive..."
"Thanks if you do. Always a big help."
"No... Absolutely block... elevators to the outside world..."
Now the Black Yao Society couldn't easily use elevators.
Key for back-world travel, but she'd hinder them massively.
"See you. Visit again soon."
"Y-Yes... Anytime..."
Elevator-chan waved, returning to the 6th floor.
Help requested from all possible sources.
"Need kids' clothes, towels, blankets too..."
My bloodied coat was trash-bagged. I hit a nearby big mart for the memoed items.
Grab stuff and clothes for the kids, pack pre-ordered food, done.
Simple errand.
"...Already started."
Just an hour and a half since leaving Alcohol Arts Hall, yet the Black Yao Society seemed to have grasped everything.
When presences in the mart nearly vanished, I realized.
'Trapped.'
Mart turned otherworld? Or lured into their turf?
Couldn't tell the method yet, but they planned to trap and kill me here.
Maybe targeting the kids at the office too.
'Three presences approaching.'
Three assassins closing in.
Leagues beyond the academic festival small fry.
Probably Black Yao Society executive-class sorcerers.
The Black Yao Society responded faster than expected.
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