Chapter 42
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Figured It All Out with One Click
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The Fixer's indifferent kick sent Joo Hyo-yeon flying several meters. She barely clung to life, vomiting blood.
'Feels like I'm dying... No sensation in my lower body...'
Excruciating pain made her consciousness flicker as her organs twisted and bones shattered throughout her body.
She glanced at the yin-yang sorcerer slowly burning to death. Soon, she'd end up the same way.
She had no idea what trick the Fixer had used, but he was incinerating the yin-yang sorcerer from the head down. Burning alive was supposed to be the most agonizing death.
She desperately wanted to get up and flee, but with no strength left even for that, Joo Hyo-yeon twitched her fingers, trying to muster one last spell.
'No... No strength... Out of spiritual power...'
The amplified physical abilities from the Blood Seal were barely keeping her alive, but once the time limit expired, it'd kill her instead.
She had few options left. Death was inevitable either way. She needed to try something before dying, but she had no cards to play.
In the end, she pulled out her last resort.
The "Stagnant Elixir of Eternal Life" taught by the Black Yao Society's leader.
'Hated to use it even in death... But it's all I have left...'
Joo Hyo-yeon summoned every last ounce of strength and moved her arm.
This was her only way out alive.
"Urk."
With great difficulty, she raised her arm and tore open her chest, drawing blood.
Bright red droplets fell from the gash, and soon, black water bubbled up from the pooled blood.
With no energy left and her spiritual power depleted, her final gambit was to rely on a great being and parasitize its power.
"...This flesh... I offer to you... King of the Silent Depths... Accept me... as your herald..."
As she chanted the incantation, all sounds around her vanished cleanly.
Joo Hyo-yeon suddenly envisioned herself cast into the middle of the ocean.
"Ah..."
Feet that couldn't touch the bottom.
The more she flailed, the deeper she sank.
Soon, a massive hand rose from below, seizing her body and dragging her down.
The bottomless abyss of the deep sea swallowed the sorceress whole.
Her body crumpled under the crushing pressure, soon smashed to pulp.
That was the vision she saw.
Splash.
With the sound of something plunging into water, Joo Hyo-yeon's body sank slowly to the mart floor like a drowned corpse.
Her vacant eyes stared at the sea, and her mind gradually submerged into the silent depths.
The flickering mart lights went out all at once, a fishy seawater stench filled the air, and an invisible ocean flooded the space.
Finally, gentle waves rolled in, granting the foolish self-sacrificer a new body free of wounds.
In exchange, the waves stole her intelligence.
The Proof of Faith incinerated Yu Ui-jin's head—and my right hand along with it.
The yin-yang sorcerer, writhing in agony as she burned, desperately shouted the burial site of the jar containing the vengeful spirits.
"Chungcheongbuk-do! Goesan-gu Uun! Simcheon! In... Big Baby Valley somewhere! There! It's there!"
As the yin-yang sorcerer screamed the location, the cross blazed even fiercer, as if fulfilling its role.
Soon, her body crumbled to a handful of ash and scattered.
With the sinner judged, the glowing Proof of Faith cooled rapidly, returning to normal without further heat.
Her body was completely incinerated, yet I only ended up with singed skin on my hand. The pain was real, but the cross spared my flesh.
"Stings a bit."
I brushed off the soot from my hand, then turned to finish off the sorceress I'd kicked away—only to find not the dying woman gasping for breath, but something entirely different standing there.
It was an incredibly alluring and beautiful... mermaid.
Green-tinged skin, hair turned to octopus tentacles, and kelp wrapped around vital areas.
Transformed into a monster, and now it even has a strategy. The original form must be utterly horrific.
Its appearance is surprisingly beautiful—probably the Baby Mode Pack making it look pretty only to me. No confidence in singing, so strategy's out.
Not that I planned to anyway.
'Abandoning humanity to survive. Pathetic to the end.'
What trick did the sorceress use to become an Incident-Class monster? She offered herself to take that form. Revived intact from near-death, likely at the cost of her humanity for new life.
Above all, the aura from that monster felt similar to the peculiar power used by the other Black Yao Society cultists at the Alcohol Ritual Hall.
A subtle resonance like gentle waves lapping. Probably connected to the god they worship.
"Vessel... God's... vessel..."
The Herald of the Deep Sea, half-submerged in the floor, muttered "vessel" at me before diving deeper.
Splash.
With the sound of plunging water, she swam through the floor toward me.
Probably planning to grab my ankle, drag me under, wedge me between concrete and earth, and crush me.
"Whoa..!?"
"Incident-Class won't cut it. Saw the yin-yang sorcerer get wrecked and still charge in like an idiot. Intelligence must've dropped."
"Ah.. aa..!"
As expected, she grabbed my ankle to pull me under. I slammed my arm into the floor instead, seized the mermaid's head below, and yanked her up.
She dangled from my arm, lifted up as if questioning what was happening.
Incident-Class is no match. Needed Disaster-Class at least. And if she could swim through the floor, why not flee instead of attacking again?
Maybe becoming a monster lowered her intelligence? Likely. Fish are generally dumb. From that angle, Joo Hyo-yeon probably regressed mentally into a mermaid.
"What a catch."
"Ah..! Aaa...!"
"Speak human language. You talked fine earlier. Why can't you now?"
"Wa... Waaater..."
Her neck gills fluttered; probably needs water to speak.
Then I should submerge her again.
"I'll tuck you into the earth so you can breathe."
"Ah, aaa..!"
I hoisted the thrashing Herald of the Deep Sea high and slammed her down.
Bam!
Her face smashed into the floor, crumpling. After a few repeats, she went limp like a dead octopus, motionless.
She swam through the floor fine alone, but when I forced her under, her power failed, and she shattered pathetically.
The blood-vomiting defrocked monk, the ash-burned yin-yang sorcerer, and the monster-fied sorceress—all dead.
The Black Yao Society's boasted Three Evils of Cessation were decisively eliminated.
Beauty doesn't mean mercy. Evil must be judged regardless of looks.
Punished the sinners.
Rewards granted.
Eliminating the Three Evils began restoring the mart from its backworld state.
As the mart reverted naturally, the quest resolved successfully.
Leveled up too. Gained a ton of EXP from the academic festival, apparently, for such quick gains.
Check rewards later. With the mart restoring and staff likely returning soon, contact the Anomaly Management Department first.
Three dead bodies—two unrecognizable, one a bloody pulp. If discovered, it'd be a headache. The mart's trashed from battle; handling alone is tough.
"Ah, hello? Yes, Agent. Well, the thing is..."
I reported to Agent Park Jae-hyeon and requested backup.
Last time rescuing Han Ye-rim, his help dealt with police. Should work again.
Having a government contact is convenient.
"Ah, wait at the scene? Got it."
Agent Park said he'd come to the scene himself due to the severity, so wait with the corpses.
'The kids are waiting.'
Midnight soon. Promised to head back quick, but it'll be later.
Contact Yu-ha first, then check rewards while waiting.
Quest reward: Thick wad of cash and an item dropped.
"Hm? Buried god?"
A paper talisman like the Nameless Charm dropped. Picking it up reveals it's a directive talisman to awaken a "buried god."
'Wait, buried god...'
Doesn't that mean the Earth-Scorching Ghost King the Black Yao Society was trying to awaken?
So, the revival talisman they desperately sought—but failed to find, turning to the Nameless Charm—is now in my hands?
Sorry, Black Yao folks. Everything you wanted is mine now.
Even reveals where the Earth-Scorching Ghost King is buried.
'Head to Shinbul Mountain and find Sotdo.'
Quick search: Mountain in Ulsan.
Beat the Black Yao there, awaken the Earth-Scorching Ghost King first, and make a wish—what happens then?
Feels like snatching Dragon Balls midway.
They prepared for ages. I crushed their long-cherished dream in under a week.
Feels like shattering the Black Yao Society's all-out efforts with one click.
'Might as well claim the level-up rewards while waiting for Agent Park.'
Claimed everything. Boosted Vitality again. Other stats overflow already; just keep pumping Vitality and Mind.
'Skills...'
Choose exactly one.
Folklore Tracking
Identifies unknown regional folklore, native faiths, ghost stories, etc.
Expanded Detection
Detects over wider areas and senses lifeforms.
Lie Detection
Discerns lies from expressions and reactions.
Three options again.
Chose "Folklore Tracking," the Fixer-exclusive skill. Job-specific skills make anomaly tracking easier.
'Now I have all three core Fixer skills.'
Essential basics: "Ancient Text Deciphering," "Humanities Knowledge," and now "Folklore Tracking."
With these, tracking anomalies and incidents becomes effortless.
Random three skills per level-up, and landing job-exclusives consecutively is pure luck.
Well, with 70 Luck, it's fitting.
Folklore Tracking
Acquired the skill, and Folklore Tracking activated immediately.
As the dead Herald of the Deep Sea entered my view, lore on it flooded my mind, easily revealing info on the Black Yao Society's ancient god.
"Silent Sea Ghost King..."
The intel from Folklore Tracking was vast.
The power they borrowed came from a "submerged god"—a native entity called the Silent Sea Ghost King, a sea god.
Like the Earth-Scorching Ghost King, its history traced back to the Three Kingdoms era.
'That's why the church priests swarmed the West Sea.'
As the name implied, the Silent Sea Ghost King was the Earth-Scorching Ghost King's twin. The Black Yao Society awakened it first, aiming to rouse its sibling too.
What did they plan with these two sleeping elder gods?
I could easily guess the reason.
"Way crazier than I thought."
The Black Yao Society wasn't just awakening elder gods for national overthrow or world conquest.
They sought to twist this land's climate, collapsing civilization entirely.
Through mass deaths, their leader aimed for "something." Korean sacrifices for ascension, followed by his cultists.
The Black Yao Society was far more vile a cult than imagined.
Now what?
I skipped all their prep with one skill click and uncovered your goals and power source.
Just take down the leader, and it's over. Squeeze out every last remnant of the Black Yao Society.