Chapter 81
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Gathering of Monster Lovers
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Late in the evening, a guest arrived.
The sun had already set, and it was time to close up the office.
Anyone showing up now couldn't be called a guest—they'd be an intruder.
Or rather, wasn't that thing more like a plague god?
Fungus sorcerers were among the trickiest yin-yang masters to deal with, the kind you never wanted to tangle with unless you had no choice.
Once a fight with one started, they scattered spores everywhere in an instant, unleashing all sorts of diseases and causing excruciating skin itchiness and pain at the same time.
You'd end up clawing at your own flesh until bone showed—that was the nightmare of battling a fungus sorcerer.
You might win, but it never felt like a victory. Even if you came out on top, the fungal infections often left permanent aftereffects, which was why they topped the list of beings to avoid.
It wasn't so much fear as sheer disgust that made people steer clear.
"I've come to relay a message. Do you have time?"
A bright smile masked obvious tension.
Lee Hye-ri was definitely on edge right now.
'Still, the aura she's giving off is pretty strong.'
At least on par with a demon-rank, right?
She had every reason to be confident in her abilities.
Someone at this level was likely one of the House of Moss's top fighters.
They'd drawn their heaviest sword right from the start.
The House of Moss had a habit of obsessively digging into anyone they had to face. These guys weren't just sneaky—they avoided fights they couldn't win.
So before sending a messenger, they'd probably gathered every scrap of intel on me they could. And the result was dispatching a half-human, half-yo fungus sorcerer.
Lee Hye-ri, being half-human half-yo, would have several times the vitality of a normal person, and as a fungus sorcerer, she was a walking biological weapon. If she rampaged through the office and got killed here, dealing with her would be a nightmare.
Especially at this hour, when Yu-ha, Ha-yeon, and even Ye-rim were all inside the building.
If Lee Hye-ri died inside the Fixer Office or anywhere in this building, her funeral rites would trigger automatically—and instead of me, the kids upstairs would get infected and twisted by it.
Fight her, and it wouldn't be me who got hurt—it'd be the others. Kill her, and we'd pay a steep price. It was a silent warning.
'They must've developed some weird biases while investigating me. Did they think I might kill their messenger?'
There were three main reasons the House of Moss might fear me.
First, the academic festival massacre.
The talisman school's event had drawn tons of yin-yang masters and shamans. The Anonymous Charm itself was like a dream item for them, so plenty had gathered—and plenty had died.
Second, the White-Faced Bride.
Sowol had killed more yin-yang masters than any other spirit arts user. I'd heard a bunch of them tried taming disaster-rank Sowol and got wiped out. In a way, wasn't Sowol like a berserk button for yin-yang masters?
Third, my ties to hostile factions.
The House of Moss had stirred up so much trouble that they were on bad terms with most other groups. They were practically at war with the Lunar Blossom Sect, and the Church wanted them gone too. And I was friendly with both.
Those three reasons formed my hypothesis for why the House of Moss feared me.
From their perspective, I was extremely dangerous—but also someone they desperately needed help from right now.
That's probably why they sent Lee Hye-ri, a fungus sorcerer whose death would just cause headaches.
It wasn't about provoking me by sending her to the office—it was more like, "Killing her would get messy, so let's talk instead."
But getting treated like a yin-yang hater felt unfair.
I didn't kill them because I wanted to kill yin-yang masters! They just happened to be yin-yang masters when I killed them.
"Have a seat here."
I sat Lee Hye-ri in a chair.
If things turned violent, she'd die without question. She knew that too.
She'd end up torn apart miserably by my hand, just like those corrupt spirit arts users at the festival. Knowing that, this woman had stuck her head right into the tiger's jaws.
I didn't like how the House of Moss had sent a Lunar Blossom Sect demon-rank equivalent out of preemptive fear, but I respected Lee Hye-ri's courage in risking her life to come here.
This wasn't ordinary guts. I had to treat someone who'd steeled themselves for death with the respect it deserved.
I welcomed Lee Hye-ri. I offered her a chair, opened the fridge myself, and poured her some orange juice.
This was the best hospitality I could offer.
"B-before we start talking. It's an honor to meet the legendary Fixer in person. I'm Seo Hye-ji from Haewoon Life Insurance, specialists in spirit arts coverage."
Of course, Lee Hye-ri hid her real name like it was nothing.
Working at Haewoon Life was probably a lie too.
She clearly had no intention of revealing any personal details.
"I see. As you probably know, I'm Fixer Lee Do-hyun."
"Nice to meet you, Fixer."
Lee Hye-ri flashed a bright smile and naturally extended her hand.
It was so natural I almost grabbed it without thinking.
'Interesting. Asking for a handshake.'
Did she think I hadn't figured out her identity? Probably.
Lee Hye-ri didn't know her real name, affiliation, and job were already exposed.
The House of Moss still didn't realize I could instantly read an opponent's info.
Well, none of the yin-yang masters I'd faced so far had lived to report back, so that made sense.
No proper survivors meant they were judging me based on observed data alone.
'Should I take her hand? Or refuse?'
I decided not to shake Lee Hye-ri's hand.
A handshake with a fungus sorcerer? Too gross.
"Sorry, but I'll pass on the handshake. I don't like touching other people."
"Oh, I see. My apologies."
Lee Hye-ri awkwardly withdrew her hand with a laugh.
Shaking hands with a mold tamer who could unleash unknown diseases anytime was like inviting mushrooms to grow on your body.
Sure, my body wouldn't even bleed from a knife stab, so no real issue—but still gross.
"So, what's the purpose of your visit? You mentioned a good message. Not here to sell insurance, I hope?"
[Intimidation Aura activated.]
I put a little pressure on Lee Hye-ri.
I admired her courage in shoving her head into the tiger's mouth, but I wasn't about to let her seize control of the conversation.
I wanted her to lay her cards bare in front of me.
"Did I show up uninvited past closing time? Sorry, I didn't realize how late it was. C-can I come back tomorrow?"
"No. Where do you think you're going?"
"Ah..."
Sowol had snuck up behind Lee Hye-ri and pressed down hard on her shoulders as she tried to stand.
Now that she'd come this far, there was no escape.
She could spill her info willingly or get forced to cough it up.
I wanted to hear that "good message."
So Lee Hye-ri had to choose one.
"I'm suddenly curious why the House of Moss sent a fungus sorcerer here. Also why Hye-ri-ssi is using the alias Seo Hye-ji. And what intentions you have in contacting me."
Show your hand.
I already know who you are.
[Status: Tension, Bewilderment, Deception]
Confirming her cover blown, Lee Hye-ri let out a disbelieving laugh and sigh.
Even that laugh was an act. The "Deception" in her status meant she was still trying to fool me.
I could feel her desperately maintaining a poker face despite being on the verge of panic.
"As expected of your reputation. I didn't think you'd see through me right away. My face and real name aren't public. How did you know the moment you saw me?"
"I've got good eyes."
"Too good, maybe? How much did you figure out?"
"I know you're a half-breed too. Korean-Japanese mix. One side was an anomaly, right? And you're with the House of Moss's External Division?"
Lee Hye-ri's eyes filled with shock.
The look of facing something inhuman.
Pretending not to be scared. But she couldn't hide the emotions in her eyes.
It was pitiful how hard she tried not to show fear.
Of course, it didn't last long.
"You stink like mold. Go wash up."
"Filthy. Makes me want to burn her."
Ha-yul and Hong-ran, like kids who'd found a fun toy, flanked Lee Hye-ri and started teasing her.
They pinched the terrified, frozen woman's cheeks and blew in her ears.
Treating her like a literal plaything.
"Wh-who are these people...?"
Finally, cracks appeared in Lee Hye-ri's poker face.
Her smile vanished completely. She stared straight at me, unable to meet the eyes of the ear kings on either side.
She couldn't look away.
Just meeting their gaze would hurt.
"Family from the office. Hong-ran-ssi and Ha-yul-ssi."
"Hm. Moldy stuff doesn't sound appetizing..."
"Can I burn her? Please let me. I hate filth."
"You two, don't bully her too much. You're scaring Hye-ri-ssi."
Unable to endure anymore, Lee Hye-ri bit her lower lip and forced her eyes wide.
It looked like a desperate struggle to avoid full panic. Her mental strength was draining in real time.
And Sowol behind her was disaster-rank alone.
No matter how tricky fungus sorcerers were, that only applied to human-vs-human fights.
With calamity-rank anomalies casually pinching your cheeks on both sides, only a monster wouldn't be terrified.
"Truth is... I didn't know this place was this dangerous. Still, upper management thought I could talk to you as an equal. Totally wrong call. At this rate, I'm not even a discardable pawn..."
Lee Hye-ri rambled with a near-tearful expression.
No more "Deception" in her status.
She was utterly terrified.
I released the intimidation and openly warned her.
"Lee Hye-ri-ssi. I treasure this office a lot. So I really don't like anyone invading this space. Get what I mean?"
"Sorry. I-I didn't mean to invade. I just..."
"No need for excuses. You were just following orders from above, right?"
"..."
One wrong answer, and the House of Moss might vanish.
A tear welled in Lee Hye-ri's right eye and slid down.
"Relax and answer well. Why are you here? You're representing the House of Moss right now. Depending on your answer, I could be an ally... or your worst enemy. No disguises or tricks work on me. Think carefully and speak."
A warning not to bullshit—and a threat that I'd crush her if I didn't like it.
Lee Hye-ri steadied her breathing, steeled herself, and laid out her position plainly.
"The House of Moss wants to know more about you. How you view yin-yang masters. If you're discriminatory toward half-breeds. If you really treat anomalies like friends. We needed solid info from direct observation, not rumors. So we planned to learn more about Fixer Lee Do-hyun through me. I'm... a half-breed too.."
"So, what, sign me up for insurance to get close? Was that 'good message' actually a sales pitch?"
"Yes. Sounds ridiculous, but that's what we planned. Haewoon Life is run by the House of Moss. Introduce you to the best spirit medium-exclusive policy with great benefits. Build rapport over time. And if you took a liking to me, even better."
They really meant to sell me insurance?
The spirit medium plans did sound intriguing.
I might not need it, but the kids probably should.
I'd ask about it later.
"So ultimately, what does the House of Moss want with me?"
"Surveillance and investigation were the initial goals. If you seemed safe enough to approach, I'd—or another agent—would reveal the House of Moss and invite you. Politely to headquarters."
"And after the invitation?"
"Probably request one job from you. And demand a trade for the Anonymous Charm."
"So you need a favor after all. What job?"
"Tracking Pitch Black. Using you to... catch the monster wearing human skin. That was the ultimate goal."
Monster wearing human skin?
"Hold on. Wearing human skin?"
"Yes... That's what we're tracking. Not sure if it's an anomaly or a half-breed."
The House of Moss was one of the few groups in Korea handling half-human half-yo cases.
Like Lee Hye-ri, abandoned half-breeds and unmanageable half-yos were all taken in by them. A sort of volunteer resource.
"Did that 'human skin-wearer' originally belong to the House of Moss?"
"Precisely, the body's original owner... was one of ours. An ordinary half-breed. Then suddenly changed. Like their soul got swapped."
The body was hijacked.
Whether its true nature awakened or it'd been hiding all along.
They didn't know why half-breeds turned into "Pitch Black."
"Sometimes they appear. Things hijacking half-breed bodies to interfere in this world. We call them Pitch Black. Or Masks."
"What's with 'Masks'?"
"We judged Pitch Black turns humans into masks it wears, so the hijacked body becomes a 'mask.' Half-breeds have the highest rate, but texts say even normal people or spirit arts users can become Pitch Black."
So the House of Moss was tracking a recently escaped Pitch Black mask.
And wanted to borrow my power to catch it.
Not knowing my stance, they tried building favor through Lee Hye-ri.
"Because of biases. Half-breeds aren't treated as human anywhere. Not anomaly, not human... We wanted to know your ideology. The House of Moss has anomaly-friendly humans too. Plenty of human-anomaly marriages and families... Might disgust typical spirit arts users."
"Human and... anomaly... marriage...?"
Sowol, standing behind Lee Hye-ri, reacted.
"Y-yes...? Um, yes... Th-that's possible in the House of Moss. My parents were great at alchemy, I heard. My dad met my mom while studying in Japan.."
"Your mom was the anomaly?"
"Yes.. A v-vampire.. She was feeding on Dad when they fell for each other..."
Works even without filters like mine.
"No issues until an extremist exorcist killed them."
"Pardon?"
"Don't know who, but it was an extremist exorcist. Anomalies must be eliminated. Human-anomaly love producing kids... makes it easier for Pitch Black to enter the world. Half-breeds like me are targets too."
"I get why you wanted to test my views. Afraid I'd hate you all."
"We want your help, but without knowing you, approaching blindly could get us killed."
Now I understood the House of Moss.
They were insidious because they were hated targets.
From typical spirit arts users' view, they were like a gathering of sexual minorities.
A pretty queer bunch.
Spirit mediums handle spirits, shamans control anomalies—but yin-yang masters sought harmony with them.
In that sense, they were the only group where anomalies and humans could marry and have kids.
"As you see, I'm pro-anomaly. No need to worry about that."
"Ah.. Th-that's a relief."
"Give me info on Pitch Black. The anomaly I'm tracking might be one."
Same goal meant we could be allies.
Time to build friendly ties with the House of Moss.