Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Ticket from the Legal Resolution Agency
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WK-Legal Resolution Agency
CCTV footage from a one-room apartment in some university district that Sarang showed me.
Beyond the screen, a man who looked exactly like the one in the documents walked down the hallway with a dazed gait.
"Success."
Judging by Shin Ki-cheol's return to his original appearance, Ppobi's constellation must have left.
"Good thing it's a constellation with an extreme hatred for homosexuality."
Considering Ppobi's intense homophobia, I figured its prejudice against TS would be just as bad.
[Are all TS fans secretly gay? Why do they even like this stuff?]
[I don't get TS obsessives. It's still a guy at the end of the day. And they like it?]
[I wish the entire TS faction would just drop dead.]
In real communities, people who hated TS often used the same logic as homophobes.
I'd read some myself once, and it was easy to see why.
"The fun comes from the disconnect between mind and body—the mishaps that arise in that gap."
I hadn't read enough works to elaborate, but popular things always have their reasons.
"Phew. That averts the apocalypse."
I'd expected Ando to show up sooner or later, but the constellation beat him to it.
-Really?
"Yes. A constellation had descended into Mr. Shin Ki-cheol's body. I tracked it down and expelled it. It won't come back."
-As expected from the world's top fixer! Seung-hoon, what's your secret!? Won't you join the Foundation?
"Our current arrangement feels just right."
I'd reported it to the Foundation too.
Kim Dong-wook was thrilled, constantly trying to recruit me.
"Ugh, my head feels weird."
A few days later.
An unexpected guest showed up at the office.
"I even went to the hospital, but they said nothing's wrong... So I came here as a last resort. Please help."
It was Shin Ki-cheol—the former vessel of Ppobi's constellation.
＊＊＊
"It's really bizarre. A while back, I started hearing a constellation's voice in my head? Oh, a constellation is like a god."
Mr. Shin Ki-cheol chalked up the constellation incident to hallucinations from some brain illness.
"From then on, I kept seeing myself as some ridiculously handsome idol, and fake memories popped up of being popular at school."
When the constellation left, the faint perception alteration it had cast on those around him vanished, so everyone's memories of his good looks got wiped.
"That part's fine. No more auditory hallucinations or visions. But there's this nagging feeling in my head, like something's stuck there. It won't go away."
"Like what?"
"A book? Or paper? Feels like something's jammed between the folds of my brain. The foreign sensation keeps bugging me, so I wondered if it was a brain tumor. I even got an MRI at a university hospital, but they all said it's normal."
For anyone else, I'd have fixed it with a quest ticket or the Equivalent Exchange Scale and sent them on their way.
But this was Mr. Shin Ki-cheol. The guy who'd hosted a constellation in his head until recently. No way this was ordinary.
'Mental issue from the constellation leaving? Or did it leave behind some parting gift out of spite?'
That didn't fit Ppobi's style, though. It preferred brutal, direct methods.
Not the type to plant a slow-acting trap or item.
'Maybe it's a psychological scar unique to former vessels—the void left by the constellation.'
I recalled what the Center of the World had told me recently.
[So many of the people seeking me out have mental issues. So I fixed them! Good job, right? You need a sound mind to enjoy the diversions properly!]
She could heal mental problems.
As an entity that drew human minds into itself, she excelled in that area. Plenty of reviews online said playing Center of the World had cured their mental woes.
"You know the game Center of the World? Let's go play it."
"Huh? A game?"
"Trust me."
After logging into Center of the World via the special headset and logging out, Mr. Shin Ki-cheol grabbed my hand with a refreshed expression.
"It's gone now! Thank you so much!"
After seeing him off, I logged in too.
"What kind of mental issue was it?"
"Not a mental issue."
She looked puzzled as usual, holding something out to me.
"There was this in his head."
It was a single ticket.
[Dimensional Novel Viewing Free Pass]
[Recommended Dimension: Original Earth]
[Issuer: WK-Legal Resolution Agency]
I'd taken the ticket from Shin Ki-cheol's mind and logged out—and there it was, in my real hand.
'WK...'
The megacorp presumed to have franchises across countless dimensions.
Seeing the name after so long sparked instant suspicion.
'Was the constellation's sudden appearance really a coincidence?'
Maybe a ridiculous guess.
When have entities ever shown up for a reason?
They appear whenever they damn well please, no logic required.
But this suspicion arose from my sharpened instincts—and the issuer's name under WK.
'Doesn't exactly scream "webnovel dimension reader service."'
Legal Resolution Agency?
No matter how you slice it, that sounds like law enforcement.
"A ticket issued by WK-Legal Resolution Agency. Fascinating."
To investigate, I sought out the shady dealer.
She looked into the issuer and shared the intel.
"WK-Legal Resolution Agency is the WK Corp division that devises and executes solutions to legal, physical, and dimensional issues. It also has authority to requisition resources from all WK subsidiaries for enforcement."
In short, a fixer squad with free access to every transcendent tool issued by any WK franchise.
"Want to trade it?"
"I'll hold onto it for now."
Might come in handy somewhere.
I wrapped up the consultation and headed home—only to run into another unexpected face.
"Long time no see, Lee Seung-hoon."
A demon waiting at the entrance, munching fries dipped in cola.
"Care to chat inside for a bit?"
It was Baal.
＊＊＊
"Things are looking up these days. All thanks to the Center of the World you created, Lee Seung-hoon."
I brewed some tea—and pulled out a cola too.
Despite chugging one at the door, Baal cracked open the can and downed it with gusto.
"You wouldn't believe how slothful and greedy humans are. Lately, I've been observing those chasing hidden classes."
"Why?"
"Not because they're prime corruption material. It's just so foolish—pursuing a nonexistent illusion for easy, quick power. Entertaining to watch. I've even been posing as the NPC that grants hidden class transfers. Quite the thrill."
I'd considered the risk of people falling to corruption.
But if more folks found fun and fulfillment through Center of the World, it was inevitable.
"You don't ban knives just because they enable murder and burglary. Tools depend on how they're used."
"Well said. I agree."
"But you didn't come here just to tell me that?"
"Close. It's working so well, even the Chairman's pleased. He lifted the old ban on mechanical tools—stemming from past failures—and now we can use elevators in the company building!"
"Computers?"
"Ah, those are still manual. Anyway, the Chairman was so delighted he asked me to pass along some interesting news as thanks."
Lucifer Corp's Chairman was, naturally, Lucifer.
His message went like this.
"Mr. Ando has you in his sights. But he's a busy man. He'll hire a proxy. I saw WK Corp's Chairman talking with him. Watch yourself. That's the message."
I closed my eyes, recalling Ando's warning.
His restaurant, lined with endless guests.
Even booking now meant a 100,000-year wait.
'As owner of that place—and inventor of cooking tools—it's no surprise he's short on time.'
So he outsourced to WK Corp?
WK accepted, and WK-Legal Resolution Agency mobilized?
'Ppobi's constellation showing up here was all part of their plan.'
Good thing I'd gotten the heads-up.
"Any info on Mr. Ando the chef?"
"Even I can't share details on him casually. The most I can say is probably stuff you already know—the basics."
"If I'd messed with his food and earned his ire, any way to get forgiveness?"
"Three come to mind right away."
Baal held up three fingers.
"One: Offer yourself as an ingredient."
He folded one down.
"Two: Offer a new ingredient he's never seen."
Folded another.
"Three: Create and offer a new dish he's never tasted."
"All food-related."
"He's a chef."
"One more question: Could someone at WK Corp override one request with a new one?"
"Possible, but currency from a backwater planet like this means nothing to them. No matter how you scrape it together, Mr. Ando Chef is one of the richest around. Unlikely."
Quite the pickle.
Still, I'd learned some valuable info.
"Thanks."
"See you later, then. Back to Center of the World for me."
Ways exist to earn Mr. Ando Chef's forgiveness.
He's not after me personally—it's WK's agency handling his request.
'A cooking ingredient or recipe unknown even to the greatest chef across all dimensions.'
Nothing came to mind yet.
Might learn something encountering more entities.
'Speaking of, I'd love to try this out.'
I pulled the "Dimensional Novel Viewing Free Pass" from my pocket.
Made for constellations, I couldn't figure out how to use it no matter what. So I decided to tweak it with a weakening potion or strengthening one.
"Weakening or strengthening? That is the question."
After agonizing, I chose the weakening potion.
'Strengthen the free pass into something like "Universal Constellation Dimensional Free Pass," and if hordes of constellations flood our dimension... disaster.'
Sprinkling the weakening potion triggered a change.
'Not a ticket anymore.'
It became a terminal.
Specifically, a USB stick for plugging into a computer, inscribed with:
[Multidimensional Community Access Terminal]
"Oh."
Access to another dimension's communities?
"Perfect chance to check out other dimensions' communities."
What communities do other dimensions have? Let's find out.