Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Why Doesn't It Stick?!
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Truth be told, I hadn't harbored much doubt about the shop window.
The world I lived in was murim, so it was puzzling why it overflowed with items that screamed fantasy at first glance. But suddenly ending up in this world was weird enough, so I figured a shop window like this wasn't all that strange.
And honestly, fantasy items were way more useful.
If it only sold murim goods, it'd be stuck peddling stuff like golden sore salves, martial arts manuals, and famed swords. What good would that do me?
I couldn't even practice martial arts myself, so the most I'd do is buy something from the shop and flip it for profit—and that could easily get me in trouble.
'If that were the case, I never would've gotten this cloak.'
It hid my face and build, while offering top-notch insulation, waterproofing, wind resistance, breathability—the works. How the hell was I supposed to find something like that in murim?
And back at the start, before I met Master, when I'd possessed this battered body—I'd survived day by day buying the cheapest potions with my daily points. From my perspective, I'd come out ahead, not lost out.
So I'd just vaguely shrugged it off as 'Must be connected to some other world' and gone on living.
Until...
"Why no answer?"
'...What?'
It really seemed connected to another world.
Now that I thought about it, there had been odd signs.
A bloodsucker rising from a corpse? Nothing like that existed in the wuxia tales I knew.
That was straight out of fantasy—vampires and the like.
"Looks like I'll have to torture you after all..."
"Ah, I know! The original owner of this cloak!"
My head spun for a second, and I nearly got myself in deep shit.
"How do you know he's the cloak's original owner?"
"Heaven, Earth, and the Gods told me."
"...Hah."
The woman sighed again, scratching her head.
"Always Heaven, Earth, and the Gods with you. What a convenient excuse."
"It's the truth. What can I do?"
"...You do seem honest, at least. Scared of pain? That feels real too."
"I'm honest about my desires."
Every time something unexpected like this hit me, I was reminded how much trouble it was not being able to see my own future.
That's why I lived so indulgently.
Who knew what mess I'd stumble into next? Extreme example, but I could drop dead from a heart attack in my sleep for all I knew.
That's why I tried to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, every single day.
If I hadn't drunk that late-night booze yesterday despite the hour, I'd be regretting that one missed drink like crazy right now.
"...For a kidnapping victim, you're awfully meek. I expected at least some resistance."
"If I resist, will you let me go?"
"No?"
"Then I'll just sit tight. No point in making it worse."
She had no comeback for my ironclad logic(?) and just stood there silently.
Seizing the lull, I turned back to my earlier question.
The shop window had mentioned vampires before too.
Holy swords that pierced the heart of the Vampire Lord, that sort of thing. But they cost thousands of points, so I'd never even considered them.
The "Undying Ones" it kept bringing up. And the war against them.
As I recalled, that war ended with the human faction slaying the Undying Ones' lord and claiming victory.
Vampires being prime undead, they were probably tied to it, but...
'Not much help for my current situation.'
Her pale skin and red eyes screamed vampire, sure, but I couldn't be certain—and whether I knew their history or not, it wouldn't help now.
'Hah...'
I inwardly lamented my rotten luck.
If I made it out alive, maybe I'd just retreat to the mountains.
'Damn you, sky...'
I cursed the heavens in my mind, praying for a miracle.
Unless the gods had gotten nabbed too, they were probably searching hard for me.
...Probably.
"Damn it. Barely escaped."
Mardin irritably shook the dust from his cloak as he returned to his lab, having botched the op over some ridiculous name-swap with the castle.
This world's swordmasters still knew squat about vampires, or he never would've slipped away. If she'd known even a little, escape would've been impossible.
Turning into bats or mist? Unheard-of sorcery in the Central Plains.
"Hey, bring blood!"
He'd lost one familiar on the mission, but one remained—good enough.
Familiars meant nothing to Mardin; only his own neck mattered.
At his command, a woman rushed over with his stored blood.
Mardin sat, sipped, and replayed the events.
"A mere human... daring to make me flee..."
Whether he was weak or the human strong didn't matter.
"What about the hostage? He talk?"
"Yes. Shame he didn't know his companion was the Sword Empress, but we got the rest you wanted."
"How much torture? How much blood? He still alive?"
Mardin had assumed the guy wouldn't crack easy, so torture was inevitable.
"No torture. Spilled everything willingly."
"...?"
Mardin, who'd only ever extracted info via brainwashing or torture, was baffled.
"Brainwashing? You're not that good yet."
"Did nothing. Said he hated pain and just told us."
"...Weakling, then. So, where'd he get the cloak?"
"Heaven, Earth, and the Gods gave it to him."
"...What's that?"
The woman sighed inwardly and explained.
"Like a god of this world."
To death-defying vampires, gods were natural foes.
"So he's like a priest, then."
Someone serving and spreading this world's god's will? Priest.
That's how Mardin saw it.
'What the hell kind of god runs this world...'
Still, why would said god's priest wear a cloak from some hero who'd massacred their kin in the previous world? That nagged at him.
Misreading his worry, the woman spoke up urgently.
"Master, he's still valuable as a hostage. Too soon to kill. He is connected to the Sword Empress."
"He didn't even know her identity. Could just be a chance encounter."
"We can kill him later if not. But for now, he might be useful."
"Fair point..."
A human who wielded flying swords, no less.
Definite obstacle to conquering this world later.
Relationship unclear, but potential hostage gold.
"Might as well pump him for more info."
Mardin headed to the holding area with the woman.
Sure, he'd spilled without torture—but that was surface-level.
Nothing beat brainwashing for certainty.
Or so Mardin thought.
"...Why isn't it sticking?"
"Heh heh... Master..."
"And what's with this creepy muttering...?"
Brainwashing just wouldn't take.
Suspecting the recluse's cloak, he even placed hands on the guy's head—still bounced right off.
Couldn't remove the cloak.
Imbued with Hermit's obsessive concealment magic, only a master interfering with its circuits or overwhelming force could force it off. Mardin lacked both.
"No repelling aura from his body...?"
He'd first suspected divine power, but this world's priests must be weird—no holy energy resisting inside him.
In other words, pure personal resistance to vampire brainwashing.
Drugs were the same story.
"Why!! Why's everything bouncing off!! Why!!"
"C-Calm down, Master."
"If it were magic or holy power, I'd get it! What the hell is this!!"
Drugs failed just like brainwashing.
First time encountering a human like this.
Deep night. A small mountain hut.
"Nngh..."
Yuseong cracked his eyes, his top half disheveled.
"Master...? What're you doing on top of m..."
Flash.
"Zzz..."
A strange light, and he was out.
Just another peaceful day in the forest home.