Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Only I Am Hardcore
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In exchange for settling Nus's bracelet and the Jeweler at my base, I agreed to grant her wish.
Her request was, in simple terms, straightforward enough.
Enter the abandoned mansion, retrieve the seal ring likely tucked away in the second drawer of the desk in the family head's office, and bring it to her. Just hearing that much made it sound like a casual neighborhood errand. The reality was something else entirely.
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"Alright, now I'll give you some more detailed info on the Thrilling Mansion."
"Hold on. Just a sec."
"Yeah? What's up?"
Wasn't the haunted house in Japan called something like Thrilling Labyrinth?
'Thrilling Mansion... The name alone is gross.'
How terrifyingly had they set this place up for it to be named Thrilling Mansion right from the start? It was so creepy that chills ran down my spine, my body shuddered, and goosebumps prickled my skin.
"No, the place I'm heading to is called... Thrilling Mansion? The name's way too ominous already... I thought it was a simple job of going in, grabbing a ring, and coming out... You sure this is rated for level 15 difficulty?"
"Uh... Not exactly level 15. More like around 18?"
"Haa..."
At my intense reaction, the Jeweler smiled with her expressionless face, looking a bit flustered.
"Hahaha... It's just the name. Nothing to worry about. And honestly, with all those evil gods hanging off you, you're the scariest one around."
"Well... That's..."
Couldn't deny that. From other players' perspectives, I was shock and terror incarnate. Plus, wearing the Memory Alteration Ring meant normal players couldn't even properly recognize my face—sometimes just spotting me plunged them into fear.
Even Lee Eun-ha was pretty shocked the first time I showed her my bare face without the ring. Said I looked way more normal and clean-cut than expected.
Anyway, the point right now wasn't how scary I seemed to others. The real issue was the mansion's difficulty. I'd already committed, so backing out wasn't an option, but I needed at least a rough idea before going in.
"Even if not exact... could you give me a ballpark on the difficulty?"
"Well... Hmm... If you keep your wits about you, you can escape unscathed. Considering you can face evil gods and chat with me like this without issue... your mental fortitude seems top-notch, so no worries there."
"Just keep my head straight... Got it."
If staying sane got you out, I was golden. I'd wandered through nothing but hellish places where losing your mind meant no escape. Honestly, if I hadn't kept it together, I'd be dead long ago.
"Back to the topic. Here's the info on the mansion. Listen up."
"Yes, ma'am."
She straightened up and gave a rough rundown of what could happen inside. As her explanation dragged on, my expression soured more and more.
'Started off like it was just pop in, grab the ring, pop out...'
Clearly, to lure me in, the Jeweler had painted snatching the ring as a breeze. Like slipping into an empty house for a forgotten item.
But the mansion's true horrors piled up with each detail she added.
"So, to sum up what you just said... It's a twisted labyrinth packed with traps, space-time all jumbled inside, and cursed dolls roaming around. Got it. Damn... This job's got zero legit elements."
"B-But... If you succeed... You get Nus's bracelet... and me!"
"Hmm... Understood. Keep going. Complaining more won't change that I'm doing it anyway."
"Ahem... Great attitude. Now, the last thing... Once you're in the mansion... You have to do it as a group project."
"Pardon? What?"
What did this nutjob just tell me to do? Did I hear wrong?
"You team up with two people brought by other Jewelers... and tackle the mansion with them. Five teams enter at once, paired randomly..."
"Heh... Group of three..."
"Yeah, you conquer the mansion in groups of three..."
I have a few words I despise most in the world. Top three? Group projects.
'Goddamn group projects.'
Just grouping up with idiots is where the problems start.
Whether it's because professors have to be crazy for the job or the field's full of sadists, group projects make my blood boil just thinking about them.
'Better when an absolute authority just gives orders. Stick low-rank morons together on a joint task, and nine times outta ten it's endless screw-ups till some bus-rider shows up.'
And here's the real kicker for me... I've lived my life as a total antisocial mess and never once ridden the bus.
'I've given rides... but never taken one.'
That's the biggest issue. No matter how I slice it, my teammates are in for a ride on my bus. Unacceptable. Faced with this unbelievable reality, I exploded in rage—but held it back since I couldn't vent at the apologetic doll.
"Hoo... So we compete against the other groups as a trio."
"Right. The first team to find the ring and exit wins."
"The other Jewelers' champions... excluding my randomly assigned teammates, I can kill the rest, right?"
"Yep. Better to hunt them aggressively. No one cares how you deal with other teams' humans. But to clear, you must exit with the two teammates assigned at entry. Note... you can't harm your own teammates. No enslaving them either."
"What the fuck... Who came up with these bullshit rules?"
"The event creators... Twisted bunch. Even I thought it was nuts when I heard the rules."
Seemed like there was a hierarchy among the NPCs.
'Event creators...'
One of this damn apocalypse's devs, probably. Fitting for operators—total assholes.
"Haa... So, say we snag the seal ring with the teammates and get out safe. The three Jewelers split it?"
"Yeah. The ring has three uses. The three Jewelers who use it gain more freedom. That's why you gotta bring it back. If you fail... I can't relocate here."
"Haa... Got it."
This job meant going solo—no party members. I'd enter alone, team up with two total strangers, handle rival teams by killing or enslaving, and secure the ring.
"No time limit. Even if you don't get the ring, find the exit and you're out."
"Pretty generous conditions."
The Missing Persons' Forest had a one-week limit. Without pathfinding skills, escaping that endless woods was near impossible.
"And never trust the mansion's servants you encounter. Got it?"
"Yes. I'm naturally distrustful of people anyway."
"That's reliable. Some humans are such pushovers."
Blindly trusting strangers deserves death. Giving faith to the unverified is arrogance and carelessness. In apocalypse, the careless always die.
"When can I enter?"
"Next Monday, 11 AM. I'll pick you up. Prep well and wait."
"Sure. Oh, before you go, someone I want to introduce..."
Afterward, I introduced Hellas to the Jeweler. She chatted with him briefly, then said she could help his neuralization project in many ways.
As a doll herself, if I brought back the seal ring safe, she'd assist in research here with Hellas. Another reason this op couldn't fail.
"See you next week."
"Yes. Take care."
The Jeweler vanished in a flash. Came quietly, leaves with light. A farewell request?
"How was the chat?"
"Hmm... Not a particularly intellectual human. An intellectual being. Makes me think she and I pushed alchemy to its limits in our own ways from different worlds."
"Alchemy...? Not a jeweler?"
"Er... Our talk revealed deep alchemical knowledge. Different branch, but she's a kind of alchemist."
"Huh... Interesting."
"Haven't had someone to share knowledge with in ages... Haha."
Hellas looked thrilled after just twenty minutes with the Jeweler. Old man and doll duo... pretty pervy combo.
Leaving Hellas at the workshop, I gathered Hyosun Girls' High execs. Told them I'd head to Thrilling Mansion next week solo.
"No way, oppa. Why's your schedule so packed alone? Flaunting how busy you are? Right?"
"N-No, not that, Hwa-young. I don't wanna go either."
"You made time to play with us, right?"
"Y-Yeah, of course, Eun-ji. I always wanna roll around with you girls."
"Seems like oppa's enjoying the apocalypse way too much solo!"
"Always ditching us!"
"Haa... Sorry, Ye-won. But things keep piling up... Can't help it. No excuses. But it's all to keep us fed and alive—bear with me."
I let Eun-ji and Hwa-young cling to my arms while Ye-won pinched my nipple, grilling me thoroughly. Too many girlfriends/wives. Getting scraped from all sides was tiring... but not bad. They're all cute... and I know they just wanna be with me. Just feels guilty.
'But that 777 bastard or whoever's growing daily like me... Can't slack off. To feed all my girls, have kids later, live happy—gotta grind like hell...'
This the weight of family? Shoulders heavy. Too many dependents.
FYI, Eun-ji, Hwa-young, and Ye-won were gleefully sexually harassing me with grim resolve, but no one intervened. The "execs" were just my girls plus Ha Jin-seong, handling all my tasks as the shadow boss.
Lately, even slaves seemed more scared of him than me. I was a rare natural disaster you prayed not to meet; Jin-seong tangled with slaves daily as mid-manager.
So yeah, he was the scary superior.
"Anyway, this one's solo. Guard the house well. Kill anything weird on sight."
"Got it, Master. We'll hold it down—no worries."
I patted sturdy Mer's back. Then packed gear. Teaming with unknown strangers I couldn't enslave... uneasy, tense. They couldn't harm me either, but...
Except my first solo day post-collapse, I'd always moved with unbetrayable slaves. Other humans felt like a huge threat now.
'Looking back, aside from early black market and nightmares, I've mostly stuck with my girls.'
But this time, pure solo—no backup slaves or girls.
'No Ha-rin or Hwa-young for detection... No stealthy scout Eun-ji...'
No quality-of-life Hee-sun noona, reliable A-ram or Mer. A-reum and Ye-won needed protecting, but threats made me fiercer—they mattered hugely.
'Ju-ha and Ha-eun are still settling in... Sora's grinding Korean...'
Sora's Korean had improved lately.
"Onii-chan... Come back safe...!"
She nailed simple greetings now. Cute kid. Her glare at her stepbro was pure villainess, but around me, always smiles.
Couldn't read her true intent, but she saw me as her dream tall, handsome Korean BF. Not bad.
"Gotta hit the black market first."
Peddler and weapons guy tomorrow, maybe. If they showed while I was there, might miss 'em—but oh well.
Had to meet Cheshire after skipping last week in the forest.
"Be back."
"Sure~!"
"Bringing another slave?"
"Depends. If there's good stock like Hellas, I'll snag it."
Waved off by the ladies, I entered the black market.
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