Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Monkey's Paw
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Time had flown by, and the last day of the holiday dawned. Ian dove into alchemy work using the materials he had prepared in advance.
As decided beforehand, the first item he would make was the 'Blood-Seeking Compass.' It was specialized for tracking rather than general detection, but it had more uses than one might think.
For example, suppose a companion went missing during a commission. Then he'd have no choice but to search for their whereabouts, stuck between options.
At such a time, the compass would prove an excellent tool. Not only could it confirm whether the target was alive or dead, but it also pinpointed their exact location—there was no better tracking method.
The drawback was needing their blood in advance, but that wasn't hard to obtain.
Of course, not every colleague would readily hand over their blood. But that didn't matter.
If they provided it, he'd go looking. If not, he'd abandon them. That was all there was to it.
"Urgh..."
Just before starting, Ian stretched in his chair. A refreshing sensation circulated through his body, loosening his stiff muscles and joints.
He rotated his sore wrists and neatly stacked the materials on the table. He placed the all-important compass in the corner and carefully set the blood and leeches beside it.
Though it required a fair amount of blood, he had collected it ahead of time, so there were no issues. The leeches, bought from the Cartel shop, were in prime condition.
In alchemy, material quality was always paramount. A sharp knife was better than a rusty one, soft silk better than frayed cloth. Naturally, fresh blood beat dead blood, and lively leeches beat feeble ones.
Fortunately, both were top quality.
Ian smiled in satisfaction as he began drawing the magic circle on the paper. A fairly complex pattern slowly took shape, and after finishing the final stroke, he set the pen aside and poured the blood into the jar containing the leeches.
The leeches reacted immediately to the cold blood. Ian waited patiently until they had drunk it all.
Soon, the red liquid in the jar vanished completely. In its place, the leeches' bellies swelled plumply.
"Ugh..."
Ian grimaced at the grotesque sight but promptly removed the leeches one by one, placing them on the magic circle. The wriggling creatures spun in circles on the spot, as if trapped by an invisible wall.
Next came the blood. He poured it precisely into the center of the circle, where it pooled without spreading. He carefully placed the compass on top.
Tzzzzz...
The blood seeped into every needle point of the compass. Its white surface turned red, and the needle spun wildly clockwise. An eerie gaze, as if searching for something, began emanating from beyond the curtained window.
Ian ignored it. He opened the grimoire and chanted the incantation.
"O gaze of the hungry ghost. You who deceive the eyes of gods, dominate the wicked, and hunt. Lend me your tongue, and receive the grace of the great one. Thus, your hand shall forever crave blood."
As the chant ended, the magic circle vibrated. The leeches disintegrated into dust all at once, and the compass needles twitched side to side before freezing motionless at the N pole. The pooled blood gathered at the compass's center, leaving the table spotless as if only the compass had been there from the start.
"Hm."
Ian picked up the lone remaining compass and tested its effect by dripping a bit of his own blood into the central pool.
Instantly, the needle whipped toward him without warning. It was as if it had always pointed that way, fixed on him. In a sense, he had become the N pole.
"It works well."
The test succeeded. Ian nodded in satisfaction and tapped the compass clean. The blood he had added trickled out through the bottom seam, drop by drop. With each drop, the needle slowly rotated away from him toward the N pole.
It seemed time was needed to switch blood. Continuous infusion of the same blood could extend tracking time, but mid-process replacement wasn't feasible.
Still, that was acceptable. Ian carefully placed the compass in front of the bathroom mirror to let the blood drain fully, then headed to the workshop's living room and flopped onto the sofa.
"Hoo..."
Fatigue weighed on his entire body. Alchemy had many merits, but this inexplicable exhaustion afterward was unpleasant. It wasn't severe, but the way it scattered his focus felt utterly disagreeable—closer to revulsion.
He hadn't felt this when crafting unnecessary items in the workshop. What a shame.
Ian leaned back against the sofa and shifted his gaze to the Deep Sea Chronicles on the table.
"..."
Since the Pygmalion incident, the Deep Sea Chronicles had lain dormant without stirring. It occasionally twitched, but that was it. No usual vibrations or playful movements.
He couldn't use summoning magic. Other spells worked fine, though: breathing underwater, resisting pressure, talking to fish, and so on. Useless yet useful magics functioned perfectly. Attack and defense spells too.
'Something must have gone wrong in the outer sea... Probably because an Outer God descended briefly. The grimoire's overloaded.'
Just because a grimoire was penned by an Outer God didn't mean it matched their stature. Far stronger than ordinary grimoires, yes, but not enough to contain an Outer God's fragment unscathed. Overload was inevitable.
'If it were summoned via magic, maybe. But manifesting through the grimoire as core... unavoidable.'
Still, with only summoning sealed, it wasn't dire.
Summoning magic was like an ultimate technique. Hard to use without meeting conditions. Even against mighty foes, if they were small, summoning wouldn't guarantee survival—they could get eaten instead.
Classic strong-against-weak magic. Or rather, effectiveness depended on prey size.
Anyway.
Just one tool sealed among his many options was no big deal. Recreation magic still worked, alchemy was intact, and the Deep Sea Chronicles' other spells activated flawlessly. Commissions would be no problem.
But that was that.
Personally, he hoped it recovered soon and vibrated playfully as usual.
He must have grown attached without realizing. Ian chuckled and tapped the Deep Sea Chronicles' cover with his finger.
Wuuung.
Just then, his phone, tossed nearby, vibrated.
It was a call from Kim I-seo. Ian narrowed his eyes and answered.
"Hello."
[Ah, Wizard. Good day. How was your holiday?]
Kim I-seo spoke in a neutral tone. Ian replied offhandedly.
"Decent enough. But why the call?"
[To send a Lunar New Year gift. Any requests?]
"...Holiday gift? You handle that too?"
[Think of it as a welfare service. Name whatever you want, no pressure.]
Ian hummed thoughtfully at her question.
She wasn't one to prank with a sudden call, so the gift offer was likely genuine. No reason to refuse.
"Pick something decent. I'll grab it next visit."
[Understood. Can you come tomorrow?]
"Tomorrow? Why."
[A collaboration matter arose.]
A faint metallic click echoed through Kim I-seo's voice. Ian let out a chuckle.
"That was the real goal, huh?"
[I won't deny it. But leading with this seemed the best way to avoid offending you.]
Kim I-seo replied without a hint of agitation.
A sequence to avoid offense. Solid judgment. If she'd started with collaboration, Ian wouldn't have responded kindly. She had some social savvy.
Ian fell silent briefly, staring at the fish tank with swimming fish, then spoke.
"What's the mission?"
[An incident in a small rural village.]
Kim I-seo answered.
[Called Happy Village—a tiny place rare these days. Few residents, average age near fifty.]
"..."
[A child there made a wish. 'Please let everyone in our village stay happy forever.']
"The wish went wrong?"
[No. The wish was granted. But the granter is the problem.]
Kim I-seo rustled, perhaps adjusting her phone, and continued.
[Ever heard of the Monkey's Paw?]