Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Recognition
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The villagers' immortality ended with the Laughing Buddha's death.
Their bodies, which had been writhing ceaselessly, suddenly went limp like puppets with cut strings, without any warning. All that remained were worthless lumps of meat.
"Securing them won't be easy."
Thanks to that, the plan to take them back and investigate their immortality was scrapped entirely.
It was only natural. Corpses that had lost their immortality were nothing more than ordinary bodies. Taking them along wouldn't yield anything worthwhile. At best, they'd just analyze their blood types or DNA.
Whatever the case, it wouldn't be meaningful.
"……."
Ian stepped out of the hanok and informed the Management Bureau agents about everything inside. He naturally kept quiet about the Hand of Recreation, but there was no need to hide that the Monkey's Paw was the work of a mage, so he reported it plainly and calmly without exaggeration.
"A mystic sorcerer... Is this a mage who's been in Korea from the start?"
Lee Min-su muttered as he took the limp Monkey's Paw.
The hand, pierced by a dagger in the magic circle, was covered in blood.
Its fingers were grotesquely bent, and their lengths varied wildly. The ring finger was the shortest, the pinky the longest, and the middle and index fingers seemed completely swapped. It was truly a bizarre sight.
"Is it possible to create anomalies with magic?"
"Impossible. If that were possible, mages would've been wiped out long ago."
Kim Yul answered Kim Mi-ryeo's question.
She was splinting the fingers with Kim I-seo's help. Blood flowed from her inversely bent joints, but Kim Yul continued nonchalantly.
"Mystic sorcerers handle spells that manipulate and control existing anomalies. Creating them from scratch requires a grimoire from an Outer God. Something like the Mystic Apocalypse. There are records of it."
"Ah... So does that mean the owner of an Outer God's grimoire was involved in this incident?"
"Who knows. How would I know?"
Kim Yul replied indifferently as she tightened the bandage.
"If it's a rare anomaly, then maybe, but the Monkey's Paw is too famous. Probably not the grimoire's owner. You think so too, right?"
She turned to Ian, who nodded while collecting the activated magic.
"If an Outer God's grimoire was the cause, things wouldn't have been this easy. The casualties would've been far higher."
"...I see."
"Of course, there'd be risks to match, but this was basically a small-scale terrorist act. Better to assume it was some run-of-the-mill terrorist mage."
"If it's a terrorist mage, then Laplace, right?"
Kim I-seo muttered. Kim Yul, beside her, wagged her head side to side.
"Ugh, I hate those bastards."
Laplace.
It was the first Ian had heard of the group. If the Management Bureau knew about them and even Kim Yul did, they must be fairly well-known. He'd never seen them mentioned in the community or elsewhere until now.
But he didn't show it.
Better to finish up, go home, and ask the community. No need to reveal his ignorance.
Anyway.
The cleanup proceeded quickly. Kim Yul and Ian fell back to rest, while the agents photographed the scene, collected the bodies and the Monkey's Paw.
They had no clue about the Laughing Buddha's whereabouts, but since Ian said it melted away right after he dealt with the Monkey's Paw, they let it slide.
He wasn't sure if they really believed him. But it didn't matter much, so he didn't dwell on it.
The Management Bureau agents' bodies were piled in the container they'd found when first entering the village, mixed with the others.
All of them had their skin completely peeled off. Whether they'd eaten human flesh or not, some corpses bore clear bite marks.
"……."
"……Tch."
The three handled the skinned agents' remains with care. Their movements showed respect, so even they weren't taking it lightly.
It was only natural. Even if they hadn't known them personally, collecting coworkers' bodies wasn't easy.
From a mage's perspective, it was emotionless work, but as fellow humans, he understood.
Kim Yul seemed more mage than human; she fiddled with her splinted hand, humming a tune, ignoring the dead agents.
Mid-song, she turned to the thoroughly soaked Ian and grinned cheekily.
"But this mission? Newbie pretty much soloed it. We weren't much help."
"...Can't argue with that."
Ian didn't deny it. It was true.
Objectively, the Laughing Buddha and Monkey's Paw's hallucinatory mental assault combo was too vicious for ordinary mental barriers to withstand. If Ian had fallen to it, everyone here would've ended up as one of those container corpses.
The Bureau calling it a tough mission wasn't for nothing. Ian joining was lucky this time, but without him on similar ones later, it would've been a wipeout.
Thinking that way made him feel pretty impressive. Kim Yul seemed to feel the same, bouncing on her feet as she continued.
"You saved our asses this time. Next time you need help, call me. No charge."
"Perfect timing. Planning a vampire hunt soon. Join up."
"Vampires? Hmm... Sure. Send the date, and I'll go. As long as it's not overseas."
Kim Yul accepted without hesitation. True to a water mage, her personality was refreshingly straightforward. Pretty likable.
Soon after, the agents returned, having finished cleanup. They shouldered bags of bodies and stowed evidence in backpacks.
"Let's head back."
The group descended the mountain to the parking lot. The sun was fully up, streets bathed in light, but luckily no passersby. They'd planned the route that way.
The agents loaded bodies into the trunk, placed evidence carefully in empty spots, then started making calls.
"...Ah, yes. Management Bureau Daegu Branch? Sending you the address—come clean up the site. Yes. Ah, Monkey's Paw. Dispatch from the capital region. Yes, thanks."
Finishing the call, Kim I-seo turned to Ian and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Wizard. Thanks to you, we completed the mission without casualties. It's not much repayment, but we'll deposit the base fee plus extra incentives."
"That's plenty."
"Thank you for your generosity. Any afterparty...?"
She asked cautiously. Ian shook his head right away.
"No, I'm beat. Heading straight home. You guys go ahead."
"Ah, good. Some wizards love afterparties, so I had to ask. We'll head back too, then."
"Why not ask me?"
Kim Yul tilted her head, chiming in. Kim I-seo replied casually.
"You don't like afterparties either, Kim Yul."
"True, but still ask."
"...Afterparty?"
"Nah, passing. Gonna rest at home."
Kim Yul giggled and hopped into the car first.
Kim I-seo stared at her back, sighed deeply. The other two, used to it, just said goodbyes to Ian and took the driver's and passenger seats. Kim I-seo shook her head, then offered her hand to Ian.
"We'll be off. Stay well until we meet again."
"You too."
They shook hands and parted ways. Moments later, the car with Kim I-seo drove down the mountain road.
"See ya, newbieee!"
Kim Yul yelled from the back window, half out. Ian waved and smiled until she vanished, then headed to his bike.
The bike, parked since dawn till sunrise.
He unhooked the helmet, pulled it on snugly, donned gloves, and started the engine.
[Welcome, Shin Ian. Please set your destination.]
The AI voice from the helmet. Ian mounted and replied.
"Convenience store first. Need smokes."
[Convenience store confirmed. Nearest one is 2km away. Initiate autonomous driving?]
"Yeah."
[Autonomous driving starting. Enjoy the ride.]
Vrooom!
The bike handled throttle and clutch on its own, descending the mountain. Ian just balanced, waiting to arrive.
Soon, at the store, he bought a pack. Opened one right there and lit up.
Smoked it down, pocketed the pack in his coat, then remounted.
"Home."
[Destination: home. Autonomous again?]
"Semi-autonomous. Need to handle some controls."
[Confirmed. Semi-autonomous driving starting.]
Click.
Ian readjusted his helmet, dropped the side stand, shifted to first gear, and headed home.
ETA about four hours.
Long but manageable. He let the AI handle gears, working throttle and brakes as he sped along the national road.
After the long ride, he arrived home in the late afternoon.