#74 Oh Man, This is Huge
Theo Itilurg Gamigin wandered into the smartphone store, glancing around in awe. It was a paradise of gadgets everywhere. The sheer technological prowess of Earth's humans to mass-produce such things was downright terrifying.
"Excuse me."
A voice called out, but it didn't reach Theo's ears. The array of electronics was stimulating his heart far too intensely.
"Excuse me...?"
Suddenly, Theo turned to see a woman standing beside him.
[What?]
"Uh..."
It was Phantom, changed into casual clothes. Jeans, a long-sleeved tee, and a long puffer jacket. Hands in her pockets, she looked at him quietly before bowing her head.
"Um... thank you for saving me."
[Yeah? Sure.]
Theo nodded indifferently, his attention already stolen by the 'Bluetooth headset' as he stared at it intently.
"And about your data being cut off... you just need to switch to an unlimited plan, right? Let's go handle that first together."
[Oh, yeah?]
Theo met the store clerk with Phantom, resolved the issue, and finally, his data was back online.
[Yes!]
Theo clenched his fists triumphantly.
What the...? Phantom thought, watching him. He showed zero interest in something as monumental as that, just like Choi Kang-ho.
Theo stared at the headset for a long while, chin in hand, lost in thought. Soon, his face fell, and he let out a deep sigh.
'...'
She thought for a moment before speaking up.
"Um, excuse me."
[Is 'excuse me' your catchphrase or something?]
"N-no, it's not..."
Seeing him sulk so quickly, she asked, "What's wrong?"
[I want this, but I don't have the money.]
Theo pointed at the headset with an utterly heartbroken expression. She doubted he'd look that sad even if he lost his kingdom.
Then, a random word popped into her mind.
"Money...?"
[Yeah.]
She checked the price tag.
Dr. Ozma—a top-ranked Awakener in the world standings. He'd skyrocketed to fame by launching a headset line under his own name.
And that meant—
It's pricey...
Pricey, but not a burden for her. Still, it felt off coming from this guy who lived with Choi Kang-ho and King. Kang-ho was one of Seoul Bank's top private clients, and King was an SS-rank mercenary whose fees were beyond imagination.
Her curiosity about this man named Theo sparked. As thanks for saving her, she decided to treat him.
"I'll buy this for you."
[Huh?]
Theo’s sulky face lit up instantly.
[For real?]
"Yes."
[Whoa, thanks! I've wanted this forever. I was gonna ask Kang-ho, but that jerk's been nowhere. Driving me nuts.]
Theo was all smiles now, beaming like a kid.
* * *
[So yeah, Kang-ho buys all the necessary stuff with big bucks, but never this kind of thing.]
Theo grumbled as he chugged his Americano, then coughed harshly.
[Hot! Ack.]
"......"
She watched him in the cafe, scratching her head.
"Then... ask King to... buy it for you..."
[That'd be embarrassing. Gotta have dignity with the kid. Adults need gravitas.]
"......"
Theo nodded firmly.
[Anyway, I've made up my mind. First, get famous and rake in the cash.]
He pulled out his smartphone and started showing her his wishlist in the shopping app, one by one.
She stared at the list for a while before turning to him.
He's a weird one.
Theo cheerfully explained his wishlist for ages, then suddenly sulked again.
"......"
She watched him quietly before asking, "What's it this time?"
[No good dungeons around.]
"......Pardon?"
[This. DunBang.]
The Dungeon app.
[All the big ones on DunBang are cleared out. Just junk left. No way to get famous like this. Need at least B- to A-rank to post on YouTube or SNS.]
She blinked before suggesting, "Um..."
[Yeah?]
"If you want achievements, what about those Red Blood guys from earlier?"
[Huh.]
"Turn 'em in to the Association. Bounty money, plus gang cleanup for cred. Media coverage too."
[......Why didn't you say that sooner?]
"Well... you were rushing me to hurry up..."
Theo shot up from his seat.
[What're you waiting for? Change quick.]
"Pardon? Uh, y-yes!"
She followed him out in a daze.
* * *
Red Blood boss Park Sang-moon woke to a pounding, splitting headache.
"......"
What the hell happened?
He looked around—his men were all sprawled out, tongues lolling, foam at their mouths.
"......!"
Memories flooded back. Last thing: a skeleton soldier's flat blade smashing his head.
"......What the fuck..."
He'd once climbed to 3rd in S-rank. Him and his crew taken out in one go...
Where'd they go?
He scanned around, but no one—
"......"
They weren't gone. Approaching fast from afar: that skeleton dino and Phantom.
He bolted to run, but suddenly a skeleton soldier was right there.
"Fuck."
Smack!
[Good. Didn't miss 'em.]
Theo cheered as he loaded them onto Kasumus the skeleton's back. Kasumus's back split open, its empty gut swallowing them whole before sealing with a crunch of bone.
Holy shit...
As she gaped, a rustling sound approached from the side.
She swallowed hard instinctively.
"We've got tails."
[Huh? Again?]
Rustle-rustle—
Black-clad figures rushed in, daggers at their waists. Hijack gang—infamous for hits, rape-murders, drug trafficking. Every nasty crime in the book.
She'd raided their warehouse two years back. For a druid comrade they'd wronged unjustly—
Smack—
"......"
One charging Hijack thug ate a fist to the back of the skull, face-planting.
Crack!
A blunt blade followed, smashing another's neck. Weird sound.
[Oops.]
Theo winced slightly.
[Dead means no bounty?]
"......Gangs are usually no-kill warrants...?"
[Oh yeah?]
Theo grinned wide then.
Chill! Goosebumps raced over her skin.
Smack—crack—crunch!
Hijack gang wiped out in seconds. Theo packed them into Kasumus too, nodded.
[Perfect. That's plenty.]
He grinned at stunned Phantom.
[You're pretty useful, huh?]
"Y-yes...?"
[They lose it just seeing you. You're popular.]
Theo patted Kasumus's side.
[See ya. Thanks for this.]
The Dr. Ozma limited-edition Bluetooth headset gleamed gold around Theo's neck.
Theo vanished toward Seoul in a flash.
"......"
Left alone, Phantom stood blankly, blinking.
Red Blood and Hijack... wiped out just like that.
Longtime headaches for her. Persistent trackers. With them gone in one swoop, a refreshing weight lifted from her chest.
"Theo..."
She stared at his fading back.
. . . . . .
"......"
Kang-ho scanned the house. Something felt off in the home he'd returned to after so long. Subtly changed.
First off: a ridiculously huge fridge caught his eye. Unnecessarily massive, powered by premium magic stones.
"......"
A super high-end laptop on the table. Fancy kitchenware lined up in the kitchen.
Kang-ho sat on the bed with a light dizzy spell. Seol-a hopped down.
Thud-thud-thud!
Seol-a dashed to the fridge. She knew from experience it was always stocked.
Opening it, her eyes went wide.
"!"
Mountains of meat inside.
"Ah, bro, you're back?"
King, returning home, greeted him warmly.
"Yeah. What's all this?"
"Uh... Theo bro..."
"Theo?"
Kang-ho tilted his head.
"You give him your card?"
"No. You told me not to give Theo bro the card."
Kang-ho had warned King before. Giving a clueless newbie unlimited funds would lead to disaster.
"Right."
"Um..."
King cautiously showed his smartphone.
"Gangs...?"
King nodded slowly, showing the next article.
Theo was everywhere, busting criminals left and right. No clue what he was up to otherwise.
"Headache."
"W-water, bro?"
King rushed with ice water. Kang-ho gulped it down, chuckling wryly.
He'd planned to teach money-making eventually, but not like this.
And... Did he get a criminal ledger or something? Why only crooks?
Mysterious.
"Anyway, where've you been, bro?"
"Ah—gotta show you too. C'mere."
Kang-ho led King to the orchard. Same old view, but something alien mixed in.
"Uh......"
King approached slowly, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"Magic?"
"A gate to another world."
"Oh man, this is huge."
King reached out eagerly.
Crackle!
A fierce repulsion hurled him back.
"Ugh!"
Kang-ho sighed beside him.
"Entry conditions unclear. Gotta test more."
"How the hell...?"
Kang-ho glanced at Seol-a in his arms, then said firmly to King.
"Keep this secret for now. Just you, Theo, and me."
"Got it."
King clutched his chest, face emotional.
"Our little secret, bro......!"
"......"
Kang-ho shook his head, turning away.
"Let's head in and talk more."
This gate was special. Unlike Seol-a's Toon World gate, it stayed open.
Maybe 'cause that's her home, he thought, stepping forward.
Suddenly, King behind muttered.
"Huh?"
He rushed up.
"Bro, you know Epsilon?"
"Mm."
Kang-ho knew little of Epsilon personally. Probably no one did. A total enigma, nationality unknown. He just... existed.
"That Epsilon today..."
King blinked, holding out his phone.
"Posted on SNS."