The scary Yang Seo-ho and the police retreated.
And Cheong-ho’s daughter, Jeong Hyeon-ah, who had been kidnapped returned to her home.
“Fixer-nim! Mage-nim! Kim Shin-hwa-nim!”
Those were the words Cheong-ho exclaimed the moment he saw his daughter’s face again, a face he might have never seen again. Cheong-ho expressed his gratitude while clinging to me with almost tearful fervor.
“Ah… thank you! Truly, thank you!”
He lost all semblance of his boss-like demeanor and thanked me, someone barely half his age.
Cheong-ho seemed to think that there were no more problems to deal with, but there was still one issue left unresolved.
The powerful hypnosis caused by the parasites’ unique abilities still trapped Jeong Hyeon-ah’s mind, and she was frozen in a state where she could not express any emotions or thoughts.
After seeing that, Cheong-ho turned pale again. Regardless of how his subordinates were looking at him, he was anxious and unable to hug or even touch Jeong Hyeon-ah.
“Hyeon-ah? Hyeon-ah? What’s this? What have those fu*king bastards done to my child!!”
The question was naturally directed at me. It seemed that in Cheong-ho’s mind, I must have become a divine being capable of solving all problems.
“She’s under hypnosis. I checked on the way here, and apart from a few injuries, her body is in good shape.”
Despite my explanation, Cheong-ho continued to mutter anxiously about what to do next.
“Hypnosis? What, like the mind control hypnosis? That kind of thing? Those fu*king bastards!”
“We’ll need a quiet place. How about we go inside?”
Eventually, Jeong Hyeon-ah was carried into Cheong-ho’s mansion on a stretcher.
The mansion was bustling with his underlings and employees.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})However, as the situation became tense, figures who appeared to be leaders within the Triad started to clear the underlings and employees out of the area.
When Jeong Hyeon-ah was brought into the mansion, a message popped up announcing the completion of the quest.
[You have managed to rescue the daughter of Cheong-ho, one of the three leaders of the Triad, which rules over the underworld of Paju. Had you been even slightly delayed, a horrific alien parasite might have burrowed into this young child’s brain. Cheong-ho who had asked for your help now holds you in high regard. Cheong-ho will become your friendly ally in the future and help you with your future endeavors.]
Ah, it seems waking her from the hypnosis wasn’t part of the requirements.
Delivering Jeong Hyeon-ah safely inside the house was the condition for completing the quest.
Jeong Hyeon-ah’s condition didn’t matter. Even if she had been a corpse or parasitized by a parasite, it would have been resolved just the same.
Of course, if that had happened, it would have resulted in a madness-filled narrative typical of [Cthulhu world].
It’s a good thing I acted quickly.
[You have rescued Jeong Hyeon-ah. Experience points gained.]
Right, let’s see the rewards.
[You have accumulated enough experience points to advance to the next level. Your level increases by 1.]
[You have defeated ‘Parasite – Larvae’ (31). Your understanding of parasites in general has increased.]
[You have defeated ‘Parasite – Adult’. Your understanding of parasites in general has significantly increased.]
[You have accumulated enough experience points to advance to the next level. Your level increases by 1.]
[Discovery: You have acquired a secret item (1) from the laboratory. Experience points gained.]
[Discovery: You have found a secret space used by the parasites. Experience points gained.]
[Experience Bonus: You have achieved a total of (2) achievements.]
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})[You have accumulated enough experience points to advance to the next level. Your level increases by 1.]
I am now at level 28. Probably by the time I finish the next quest, I’ll be over level 30, and then I’ll be able to use third-order magic in earnest.
“Mage-nim!”
“Ah, yes.”
“Why are you zoning out in a situation like this …”
Cheong-ho looked at me with a pitiful expression. I had brought her here for a dramatic effect, but seeing the normally fierce-looking Cheong-ho distort his features like this was more uncomfortable to witness than I had expected. I think it is time to resolve this situation.
It seemed like Cheong-ho’s employees were cleaning up the messy house, but the windows in Jeong Hyeon-ah’s room were completely destroyed. It was not easy to repair such damage in such a short period of time, so Jeong Hyeon-ah had been moved to another room on the second floor. The lack of elaborate decorations or furniture meant it was a guest room.
I decided to check on Jeong Hyeon-ah’s condition more thoroughly. Although I had already checked once in the car on our way back, it was important to prepare for any unforeseen changes.
[Insight]
Kiiiiing…
The magic I used to check her condition revealed no special issues. Had this been a problem induced by sheer madness, the situation would have been much more complicated, but as it stood, a sufficient level of stimulation could potentially awaken her.
For example, a somewhat stronger electric shock might do the trick. But that wouldn’t be a good thing to do, would it?
Well, there were other ways to awaken her without resorting to that.
I activated a spell while placing my hand on the forehead of Jeong Hyeon-ah, who lay in bed staring into the void.
First, physical activation.
[Exhilaration]
Elevation was proving to be quite versatile today. It came with the effect of boosting the will to fight and was beneficial for vitality enhancement. It was good for vigor and would certainly stimulate the secretion of adrenaline.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})And then… well, at times like this, this is simply the best option.
[Voice of Authority]
It was a spell capable of delivering a definitive stimulation to the consciousness of sentient beings. I could manipulate others by imbuing my voice with a surreal authority.
Jeong Hyeon-ah, come to your senses.
“Ah…!”
Suddenly, color returned to Jeong Hyeon-ah’s face as she took a deep breath. Then, as if awakening from a nightmare, she abruptly sat up.
At the same moment, Cheong-ho’s cry burst forth.
“Hyeon-ah!!!”
“Da-Dad?!”
It was a touching father-daughter reunion. I stepped back to allow Cheong-ho to savor the joy, but that movement inadvertently caught Jeong Hyeon-ah’s attention.
Unconsciously, her gaze shifted in my direction, and our eyes met through the mask I wore. Of course, I couldn’t tell which of the four eyes on the mask she looked into. What was certain, however, was that the sight of me shocked Jeong Hyeon-ah.
“Aaaahhh!!!”
“Hyeon-ah! Hyeon-ah!! What’s wrong!?”
“Monster! Monster!! Grim Reaper!!!”
“What’s happening!!!”
Cheong-ho’s subordinates stormed in with the force that threatened to break down the door.
The daughter’s screams, the father’s cries.
…This turned out to be the worst possible father-daughter reunion.
***
Calming the chaos and unraveling the misunderstandings turned out to be more difficult than anticipated.
Since I was at the heart of the problem, I inevitably found myself kicked out of Jeong Hyeon-ah’s room for a while and came down to the living room where Cheong-ho had previously made a mess.
The employees and the henchmen of the Triad had worked hard to clean up the room during the two hours or so I had left to rescue Jeong Hyeon-ah, so the living room was in an acceptable condition.
The absence of the shattered ornaments inevitably left the space feeling emptier.
Just when I started to get bored from sitting in the living room, Jeong Hyeon-ah and Cheong-ho came downstairs.
From a distance, Jeong Hyeon-ah seemed startled at the sight of me, but after realizing that the object obscuring my face was merely a mask and not my actual face, she approached me.
Still, it seemed she had no intention of coming closer than 2 meters.
With her head bowed, Jeong Hyeon-ah fumbled for words before finally managing to express herself clearly.
“Thank … thank you…”
Fortunately, it was a word of gratitude.
“Yes, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Hearing a normal voice come from me, Jeong Hyeon-ah appeared somewhat reassured. But that was as far as it went. Eventually, Cheong-ho intervened.
“Ah, she’s not usually like this, but she’s had a tough day… It might be best for her to rest now. Hyeon-ah, you’ve been through enough; go on up.”
“Ah, yes. I think that would be better.”
With that, Jeong Hyeon-ah disappeared back upstairs.
She was someone I wouldn’t see again anyway.
In [Cthulhu World], a high school girl without any special abilities could only become a victim of surreal disasters, just as it happened this time. After receiving thanks, it would be better for both of us to never meet again.
Instead, it was more important to engage in conversation with Cheong-ho, who could offer practical rewards.
“I’m not sure if repeating it over and over again has made it sound less heavy, but I want to say it once more.”
Cheong-ho, who was finally beginning to reclaim his image as one of the three heads of the underworld ruling triad, spoke in a serious tone.
“Thank you very much for saving my daughter.”
“Yes, I’m glad everything was resolved safely.”
[Achievement Unlocked! You have saved Cheong-ho’s daughter and received his heartfelt gratitude.
You have earned the ‘General Achievement: Tiger in Debt’.
As a reward for this achievement, you will have a firm alliance with ‘Cheong-ho’, one of the three heads of the triad.]
“Wherever you are and whatever you do, you will be treated as a benefactor of the triad from now on.”
I don’t believe those words. To be precise, I would be a benefactor to only one-third of the triad.
“That’s very kind of you.”
“And about the compensation initially proposed through the broker…”
The initial compensation I was promised from Tudor was three hundred million. There was no official announcement, but a message popped up indicating that a bonus would be added based on performance.
“I’ve been thinking, and it seems I offered you too little compensation. So, I was wondering if there’s anything else you might need? I’m even willing to double the amount if necessary.”
Six hundred million. More money is always better. But I had a different goal in mind.
I spoke slowly.
“Could I possibly ask for something other than money?”
“What might that be? I’ll help with whatever I can, as long as it’s within my power.”
Though he said this, Cheong-ho’s expression sharpened curiously. He seemed to sense that I wasn’t going to ask for a typical reward. Or perhaps he thought this situation might evolve into some sort of deal or negotiation.
Regardless of what he was thinking, I felt more at ease now, as if I was finally having a real conversation with someone. So, I broached the same topic I had with Tudor.
“I’m searching for a grimoire.”
“A grimoire? Is there a specific one you’re looking for?”
“No, I’m not looking for a specific book. I’m in search of a particular type of book.”
“It doesn’t sound like an ordinary grimoire, then.”
“I’m looking for books related to the beings of the abyss, the old great ones, or the masters of other worlds.”
Cheong-ho didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he covered his face with his hands. He looked like he was deep in thought, but the corners of his mouth that could be seen between his fingers were smiling.
“That’s interesting. May I ask why you’re looking for such things?”
“I am a mage before I am a fixer. Would it suffice to say that I seek to satisfy my curiosity as a mage?”
Cheong-ho then leaned back into the sofa and smiled openly. It seemed he took my words as a polite lie, which was to be expected.
“In this line of work, one comes across all sorts of items. I happen to have come across one such grimoire by chance.”
Cheong-ho possesses a grimoire?
This was news to me. Yet, this revelation didn’t make me think the game’s narrative had changed, unlike other instances. With such detailed information, it’s possible there were things I hadn’t come across. Some artifacts, after all, have a tendency to appear in random locations.
“Would you be willing to part with it? Even a temporary loan would be good for me.”
