I took out the straw doll, the Jeoung that I had shown to Park Kwang-lim earlier. Ah, using it now would make it difficult to obtain another for a while.
Colorful magic circles spread out in all directions.
-Grrraaah!?
The Corrupted seemed to recoil, perhaps in response to the sinister sensation imbued in the magic circles.
But it was already too late.
As I began to channel my magical power, the Jeoung at the center of the circle started to drift away from my hand and floated in mid-air.
[Cursed Agent]
Woojeok, woojeok, woojeok…
From the tiny body of the Jeoung, bizarrely tangled lines of magical power spurted out. These lines appeared less like energy and more like black tentacles or grotesquely twisted and bent arms of a ghost.
-Grrraaagh!
The Corrupted spewed forth pitch-black flames in resistance, but it was useless.
My magical power might not be able to generate a power that exceeded the authority of a being of the abyss, but here and now, in this place.
Within the roughly five square meters of this dark alley that was purified through my magical breathing, it could not defy my command.
Crack, snap!
The magical power lines eventually grasped the Corrupted and started squeezing it tightly.
The Corrupted who was fluctuating in a non-Euclidean way was imprisoned within the small confines of the Jeoung, defying all laws of physics.
Thud.
The Jeoung fell to the ground and seemed to revert to just an ordinary straw doll.
“You did it! As expected!”
“No.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})It seemed as though the surreal influence had vanished, but that was not the case.
To those who could sense magic, the doll appeared as a vibrating explosive on the verge of detonation.
“I’ve managed to materialize and imprison it, but it’s not truly dealt with.”
“So, what now?”
The curse of the [Cthulhu World] is dreadful. The curses backed by beings of the abyss, in particular, can only be lifted in very specific ways.
“The effects of the curse should be blocked by the Jeoung for now. You’ll be fine for a while. I’ll look for a more permanent solution later. In the meantime—”
As long as Park Kwang-lim remained within the range of influence of the one who made the ritual, the curse would persist.
If, in the meantime, that person were to exert a force exceeding the durability of the Jeoung, its destruction would result in an explosion powerful enough to leave nothing of Park Kwang-lim, not even his bones.
“—I’d recommend leaving Paju and finding somewhere to hide.”
To put it another way, if he could stay far away from the person in charge of the ritual, the effect of the curse could be temporarily stopped.
If we’re lucky, the person might give up on maintaining the curse and the curse may be lifted.
I explained all this to him.
“I won’t charge you until we find a solution, so please, spend at least a month or two outside of Gyeonggi Province.”
[Quest Information Updated.
! Time Limit: Park Kwang-lim will die in (45) days. !]
Forty-five days, huh? Could I manage to secure a ticket to the Thousand Gold Temple within that time?
“Come to think of it, my coughing has stopped.”
“That’s because the Jeoung is bearing the curse’s effects for now. If you lose it, the curse could reactivate, so always keep it with you.”
“I understand. And…”
“Yes?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})“You said you wouldn’t take any money, but… Honestly, I never expected you to help me like this. Could I offer you something, at least a part of what I owe?”
Huh? Why is this con man acting like this?
[However, you have shown remarkable achievements, so a portion of the quest rewards will be settled in advance.
Rewards: 150,000XP + Park Kwang-lim’s Trust + 150 Million Won]
[Park Kwang-lim, a broker who was close to a heartless conman, has been deeply moved by the dedicated attitude you showed. He now holds you in high regard.]
Ah, high regard. It’s like the affection one feels before forming a firm alliance.
The idea of giving money due to newfound affection does seem like a plausible development.
Is Park Kwang-lim’s change in attitude a response to the updates in the quest window, or has the quest window been updated in response to changes in Park Kwang-lim’s psychological state?
Which came first?
Whether Park Gwang-lim who is happy to be alive in front of me is truly human or merely an NPC moving according to the system might be a more significant question than it seems.
***
Tudor turned out to be a more capable broker than I expected.
“I thought there would be two or three requests prepared at best.”
“Hmm, it seems you’ve underestimated me.”
The very next day after I had made my request, I received a message from Tudor instructing me to come to Vasilisa immediately, so I came back to Vasilisa.
Upon arrival, Tudor asked why I was so late and dragged me into her office, where she proceeded to introduce the requests.
Tudor had found a total of eight requests.
The sight of documents summarizing the essence of each request, neatly laid out across the table, was quite something to behold.
Such diligence… though there was hardly a need to gather so many.
No, that’s not it.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Tudor was well aware that I would only undertake one of these requests.
Nevertheless, this excessive preparation meant that she valued me more than other fixers.
“The one I’d recommend most for you is this one right here.”
Tudor pointed her finger at the document furthest to the left.
Given Tudor’s efforts in gathering this information, I felt obliged to at least pretend to review the document.
“Let’s see… a haunted house in Munsan.”
“How about it? This might be something you’re familiar with. It’s a famous haunted house that’s been featured on broadcasts a few times. Streamers used to visit quite often…. until a couple of years ago when people started dying, and it turned out to be the real deal.”
“It sounds like a typical haunted house ghost story.”
“Right. But around last year, some rich individual with nothing better to do announced a reward for anyone who could cleanse the haunted house. Since then, it’s become quite famous among those involved with the supernatural.”
“Seeing that the bounty is still up, it seems no one has succeeded so far?”
“You’re quick to catch on. I knew they had increased the amount a few times, but when I checked recently, the sum was quite substantial.”
“How much?”
“150 million.”
“That’s quite a bit.”
However, this wasn’t the request I was looking for.
Moreover, the phenomena at the Munsan haunted house weren’t actually ghostly in nature.
It was a murder game.
A quest that turns into a plaything for rich old men who have gone mad with wealth.
Those enticed by the reward end up entangled in a manufactured murder game on a fabricated set.
I’m not looking for squid game type of stuff…
While it’s a quest that could yield great rewards for notable achievements, what I really need is a mansion that can serve as a base.
“Interesting story. But this time, I’m looking to practice, so I’d prefer something that can be handled more quietly. This one seems too noisy.”
Tudor didn’t look disappointed at all and took out another document.
“How about this one? It’s a case that can be resolved right here in the Geumchon neighborhood.”
There was supposed to be a ghost in a newly built apartment in the Geumchon neighborhood, but that wasn’t it either.
I quickly lost interest, yet Tudor continued with enthusiasm.
“Every month on the 13th, thirteen ghosts made entirely of bugs appear on the 13th floor of that apartment, making strange noises for 13 minutes before vanishing.”
“That…”
I was lucky. I had gotten over my fear of the number 13 long ago, or else just hearing this story might have made me faint.
“…No, it’s okay. This one isn’t quite right. Something else might be better.”
With that, I picked up another document that was nearby.
Aha.
This was it.
Luckily I didn’t have to manage my facial expressions thanks to the mask. This was precisely the request I had been searching for.
I made an effort to sound as casual as possible.
“This one seems quite promising.”
However, Tudor’s expression was somehow strange.
“Um… I did keep it because it fit the conditions, but it was a bit of an ambiguous request.
The first page of the document read as follows:
[Jangmyeongsan Detached Pension House]
“Where is Jangmyeongsan?”
“It’s not that good… Have you not been listening to me this whole time?”
“No, I’m listening attentively.”
Tudor pouted briefly before continuing.
“Jangmyeongsan is a small mountain located to the west of the Geumchon neighborhood, just past the Gongneung Stream. There’s a detached pension house there.”
“The compensation is ridiculous.”
[The entire estate of the client will be passed on to the one who resolves the issue.]
“It is ridiculous.”
Tudor continued to complain about why she generally avoids handling requests related to paranormal phenomena, that the people involved are either eccentrics, luxury seekers, or those with twisted minds, and that even when the job is done well, there’s a risk of not getting paid, among other things.
Due to that, it was only after going through all the documents to the very end that I was able to make my choice.
“Would it be alright to proceed with the Jangmyeongsan Detached Pension House?”
“Look, I knew you weren’t in your right mind from the start… but are you serious? Do you really think you can actually receive this compensation?”
“I’m perfectly sane. I’ve said from the beginning, I’m not particularly interested in the compensation.”
“It’s for your magical training, isn’t it? What about the fee…”
“If the fee is lost, I’ll cover it myself.”
“Hmm… I don’t know. Do as you wish.”
“Great. Then please contact the client for me.”
[You’ve accepted the quest!
<Secure Base Quest: The Hungry Mansion> Subdue all the evil spirits haunting the mansion and return it to a ‘safe’ state.
Remaining Objectives: Unknown.
Reward: 250,000XP + Ownership of the Mansion
Failure: Possession by an evil spirit.]
As expected, the quest message used the word “mansion” instead of “pension”.
The place I was set to visit was actually a privately owned mansion, not a pension.
The game’s setting hasn’t changed. It was always meant to be this way.
“Ah, and about this request, there’s a strange detail…”
“This, right? The client will accompany you during the quest.”
It was a place I had visited several times during the game.
Though the number of clears was fewer compared to other locations, my transcendent intelligence allowed me to remember everything about this mansion: the conditions for clearing it, the methods, the hidden elements, and even the secret rewards.
“Right, it seemed like they wanted to verify something? The information about the client is on the next page.”
I flipped through the pages of the document to the section containing the client’s information.
At the very top, the client’s name was written.
“The name is… Heo Sang-hyeon.”
Managing the client was the crux of this quest.
Heo Sang-hyeon, the mansion’s owner and the client, was the most important NPC of this quest.
Without dealing with him, the quest would never conclude.
After all, the ghosts haunting this cursed mansion were also possessing Heo Sang-hyeon’s body.
This quest is essentially a trap created by evil spirits and beings from the abyss.
Starting with the homeowner, everything around this mansion was poised to attack me.
However, the reward offered was everything contained within the mansion.
[The Hungry Mansion].
This place was destined to become my new base of operations.
