“Hey, what’s this? You’re back again, masked person?”
… To be honest, I was a little sentimental.
But that emotion shattered instantly upon seeing the chaotic scene at Geumchon Pawnshop and Jeong Eun-taek.
“Yes, old man. I’m here. That part-timer isn’t here today?”
Today, Jeong Ye-eun who usually helps at the pawnshop was nowhere to be seen.
“That kid ran off to the night market.”
“Ah, I see. Could I ask for some items?”
“So, what do you need today?”
“Um… I’d like to buy about 10 meters of silver thread, if you have any? And some branches for materials. Any type of wood will do, as long as they’re blessed or consecrated.”
“I don’t know what you’re planning to do with all this stuff.”
My requests continued at length.
Each time, Jeong Eun-taek grumbled with a look of disgust on his face, but strangely enough, I managed to gather everything I needed.
This place is truly out of the ordinary.
Just a short walk beyond the door, the citizens of Paju were happily munching on street food and taking selfies at the night market, yet here I was, buying ghoul finger bones and dried hydra skins.
As I was finishing up the payment, Jung Eun-taek hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Hey, you mentioned wanting to go to the Thousand Gold Temple before, right?”
I had been meaning to ask about it myself, but he brought it up first.
Yes, I had now surpassed level 30, which meant I was eligible to enter the Thousand Gold Temple.
“Can I get an entry ticket?”
“Hmph, it’s not that easy to get one.”
“But you must have brought it up for a reason?”
At my comment, Jung Eun-taek frowned again.
“A contact of mine asked for a fixer. Turns out, there’s no one quite like you around?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})“Um… that must be an exaggeration.”
“Exaggeration, my foot. I may have washed my hands of that business a long time ago, but I’m not deaf yet.”
Jung Eun-taek paused before continuing.
“Tch, anyway, I’ll send a message through the alley witch in about a fortnight, so take the job.”
“Looks like someone is planning to visit the Thousand Gold Temple, huh?”
“Yes, a teacher who I owe a great deal to from about 20 years ago… wants to visit the Thousand Gold Temple. Can I ask for your help?”
It was a bit roundabout, but this was essentially a prerequisite quest to enter the Thousand Gold Temple.
I would be visiting the Thousand Gold Temple with someone who possessed an entry ticket.
I answered with a smile.
“Of course.”
Since my face was always hidden by a mask, there was no need to manage my expression.
***
After a short journey, we were in front of the hungry mansion again.
“Do you want to come in and rest for a bit?”
“No, no, no, no! I have a schedule lined up after this, so I need to get going to work!”
Jang Hyeon-deok seemed to still have some trauma related to ghosts as he fumbled around.
That kind of issue isn’t easily fixed.
“Please call me again next time. If it’s Mage-nim asking, I can go anywhere!”
Jang Hyeon-deok left with those shameless words.
His tone was such that it seemed unlikely that I would need to call him anytime soon, but we would meet again sooner than he expected.
After all, the mansion was deep in the mountains, far from the city, and there were no buses that came this way.
Even for something as simple as buying food and drink, I would likely need to call Jang Hyeon-deok.
After watching Jang Hyeon-deok leave, I went back into the house with Doldol.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The cleaning was almost finished by now.
The dust that gathered along with the heavy presence of negative energy was now largely cleared away, along with the old air and the ghosts that had clung to the mansion.
Of course, this didn’t mean that the mansion had lost its identity as a haunted house.
Even after all the fuss that had been going on all day, the mansion was still dark and gloomy. Evil ghosts not yet completely expelled still lingered in every corner.
“Those malicious bastards …”
It was awkward to say they were merely tenants inconvenienced by the change in homeownership, but it seemed they too were taken aback by their suddenly overturned nest.
As my gaze reached them, they slipped into the cracks in the walls and disappeared somewhere.
Hunting them down to drive them out would prove to be an exhausting task.
“I can’t really blame Jang Hyeon-deok for running away…”
No matter what, this mansion was still a haunted house. And its identity would continue to be the same in the future.
I don’t have all the time in the world, so let’s resolve other matters first.
“Doldol! Follow me to the basement!”
I called Doldol and headed down to the basement.
Clank, clank, rumble, rumble!
It moved more noisily than before now that it shrunk in size.
“Let’s take out what we put in earlier.”
Creaaak!
One of the spaces inside Doldol opened.
Now that it was reduced in size, Doldol’s interior was just large enough for a human head to barely pass through, yet from within it spilled the contents of an entire studio apartment.
Cursed jewels, golden dancers’ body fragments, a golden skull still alive and in hibernation, an egg created from the fusion of the lump of flesh and the parasite, several grimoires and magic stones, assorted junk collected from various places, magical catalysts, materials, and neglected artifacts due to their low utility poured out.
The basement had been used by the previous owner, Hollow Lord, as his magic laboratory and a place to disassemble the victims of his necromancy.
It was also a space where many creatures had lost their lives.
Although necromancy golems had been employed to clean it, traces of its past could not be completely erased.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})A subtle stench of blood and decay lingered around.
“Well, this will get better as we keep using it.”
After all, this space was the mage’s workshop I had long desired.
As the necromancy golems busily tidied up, I examined Hollow Lord’s research journal and grimoires scattered around the basement.
Although my presence seemed to hinder the cleanup, no one complained; none of the golems possessed the self-awareness to do so.
This was a research lab that had been used for 150 years by someone directly sponsored by a being of the abyss.
Although I had pilfered from this mansion a few times before, this was the first time I had taken possession of it in such a complete state.
The magical systems were different from my own so some adjustments were needed, but I could use most of the existing furnishings as they were.
The materials that remained here were somewhat biased towards a particular field, but they would ultimately become my magic and knowledge.
“Thanks to this, I can start immediately without much preparation.”
I also resolved to tackle the tasks I had postponed under the excuse of not having a workshop.
The golden dancer’s head, which I had brought from Tanhyeon, caught my eye.
“I’ve been wondering where to use this. Once everything is ready, I’ll start with that.”
It was a powerful magical creature that even I had struggled to handle.
Combining it with the necromancy golems’ technology could create something incredibly useful.
If I prepare adequately, I expect to receive a request through Tudor to visit the Thousand Gold Temple.
I still hold expectations for the black market that Cheongèho mentioned.
Perhaps because now I had a house, a lot of future-oriented thoughts came to mind.
Once I complete the necessary preparations at this mansion, I can begin the mid-game play of this [Cthulhu World].
I will not just stay in Paju but travel to other areas to advance the main story.
Having finished my thoughts, I summoned several necromancy golems to tidy up the workshop.
Now, I could afford to rest. Stretching my still sore body, I slowly emerged from the basement when an unexpected problem arose.
[……]
It was a signal from a necromancy golem I had tasked with monitoring Heo Sang-hyeon.
“What inconvenient timing.”
Heo Sang-hyeon woke up.
I sighed briefly and looked out the window along the corridor.
Outside, it was dark with stars scattered across the sky.
My sleep pattern was already irregular but it seemed I would sleep only after the sunrise today.
When I arrived at Heo Sang-hyeon’s room on the second floor, I knocked on the door slowly before opening it.
And when I entered the room, Heo Sang-hyeon was startled and struggled to sit up.
If I were to count the time he was asleep, it was roughly over 24 hours.
I silently watched him to gauge his condition.
However, his appearance did not reveal his health status.
His face remained pale and skinny like a corpse, with that distinctive aura of the undead.
To truly assess his condition, I needed to look beyond his outward appearance and into his inner state.
The negative magical power flowing within Heo Sang-hyeon was more active than before.
Surprisingly, the power of the Ancient God’s Mirror had enhanced his inherent magic and filled him with a different kind of energy.
It was magic that responded instantly to my will… Since it originated from me.
“Well, you seem to be in better condition than I expected.”
Heo Sang-hyeon, whose gaunt face made his large eyes stand out, blinked excessively and rolled his eyes before hesitating slightly and then speaking.
“Ma-Master…?”
Ugh, I guessed it would turn out like this, but it’s still troublesome.
Only recently had I become a mage solving various incidents in the supernatural Paju, but before that, I, Kim Shin-hwa, was just an ordinary office worker in South Korea for decades.
It was unnatural for me to hear someone eight years older calling me ‘Master.’
“Drop the ‘Master’ talk. How are you feeling?”
“I am… alright. Much better than before… I am.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But…”
He unconsciously fumbled with the mirror around his neck. It was a different technique from the necromancy magic that had previously bound him to this world.
It was much kinder than necromancy. However, Heo Sang-hyeon seemed awkward with the sensation.
“How did you do it…? How did you handle the ‘Master’? And what exactly happened to me?”
“Um…”
I had left him alone for this conversation, but what should I talk about next?
It seemed that Heo Sang-hyeon was referring to someone else as his “Master”, not me.
“Firstly, your former master, Hollow Lord, is dead.”
“Dead? That can’t be…!”
“Why can’t it be? You can sense it yourself, right?”
“……”
“And just as you’ve sensed, I have come to own everything in this mansion.”
“Yes… I am aware.”
Everything mentioned here included even Heo Sang-hyeon, who was a slave to the Hollow Lord.
Most of his past actions—talking with me, mocking me, attacking me—had nothing to do with his will.
Perhaps the only true expression of his will was his attempt to drive me away immediately when we just met.
“Now, despite that, I have no intention of forcibly keeping you as a slave. Nor do I wish to waste magical power and a precious artifact without purpose.”
Heo Sang-hyeon briefly flashed a vague smile.
It was the kind of smile that could be worn by a fanatic devoid of self.
What Heo Sang-hyeon thought before doesn’t matter.
Loyalty to me is already being instilled in his mind.
His loyalty to me takes precedence over any personal needs for protection or desires for hope and dreams.
If I were to command him to die, he would embrace death with joy and ecstasy.
“I probably won’t understand your desires or your psychology. I’ve never died and come back to life. Of course, the concept of personal desire may be weak for you given the artificially induced loyalty …”
I reached out my hand towards him.
A few magic circles blossomed around my extended hand in the middle of the air between Heo Sang-hyeon and me.
Some of the magic circles were connected to the mirror hanging around Heo Sang-hyeon’s neck, and others were linked to his head and heart.
I moved the circle connected to his head.
Buzzzzzz….
The magic circles shifted according to my will, and soon a part of the shackles entwined with Heo Sang-hyeon’s mind transformed.
Specifically, I had removed the coercive loyalty that constrained his thoughts and actions.
At the same time, an immediate response occurred in his body.
His lifeless lips twisted and his bony hands trembled violently.
This was the original emotion that Heo Sang-hyeon should feel—fear.
“Now, can you think a bit more for yourself?”
Heo Sang-hyeon seemed unable to open his mouth.
With a troubled expression, he just rolled his large eyes and hunched his body.
“If you wish for salvation, I will liberate you now. There will be no pain or discomfort.”
“I, I, I… I…”
But I raised my hand to stop his words.
“Listen until the end.”
“…Yes.”
“If you wish to live longer in this state, I can help you with that.”
His eyes widened again.
They were so large that even I could feel the anxiety.
“Of course, it won’t be for free. I need a butler to manage the mansion.”
Although he couldn’t see it behind the mask, I was smiling.
