Chapter 122: Just a Stone's Throw From Wollong Mountain

"This way... No, that way! Uh, yes, I think it's that way."

"Really?"

"Th-this time I'm s-sure. It definitely was around here, but something feels off."

"Hmmm..."

"E-Eek!"

"No, I didn't make that sound because of you, Director."

"Mage-nim? But, are we really okay here?"

"You're getting ten million won, right? Still not enough for you?"

"That's just the transport fee, not my life's worth! Besides, shouldn't one worry even if they get paid? When did you become such a cold and heartless mage?"

"No, maybe it's better to keep worrying. Oh dear, I'm worried too. I'm going to die, I'm going to die."

"N-no, it's this way! This is the right way!"

"Well... getting lost in Tanhyeon is unavoidable, so it's okay, Director. This area's terrain often changes."

"Please, spare me!"

"I said I'm not going to kill you!"

"Mage-nim, do you know? There's a saying among us drivers."

"I know."

"Huh? How do you know that, Mage-nim? What is it? What is it?"

"If you see an unfamiliar tree in Tanhyeon, give up and turn back."

"What, how did you know?"

Ah... My head hurts.

How did this dream team come together?

I was currently sitting in the backseat of Jang Hyeon-deok's cool call van.

Jang Hyeon-deok was sitting in the driver's seat, which was to be expected.

But in the passenger seat next to him was Goo Jin-cheol.

There isn't a single spot on him that looks intact, probably thanks to Chae Tae-won's meticulous work.

Goo Jin-cheol's head was wrapped in bandages, he had an eye patch over one eye, and his left arm was in a cast.

One thing was certain; once I find Cheong-ho, I'll never have to deal with this ridiculous situation of dragging both Goo Jin-cheol and Jang Hyeon-deok around again.

In particular, I will never see Goo Jin-cheol again after today.

"You're Director Goo Jin-cheol, right? Is this the right place? It doesn't even look like a road anymore."

"Y-yes, that's correct. Could you drive a bit further in that direction?"

"Through those trees?"

"N-no, next to them..."

"But there's a rock over there."

[Collision]

Bang!

"Let's give it a try. Given the terrain, there might be something up ahead."

"Since you're using magic anyway, can't you level the road too?"

"You'd have to file a complaint with the Paju City Hall for that."

Rumble...

As we drove through an area that was no longer even a road, the car started to shake violently. It wasn't just my back hurting, but my neck and head too.

"It seems like Tanhyeon isn't considered part of Paju City anymore. How can that be?"

"Am I the mayor of Paju? Why are you asking me?"

"Damn it, ah, d-d-d-damn it. Ack!"

Ignoring the vibrations that went all the way to his head, Jang Hyeon-deok eventually bit his own tongue while talking.

It was understandable for Jang Hyeon-deok to be on edge. He was the one who had dragged me to Tanhyeon last time, but back then he had been under the influence of the [King in Yellow].

Since then, perhaps due to the trauma from that day, he has been afraid of many things... Ah, did his fear of ghosts come from me? The aftermath of seeing ghosts on the way to the hungry mansion and going mad still lingered.

"You're a mage living in a theme park, but this place is really no joke."

"I know. I've already experienced how amazing Tanhyeon is. The driver who brought me here back then was quite an impressive person."

"Well, I am pretty impressive."

Jang Hyeon-deok always provided me with valuable lessons as a good friend. Look at this time too. I learned that sarcasm doesn't work on someone with a certain level of intelligence.

"Ah! There it is, over there! That's it!"

Suddenly, Goo Jin-cheol shouted energetically.

Have we finally arrived?

This place wasn't originally Tanhyeon. Should I say it's on the outskirts of Tanhyeon?

Geomsan neighborhood, Paju City.

To the side, you could see Wollong Mountain. On the map, it might be marked within the range of Wollong Mountain.

However, the strange phenomena occurring in Paju did not adhere to human-defined administrative boundaries. Just like the last time we visited Tanhyeon, we could drive for tens of minutes without encountering anything unusual, while extremely dangerous places existed outside the administrative area of Tanhyeon.

"This area wasn't originally classified as 'Tanhyeon' was it?"

The dangerous zones of Tanhyeon were gradually expanding. The distinction was simple. The appearance of bizarre plants that should not exist in nature served as a sign.

Plants were affected first, followed by animals and humans. This area was not officially Tanhyeon-myeon; it was what the people of Paju emphatically called "Tanhyeon".

People affected by the area experienced strange changes in mind and body. If they were lucky, they could gain supernatural abilities from it, but most just became mad. There was also about a one percent chance of turning into a monster.

Even in the game, there were occasional events where this area turned into "Tanhyeon". Depending on the situation, the entire region of Paju could become "Tanhyeon" or something even more extraordinary could happen, so in a way, it wasn't such a grand event.

But usually, such things happen after corresponding omens and events, right?

It was just a hunch, but perhaps Cheong-ho was related to the transformation of the Wollong Mountain area into "Tanhyeon".

"Anyway, if you were going to build a secret base, why didn't you build it a bit further south instead of right near North Korea?"

"Well, that's... "

"Oh, no, I wasn't talking to you, Director."

Of course, it wasn't Goo Jin-cheol's fault, and strangely enough, it wasn't Cheong-ho's fault either.

The location of Cheong-ho's secret warehouse was completely random.

It wasn't just one of these kinds of places; it was completely random. Usually, because it was hidden in such a terrible spot, it could never be found with just a vague idea of where it was.

That's why you need a guide to find that place.

Except for Cheong-ho, the only other person who knew the location among the Cheong-ho faction's dozens of executives was a key figure.

So, out of the eight executives gathered in the meeting room, only one knew the location, and who that person was remained random.

Ah, they really love random stuff.

In the game context, one of the core scenes in the scenario where the player opposes Cheong-ho involves raiding Cheong-ho's secret warehouse. But how do you persuade one of the eight executives when each has different personalities and preferences? This was designed as a fun element.

Anyway, the guide for this round... everyone could probably guess, was Goo Jin-cheol.

I had a feeling from the way he was acting so stubbornly in the meeting room.

Anyway, one of the reasons Goo Jin-cheol had to stay alive was precisely this.

"We can't go any further from here."

"Should we break through a bit more?"

"No, if we go any further, the wheels might get stuck or, worse, we could overturn. The slope is too steep, and the ground is too soft."

"Hmm..."

Should we walk from here? Hiking up a slope where feet sink deeply was disheartening.

"We have no choice. We'll walk up."

"Then, Mage-nim, please be careful."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about? You have to come too."

"Me?"

"Are you going to stay here?"

"Yes?"

Maybe I should have asked Chae Tae-won to drive instead of Jang Hyeon-deok.

No matter how remote it was, this was still Tanhyeon. Only Jang Hyeon-deok could drive this far; no one else had the skill to handle this area.

Only then did Jang Hyeon-deok realize what I meant and he screamed.

"W-what are you talking about? What can I possibly do once I get out of the car?"

"Stop wasting time and get out. Do you think you can protect yourself here alone?"

Jang Hyeon-deok looked around with a pale face.

Weird plants, weird bugs, weird birds, weird air, weird atmosphere...

"C-can't Mage-nim create a barrier...?"

"Wouldn't it be safer if Mage-nim stayed close to protect you?"

This was Tanhyeon. It was impossible to completely protect someone who was isolated in such a remote area.

"Well, then..."

"Enough already, man!"

Whack!

Jang Hyeon-deok finally started gathering his belongings after getting smacked.

When he fiddled with something next to the driver's seat, a hidden gun popped out.

"Sure, even elementary school kids in Paju carry guns, but do you even know how to shoot that thing?"

"W-well, I need to have something, right?"

"Do whatever you want."

In fact, it would have been simple to just tell him to go back, but this time, I couldn't just tell Jang Hyeon-deok to leave.

There were too many things to pack and take back.

"Well, then, you should get ready too, Director."

"Understood."

This was the end of the necessary section where Goo Jin-cheol had to accompany us.

Was it to smoothly settle the dispute with Jeok-du, because of the cultists associated with a few of Goo Jin-cheol's businesses, or perhaps due to the relationship with Helistic?

As ridiculous as it was, the difficulty of proceeding would be ridiculously different depending on whether Goo Jin-cheol was alive or not.

Anyway, he had committed a crime, but there was no need to repay that crime necessarily with flogging or the death penalty.

Goo Jin-cheol would repay his sins through labor reform.

"Alright, let's go. Ah, and Jang Hyeon-deok, if you die, I'll dispose of your car as I please, alright?"

"No, you have to protect me well so I don't die!"

"Hang in there and endure it well."

Tanhyeon was a bit unique—no, saying it like that might cause misunderstandings. The Tanhyeon I lived in was a happy and beautiful neighborhood.

However, the polluted "Tanhyeon" of [Cthulhu World] was a sinister forest filled with unique plants and bizarre phenomena.

The moment we got out of the car, my nerves were on edge.

[System: The 'Enhanced Vigilance' trait has been activated.]

A disturbing insect noise came from somewhere, tsutsutsu, tsutsutsu. There was a sound of something hitting something else, clack, clack, clack. And then there was a rustling sound, ssssss, sssssss, ssssss, was that the sound of leaves shaking in the wind?

Honestly, the vigilance trait was meaningless in this case. The entire area was a danger zone.

The trees rooted and growing in this place were dangerous; the insects eating those trees were dangerous; the visible insects were dangerous; the distant flying birds were dangerous; and the animals roaming the forest were dangerous.

Even the air they exhaled in this place was dangerous.

"Everyone, it can be dangerous if you stray far from me, so don't leave my side."

I conjured my magical power to set up a protective barrier around us and moved forward.

As Jang Hyeon-deok had said, it was a dangerous slope where the car could overturn. For some reason, the ground was oddly loose, and the dirt was strangely crumbly. Every step sank several centimeters into the ground.

"Argh!"

No one did anything, but suddenly Jang Hyeon-deok was rolling on the ground.

"Aaaaah, Mage-nim!" he yelled while rolling down several meters of the slope in an instant.

"Should I kill him?"

Seriously, that guy had more strength and health than me. So why was he acting like that?

"Achilles, go fetch him. No, don't hurt him; just bring him back."

A pitch-black shadow jumped out at an incredible speed.

Creak, snap, crunch!!

It had a silhouette similar to a large dog but it only looked like a dog from the outline.

Thud, thud, thud!!

"Aaaah!! A monster! A monster!"

"No, that's not a monster."

Well, it was a monster.

It was a creature made of tree branches, a staff, glass shards, a bowl, dumbbells, pieces of metal, and other random items. It was covered with an outer layer stitched together from various animal hides. Essentially, it was a type of necromancy golem.

The base was made using the cores of those taxidermy beasts that attacked us at the Jangmyeong mountain. Honestly, it wasn't a pretty sight.

My sewing skills are pretty terrible.

As the seams where the hides were stitched together split apart, dozens of additional arms made of forcibly connected branches sprouted.

Creak, creak, creak!!

Achilles used those arms to grab Jang Hyeon-deok and drag him back.

Creak.

"Well done."

It was a mess. Jang Hyeon-deok was now covered in dirt, rotting leaves, and bizarre-looking insect carcasses. He looked utterly pathetic.

This won't do.

"Achilles, stay beside Jang Hyeon-deok for now."

Creak, creak.

"Where on earth did this come from?"

"It didn't look too good, so it was in a bag."

"Oh, the duffel bag with all the junk in it? It was in there?"

"No, it is the duffel bag."

Even my appearance alone was enough to provoke a police stop, and if I carried necromancy golems around recklessly, it wouldn't end with just a stop. Yang Seo-ho from the immigration bureau' would come with a mobile strike force.

So, after much consideration, I created this necromancy golem, Achilles. I designed it to look like a duffel bag full of random items so it could be disguised in plain sight.

"You even carry around surprise boxes; you really are a great mage."

"Now you're calling me anything. Achilles, bite that idiot."

"Argh!"

Achilles just looked at me with a "really?" expression.

After passing several more markers that only Goo Jin-cheol could recognize, we finally reached our destination.

A large iron door suddenly appeared in the middle of the mountainside.

It was a secret place hidden by Cheong-ho. It was a nuclear fallout shelter.

"What's written here?"

On the thick iron door, which was heavily rusted, there was an ominous inscription written in a sticky black substance. The strange letters looked like they had been smeared on by hand rather than written with a tool. The message read...

"If you don't open it, a million will die, and if you do, one will die."