Chapter 143: Returning Home

[Dokgo Gyeom and the Eternal One Origin Cult faced great humiliation, and the cults that participated in the Masquerade suffered losses too significant to describe in a few words.]

Yeah, this time it was really a hard bet.

A few cults will collapse immediately.

But any cult whose leader was captured won't be able to operate for a while. And some cults lost their most talented disciples.

[Furthermore, tonight's events will cause significant changes in the chaotic political situation of Paju.]

There are a few more things.

Today's events will bring about many changes.

Perhaps the message window had the same thought, as it organized those changes one by one.

[The Immigration Bureau? Yang Seo-ho will be stuck in Sejong City for a while.]

[Descendants of Fomalhaut? They were already weakened, and now they've been wrongly accused.]

[This will eventually affect Jeokdu of the Triad who is allied with them. Did you also prepare a funeral wreath for Cheongho? You're really meticulous.]

Ah, things were going well, and then suddenly this bastard had to scratch at it.

I almost used his magic to get rid of the message window right then and there, but I barely managed to hold back.

[It is uncertain how much you had considered, but the results are unbelievably impressive. Tonight, you could foresee and control everything.]

Of course, I had calculated everything.

There had been a dreadful moment when his mask almost came off, but in the end, everything had gone well.

[You have annihilated the 'Masquerade of Sejong City.' Experience points acquired.]

[You have defeated numerous 'Faceless Mutants'. Your understanding of 'Mutants' has increased.]

[You have exerted strong influence over many 'Cultists of the Eternal One Origin Cult'. Your understanding of cultists has increased.]

[You have exerted strong influence over many 'Cultists of the Yellow Forest Church'. Your understanding of cultists has increased.]

[You have exerted strong influence over many 'Cultists of the Winter Coming Cult'.]

......

[You have accumulated enough experience points to reach the next level. Level increased by 1.]

[Discovery: You have acquired a secret item from the Masquerade. Experience points acquired.]

[Discovery: You have found a secret space. Experience points acquired.]

[Bonus Experience: You have achieved a total of (7) accomplishments in the 'Masquerade of Sejong City.']

[You have gained enough experience points to reach the next level. Level increased by 1.]

I was now at level 42.

The level-up phase was starting to get tough.

Especially since I hadn't even accomplished some of the achievements or tasks myself.

Considering that, gaining two levels from this incident was quite a decent result.

Anyway, this time, leveling up was just a bonus.

First of all, the things that the message window had been complaining about earlier.

The destruction of the Masquerade.

The shift in the power dynamics of the factions in Paju.

And the elimination of potential future enemies.

And most importantly......

Now the Judges cannot unite.

The accusations and doubts hurled at Dokgo Gyeom by the Judges. And Dokgo Gyeom's crazy behavior. This meant that the Masquerade was over.

I had sown suspicion and discord among them.

If I was lucky, that grand route of the Judges might just fizzle out.

And that's exactly why I kept looking at the explanation in the message window.

So, what's the next scenario?

[You must be feeling quite confident now. Perhaps you've gained the confidence that you can control everything that will happen from now on. This can't be completely denied.]

Huh? Was I mistaken?

For some reason, it felt like the entity beyond the message window was getting annoyed.

[The knowledge you possess is indeed your greatest weapon. However, who knows? It's unclear how long that knowledge will remain valid. And the madness residing in your mind. You managed to get through this time, but will it be the same next time? You can look forward to it. The chaotic future is steadily approaching you.]

Was that a declaration of war?

Fine, do as you please.

I have my own steady supply of weapons to feed you.

With that, the message window disappeared.

Did it end well, after all?

There were a few dangerous moments along the way, but I managed to resolve them. I overcame everything with sheer skill, so it turned out well.

And above all....

The huge number of masks piled up in the back seat.

And Achilles uncomfortably crouched among them.

No, not that.

The treasure chest containing the mask.

Y_es, that one._

More precisely, the [Mask of the Faceless One] inside it.

Let's head back quickly.

I was itching with anticipation.

Hurry, hurry, hurry, I want to smash this chest open and take out the mask.

"..."

Hmm. Something feels off.

Unfortunately, the message window didn't spoil the next scenario.

Instead, what it said to me was...

"Madness."

"Huh?"

"Hyeon-deok."

"Huh? Yes?"

"Do I look a bit crazy to you?"

"Uh? Well, uh... hmm... uh... so..."

Jang Hyeon-deok babbled to himself for a moment, then smiled warmly and said to me.

"Mage-nim, don't get hurt and listen to me carefully."

"Stop it! Don't say anything!"

Even I had to admit that my obsession with masks was getting out of hand. Maybe when the mask came off earlier, that was my chance to shake off this obsession.

But I couldn't resist and chose to put the mask back on.

How could I resist in a place with so many masks?

Ha, damn it. If I could control this, it wouldn't be madness.

You can't resolve it by simply gathering objects of obsession and setting them on fire.

And then we returned to Paju.

The night view of Paju was different from Sejong City.

A place right below North Korea. The city in South Korea with the most monster appearances. A place where abnormal phenomena that ordinary people can't accept occur. A city of crime, corruption, and madness.

The forest and mountains, the outdated old city, and the abnormally towering buildings and apartments.

A bizarre landscape where light and darkness are tangled randomly.

And the car carrying me headed into the darkness outside the city, away from the light.

"Whenever I come near here, I get an unusual chill."

"The mountain wind makes it cold."

It's because of the magic circle installed to trap negative energy in the mansion.

"Do you hear a strange noise?"

"It's just birds."

It was actually the wailing of spirits wandering around the mansion.

"Ah! Over there! There's a strange shadow!"

"It's just a tree shadow."

It was an experimental subject I released a while ago. Still alive, I see.

"Anyway, we've arrived at the theme park!"

"Why do you keep calling someone else's house a theme park?"

"Do you really not know? I think you should consider developing it into a tourist attraction as a side business."

"Up ahead, there's nothing but wilderness, so what tourism?"

"That's true. Anyway, this terrible neighborhood..."

Didn't Jang Hyeon-deok once say he'd leave Paju if he made enough money? From now on, I think I should give him a more appropriate amount of pocket money.

"Anyway, thanks for your hard work all night. Hey, open the back door."

"Oh, sure."

Crash.

Dozens of masks piled up in the back seat tumbled out.

"Ah! The seats!"

"I'll tell Tudor, so get some money and replace the seats."

The seats were a complete mess.

Creak, thud!

Achilles who had gotten out of the car shook his body, flinging the blood stuck to his torso in all directions.

Among the haphazardly gathered masks, there were still some with heads attached to them. And there were those that were purely covered in blood.

"It's not just about fixing it! Who's going to heal the wounded hearts of me and my car, Bongbong?"

"Bongbong will feel better with new seats."

I tried to soothe him and send him off, but Jang Hyeon-deok continued to whine.

Eventually, Heo Sang-hyeon was curious about what was happening and walked out of the mansion.

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine! Goodbye! See you again!"

As soon as he saw Heo Sang-hyeon, Jang Hyeon-deok turned pale and left with a hurried goodbye.

"Shin-hwa-nim, who is that man...?"

"He may look stupid, but he's just a bit peculiar."

It seemed that due to his living altar trait, Heo Sang-hyeon appeared frightening to him.

Or perhaps, is Sang-hyeon objectively scary-looking?

Pale skin like that of a vampire.

Unusually large eyes.

Fingers as thin as twigs.

Hair that floated lifelessly.

A voice that carried the chill of the dead.

"..."

I see. He was the scary butler managing the haunted mansion.

"Let's go inside."

[Invisible Hand]

Creak!

Crash!

Dozens of masks and the large treasure chest floated into the air.

"Please step aside a bit."

"Ah..."

Heo Sang-hyeon who was already staring at the masks with his large scary eyes, made a strange noise and stepped aside.

We entered the mansion as it was.

Seeing the dreadful and eerie interior of the mansion feel so familiar made me realize I had truly come far in this game.

"Haah, I want to rest."

Anyway, the tension eased.

However, I couldn't do that. I moved my feet toward the basement.

Drip, drip...

Dust, blood drops, and trash bundles fell to the floor.

After all, someone else will clean it up.

Of course, it didn't mean I was going to leave it to Heo Sang-hyeon.

The cleaning of the hungry mansion was handled by occult-like cleaning machines that surpassed robotic vacuums. They were the necromancy golems.

"Shin-hwa-nim? Those masks..."

"Ah, they're souvenirs I brought from Sejong City. If you like any of them, I can let you have one or two... no, just one."

Surely, he wouldn't actually ask for one, right?

"No, no! That's not it. Right now... what are you planning to do?"

Huh? What's with this guy?

I had only one thing to do now.

To open the chest.

And to obtain the reward trapped inside.

It wasn't a simple task. It required tremendous energy.

It would probably take quite a long time. I had to start immediately.

Since it wasn't something to be hidden, I informed Heo Sang-hyeon of my schedule.

"In that case... Shin-hwa-nim."

Heo Sang-hyeon had an expression I had never seen before. It was stern and resolute with his eyes wide open. The emotions included were anger and shock?

"First, you need to wash up."

"What?"

"Wash, sleep, and eat something. I absolutely can't stand you locking yourself in the basement in this state."

Who are you to decide what I can and can't do?

That's what I wanted to say.

If I hadn't seen my reflection in the mirror hanging in the living room, I probably would have just said it.

"My appearance..."

"......"

Stern and resolute expression? No, that's not right.

The emotions on Heo Sang-hyeon's face were more accurately worry and bewilderment.

"Ah, damn."

I sighed and scratched my head.

It was only then that I started to come to my senses a bit.

The mage reflected in the mirror was truly a sight to behold.

Blood, dust, stains, monster fluids, someone's brain matter, soot.

I was covered in all sorts of filth and trash.

What a sight.

The mask looked like it had been picked up from some garbage bin; it was a mess.

Even though the face of the mage in the mirror couldn't be seen, it was clear from his stance and attitude that he was on the verge of collapsing.

And there was a massive amount of trash following the mage like a cloud.

No, it was masks.

It wasn't just masks stained with blood and filth.

Earlier, I had noticed but brushed it off.

Among the masks I had collected, there were some with human heads or flesh still attached. Was I really okay with this?

"Hoo! Ha..."

A brief deep breath.

"Hoo..."

Another deep breath. Focus.

"Ugh, Sang-hyeon-ssi is much better than Jang Hyeon-deok... No, that's not a criticism he could make of me."

Why didn't you tell me sooner? - I shouldn't run with thoughts like that. They are meaningless. What a fool, Kim Shin-hwa! What a mess is this?

I spread my arms towards Heo Sang-hyeon and said.

"Thanks to you, I came to my senses. Let's store this in the basement for now and go up right away."

"Would you like to have a meal?"

"If I eat now, I probably won't be able to sleep. I think it's better to wash up and go to bed right away. I'll organize the stuff tomorrow when I wake up."

"Understood."

When I was about to go down to the basement, I turned my head and spoke to Heo Sang-hyeon.

"Oh, and..."

"Yes?"

"No, never mind."

It was probably best not to mention the [Super Rookie Heo Sang-hyeon].