Chapter 20: Park Kwang-lim

A shadow emerged from among the trees lining the road outside.

The figure was roughly my height, and he looked to be a foreigner dressed in a suit.

"You have impressive skills beyond imagination. It was truly a spectacle to behold."

Judging by the accent, perhaps Chinese? A Chinese person capable of finding me in the middle of the night... Ah, I know who it is.

"No big deal."

I brushed off the man's comment from within the shadows as I finished up my task.

[Lightning]

Fzzzzt!

"Argh!"

Mad Dog who had been sprawled at my feet was already in a near-death state, but with a third party intervening, I couldn't predict what complications might arise so I knocked him out.

Glancing towards the shadow, I spoke,

"If you're not here to interfere... could you wait a bit? Let me handle this first, then we can talk."

I stuffed the unconscious Mad Dog into a prepared carrier. Only then did I notice his arm was twisted in an unnatural direction.

It seemed severely broken... Should I administer first aid?

[Hardening]

Although there's no healing magic in the first-order spells available to me, I could use hardening to temporarily splint a broken arm, mimicking the effect of a makeshift cast.

Anyway, that was enough for now. There were bikers loitering around, having lost their bikes, but it seemed none of them had the loyalty to risk their lives by charging in.

Anyway, it looked like I had more or less wrapped things up here and now, should I deal with that loitering Chinese man over there...? What on earth was he doing here?

I walked in the direction I heard the voice and called his name.

"But Park Kwang-lim-ssi? What brings you here?"

"...I heard that a rising star had appeared, so I thought I might come and offer my business card."

He probably wanted to make an impressive entrance but now that I showed that I knew his name, he showed a hint of embarrassment.

When the distance became close enough, Park Kwang-lim stepped out of the shadows between the trees and fully revealed himself.

He was a man with narrow eyes and he wore an old-fashioned suit and an out-of-date fedora.

"I already have my own contacts for dealings, you see..."

This man's name was Park Kwang-lim. Though Chinese, he was a broker like Tudor and operated in Paju.

"I'd prefer not to expand my contacts, so if it's that kind of business, I'd rather you go through Tudor at Café Vasilisa."

"It's just that Tudor has been overly protective of Kim Shin-hwa-ssi..."

Park Kwang-lim momentarily smiled while fiddling with his fedora.

Was there some other motive behind his visit?

"How about it? Why don't you listen to what I have to say for a moment? There are many people curious about who Kim Shin-hwa-ssi really is."

Park Kwang-lim worked as a broker, but his business specialized in information trading. Essentially, he was an information dealer whose main job was akin to that of a private investigator.

"I don't think there's much benefit for me in talking to you, though. I know you'll just exaggerate whatever little I say and sell it to all sorts of people."

While I did need fame, I had no interest in generating baseless rumors.

As if I hit the nail right on the hand, Park Kwang-lim made a grimace before continuing.

"If you're looking for financial gains, there are better options than Tudor. Are you aware that Tudor's commission rates are quite high compared to others in this field?"

That was true.

Tudor's commission rates were indeed expensive in this business.

"If you wish, I can introduce you to cheaper and reliable contacts."

"It's not about needing money urgently. I'm content with Tudor."

I needed money, but if it was just about the money, there were easier jobs available. I chose Tudor for the future quests that might connect and for the unique items only obtainable through Tudor.

Of course, the most important point was that Tudor was a highly trustworthy broker who would never betray me.

I especially knew the potential consequences I would be facing if I were to deal with Park Kwang-lim instead.

Never do anything with this guy!

"It's not just about money, I can also connect you to other lines. As a mage, you might be seeking more useful knowledge or artifacts, right? I have contacts that could link you to such things."

He was more persistent than I expected.

Though I was praised as a promising new talent, honestly, it wasn't the time for headhunting to start already.

In just over a month, I had captured only a handful of wanted criminals. Was that really enough reason for him to cling to me like this?

"Stop it, and just tell me your real purpose for coming here."

"Uh... Alright."

Tsk, look. I knew it would be like this.

"I think you might start getting annoyed, so I'll just ask one thing."

I was already annoyed.

"What is it?"

"Did you happen to visit Unjeong Station about a month ago?"

Unjeong Station...

Aha, so this was the real issue all along?

About a month ago at Unjeong Station, I had robbed the cultists of the [Descendants of Fomalhaut] and completely messed up their temple...

"If it was a month ago... Well, I can't recall anything specific."

This information should not be shared with anyone, especially not with Park Kwang-lim.

It would spread faster than the 9 o'clock news to everyone if I were to tell him.

"I see. I was just asking because someone I do business with has been looking for something since a month ago, so I wondered if you might know."

The Descendants of Fomalhaut, those people, it seemed they had bribed Park Kwang-lim to find me?

"Then all the more reason I know nothing."

"So, you truly don't know about a ring that's been lost?"

From the cultists' perspective, it must be an important sacred item, and they would be desperately searching for it. That ring was currently on my finger.

"Well, it seems there's nothing I can help with."

"Oh... In truth, such items are difficult to recover unless the thief decides to sell them to a fence, right? That's why I've almost given up."

Did his words imply that if I tried to sell the stolen ring, I would be caught immediately? It could be read as a threat, but it seemed more like he was on my side for now.

I nodded noncommittally and then said to Park Kwang-lim.

"Is that all you wanted?"

"That's all."

"Fine. Then, before you go, give me your business card and I'll keep it handy."

"Ah, of course. Whenever you part ways with Tudor, feel free to get in touch."

"Well... More than that, it's for when I urgently need to find someone to contact."

Park Kwang-lim's narrowed eyes became even narrower at my words. It must have bothered him that I knew too much while he knew nothing about me.

He possessed a very special ability called [Dowsing].

With just a few clues, he could locate the whereabouts of any person.

However, his ability was limited to finding people and not objects.

If that weren't the case, he would have discovered that I had the ring.

Park Kwang-lim tried very hard to maintain his calm expression and handed me his business card.

"Ah, hmm, hmmm, here's my card. Could I possibly get a way to contact you...?"

"I haven't got a mobile phone yet."

That was actually true.

It was about time Tudor made me an ID card, and once I had it, I planned to get a smartphone.

But Park Kwang-lim seemed to misunderstand and looked a little disappointed.

"Understood. Please feel free to contact me at any time. As you know, there's no one in Paju who can match me in finding people."

He had personally come all this way to show off his ability, so surely he was confident in his unparalleled skills, wasn't he?

Anyway, befriending Park Kwang-lim could be beneficial later on if I needed help finding randomly hiding individuals like Lee Chang-hyuk.

"Ah, right. And one more thing."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Could you give me a lift to Vasilisa?"

"........"

Didn't he say earlier that he would give me a ride?

***

"So, this is what happened."

"Hmm... Are you trying to show off your popularity now?"

I recounted the story of Park Kwang-lim to Tudor at Café Vasilisa. Tudor briefly wore a sulky expression on her face.

It was probably a display of displeasure, but given her charming looks, it seemed more like she was preparing for a prank than a complaint.

"I told you to stay put, and yet you're out snooping around... Maybe I should send a gift to the opposition soon."

Park Kwang-lim's business was located in the opposition district.

The company name on the card was... [Opposition Detective People Finder Specializing in Affair Investigations, Fraud Investigation, and Errand Center]. It was a ridiculously long name.

Tudor began to mutter to herself, contemplating the "gift" she would send to Park Kwang-lim.

"Food poisoning? No, perhaps pneumonia would be more fitting for the current mood. Though Orthodox, a traffic accident isn't a bad idea either..."

...Tudor was a witch.

If you ever received an unexpected gift from Tudor, stop whatever you're doing and immediately seek out the nearest church.

If you can make it to the church without encountering an accident, you might find a way to either break the curse or at least minimize its damage.

It wasn't to save Park Kwang-lim, but I distracted Tudor by engaging her in conversation.

"Now that I've warmed up, it seems like a good time to raise the difficulty level of my tasks."

"...So that's why you brought up this topic?"

"Not exactly. It's just that something like that happened."

"Hmm... Indeed, the tasks you've been assigned were intern-level work, prepared to help you adapt to our environment more easily."

"I thought as much."

The tasks handled after the capture of the wanted criminal Lee Chang-hyuk were a series of typical tutorial quests.

Transporting secure items, defending key points, sabotaging secret equipment held by rival organizations, and today's pursuit quest.

There were various types of tasks, but generally, they were simple, low-difficulty ones that could be completed within half a day.

"I'm really satisfied with how this task turned out. I didn't expect it to be resolved so quickly without any additional support. Impressive indeed."

Tudor's expression brightened up. It seemed likely that Park Kwang-lim would avoid his crisis.

"There was no need to set a testing period for me from the start."

"Hehe, your performance has proven itself, so I can't argue with that. But to become a reliable and trustworthy broker, you need to do everything with certainty."

She had a point. Regardless of my achievements, Tudor would have proceeded according to the schedule set in the game.

Anyway, now that I have completed a total of five quests including the introductory one, it seems that more complicated cases will start coming in.

"But not today. I think you'll be busy for a while and won't be able to work."

"Busy?"

"Yes, now that your new identity is ready, you'll have to take care of things you couldn't do before, right?"

"I was wondering what you were referring to. So, my ID card has finally arrived?"

"That's right. You're now officially a Korean citizen capable of engaging in credit transactions."

"It feels strange when you say it like that."

I smiled wryly and tapped the mask with my fingers.

A sudden event had reset everything in my life, including my identity and nationality... These were aspects I had never once felt the need to be thankful for possessing.

But now I had to pay exorbitant prices to get such basic necessities.

"Here, take your identification first."

Tudor handed me a small envelope. Inside were an ID card and a bank book.

"Didn't it take longer than expected to get ready?"

"Recently, crackdowns on illegal immigrants have been strengthened not only in Paju but nationwide, so there was a bit of a delay."

Is the foreigner management office on a roll? What a pain in the ass.