Chapter 94: Booming Business

I just finished breakfast and stepped into the living room to speak with Heo Sang-hyeon.

"I will be away for a while starting tomorrow."

Heo Sang-hyeon's already dark complexion seemed to darken even more at the news.

"For a while? Then.... when might you return?"

"If early, perhaps by dawn the same day. If late, it could take a day or two. Depending on the situation, it might even be a few weeks."

While situations that took weeks to resolve were rare, they were not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

"I'm not sure how this will sound to you, Shin-hwa-nim."

Heo Sang-hyeon widened his eyes as he emphasized his next words.

"This is a hungry mansion."

"I know. Visitors come here occasionally?"

But the visitors weren't Hollow Lord's old friends or acquaintances who shared mutual favors with him. It wasn't as if such bizarre people existed.

It's all because of the Home Usurpation system.

It's an annoying system that you don't have to worry about in an ordinary house where you pay monthly rent.

Securing a residence with special options and good features is not only difficult to acquire but also challenging to maintain.

Periodically, NPCs in situations like mine or random bands of thieves would invade and try to seize my residence.

Especially notorious mansions like the Hungry Mansion often attracted righteous fixers hoping to collect bounties.

"There is someone to guard it, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

I assured him comfortably but on the contrary, Heo Sang-hyun widened his already large eyes and became nervous.

"I understand. I will do my best..."

"What? No, I know you are capable, but there shouldn't be a need for you to take direct action."

"But..."

"The guardians are the necromancy golems in the mansion."

Additionally, I had painstakingly placed security magic both inside and outside the mansion. It would be difficult for the clumsy ones to even step into the courtyard of the mansion.

"And if the worst comes to pass and all that is breached... use this."

With that, I pointed to an object floating in the air in the living room.

"That mask...?"

It was the Dead Man's Mask.

"It might look a bit off, but it should resolve most issues anyway."

"...Understood."

Though it was easy to say, my conscience was prickling a bit.

The mask which was modeled after the face of a dead person, contained the soul of one of Heo Sang-hyeon's ancestors from several generations ago.

In seeking the cause of Heo Sang-hyeon's state of being neither alive nor dead, one would eventually come upon this elder's spirit.

Knowing this full well, I still recommended that he use his ancestor's power and magic to resolve the issues.

"Again, I must remind you that the situation requiring you to use this should not arise."

The complexity of the situation made me overly talkative.

"Well, anyway, I must now pack my things. Please take care of cleaning up the dining area."

"...Yes, I understand."

Leaving Heo Sang-hyeon behind, I descended into the basement.

Though I had confidently reassured Heo Sang-hyeon, I was also a little uneasy about suddenly vacating the mansion I had just secured.

But what unnerved me more was the future that loomed before me.

I recalled what the last message window said.

[Soon, the judges who represent the will of the Abyss will...]

It hinted that the main scenario was about to begin.

At this point, the fastest way to strengthen my power was through the Thousand Gold Temple.

Only there could certain artifacts be found, and only there could certain items be disposed of.

I said while looking around at the magic materials piled up in the basement.

"Well... I must finish organizing this by tomorrow so I can go out with peace of mind."

What was placed on the workbench was the head of a beautiful monster shining in golden light.

The head of a golden dancer with its eyes quietly closed.

I extended my magical power towards it and activated the power contained in Carcosa's mask.

[The unique effect of the L-rank accessory 'Carcosa's Mask', 'Madman's Dexterity', has been activated.]

Terrible screams began to echo from the dark basement of this "mad mage".

It was the dreadful scream of a non-human entity.

The next day.

I finally returned to the Geumchon neighborhood after a long while.

"Mage-nim."

"Yes?"

Jang Hyeon-deok, who was driving, spoke with a serious expression on his face.

"Are you really going to keep calling me for this kind of job...?"

"You make easy money too, isn't that nice?"

"Well, it's nice since you pay well considering the distance..."

A secure taxi is a service that can be found only in certain dangerous areas like Paju, even in [Cthulhu World].

Compared to regular taxis, they provided much stronger security and safety but charged exorbitant rates.

Instead of charging based on distance like regular taxis, secure taxis charged based on the level of danger.

"Just keep driving for me until I buy a car."

"Do you have a driver's license?"

"I don't."

"Um..."

Jang Hyeon-deok stopped talking for a moment and he had a puzzled expression on his face.

The silence was brief, and he continued to grumble afterward. However, as I was about to get out of his car, Jang Hyeon-deok made a suggestion.

"I'll be driving around the area running a regular taxi business for a while, so call me if you need anything."

"Alright."

Despite his grumbling, it seemed that was going to be the outcome anyway.

After I left Jang Hyeon-deok, I mounted the board I had brought with me and entered the dark alleys of the Geumchon neighborhood.

My destination today was Vasilisa.

Just yesterday, I finally received the call I had been waiting for from Tudor.

When I entered Vasilisa, I was surprised by the unusually large crowd.

The café was typically filled with burly mercenaries and grim fixers, but today it was exceptionally crowded.

Every table was occupied, and people who couldn't find a seat leaned against the walls.

There were various weapons and magical powers.

Not only Koreans but also foreigners of different skin colors and in diverse attire were present.

They were fixers and each with their own unique skills.

In this chaotic gathering of remarkable individuals, one person stood out conspicuously.

He was a remarkably neat and genteel middle-aged man who seemed out of place in the shop.

He was seated in a wheelchair and engaged in conversation with the people sitting across from him at the table.

His inherent magical power was nothing extraordinary, but there was an ominous aura emanating from somewhere within him.

Although it is suppressed ... that's a fierce venom. What has he brought with him?

As always, it was the first time I had seen him, but it wasn't our first meeting in the true sense. The thought of acknowledging him crossed my mind, but I decided against it.

After all, he would soon be someone with whom I would engage in an excessively long conversation.

I turned around and headed towards the counter.

"Orb, hello?"

"Hel-lo? Shi-hwa. It's-been-a-while."

The reply came back in a voice that sounded mechanically spliced.

Over two meters tall with a huge monitor where a head should be.

And a smiley face was displayed on that monitor.

Orb was the barista of Vasilisa.

"It's quite busy today, isn't it?"

"Lately-it's-been-busy. A boom-in-business"

Instead of the smiley, the symbols "¥€$" flickered on his monitor for a moment.

"You seem less busy than usual, Orb?"

"Probably-because-Tudor-is-busy."

"Right. It's unusual not to see Tudor around."

Tudor who was always either lying in a corner of the shop or chatting with the customers was nowhere to be seen.

When I looked in front of Tudor's office, there were a lot of muscular men with menacing eyes.

It looked like they were standing in line and waiting for a consultation, right?

A sudden boom in business.

Tudor who brokers jobs for illegal human resources being in a boom meant something catastrophic was slowly drawing closer to this world.

I had been keeping track of the dates, but this is happening sooner than expected?

I was a player.

So depending on the choices I make, who I fight, and whom I meet, a different main scenario emerges each time.

While the details of each main scenario may vary slightly, the most critical aspect remains unchanged.

A horrific catastrophe that will devastate this world is looming, and as a precursor, monsters and madmen begin to stir from the shadows of this world.

"Tudor-told-me that, if Shin-hwa-shows up, call me. Wait a bit."

Orb circled the counter and slowly made his way toward Tudor's office.

His walk is truly cool.

It's a graceful and stylish stride that even runway fashion models would struggle to emulate.

He stood tall among the monstrous fixers. His upper body was shaped like an inverted triangle, his forearms were highlighted by prominent veins and muscles, and a tight black apron was wrapped around his waist.

From head to toe.

He was a finely selected barista that fit exactly Tudor's taste.

Especially his head, I suppose.

After delivering a brief message in Tudor's office, Orb made a gesture indicating Tudor would be out soon and returned to the counter.

"By the way, you didn't see curtain call, did you?"

"Collie-went-to-Cheonan."

The word "Cheonan" appeared on Orb's monitor.

"Cheonan? Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province?"

"Yes."

Cheonan, huh... What on earth could Curtain Call be doing there?

Whatever the job, Curtain Call excels at one thing and that is killing people.

In fact, it's safe to say that's the only thing she knows how to do.

No matter who hired Curtain Call, they could only ask her to kill people. Amitabha...

"Oh. Wasn't there a Helistic factory there?"

As was the case with most properties owned by Helistic, very illegal and antisocial activities were conducted at that factory.

If you play out a story opposing Helistic, you can also enjoy an event where that factory gets destroyed.

While I was pondering all of this, Tudor's voice suddenly rang out.

"Dear! Come in quickly!"

When I looked towards the source of the voice, I saw Tudor's head just peeking out from the office door.

To the side, I saw those Mohican-like men in leather jackets chattering as they walked out.

It seems their consultation was over.

"Aren't you busy?"

"Because it's busy, come quickly!"

"Ah, yes. I'm on my way."

Clearly, Tudor has been much busier recently.

The office which was usually a mess greeted me in an even more chaotic state than usual.

"Maybe you should ask Orb to tidy up?"

"I am tidying up. It was clean this morning."

"...I see."

"By the way, since I haven't seen you in a while..."

Tudor paused and looked at me for a moment...

"Oh... Aren't you amazing?"

She exclaimed awkwardly.

"What's up? Why are you acting like that?"

"I knew you were getting stronger every time I saw you, but this time it's no joke. What have you been picking up and eating?"

"What have I eaten?"

"The quality of your magic... it's completely changed. It even smells of poison and corpses. It's quite severe, isn't it?"

I unconsciously lowered my head and looked down at my chest.

I did eat something.

[Echo of Suffocation (Legendary Elixir): A fragment of the power from the great old being, 'He Who Comes from the Darkness']

It was just a tiny fragment though. It was barely comparable to a clipped fingernail if measured by human standards.

But it was still a part of a being of the abyss.

Thanks to it, the already immense amount of magical power I possessed has nearly doubled, and the quality of my magic has improved beyond comparison.

Not only that but during the time I stayed reclusive at home, I came to realize and learn new things.

It seemed like she had noticed this change.

"Thanks to your help, I found some decent nourishing food to pick up."

"Hmm... I'm envious. Next time, I hope you'll include me too. It might even extend my lifespan."

It wasn't certain, but if the background information I had was correct, Tudor was older than even the Hollow Lord who was born during the reign of King Gojong.

I knew that dragging on this topic wouldn't benefit me.

At this point, I decided to change the subject.

"Orb said that business has been booming lately."

"Ah, yes. It's been so busy I'm going crazy."

"Sounds like something's up?"

"There's a lot of work, but you're part of the reason too."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Right in front of me."

Tudor smiled as if pleased and gestured towards my chest.