Jangmyeong Mountain is a low, modest peak. That doesn’t mean it lies in some remote backcountry outside the city—once you leave the bustle of Paju, you reach it in no time.
That’s why JJ agreed to take this contract. The broker who arranged it for him, Purumir, had even called it “a simple job.”
“Damn it. Purumir, you bastard—what part of this is simple?!”
“Please stop cursing. It makes General uncomfortable.”
“Hah!”
JJ glanced at his companions: one middle-aged man, two young women, and a man—five troubleshooters in total, including JJ himself.
“How does this make any sense?!”
The torrential rain beat down. We’d set out to find the so-called “Starving Mansion” rumored to be hidden somewhere on Jangmyeong Mountain—yet instead of a mansion, we’d managed to get hopelessly lost on this small hill.
“Fall back for now. This is a barrier. The clever arrangement of terrain and fluctuations in mana here are confusing your sense of direction.”
Amina, wearing an exaggerated uniform with a bulletproof vest and sunglasses and jingling a set of ornate ritual bells as a shaman might, replied.
“With our current numbers and equipment, we’re doomed.”
“Damn—”
It stung, but her suggestion was logical. Besides, what was with this endless downpour?
“Is this rain caused by the barrier too?”
“No, I already said that earlier. The rain is separate from the barrier. The General is uneasy. Something strange is happening to the north.”
Amina serves as a shaman for the mountain deity. This rain felt unnatural—alien mana swirling in each drop. I didn’t want to wander any further in this deluge.
What on earth was going on?
JJ looked north with a worried expression. He’d heard a horrifying explosion from that direction not long ago—like the sky tearing open and the mountain collapsing.
“Great Collapse! The Great Collapse is beginning! Ruin descends! The Great Gods shall manifest!”
The veteran troubleshooter known as Night Owl—whom JJ mockingly referred to as “the old geezer”—screamed. His survival in this line of work proved his skill, but also marked him as more than a little unhinged.
“This old man’s having another fit.”
“Give him some Nirvana.”
Nirvana is the battle-mind enhancer veteran troubleshooter use. With Nirvana coursing through him, he could face monsters that shattered human sanity and desecrated souls.
“Hah—”
Night Owl, having inhaled the Nirvana, gazed up at the stormy sky with a rapt expression.
“There—It’s coming!”
“Coming? What’s coming?”
“It’s coming! The Great Leader who will save this world returns!”
Was this a side effect? Nirvana was a powerful drug but carried dependencies and minor hallucinations, delusions of grandeur, delirium, convulsions, chills, and even temporary psychic abilities and limited precognition.
Without much hope, JJ looked in the direction Night Owl pointed.
“Huh? What is that?”
Creak—crack—
Trees that had stood firm suddenly shattered and collapsed. A massive shadow appeared above Jangmyeong Mountain: a silhouette wingspan-wide, six colossal legs, its form a pitch-black terror that seemed woven from the darkness of the night sky itself.
That absurd monstrosity thundered westward, each footfall shaking the earth.
Trembling, JJ removed his Nirvana inhaler and whispered, “L-let’s go back...”
He resolved to abandon this contract. We could not hope to contend with such a creature. Something preposterous lived on this mountain.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Mr. Sinhwa! Kim Sinhwa!”
“Waaaah!!”
Dozens of villagers clamored to touch the hem of my cloak, cheering wildly. Some bowed low, tears streaming down their faces; others screamed or even fainted from emotion.
“I will never forget this kindness!”
“Thank you... thank you...”
“Alright, everyone, please calm down.”
I winced at their fervor. I was barely holding on myself. To conceal the location of my home—the Starving Mansion—I’d expended an enormous amount of mana. After all, you can’t float a boat up a mountain without water, no matter how hard it’s raining.
So I dismantled and reconfigured my Bone Golems, grafting them to either side of the boat as six spindly legs, then cast Shadow Veil to magically camouflage it. From a distance, the boat must have looked like a huge, six-legged black beast—but who in their right mind would be wandering Jangmyeong Mountain at this hour?
This rain is endless. I just wanted to get home.
While soothing the grateful villagers, I loaded them onto two buses. These people had been held captive in Insu Village by Abyssal beings who’d hauled prisoners from all over the country. To return them home, I’d arranged a nationwide tour by bus.
“Please, everyone, board quickly. Let’s get you home.”
Once the villagers were settled, Park Gwangrim approached, holding a large umbrella.
“I’ve handled everything as you instructed.”
His Korean was flawless but carried an unshakable accent.
“Good work. And the gold and valuables?”
“That strange stone capsule ate them all.”
Grrr—rattle—clank—
The stone golem I’d nicknamed Doldoli spun happily in the rain. It looked monstrous, but its behavior was that of a gentle giant dog—perhaps pleased to indulge its collector’s instincts after so long.
“How did you acquire something so tame?”
Originally, it was an artifact akin to the fantasy mimic: lurking in some underground cave’s corner, devouring unsuspecting victims.
“I just got lucky, I suppose.”
Ever since it contracted with me, its personality had flipped into that of a docile dog.
“But why did you exchange all these valuables for cash by hand?”
“Huh?”
The people from Insu Village didn’t just shower me with thanks; they thrust gold and Mana Stones into my hands—so I converted everything into cash. Such an operation required moving a substantial sum, so I’d called in Park Gwangrim to handle it cleanly.
Even the villagers, astonished by my generosity, had exclaimed:
“This is a gift from us!”
“Please accept it!”
“Why would you go to such lengths for us?”
In ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) truth, all their treasures were cursed Abyssal relics—on par with the gold I’d claimed after defeating the Golden Dancer. Ordinary people had no way to dispose of such artifacts safely. By converting them to cash so easily, I’d left them no choice but gratitude.
Just when I thought the arrangements were complete, Park Gwang-rim leaned close and murmured, “Why would these people do all this for you?”
“Hm. They’re just people.”
“Just people?”
“Yeah. Just people.”
He looked incredulous. Two buses cost two hundred million won each—four hundred million won total. Under normal circumstances, I’d never have needed such an absurd sum. Paju was in chaos, and securing two buses capable of withstanding supernatural threats, under perfect secrecy, was no small feat. Plus Park Gwang-rim’s fee of forty million won on top.
“You’ll be called a patsy if you keep this up.”
“Let them say what they like.”
Call me a patsy, sure—but that’s just the narrow view of fools who see only the surface. Cash holds little value for me now—I’m planning to leave this world. I can’t haul all that money with me, so any amount beyond what I need to survive until then is meaningless. The cursed gold, on the other hand, has plenty of uses in my future.
“In that sense, it’s a win-win.”
To someone like me, who can stroll into the Cheongum Treasury any time, cursed gold is worth more than face value. So even at these prices, I came out ahead.
Yet Park Gwang-rim could not fathom my logic.
“Is this maybe groundwork for an even greater undertaking later?”
Was he insinuating he’d get a cut of that undertaking? Poor Park Gwang-rim. I decided to indulge his small wish.
“Something like that. These people will be scattered across the country, doing little favors here and there.”
It wasn’t a total lie—long term, they would prove a great help to me.
“Of course. That’s why you handed each of them one of my business cards.”
“Mm... right. So track them, gather their contacts.”
“Ah—sure, I’ll do that for free.”
“No. Charge them.”
“...”
Park Gwang-rim might think I’m odd, but the truth is the opposite: the instant he believes he’s finished repaying me, he’ll betray me. The more money I spend, the more benefits I reap.
“How’s Paju? The city center, I mean.”
“Ah, it’s chaos.”
Though dubbed the Paju Flood, it wasn’t a cataclysm on a global scale. Water reached waist height overall; in some areas, it rose to chest level, causing extensive property damage. Many people slipped and were injured, but...
“Miraculously, no fatalities so far?”
“According to the official reports, none. However—”
“However?”
“Over near Munsan, conditions are quite dire. You know that pricey new apartment complex there?”
“Mm.”
I remember—I’d slaughtered over a hundred ghouls in that building’s underground parking lot.
“They say its parking garage is completely flooded.”
“I see.”
If it were just floodwater, that’d be one thing—but this was Abyssal-cursed seawater, pooling amid the lingering resentments of all those ghouls. It could birth some horrifying new life.
I steeled myself against surprise at the prospect of Abyssal-ghoul hybrids, ending the conversation with Park Gwang-rim.
“Ugh—shall we head back now?”
The rain still poured. In any case, we’d averted one of the worst possible outcomes: the Great Flood. Though the downpour, the inundation, and the cursed seawater would wreak havoc in Paju, it was far cheaper than the world’s destruction.
“Well, those suffering from this won’t see it that way.”
That part was beyond my control.
“Let’s get home first. And... I really need to think seriously about what to do next.”
That last Madness affliction was truly absurd. From here on, tomorrow I’d mull over my future course.
“All right, Doldoli, let’s go.”
I boarded Doldoli for the return to the mansion. The ride wasn’t comfortable, but at least it never tired, and swiftly we headed home.
“Kuuu—my back aches more than I expected. Doldoli, maybe I should put wheels on you someday?”
Like caterpillar tracks—wouldn’t that look fitting?
I arrived at my home, the Starving Mansion, thinking this, when...
“Mr. Sinhwa! Please come inside—something’s happened!”
For some reason, Heo Sang-hyeon (허상현) was in full combat gear, even clutching a staff topped with a skull.
“What’s going on?”
“A massive monster was summoned right beside the mansion some time ago! This one is truly powerful!”
“A six-legged black monstrosity, by any chance?”
“Yes! Quick, come inside and release the Bone Golems!”
Heo Sang-hyeon stood ready to throw himself between me and the threat, and I broke into a sweat trying to hold him back.
Heo Sang-hyeon handed me a large mug. Hot cocoa with melted marshmallows—just what I needed. I took the mug and replied,
“Three weeks?”
“Yes. You’ve been gone three weeks. We were terribly worried. We’re glad you returned safely.”
I sat in the parlor with a towel draped over my half-dried hair, conversing with Heo Sang-hyeon. Despite hours of scrubbing, I still felt faintly of fish and salt.
“I see. Three weeks, huh?”
Three weeks. That was a problem. Not all my memories had returned. I recalled most actions and thoughts of my past self, but there were still gaps—surely more than three weeks’ worth.
And something else—a bigger problem. I still felt as though my mind had been split into three fragments.
Is this really healed?
My consciousness didn’t feel whole. I felt strangely distant from myself. Although all three fragments had agreed this time and merged back smoothly, would it resolve so easily next time?
I felt uneasy. Perhaps this wasn’t the system’s instant, condition-cleared Madness, but true madness—a fundamental flaw developing in my mind.
