“Wow! A real goblin?!”
“Yep, the one and only General Cheongeum!”
“General Cheongeum? Whoa... amazing!”
I glanced at Jang Hyundeok, who seemed prepared for my reaction.
“You’ve never heard of Cheongeumdang?”
“I know of Cheongeumdang—wait, what!? You’re from Cheongeumdang?!”
True, Cheongeumdang’s reputation is legendary, but few know its inner workings.
“Bahaha! I’m the guardian of Cheongeumdang, that’s me!”
“Woooow! Please make me rich! Please make me rich! Please make me rich!”
Suddenly, Jang Hyundeok bowed and prayed to Seo Cheonseul.
“Prayers might not help... no, if you wish it, I won’t mind...”
“Shinhwa! # Nоvеlight # Shinhwa! Shinhwa!”
Huh Sanghyun stammered, eyes wide.
“Oh? What’s wrong?”
“What should we prepare as drinking snacks? I mean, goblins—”
Ah, right. Sorry. I’d invited guests without thinking about late-night chores.
“They’ll eat anything: buckwheat dishes, pork—just don’t serve red bean or peach.”
“Then what about chili or garlic...?”
“Oh, that’s for ancestral rites. A great goblin like General Cheongeum won’t complain about a few red dishes on the table.”
Even Seo Cheonseul could eat peach-red bean bingsu without flinching.
“Understood.”
Huh Sanghyun dashed to the kitchen. I felt a pang of guilt.
“Bahaha!”
An explosive laugh echoed from the living room, followed by chirps from the young familiars—Red, Achilles, and Dol-Dol.
“Alright, alright! You’re all so cute! Bahaha!”
Seo Cheonseul’s nonhuman charm had instantly won over the mansion’s animal friends.
The next morning in the mansion’s parlor.
“Sanghyun, are you ready?”
“Yes, all set.”
Clink-clank...
Three spectral golems shifted into position under Huh Sanghyun’s manual control, his skull-topped staff crackling with necromantic energy.
“Good. If I show any abnormal behavior, intervene immediately.”
“Understood,” he said, tension lining his face. I’d ordered him to subdue me if I lost control.
From the second floor drifted a leisurely voice.
“Hyundeok, fetch Red.”
“Yes—! But why this experiment?”
Suddenly, a bizarre four-winged owl descended, floating ominously.
“Aha—?”
Goosebumps raced along my arms. My temples throbbed, unease surged, and my vision blurred. Panic welled—why was it flying?
“Oh, I see... I understand now.”
I felt anger—but in a controlled way.
“In the name of our shared blood, I command you, four-winged beast of three legs: fold your wings and land.”
“Krii?”
Obeying my compulsion, Red folded her wings and crashed down.
“Haaah... haaah... haaah...”
I drew in air, legs buckling. I collapsed to the floor.
“That went exactly as planned. No problem.”
“Master Wizard, that felt like a crisis.”
“No, it’s fine. The experiment succeeded.”
This differed from my prior madness: I’d panicked at mere wings, but now I stayed calm.
“Red, sorry to startle you. In the name of our bond, I revoke the command.”
“Krii!”
Red bobbed gratefully.
“All right, fly again.”
“Krii—”
Flap—
“Good. Now land. That’s enough.”
I understood the trigger and its scope.
“Thanks, everyone. Here you go, Red.”
I patted her and handed over a mana crystal. She snapped it up.
I staggered to my feet.
“Um, Master Wizard?”
“Hyundeok... I need to rest.”
“Shall I help?”
“No—” I waved her off, but Huh Sanghyun gently supported me. His large hand felt strangely comforting as drowsiness overtook me.
“What a foolish stunt.”
“But at least we learned something.”
Fox-masked Shinhwa muttered. Crow-masked Shinhwa interrupted before I could speak.
“We warned you: your sanity could drop into single digits.”
“Oh yeah. Hey, Shinhwa, were you trying to die?”
“If it hits zero, it’s game over—no waking up like last time.”
“Better to test voluntarily. And—”
“And?”
“The fact we even thought of this means it’s manageable.”
“True enough.”
If my fear had been triggered, I could cure it... but facing flying creatures was impossible. Yet this time, only the sight of flight panicked me.
“That’s progress.”
“If it stops at anger, this madness is easy.”
“Yes. As long as no one literally flies me into the air...”
Thunderous vibrations shook the room.
“You idiot! Calm down!”
“Shinhwa! Get a grip!”
“Hah—hah—” I gasped, clutching my head. Sanity stat: 21.
“Nothing about that was okay!”
“Anger management disorder—Cthulhu World’s frenzy trigger. If fully activated, even high willpower can’t stop it.”
Crow-masked Shinhwa added,
“It should be easy—just attack the aggressor.”
Rumble—
“In short, this is easy mode.”
“Don’t underestimate it.”
“You know your inner problems aren’t solved, right?”
Enough nagging.
“Let’s take our time fixing things.”
Rumble—
“Shinhwa! Calm down!”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Then what?”
“External—the mansion’s barrier tensed me. Intruder approaching.”
The mana signature pierced the barrier at impossible speed—like a high-tier entity.
“An intruder?”
“It felt sudden.”
Crow-masked Shinhwa called me back from my reverie.
“It’s someone we know.”
We realized at the same moment.
“Bahahaha! Master of the house, greet General Cheongeum!”
His roar literally shook the heavens.
“I can’t even sleep properly.”
I rose and walked to the window. Outside stood a goblin glowing with golden mana under the night sky.
“General Cheongeum, what brings you here at this hour?”
Cheongeum Daejang—Seo Cheonseul—regally surveyed me.
“I come by Lord Mangum’s orders to see Lord Kim’s face.”
“My face?”
“Oh, right—you have no face, do you?”
“No, why would I lack a face?”
He laughed and produced a large wine jar.
“Do you enjoy drink, Lord Kim?”
“Sake? From Cheongeumdang?”
“Bahahaha—rare brew indeed.”
He waved the jar; I couldn’t help smiling.
“I nearly died before this—perfect timing.”
Finally, my last achievement reward arrived: Dream Scent, the precious liquor of Cheongeumdang, which heals illness, extends life, boosts mana, lifts curses, unlocks talents, and restores sanity.
“Come in. I’ll prepare the sake table.”
