"Sinhwa!?"
Seeing Heo Sanghyun’s face, my strength just drains out.
When I stagger like I’m about to collapse, he rushes over and catches me, propping me up.
"Oh no! Are you all right?"
"Ah— Sanghyun, sorry, but could I ask you to make breakfast?"
I pointed, smiling, at the two who had followed me.
"For these two as well. If you haven’t eaten yet, make it for four..."
Before I even finished, Heo Sanghyun blurted,
"I’ll prepare it right away. While the food is getting ready, it would be best if you washed up first, Sinhwa."
Then he widened those big eyes—wow, I’m scared his eyeballs will pop out. Anyway, Sanghyun looked over Jang Hyundeok and Park Gwangrim.
"Hyundeok, you look exhausted. Would you come to the sofa? And this gentleman is..."
"Park Gwangrim. I’m a broker who trades with Kim Sinhwa— no, a detective."
"Pleasure to meet you. Do you have any food restrictions?"
"I eat everything. But I don’t think I can eat much right now."
"You’ve been through a lot. This way, please."
Decisive as ever, Heo Sanghyun organized the situation and guided us.
[screech!]
[rumble—crash!]
The sound of Red and Rollie barreling in.
"Kids, behave!"
Sanghyun’s solemn voice.
[whiiine...]
[grrrrk.]
Should I call it a relief? At some point he learned to control those two little troublemakers perfectly.
[rattle—]
Compared to the other two, Achilles—who’s the calmer type—peeked in cautiously with a creak, but...
[Madness: Dog Phobia]
"Then, Sanghyun, I’ll leave the rest to you!"
I bolted up the stairs at a pace not far from fleeing. I staggered a few times, but escaping comes first.
"See you in a bit."
Three animal(?) friends in the living room looked up at me, groaning.
Ugh... I’m sorry, guys.
Some trash shoved a horrible curse into my head, so I can’t play with you right now.
"Hmm..."
I turned my head and glanced back at the living room.
Jang Hyundeok, out of his mind, clutching a tiny shoe.
And Park Gwangrim, in better shape than that, but blinking like he’d been woken from sleep, wearing an awkward expression.
"Their bodies seem fine, but both of them are a mess in the head."
First, let’s eat.
If they fill their stomachs and rest, it’ll get a little better.
The meal was ready incredibly fast.
"Because it’s brunch."
That’s what Heo Sanghyun said.
He meant they were dishes you can put together quickly, but since it was Park Gwangrim’s first time at our table, he let out a little gasp of, "Huh."
Fresh avocado and tomato, light iceberg lettuce—right in the middle of the table, showing off bright, natural colors.
It wasn’t just chopped veg thrown on a plate.
The tangy yogurt dressing served with the salad was enough to revive a dead appetite, and before we knew it our hands weren’t stopping as we shoveled in the greens.
And next to that crisp, delicious salad sat a mountain of soufflé pancakes.
Big, puffed pancakes sent up white steam along with a mouthwatering aroma.
The fluffy texture felt closer to pudding than to pancakes, and Park Gwangrim inhaled them with the expression of a girl in love as the soufflé pancakes melted away in his mouth.
This alone would have been plenty, but Heo Sanghyun set down another handsome dish.
"What is this? A jeon? No, a pizza?"
Gwangrim’s question.
What is it, really?
Tomato and spinach. And bacon, bound with egg—something like that.
"Uh— Italian egg fry?"
This would normally be Jang Hyundeok’s line, but since Hyundeok kept his mouth shut, I had to say it.
"Spinach frittata. An Italian-style omelet."
It looked like a pan-fry, but once I went to eat it, it was thicker than expected. Softer—closer to steamed egg in texture, maybe? Now I see why they call it an omelet.
A clean, savory egg base and—ah, there’s grated cheese sprinkled on top. Really good.
"Here you go, Hyundeok."
Sanghyun cut a big piece of frittata and placed it on Jang Hyundeok’s plate.
Hyundeok had been picking at his food with a wilted look, but by now he couldn’t resist; on the verge of tears, he started moving hands and mouth in earnest.
"It’s really delicious. Thank you."
Hyundeok said that and kept eating.
Even after we finished, the gloom didn’t lift easily.
But should I call it a relief?
It didn’t last long.
[screech!]
[grrrrk!]
[clatter—clatter—clatter—]
Red and Rollie—and Achilles—picked up on something being off with Hyundeok and charged.
"Ah, kids! Hold on."
Thanks to them, Hyundeok staggered, fell over, tangled with the animals, then suddenly burst out laughing, "Pahaha—"...
His emotional display seemed a bit over the top, but in the end I left him to it.
"Better that than me saying something useless."
Leaving the sounds from the living room behind, I walked over to Park Gwangrim, who was still at the table nursing his coffee.
"How’s the coffee?"
"Excellent. Living with such a wonderful family—you must be happy."
"Mm. Strictly speaking, I’m the one sponging off Sanghyun’s house."
Legally speaking.
A monster like Heo Joo used to act like the owner, and now I’ve taken that spot—but it’s been Heo Sanghyun’s house from the start.
"Ah— I see."
Gwangrim nodded with an I get it, I get it look.
I don’t know what he thinks he’s figured out, but he looks like he’s come to some weird misunderstanding.
"So what will you do now, Gwangrim?"
"What do you mean?"
"You got paid. What’s your plan?"
I settled the amount I’d promised him.
One hundred billion won.
Money’s worth is lower here than in reality, but considering what I’ve already given Park Gwangrim...
He should have enough now to wrap up this unstable life and bring his family over from abroad.
"Mmmmmm."
Gwangrim drew out time with a strange sound.
This is about when practical thoughts start surfacing.
"Forgive me for turning the same question back to you, but what will you do, Kim Sinhwa?"
"Me? Well—"
From the living room, Hyundeok’s voice: "Hahaha— don’t do that, guys!" and so on.
"Keep doing what I was doing."
"What’s the plan?"
Gwangrim looked at me with a serious face.
Words that might naturally tempt him floated up in my head, but I swept them aside and told him,
"First, I’m going to smash the bastard I want to smash. There are things I need to repair, and things I need to find. Hm..."
I’ll smash the [Source of Life], repair the seal of the [Great Source], and find the [Lacrex Tome].
"Anyway, it’s not a money-making job."
Gwangrim watched me for a moment, his gaze hard to read.
"Last night I spoke with that ‘director.’ Did you, too, Kim Sinhwa?"
A question that popped out of his mouth at some point.
"What did that jerk say?"
"He told me I was a very special being. Different from others, something special. He smiled and whispered kindly as he said it. You couldn’t help but believe it. Words so sweet and seductive."
He looked straight at me, eyes steady.
"And the person who will make me special is none other than you, Kim Sinhwa. That’s what he said."
"You believe that kind of crap?"
Gwangrim shook his head, but his eyes shone almost too clear.
"No. But I know you’re extraordinary. Extraordinary enough that even those surreal beings acknowledge it."
He said that, then asked me again,
"Where is the next destination? If there’s something there that requires me, take me with you."
Trust, without doubt or fear.
I covered my mouth with my left hand and thought for a moment.
"..."
I’m thinking too long. In the end I gave up and let out a sigh.
"Haah. Right. I get what you’re saying."
I said that and stood up.
"First, Gwangrim—sorry, but I honestly haven’t slept for two days."
"Yes."
"I need at least a little sleep to cool my head, make a plan, do anything. After that I’ll answer what you just asked. Is that okay?"
"Understood. Let’s talk again later."
"Good. Mm, it’s a bit embarrassing to invite a guest and then go to bed, but if you need anything, ask Sanghyun."
Gwangrim smiled and nodded.
I guess I don’t have to worry about him betraying me anymore.
He says he’s become something special, but—what that means is he’s become an NPC who moves for my sake.
An NPC who won’t betray me and will follow me even if it means harm to himself.
And the number of those NPCs keeps growing.
Should I be happy? The human resources I can use exactly how I want... keep increasing.
They come to me voicing their own wishes, but in the end they’ll risk death for me.
But I...
I felt a chill and revulsion I could barely explain at this situation.
"So what will you do now? Are you really going to Busan?"
The fox’s voice.
As usual, a dream that just starts.
As always, I don’t remember what we were talking about right before this. But that question—yeah, I can answer it right away.
"I’m going."
I nodded, but the fox still grumbled like she wasn’t satisfied.
"It’s obviously a trap."
Fair point.
"Sure, it’s a trap. And I’m not going?"
I got sucker-punched—am I supposed to sit still?
On top of that, he declared he’d destroy the world within a week.
"No, I’m asking if you’re just going to go. Do you have a plan?"
"H-how about... leveling up m-more?"
Before I could answer, a lisping voice cut in, stammering awkwardly.
I scratched my head, looking toward where the voice came from.
"Why is he here again?"
Kim Sinhwa wearing a mask made of great buffalo bone.
In other words, the clone who took the shock of my blood phobia in my place back then and went completely mad, ending up with a blood addiction.
"You gave permission last time, didn’t you?"
"I did?"
"Don’t remember?"
Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.
I don’t remember well.
"I dunno. How am I supposed to remember everything that happens in a dream."
"H-how about it? Level up. Y-you know... instead of going to Busan now, go somewhere you can grind levels fast, t-train, then get stronger."
The fox folded her arms and pointed at the buffalo-mask clone, like, isn’t that a good idea?
"No, if I start that, they’ll definitely interfere. And at this point, levels don’t mean much. You saw the fight earlier, right?"
I’m already strong enough to have transcended the very concept of levels.
Even if I brought back characters I’d raised to higher levels before, they wouldn’t be as strong as I am now.
Even so, the fight with the [Source of Life]—
"How to put it... it didn’t even count as a fight."
The crow watching from the side sighed and spoke.
"Sinhwa’s right. Even if you raise individual skill, there’s a limit to the realm you can reach."
I nodded.
"Exactly. This game’s board was rigged in their favor from the start."
No matter how much I raise my level, as long as I’m human—
There’s no way to beat them.
"T-then what do we do?"
"I already said it. We prepare well and go to Busan."
"B-but you said it’s a trap?"
"That’s the point."
I answered, but the fox clicked her tongue in annoyance, let out an "Agh—," and said,
"Say it straight. Is ‘that’s the key’ all you’ve got, with that meaningful face?"
"Oh, come on. Which of my clones is this impatient?"
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
"Both of you, enough. Sinhwa. Sorry, but could you explain?"
Since [Cthulhu World] is still a game, each quest has a basic strategy.
But things change once beings of the Abyss properly enter the picture.
To stage their absoluteness and the unique despair of cosmic horror, the devs often set things up so you can’t clear it.
In short, you can’t beat an Abyssal being in a straight fight.
I said that and explained to my clones.
"But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to damage them or neutralize their plans."
"First you say there’s no way, then you say there is—what kind of explanation is that?"
"What Sinhwa means is the regular route won’t work."
"T-then what?"
The [Source of Life] said it liked me and gave me a week.
A common development, sure.
Fine. A week is enough.
"We use a loophole."
