CH 96

Chapter 96

“That isn’t a bad idea…” Jung Garam stroked his chin, murmuring to himself.

Anyway, it did not occur to me that Koo Hui-seo had meticulously thought the act of murder through. That didn’t matter though–the way he looked at me was a little uncomfortable.

How should I say this…it seemed like he was bragging to me. Koo Hui-seo continued to look obsessively at my expression, as if he had shown me a film he personally directed, anticipating for me to sweetly praise him.

He stared at me like a fan who came to a concert–it felt suffocating. /I started to think about him saying that I created the right timing- that it was my fault he killed Chairwoman Shin…

I couldn’t tell if this was my paranoia or if he was just overly psychotic. In the end, all I could do was to betray Koo Hui-seo’s expectations and keep my mouth shut.

“It sounds like he just concocted some excuse after killing her.” Fortunately, Seo Dawon quick-wittedly pinpointed the displeasure I felt. I almost forgot about Koo Hui-seo and shouted ‘Right?!’ at the Mage.

“Hmmm….” Seo Dawon tapped his chin, looking as if he had formed a headache from Koo Hui-seo’s actions. “First things first, let’s cut off Koo Kyungman’s arms. Then, we’ll have little reason to squabble with Koo Hui-seo anymore.”

“…….”

“Don’t be so nervous. Chairwoman Shin’s death is not such a bad thing for us.”

I blinked at Seo Dawon to convey that I understood him. After readying my heart, I turned back towards Koo Hui-seo once more, locking gazes with his sparkling eyes.

I opened my mouth with great effort, “….First, Let’s finish with Koo Kyungman.”

“Ahhh……” Koo Hui-seo stretched his shoulders, a little tired, but his strings were different. They still tied the panting and groaning Koo Kyungman to the bed posts without losing tension. I could only watch as the strings tightened before lowering my gaze.

“……!”

As soon as I looked down, my ears felt deafened–as if the surrounding sounds had been muffled–and the smell of blood tickled at my nose.

I had no idea when Seo Dawon approached, but he gripped my shoulder tightly with his hand. When his fingers fell from my body, I was able to hear the surroundings again. Maybe Seo Dawon prevented me from hearing the terrible sound of his arm being torn off.

“Don’t look up.” The Mage said.

“……”

Seo Dawon warned me not to check Koo Kyungman’s current condition.

I felt a little ashamed that my weakness was once again exposed, but I continued to bow my head, following his words.

A few minutes later, Koo Hui-seo asked cautiously, “Mm…What should I do about ‘this’?”

…He’s probably talking about Koo Kyungman’s arms, right? I thought about sarcastically telling him to wrap it and package it as a gift, but eventually swallowed such remarks with a sigh. “…Please, do as you wish with it.”

“Alright.”

The slithering noises of the black strands moving through the carpet tickled at my ears. Koo Kyungman’s soft sobs accompanied every movement; however, that, too, slowly faded away.

" "

After the captive quieted down, I raised my head, knowing that I would regret it.

Fortunately, I couldn’t see the empty arm sockets; a blanket had already covered his body. Of course, even with the blanket covering him, I could see the silhouette–the roundness from the swollen stomach and the gaps where the arms should have been. It was just that, though.

‘Haaah….’ I released a relieved sigh because I was imagining something far worse.

As soon as I looked at Koo Kyungman, new system messages began raining down like a waterfall in front of my eyes.

┌──────────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ────────────┐

Your level has significantly risen from successfully soothing a Servant’s grudge.

A new class skill has been unlocked

Your level of understanding of the necromancer job has significantly increased, shifting your job from ‘junior’ Necromancer to ‘Intermediate Necromancer.’ (Special Transformation)

The Scenario is taking notice of your rapid growth.

For succeeding at revenge far beyond the current capabilities, the Necromancer’s abilities have been greatly improved.

└──────────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ────────────┘

.

.

┌──────────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ────────────┐

You have won the title ‘Sweeter than Candy’ by satisfying certain conditions.

└──────────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ────────────┘

And, after clearing the outpour of system messages, the level-up alerts began to fill my view.

Name: Choi Lee-kyung – Lv 80

Class: Intermediate Necromancer

HP – 221,432

MP – 81,000

Title:

Sweeter than Candy – Revenge truly is sweet.

Greenhorn Adventurer – You’ve tasted the bitterness of life!

Main Stats (The three highest stats will be preferentially shown here):

Magic: 680

Magic control: 3.9%

Movement Speed: 22.7% (+5%)

Skill

– Summon evil spirits

[Summon vengeful ghosts: Proficiency 75%, Rank: Mid-High Rank]

[Summon sacrificial offering: Proficiency 0.7%, Rank: Lowest Rank]

.

.

– Death Mark

After special conditions are met, you can attach a death mark to the enemy. A living enemy marked by death will suffer a significant loss in defense; furthermore, you can gain additional experience.

– Shinigami’s book (new!) 1

You can summon a soul within one hour after their death and look into the soul’s memories.

What an amazing increase in stats. In particular, my heart began to beat at the newly acquired title.

The existing title, ‘Greenhorn Adventurer,’ was given to all first-time Users that entered their first dungeon; it had nothing to do with individual achievements or ability. ‘Sweeter Than Candy’ was a rare title that had a skill (‘Counter Attack’) attached to it.

Plus, if you’re attacked (although there’s only a chance that it might happen) the attack will be doubled and returned to the enemy…I had to read the title and its descriptions around ten more times before I could ground myself back in reality.

" "

“His level can rise from achieving revenge alone…We should consider this method moving forward.”

“Hyung, who are we calling out this time?”

Of course, Seo Dawon and Jung Garam didn’t sit still while I was gaping my mouth at the title. They had already manifested my status window and checked over the details. Thanks to the increase in level, the level requirement for summoning another Red Lotus guild member was reached.

The new class skill’s description was short and vague, but surely this skill would be useful later? I raised my head; the stress that had been piling up from Koo Kyungman’s fate had just flown away.

“…….”

“……”

Then, I made eye contact with Koo Hui-seo, who was still looking at me with an excited anticipatory face.

Ah, that’s right, he’s still there…

Koo Hui-seo continued to stare as I hurried to regain my composure. He didn’t say anything, but he must have been observing me while I was preoccupied with the system messages.

His uneasy gaze leered uncomfortably; his brows crumpled. In addition, I was concerned about the black strands that started to slither over and cover Chairwoman Shin’s corpse. ‘What on earth is he doing….’

Head to toe. Chairwoman shin was wrapped meticulously like a mummy, and she vanished underneath the bed that Koo Kyungman laid on.

Looking closer, the strands that were tying the prisoner were also connected to something in the shadows under the bed. So, I was incredibly ill at ease about what was hidden in the dark.

I knew that Koo Hui-seo could freely control those strings, but, looking at how Chairwoman Shin disappeared, as if she had been sucked underneath the bed, those strands felt like a separate entity from Koo Hui-seo. Like a monster lurking under the bed.

“Please don’t be scared, Lee-kyung-ssi.” Koo Hui-seo, shrewdly reading my expression, broke the silence and spoke in a soothing tone. Of course, I didn’t reply. When my wary eyes did not waver in their vigilance, he continued, trying to convince me, “You already know. I…can’t hurt Lee-kyung-ssi because of our contract.”

Of course the details of the contract we made in return for his rescue was deeply embedded within my mind even without his reminder. Honestly, that’s the reason why I was still standing here without causing a commotion. Without the contract, I would have immediately escaped the mansion the moment he killed his mother.

I nodded, confirming his words. Koo Hui-seo’s expression brightened at my response, and he began to approach me, taking long strides. However, as far as I’m concerned, the farther away from Koo Hui-seo the better, so I retreated back for every step he took forward.

After a few steps, I had retreated to the point that my back hit the door. He stopped in place, as if he was shocked.

“Why are you retreating?” He asked, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

I was dumbfounded by Koo Hui-seo’s bewildering intent, but it wasn’t easy to speak calmly to his gloomy face. “Why…are you trying to get closer to me?” I wracked my brain for a response that didn’t place the blame on him and yet accurately expressed the extent of my discomfort.

However, Koo Hui-seo seemed to take my question genuinely, without reading in between the lines. He thought carefully and answered sincerely, “I thought I was too far away from Lee-kyung-ssi…?”

“Is there…a reason for you to stick close to me?”

“Actually, my hearing still hasn’t recovered in full capacity yet…I can’t hear Lee-kyung-ssi’s voice very well.”

“……”

Damn!

In the end, I could only stare as Koo Hui-seo drew closer.

However, when Koo Hui-seo was about three steps away, a golden light suddenly shot at his feet like a laser. The light made a black sooty line on the ground in front of Koo Hui-seo’s feet before disappearing.

It was a silent signal–he wasn’t allowed any further. Koo Hui-seo also stopped walking.

Seeing Koo Hui-seo pause, Seo Dawon began to speak.

TL: Tendrils sucking corpses under the bed? I’m def not kidding about eldritch horrors: that stuff’s pure ‘monster-under-the-bed’ nightmare fuel.

Footnotes 사자 = simhabodhi in Buddhist lineage/line of thought. In Korean context, Saja is also used to describe entities that guide souls to what lies beyond death.