LIGHTNOVELWORLD 77. Speak of the Devil (2)
“An S-rank quest?”
While fumbling under the seat to find my phone, all my attention was focused on Shin-ju’s next words. Apparently pleased with my reaction, Shin-ju burst into laughter.
“Ha! That reaction is priceless.”
“Park Shin-ju. Stop beating around the bush and spit it out already!”
“Whoa, calm down. Your beloved Shin-ju was just about to tell you.”
Even then, Shin-ju hesitated for a long while. Something about not knowing where to start explaining. The goblin timely threw in a question.
“Mr. Kim, what’s a Plague Tiger?”
“Hmm, good question. Alright, I’ll start from there. The Plague Tiger is an NPC in Cheonsan, the forbidden area of the 24th floor. I’m not sure if that’s its real name, but that’s what everyone calls it.”
“Wait a minute. The 24th floor……”
If it was the place I remembered, then Shin-ju must have lost her mind. As we stopped at a red light, Shin-ju glanced at me and grinned, baring her teeth.
“That’s right, the place you’re thinking of. The 24th floor, Ilseon.”
“You really don’t value your life, do you?”
“I didn’t go without a plan. Just hear me out first.”
Shin-ju was known for openly saying she became a hunter because she wanted adventure. True to her words, she’d done many reckless things, but this time she’d gone too far. Wasn’t the 24th floor a place where you could barely breathe freely due to constant debuffs?
“Well, I went there because of a request from Ji-hwa-unni.”
“The Witch-unni?”
“Yeah. To be precise, it was a request from Ishikawa Hayato, an acquaintance of Ji-hwa-unni. He asked me to test the performance of some new equipment he’d made.”
Ishikawa Hayato was one of only three production-class hunters in the world, including myself. According to Shin-ju, Ishikawa had created equipment with detoxification capabilities this time.
“There’s no better place to test such a thing than the 24th floor, right?”
Shin-ju had a point. The 24th floor was a level filled with toxic qi originating from plagues. Moreover, since the NPCs there were notoriously difficult to deal with, hardly any hunters ventured there, making it an ideal testing ground.
“The performance was impressive. Since I was already trying it out, I thought I might as well do a thorough job, you know? Figuring the more toxic the place, the better, I decided to visit Cheonsan.”
Park Shin-ju was definitely out of her mind.
Cheonsan, presumed to be the source of the plague—or rather, the debuffs—was so dense with toxic qi that even high-ranking hunters would find it difficult to set foot there. If there had been any problem with Ishikawa’s new equipment, Shin-ju might not have made it out alive.
“Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. Phew, I’d heard it was at the western edge, but I had no idea how far it really was. I walked along the river for days.”
“River?”
“There’s a big river that originates from Cheonsan. They say the water level has dropped significantly since the plague hit, but it’s still flowing.”
“Unni, so what about the Mountain Lord? The Mountain Lord?”
Cha Taeyang leaned forward from the back seat, urging Shin-ju on. The goblin, who loved stories, also rolled over and prodded her, making Shin-ju burst into laughter.
“I first learned about the Plague Tiger in the capital of On.”
In the central city of the 24th floor, the capital of the On Empire, rumors were rampant that the Plague Tiger living in Cheonsan was the root of all evil. They said that the tiger, originally a spiritual beast, had become corrupted by eating humans and was now spreading disease.
But strangely, the rumors changed as one went westward. Eventually, someone who mentioned the Plague Tiger even got stoned. Something about insulting an auspicious spiritual beast.
“Especially the older folks, they practically praised that tiger. I often heard stories about how it had saved their lives.”
“……That’s a bit odd.”
“Right? The people in the west, who should have suffered the most, were defending the Plague Tiger. But the toxic qi was getting thicker and thicker. It made no sense to me.”
While questioning this contradictory situation, Shin-ju steadily headed west. By the time she reached Cheonsan, the detoxification function of the equipment seemed to have reached its limit, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Nevertheless, Shin-ju pressed on through the thick fog without hesitation.
“And then, what appeared was……”
“The Mountain Lord!”
“That’s right. I still remember it. It came running towards me, panting heavily. Oh, how terrifying it was.”
This was an unusual statement from the normally gutsy Shin-ju. She went on to describe that despite being covered in what looked like unsightly white ash, piercing blue energy dripped from its eyes.
“You know, right? I’ve been to most of the fields out there. But I’d never encountered an NPC like that before.”
Shin-ju spoke lightly, but it didn’t seem like an ordinary encounter.
If my memory served me right, the 24th floor was a wave-type level where one had to protect On from plague-infected corpses and the yokai drawn to them. The main quest revolved around Sohan, the capital of On. That’s why Cheonsan wasn’t considered a particularly important location for hunters.
But the more I thought about it, the more I felt we shouldn’t overlook Cheonsan.
‘It’s similar to the Sea People’s level.’
I had a strong hunch that this might be connected to a hidden quest. Given that it was coming from Shin-ju, who, despite her casual demeanor, never lied, it seemed even more likely.
“Unni, how did you end up receiving the quest? Did you fight with the Mountain Lord?”
“Well, to be honest, not really. To put it bluntly, forget about fighting, I was just frozen in fear. But suddenly, a quest window popped up.”
Shin-ju said she barely managed to check the rank before passing out. When she came to, she found herself lying by the riverside outside of Cheonsan. Shin-ju tried to revisit Cheonsan several times after that, but for some reason, she couldn’t get past the fog surrounding the mountain.
“Do you think the Mountain Lord did that?”
“Probably?”
“Mr. Kim, don’t you have any other stories? Huh?”
“Hmm. I think I might have heard something about ‘baek’ or something like that.”
Shin-ju, the goblin, and Cha Taeyang, all thoroughly excited, chattered away about the Plague Tiger and Cheonsan. But lost in thought, I couldn’t easily join the conversation.
‘To think that Shin-ju, an A-rank hunter, was so helpless……’
My conviction grew stronger. If this wasn’t a hidden quest, what else could it be? My fist clenched involuntarily at the thought of finding a clue in such an unexpected place.
“By the way, I’m a bit surprised you didn’t know about this, Gaho.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I even posted this story on the Towers’ incident board. I thought you’d have seen it for sure. Although most people didn’t believe it, it got quite a few views.”
“What? You posted it on the internet?”
I grabbed Shin-ju’s arm as she teased me about being a Towers regular.
“Take that post down right now.”
“……I can do that, but why are you suddenly acting like this?”
Confused by my sudden demand, Shin-ju looked perplexed. Cha Taeyang, seemingly catching on to why I was acting this way, widened her eyes in the rearview mirror. I gave a small nod in affirmation.
Most people might think it’s just a tall tale, but could there really be no one who’d recognize this as a clue to a hidden quest? At a time when we desperately needed even one hidden quest, we couldn’t afford to lose the lead so carelessly.
“And as soon as we get back, report this to the guild higher-ups. Directly to the guild master if possible.”
“Hey, how am I supposed to deliver it directly to that restless guy?”
“Then at least to Ji-hwa-unni.”
I considered using the direct line I got from Choi Kwon-young but immediately abandoned the idea. If I revealed that too, Shin-ju would undoubtedly find it suspicious.
“Is this another ‘I’ll explain later’ situation?”
As if reading my thoughts, Shin-ju threw a fastball at me. She didn’t wait for me to choose my words and immediately continued.
“Tch, here you go.”
Suddenly, a familiar phone flew towards me. A large keyring and a flashy case—it was Shin-ju’s phone. I barely managed to catch it as it slid across my thigh, about to fall to the floor.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems urgent. I’m driving, so you delete it.”
“……Park Shin-ju?”
“It’s not like it’ll be a secret forever, right?”
“Well, I suppose not.”
It was something I’d have to reveal eventually anyway. But I never expected Park Shin-ju, who was so curious she called herself a “curiosity addict,” to back down like this.
Glancing sideways, I saw Shin-ju nonchalantly staring ahead.
“Thanks.”
“Heh, you know I’m not patient. I can’t wait for long.”
Just then, the long traffic jam finally cleared, and the bright red car sped towards the guild building.
“People of the same path may not know each other’s hearts, but true friends always understand!”
Everyone in the car smiled at the goblin’s timely remark.
◆◇◆◇◆
A hidden quest encountered at death’s door, a strange dream, and now the Plague Tiger of the 24th floor. There were more than a few issues I’d been putting off thinking about. And then…….
“I need to think more about my ability.”
At first, I thought it was simply a skill that enhanced equipment. But the more I used it, the more I realized its versatility was beyond my imagination.
Especially the ability to implement mana circuits had many potential applications not just inside the World Tower, but outside as well. If I could bring things like the sea flower or the formula from Cell 99 to this world, it would cause a sensation, literally.
My heart raced at the thought that I might become a pioneer in the 5th industrial revolution that had begun to sprout after the occurrence of supernatural phenomena. Well, for now, it’s just a distant future story, given how I keep breaking equipment at every turn.
“Let’s start with what’s within reach, one by one.”
Trying to curb my impatience, I manipulated my phone. There was someone I had to contact for the future, even though I really didn’t want to.
Just as I was about to press the call button.
“You’re no gentleman.”
The ringtone announcing an incoming call sounded. Speaking of the devil, it was a call from the very person I was about to phone. It was probably a coincidence, but I felt oddly uncomfortable, as if my intentions had been exposed. Hesitating, I pressed the answer button.
“Hello, this is Yun Gaho speaking.”