WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 85: Heretic Extermination Request (2)

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The newly recruited employees, Auns and Marchosias, each had their own distinctive traits.

Auns was a fire demon with magic that could breathe flames or wrap things in fire, while Marchosias possessed necromancy that commanded beasts.

Marchosias's ability didn't stop at mere beast command magic, though. Marchosias could use a spell called Hybrid Beast.

"A dog's sense of smell! A cat's reflexes! A pigeon's ability to fly! And snakes... because they're cool!"

Anyway, the Hybrid Beasts I'd made by combining roughly fifteen animals were circling around as though they were a little confused.

But don't worry.

I'd release them once the job was over.

Hybrid Beast magic consumed spiritual power for as long as it remained active. Unless we were inside a sanctuary that continually supplied spiritual power, there was no reason to keep it going.

"Everyone, attention!"

Woof?

Meow?

Gugu!

Every creature reacted differently.

I'd never live to see the day I understood those reactions. I couldn't speak animal, after all.

What mattered was the master-subordinate familiar relationship that bound them to me.

As long as they could understand my orders, that was enough. I'd stitched all sorts of abilities onto them, so they probably wouldn't end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

"All right, smell this and track it. You can do that, right? You've each got three dog noses, so this should be easy."

Woof! Woof woof!

"Good! The first Cerberus to find them gets a generous reward! Go, go, go!"

The Cerberuses sprinted off at once.

"I sent hundreds of birds and several things with dog noses, so they'll find them soon enough."

"Right? Should we eat while we wait?"

This place was famous for Idong Galbi, so I might as well tear into some ribs.

"Gari and Eight-Foot Sister, come in carefully."

Clack clack!

【Devour~】

We entered a suitable restaurant near where I'd parked the rental car. A middle-aged woman who appeared to be the owner welcomed us, then made an uncomfortable expression.

"Welco... Um, sir? We don't serve customers who come alone──"

"Twenty servings of galbi. We can use two grills, right?"

"Uh, um, ah, ngh? Y-yes..."

We took our seats. Kohaku hurried toward the restroom, and before long, an elegant beauty walked over to us.

"My lord~"

"Transformation magic?"

"Yes! What do you think? I simply made my current form taller."

"That's fascinating."

I discreetly looked Kohaku over as she sat down. She definitely seemed more mature now.

"Is that what you'd look like if you grew up normally?"

"Mm... It's a little different. Our true forms are foxes, after all. Human appearances are things we create with transformation magic."

Apparently, even her face and body were entirely created through transformation magic, so they weren't close to her real appearance.

"Is it like getting plastic surgery every time?"

"It's more like entering a preset appearance into a custom file, then loading it."

That was a strangely modern explanation.

I'd heard she was a fox spirit who loved K-pop, spoke fluent Korean, and could even drive.

Just then, the owner personally brought over a tray filled with side dishes.

"I'll set out the side dishes. O-oh, you aren't alone after all. But... sir, our portions are rather large, so ten servings for two people──"

"Four soybean-paste stews, two cold buckwheat noodle soups in broth, two spicy cold buckwheat noodle soups, and... two, no, four steamed egg dishes. We'll grill the meat ourselves, so you don't need to do it for us."

"Uh, um, ah, ngh? Y-yes..."

The owner rattled off incomprehensible noises before walking away with blank eyes.

"I shall use magic to make them see an illusion."

"Okay."

Kohaku cast her spell.

From now on, we wouldn't stand out much to the other customers.

"The meat's here, so I'll grill it."

The Idong Galbi looked incredibly appetizing. I was looking forward to it.

Sizzle~!

The Idong Galbi cooked beautifully on the grill. While it was cooking, Kohaku asked a question.

"Is it because I am poor at Korean? I do not understand the name of this galbi."

"What don't you understand?"

"Is it not called Idong Galbi? I thought it was galbi sold while moving around, like from a food cart."

"Oh, you're right."

Could galbi even be sold while wandering around in a food cart? Then why was it called Idong Galbi?

Just as I was wondering, I spotted the origin of the name written in large letters on the wall.

"This town is called Idong-myeon. It's the gateway to Seoul, so there have been lots of military bases around here for a long time."

"Oh~ So that's why it's Idong..."

"Beef ribs aren't exactly cheap even now. But visiting sons who were serving in the military was a special occasion, so people used to pack galbi to bring with them."

They would grill up a huge amount of galbi, feed it to their sons during the short visiting hours, then pack up the leftovers so they could take them back onto base.

That was the story behind the origin of Idong Galbi.

"It was a mother's love for her son."

We began eating the ribs after offering a prayer for those who died defending the country, and for the parents who had worried so much for their children.

They were certainly different from the marinated ribs I ate in Seoul. Instead of the heavy sweetness of thick sauce coating the meat, they had a cleaner flavor from a light brushing of seasoning.

"It's good, it's good. Eat plenty, Gari."

Clack clack!!

Ninety percent of our food expenses went into Gari's mouth.

Gari preferred chicken, but they ate pretty much anything, so it probably didn't matter.

Gari seemed to dislike pork a little, though.

I was happily flipping meat on both grills when a rough-looking group entered through the doorway.

They had the kind of faces that made it obvious they didn't have ordinary jobs. They wore black rider suits, and the loud noise I'd heard earlier must have been motorcycles.

Was this neighborhood some kind of mecca for riders?

"A-are you a group?"

The owner cautiously greeted the intimidating men as they poured in.

"Yeah. There are more than twenty of us, so set up some tables. And bring soju."

They came on motorcycles, so how were they planning to drive after drinking that much in broad daylight?

Then, one of the men in the group recognized me.

"Gari Bodhisattva?"

"Gagaram?"

Fancy seeing this guy here.

"Heeey, Gari Bodhisattva! It's been a while! This is the first time we've met since Itaewon, right?"

"What? You know each other?"

The man who seemed to be the leader asked Gagaram, and Gagaram nodded.

"We worked together a few times before. He's very skilled."

The man looked me up and down at those words.

His gaze was probing, and it wasn't pleasant.

"I'm Eom Honggeun. And you are?"

"People call me Gari Bodhisattva."

"Is that a dharma name? Were you a male shaman?"

"Not exactly... Just think of it as an alias."

Eom Honggeun kept studying me, then glanced at my waist and snickered.

"Looks like you haven't undergone a rank assessment with the Mystic Association. There are always freelancers like that."

"Uh..."

Eom Honggeun casually showed me his own waist. A blue knot stood out clearly.

"You're an Azure Knot?"

That was the same knot as Pastor Go's. He must have been skilled.

"That's right. Plenty of the younger ones following me are Red Knots. Knots don't always prove someone's skill, but they're still a useful standard, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I guess."

That was true.

I was a Black Knot too, yet I was basically a total newbie in this field.

"Hey, Gagaram. Why don't you have a meal with your friend now that you've met again?"

"Hm? We didn't even come together, so why──"

"It's fine. The main driver shouldn't get drunk. Drink in moderation."

With that, Eom Honggeun headed for the group tables where the riders had gathered.

Gagaram, suddenly left behind, watched my reaction.

"Can I sit?"

"Go ahead."

"Where did Eight-Foot Sister sit?"

When I pointed to where Eight-Foot Sister was sitting, Gagaram turned around and sat across from her.

Gari was beside me, but Gagaram apparently hadn't noticed.

"Anyway, it's been a while. I heard you've made a name for yourself on a few missions."

"You too. Do you still keep in touch with Scholar Choi?"

"Ah, that scholar is probably running himself ragged in the Taebaek Mountains right now."

"The Taebaek Mountains?"

Gagaram gave me a surprised look when he saw that I didn't know.

"You didn't hear? A Mountain Lord surfaced in the Taebaek Mountains, so it's chaos over there. People thought they went extinct during the Japanese occupation, but this one's enormous. Cheonghak moved out in full force. They're conducting a joint operation with the Diamond Sect."

Cheonghak was one of the Five Great Lineages, and it was the group Scholar Choi belonged to.

If they had all rushed over there, it clearly wasn't an ordinary matter.

"Anyway, if Gari Bodhisattva came here... is it because of Eden Salvation Church after all?"

"That's right. Did you get hired for the request too?"

"Kim Gicheol, the leader of Eden Salvation Church, is a publicly wanted criminal. He stayed quiet for around twenty years, then suddenly reappeared."

I'd seen it in the news too. It had been around that long since Kim Gicheol and Eden Salvation Church disappeared without a trace.

"It seems he's been gathering followers here and there all this time. Did he decide he had a chance? I suppose it makes sense, since their leader was a Black Knot-level sorcerer."

"Was he really that impressive?"

"He's a Black Knot-level sorcerer, no less."

I had that Black Knot too.

Eight-Foot Sister was wearing it as a headband, though.

Come to think of it, Gagaram didn't know I was a Black Knot.

Well, there was no reason to mention it.

It'd feel cheap, like I was showing off.

"By the way, what do you think? Gari Bodhisattva would be a considerable asset. Want to work together?"

"Out of nowhere?"

"He's a Black Knot-level sorcerer. We'll have to deal with his followers too, and if we find them, there's a high chance it'll become a large-scale battle."

This wasn't just a matter of catching one wanted criminal.

"Some of the most famous bounty hunters are gathering in Pocheon right now. The general consensus is that everyone should join forces and bolster our numbers."

"Oh."

The other side had numbers, so we would counter with numbers?

A cooperative operation.

It was tempting. The opponent seemed to be a notorious Black Knot-level sorcerer, and for a beginner Black Knot like me to face him alone...

Mm.

I thought I could do it.

Other than Pastor Park and Department Head Park Bokrye of the Special Task Division, I couldn't imagine anyone beating me.

No, no.

I couldn't let my guard down.

A lion gave its all even when hunting a cat.

A joint operation sounded like a good idea.

"I'll give it serious thought."

"Good. Come to this place tonight."

"Okay. Ma'am! Another twenty servings over here!"

"Uh, um, ah, ngh? Y-yes..."

After getting the address from Gagaram, I took the wheel that night.

* * *

The yard in front of an abandoned building.

Vehicles and motorcycles had already gathered in large numbers at the meeting place.

The people there looked rough enough that anyone might mistake it for a gathering of criminal organizations.

"Eom Honggeun, you're late."

"Five minutes barely counts as late."

Eom Honggeun, Gagaram's companion from earlier that day, frowned deeply and growled.

The man trading hostility with him looked just as intimidating.

"You're the ones who asked for cooperation, aren't you? You can't catch Kim Gicheol by yourselves anyway."

"Bullshit. Kim Gangwoo, you can't catch him either."

Across from Eom Honggeun, the group whose convoy consisted mainly of off-road vehicles also looked like some sort of hunting party.

They were dressed head to toe in animal hides, loaded down with heavy weapons and belts of ammunition.

They looked like they had stepped out of a TermiXator movie.

"Stop. We aren't getting anywhere."

The one who stepped in to stop their growling was someone who appeared to lead another group.

Eom Honggeun and Kim Gangwoo were intimidating enough, but this man was even more massively built.

He looked like someone out of a gangster movie.

Everyone looked terrifying, but I wasn't scared.

The reason was...

Clack?

"No. Gari, you're the best."

I'd gotten pretty used to intimidating faces.

"Let's get straight to the point. Basically, we'll conduct the extermination together. As you know, our opponent is a Black Knot-level sorcerer. Our strongest fighters are Azure Knots, so it won't be easy."

"There are three Azure Knots. Isn't that enough to get the job done? A Black Knot isn't invincible."

"He has followers beneath him. The ordinary followers are blindly devoted fanatics, but the executives are different."

They would fight together.

After the three men reached an agreement, they discussed the reward.

"We'll divide the reward based on headcount and knot grade. Kim Gicheol isn't the only wanted criminal. There are others, so there should be enough money to divide among ourselves."

"How will you determine merit?"

"We'll weight the reward in favor of whoever makes the decisive contribution."

Oh, was this group consensus?

It seemed smoother and more professional than I expected.

"We'll add extra weighting. They've been hiding for twenty years, so finding them won't be easy. How about the side that succeeds in tracking them down gets thirty percent?"

"Hmm... Well, finding them is a job in itself."

"W-wait a moment!"

A middle-aged man interrupted the meeting. He seemed to be a freelancer like me, rather than someone affiliated with an organization.

"If you give more to the side that finds them, you people with greater numbers have a huge advantage!"

"That's right! Aren't the three of you just trying to take everything for yourselves?"

Mm, that made sense too.

Thirty percent wasn't a small share.

"Hey. If you don't like it, bring your own underlings. Why is a freelancer punk bitching so much?"

"Ha, a White Knot? You'll be lucky if you catch even one follower, yet you're greedy as hell."

As though they had planned it, the bosses of the three organizations pressured the freelancers.

There weren't exactly few freelancers, but they didn't seem bold enough to stand up to the leaders of organized groups.

The discussion about rewards for successfully tracking them down continued in greater detail.

But...

-Woof! Woof woof!

I'd already found them. What should I do?

Footnotes:

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