Chapter 141 – 141. Alone Hardcore

I agreed to grant her wishes as a condition of settling Noos’s bracelet and jewelry store in my base.

Her request was, simply put, a very simple one.

Her request was to enter the abandoned mansion, take out a signet ring that seemed to be in the second drawer of the office desk in the head office, and bring it to her. Listening to this, it felt like I was just going to drink in the neighborhood. The reality was completely different.

“Then, I’ll tell you more detailed information about the Tremor Mansion.”

“For a moment. Wait.”

“Huh? What’s the matter.”

Wasn’t the name of the haunted house in Japan also a shivering labyrinth or something?

‘Shudder’s Mansion… The name itself is disgusting.’

How terrifyingly set up the place is, and the name of the place is thrilling. It was so terrifying that a chill went down my spine, my body trembled, and I got goosebumps.

“No, the name of the place I will be going from now on… Is the Tremor Mansion? It’s so bloody right from the name… I thought it was a simple quest where you just go in and take a ring and come out… Are you sure this is based on level 15 difficulty?”

“Uh.. Level 15.. Not about level 18?”

“Ha..”

The jeweler smiled and said with an expressionless face as if he was embarrassed by my strong reaction.

Haha… That’s just the name. It’s nothing, so don’t worry too much. And to be honest, I’m most afraid of you, who is surrounded by evil spirits.”

“Uh… That’s…”

It’s an undeniable fact. To be honest, the existence of me in the position of other players is shock and horror itself. Moreover, since I am wearing a memory conversion ring, normal players cannot even recognize my face properly and fall into fear just by witnessing it.

Even Lee Eun-ha was quite surprised when I took off the ring and showed my bare face for the first time. I heard that it looks more neat and tidy than I thought.

Anyway, what matters now is not how frightening I look in the eyes of others. The really important issue is the difficulty of the mansion. I already said I would do it, so I can’t come and remove it now.

“Even if it’s not exactly… Tell me about the level of difficulty.”

“That’s… Um… It’s a level of difficulty that you can get out of safely if you keep your mind straight. Seeing that you are able to talk to me without any problems even facing evil spirits… You seem to have quite good mental strength, so I shouldn’t be worried.”

“They say you just need to keep your mind straight… I’ll get it right now.”

You can come out if you keep your mind straight. Honestly, if I hadn’t come to my senses, I would have already died.

“Get the story back. From now on, it’s information about the mansion. Listen carefully.”

“Yes. All right.”

Correcting her posture, she outlined what could happen in the mansion. And the longer she spoke, the more my expression rotted.

‘At first, I just went in and said it as if I would come out with a ring…’

Apparently to seduce me, the jeweler explained that stealing the ring was an easy and simple task. It’s like going into an empty house and taking one thing you left behind and leaving.

However, the real fear of the mansion only grew bigger as her explanations continued.

“To summarize the story just now… The mansion is a twisted labyrinth with all sorts of traps set up, and inside, time and space are jumbled together, and even cursed dolls roam the mansion. I mean there is. Damn… This is a commission that doesn’t do anything right.”

“Yeah, but… If you succeed… You can get Noos’s bracelet… And I, me!”

“Hmm.. I see. Keep talking. There’s no point in complaining about what you have to do anyway.”

“Kuhmm.. Acceptance attitude.. Very good attitude. Then, this is the last message.. Go into the mansion.. And do group assignments.”

“Yes? I beg your pardon?”

What did this asshole just tell me to do? Did I not hear you?

“That’s… I have to form a group with two people brought by another jeweler… And attack the mansion with them. FYI, a total of 15 groups were randomly selected at the same time as they entered…”

“Huh… Three in one…”

“Yes, we have to attack the mansion with three people…”

There are a few words I hate the most in the world. And among them, the word that goes into the top three is the group task.

‘Damn group assignment.’

The fact that stupid humans gather together to form a group is itself the beginning of the problem.

I don’t know if it’s because the professor’s job is a job that can only go crazy, or if it’s simply because the workers are all evil, but anyway, the group assignment is a job that explodes with enthusiasm just by imagining it.

‘It’d be much lower for someone with absolute power to give orders. If you let idiots without any deterioration work together, there will probably be a bastard who rides a bus after only shoveling.’

And this is really the most important thing for me… I’ve lived as a personality buster all my life, and I’ve never gotten on a bus.

‘Even though I’ve been given a ride… I’ve never ridden one…’

This is the biggest problem. No matter how much I think about it, the cubs who are in the same group as me are bound to take the bus called me. Is this a good story? I stopped being angry at the unbelievable reality. I couldn’t bear to pour out my anger on the sorry doll, so I just held it in.

“Whoa.. Then the three of us have to compete with another group.”

“That’s right. If your group is the first to find and bring the ring, it’s a winning game.

“The other jeweler’s champions… So it’s okay to kill everyone except for the randomly assigned crew members?”

“Huh. Rather, it is better to actively hunt. And no one will say anything about the other group of humans, no matter how you deal with it. You just have to come out with the rest of the designated team when entering and exiting the mansion to pass. FYI… You can’t harm the members of the crew. It means that enslavement is not allowed.”

“No fuck.. This… Who the fuck is this weird rule maker?”

“There is…Event producers…They’re guys with a twisted personality. After hearing the rules, I wondered what this was all about.”

There seems to be a guy with a higher rank among the NPCs.

‘Event Creator…’

One of the executives of this goddamned catastrophe. He’s a shit man who acts like a catastrophe operator.

“Haa… Then, let’s assume that the signet ring was brought out safely with the crew members. So, are the three jewelers sharing it?”

“Huh. The signet ring only works three times. And the three jewelers who will be using the rings are a little more free. That’s why you must come out with the ring. If I don’t get the ring… I can’t move my residence here.”

“Haa… I see.”

This is something I can’t go into with my party. I have to go in alone and work with two strangers to get rid of or enslave the other contenders and get the ring.

“The deadline is unlimited. Even if you can’t find the ring, you can get out if you find the exit.”

“The conditions are quite relaxed.”

Forest of the Missing had a one-week time limit. Moreover, it was virtually impossible to find an exit in an endless forest without a skill to help you find your way.

“And you should never trust the servants you encounter in the mansion. Got it?”

“Yes. I don’t really trust others because I don’t trust people.”

“That one is very believable. Sometimes when I look at it, there are people who are too hogu-like.”

An idiot who blindly trusts people he doesn’t know deserves to die. Giving faith to an uncertified object is also arrogance and carelessness in a way. And in the Apocalypse, the one who is not careful always dies.

“Then when can I come in?”

“Next Monday at 11am. I’ll come pick you up. All you have to do is prepare and wait.”

“I see. Oh, there is someone I want to introduce to you before you go…”

Later, I introduced Hellas to a jeweler. The jeweler chatted with him for a while, and he said that he seemed to be able to help with the cyberization project in many ways.

He said that he himself was a doll, and that he would help with the research here with Helles, as long as the signet ring was safely brought back. There’s one more reason why this signet ring rescue operation shouldn’t fail.

“Then see you next week.”

“Yes. Take a look.”

Soon the jeweler disappeared with the light. When it comes, it comes quietly and indistinctly, and when it returns, it disappears with the light. Does that mean you want to see me off?

“How was the conversation?”

“Hmm.. Very intelligent.. Not a human. It was an intelligent being. It was to the point where she and I wondered if we might have pushed alchemy to the limit in our own ways in different worlds.”

“Alchemy…? Aren’t you a jeweler?”

“Uh… I talked to her and it turns out she’s also pretty alchemically knowledgeable. The strains are just very different. She can be seen as a kind of alchemist.”

“Huh.. That’s right.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve met someone to share my knowledge with… Haha.”

Hellas seemed very happy after talking with the jeweler for about 20 minutes. A combination of an old man and a doll… It’s a pretty perverted combination.

Afterwards, leaving Hellus in the workshop, I summoned the executives of Hyoseon Girls’ High School. I told them that I was going to a place called Jeonyul Mansion next week.

“No… Oppa. Why do you have such a tight schedule by yourself? Are you appealing to yourself as a busy man right now?”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that, Hwayoung. I don’t want to go either.”

“You’re saving time to play with us, right?”

“Uh.. Yes. Of course, Eunji. I always want to roll around and play with you.”

“Looking at it, I don’t know if my brother is enjoying the catastrophe too hard by himself!”

“Leaving us unattended every day!”

“Ha.. I’m sorry, Yewon. But things keep getting twisted… I really… This is the part I can’t help it. I have nothing to say to everyone. Still, this is all about us making a living, so please understand.”

I gave away my right and left arms to Eunji and Hwayeong, respectively, and was interrogated for a long time while Yewon pinched my nipples. She has too many girlfriends and wives. I’m a little tired from raking the gourd all over the place… But that’s not necessarily bad. Because everyone is pretty… And since I know very well that you do this because you want to be with me, I’m just sorry.

‘But… A dog like 777 or something must be growing day by day like me… I can’t just play and eat alone. I have to work to death to feed all my girls, have children later, and live happily…’

Is this the weight of the head of household? My shoulders are heavy. It’s a big deal because I have so many families to support.

For your reference, Eunji, Hwayoung, and Yewon were devastatingly sexually harassing me, but no one bothered to say anything. Speaking of the gathered executives, I’m taking care of all the work that my women and I have to do… It’s all about Ha Jin-seong, a non-commissioned officer.

To be honest, these days, slaves seem to be more afraid of Hajin-seong than I am. I don’t really have to run into anything other than important work, but the middle manager, Ha Jin-seong, is intertwined with the slaves at Hyo-seon Girls’ High School.

In fact, I’m close to a natural disaster that I shouldn’t have to face, and Ha Jin-seong is the real superior, so he’s frightening.

“Anyway, this time I’m going alone. Everyone is taking good care of the house. If something strange comes out, kill it unconditionally.”

“I understand, master. If you don’t worry, you’ll be well protected.”

I patted reliable Mer on the back. After that, I packed things around. Having to cooperate with total strangers that I can’t enslave myself… I’m a little anxious and nervous. Of course, the members can’t hurt me either, but…

Except for the first day when I went outside alone after destruction began, the existence of others came to me with a greater sense of rejection, perhaps because I had acted with a slave who could not betray me.

‘If you look at it, except for the early days of the black market and nightmares, I’ve been with my girls pretty much all the time.’

But this time I have to do it all by myself, without a slave or my woman to back me up.

‘There’s no Harin or Hwayoung to detect other humans… And there’s no Eunji who moves stealthily and goes on reconnaissance…’

Not to mention Heesun noona who improves the quality of my life, there is no Aram or Mer who always protects me reliably. I always feel like I’m taking care of Areum and Yewon.. But when I have something to protect, I’m the type that becomes more obsessive, so they’re also very important to me.

‘Juha and Eunha… They haven’t been in for a while, so they’re adjusting. Sora is also learning Korean diligently…’

By the way, Sora’s Korean has improved a lot lately.

“Joshimi.. Come on..! Oni-chan!”

It’s about such a simple greeting. Now I know how to say it right away. Cute guy. The look in her eyes as she glanced at her step-brother was that of a wicked woman, but since then, she has always kept a smile in front of me.

I can’t figure out the true meaning of that smile, but she seems to think of me as, well, something like the handsome, tall Korean boyfriend of her dreams. Well, not bad.

“I have to go to the black market first.”

The peddler and arms dealer seem to be planning to come tomorrow. By any chance, if you come here when I enter the black market, you won’t run into me… But I can’t help it.

I have to go see Cheshire, whom I couldn’t meet last week because I was walking around the woods.

“I will be back.”

“Yes~!”

“Are you going to bring a slave again?”

“Look. If there is a good sale like the Hellus inspiration, I will buy it.”

I entered the black market while being escorted by the women.