MAEPG: Episode 12
Episode 12 Aftermath (2)
People lining up to enter the city gate, guards inspecting them at the gate.
Countless people passing through after discreetly slipping money to the picky soldiers...
‘…What’s going on here?’
It was definitely a city, although a bit small, with walls surrounding it and many buildings erected inside.
‘But why is it so empty?’
The soldiers guarding the gate only glanced at me once and didn’t say a word as I passed through, busy whispering amongst themselves.
‘Well, it’s a good thing there’s no inspection.’
I knew nothing about this world.
There was no way I could fool the city guards with a vague story like I did with the old man in the farming village.
If they asked me picky questions, I would be in trouble.
‘I even prepared a few silver coins to slip them if that happened.’
Even though it was still bright, there weren’t many residents walking around, and they didn’t seem interested in me, an outsider.
The entire city just lacked vitality.
‘What’s with the atmosphere here? Did something happen?’
It was unsettling, but I decided to find a place to stay first.
I had to gather some information here before moving on to another place.
‘Let’s see… where would the lodgings be? Should I ask that person?’
As I was about to approach someone who looked like a local resident and ask for directions, I happened to notice the inside of an alley by the road.
A muscular man with tattoos on his neck and a shabby-looking girl who looked to be around ten years old.
“…I’m sorry! If you could just give me a little more time…”
The girl was pleading with the man, bowing her head repeatedly with a tearful face.
“I understand your situation, but you know I can’t wait forever, right? I’ll give you three days. If you don’t bring it within three days, I can’t help it either.”
He untied his crossed arms, scratched his head, and replied curtly with a displeased look.
And then he turned around without even waiting for the girl’s reply.
“I told you? You two. Two silver coins within three days.”
As he disappeared into the darkness of the alley, leaving behind his last words, the girl collapsed on the spot.
The girl, who had been sitting there blankly for a while, took a deep breath as if to swallow her tears and slapped her own cheek.
And then she staggered to her feet.
‘Hmm… city thugs and an exploited young girl. A classic cliché.’
It must be a common occurrence in this medieval fantasy world.
Even if I argued for human rights and made a fuss, nothing would change, and I had no reason to do so in the first place.
Bump—
As I stood there, watching them, the girl, who had been staggering while looking at the ground, bumped into me as she came out of the alley.
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
I looked down at the girl who bowed her head right in front of me.
Rough skin and scratched, chapped hands that didn’t suit her age.
Her empty eyes and the faint air of gloom surrounding her were very familiar to me.
After apologizing, the girl walked past me and continued on her way.
Drooping shoulders and footsteps devoid of any energy.
Her back somehow lingered in my mind.
‘Hmm, two silver coins.’
I took out a pouch from my pocket.
It was a money pouch I had prepared separately for bribes, and it contained a number of copper coins and five or six silver coins.
‘I put in a lot because I didn’t know the prices here. I guess silver coins are worth more than I thought.’
I thought I wouldn’t need to use it since there was no inspection when I passed through the city gate, but a suitable use had appeared at the right time.
‘I needed information about this world.’
A local who could provide me with information and faithfully carry out my requests.
Someone with little risk of playing any tricks.
Wasn’t the perfect candidate right in front of me?
‘I don’t know if I can trust her yet, but if I can get information for just this much money…’
I took out two silver coins from the money pouch and put it back in my pocket.
‘Well, this must be fate. I was going to use it as a bribe anyway, but this is more efficient.’
I strode towards the girl who was still walking unsteadily.
She didn’t react at all, even though I approached her, making my presence known.
“Ahem… Hey, little girl?”
“…”
“Hey~? This big brother has something to tell you…”
She didn’t answer even when I called out to her, so I spoke a little louder and tapped her on the shoulder…
“Eek—! I, I’m sorry!”
I blinked in surprise at the sight of the girl jumping up in fright.
“…”
“Uh, um… who are you?”
I’m going to be your employer.
I didn’t intend to just help the girl out of pity for her situation.
A mutually beneficial relationship was the strongest and most lasting.
I didn’t know how long I would stay in this city, but I had to draw the line.
So let’s discuss the terms of employment.
People lining up to enter the city gate, guards inspecting them at the gate.
Countless people passing through after discreetly slipping money to the picky soldiers...
‘…What’s going on here?’
It was definitely a city, although a bit small, with walls surrounding it and many buildings erected inside.
‘But why is it so empty?’
The soldiers guarding the gate only glanced at me once and didn’t say a word as I passed through, busy whispering amongst themselves.
‘Well, it’s a good thing there’s no inspection.’
I knew nothing about this world.
There was no way I could fool the city guards with a vague story like I did with the old man in the farming village.
If they asked me picky questions, I would be in trouble.
‘I even prepared a few silver coins to slip them if that happened.’
Even though it was still bright, there weren’t many residents walking around, and they didn’t seem interested in me, an outsider.
The entire city just lacked vitality.
‘What’s with the atmosphere here? Did something happen?’
It was unsettling, but I decided to find a place to stay first.
I had to gather some information here before moving on to another place.
‘Let’s see… where would the lodgings be? Should I ask that person?’
As I was about to approach someone who looked like a local resident and ask for directions, I happened to notice the inside of an alley by the road.
A muscular man with tattoos on his neck and a shabby-looking girl who looked to be around ten years old.
“…I’m sorry! If you could just give me a little more time…”
The girl was pleading with the man, bowing her head repeatedly with a tearful face.
“I understand your situation, but you know I can’t wait forever, right? I’ll give you three days. If you don’t bring it within three days, I can’t help it either.”
He untied his crossed arms, scratched his head, and replied curtly with a displeased look.
And then he turned around without even waiting for the girl’s reply.
“I told you? You two. Two silver coins within three days.”
As he disappeared into the darkness of the alley, leaving behind his last words, the girl collapsed on the spot.
The girl, who had been sitting there blankly for a while, took a deep breath as if to swallow her tears and slapped her own cheek.
And then she staggered to her feet.
‘Hmm… city thugs and an exploited young girl. A classic cliché.’
It must be a common occurrence in this medieval fantasy world.
Even if I argued for human rights and made a fuss, nothing would change, and I had no reason to do so in the first place.
Bump—
As I stood there, watching them, the girl, who had been staggering while looking at the ground, bumped into me as she came out of the alley.
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
I looked down at the girl who bowed her head right in front of me.
Rough skin and scratched, chapped hands that didn’t suit her age.
Her empty eyes and the faint air of gloom surrounding her were very familiar to me.
After apologizing, the girl walked past me and continued on her way.
Drooping shoulders and footsteps devoid of any energy.
Her back somehow lingered in my mind.
‘Hmm, two silver coins.’
I took out a pouch from my pocket.
It was a money pouch I had prepared separately for bribes, and it contained a number of copper coins and five or six silver coins.
‘I put in a lot because I didn’t know the prices here. I guess silver coins are worth more than I thought.’
I thought I wouldn’t need to use it since there was no inspection when I passed through the city gate, but a suitable use had appeared at the right time.
‘I needed information about this world.’
A local who could provide me with information and faithfully carry out my requests.
Someone with little risk of playing any tricks.
Wasn’t the perfect candidate right in front of me?
‘I don’t know if I can trust her yet, but if I can get information for just this much money…’
I took out two silver coins from the money pouch and put it back in my pocket.
‘Well, this must be fate. I was going to use it as a bribe anyway, but this is more efficient.’
I strode towards the girl who was still walking unsteadily.
She didn’t react at all, even though I approached her, making my presence known.
“Ahem… Hey, little girl?”
“…”
“Hey~? This big brother has something to tell you…”
She didn’t answer even when I called out to her, so I spoke a little louder and tapped her on the shoulder…
“Eek—! I, I’m sorry!”
I blinked in surprise at the sight of the girl jumping up in fright.
“…”
“Uh, um… who are you?”
I’m going to be your employer.
I didn’t intend to just help the girl out of pity for her situation.
A mutually beneficial relationship was the strongest and most lasting.
I didn’t know how long I would stay in this city, but I had to draw the line.
So let’s discuss the terms of employment.
______________________
After meeting the girl in the city, Heinz was able to easily find lodging and start gathering information with her help.
Everything went smoothly with a local guide by his side.
“Well… shall I start my work then?”
Gold bars! It was time to harvest the gold bars.
Traveling to another world was nice, but first and foremost, I, the original body, had to live well.
‘But I’m a bit scared to just summon Hans.’
Hadn’t I experienced his imposing presence firsthand when I met him as Heinz?
‘But I also have “Clear Mind”. It should be fine for a short time.’
Still, just in case, I closed my eyes and summoned Hans so that our eyes wouldn’t meet.
Swoosh…
A chilling coldness was felt as soon as he was summoned.
Even without looking directly, I instinctively realized that there was something ominous in front of me.
[Wow… this is no joke. I guess I can never appear in front of people?]
He muttered, looking at my frozen body through Hans’s vision.
His voice, resonating with magic power, was terrifying, as if a demon was whispering from the abyss.
‘But thanks to “Clear Mind”, it seems to be getting better.’
When I first summoned Hans, the skill was shaken mercilessly, but now it seemed to be getting used to it, and my mind gradually calmed down.
“Whew, it’s okay now…”
The moment I opened my eyes with a calm heart and faced Hans, I immediately turned my head away.
No, I turned my whole body and headed for the bathroom.
“Let’s keep our distance for a while. I need to use the bathroom. I need to pee.”
I muttered to myself for no reason, creating distance between myself and Hans.
‘He can just take out the items himself.’
While I was in the bathroom, Hans neatly placed the items he was holding on one side.
Gold bars, jewelry, and magic tools.
I packed a few magic tools with protective abilities. The safety of the original body was the top priority.
Just in case, I picked up the skull staff and lightly tapped the floor with it, but…
[Hmm, I guess summoning doesn’t work in this world.]
It seemed impossible to summon the undead from that world across dimensions.
If I could create a subspace completely bound to Hans and store them there, it would be a different story, but I didn’t know such magic right now.
‘Well, I’ll learn it eventually as I grow.’
For now, this was enough. There was no need to rush.
Beep beep beep— Click
As I finished my business in the bathroom and was getting used to Hans from a distance, the front door opened and the avatar that had gone out for exercise returned.
I was still pondering over a cool name to give him, so he didn’t have one yet, but he was a useful one with the “Acceleration” skill that momentarily increased his speed.
‘I prepared a wooden mask, reflecting the times, and I think it’ll suit him quite well.’
The avatar, returning from exercise, was holding a wooden mask in his hand, which I had prepared to put on Hans.
I couldn’t have him wear a plastic mask in a fantasy world.
Well, he could wear it, but I preferred this one.
I moved the avatar, brought the mask to Hans’s face, and tied the string at the back tightly.
I secured it multiple times with a strong leather strap in case it fell off.
“Oh… It has atmosphere. It’s scary in a different way than before.”
I clapped my hands as I looked at Hans’s face.
What the avatar, who had been running around the neighborhood, had suddenly noticed was that yangban hahoe mask that Hans was currently wearing.
The blue ghost fire emanating from the seemingly relaxed smiling eyeholes, the teeth faintly visible through the open mouth, and the chill seeping out like fog from between them.
It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.
‘Wait, does this even make sense as a mask?’
The thought suddenly occurred to me, but I gave up.
Even if Hans wore a cute pink bunny mask, he would still look like a psychopathic serial killer.
For now, it was enough that the mask hid the fact that he wasn’t human.
‘Hmm… if only the skull wasn’t directly visible, I could somehow explain it away.’
I deliberately ignored Hans’s imposing appearance and picked up the gold bars with a handbag.
‘The gold bars I brought this time are 3kg. This should be enough for now.’
In the long term, I was thinking of buying a house on the outskirts of Seoul and surrounding it with all sorts of barriers, but I couldn’t go out right now, so I could take my time preparing.
‘I have to believe things will get better. I can’t live like this forever.’
For now, I decided to sell the gold bars normally.
I could just say I found them while organizing the items my parents left behind.
Our family wasn’t that poor, and with the current turbulent times, selling this much gold wouldn’t be a problem.
As the avatar, ready to go out, was about to leave, he stopped for a moment.
He felt uneasy, carrying such expensive items.
“I’m a bit anxious to just go out like this.”
He felt uneasy even though he had packed protective magic tools.
“Hmm…”
As he looked around, wondering what to do, he noticed Hans standing there blankly.
After meeting the girl in the city, Heinz was able to easily find lodging and start gathering information with her help.
Everything went smoothly with a local guide by his side.
“Well… shall I start my work then?”
Gold bars! It was time to harvest the gold bars.
Traveling to another world was nice, but first and foremost, I, the original body, had to live well.
‘But I’m a bit scared to just summon Hans.’
Hadn’t I experienced his imposing presence firsthand when I met him as Heinz?
‘But I also have “Clear Mind”. It should be fine for a short time.’
Still, just in case, I closed my eyes and summoned Hans so that our eyes wouldn’t meet.
Swoosh…
A chilling coldness was felt as soon as he was summoned.
Even without looking directly, I instinctively realized that there was something ominous in front of me.
[Wow… this is no joke. I guess I can never appear in front of people?]
He muttered, looking at my frozen body through Hans’s vision.
His voice, resonating with magic power, was terrifying, as if a demon was whispering from the abyss.
‘But thanks to “Clear Mind”, it seems to be getting better.’
When I first summoned Hans, the skill was shaken mercilessly, but now it seemed to be getting used to it, and my mind gradually calmed down.
“Whew, it’s okay now…”
The moment I opened my eyes with a calm heart and faced Hans, I immediately turned my head away.
No, I turned my whole body and headed for the bathroom.
“Let’s keep our distance for a while. I need to use the bathroom. I need to pee.”
I muttered to myself for no reason, creating distance between myself and Hans.
‘He can just take out the items himself.’
While I was in the bathroom, Hans neatly placed the items he was holding on one side.
Gold bars, jewelry, and magic tools.
I packed a few magic tools with protective abilities. The safety of the original body was the top priority.
Just in case, I picked up the skull staff and lightly tapped the floor with it, but…
[Hmm, I guess summoning doesn’t work in this world.]
It seemed impossible to summon the undead from that world across dimensions.
If I could create a subspace completely bound to Hans and store them there, it would be a different story, but I didn’t know such magic right now.
‘Well, I’ll learn it eventually as I grow.’
For now, this was enough. There was no need to rush.
Beep beep beep— Click
As I finished my business in the bathroom and was getting used to Hans from a distance, the front door opened and the avatar that had gone out for exercise returned.
I was still pondering over a cool name to give him, so he didn’t have one yet, but he was a useful one with the “Acceleration” skill that momentarily increased his speed.
‘I prepared a wooden mask, reflecting the times, and I think it’ll suit him quite well.’
The avatar, returning from exercise, was holding a wooden mask in his hand, which I had prepared to put on Hans.
I couldn’t have him wear a plastic mask in a fantasy world.
Well, he could wear it, but I preferred this one.
I moved the avatar, brought the mask to Hans’s face, and tied the string at the back tightly.
I secured it multiple times with a strong leather strap in case it fell off.
“Oh… It has atmosphere. It’s scary in a different way than before.”
I clapped my hands as I looked at Hans’s face.
What the avatar, who had been running around the neighborhood, had suddenly noticed was that yangban hahoe mask that Hans was currently wearing.
The blue ghost fire emanating from the seemingly relaxed smiling eyeholes, the teeth faintly visible through the open mouth, and the chill seeping out like fog from between them.
It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.
‘Wait, does this even make sense as a mask?’
The thought suddenly occurred to me, but I gave up.
Even if Hans wore a cute pink bunny mask, he would still look like a psychopathic serial killer.
For now, it was enough that the mask hid the fact that he wasn’t human.
‘Hmm… if only the skull wasn’t directly visible, I could somehow explain it away.’
I deliberately ignored Hans’s imposing appearance and picked up the gold bars with a handbag.
‘The gold bars I brought this time are 3kg. This should be enough for now.’
In the long term, I was thinking of buying a house on the outskirts of Seoul and surrounding it with all sorts of barriers, but I couldn’t go out right now, so I could take my time preparing.
‘I have to believe things will get better. I can’t live like this forever.’
For now, I decided to sell the gold bars normally.
I could just say I found them while organizing the items my parents left behind.
Our family wasn’t that poor, and with the current turbulent times, selling this much gold wouldn’t be a problem.
As the avatar, ready to go out, was about to leave, he stopped for a moment.
He felt uneasy, carrying such expensive items.
“I’m a bit anxious to just go out like this.”
He felt uneasy even though he had packed protective magic tools.
“Hmm…”
As he looked around, wondering what to do, he noticed Hans standing there blankly.
_______________________
“Thank you. Please come again.”
The employee of the gold exchange bowed ninety degrees and saw me off.
As expected, there was no problem with the sale, and the accident I was worried about didn’t happen.
I smiled with satisfaction, looking at my plump bank account, feeling the reward for coming all the way to a place that bought gold at a high price.
It was already getting dark outside, and the streetlights were turning on one by one.
I walked with a light heart and glanced at the shadow on the ground.
A shadow that looked especially dark compared to other places.
‘I can’t appear in front of other people directly, but it’s a good thing I can use it like this.’
Hans, who used dark magic, was hiding in my shadow.
I had hidden him as a precaution, but it seemed my worries were excessive.
Whirr— Whirr!
Boom—!
As soon as I finished my thought, the security door of the gold exchange behind me came down, and a moment later, the wall exploded.
‘Why do my bad premonitions never fail?’
I squeezed my eyes shut and then peeked behind me.
A muscular werewolf over two meters tall and a man in a black mask clinging to him escaped from the hole in the destroyed building and ran into an alley.
I glanced inside the building, which was in chaos, and saw that the jewelry was gone and people were lying on the floor.
Fortunately, I wasn’t directly involved thanks to coming out right before the incident.
But…
‘Villains, huh…’
Those who committed crimes using their awakened abilities.
Of course, there were also Guardians who protected citizens from such villains, but as always, they couldn’t protect people from all dangers.
Like my family.
I looked at the direction they disappeared for a moment and then continued walking.
The surroundings were in chaos, with people reporting the incident and filming videos.
The Guardians would take care of tracking them down, and if caught, they would receive aggravated punishment for their supernatural crimes.
If they weren’t caught…
‘They would live well. But I can’t do anything.’
Han Seong-hyeon left the scene of the incident and headed home.
“Thank you. Please come again.”
The employee of the gold exchange bowed ninety degrees and saw me off.
As expected, there was no problem with the sale, and the accident I was worried about didn’t happen.
I smiled with satisfaction, looking at my plump bank account, feeling the reward for coming all the way to a place that bought gold at a high price.
It was already getting dark outside, and the streetlights were turning on one by one.
I walked with a light heart and glanced at the shadow on the ground.
A shadow that looked especially dark compared to other places.
‘I can’t appear in front of other people directly, but it’s a good thing I can use it like this.’
Hans, who used dark magic, was hiding in my shadow.
I had hidden him as a precaution, but it seemed my worries were excessive.
Whirr— Whirr!
Boom—!
As soon as I finished my thought, the security door of the gold exchange behind me came down, and a moment later, the wall exploded.
‘Why do my bad premonitions never fail?’
I squeezed my eyes shut and then peeked behind me.
A muscular werewolf over two meters tall and a man in a black mask clinging to him escaped from the hole in the destroyed building and ran into an alley.
I glanced inside the building, which was in chaos, and saw that the jewelry was gone and people were lying on the floor.
Fortunately, I wasn’t directly involved thanks to coming out right before the incident.
But…
‘Villains, huh…’
Those who committed crimes using their awakened abilities.
Of course, there were also Guardians who protected citizens from such villains, but as always, they couldn’t protect people from all dangers.
Like my family.
I looked at the direction they disappeared for a moment and then continued walking.
The surroundings were in chaos, with people reporting the incident and filming videos.
The Guardians would take care of tracking them down, and if caught, they would receive aggravated punishment for their supernatural crimes.
If they weren’t caught…
‘They would live well. But I can’t do anything.’
Han Seong-hyeon left the scene of the incident and headed home.
___________________
“Alright, Wolf, it’s going according to plan. Now let’s go to where the portal is and get out of here, and it’s over!”
“Growl, about three minutes until the Guardians arrive, that’s plenty of time.”
The plan was simple.
‘Wolf,’ who was in charge of force, would subdue the guards and destroy the safe and security devices to secure an escape route, then ‘Porter,’ who was in charge of transport, would suck up all the jewelry and cash and get on Wolf’s back.
After that, they would quickly move to where ‘Portal,’ who was in charge of escape, was, and escape far away using his ability.
“Hahaha— I wish I could see the Guardians’ faces when they arrive late and are dumbfounded!”
“Grrr! Alright, we’re here. Get down.”
They soon entered the construction site.
Portal’s ability, Gate, took a long time to create, so they couldn’t use it on the spot and had to find a place in advance to prepare for their escape.
Tap— Thud!
As they hurriedly entered, they saw construction workers lying unconscious in a corner.
And Portal, who should have been waiting after creating the Gate, was also unconscious.
“Uh…? What the?”
‘Something’ in the darkness, standing in front of the collapsed Portal.
“Grrrr…”
Wolf’s hair stood on end. He bared his teeth and claws, lowered his body, and raised his tail.
But his eyes were clearly filled with fear.
“Uh… Wh, what is that…?”
Porter was in an even worse state. His thoughts were cut off. His mind couldn’t process it.
And ‘it’ raised one hand and pointed at them.
The last thing Porter saw was… a smiling face with blue glowing eyes in the approaching shadows.
“Alright, Wolf, it’s going according to plan. Now let’s go to where the portal is and get out of here, and it’s over!”
“Growl, about three minutes until the Guardians arrive, that’s plenty of time.”
The plan was simple.
‘Wolf,’ who was in charge of force, would subdue the guards and destroy the safe and security devices to secure an escape route, then ‘Porter,’ who was in charge of transport, would suck up all the jewelry and cash and get on Wolf’s back.
After that, they would quickly move to where ‘Portal,’ who was in charge of escape, was, and escape far away using his ability.
“Hahaha— I wish I could see the Guardians’ faces when they arrive late and are dumbfounded!”
“Grrr! Alright, we’re here. Get down.”
They soon entered the construction site.
Portal’s ability, Gate, took a long time to create, so they couldn’t use it on the spot and had to find a place in advance to prepare for their escape.
Tap— Thud!
As they hurriedly entered, they saw construction workers lying unconscious in a corner.
And Portal, who should have been waiting after creating the Gate, was also unconscious.
“Uh…? What the?”
‘Something’ in the darkness, standing in front of the collapsed Portal.
“Grrrr…”
Wolf’s hair stood on end. He bared his teeth and claws, lowered his body, and raised his tail.
But his eyes were clearly filled with fear.
“Uh… Wh, what is that…?”
Porter was in an even worse state. His thoughts were cut off. His mind couldn’t process it.
And ‘it’ raised one hand and pointed at them.
The last thing Porter saw was… a smiling face with blue glowing eyes in the approaching shadows.
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