Chapter 21: Studio Apartment

Chapter 21: Studio Apartment

I, Kim Shin-hwa, was definitely a Korean, born and raised in South Korea.

However, if I was apprehended by the officials of the immigration bureau, I would be classified as an illegal resident without any question.

In [Cthulhu World], South Korea granted surreal powers and authority to the immigration bureau to deal with the surreal issues occurring both inside and outside the country.

There was the issue of North Korean refugees, and in the Cthulhu Mythos, outsiders were always ominous beings bringing disaster. And there were even bigger problems than that.

I frowned for a moment, but Tudor, who couldnt tell what kind of expression I was making because of the mask, cheerfully continued the conversation.

But all this is because I want to give you the best; you understand, right?

Well, I suppose so.

By the way you.

Yes?

How did you make that photo?

That photo? Oh, is she talking about this?

I glanced briefly at the photo on my ID card. At first glance, it looked like a blurry image, as if out of focus. But a closer look revealed that it was indeed a properly taken photo.

It was a fake face I had created using a few illusion spells and other complex methods.

I meticulously adjusted the placement and size of the facial features and also arranged an outfit and background that induced visual hypnosis through their color scheme.

An excessively ordinary face that appeared similar to many yet resembled none.

Since it was intentionally stripped of any uniqueness, no matter how carefully one looked at the photo, it was impossible to recall the face from memory later.

Why is that?

I think people might want more of something similar if you could make it

Ah, was that what she meant?

Apparently, Tudor had realized the significance of this photo.

Its not easy to make And if too many are made, the effect diminishes.

Hmm, no worries. It was just a fun idea I had. Dont mind it. Go ahead and check your bank book.

At Tudors urging, I opened my bank account and found that it contained exactly 50 million won.

[50,000,000]

Thats a lot of money, isnt it?

The compensation for this job was 10 million won, and I added a little more as a bonus, making it exactly fifty.

Since Lee Chang-hyuk, I had asked for all my earnings from the jobs I solved to be kept aside. There should be about forty-five million, but it seems Tudor added a few extra million.

Considering the cash stacked up in my room, I had now saved over one hundred million won. After finishing the next task, it might be worth considering getting my own place.

And this.

Tudor handed me a smartphone.

Its the latest model with a large screen.

Where do you find a fixer who stays cooped up and only comes out when its convenient to accept a job and then disappears? I got this activated so I can contact you whenever its convenient for me. Answer when I call.

When I turned on the screen, I found Tudors contact information already saved.

Hmm Nice. Thanks.

Its rare to hear a thank you from you. You really do have an expensive mouth.

Anyway, youre saying youll put me to work seriously, right? Lets continue the conversation about the task you mentioned earlier.

Thats right. Im investing money in this, so be prepared to be fully used.

***

In roughly a month, I acquired an ID card, a bank account, and a smartphone.

For a moment, I thought the beds springs were overly bouncy, but it was much better than the creaky bed at the motel anyway.

I also liked that the ceiling was covered with white wallpaper.

Just escaping the motel with its garishly colored, chaotic wallpapers made this move worthwhile.

Having given up on both eating and laundry, the only thing left to do was something I could do while lying down.

Poom

I spread my arms wide towards the white ceiling, and various forms of magic circles arose from my outstretched arms.

They were magic circles of various colors and irregular shapes, enough to shock anyone who had learned magic through a normal succession process.

There was no need to adhere to symmetry, regularity, or the standardized forms designed following traditional methods.

Instead of simplifying to the most primal form, I calculated each magic circle to exert influence on one another, creating an incredibly efficient and unbridled effect.

In an instant, the interior of my studio apartment became isolated from the outside world.

Now, no one could peek in or enter without my permission. Of course, beings beyond the ordinary might force their way in, but for such entities, I installed several magical traps and alarm spells for security.

This should be sufficient for now. After all, I have no intention of staying long in this seemingly ineffective, ordinary studio.

In the [Cthulhu World], there are residences that offer magical benefits simply by owning or living in them.

Some even come with incredible features like underground dungeons for leveling up or grinding.

Of course, to acquire such a place, I need to level up further.

Or have enough money to disregard such needs entirely.

But for now, thats not the case.

Anyway, today that was pretty good.

I recalled the makeshift skateboard I had rigged up to handle a race event with a gang of street bikers. It was almost a desperate idea, but it turned out better than expected.

In [Cthulhu World], there are enchantment spells to strengthen the body or objects. However, the number of enchantments that can be applied to a target is limited, and the more enchantments applied, the greater the strain on the target.

Therefore, its preferred to attach magic circles to personal items rather than directly to the body and aim for an indirect effect.

Focusing mobility-related enchantments on the skateboard seemed like a good move, especially since walking was too exhausting for me due to the [Weakned Stamina] debuff.

Wouldnt skateboarding be a good way to compensate for the physical limitations of being exhausted just by moving a little indoors?

But theres no artifact in the form of a board

Should I carve something like a sacred tree myself? All I have to do is attach wheels to a plank, right?

However, crafting is influenced by agility, and I wasnt confident I could make it properly.

For the time being, I might just buy a couple of decent ones and use them until they wear out. After all, as I continue to level up, I should be able to offset the weakened stamina effect.

As I lay down and stared blankly at the ceiling, I gradually felt sleep creeping in.

Should I go to sleep now?

I was tired.

It had been just over a month, but I had been incredibly busy.

Thanks to Tudors considerate help, I had primarily focused on low-difficulty quests. However, even those proved not easy for my frail body which was laden with various penalties.

Wouldnt it be better to increase the difficulty of the quests while also extending rest periods? I wasnt sure about other aspects, but this strategy seemed like it would accelerate my growth rate.

Well, from now on, Ill be given more serious quests I guess I dont need to worry about this anymore.

I wanted to think more, to plan more, but I was too sleepy. My head felt dizzy. I hadnt slept well for a month, tormented by nightmares every night.

My eyes stung and my eyelids were heavy. Eventually, I couldnt resist anymore and closed my eyes.

I fell into sleep, feeling as though I was plunging into deep darkness.

Lets just sleep for now

Anyway, tonight, like every other, I would probably wander through the nightmare granted by an abyssal being.