Chapter 47: Curtain Call

Chapter 47: Curtain Call

Smash!

I could hear the sound of something shattering inside accompanied by what seemed like piercing screams. I couldnt tell what the sound was because it was muffled by the walls, but it appeared to be the voice of a woman, or perhaps a child, hurling curses in a frenzy.

This marked the second strange event of today. It was baffling, considering it wasnt even during work hours. Despite my irritation, my heightened senses diligently analyzed the turmoil of magical power within Vasilisa, discerning its intensity, quantity, and direction. Following that, I shifted a step to the side.

Bang! Crushh!

The front doors of Vasilisa caf burst open as if they were about to shatter, revealing a burly man hurled through the air. He landed sprawled on the very spot where I had been standing only moments before.

Aaaaargh! Collie, you piece of sh*t!

The man scrambled to his feet and shouted in rage. He was clearly no ordinary citizen of Paju going about his day.

He possessed a notable amount of magical power and was impressively muscular. Although we had never formally introduced ourselves, I was able to recall information from the time I played the game. His fixer name, was it JJ?

He was merely one of the mass-produced NPCs available as an assistant for difficult quests and wasnt an important character at all.

Shut that rotten mouth of yours!

However, the person presumed to have sent him flying possessed a level of magical power that was incomparable to someone like JJ. A chair from inside Vasilisa flew at an incredible speed before striking JJ who was awkwardly standing, and with a cry of Gwaaah! JJ was sent flying back again.

Then he lay motionless on the ground as if he were dead.

Of course, my eyes could perceive not just his outward appearance but also the magical power residing within his body, so I could tell that he wasnt actually dead. It seemed that the woman causing havoc inside had also guessed as much.

Hey, JJ, you little shit! Just lie there. Im coming to kill you!

JJ, who had been sprawled on the ground for a moment, sensed her voice approaching and immediately got up and ran into the darkness of the back alleys of the Geumchon neighborhood. And the one who emerged a step later from the caf was a rather small woman.

Although she was short, she had a flashy appearance that would catch anyones eye anywhere.

Her long hair was bleach-blond, and she wore a dazzlingly red leather jacket while holding a ridiculously large zanbato (horse-slaying sword) in one hand.

She harbored a strong and dark magical power as I had sensed beforehand. Upon confirming that JJ had disappeared, she kicked the ground in irritation and cursed.

Ah, sh*t. That sneaky bastard!

Then she hurled aimless curses into the darkness of the back alley.

If you show that ugly face of yours in Vasilisa again, Ill slice you up! Youd better find yourself a broker other than Tudor!

Tough talk. Her name is Im not sure. Her real name was never explicitly revealed in the game. However, her fixer name is Curtain Call. Shes a fixer Ive seen a few times coming and going from Vasilisa, but never had any direct dealings with.

Still seemingly not over her anger, she did a quick glance around and then yelled at me.

Who are you! Why are you here?

Im a customer.

. Ah, right, this is Vasilisa. Sorry.

Before I could even decide whether to feel offended or not, she lowered her head to 90 degrees and apologized. It was hard to remain angry when I was faced with such a response. So, I just shrugged and said.

I was about to enter the shop; could you move aside?

Im going in too. Excuse me then.

After saying that, Curtain Call sheathed her giant zanbato and headed into Vasilisa

Collie! Bring a chair!

Ah, got it!

and then following Tudors call, she hurried back out, grabbed a chair, and darted back in. As befitting a powerful warrior, her movements were almost like the charge of a wild boar. I stepped aside for a moment to avoid her path, which must have looked odd to Curtain Call.

While Curtain Call hurried to fetch a chair, she noticed me standing awkwardly and remarked,

Whats with that bizarre setup?

Hahaha! Its quite unique, isnt it?

Thirteen laughed it off and moved on but this wasnt something to be taken lightly.

Something was off. This was different from what I knew. Such a peculiar setup would have been easy to remember, yet none of this was part of the Curtain Call I was familiar with.

The only details I knew were her small size compared to her abnormally large weapon and a somewhat ambiguous setup seemingly designed to appeal to certain gamers.

There was nothing about her expressing affection for Orb or chewing on glass cups.

Did she always have this rare food preference?

Hmm, not really but things got a bit weird since she fell hard for Orb.

When did that start?

Lets see about a month or two ago? I dont know where she came from or what she did but it seems like she came back with a few new abilities and a touch of madness.

Changes in personality, taste, and eating habits are not uncommon for fixers who work in the darkness of Paju, where beings of madness and abyss run rampant.

Among the people I had encountered, there were dramatic transformations like Jang Hyeon-deok, who went from being a professional driver of a secure taxi to a top-tier medium, and Lee Chang-hyuk, who turned into a monster after ingesting bodily fluids sprayed by an abyssal being. There was also Lee Seon-bin, who went mad overnight and had to be admitted to a special psychiatric ward.

And judging from Thirteens attitude of dismissing her affection for Orb as madness, it seemed that Curtain Call had experienced a temporary distortion upon discovering Orbs absence from Vasilisa today. It appeared that JJ was an unintended victim caught up in this distortion

When I shared my deductions with Thirteen, he agreed with a laugh.

Thats almost right. But its not like JJ was an innocent victim. That guy has been a jerk from the start; it was only a matter of time before he got what was coming to him.

Kuhahaha. Thirteen then burst into laughter. He was about to transition into a series of humorous anecdotes related to JJ, but I was more concerned about something else.

So, this happened about two months ago? Are you sure?

It started precisely after you came here.

Thirteen and I were in the middle of a conversation when Tudor interjected. It seemed she had just finished her talk with Curtain Call. Thirteen smoothly transitioned to address Tudors sudden involvement.

Ah, right. It was around that time I believe.

Of course, its nothing to do with him personally. The coincidence in timing is just that, a coincidence.

Despite Tudors words, there was a peculiar expression on her face. She was secretly looking at my mask with a serious expression that I rarely saw on her face

It somehow sounds like you dont quite believe its just a coincidence?

No, I truly think it is a coincidence. But its not just Collie who started acting strangely around the time you arrived here.

There are others whove become strange as well?

Tudor nodded slightly, but Thirteen seemed to have a slightly different opinion.

That said, cases like Collies arent really common. Besides, such changes are almost an occupational hazard for us fixers; it happens more often than youd think.

He had a point However, I couldnt help but feel uneasy. Could it be that the games settings have been continually changing since I came to this world?

If a change that has occurred once continues to affect other things, and the affected things start to cause new events It meant that the knowledge I had acquired through the game could become useless.

For example, one of the reasons I entered into a contract with Tudor was because I had learned through gameplay that she was a broker with a 100% trust rating who would never betray me. But what if that information became twisted and unreliable?

I would be wandering with zero knowledge in this chaotic world.

No, such thoughts are utterly pointless.

Didnt I decide to twist the games setting anyway? Whether Tudor betrayed me or the locations of the artifacts I knew about changed, all that awaited me if I were to follow the games flow was a disastrous ending.

It was more important to investigate and verify the changes. Starting with Curtain Call. And it was also necessary to check on others who were thought to have caused these changes.

Because these changes themselves could be the clues I need to escape this world.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com