TRPM 320

chapter 320

After finishing the cosmetic surgery, Oracle looked into the mirror and admired her face.

“(…There’s not a single unnatural part.)”

Even during the surgery, and now after it, she felt no sense of incongruity.
Well, she couldn’t say there was absolutely no incongruity.
But the discomfort existed only because of the difference between her original face and her current one.

“(You’re incredibly skilled.)”
“(Thank you for the compliment.)”

Baekryeon, the master who performed Oracle’s cosmetic surgery, said this.
Changing someone’s face is a dangerous task, and Baekryeon, unwilling to entrust such a critical procedure to anyone else for a VIP like Oracle, had performed the surgery personally.
It was similar to why Cheonma would personally alter the face of a Grand Sorcerer.

And…

“(…Cheonma is really enviable. To have a subordinate so loyal…)”

Watching the competent and loyal Baekryeon, Oracle felt a twinge of envy.
If she had a subordinate like Baekryeon back when she was in the organization, she would never have left it.

“(…No use thinking about an organization I’ve already left.)”

Anyway.
Oracle continued admiring her reflection.
Her face wasn’t conventionally beautiful.
But it was so natural that no particular features stood out.
It was, literally, the kind of face anyone could have.

“(…Maybe it’s because I’m Western and can’t distinguish East Asian faces well…)”

Even for East Asians, remembering this new face would likely be difficult.
It was probably Baekryeon’s intention to make it like this.

“(If you want to change to another face, just let me know.)”
“(No, this is fine. Since I need to hide my identity, this face is perfect.)”

Oracle spoke while touching her hair.
Blonde hair would definitely not suit this face.

“(Shall I dye it for you?)”
“(Yes, please.)”

She lay back down on the operating table she had just left.
Changing hair color was a minor procedure—quick and easy.

The next day.

“(Welcome to Korea, Cheonma.)”

Shin Chaegeon, the guild master of the Night Eagle Guild—the most prominent guild in Korea—greeted Cheonma and his entourage as they disembarked from the plane.

“(The attention is… uncomfortable.)”

Cheonma remarked while observing the crowd.
Of course. Almost everyone at the airport was watching him and his group.

“(…And there seems to be some hostility too…)”

Naturally. If Cheonma were merely a famous Awakener, many would welcome him. But Cheonma and his cultist followers were criminals.
Though the organization was so large that arresting them was difficult. Some at the airport were wary of him simply because he was a criminal.

“(…Looks like quite a few want to kill me. Perhaps they’ve suffered at the hands of me or my cult? Or are they assassins?)”

Professional assassins had gathered in Korea, having learned that Cheonma was even coming in restraints.
Korea had tried to block such assassins from entering, but some had managed to sneak in, waiting for a chance to target him.

“(Hey, the one aiming a gun at my forehead. Feel free to pull the trigger. But…)”

Be sure you know what comes next before you do.

“……”
“……”

Cheonma spoke in Chinese, but most people present understood him.
All nearby were Awakeners who had learned basic Chinese through the Awakener system.

And…

“……”
“……”

Even the assassins targeting Cheonma from afar fell silent.
The chances of successfully assassinating Cheonma were extremely slim.
Even in restraints, his cultists were not weak by any means.

‘There are seven cultists accompanying Cheonma to Korea.’

Of them, five were the strongest:

• Two elite warriors from Myung-gyo.

• Baekryeon, leader of Baekryeon-gyo.

• Ilwol-gyo’s leader.

• Deputy leader of Cheonma Blood Cult.

Excluding Cheonma, these were considered the strongest cultists.
While the heads of Myung-gyo and Cheonma Blood Cult were also strong, they were at retirement age, so they were negligible in this context.

‘The other two… unfamiliar faces, somewhat skilled but not impressive. Likely attendants or interpreters.’

Seeing the young woman and elderly man behind Cheonma, Shin Chaegeon thought so.
If he knew their identities, he would have been more cautious about them than Cheonma himself, possibly even signaling others to avoid them.

‘(…Attendants, huh? Even if it’s acting, feels annoying.)’
‘Heh… luckily, no one seems to have noticed.’

They were Oracle and the Grand Sorcerer, after all.

Anyway.

‘…Good, seems there’s no one bold enough to attempt an assassination here.’

Shin Chaegeon, wary even while talking to Cheonma, felt relieved.
Of course. Even if Cheonma were restrained, killing him now would be nearly impossible.
Any competent assassin would know this, and if they weren’t, they would have been caught entering Korea.

‘Even those merely observing…’

Shin Chaegeon glanced at a guild member.
The member signaled back.

‘…25 confirmed, 17 neutralized? Quite a crowd.’

The Night Eagle Guild was not incompetent.
Due to the scarcity of criminals in Korea (thanks to the Artist), many guild members could be assigned to suppress assassins.

‘If the Ironblood Guild had helped, it would’ve been smoother…’

Even now, things weren’t bad.
Shin Chaegeon exhaled in relief and asked Cheonma:

“(Going to the hotel?)”
“(Hotel… Well, after flying, I am slightly tired. Going to a hotel isn’t bad.)”

Slightly tired? Hardly. A master of aura like Cheonma wouldn’t tire so easily.
So why say that now?

‘…Not sure.’

Shin Chaegeon had no idea why Cheonma even wanted to come to Korea and gave up guessing.

“(Baekryeon.)”
“(Yes.)”

While Shin Chaegeon pondered, Cheonma called Baekryeon.

“(Take care of the miscellaneous tasks.)”
“(Understood.)”

The cultists’ expressions changed instantly.
Baekryeon looked victorious, while Myung-gyo warriors, Ilwol-gyo’s leader, and the Cheonma Blood Cult’s deputy looked as if they had bitten dirt.

‘…These fanatics….’

Apparently, they were displeased that Cheonma only assigned tasks to Baekryeon.

‘Hopefully, they won’t attack Baekryeon to do the work themselves.’

Normally, Shin Chaegeon wouldn’t care about cultist disputes, but they were in Korea.
And these cultists were all stronger than Shin Chaegeon himself.
If they clashed…

‘…I couldn’t stop it alone.’

Only someone like Yeon Mirae, Director Shin Hanji, or the Artist could intervene.

‘Phew… definitely retiring as soon as possible.’

After arriving in Korea, Cheonma and his group visited several guilds.
Not only the Night Eagle Guild, responsible for guiding and monitoring them, but also Legiones, Cleaner, and Ironblood Guilds.

Hearing this, Yeon Mirae asked:

“…Why?”
“It seems they’re here to make minor contracts. They plan to sell byproducts from dungeon raids to Korean guilds and companies.”

Sophia, who had gone to the guild office to assist the guild master Jihyeong, explained to Yeon Mirae.

“Chinese companies won’t buy from the cult due to government pressure. From China’s perspective, the cult shouldn’t exist. So they plan to sell the monster byproducts here in Korea.”
“I know that part…”

This wasn’t the first time the cult exported byproducts in this way.
Even though they used some internally, supply exceeded demand.

“But visiting personally to make contracts…?”
“I thought it was strange too, but the cult gave a reason we had to accept.”

Core Earth.

“…Core Earth?”
“Yes, a global processor of Awakener byproducts. The cult used to supply them, but you know what happened?”
“Yeah…”

Core Earth was revealed to be essentially a Mars-based organization’s branch, and global associations attacked it.
Mars’s organization couldn’t help, so Core Earth disintegrated, and the cult suddenly lost a stable client.

“That explains it logically, but…”
“Yes… If it were just that, they could’ve contacted us differently. The problem is Cheonma and his subordinates coming personally.”

Clearly, there was another purpose.

“……”

Yeon Mirae and Sophia knew Cheonma was on their side.
Although this might be Cheonma acting independently, what was his purpose in visiting Korea?

“…Ah! I don’t know! The guild master will handle complicated stuff!”

Is that enough? Sophia wanted to tell Yeon Mirae that, but didn’t.
No matter who came, it would be difficult to understand Cheonma’s real objective.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate Alex is on vacation and didn’t go to the guild. Imagine if he had visited…”
“Yeah. Giving him leave in advance was genius.”

Because of Alex, Han Geonwoo went to China directly, and Cheonma acted personally. Cultists would surely have information on Alex.
Seeing Alex personally could be dangerous. Cheonma accepted conditions entering Korea, so it’s unlikely anything extreme would happen, but caution was necessary.

“…Wait.”

Yeon Mirae considered a possibility. Alex immediately made her think of Paphnir, his familiar…

[Good. Well done.]
[…Hm?]
[I realized there’s a small bug-like thing on Sarang’s head.]

Naturally, she recalled an incident involving Sarang.
Not personally experienced by Yeon Mirae, but…

[Familiar?]
[A familiar controlled by a sorcerer… a type of servitor.]
[Meaning this bug is under a sorcerer’s control.]

Han Geonwoo once investigated an incident with Sarang, finding a small bug-like familiar on her, controlled by a sorcerer.

“…Grand Sorcerer.”

Thinking that far, Yeon Mirae recalled the Grand Sorcerer’s existence.
If the Grand Sorcerer was involved in Cheonma’s visit to Korea…

“We need to stop him.”
“Pardon?”
“Sophia, one of Cheonma’s entourage is a Grand Sorcerer.”

Not just any sorcerer—a Grand Sorcerer could use powerful magic with even a single strand of hair.