Camilla had said that a proper ritual required a great many ritual implements.
At first, I tried to procure them myself, twisting and turning, making calls all over the place, and pounding the pavement.
But within two or three hours, I realized something.
Unless I sent Momo to steal them, it was impossible to obtain them on my own.
So, throwing shame to the wind, I made a phone call.
After all, things were already in chaos, and I couldn't put off the climb indefinitely.
*Creak.*
The trucks began to come to a halt, one by one.
Jin Yunho and Yun Miri got out from the driver's seats of the first two trucks, and from behind them, Gu Injun and Min Yookyung, whom I hadn't seen in a while, stepped out.
They must have come up from Yesan to Seoul because of me.
And at the very end of the truck convoy, a sedan slowed down.
"I told them we'd arrange a separate meeting later," Jin Yunho said, shrugging his shoulders.
To the suspicious Yun Sewon, that was complete nonsense.
Yun Sewon and Im Woogang got out of the sedan and walked over to Jinhyuk.
"This is Yun Sewon-nim, Director of External Cooperation at the Player Hunter Bureau. Next to her is Im Woogang, a team leader from the same bureau."
At Jin Yunho's whisper, Jinhyuk's mouth fell open.
He'd heard she was the youngest bureau director, but he hadn't expected her to be this young.
She looked at most a year or two older than him.
Yun Sewon stopped right in front of him and looked up at Jinhyuk.
She was thinking the same thing.
'He's this young?'
Their eyes met for a moment, and Jinhyuk was the first to smile.
"Hello."
'Oh.'
Snapping back to reality, Yun Sewon returned the greeting and extended her hand for a handshake.
He was such a famous figure that she had spaced out for a second.
"I'm Yun Sewon."
"I'm Yoo Jinhyuk."
"Finally meeting you. This is the first time in my life I've had this much trouble meeting someone."
She wasn't just saying that.
The trucks were loaded with over two hundred ritual implements.
Items that would have been impossible to obtain without the Cheonryeong Foundation, of which she was the successor.
In terms of value, it would be enough to buy most of the houses in this Pangyo neighborhood.
"Hmm. So you really do live here."
She had guessed as much from the missile attack last time.
But she hadn't sent anyone to investigate or confirm it.
How should I put it? There are certain things in the professional world.
A kind of etiquette between colleagues.
"Since 'Runner' is a bit stiff, can I call you Jinhyuk-ssi?"
"Yes, of course."
"There's something I'm dying to know. What kind of magic trick did you pull to get the Vatican to take a personal side?"
"Uhm."
I rubbed my chin.
Honestly, I was surprised when I saw the news too.
All I did at the Vatican was steal a statue, and they issued a statement like that.
I'll have to buy a bunch of delicious food and bring it to them later.
"All I did was have a three or four-hour conversation with the Cardinal. I didn't even get to see the Pope, of course."
"So the Goddess of Luck is on Runner's side too. Interesting."
Yun Sewon shrugged and took a step back.
Then she threw open the truck doors.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened at the variety of ritual implements revealed.
'Oh. That's the one they flat-out refused to give me when I called earlier.'
There were quite a few items mixed in that I had seen while searching earlier.
They had been so stubbornly firm about it, how on earth did she get them?
"Yoo Jinhyuk-ssi."
"Yes."
"I heard. That you might not be able to return these ritual implements."
I carefully nodded.
I planned to use them as gently as possible, but battles would be constantly breaking out nearby.
There's no guarantee the implements won't get destroyed in the process.
And since the user is the full-body shaman Camilla Sirin, it's even questionable whether the implements can fully withstand her power.
"You can't fail the climb."
Yun Sewon, looking up at me, continued.
"This is the first time in my life I've asked my family for a favor, and this is what I got."
"If that's the case, you don't need to worry."
I gave a subtle smile.
"I don't know how to do it. Fail, I mean."
Yun Sewon, who had been staring intently at Jinhyuk, also broke into a smile.
Although things had calmed down somewhat thanks to the Vatican's support, outside, there was still a constant uproar demanding that Runner be stopped from climbing.
They were blaming Runner for everything, saying that if he failed and the world was endangered.
Jinhyuk must know this too, but how could he be so unshaken?
An ordinary person would have at least a tiny bit of doubt about themselves.
"Of course, the Cheonryeong Foundation didn't get all of this just because of my daughter's request. If Jinhyuk-ssi succeeds in the climb, we'll be promoting it heavily. That we supported Runner with both material and moral support to prevent the end of the world. It's clearly an attempt to take credit. Is that alright?"
"Of course. Regardless of the intention, the fact remains that you provided support."
I didn't mind at all.
The only thing that matters to me is subjugating Azriel.
If I received help in that process, it's only right that something is given in return.
"Good. I like your straightforwardness. You must be busy preparing for the climb. I'll stop taking up your time. I'll just unload the ite—?!"
Yun Sewon's eyes widened.
What happened?
She had only looked away for about a minute.
The truck that had been full was now empty.
The other trucks were the same.
Not only were the locks broken, but the items were also gone.
When she looked at him, Jinhyuk just grinned.
Thanks to that, she realized.
He hadn't asked the Player Hunter Bureau for help because he couldn't obtain them himself.
If he wanted to, he could have robbed all the ritual implements in the country. He had simply contacted them for legitimate ownership.
"We haven't known each other long, but the more I see you, the more interesting you are."
She thought she understood a little why Jin Yunho and Lee Changgi were so devoted to him.
It wasn't just his climbing ability that was outstanding.
This person definitely had a certain charm.
"Good luck."
She gave a slight nod and turned back to her car.
'She's cool.'
As I inwardly gave a thumbs-up.
Im Woogang approached hesitantly and bowed ninety degrees.
"I'm a fan! Good luck on this climb too!"
"Thank you!"
I also returned the bow at ninety degrees.
The others, who had also exchanged brief greetings, climbed back into their driver's seats.
"I put some eel in the passenger seat, so eat it."
"When did you do this?!"
Jin Yunho and Yun Miri's eyes sparkled, probably remembering the taste from last time.
Seeing their reactions, Min Yookyung and Gu Injun's faces were also full of anticipation.
"Please make sure to send a pack to our house too."
"We'll all eat together. Thank you!"
Starting with the truck Jin Yunho was driving, the vehicles moved away from the house.
As the sedan passed by, I made sure to tell them to take the eel and eat it.
I have plenty in the Infinite Storage, so Mohwang must have packed a generous amount.
"Kuuuuh!"
I stretched and went back into the house.
I was a little sleepy, but there was no time to rest.
Let's get ready quickly.
* * *
"Oh ho. Every single one of them is excellent. The divine power imbued in them is above average."
Camilla looked over the treasures laid out.
"You managed to get these in such a short time. They must have been reluctant to give them up. What did you do?"
"Director Yun Sewon is said to be the successor of something called the Cheonryeong Foundation? Do you know where it is?"
Even when I searched online, there wasn't much information.
The only thing I could find was that they invested heavily in cultural properties and museums.
Camilla, with a curl of her lips, nodded.
"Hoh. So that child is the daughter of Cheonryeong. I didn't know that lineage was still alive. Truly not an ordinary family."
Camilla blew out some smoke and continued.
"Cheonryeong is a powerful family that led the shamanic world from Goryeo to Joseon. When the declining Joseon dynasty blamed Cheonryeong for its troubles, they went into hiding. They've survived well."
"So were you also part of Cheonryeong? You were a full-body shaman."
"No. Well, when I was short on money, I did visit them often to get gold and silver treasures."
"So you were like a gangster?"
"Let's call it fair compensation. I performed rituals in the name of Cheonryeong for every national event."
"Hey, old hag! If you were getting gold and silver, you should have done a good job so the country wouldn't decline! You only worked sporadically! And watch your cigarette! You're going to set the garden on fire!"
"You damn yodeler. At that time, I was absent, suppressing the plague of the land. Well..."
Camilla shrugged.
"Even if I had been there, the outcome probably wouldn't have changed."
I was secretly curious.
If Camilla had been there at the time, would history have changed?
"If you were there, you could have just sliced and diced all the invaders, couldn't you?!"
"It's not that simple, you foolish one. Before being a full-body shaman, I am just one human. It's impossible to reverse the fate of a country that has been ruined by so many people."
Camilla blew out another puff of smoke and stared at me.
"Perhaps it would have changed. If I had a master."
"Me?"
Camilla slowly looked around at her friends and smiled.
"With this much, maybe even a country or something."
Muttering to herself, Camilla walked towards the treasures.
"I'll prepare to set up the ritual. Hey, Odongtong."
"Why are you calling me, granny!"
"You still have the blood extracted from that black dragon and the eel, don't you?"
"It's frozen solid in the freezer! I was going to throw it away because it seemed useless!"
"Bring it all. It will be incomparable to the blood of mere pigs or chickens."
"Got it!"
With Elia gone, Momo slipped into the Infinite Storage without worry.
Not long after, the door to the Star Workshop, which was off to one side, opened.
*Rumble!*
The workshop assistant had said they cleaned it just a little while ago... Ah.
There, buried under a pile of spilled books, was our poor assistant, completely deflated.
Having hit their limit and exhausted all their energy.
"Master? I found something interesting?"
Elia grunted as she dragged over a tank filled with a pitch-black liquid.
"I kept decomposing what Odongtong and Satan picked up last time and made this, you know? Hey, Satan!"
"What is it, you hag on the brink of death! Are you picking a fight?!"
"No, just give me an assault rifle."
"Have you lost your mind!? Don't talk nonsense! Not until I have water in my eyes!"
"It's not water, it's probably dirt. Well, I guess I have no choice. I was going to change your weapon's attribute to darkness."
*Splash!*
Kancho immediately used the hose in the garden to splash water into his own eyes.
He then approached nonchalantly and held out an assault rifle.
"Here it is."
Elia took the assault rifle and, without a moment's hesitation, plunged it into the tank.
"Ta-da! The gun disappeared, right?"
*Click!*
"Hey, old lady. Don't mess around. Do you want me to leave right now?"
"Calm down. It's a joke. Just wait a little."
She sat down next to Kancho and stared at the tank.
For some reason, the amount of black liquid was visibly decreasing.
"This should be enough."
Elia plunged her hand back in and pulled out the assault rifle.
"Oh!"
The divine power that had been there just a moment ago was completely gone.
I quickly took the assault rifle and checked its options.
It wasn't just a feeling.
The weapon's attribute had really changed.
From holy to darkness.
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T/N:
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