Chapter 26: Scarlet Devil Mansion (3)

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Chapter 26: Scarlet Devil Mansion (3)

"Kid, that talisman... you’re not planning to use it yourself, are you?"

Luci pointed directly at me.

Naturally, I was planning to use it myself, so I answered affirmatively.

"Of course, I have to use it."

Upon hearing that, Luci, who was about to hand over the yellow talisman, retrieved it.

She glared at me and asked again.

"I'm saying this because you recognized me and even found an item hidden in the secret shop. The penalty from this talisman is not as trivial as you think."

I knew what Luci was worried about.

I quietly closed my eyes.

‘...A scapegoat. That’s one way to go about it.’

There was a strategy known as "Scapegoat" that was popular among certain players.

It involved sacrificing an employee to use an item covered in penalties forcibly.

“You'll suffer terrible nightmares that will erode your mind in real-time. So, it’s best to avoid using it yourself. I actually kind of like you.”

She was advising me like this.

She was essentially telling me to turn an insubordinate employee into a cursed totem.

To use a scapegoat.

‘If I didn't have the [Foundation's Star]...’

No, if I didn’t have [Foundation's Star], I wouldn’t have bought an item with penalties in the first place.

I shrugged off the “what ifs” and smiled at Luci.

“Since when did merchants care about their customers? It’s my business how I use it.”

I bought the item.

How I use it is now up to me.

‘If I were going to use a scapegoat, I would have thought of my employees as mere tools from the start when I decided to grow the company.’

Clearing my mind, I gave Luci a look.

Enough nonsense, just hand it over already.

Catching on to my intent, Luci sneered and handed me the talisman.

"Hah, I did warn you, didn't I?"

After receiving the talisman, I shoved it into my pocket.

"It’s about time we head back."

There wasn’t much more I could do here anyway.

I didn’t manage to get a creature, but I did unlock the secret shop, so it wasn’t a bad haul.

"Just leaving? Don’t you want to buy anything else?"

Luci looked at us as if disappointed when I said we were leaving.

I shrugged and pretended to empty my pockets.

“Sorry, but I’m out of points.”

Hearing I had no more points, Luci narrowed her eyes.

"...Just to confirm, what's your company’s rank?"

"Silver."

"Silver...?"

Luci murmured in surprise, as if taken aback.

"...No wonder the owner of this place was so weak."

Her voice was so quiet that I barely heard it.

I frowned.

"...What did you say?"

At my question, Luci waved her hands frantically and changed the subject.

“Nothing. So, you’re heading back?”

It was unsettling, but I didn't press further since we had to leave quickly anyway.

‘I need to hurry back and gather more points.’

While the secret shop is still active, I had to get as many items as I could.

‘You never know when Luci will change her mind and leave.’

Naturally, there was only one Luci NPC.

If one player monopolized her, other players couldn’t access the secret shop, so Luci moved around periodically.

In other words, she’d leave once she lost interest.

“Since it seems like you're heading back, I’ll send you off.”

Suddenly, Luci said this and approached us.

I signaled Mari and Khan to gather near Luci.

'There's no clear message when the secret shop closes.'

In the game, you’d return to the waiting room right after closing the secret shop, but this wasn’t a game; it was reality.

"Alright, everyone, grab my hand."

Luci extended her hand.

"Ugh, I'm scared of her."

Maybe because of what she’d been through, Mari hesitated before reaching out.

After scanning the surroundings one last time, Khan eventually extended his hand.

"Is there really nothing left to see here?"

"Yeah."

It seemed like he was trying to use his sixth sense to detect any hidden items, but in the secret shop, skills like "Focus" were more useful than the sixth sense.

‘He’s finally reached a point where he knows what to do even without me giving instructions.’

It was nice to see Khan improving, especially since Mari’s awareness seemed to be fading more and more.

That thought was brief, though.

Everyone’s hands gathered on the back of Luci's hand.

"Transfer."

With that one short word, a flash of blue light enveloped us.

‘Looks like you need Luci’s permission to return to the waiting room, unlike in the game.’

After a moment of stillness, the blue light faded and we regained our vision.

"Ah, Administrator, you’ve returned safely."

Noticing the commotion, I opened my eyes and looked around.

"We’re safe!"

"You’re safe!"

What filled my vision wasn’t an empty waiting room but dozens of people.

Yon and the employees.

For a moment, countless questions flashed through my mind.

'What are they doing here? What about creature management?'

I didn’t understand why the employees, instead of working, were gathered here cheering for us.

‘...Is this some sort of protest?’

I wanted to ask what the hell was going on right now and if he wasn't working, but seeing Yon’s anxious expression, I kept my mouth shut for now.

Once Yon confirmed that Khan, Mari, and I were relatively unscathed, he spoke in a low voice.

"Mr. Beryl collapsed while standing and returned, so I was worried that something had happened to the party where the Administrator was present."

"Ah."

Despite his large build, I suddenly remembered that Beryl was the first to get knocked out.

‘I couldn’t just leave him there, so I sent him back using [Recall]….’

That was the root cause of this whole situation.

‘…It was indeed something to be worried about.’

Considering that Beryl was far stronger than Yon or the other employees, it was only natural for them to be concerned when he returned unconscious.

Moreover, since Beryl had collapsed almost immediately, he hadn’t been able to properly explain what had happened inside the stage.

‘…Basically, sending Beryl back was the start of all this mess.’

Although it was a short time, the points we couldn’t earn during that period weighed on my mind as a loss for the company.

But scolding the employees who were worried about us didn’t feel right either.

‘How could I reprimand them for being concerned?’

Pressing my fingers against my throbbing forehead, I gathered the employees together.

"…Thank you all for your concern. There wasn’t much trouble inside the stage, think of it as a quick trading trip."

Yon tilted his head in confusion at the mention of such an unexpected word.

"Trading…?"

His gaze seemed to wonder what kind of trade would have caused Beryl to collapse while standing.

There was no particular way to explain this part, so I sighed lightly and continued speaking.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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"Yes, there was someone selling items that could help the company grow. I'll be making as many trades as possible before we participate in the festival."

"I see."

"Of course, if any of you show promise, I’ll be taking you along for the next trade."

The reason I said this was simple.

Whether or not you have trading experience with other companies would be important in the future.

Your negotiation skills could influence discounts or other benefits even in a secret shop.

‘Of course, none of us would ever be able to get the better of Luci….’

Still, even a small experience like this would be beneficial for the growth of both the employees and the company.

"R-Really…?"

The mention of going along made Yon and the other employees tremble.

"…It’s really just trading. Don’t be scared."

The preconceptions formed because of Beryl seemed to have stuck deep in the employees’ minds.

‘Ha, in any case, I need to take Beryl and make up for the losses.’

Speak of the devil.

"…Administrator, have you returned?"

Beryl appeared, scratching the back of his head.

Letting out a small sigh, I looked at Beryl and forced a smile.

“You and I will be staying up all night tonight, won’t we?”

My eyes were smiling, but my mouth was not.

Of course, Beryl knew exactly what that meant, and all he could do was look pitiful.

“I-I didn’t get any sleep…”

“You slept plenty just a moment ago.”

When I thought about it, the lost points weren’t the only issue; there was also a disruption in training the employees.

There was no way I could let Beryl off the hook.

“Let’s start by taking down the Champion ten times.”

I summoned a [Kobold Champion] through the nearby stone.

“N-No, please, not the Kobolds!”

I could hear Beryl's desperate plea, but unfortunately…

Other than the [Burning Man], the only creatures in the company were the Kobolds.

* * *

Scarlet Mansion.

Literally translated, it means the Great Mansion of Red Magic or the Building of the Red Witch.

However, Luci neither used red magic nor was she a red witch.

“…I thought I was done for when you appeared during the quarantine.”

In the office of the red mansion, a beautiful woman with pale skin was gazing at the moon outside the window.

It was Luci.

“I had an unexpectedly interesting experience.”

She wore a faint smile reminiscent of the place where she had just been selling secret items.

“I’ll make this my base for the time being. Although it’s still at [Silver] rank, I have a feeling something interesting is going to happen soon.”

After murmuring this, she stepped away from the window and stomped on the ground with all her might.

Thud-

The floor opened, revealing a crimson coffin.

“Don’t you think so, too?”

When Luci gestured, the coffin opened, and a figure resembling a person collapsed out.

“For that reason, I think I’ll take this place for myself.”

The person was not human, with pale skin, red eyes, and sharp fangs.

[Vampire LV. 10]

It was a vampire, something straight out of myth or fairy tales.

“Oh, right. I thought about what kind of item I should make for the [Silver], as it’s my first time dealing with one.”

Glancing at the fallen vampire, Luci took an empty flask out from her clothes.

A grin crept across her lips.

“But then I realized there was no need to think too hard.”

The vampire slowly got up.

“There’s a perfectly good material right in front of me that would make a great gift for the [Silver].”

Luci chuckled.

At that, the vampire let out a furious cry like an enraged wolf and lunged at her.

Screeeech-

A crimson liquid flowed out of the vampire.

It was blood, soon forming the shape of a sharp spear.

Luci, who was looking at the red blade, tilted her head.

“What’s this? I’ve sealed all the magic… Oh, I see. It’s not magic, is it?”

Screeeech!

Despite the frightening charge from the grotesque creature, Luci leisurely hummed a tune, lifting a finger.

Then—

Crack-

A sharp spear rose from Luci’s shadow and pierced the vampire.

It happened in an instant.

The red spear created by the vampire also reverted to ordinary blood droplets and scattered in all directions.

“Annoying.”

Luci snapped her fingers.

As if time had reversed, the blood droplets that had scattered began to float back up.

Then—

Sssrrrk-

The red liquid started to pour into the empty flask that Luci held.

“Magic immunity and 'madness' infusion… huh.”

A potion that granted a nearly invincible body against magical effects but immediately turned the user into a lunatic.

Normally, it would be considered useless.

However, Luci shook the flask filled with the red liquid, nodding with satisfaction.

“Let’s call it a Vampire Potion.”

Then she recalled Seongjin, who had shown a confident smile despite the penalties from the Nightmare Talisman.

She put the Vampire Potion into her bag.

“If that brat is still alive, I might consider this as a gift.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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