## Chapter 180 – (11)
“Hmm… nothing here…”
I peered at my phone, disappointed that the red dot was no longer visible.
I considered checking out other areas, but it was getting late, and I was starting to feel hungry, so I decided against it.
Between clearing the last quest and hunting the urban legends this time, I had become much stronger in many ways.
First, my Weapon Mastery skill, which had been the most helpful, reached its maximum level, and my Strength and Stamina also hit their caps.
With both Strength and Stamina maxed out, I even gained a skill called “Tough Body.”
I couldn’t really feel it, but I had the sense that my body had become a bit harder.
I’m sure there will be a moment when I see its effects properly.
Besides that, absorbing the urban legends and converting them into internal energy was also quite helpful.
Now, I felt like I could coat my entire body in internal energy for hours without any trouble.
It was a sudden growth, but I couldn’t really feel it.
Could it be because I wasn’t fighting with a sword?
Should I take a break…”
I bought some snacks at a convenience store and decided to eat and sleep at a nearby hotel or motel.
“That’ll be 90,000 won.”
“…Excuse me?”
It seemed like I was going to spend quite a bit of money at the convenience store.
It wasn’t like I bought a lot.
It’s just that, for today only, I bought things I usually didn’t.
Like Häagen-Dazs, expensive chocolates, and liquor.
I usually don’t eat ice cream, and I avoid alcohol, but I spent the money thinking of it as a new experience.
It’s only 90,000 won.
Why does 90,000 won feel so expensive when it’s at a convenience store?
The fact that I’m like this after spending tens of millions of won on furniture… I don’t even understand myself.
“Sir?”
“Ah, here you go.”
I handed over the money and received the plastic bag.
“It better be good.”
I muttered an empty threat towards the things I bought and booked a nearby hotel.
Apparently, this hotel is usually fully booked and can’t even be reserved through hotel booking apps.
However, due to the emergency disaster text about an urban legend appearing in Jongno-gu, all the guests fled even though the hotel was a bit outside of Jongno-gu, leaving the rooms completely empty.
So much so that I booked a normal room, but it was upgraded several levels.
In the end, I got the second-best room in the hotel.
A plush bed, a spacious room, and a luxurious atmosphere and interior.
It wasn’t bad quality for the price.
It’s not bad, but—
“The urban legend hotel is better, though.”
I ended up saying something rude to the hotel.
It’s not that this hotel was bad.
It’s just that the bedding and atmosphere of the urban legend hotel were very stable and I liked them.
Maybe even that was just to lure people into the urban legend, making it so comfortable.
It seemed like something would happen if you didn’t escape within a day.
If you gave in to the temptation of the bedding and fell asleep, something terrible would happen.
“…It’s not bad.”
Lost in thought, I absentmindedly took out and ate the expensive chocolate. It was decent.
I don’t know if it was worth the price, but it seemed good for a gift.
Häagen-Dazs was also pretty good, and the liquor—
“Ugh.”
It wasn’t spicy, but my mouth was burning.
No, it wasn’t just my mouth.
As soon as I swallowed it, it felt like every place the liquor passed was burning.
It didn’t taste good, but it was a strange sensation.
And, for the first time since I became like this, I felt a slight buzz.
“It doesn’t taste good, but…”
I sipped it little by little, feeling like I was wasting money.
The chocolate and Häagen-Dazs were so sweet that I kept reaching for the bitter, burning liquor.
Of course, every time I drank it, I regretted not buying just a drink, or even water.
And—
When I came to my senses, it was morning.
***
Uuung—, uuung—
I woke up to the loud vibration.
I was surprised that I woke up.
Because I didn’t remember falling asleep.
“Hoo…”
As I exhaled, I could feel the hot air escaping from my lungs.
The unique, thick scent of alcohol was felt in my mouth for a moment.
Even after becoming like this, it seemed like drinking a bottle of liquor straight would get me drunk.
I also drank it a bit quickly.
I felt a slight headache from the hangover and looked for the source of the vibration.
My phone was vibrating pitifully on the table.
“Ugh… shh…”
I made a sound that old men would make and got out of bed.
The phone showed a call from Lee Hwan.
“Hoo… hello?”
“Yes, Seong-han, is now a good time to talk?”
Lee Hwan’s voice echoed a bit in my head, but I could still manage a conversation, so I said it was okay.
“If you have time today, I was wondering if you could come to the Urban Legend Management Headquarters. Would that be possible?”
It seemed like the contract I had written was processed quickly, and I could officially register as an exorcist from today if I wanted.
“Sss… yes, I’ll try to go today.”
I wasn’t in the best condition, but I figured I could stop by and register as an exorcist.
“Yes, and actually, there’s a personal favor I wanted to ask… would that be alright?”
I could hear Lee Hwan’s hesitant voice over the receiver.
A personal favor, huh.
What could I possibly help with?
He wouldn’t ask me to exorcise an urban legend when I’m not even a formal exorcist yet…
“Exorcists usually work in teams of two, you know that, right?”
“Yes.”
I roughly guessed as much from seeing Sophia and Lee Hwan.
“If you’re okay with it, I was hoping you could team up with a junior I know.”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
I was a bit puzzled.
Why me of all people?
I couldn’t resist asking, and the answer was surprisingly simple.
“Exorcism is a dangerous job.”
So, he wanted me to team up with them.
Because his junior would be safe if they were next to me.
I understood his reasoning.
“But I don’t know anything about the junior you mentioned…”
“Actually, my junior is also going to the headquarters to register as an exorcist, so how about you meet them then?”
I could sense confidence in Lee Hwan’s answer.
He seemed certain that once I met them, I would want to team up with them.
“Hmm… then I’ll do that.”
“Great! Then what time should I tell them to meet?”
“Around lunchtime. 12 o’clock should be fine.”
At first, I thought about refusing, but if I had to team up with someone I didn’t know anyway, I felt like it would be okay to owe Lee Hwan a favor.
And seeing Lee Hwan’s confidence, I was curious about what kind of person they were.
Other people’s sex drive decreases when they’re drunk, so why does mine seem to increase?
“But how will we recognize each other?”
“Um… they’ll probably be riding a motorcycle.”
“…Okay, I understand for now.”
It was a bit of a vague explanation, but I figured I’d figure it out somehow.
He’ll probably explain my appearance to his junior, so they might recognize me first.
Staggering, I picked up my clothes and put them on.
The time was 11 o’clock.
The appointment was at 12, so it seemed like it would be okay to leave right away.
I walked out of the hotel and called a taxi using a phone app.
Perhaps because it was the middle of Seoul, a taxi was booked right away.
“…Wow, looks like you had a heavy night, sir.”
I heard that as soon as I got in the car.
“…Does it smell that bad?”
“Haha, if I drive with you in the car, I’ll get caught for drunk driving~”
The taxi driver said playfully and rolled down the window.
Seeing him roll down the window even with the air conditioning on, it seemed like I really reeked of alcohol.
As soon as I arrived and got out, I stopped by a convenience store and bought a portable deodorant spray in a hurry.
I hoped that would get rid of the alcohol smell.
The Urban Legend Management Headquarters had tight security.
The security of a typical company or public institution couldn’t compare.
If I had to pick something similar, it would remind me of airport immigration.
The process included using a metal detector to check my belongings.
“…Clear.”
Of course, there was nothing to find.
Weapons and such were in my inventory.
Not that I planned to take them out.
As I passed through security, the female guard holding the metal detector belatedly gasped for breath and fanned her face with her palm.
“…It still smells like alcohol…”
It seemed like it was too much, even after spraying so much deodorant.
Or maybe I sprayed too much deodorant?
If I were to imagine the worst-case scenario, maybe the two smells mixed badly?
I passed through security and looked around, moving forward.
“Is this the administration department?”
“How can I help you?”
“I’m here to register as an exorcist…”
“Name?”
I went into the place labeled “Administration Department” and gave my name, and the process proceeded quickly.
I didn’t know if they were usually fast or if they just wanted to get rid of me quickly.
The woman’s hands moved quickly.
“You’re all set. Please revisit in about three days.”
“Yes.”
Thanks to that, I had some time left over.
“I have some time to kill before the appointment.”
I sat on a bench in front of the Urban Legend Management Headquarters.
If I had known it would end this quickly, I would have moved up the appointment time.
“Should I contact them now…?”
Just then, I heard a loud noise in the distance.
Vroom!
It was an engine sound that made my heart race just listening to it.
Along with the rough sound, a motorcycle entered the parking lot.
The motorcycle slowly approached the parking space in front of me and stopped.
It seemed like it came here because the parking space happened to be empty in front of me, rather than coming on purpose.
When the motorcycle driver took off their helmet, long hair flowed down.
“…”
“…”
And our eyes met briefly.
Did they feel my gaze?
I felt a bit awkward that our eyes met, so I just nodded slightly in greeting, and they nodded back.
Then the woman muttered quietly.
“Ugh… the smell of alcohol…”
It was a small voice, but my hearing managed to catch it.
“Hoo…”
It seemed like my first impression was imprinted rather negatively.
