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Seong Min-hyuk let out a sulky grumble that seemed unfit for his size. Yet, even while he grumbled, his gaze remained fixed on the bizarre figure of the golden monster, his posture ready to spring into action at any moment.

“That guy only assigns me troublesome tasks!”

Kim Jong-soo wasn’t a bad person. He never threw responsibilities that couldn’t be managed, and if something dangerous arose, he would intervene himself rather than let someone else handle it. However, when it came to those ridiculously low rewards compared to the effort put in, he would always find excuses to pass the buck to his juniors.

Still, after solving such annoying problems, he often treated them to extravagant drinks or handed out generous gifts for their families. In a way, he was an infuriating senior, yet also quite magnanimous.

‘It might be annoying, but this feels like a problem I can solve within my own limits,’ he thought.

Kim Jong-soo never threw tasks that were utterly unmanageable at people. That meant dealing with this shaman—whatever he was—was definitely something Seong Min-hyuk could handle easily.

He quietly scrutinized the entity in front of him.

A monster.

An insect-like human clad in golden armor.

An existence whose shape was indistinguishable from either human or beast.

He had no clue why it popped out of the well, nor did he understand why it killed the loan shark, and why, instead of fleeing, it stood there dazed and staring.

Nothing made sense.

‘This is disgusting.’

Seong Min-hyuk sighed inwardly as he stared at the glimmering eyes of the monster that was staring right back at him.

If he had a junior nearby, he’d want to escape just like that.

But what could he do?

If he didn’t want to face the sword demon, he needed to have a junior around to dodge with.

Seong Min-hyuk glared at the monster, ready to summon his energy at any moment.

He glared.

Glaring, and glared some more.

He fixed his gaze on the gleaming eyes, refusing to turn away, all while probing with his senses….

He found himself glaring until suddenly, frustration began to rise.

“Seriously, what the hell….”

He didn’t want to turn his head or roll his eyes.

But shouldn’t it at least blink?

It’s not like they were in a staring contest.

What on earth was this behavior?

“What on earth are you doing here?”

Seong Min-hyuk couldn’t help but blurt out the question, anger bubbling up unexpectedly. Just then, he recalled Kim Jong-soo mentioning “magic” and quickly covered his mouth in shock. However, Jinseong was quick to seize the opportunity, answering with his gleaming eyes.

“I am here for the Unified Korea.”

That response was something that the National Defense Council would find delightful.

For the nation.

For the Republic of Korea.

This was precisely the kind of phrase the National Defense Council adored.

Hearing those words sweetly ringing in his ears, Seong Min-hyuk nearly burst into yet another question but bit his tongue.

If asking was magic, then surely that answer would be as well.

He didn’t want to become an unwitting target of magic whose effects he couldn’t predict.

No matter how strong a warrior he was, magic that couldn’t be anticipated was a threat.

Yet, Jinseong continued, as if to reassure him.

“I have seen the future. A brilliant fire arose from the land like the radiant sun, and that light engulfed the entire world. The upheaval of the earth stirred up clouds of dust, which became ominous rain falling everywhere. That fire was like the one that once blazed twice in Japan; truly brilliant yet capable of evaporating everything without a trace— it was the sun itself! Oh, seeing that left me unable to disguise my overwhelming emotions.”

His words extended from Seong Min-hyuk’s question and were enough to dazzle him.

But upon hearing it, Seong Min-hyuk tilted his head in confusion.

“What are you talking about…?”

His response was akin to reciting poetry to a beast or giving a college lecture to an elementary student.

Seeing his reaction, Jinseong chuckled softly.

‘So that’s why he left it to me.’

There’s an old saying.

An ignorant ghost doesn’t recognize a talisman.

Seong Min-hyuk was the same.

Even if he wanted to ensnare with words, his sheer ignorance meant he wouldn’t grasp half of it, and even with elaborate metaphors, he wouldn’t understand, much less interpret correctly; he’d just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Moreover, it was hard to intervene since he had something simple he believed in blindly.

‘He was hoping to persuade the National Defense Council, yet a beast in human disguise shows up instead.’

From what he knew, this Last Days Well should have been managed by the National Defense Council.

As it was significant yet relatively low-risk, it was expected that those deemed “promising candidates” would be stationed here….

‘Tch. Instead of the National Defense Council, the Patriots have taken control, and not even in the hands of promising ones, but an old man who only knows how to twist his words.’

And he found it irritating to leave behind someone who could handle things with their tongue in a predicament that demanded a hard worker. It was indeed a nuisance, but….

That didn’t mean there was no way.

If a peaceful method wouldn’t work to charm them….

Then, why not just forcibly charm them?

“Good question. So I shall answer simply.”

Jinseong spoke briefly, yet with weight.

“I have seen the future. And those I have killed were things that deserved to die.”

At those words, Seong Min-hyuk gaped at Jinseong in disbelief.

“What?”

He was so taken aback that he had completely forgotten to be wary of magic.

“No, wait… huh.”

Seeing the future.

That sentence made Seong Min-hyuk scratch his head in confusion and pull out his smartphone.

He typed a message to Kim Jong-soo, who had already flown away in a helicopter.

[ Hyung. This guy claims he can see the future. ]

Moments later, a reply came back.

[ Well, being a shaman, it’s natural he’d know divination. Why contact me about that? ]

[ No, it’s not like that. I genuinely think this guy can see the future. ]

[ Seriously, what’s up with him all of a sudden? Usually, you can just regard it as nonsense, so why are you so restless now? ]

[ No, it seriously feels weird! ]

[ Stop talking rubbish and get your work done properly. You seem to have a knack for escaping and hiding, so focus on not letting him slip away. ]

“That guy….”

“Perfect timing.”

Seong Min-hyuk sat quietly, glaring at his text, only to be startled by a voice nearby that caused him to recoil, creating distance. In the place he had just been, the monster’s head, elongated like a neck, had appeared, twisting curiously.

“Whoa, you scared me! What are you doing, you creep?!”

He unconsciously asked a question out of surprise.

In response, Jinseong grinned broadly, as if his mouth were splitting open.

No, it literally did.

The bottom part of the golden mask cracked in half and stretched into a grotesque smile that almost reached his ears. The line deepened, turning into a gaping hole, from which writhing things began to spill onto the floor.

Thud.

Plop.

Thud-thud-thud.

“You posed three correct questions and received answers, yet you aren’t paying your dues. How troublesome indeed.”

The writhing things turned out to be made of banknotes. Countless insects that resembled crumpled bills covered in gold dust squirmed on the ground as if alive, creating a repulsive sight.

Then, something curled up began to slowly rise, spreading its wrinkled wings as if they had just been ironed, fluttering toward the sky. It looked like a butterfly or a moth, but from a distance, it could almost be mistaken for a cloud.

As swarms of paper insects circled around Jinseong, the fallen ones also began to squirm and take shape as if they refused to be outdone.

There was a spider using the tips of crumpled banknotes as legs, a centipede with a square body and many short spikes protruding at both ends moving around, and crickets and grasshoppers bouncing around with their long hind legs.

The repulsive creatures made of paper swarmed around Jinseong.

“Hey, I answered your question. Why aren’t you paying your fee?”

The paper-made creatures clung to Jinseong as if he were a tree. The centipedes and spiders crawled up his legs, sticking to him, and as they folded their wings against his body, they spread their wings, claiming their spot, while the crickets and grasshoppers jumped around a few times before settling on the upper part of his armor.

After repeating this action several times, Jinseong was completely covered in banknotes.

He looked like a mummy wrapped in currency instead of bandages.

 

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