Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
60. Party (6)
Self-proclaimed ‘Phantom Thief’.
Based on PMH’s setting book, his age and affiliation were unknown.
When considering the passage of time, that phantom thief of unknown identity would appear next year and make the chaotic Korean Peninsula even more so.
The phantom thief with an aesthetic from the turn of the century or beginning of the 20th century rambled with flowery words and sophistry, and phantom thief’s philosophy, though sounding plausible, was just nonsense, in the end he captivated people’s souls.
‘He laid out his phantom thief philosophy like this, but no one probably treated him like a phantom thief.’
In the world of PMH that bastard was treated as a bizarre person instead of phantom thief.
The person concerned claimed to be a phantom thief and stubbornly always left ‘Phantom Thief’ on the notice letters to no avail.
Phantom Thief, 괴도 (怪盜).
If those two words are translated into Korean, it means ‘bizarre thief’.
But this bastard was just bizarre, he didn’t steal.
At first, everyone talked about the phantom thief because of the flashy notice letters, but as he didn’t steal anything, he just became ‘bizarre person’.
The person concerned was sad that he was treated as a bizarre person instead of a phantom thief, but anyway, he didn’t succumb to the ‘bizarre person’, and stubbornly targeted something, while sending notice letters.
‘But because the notice letters always used words that didn’t make you understand what he was talking about, you didn’t know what precisely he was looking for.’
It was like this even now when you just looked at the notice letter left on Big Ben.
If you didn’t know about Min Geurin’s ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’, it would be difficult to understand what ‘the work of a genius, who couldn’t become a dragon’ meant, and if you just heard the words ‘Demon Palace’, it would be difficult to connect it with Fomori’s auction right away.
Because the notice letters that appeared in PMH were even more abstruse, if people looked at them without prior knowledge, they would feel like nothing but nonsense.
‘I couldn’t understand them at all until I directly controlled the bizarro.’
Still, that bizarro was my Playable Character, and when I played with the bizarro, the secret was revealed.
What the bizarro, who fought all alone, was targeting was this world’s Dark Mastermind.
The thing the bizarro tried to steal was something abstract, called ‘Dark Mastermind’s scheme[1]’.
Of course, the bizarro didn’t know if the Dark Mastermind was an individual or a group, and what was their goal.
He just instinctively drew a conclusion that there was someone behind the disasters that happened on Korean Peninsula, and on the basis of ‘that someone’s behind them’ is an anti-thesis to his phantom thief philosophy and artistry, he began a reckless fight.
‘Still, while the bizarro was active, nothing happened.’
He would either send a notice letter to the location where the Dark Mastermind wanted to play their tricks, and summon the press and streamers.
Or, when he couldn’t properly figure out the Dark Mastermind’s scheme, he would send a notice letter just prior to the time when he thought something would strike, that said ‘If something happens right now, the whole world will know of your scheme’.
Of course, those actions didn’t continue for long.
Because the Dark Mastermind started to prioritize disposition and annihilation of the bizarro.
‘It would be better if he escaped to a distant place then.’
Worthy of the fearless romantic, the bizarro didn’t run away.
It instead seemed that when Dark Mastermind targeted the bizarro without holding back on their methods, the bizarro’s will to run away disappeared because of those wicked methods.
It seemed that he made up his mind to fight until the end, because he judged that the opponent was an outrageous villain.
The bizarro was soon cornered, but on the brink of death, he did something worthy of a phantom thief for the last time.
Using his Gwangrim, the bizarro stole a certain clue and succeeded in sending it to Ju Su-hyeok’s party, who were complete strangers.
‘… It was just one time, but because he succeeded in safely stealing it, the bizarro should be called phantom thief.’
I guess the phantom thief judged Ju Su-hyeok, who was in the center of the events happening in PMH, to be a being worthy of facing off against the Dark Mastermind.
Without being able to even confirm if Ju Su-hyeok got the clue properly or not, the phantom thief’s short and daring life ended thanks to the Dark Mastermind.
‘It would be better if they just fought together from the beginning. If he cooperated with Ju Su-hyeok’s party, that embarrassing manner of speech might have improved, and if they fought together, the conclusion might have been better.’
If he attended the Eungwang School, he was strange enough to be allocated to the class 0 unconditionally, and every single line of his made me shiver in terror, but worthy of my Player, he was a good bastard.
But I wanted to refuse meeting him because It seemed I wouldn’t be able to stop my fingers from curling up and shriveling up.
“… Assemblyman-nim, this isn’t the time to be laughing right now.”
As the news got longer, Jeon Mu-yeong became contemplative.
The great disaster that happened to Big Ben already became a hot topic, and major press outlets, famous streamers and even ordinary tourists flocked in front of Big Ben to film it.
Perhaps those who were streaming the turned flashy Big Ben judged it would be difficult to draw interest with the video alone, they started to analyze this incident, while forming various theories.
There were two big targets of analysis.
First, the phantom thief’s crime method.
Second, notice letter’s meaning.
‘Knowing the culprit, I can figure out the crime method right away. He probably used his Gwangrim.’
The phantom thief’s Gwangrim was truly phantom thief like.
The Gwangrim’s name was ‘Magician’s Silk Hat[2]’.
The things put into the silk hat embodied with a superpower wave appeared at the place and time the magician wanted.
Simply speaking, it was a remote teleportation.
‘He probably produced a neon sign skin in the size of the clock tower, put it in the ‘Magician’s Silk Hat’ and moved it onto the clock tower’s surface.’
At a glance, it seemed to be a fraudulent ability, but it was a Gwangrim with many weaknesses and bad superpower wave consumption.
If he materialized a big ‘Magician’s Silk Hat’, he could teleport even bulky objects, but there was a limit on how much weight he could move a day.
Moreover, depending on the distance the superpower wave consumption rate was extreme.
That greatly limited ability was used to make a prank on the April Fools’ Day and send a notice letter?
‘The question was how light he had to make the skin to cover the surface, and how close he had to be to use his Gwangrim. It would be pretty bulky, but did he produce the skin and secure the spot to use the Gwangrim alone?’
Though, worthy of my Playable Character, that bastard was talented, so it wouldn’t be strange even if he did it alone.
While I straightened my curled up by the contemplation about phantom thief hands, we arrived at our lodgings.
On every hologram opened in the hotel lobby, I saw the flashing Big Ben.
Every time he saw the hologram, Jeon Mu-yeong’s expression grew a bit more serious.
“This Halloween party is special. Because they secured the treasure of Danu god tribe. They were already embarrassed at this point, so they won’t just let it go.” [3]
“That’s very true. The one-eyed giant with the eye of death may personally step forward, eh?”
“Yes, even if Balor doesn’t step forward, other Fomoris, whose names appeared in the myths, will.”
Suite, meeting room.
We held an emergency meeting.
Because all information about party venue’s size, the number of the demons, who stood guard, their movement routes, and rotation times etc., that was obtained through Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong’s beforehand investigation became useless.
‘They probably will assume an information leakage, set up traps and wait.’
Assuming the ‘worst case scenario’, we could obediently participate in the auction held by the Demons.
If we made a bid under my name instead of Seong Gukeon or Jeon Mu-yeong, the two people wouldn’t be swept up in a scandal.
However, even if we participated in the scandal, the problem remained.
As if the two had similar thoughts to me, they brought up that topic.
“And there is the biggest factor of uncertainty. Because it seems clear they’re targeting the same thing as us.” [4]
“Even if the Demons succeed in getting rid of the Phantom Thief, things will be complicated. Because the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’ became a hot topic, its price will skyrocket.”
The phantom thief left a notice that was no different from saying he was targeting the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’.
When securing the infiltration route again, there was a chance that we would clash with the phantom thief.
Moreover, if the auction was safely held, it was certain that the busybodies, who participated in the Demons’ auction, would make a talk out of it and everyone would try to bid on the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’.
“There is still time remaining until the auction. We will have to gather the information about the party venue again, and investigate that Phantom Thief.”
The meeting concluded with the decision to collect information again.
It was the best we could do in this situation.
“They gave him a nickname even before the heist, eh?” [5]
The press and the public gave the bastard, who committed an act of barbarism on Big Ben, a nickname.
The investigative agencies detested giving good nicknames to the ostentatious criminals that would satisfy their ego, but the public always liked this kind of thing.
It was certain that my Playable Character Phantom Thief would also like it, one hundred percent.
‘No such event happened in PMH days, so he had no nickname.’
Anyway, today the Phantom Thief got a nickname.
‘The Phantom Thief NEON’.
At this moment, this name was on everyone’s mouths, and the video of Big Ben everywhere was mentioning the Phantom Thief NEON.
“Then it seems that I and Mu-yeong will be a bit busy. Junior-ah, you rest.”
After finishing the meeting, the two immediately departed.
Seong Gukeon had contacts even in Britain and had many people he had to greet, and it seemed that Jeon Mu-yeong planned to move with him as Seong Gukeon’s assistant and bodyguard, and to gather information.
Before the two people left, they gave me an item card.
It was SR — consumable item ‘Messageless Pigeon’.
It was a one-use consumable item that transmitted a superpower wave without a message, and the item I gifted Yeom Junyeol in the past.
“Contacting through the device is convenient, but for some reason communication is often cut off in the incidents you’re involved in, Uisin.”
I guess Seong Gukeon kept investigating around me.
As Seong Gukeon said, the communication was often cut off in the incidents I was involved in.
It was either the opponent’s trick, so the Players were isolated and couldn’t call for help, or a move played by this side to cut off the ‘Eyes’.
There was a chance that the communication would be cut off in this event, so I decided to gladly accept the card.
‘Let’s go outside and familiarize with the road.’
After the two left, I also left the hotel.
Because I fell into thoughts about the Phantom Thief NEON, I couldn’t look around properly, as I came out alone, now was the time to take in the sights of this country.
I had a strange feeling seeing the scenery different from Korea.
‘I came to Europe after a long time.’
Excluding going to China on the Newspaper Club’s news-gathering trip, it was a long time I actually went overseas on my own.
It was because when I was a chess player, I went overseas many times for the competitions, but after stopping playing chess, I didn’t leave the country even once.
‘The things are very different from what I remember from the past. Let’s completely familiarize with the places around the lodgings.’
What I was doing was no different from a tourist student, but I had a goal of my own.
As this place had Pro Player teams residing in the Central London, the chances of it were small, but I decided to inform myself of the lodgings surroundings in case a battle occurred.
‘Based on the situation, we may go towards the Thames River. So we can fight efficiently using water.’
While thinking like that, I was about to pass the London Tower and head towards the Tower Bridge.
Flap flap!
A few black crows flapped their wings in front of my eyes, while I was passing.
Did the London Tower’s crows fly down to the pavement?
When I was about to pass them by without any particular thought.
‘Uh, why is this person here…?’
I saw a face I knew.
Seeing an acquaintance in an unfamiliar scenery, the feeling of incongruity was pretty big.
As if that person was waiting for me, he walked up to me and greeted me.
“Student Jo Uisin, I came to convey the words of the Person I serve.”
Crows were flying behind the MITRON’s patissier.
*~*~*
[1] scheme — 계략 (gyeryak) — some trick or method used to achieve something.
[2] Silk hat — it’s a less popular name for a top hat, but in Korean uses name silk hat, so I’m preserving that.
[3] “This Halloween party is special. Because they secured the treasure of Danu god tribe. They were already embarrassed at this point, so they won’t just let it go.” — Jeon Mu-yeong’s sentence.
[4]“And there is the biggest factor of uncertainty. Because it seems clear they’re targeting the same thing as us.” — Jeon Mu-yeong’s sentence.
[5] “They gave him a nickname even before the heist, eh?” — either Jo Uisin or Jeon Mu-yeong’s sentence.
Translator’s note: Hello, MITRON’s patissier! Pleasure to see you!
Patron thank you note:
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Jasminum abyssinicum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Jasminum adenophyllum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Jasminum angulare’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Jasminum angustifolium’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Jasminum auriculatum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Jasminum dichotomum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Jasminum elongatum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Jasminum fluminense’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Jasminum malabaricum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Jasminum grandiflorum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Deflubs, please accept this Jasminum azoricum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Rose Marie, please accept this Jasminum laurifolium’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, inkwell, please accept this Jasminum mesnyi’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, TheFloorGuy, please accept this Jasminum multipartitum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Akemidy, please accept this Jasminum sambac’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 8 advanced chapter (Patreon & Kofi)
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LibraryKeyTranslations
> Kofi-Euro: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslator
> Kofi-USD: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslatorusd
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply