Chapter 73
Yes, I’m That Guy (2)
People should live honestly.
After wrapping up a meeting at work, I hopped right on the subway to head for the Western Seoul Abyss Gate.
These days, people recognize me more often.
Two punk-looking high schoolers stood out today—they actually asked me to do a somersault as soon as they saw me.
The key word here is asked.
Sure, the viewer is king, but come on. There are still rules of courtesy in this world.
So, I decided to teach them a special lesson in etiquette.
Ring ring—!
“Hello?”
“…Player Yoo Sung-woo. Did you, by any chance, shove two high school students into toilet stall number two in the men’s bathroom at Yeongdeungpo Station about ten minutes ago?”
“They told me they’d subscribe if I did two backflips! Even waved a ten-thousand-won bill and said they’d donate if I succeeded!”
“So you did it, huh.”
“Of course. Someone had to teach them the fear of adulthood firsthand. Oh, and I’m a pro—I gave them a reaction too. I did two flips, and they flipped straight into the toilet on their own. Still, I collected the ten thousand won, fair and square.”
“Let me confirm this. You assaulted two minors while performing backflips and then extorted money from them. Is that correct?”
“I’ll correct one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“How about we say—that’s the novel those high schoolers wrote?”
Chief Choi is a professional.
He understood exactly what I meant.
“So there’s no CCTV footage, and this story exists only as… testimony, correct?”
“Exactly.”
“That kind of thing happens a lot to famous players. Civilians pick fights on purpose to try false injury scams. Understood.”
“Oh, and tell them I’m not pressing charges for false accusation. They’re just kids with their whole lives ahead of them—no need to ruin it with a criminal record.”
“We’ll handle it quietly, understood.”
The high schoolers got a valuable life lesson for just ten thousand won, and I got to act like a responsible adult.
Win-win, right?
Those kids will probably live a much humbler life from now on.
Another day, another two souls I’ve saved.
Truly, a blessing from the Miracle Matryoshka.
“Hmhm.”
I used the ten thousand won I’d “earned” to buy a chicken skewer.
There were a lot of snack stalls around the gate.
Taking a bite, I made my way toward the Abyss Gate.
When I placed my hand on it, a message appeared—Select your starting point.
Today’s destination:
“The Witch’s Forest.”
[Welcome to the Abyss.]
[Entering <2F Starting Point – The Witch’s Forest>!]
[Current Starting Point owned by Player <Yoo Sung-woo>.]
The Witch’s Forest.
I unlocked it during the 2F promotion quest.
It’s now open only to my membership subscribers, but today, I was here to finish a quest.
[The Witch <Agatha Christine>’s barrier is active in this area.]
[A 500m radius around the cabin is a designated safe zone.]
The forest used to be eerie and foreboding, but now it looked more like a peaceful nature reserve.
Sunlight streamed gently through the lush trees—felt like a commercial set.
“Oppa!”
While I was admiring the scenery, a girl in a red hood ran toward me—Ruby, our very own Little Red Riding Hood.
“Ruby, you look… oh? That outfit’s cute.”
Gone was the medieval garb and heavy cloak.
Now she wore a modern outfit—a red hoodie, a black tennis skirt, and red high-top Converse sneakers.
Surprisingly stylish.
“This? One of your subscribers said it was a gift!”
“My… friends—ah, subscribers?”
“Yes! Oh, I’ll take you to Grandma. She’s super busy these days.”
Following Ruby through the forest, I noticed the outer areas were quiet.
But once we reached the cabin—
“Hey, young man! Push harder! We’ve got work to do!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Think you can finish my request like that? If you clear that zone too, I’ll give you an extra bag of herbs!”
“Understood!”
“Ma’am! What should we do over here?”
“What do you mean what? Put up the pillars! Can’t build a structure without them! Whoever works hardest today gets a mini mandragora root!”
“Uaaagh!”
“Waaah!”
This wasn’t a forest anymore—it was a construction site.
No garden, no forest—just cranes, hammers, and dust.
Rumble! Boom!
Trees fell, ground leveled—a symphony of redevelopment.
At the center of it all stood an old woman in a suit and sunglasses, barking orders with a cane in hand.
She looked like one of those legendary construction tycoons from old news reels.
“Grandma! Oppa’s here!”
…Wait. That business mogul was Ruby’s grandmother?
The witch Agatha Christine.
Last time I saw her, she was frail and weak—but now?
The confidence! The presence!
Who’d believe she was that same old witch?
“Oh, our savior himself! If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve prepared something!”
“Uh… the forest looks… very different.”
“All thanks to your blessing, my benefactor.”
Agatha removed her sunglasses and bowed deeply.
Of course, I bowed back.
It’s only proper in the Land of Courtesy.
“I didn’t really do much.”
“Because of the people you sent, my granddaughter and I found hope again.”
“I’m curious—what kind of construction is this?”
“After your visit, so many people started coming here. We’re building facilities for them.”
My top-tier membership subscribers—the Omakase Tier—number around four thousand now.
Most of them visit this place, so traffic is huge.
And after the Korea-Japan raid event, subscriptions have skyrocketed.
This place is basically an exclusive hub for my members—a private plaza.
With my permission, anyone from any gate in Korea can enter here.
A player from Busan and another from Seoul could meet in under a minute.
Agatha clearly recognized the potential.
“You have a good business sense.”
“Well, having ‘Magic Stone Enchantment’ as a key product helps. We’ve already secured potential customers. I’ll do my best to support you, my benefactor.”
“And for currency…?”
“Oh, we’re accepting the paper money your customers use.”
She pulled something from her pocket—
A 50,000-won bill.
“Enchantments and cloaks are free, but we’ll charge for other services. I want to buy Ruby some nice things.”
She ruffled Ruby’s hair affectionately.
So this old witch used to run a business, huh?
“Did you… used to run a company or something?”
“Before I became a witch, I ran a small trading firm.”
“I see.”
“I was quite a successful merchant, actually. Until, well, I turned into a witch.”
Who knew the grandma I rescued from a wolf’s belly would turn out to be a business prodigy?
She discreetly slipped a thick envelope into my hand—it was full of cash.
“Oh, uh, I’m a public figure, so I can’t really take bribes…”
“Bribe? Nonsense! It’s a tax for the rightful ruler of this region.”
“Tax?”
Unbelievable.
Not a bribe—a tax. What a perfect excuse.
I’ll have to clear this with the Ability Management Bureau later… but still, they can’t even enter without my permission anyway.
“Please take care of me and my granddaughter going forward. We plan to sell herbal teas here. They’ll help travelers—boost mana flow, enhance recovery, that sort of thing.”
Selling buff teas?
Genius. Absolute business gold.
This would make killer broadcast content too.
“If anything ever causes trouble, call me. I’ll handle it personally.”
“Hoho, I’m grateful. I’ll do my best not to embarrass you. But, benefactor, what brings you here today?”
“I obtained a Fragment of the Abyss—it’s quite large.”
Agatha nodded and smiled.
“Let’s talk inside.”
4.
[You drank <Serendil Brewed Tea>! For 1 hour, magic-related skill efficiency increases by 5%.]
“How is it?”
“This’ll sell like crazy.”
“I’m glad.”
The tea made my mana stir vividly.
Five percent might sound small, but that’s a massive buff.
All mana-based skills up by five percent? Insane.
If I announce this on my stream, people will fight to join my membership.
Truly, karma pays off—save people, teach kids, and fortune comes knocking.
“What an enormous fragment. It’s formed from the souls of those who desired too much—very irregular structure.”
Agatha examined the purple shard I handed her, nodding solemnly.
“May Ruby and I use it?”
“Of course.”
“Ruby, come here.”
“Okay, Grandma.”
Ruby approached, and Agatha placed her hand on the <Great Fragment of Souls>.
Moments later—
Bwoooom—!
Violet energy rippled outward.
After about three minutes—
“…Ah!”
Ruby gasped softly, blinking, tears forming in her eyes.
“…I remember Mom and Dad’s faces now. Thank you, thank you, Oppa.”
She’d said her memories were stolen when trapped in the Abyss.
Thank God.
I smiled and nodded.
“I’m really glad.”
[Quest completed.]
[Transcendence Level +2.]
Huge EXP.
And the rewards weren’t over yet.
“My memories of magic are returning too. It might help you, benefactor.”
[Witch <Agatha Christine>’s magic partially unlocked.]
[<Miracle Matryoshka>’s special effect <Effect: Miracle> activated.]
[<Agatha Christine> remembers <Witch’s Tome – Power of Dimensions>.]
[This memory is linked to <True: The Immortal Legion>. Clear <True: The Immortal Legion>.]
So this quest unlocked her magic, huh?
But the rewards still weren’t done.
“Please accept this, benefactor.”
[You have obtained <Treasure Chest of Wishes>.]
[Treasure Chest of Wishes]
Grade: None
Description: A chest that manifests the user’s desire. Provides the most suitable item from random-grade loot. <Miracle Matryoshka> grants a massive luck bonus.
“I don’t know what’s inside. I just poured my wishes into it.”
“How did you know I love gacha?”
Just reading the description gave me a dopamine rush.
Perfect content for a stream.
My day felt full—like I’d just eaten a hearty bowl of stew.
More content, more happiness.
Today, I secured another daily dose of it.
“I’ll be counting on you from now—”
Just as I was putting the chest into my inventory—
[<Administrator> manifests before you.]
The air shattered like glass, and a woman stepped out.
“I told you to respond when summoned. Player Yoo Sung-woo, this behavior is highly problematic.”
“What?”
The woman with a monocle flicked her blue hair and spoke crisply.
“I’m Oh Dain, Director of the Abyss Korean Branch. I’m here to recover a bugged item. Please cooperate.”
“Bugged item?”
“The Miracle Matryoshka. You have it, correct? It’s a retrieval-target item. If you comply, we’ll compensate you properly.”
I gave her a simple, crystal-clear answer:
“Nah, don’t wanna~.”
