[Translation of Chunk 1/2]
**Chapter 2: Evil Deeds That Destroy the World**
The moment I donated 31.65 million won to the orphanage where I was raised.
Oh, no! I realized I had made an irreversible mistake.
"W-what have I done..."
【......】
The Cursed Object trembled, just as I was trembling.
Soon, its voice rang out.
【Money... Is it money? Is mere money the price for contracting with this Black Heron?】
The Cursed Object, which identified itself as Black Heron, was shuddering at the fact that it had been sold for money.
It’s not "mere" money, you know? That was my entire life savings!
【Hmph... I am displeased that mere money is the price of the contract, but... everything is relative. If you say it was your entire fortune, it must be a significant sum.】
It certainly was a significant sum. It was a whopping 31.65 million won.
It was my entire life savings.
【Regardless, the price has been paid, so the contract between you and me is complete.】
A contract?
I have no intention of making any such contract with a sinister sword like this.
I should throw this thing away right now...
"Don't move."
That was when it happened.
A woman in uniform burst through the bank doors.
A woman with blue hair and a cold expression was pointing her palm at me.
"I am Kang Cheong-hwa from the Hunter Bureau’s Special Task Force 2. Drop the sword and surrender."
"S-surrender!"
I immediately raised both hands. Then, Black Heron started making a racket.
【How dare you, my contractor, shout surrender! Stand tall and fight! Cut down those insolent enemies and absorb their blood!】
What are you talking about? Didn't you see your previous owner get shot and die?
"Drop the sword and surrender immediately."
"O-okay. Please, calm down."
I quickly threw the sword far away. But the Special Task Force agent’s warning didn't end there.
"I said... drop the sword."
"Yes? What do you mean..."
I had thrown the sword away just as she ordered, but I could strangely feel the weight of it in my palm.
I glanced up and saw that Black Heron was still gripped in my hand.
【It is useless. The moment the contract was sealed, I became bound to you. You must walk the path of the great Demon King. If you don't like it, then die.】
What is this crazy sword talking about?
"Hey, get off my hand right now!"
【I told you, it is useless.】
I’m going to die because of this!
"This is my final warning. If you do not put the sword down, I will proceed according to protocol."
【Fight! You can win! Quench your thirst with that woman's blood!】
Amidst the Cursed Object’s noisy shouting, something moved.
Wait, no way?
The blue-haired officer’s arm suddenly began to transform.
Like the car-robots in American Hollywood movies.
*Clatter! Whir-click! Bang! Vrooom!!*
Her gloved palm underwent mechanical disassembly and reassembly, transforming into a cannon in an instant.
*Click!*
Energy concentrated in the muzzle, idling threateningly.
I raised my hands immediately.
"S-surrender!"
【Kill her!!】
You’re a blade that lost to a handgun, who are you trying to kill!
***
I was locked in an interrogation room, wearing handcuffs.
The interrogation room, which I had only ever seen in dramas, had heavy, stale air.
I didn't want to know this, but...
'This damn sword still won't come off.'
The Cursed Object, which kept clamoring for me to feed it blood, wouldn't budge like a leech.
The officers had tried to confiscate it several times, but it always returned to me.
Had it been about two hours since I was locked in here?
Someone opened the interrogation room door and walked in.
"Mr. Yoon Gaon? I apologize for leaving you alone for so long."
Two people entered.
One was Agent Kang Cheong-hwa, who had arrested me.
The other was a man wearing sunglasses who looked like the very definition of a military non-commissioned officer.
He was a man with a sharp impression, his muscles looking as dense and hard as compressed steel.
He greeted me lightly and sat down in the interrogation room.
Agent Kang Cheong-hwa stood behind him at attention.
"I am Team Leader Park Do-kyung. I lead the Bureau’s Special Task Force 2."
"I’m Yoon Gaon. 37th generation of Immanuel Orphanage. Currently unemployed."
"Hahaha..."
Team Leader Park Do-kyung laughed gruffly and took off his sunglasses.
His pupils were glowing as if burning rings were embedded in them, which felt ominous.
"I’ve seen the CCTV footage. The misunderstanding has been cleared up, so you can rest easy. You were just unlucky."
I felt relieved at Team Leader Park Do-kyung’s words. My suspicion had been cleared.
"However, there are a few things we need to check. The current situation is that Gaon-ssi is not in a very good state. You are currently under contract with an Artifact."
"An Artifact?"
Team Leader Park Do-kyung stared at the Cursed Object stuck to my hand and said,
"The items you are holding are called Artifacts. They are objects that came from beyond the Gate."
Artifacts. In other words, magical items.
They are said to be items found beyond the Gate that possess mysterious powers.
"Among them, what you have is classified as a Cursed Object. It is an item that beguiles its surroundings and corrupts its host."
"No wonder it was spouting such strange nonsense..."
──!!
The Cursed Object made a racket again, but I brushed it off.
"So, what do I do? I tried to throw it away, but it keeps sticking to me."
"It’s bound to you, so it will be difficult unless you terminate the contract. Still, since even an old person or a child managed to endure it at the scene, it probably isn't a high-level Cursed Object. E-rank, at most."
He says it’s E-rank.
【You insolent fool! How dare you evaluate me like that!】
Coincidentally, the Cursed Object’s voice did not reach Team Leader Park Do-kyung.
"Um... but I did pay a price? For the contract with the Cursed Object."
"You mean the donation to the orphanage."
"Is there any way to get it back? That was my entire life savings..."
At that, Team Leader Park Do-kyung shook his head.
"I wouldn't recommend it. Even if it is E-rank, a Cursed Object is still a Cursed Object. Reversing the causality of the contract is not good for you, Gaon-ssi."
"Ah..."
"I’m sorry I can't help you. But—"
"Well, it can't be helped."
Team Leader Park Do-kyung stared at me intently.
"I'll just consider it a good deed. It’s the orphanage where I grew up, and it’s a decent place."
In any case, most of that money was saved up from the pennies the director had given me.
Since none of my own money went into it, I’ll just consider it a good deed.
It wasn't lost; the connection had simply run its course.
After listening to warnings and cautions about the Artifact for a while, the conversation concluded.
"Be careful for the time being, and we will monitor the situation. If anything happens, contact us immediately. Oh, you said you didn't have a phone, right?"
Team Leader Park Do-kyung took a smartphone out of his pocket and handed it to me.
"It’s company property, but you need to be reachable, so use this for now. It has internet access, so you shouldn't have any major inconveniences."
"Oh, thank you."
"Don't mention it. It’s getting late, would you like to have a meal before you go? The lady in the cafeteria is a great cook."
"Oh, may I?"
I enjoyed a meal of pork cutlet and spicy stir-fried pork.
***
"Is it really okay to just let him go like this?"
At Kang Cheong-hwa’s words, Park Do-kyung shrugged.
"Well, it should be fine, right? It’s not such a dangerous item, so we can retrieve it whenever we want."
"It is still a Cursed Object. It could be dangerous enough to a civilian. According to protocol, we should seal it in the Quarantine Department..."
"Agent Kang. You know very well that the Quarantine Department doesn't have the capacity for that right now."
"..."
At the team leader’s words, Kang Cheong-hwa bit her lip.
"Once it’s bound, there’s nothing we can do. The only way is to kill the owner of the Artifact, and we can't execute an innocent citizen."
It was the simplest method and the one the Bureau preferred.
Artifacts grant users powerful abilities, but among them, Cursed Objects like this sword are high-risk targets.
In most cases, the host is beguiled and corrupted, leading to all sorts of crimes.
The higher-ups would have ordered the execution of the Cursed Object’s owner.
"You heard the citizens' testimonies. Even a seven-year-old child and an 80-year-old elder resisted the temptation. And the price paid for the contract was merely cash."
31.65 million won to the orphanage where he was raised.
It’s not a small amount, but it’s a pitifully cheap price for a Cursed Object’s contract.
How dangerous could an item that accepts such a trivial price really be?
"Above all..."
Team Leader Park Do-kyung placed his left hand on the interrogation table.
On his index finger was a gemstone ring that didn't quite suit a former soldier.
A gemstone ring that shimmered with an ominous red light.
He used his other hand to try and pull the ring off.
"..."
His right hand gripped the ring, but that was all.
Team Leader Park Do-kyung spent a long time just gripping the ring. To others, it would have looked like he was just fiddling with it.
Soon, his right hand began to shake, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
His pupils trembled.
His eyes darted around violently.
The moment his labored breathing reached its limit.
"Haa...!"
Team Leader Park Do-kyung gasped for air.
He clutched his trembling heart as he exhaled repeatedly.
"I can't even take it off. Can you do it, Agent Kang?"
At those words, Kang Cheong-hwa looked at her right arm.
Her Demonic Hand, which could transform into all sorts of firearms. Would it be possible to detach this?
Even just thinking about detaching it made it feel as if all sorts of voices were dragging her down.
As if to say she could never escape.
"It is impossible."
"Right? But Gaon-ssi didn't."
He had surrendered, throwing the sword away as if it were nothing.
Although it had returned to him, that hadn't been his own will.
"A human consumed by a Cursed Object can never escape. Sooner or later, they will inevitably fall into corruption."
There is only one way to avoid corruption. You must awaken and overcome the Cursed Object.
"But Mr. Yoon Gaon showed no such signs. In fact, he didn't even seem bothered after losing his entire fortune."
"He was far too normal. It’s not like he could be 'immune to corruption,' could he?"
"Is there any such precedent?"
"None."
That was the conclusion they reached.
The previous owner who committed the bank robbery must have simply been an exceptionally weak-willed human.
Since the Cursed Object didn't seem to be of a very high level, they decided to keep an eye on him for the time being.
After all, they didn't want to execute an innocent citizen if they could avoid it.
***
A week after the bank robbery incident.
I forgot about my squandered fortune and threw myself into job hunting.
But no one would hire me. It was only natural.
"Um... Mr. Gaon? What is that sword strapped to your side?"
"Ah, that's..."
I explained the circumstances, but the business owners either looked at me like I was a lunatic or refused to hire me, claiming I was a bad omen.
I couldn't blame them.
What kind of sane person would hire a guy walking around with a sword?
"Please! Just get off me!"
【Do not reject your destiny, contractor. Take blood and accumulate evil deeds. Do you not wish to stand above all others? You are capable of it!】
"Yeah, not interested."
What would I even use that for?
The director always told me.
To be a good person.
To know how to love others and how to give.
Just as she gave to her own sons and daughters.
Wielding a sword and lording over others is the exact opposite of what the director taught me.
"I'm not interested, so just accept a return."
【Heh heh heh... No matter what, you cannot escape your fate.】
The Cursed Object laughed in that annoying way.
【It has been a week now. You have endured for quite a while. But that ends now.】
"What do you mean—"
At that moment, my head spun.
What was this? I had been eating my meals properly.
Living off energy bars wasn't ideal, but I still used my remaining low-income support funds to supplement my protein every other day.
Something... something felt like it was boiling over.
Someone kept shouting at me.
To do it.
To just go ahead and do it.
【Commit evil, contractor. Unleash the impulses within you to your heart's content!】
"Ugh...!"
I tried desperately to hold on, but I couldn't stop the shift in my will.
"Fine...!"
There's no need to... hold back anymore, is there?
I have the Cursed Object. Even if it is a piece of junk E-rank Cursed Object that can't even stop a BB gun.
"I won't... hold back anymore."
【Kuhahaha! Yes, that is how it starts. Step by step, walking the path of corruption little by little. Release the malice within you, the writhing desires!】
I pulled something out of my pocket.
Three energy bars, bought at the supermarket for 1,200 won each.
My precious food supply, which I had been rationing to one per meal.
I ate them all at once, without a thought for tomorrow.
*Chomp, chomp!*
I didn't savor them, nor did I take small bites; I tore into them ravenously.
A reckless act, not thinking about tomorrow's food.
This was truly gluttony. Is this one of the Seven Deadly Sins?
【...What are you doing?】
It seemed even Black Heron was shocked by this horrific scene of sin.
But did it think it would end with just this?
I clutched the empty energy bar wrappers in my fist.
The crumpled wrappers formed a decent sphere.
"Fire in the hole!"
I threw it into the nearby playground sandbox.
【W-what on earth have you done?!】
"Heh heh heh, I didn't 'recycle' the trash and threw it right into the children's playground."
【...!】
The Cursed Object trembled.
It seemed shocked by my heinous act of dirtying even the playground of innocent children.
But it was too late to regret it.
I was holding the Cursed Object, after all.
At that moment, I felt an ominous energy surge from the Cursed Object and absorb into my body.
I felt filled with power from head to toe.
But that was only for a moment. The sudden influx of energy caused my consciousness to cut out like a powered-down TV.
【D-does this count as accumulating evil deeds?】
I couldn't hear the Cursed Object's final words clearly, but I realized one thing.
What... on earth have I done...
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