The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Masked Singer

"Please save me!"

Suddenly, her ears started to respond sensitively.

Sang-ah's hearing detected someone's scream.

'Who is that?'

Her surroundings were clearly bustling and noisy.

With the songs echoing from the stage and the buzz of the crowd, there should have been no way to hear a faint sound.

In such an environment, even extraordinary hearing would be useless.

Yet it kept coming through. The cry of "Please save me" refused to leave her ears.

It felt as if it was coming from a phone right against her ear, and only she could hear it.

"Isn't anybody there? Please... save..."

The desperate cries gradually grew quieter.

Before she could even think through what was happening...

Sang-ah was already running.

Her body moved faster than her mind.

Even when she thought back, she couldn't figure out why.

She just knew one thing for certain. Someone was in danger.

"This way."

Following the voice, she arrived at a small building set up right in front of the stage.

That building was connected to the stage through an underground passage.

Performers would finish their makeup in the building and rise to the stage via the basement corridor.

Sang-ah went inside and continued to follow the sound.

"Hey, student! You can't just go in there!"

"Student, wait!"

At that moment, people serving as security began chasing after Sang-ah.

Of course, since there were high-value singers involved, the security presence was significant.

"Sa... ve..."

The voice was coming from the basement of the building.

As the sound grew fainter, Sang-ah moved even more hurriedly.

She'd made it to the basement, but there were more than just one or two rooms.

She needed to open all the doors to check, but since they were all waiting rooms, it would be reckless to barge in.

However, her instincts told her one thing: if she searched room by room, she would definitely be too late.

"Huh?"

This time, a new sound reached her.

Something seemed to be leaking out—it was quiet, but gave off a distinctly ominous feeling.

Following the sound, Sang-ah descended to basement level two.

While the first floor was a waiting area for performers, the second was a dimly lit storage area.

The place's eerie atmosphere made it seem unlikely anyone would be there.

But...

"Found it."

Striding straight ahead, Sang-ah grabbed one of the doors.

Out of all the rooms, this one was making strange noises.

The very fact that sounds were coming from this deserted area was suspicious.

When she opened the door, Sang-ah couldn't help but be shocked.

"Sa..."

Inside a room filled with strange gas, a person was collapsed with foam at their mouth.

Their eyes were dazed, lips moving silently as if on the verge of losing consciousness.

"Cough! What is this?!"

She didn't know what kind of gas it was, but she felt that inhaling it would be extremely dangerous.

Sang-ah quickly picked up the person and rushed out.

Just then, the security guards who had followed her caught sight of her.

"Ugh...! What's that smell?!"

"Cough! Cough! What is this...?!"

At first, they tried to restrain Sang-ah with fierce expressions, but the moment they caught a whiff of the gas, they all froze up, their bodies stiffening.

With her own keen sense of smell, Sang-ah could tell how pungent the gas was.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that prolonged exposure could be fatal.

.

.

"Wow... that was almost a disaster."

All the gas that had filled basement level two was now purified.

A remarkable healer had been hired among the security team and managed to clear out all the toxic air.

As a bonus, everyone who had inhaled even a little also underwent a holistic detox.

Of course, Sang-ah was no exception.

"Thank you so much, student. If it weren't for you, someone would have died."

"We're sorry for getting the wrong idea and blaming you."

"No, it's alright."

She had no excuse for charging in without permission.

But in the end, she had acted to save someone, so there was nothing to be criticized for.

Above all, when you considered just who she had saved, she deserved even more praise.

"And student, you really did something great today."

The security guard pointed out the person who had collapsed.

At first, she couldn't see clearly because of the gas, but as Sang-ah got a look at the face, she was overcome with shock.

"This person is...!"

"That's Cha Eunju, leader of Unity Girls. She's a special participant in today's Masked Singer."

She used to be a famous idol singer.

Now, her idol activities had stopped, and the members had each gone their separate ways.

This was information Sang-ah had heard to the point of exhaustion from her school senior, Choi Sangbaek.

"I'll say it again—you really did well. Are you a student from Hand by any chance?"

"Yes."

"Then how did you figure out where to go? None of us noticed anything."

All the security guards were awakeners.

Their senses weren't bad either, yet none of them had noticed what was going on.

They couldn't understand how a student noticed before they did.

"Well... I heard a sound. I'm not sure you'll believe me, though..."

"A sound?"

"I guess Mutamits have good hearing too."

It was true that some of a Mutamit's senses were more developed than an ordinary person's.

It wasn't strange to assume Sang-ah's hearing was heightened.

It was just a skill they didn't have, so they couldn't hide their envy.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Cha Eunju! Are you awake?"

Cha Eunju, who had collapsed from inhaling toxic gas, began to cough.

But that was all—in fact, she seemed unable to get up at all. She couldn't even move her lips.

The man who seemed to be her manager looked utterly devastated.

"What should we do? Her turn on stage is coming up!"

"Her mask! Where's Eunju's mask?"

"Here it is..."

On Masked Singer, participants sing in masks, and then their identity is revealed after the results are announced.

That's the nature of the show.

But the mask Cha Eunju was supposed to wear had been shattered into pieces.

"What the hell! Which bastard did this?!"

"I don't know. When I went to the waiting room, it looked like this..."

Someone had clearly done this on purpose. He wanted to catch the culprit, but right now that wasn't the priority.

Cha Eunju was seventh in line, and just now the fifth singer had finished performing.

"Isn't there any other mask? Anything that can cover her face at all?"

"No, nothing big enough to hide her face..."

"And how would she sing in her condition anyway?"

She had barely survived the effects of the gas.

Trying to force herself to sing would be deadly in her state.

With everyone at the edge of despair, they all slumped in defeat.

"Um... excuse me, but I have a suggestion."

In that moment, Sang-ah spoke up.

****

"Is it done?"

"Yes. No one will suspect a thing."

Having finished her performance, Ai Hoon came down from the stage.

Normally, she would wait in the dressing room until the result announcement and then go back up.

But Ai Hoon did not return to the dressing room. Instead, she got into the car.

"Are you sure this is all right? Inhaling that much gas could have killed her."

Ji Ryong-seong, in the driver's seat, expressed concern.

As an SS-rank hunter, his ability was gas emission.

He could even turn his body into gas, and used that power to trap Cha Eunju without being noticed.

Given his rank, the ability was highly lethal, but he had used it at a weak setting to confine Cha Eunju.

An average healer's magic would be enough to neutralize it.

"Heheheh. Why are you so startled? Most people here are going to die anyway."

"...."

It was true and could not be denied.

The Underworld Formation was already complete. All that remained was to time its activation.

"The adjustment's done, right?"

"I just received confirmation."

Jin Rain, sitting in the passenger seat, replied.

The moment they heard the word 'adjustment,' they took out a perfume and sprayed it all over themselves.

Soon, phantom spirits would be summoned and rampage indiscriminately.

Of course, the Sura guild was no exception.

But those who perform the sorcery always have insurance, and this perfume was theirs.

"For a perfume, it doesn't smell so great."

"The nastiest medicines are always the best for you."

"And this is type A, right?"

"Yes. Type B is a failed prototype with only 60 minutes of effect."

The current perfume was divided into types A and B.

While type B was made on a low budget, type A was perfected and lasted a full twenty-four hours.

"Type A and B—they work exactly the same, so you can't tell the difference."

"Which guild member knows the trick for telling them apart?"

"Kang Juhee. That hunter who was found dead in Korea."

"Ah, what a waste. Why'd she have to die?"

"That's still under investigation."

Kang Juhee had been a succubus-type Mutamit infiltrating Korea's Qiongqi.

Maybe because of her race's trait, she had an uncanny ability to distinguish between perfumes.

"Was his name Lu Huikang? Must have been hard on him, losing a succubus he liked."

Lu Huikang, the branch manager of the secret Sura guild chapter established in Korea.

Perhaps because of Kang Juhee's death, he had enthusiastically participated in this operation.

Not that Ai Hoon particularly cared.

"The sky's gotten dark all of a sudden."

"Was there a rain forecast today?"

"No, not at all."

Detecting the sudden change in the sky, Ji Ryong-seong looked up in confusion.

It was as if rain would pour down any minute, heavy clouds rolling in.

But even if it rained, it would not interfere with performing the Underworld Formation.

"Anyway. It's about time."

Ai Hoon glanced slyly toward the stage.

The sixth singer had finished, and it was now the seventh masked singer's turn.

But Cha Eunju, the seventh, would not be able to come out. Ai Hoon had once heard her sing by chance.

Her vocal ability was vastly greater than Ai Hoon's own, unforgettable.

If Cha Eunju became a competitor, she would have stolen all the attention.

"She shouldn't go on stage."

Currently, Ai Hoon held the highest score. If Cha Eunju didn't appear, all attention would turn to her.

"Huh?"

But Ai Hoon's eyes widened. The seventh singer, who was not supposed to appear, had taken the stage.

****

The Hand's central tower rooftop.

At the top of the tall tower building, owned by the chairman, a massive magic array was drawn.

At the center stood a young-looking man chanting an incantation.

Raven Holbat—widely known by that name, but it was not his real one.

"Vern, is it done?"

"Yes, it's almost finished."

I asked Vern as I looked up at the sky.

Sure enough, as light poured from the magic array, the clouds gathered even more densely.

"I wonder if everyone remembered their umbrellas."

"The weather forecast said it would be clear all day."

"Well, that's a bit awkward then."

Very soon, rain would fall due to the magic array.

And if people didn't bring umbrellas that would be even better.

They needed to be soaked in this rain to survive the disaster about to unfold.

"By the way, Vern, when did you learn rain-calling magic?"

"After the Demon King returned to Earth, I learned it from Amelda."

"I didn't know Amelda was so generous as to teach others."

"She changed after the Demon King disappeared."

The sky had grown so dark it looked like rain would fall any second.

Since it had to rain over the entire city, it would consume massive magic power.

But Vern, who served as my legion commander, seemed perfectly fine even after finishing the chant.

Even if his personality changed, it was fortunate he kept his strength.

Bzzzz—

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Checking the caller, I muttered "What now?" and answered.

"Ah-rin, what's up?"

"S-seongjin... um..."

Ah-rin's voice came through, clearly flustered. She seemed to have encountered some kind of trouble.

"Something happened?"

"Yeah... you should really turn on Masked Singer right now."

"Why that show?"

Ah-rin sounded absolutely terrified. What could possibly be airing right now?

My only choice was to check the live broadcast on my phone.

On the screen, the seventh contestant stood on stage.

Since their face was hidden by a mask, the show's concept was maintained.

"Huh?"

The problem was the masked singer.

The singer was so short, clearly a student, and wore an utterly bizarre mask. It was a pair of boxers.

The singer had a pair of men's underwear pulled over their face.

On the front of the underwear, it said:

[2 - 6]

[M·S·J]

It was an extremely familiar pair of boxers.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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