The hotel room was quiet, filled only with the scent of medicine and the low hum of the AC. Tobio lay half-sitting, bandages wrapped around his waist and shoulder. Kouki and Sae were in the corner of the room—both looking more mentally exhausted than physically hurt.
And beside the bed, a girl sat with long blonde hair smooth like silk, wearing a white outfit reminiscent of a classic witch. The lamp light reflected off her bright blue eyes.
Lavinia Reni.
A Nephilim. A witch people called one of the "monsters" in esoteric arts.
But right now—she only looked like a gentle older sister far too soft for a chaotic world.
"Are you feeling better?" she asked softly while applying ointment to Tobio's shoulder.
"Yeah… thank you, Lavi," Tobio replied, though his expression clearly said no, I'm absolutely not okay at all.
Lavinia nodded slightly, but her eyes narrowed just a bit.
"Hmm… but seriously, what exactly happened there? I thought Azazel only sent you for an investigation. Let me just talk to him."
Sae panicked a little "W-Wait, Lavi-san, that—"
"No need," Tobio cut her off, raising his hand even though it made his shoulder bleed again "I'll explain it directly. And… let him hear it too."
Kouki and Sae exchanged looks.
Both of them knew that the "him" in question was not some ordinary person.
Tobio took out his phone, tapping a name in his contacts. It only took seconds before a cheerful voice—completely unfitting for the situation—came through the speaker.
"Yoi, Tobio-kun. How's your vacation, are you having any trouble!?"
Lavinia looked at the phone as if she wanted to throw a snowball at the face behind that voice.
Tobio exhaled, long and tired.
"Vacation my ass, I'm beaten half to death here."
"Eh? What happened over there!?" Azazel's voice jumped an octave, clearly not what he expected.
Tobio recounted everything—from the investigation in Osaka, the mansion turned into a mutation lab, the giant blue slime, until the masked man with an aura that made even his shadow-jin shiver.
Throughout the story, Lavinia paused her ointment several times from shock, while Kouki and Sae in the corner exhaled long, resigned breaths like a living illustration of:
'please don't let us repeat that ever again'
When the story finally ended, the two listeners on the other end fell silent.
"Cheon Ma…" Azazel murmured slowly. "Why does that name sound familiar to me?"
Lavinia raised her head instantly, like a lightbulb turning on above it.
"Azazel-san. Isn't that the name from a manhwa? From that Murim one!!"
Azazel gaped. His voice tried to be rational, but it sounded like someone who just heard a conspiracy theory that was a little too convincing.
"Hah!? Wait, hang on. Lavi, this is not the time to joke."
"But according to Tobio's story doesn't he sound exactly like him!?" Lavinia cut in quickly "That dangerous aura… his fighting style… and he used martial arts that—sorry—but don't sound like techniques from our world!?"
"Hmm…" Azazel sounded like he was rubbing his temples. "Good grief. What now."
Kouki raised a finger. "So… we fought a living manhwa character?"
"Don't say it like that," Sae whispered. "I'm still scared."
Azazel finally sighed.
"Huh… who knows what's happening to the world. For now, just return home. And as for the witnesses…"
Lavinia smiled softly and gave a thumbs-up.
Obviously—she had just finished casting a large-scale memory wipe spell on the surrounding residents. The scene would probably be dismissed as a gas explosion or construction accident. Her magic was gentle, but its effects always hit precisely.
"Alright…" Tobio replied quietly.
"Yeah, stay safe," Azazel said before hanging up.
...
The man with golden bangs lowered his phone while wiping away sweat that really shouldn't appear from just listening to his student's report. He sat down, covering his face with both hands before exhaling like a father who just realized his monthly bills had doubled.
"Cheon Ma… Don't tell me someone from that world is back?" he muttered.
He stared up at the ceiling of his office, eyes empty yet calculating.
'Should I talk to my brother about this? Or one of the major factions? If that person really returned… the supernatural power system could collapse. Heaven's surveillance system should detect an anomaly that big. But there's been no report at all. Could it be that those people… really cannot be detected?'
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Good grief… this is both a headache and fascinating," he said softly.
Azazel let out a short laugh—tired yet excited, the typical laugh of a scientist who just saw disaster and inspiration in the same package.
"I only sent Tobio to Osaka to prevent some lunatics from messing with a Sacred Gear. But what they found was something far crazier."
He stood up, stretching his black wings slowly.
"Haaah… looks like we really need to prepare for a new era."
...
The Shinkansen glided smoothly across the Japanese nightscape, city lights turning into lines of illumination behind the window. I leaned back, stretching a body that still felt like it had been beaten by an entire military brigade.
'Damn, still hurts. Even though I already eased it with Qi.'
I exhaled softly, making sure no passenger was paying attention. Under the seat, my bag shifted a little—or rather, something inside shifted.
The little slime.
A Sacred Gear of the Independent Avatar type that… well, was born from an illegal lab whose report even Azazel would probably be too annoyed to read. The creature was now curled up among spare clothes as if it were its new home.
'Hah… my life keeps getting more absurd. First transmigrating as a homeless guy, now carrying an illegal experimental slime.'
I opened my system for a moment.
[Quest – Investigate the suspicious laboratory in Osaka]
[Quest Completed]
[Reward: +1 Universal Item Gacha Ticket]
'Nice. One more ticket.'
The small slime poked part of its body out through the zipper, its eyes—or whatever they were—blinking curiously.
"Hey, don't come out. This is public transport," I whispered, patting the bag like calming an overactive child.
It slipped back inside.
'This Sacred Gear… I still don't know what rank it is. Considering it came from a lab? Could be low. But that shapeshifting ability… That's useful in a lot of ways.'
I looked out the window. The Shinkansen was slowly entering the outskirts of Kuoh City.
'And I think I've already made enough noise in the supernatural world.'
The good part?
I was starting to gain a name. Starting to be recognized. Even Slash Dog got beaten up because of me.
The bad part?
'There's definitely going to be someone picking a fight after this. The supernatural world never likes newcomers who stand out too much.'
I smiled slightly, even though my ribs still protested.
"What can you do," I murmured. "If someone wants trouble, then… I'll just give them a little Heavenly Demon martial arts."
The train came to a gentle stop.
//--//
If you need more, please visit my Patr3on via the link below:
https://www.patr*eon.com/cw/Mr_Wan
Remove the quotation marks and there are around 10+ chapters available.