The Calamity-Class Artifacts in Ghost Stories Are Obsessed with Me - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Calamity-Class Relics from Urban Legends Obsess Over Him — Chapter 39
Ujoo’s expression went blank the moment he laid eyes on Cerberus.
He hadn’t immediately recognized the three-headed dog’s name upon seeing it.
But a body the size of a house and three heads left him no choice but to stay wary.
Pant-pant!
Which is why he was all the more startled when Cerberus flipped onto its back and began playing cute.
The gesture reminded him exactly of the dog he’d had as a child.
For the same reason, Ujoo noticed it wanted its belly rubbed and his hand moved reflexively.
Pant-pant!
As he stroked its belly, the creature’s tail wagged with even greater joy.
It was right then that Ujoo recalled the name Cerberus.
The dog from Greek mythology.
“You’re Happy, right?”
Woof!
Cerberus, known by the name Happy, barked with delight and wagged its tail in agreement.
Only then did Ujoo manage to settle his bewilderment and began earnestly rubbing the creature’s belly.
For all that its frame towered over his own and sported three heads, it was actually rather endearing the longer he looked.
“Sit!”
Yelp!
“Stand! Shake! Play dead!”
Woof!
Happy obeyed each command in turn — sitting, standing, offering its paw, even collapsing with convincing drama.
“Good dog!”
As Ujoo praised it and patted its head, Happy’s tail thrashed as if turbocharged.
But he and Happy weren’t alone in that tent.
Ah-ah…!
Smile stood at the tent’s entrance, witnessing the whole thing.
His face was twisted in a grimace that bore no resemblance to his name.
Yet Ujoo never once glanced his way, playing with Happy in pure delight.
Hadn’t Smile himself said so?
That all he had to do here was spend ten minutes playing joyfully with Happy!
“Fetch!”
Pant-pant-pant!
Ujoo was truly enjoying himself!
Each time Happy’s massive frame bolted away and returned with the ball in its jaws, Ujoo would pretend to pet its head before snatching the ball back and throwing it again.
Then Happy would dutifully race off and retrieve it once more.
“My goodness, what a good boy! And so obedient too!”
So Smile was left to watch, feeling as though his own pet had been stolen by a stranger.
Thus those ten minutes passed — fleeting for Ujoo, but an eternity for Smile.
Stop! That’s it! Time’s up!
Smile cried out in a loud voice the instant ten minutes elapsed.
Ujoo, who’d been absorbed in play with Happy, turned back with a question.
“Already? There’s no extension?”
There isn’t! How could there be! It’s impossible!
Smile’s voice was firm and uncompromising.
At that, Ujoo and Cerberus both drooped, their tails falling.
“I suppose there’s no help for it. Take care now.”
Whimper….
Watching Ujoo and Cerberus exchange that wistful farewell, Smile’s face contorted even further.
Ujoo gave Cerberus’s head one last stroke before rising and walking slowly away.
“Is it really out of the question to come back here?”
It is!
“Why?”
Because there are so many other attractions at our Smile Park! Please! I do hope you’ll enjoy some of those instead!
“Hmm. Well, I suppose that’s that. But if nothing else appeals to me, I can come back here, can’t I? This place has rather captured my heart — I’m not sure other attractions will compare.”
Do take your time exploring! I’m certain something will catch your fancy!
At Smile’s words, Ujoo nodded and exited the tent.
The moment he stepped outside, he put distance between himself and Smile, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings.
Good. I’ve mapped the location clearly.
Naturally, he hadn’t actually been so absorbed in Cerberus that his mind wandered off entirely for those ten minutes.
Playing with Cerberus while simultaneously peering beyond the tent.
It was possible because wearing the Bangsangsi Tal enhanced his Detection Ability regarding Anomalies.
And there had been results.
Before being captured by Smile and dragged into the tent, he’d glimpsed something—and now he’d pinpointed its location with certainty.
‘Deepest inside.’
Ujoo’s gaze fixed in one direction.
There stood the largest building in all of Smile Park.
The one that read ‘Theater.’
After lingering on it briefly, Ujoo quickened his pace and located the others.
Fortunately, Ryu Seondam and Chae Wol weren’t far away.
Chae Wol was admiring flowers nearby, while Ryu Seondam was drinking a beverage.
Of course, neither was truly at leisure.
They’d simply chosen what appeared safest in order to avoid Smile’s attention.
And “safe” was relative—the flowers Chae Wol examined were carnivorous blooms, and the drink stand where Ryu Seondam stood had a sign plainly reading: “Lucky or Unlucky! Try to find the beverage with poison!”
“Neither of you encountered any trouble?”
“No.”
“No.”
Ujoo relaxed inwardly seeing that neither bore injuries, and spoke.
“I’ve determined the fugitive entered that ornate building.”
“I see. Shall we move, then?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
With little time to spare, the decision came swiftly.
The three moved immediately toward the ornate structure at the park’s innermost point.
“Ahahaha!”
-Excellent! That’s it!
As they moved, fragments of laughter and Smile’s voice drifted toward them.
But Ujoo deliberately did not look that way.
He had no mental space for distractions now.
After experiencing several incidents already, Ujoo had come to a firm realization.
The items he carried—Artifacts, all of them—possessed formidable power without exception.
But that didn’t mean they could solve everything.
‘I could certainly fight this Smile character.’
Even without certainty of victory, he wouldn’t go down pathetically.
The problem came after.
If he won?
Would the people trapped here simply be freed, and this place return to normal?
The answer was no.
The Iron Pipe wasn’t a universal item that solved every problem.
But it was undeniably a formidable weapon.
When the moment came, he would wield it without hesitation.
“We’re nearly there.”
While Ujoo turned these thoughts over, they arrived at the ornate building’s entrance.
A signboard reading “Happy Smile Theater” hung prominently there.
-Welcome! An entertaining performance will begin shortly! Come in quickly!
Before it, Smile stood beaming, gesturing for people to enter.
It was profoundly repellent, but retreat was impossible.
He was certain the target was hidden inside.
Right now, through the eye-holes of the Bangsangsi Tal, he could make out the figure’s outline.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
The three didn’t deliberate long, crossing the threshold into the theater.
Beyond the grand doors, the interior proved as resplendent as its facade.
Red carpet spread across the floor, and gilded wallpaper glimmered as if dusted with gold leaf.
The crowning jewel was a chandelier suspended from the ceiling.
It resembled jewelry woven together, casting brilliant light in all directions.
“It’s surprisingly not gloomy at all.”
“No. Actually, it’s extremely lavish.”
“It’s that way.”
Speaking in hushed tones, the three proceeded slowly deeper inside.
Though it was called a theater, there was no ticket inspection or anything of that sort.
“This way, please!”
“Just take any seat you’re comfortable with!”
Instead, Smiles positioned themselves throughout the space, offering directions with an almost oppressive kindness.
‘Open seating. Thank goodness.’
Ujoo thought this to himself as he listened to the Smiles.
He’d been wondering how to approach his target naturally, but open seating meant he could just walk right up, didn’t it?
The others seemed to have the same idea—after exchanging glances, they fell into step directly behind Ujoo.
Only he knew the exact location.
So the moment Ujoo passed through the hall and stepped inside, he headed straight for his target.
The interior of the theater was just as ornate as the lobby.
‘This is exactly the kind of theater where those operas I used to see on TV would’ve been performed.’
If the circumstances had been different, he would’ve lingered to admire it all, but unfortunately there was no time for that.
His target was now just within reach.
Step, step—
He continued walking through the quiet theater.
And so, when he finally reached the middle section of the seating.
Ujoo could see his target directly with his own eyes.
‘More ordinary than I expected.’
Ujoo’s brow furrowed slightly.
The target he now saw was far more unremarkable than what he’d imagined.
Black hair, black eyes. An impression he felt he might’ve brushed past once or twice before.
Average height, average build—nothing that stood out in the slightest.
“…….”
Ujoo walked toward this unremarkable figure in silence, with Ryu Seondam and Chae Wol following behind.
When they’d drawn level with the target.
Whoosh!
Suddenly the figure’s head snapped around to look at Ujoo.
And then he spoke in a smooth, measured voice.
“It took longer than I expected.”
Just as Ujoo was about to respond, someone behind him answered first.
“There was a lot to see here and there. By the way, so you really were with the Security Team.”
The Security Team.
At those words, Ujoo glanced at the figure’s clothes and confirmed it was indeed a uniform he’d seen a few times at the Inspection Bureau.
A nondescript navy uniform.
Honestly, he wouldn’t have recognized it as a Security Team uniform before hearing that just now.
“It’s the most convenient position for moving around. Though it was quite difficult to get in.”
“And yet you abandoned it so easily?”
“Well, I gave it some thought, but I still think it was a decent choice.”
The figure smiled as he spoke.
“Leaving things alone seemed like they’d become even more dangerous.”
As he said this, his gaze turned toward Ujoo.
“You possess a truly extraordinary ability. And it doesn’t seem to have manifested that long ago, either.”
It wasn’t hard to guess what ability he meant.
If Ujoo had any ability, it was surely his power to draw in Artifacts.
But there was still something he didn’t understand.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been better to ambush me secretly?”
The whole affair seemed to have achieved little, which is what prompted the question.
The figure answered simply to Ujoo’s doubt.
“An ambush would be pointless. You’d probably be caught before we could even try anything. This place is far better——”
“Ujoo. Strike now.”
Before the figure could finish.
Ryu Seondam gave the order to Ujoo at swift speed.
Ujoo reacted almost reflexively, swinging the Iron Pipe he was holding.
Fully confident it would connect.
Crack!
And his expectation proved exactly right.
The figure couldn’t even react before it was crushed.
Yet as Ujoo looked at the result, his expression darkened.
The target struck by the Iron Pipe scattered like sand, drifting down.
Ryu Seondam spoke up.
“Well, the operation was a success.”
“What? It succeeded?”
“Yes. Ah, that thing was made that way from the start. It was never human to begin with.”
As Ujoo tilted his head, not quite grasping the meaning, Ryu Seondam spoke again.
“Wait a moment and the core should emerge. Ah, there it is.”
Ryu Seondam said as much and reached into the sand, grasping something firmly in his hand.
It was a Core Orb.
A sphere with black liquid sloshing inside it.
“Now we just need to take this and leave.”
As Ujoo felt an oddly anticlimactic sense of dissatisfaction at how the ending had turned out,
“Hmm. Let me correct myself. First, we need to escape this place safely.”
This time there was no need to ask what he meant.
—Who dares defile this sacred theater!
A deafening roar erupted throughout the entire theater immediately after.
Turning his head, Ujoo saw Smiles pouring into the theater.
They were charging forward with their faces twisted into savage grimaces.
“I did try to hold them back, but it seems I wasn’t quite enough.”
At Ryu Seondam’s words, Ujoo lifted the Iron Pipe and spoke.
“Well, there’s nothing for it.”
What else could they do now that things had come to this?
“We’ll break through.”
They’d have to force their way out.
To be continued ▶
Calamity-Class Relics from Urban Legends Cling to Him
Author
This World’s CEO
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260410110
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※ Pentagram is waiting for your precious manuscript.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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