Mason’s Revenge

Chapter 6: Fairy Juice

"This isn't worth more than $50,000."

Mason raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?”

The appraiser scratched his head, looking uncomfortable. “I wouldn’t bother trying to sell this. No serious collector or dealer would be interested.”

Mason frowned. The thugs had acted like the Buddha statue was worth millions, but now he was stuck with something barely worth the price of a car.

‘Fifty thousand dollars?’ Mason thought, puzzled. Vizas had been desperate to take it back, convinced it was a fortune.

He briefly considered if the appraiser was lying, but he had seen these types before. This man wasn’t interested in deceiving him, just dismissive.

Mason sighed as he left the shop, muttering under his breath, ‘Did those idiots mess up the appraisal?’

He had counted on selling the statue for some quick cash, hoping to use it to hunt for Mythic Items. Now, it seemed like he had wasted his time.

‘Maybe it’s my fault for not checking it thoroughly.’ Mason hadn’t inspected the statue closely before taking it. His instincts usually steered him right when it came to valuable items, but this time something felt off.

‘Why do I still feel like this thing is worth more?’ Mason’s instincts were usually spot on, especially when it involved Mythic Items, thanks to his Seeker ability.

Just as he considered selling it for the $50,000, a strange notification appeared in his vision.

Detect system activated. Suspicious substance detected inside the Buddha statue. -

Mason blinked in surprise. A grin spread across his face. ‘Suspicious substance?’

His eyes gleamed with curiosity, like a child discovering a hidden treasure. The system was part of his Vengeful Artifact abilities, usually used to locate dangerous items. But now, it seemed to be picking up something unusual inside the statue.

‘What did they hide in here?’ Mason wondered, shaking the statue. It felt solid, no sign of anything rattling inside.

Vizas had practically begged for it back, which meant there was more to this statue than its unimpressive value.

‘They hid something valuable in here.’ Mason’s thoughts raced. It could be cash, jewels, or even something they were smuggling to avoid taxes. But something told him it was more dangerous than that.

A sly smile spread across his face. ‘Could it be drugs?’

Mason had seen this kind of trick before. Art smugglers often used expensive pieces to hide illegal items. If Vizas had hundreds of these art pieces in circulation, they could be smuggling something far more valuable than art.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Mason pulled out his Mythic Item knife. With a swift motion, he sliced through the statue, splitting it open with ease. Inside, hidden in the glue, was a small vial of clear liquid.

Mason chuckled. ‘Just as I thought.’

It was a drug, cleverly disguised to look like a harmless saline solution. But Mason knew better. This was Fairy Juice, or FJ—a highly addictive, expensive drug worth a fortune on the black market.

“Those idiots,” Mason muttered. No wonder Vizas had been so desperate. A hundred milliliters of this stuff could fetch an insane price.

Mason studied the vial, considering his next move. He could easily sell it, but that wasn’t his style. He wasn’t about to get involved in the drug trade.

Then, an idea hit him. ‘Why sell it when I can make something better out of it?’

With a grin, Mason pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He had a plan to turn this situation to his advantage without dirtying his hands.

“Hey, Boss. It’s Mason. Sorry for the sudden disappearance earlier. Are you free to talk?” His voice was calm, but his mind was already working through the details.

On the other end, Juliana, Vizas’s sister and the one overseeing the deals, was scrambling. The shipment hadn’t shown up on time, and now Mason had the statue—and the drugs.

Mason smiled to himself. He didn’t care about the compensation or the paltry $50,000 anymore. He had a much bigger reward in mind.

“I’ve got something interesting for you," he said, his grin widening. “And you’re gonna want to hear this."

The next evening, as the clock neared 8 PM, Juliana paced her office, furious. The deal had fallen apart, and her clients were growing impatient. Worse, her idiot brother and his goons had vanished without a word.

“What the hell is going on?” she muttered. “It’s been over a day. Where are they?”

At that moment, the office door burst open. Juliana spun around, expecting her lackeys, her face twisted in anger.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” she snapped, ready to explode. “If you don’t fix this, I swear I’ll throw you all into the ocean!”

However, an unexpected voice interrupted her.

“The ocean is too cold, but how about a cell?”

“...What?!”

The door swung open, revealing the police. To her shock, her lackeys stood among them, handcuffed and looking defeated. Vizas whimpered, beaten and battered, a grimace on his face.

“Juliana, we’re done for...”

“W-What happened?!” she exclaimed, disbelief flooding her voice.

“We received a tip about illegal drug possession and distribution,” the lead officer, Inspector Kim, stated flatly.

“Drugs? We’re art dealers! You can’t just barge in here!” Juliana shouted, anger rising.

“Funny, all criminals say that right before they’re caught,” Inspector Kim replied, pulling out the Buddha statue and a vial of the liquid drugs. He chuckled at the sight.

“Your operations have been uncovered. We’re currently investigating your gallery as well.”

“Gallery?” Panic gripped Juliana. They did have a gallery where they stored their artwork, but the pieces with drugs were secured in safes.

‘It’s fine. Each one has a different passcode. They can’t get in!’

“Stop harassing innocent people without proof! You can’t just invade a business—”

A crackle came from Inspector Kim’s walkie-talkie, cutting her off.

“Detectives found drugs hidden in all 600 pieces of art in the gallery storage. Estimated total: 8000 mL, valued at around $800 million on the market.”

Juliana’s face drained of color. “Who opened the safes?”

Inspector Kim grinned as he produced a pair of handcuffs. “Thanks to a tip from one of your employees.”

Juliana’s mind raced. Only she knew the passcodes to the safes. How could anyone access them without her knowledge?

Inspector Kim answered a call, glancing at her with amusement. “Ah, the person who helped us wants to speak with you.”

He held the phone to her ear, and a familiar, mocking voice came through.

“Hey, old lady. This is why you shouldn’t make people work for no pay.”

Juliana’s eyes widened in shock. “Mason Monroe, you bastard! How could you?!”

“I was going to ask you something, but never mind. You really should change your passcodes more often.”

Fury boiled inside her. “You betrayed me! You stole the passcodes!”

“Not at all. I just remembered a few and shared them.”

Juliana could hardly process his response. “What? You expect me to believe you remember over 600 passcodes?”

The voice on the other end was dismissive. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s not that hard.”

Her blood boiled. “Mason Monroe!”

Juliana fumed, her face flushed with rage. “You won’t get away with this! I’ll make you pay!”

Inspector Kim watched her with pity, shaking his head. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us now.”

“By the way,” Mason’s voice chimed back in, “the $100 million reward for reporting the drug operation will hit your account in a few weeks. Don’t waste it all. Make sure to save it wisely! You know, tie it up in a certificate of deposit!”

Juliana screamed in frustration as the officers led her away, helpless against the chaos unfolding around her.

Mason chuckled as he read Inspector Kim's concerned messages.

“Ganji always worries too much about me.”

The reward would be substantial, especially since they caught the dealers and their supplier.

‘Good thing I remembered the locations of the safes and the passcode patterns.’

Even though it happened twenty years ago, Mason retained most details from his experiences. This ability allowed him to identify Mythic Items without a list. He had watched the thugs enter the passcodes, sneaking glances as they did so.

He felt a twinge of disappointment for not remembering lottery numbers, but that was beside the point.

“Anyway, I don’t need to worry about initial funds anymore.”

Thinking back, he realized he should have acted sooner. Fear and ignorance had held him back. But now, everything was falling into place. He had found a valuable Mythic Item, his systems were advancing, and he just needed to locate the Crypt before Mister Depay did.

‘There might be some Mythic Items out there already.’

He planned to ask Juliana about any other suspicious artworks, noting that Vizas had been in possession of a Mythic Item. However, he doubted she knew much about them.

‘It’s fine. Time to head home and start searching.’

As he approached the villa complex where he lived, his Detect system buzzed with a new message, halting him in his tracks.

-Aura of a suspicious Crypt detected nearby.-

‘What?’

Before him, the familiar lights of residences and office buildings twinkled in the evening. Everything looked normal, except...

“...What happened to my place?”

Mason stared in disbelief. His apartment was gone.