Probably Just That One Researcher, Huh?
"It's supposed to be an old building, but the inside is spotless."
"It's mysteriously high-tech, like something out of sci-fi,"
"Even though it's small-scale, they did a lot of cutting-edge research here, so they remodeled frequently."
Park Seong-yoon explained like a tour guide as we marveled at our surroundings.
The place we'd come to today was a national research institute in Gyeonggi Province. The National Monster Ecology Research Institute, I think that was the name. It hadn't always been that, of course—they'd hastily repurposed some other lab for this.
"Welcome! Lady Elishe Calamity! Thank you so much for visiting us."
"Nice to meet you."
A researcher in a white lab coat approached us mid-sightseeing and greeted us. His bow was an enthusiastic ninety degrees—almost overly so. But it wasn't just flattery; it brimmed with genuine joy and anticipation. Guess that meant the expectations were sky-high.
And the reason I'd come here today? Those three monster byproducts I'd stashed in the freezer.
"How about a quick inspection of the facility?"
"...No, inspection? Really?"
I got the gist, but this guy... Treating me like some big boss. He must be really eager. Can't blame him, though. After I gave the okay through Seong-yoon, things had dragged on forever. Over a month of negotiations, easy.
Apparently, when we sent that tiny sample, opinions split hard in the government. Big differences in assessing its utility and value.
"Uh, then... what was it? Oversight? No. Right—would you like to take a tour? The facilities are pretty basic, so it won't take long."
"What do you think? Sound fun?"
I turned to the group behind me. Today's crew: two people. Seong-yoon, the de facto handler for this deal, and Su-yeon, who wouldn't let go of me.
Seong-yoon looked indifferent; Su-yeon seemed pretty intrigued.
"I've already toured it before."
"Ah."
That explained it. I was a little curious myself, so I accepted the offer.
"Sure, lead the way."
"Yes, ma'am!"
He must've had plenty of practice guiding tours—right after I agreed, he smoothly started leading us around.
"Even though our institute is called an ecology research center, what we actually do is pretty different from studying ecosystems."
He kicked things off lightly, taking us first to the preservation room. It was cold as a freezer warehouse, with transparent cases neatly arranged and displayed. Inside: monster corpses of all kinds. Some preserved whole, others just horns, claws, or extracted parts.
"Whoa... it's like a museum."
"They're in great condition."
"This is our institute's pride and joy. Honestly, seeing this covers pretty much everything. We meticulously process and prepare the corpses supplied by raid teams like yours."
Impressive tech. These were creatures totally unlike Earth's animals, and they were already handling them like pros.
"There are already several similar institutes set up. But when it comes to corpse management, we confidently claim to be the best."
"Thanks to the director?"
"Exactly."
The director here was Jo Yu-ri, I recalled. A doctor who'd already made waves in biotech. One reason I'd picked this place. Seong-yoon said she was a rare non-combat awakener. She could infuse mana to read partial info from objects. Not great for combat, and since it leaned alchemical, they classified her as non-combat.
"Her abilities have gotten stronger lately, too."
"Something happen?"
"She climbed the tower."
Ah, that was how. Makes sense—the tower might benefit non-combat types even more. Ability growth often happens in battle, where those key "enlightenments" or "awakenings" hit at life-or-death moments.
"...The director still hasn't cracked the analysis on that last sample we got, though."
"Different league altogether."
Bonus: the director was unintentionally the main holdup in the stalled talks. Her ability hadn't gleaned a thing from the sample. Sparked debates on whether we even needed material too advanced for current handling.
"Sorry, got carried away. Next up: the processing room."
Noticing Su-yeon starting to look bored, the researcher hustled us along.
The processing room had high-tech gear for prepping monster corpses before preservation. All custom-made, from the looks of it—slicing through flesh that could tank missiles was a sight.
"Can't they just use that to hunt monsters?"
"...Portability's a nightmare, duh."
We got fun tours of the material testing room, analysis lab, dynamics simulation room, and more. Afterward, we shared our thoughts.
"Definitely different... or just as expected?"
"The name's the only pretentious part."
"Haha, spot on. Closer to new materials engineering than ecology. We do analyze monster ecosystems, but... it's not the main focus."
How'd it end up like this? Some congressman tossed out "Monster Ecology Research" during the rushed setup, and it stuck.
"So half-assed."
"World's like that. Shall we go meet the director now?"
Laughing in agreement with Su-yeon's mutter, the researcher got back to business.
The facilities were basic, but we'd spent nearly an hour. Hope she wasn't annoyed at the wait.
We arrived at the director's office and exchanged greetings.
"Thrilled you took an interest in our institute. As director, I'm overjoyed. Did they show you the new equipment we got? The cuts are so clean."
"Clean is good?"
"Makes analysis easier."
Director Jo Yu-ri seemed downright cheerful. Probably, the tour wasn't the researcher's impulse—it was her pre-planned pitch. Heard she'd switched majors post-awakening to leverage her ability. Looked like she was loving the work.
Slightly concerning bits aside.
"But Lady Elishe Calamity... I heard you weren't being very proactive for a while. What changed?"
We'd been chatting casually when she suddenly asked.
Like she said, even with the stall, I hadn't pushed. Didn't really want anything specific, and Seong-yoon was handling it enthusiastically despite her grumbles.
"Mm. Needed some cash."
No reason to hide it, so I said so. Same as my chat with Mr. Jo Cheol-min about the tower.
"...Wait, that's the reason?"
The director sounded a bit thrown.
"Yeah. Problem?"
"Oh, no, not at all. You're... honest. Very honest."
Her tone had an odd vibe.
"From what I know, your influence in that region is huge. No one in their right mind would want to piss off someone like you."
"Really?"
Hearing her cautious words, yeah, it checked out. Still, there's always that idiot. Fighting over money wasn't very magical girl-esque, and transforming every time felt lame. Better to settle it upfront if possible. Plus, with perception inhibition, my position was unique. Even if they sucked up to Elishe Calamity, it wouldn't easily link back to Ha Seol-hee. The distortion kept the two identities separate.
"Got your motivations now. This should move things forward."
She nodded. Whatever my reasons, it was good news for her. She'd been eyeing those corpses hard.
Short and simple, but that wrapped up the main point of today's visit. Wasn't a deep agenda anyway. Exact amounts and terms would come later via Seong-yoon and the negotiation team.
All that mattered was showing intent: interest in the matter, direction on compensation, and proving I'd step up.
"One question for you, Director."
"Yes?"
With things wrapped, I called her out. Something had been bugging me.
"What happened to your left eye?"
"Pardon?"
"Your eye?"
The two listening beside me piped up in confusion. Su-yeon aside, even Seong-yoon... still got some growing to do.
"Oh? You noticed?"
The director asked, surprised.
Her left eye looked fine superficially, but it was damaged underneath. I nodded, and she took a sip of her desk coffee, looking sheepish.
"Well... when I got a reward from the tower, curiosity hit me. 'How does the tower make this possible?'"
"Whoa. And you just... did it?"
"Hehe... Can't resist a mystery."
She'd blasted mana at the tower and used her ability. Huh. Dangerous one?
"Saw nothing useful, but my eye got wrecked. On the plus side, I learned it manifests through my eyes."
"What happened exactly?"
"Like exploring vast space beyond the universe. Endless voids linking spaces. Just as something came into view... my eye blew, and consciousness snapped back."
Her answer to Seong-yoon's question was intriguing, even if awkward in front of the injured party. Sounded like the ability worked somewhat, just backlashed from fumbling too deep.
Couldn't even analyze a mere Sanrochi before, but it partially pierced the tower. And against something wielding authority-level power, the damage was minimal. Like the tower gently bounced her out.
"A healer with capacity will treat it soon, so no worries."
"That's a relief!"
"Mind if I take a quick look?"
I spoke up as they relaxed hearing about the healer.
"Sure? Go ahead."
Eye damage alone wasn't hard to heal. But this wasn't ordinary—even suppressed, tower authority lingered like a trace, influencing it. Amateur healing could cause side effects.
I formed an ice crystal and sent it to her eye.
Crackle—
"...?"
"Not a normal injury, so I patched it a bit."
Destroyed the authority's remnant. Full recovery would be ideal, but healing wasn't my thing. My transformation name was Calamity... disaster.
"Don't use your ability on anything that feels risky. It won't always end safely."
If we're handing over corpses, maybe tweak them more. Hate complications.
I inwardly sighed, watching her surprised hand touch her eye.
Shouldn't modern researchers be smarter? Why do those alchemists come to mind... Nah, probably just her.