Foundation Newbie's Grudge and the Solver's Debut

Joining the Elite Foundation isn't something any sane person would do. That's a given. The mortality rate is sky-high, and even if you survive, your mind often doesn't come out intact. And if you manage to keep both body and sanity, losing an arm or a leg is par for the course. It's the ultimate high-risk job. And yet, plenty of people work for the Foundation. Because the pay is insanely good.

Conversely, it's rare to find someone who doesn't need the money working there. Ryu Harin, the new recruit, was one such exception.

"Haa... I just want to kill them all..."

That was how Ryu Harin started her day. Or rather, if you could call it starting her day. It was pitch black outside the window. She had to head to work in the dead of night like this.

Going to work stressed her out enough, but truthfully, Ryu Harin was always in a foul mood. Why would someone born into a wealthy family like hers join the Foundation? She claimed it was a sense of justice to protect the world, but really, it was because she was tired of being compared to her relatives.

Her older brother was a neurosurgeon at Woorim Medical Center. Her cousin brother was an internist at a university hospital, her cousin sister was the deputy head of family medicine there. Of her second cousins, one was a lawyer, the other a pharmacist. An elite family through and through.

But Ryu Harin had gone downhill ever since failing her college entrance exams. Then she got into the Foundation, and now here she was, "protecting the world."

I'm greater than all those older siblings. I'm saving more people, and I make more money. She clung to that one thought as she threw herself into the job.

"Ririri Detective Agency? ...Never heard of it."

"It's not like we have any better options, right? They've even got a newbie out here, so it feels like they're scraping the bottom of the barrel from everywhere."

"Hmm..."

She had to head out on a call the moment she clocked in. And upon arriving at the scene, she overheard two people talking.

"But is this person really any good?"

"They took down the Kunekune. Since we're in this mess anyway, why not give them a shot?"

"Sigh, I just hope we don't end up with more victims. If you're recommending them that strongly, fine, let's call them in."

The man sighed. His name was Park Jong-cheol. He was a section chief at the Foundation and the one in command of this anomaly incident. The woman's name... unknown. All Ryu Harin knew was that she was a Mimyungkun. Her hair was dyed flashy colors, and she always wore a black mask. This enigmatic woman, whose thoughts were usually impossible to read, was uncharacteristically recommending someone.

What a pointless effort.

Ryu Harin thought. She'd caught the word "solver," but that just meant an outsider. How much help could an untrained civilian be? They'd probably just add another victim. And that might even be the best-case scenario. A single minor slip-up could lead to the whole team's annihilation sometimes.

Whoever it was, she hoped they wouldn't drag everyone down.

"Ah, hello..."

Soon, the outsider arrived at the scene.

...?

A kid?

"Fr-from the Ririri Detective Agency... I'm the director, Mayuri... Pl-please take care of me..."

"Looks like it, but she's the same age as me. Born in '00."

The Mimyungkun added that as if to clarify.

Born in '00 with that appearance...? It was so unbelievable that for a moment, Ryu Harin wondered if she was actually a Muksi Saengmyeongche.

***

How did things end up like this?

To explain, I first need to mention that our agency hadn't had a single client.

"...Why is that?"

Why on earth no clients...?

I opened Mimyungnet and searched for "cutegirl."

Searching for "Ririri," on the other hand, turned up nothing noteworthy.

Weird... I'd been reporting monsters left and right on Mimyungnet, spreading our agency's name far and wide. Even the users there were starting to acknowledge me.

So why no clients...?

"...Maybe reports alone aren't enough."

After some serious self-analysis, there was only one conclusion.

Finding monsters others missed was impressive for a spotter, but it didn't translate to fame as a solver.

In fact, the Ririri Detective Agency's track record currently stood at just one case.

I'd even taken down the One Person Factory Manager. But since that was before I became a solver, it didn't count toward our agency's record.

So Kunekune was our only official solve. Of course, it was a Threat Level 4 monster—one neither the Foundation nor the Task Force could handle. I pulled it off.

But maybe they think, "Some noob got lucky."

...I wouldn't know if "luck" applies to solving monsters.

Sigh...

"...No more free monster reports from now on."

I opened the encyclopedia.

No matter how many times I checked, it was still just six entries.

Clearly, just knowing about a monster and reporting it doesn't fill the encyclopedia. Even direct encounters like the "Abandoned Shopping District" didn't register.

To sum up: I have to get caught in an anomaly, recognize the monster clearly, then either resolve it myself or survive the encounter.

Either way, I have to face the monster head-on.

'Reporting did earn me decent cash without risking my life.'

And it got our agency on the industry's radar. But for more publicity, more reports won't cut it.

Time to build a rep as a solver, not just a spotter. If people see me actually resolving monsters, their view of me should change.

With that in mind, I called 'Geom-ma.'

"...Could you hook me up with a job?"

After some serious begging, I got the okay to come to the scene.

"This is a one-time thing."

Geom-ma sighed when we met there.

"You solved the Kunekune, but a referral code alone feels a bit light. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠So I'm helping just this once."

"Thank you..."

"Looks like I don't have anything else to do here, so I'll head out."

Mimyungkun only spot monsters—they don't get involved in resolutions. So Geom-ma left.

So steadfast. Ugh... now I'm alone... Kinda lonely.

As I thought that, the man approached me.

"You're here to help, right? Could you sign this NDA first? It's Foundation confidential."

I nodded and took the NDA and pen. His badge read "Section Chief Park Jong-cheol."

He eyed me suspiciously.

"You're a solver, right?"

"Yes, that's right..."

"...You sure you can actually handle this?"

He looked uncomfortable—not at me personally, but at the situation itself.

I realized: 'Cause I'm the universe's greatest cutie...?'

The world's most beautiful girl stood before him. Forcing her into danger would weigh on anyone's conscience.

Hah. Being this pretty comes with problems. Can't exactly make myself ugly, so deal with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

"I-It's fine! I've got this!"

"...Honestly, I can't buy it. You look like such a kid..."

Section Chief Park Jong-cheol glanced around.

"I'll assign one of our staff to you. If it gets dangerous, come right back."

And take these with you. He handed me some items and left.

I packed them one by one. Once I had everything, it was time to resolve the anomaly. Alone.

'...Miss Ari and Lisa already.'

I sighed without thinking. I hadn't brought Ari or Lisa. Nor stored them in the locker. They were probably chilling at home watching TV.

Since I could summon them anytime with "Call," location didn't matter.

Besides, they wouldn't help much against this monster. More precisely, handling it solo was way more efficient.

Still, being alone among strangers felt kinda lonely.

I stood up, thinking that.

"Hold on. You forgot the most important thing."

As I geared up to head out, an irritated voice called from behind.

Familiar voice... I turned to see a woman in a suit.

"No manual? And you call yourself a pro solver?"

She thrust the manual at me.

Ah, the manual... Totally unnecessary. I already knew what the monster was.

Was gonna leave it to lighten the load... But no reason to reveal my game knowledge.

As I took it, her face looked familiar.

"Huh."

"...? What's up?"

She looked down at me puzzled. Sure enough, her badge read "Employee Ryu Harin."

"N-Nothing..."

I brushed it off. Ryu Harin. One of the game's NPCs with a prickly personality, but always popular in rankings anyway. Reason being:

"Just so you know, I've resolved anomalies like this plenty of times?"

Superstar Anchovy—no, Ryu Harin said.

"So if you wanna live, don't drag me down and follow close."

Hmm...

"O-Okay... F-Fighting...!"

"...What kind of attitude is that?"