Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Scout Offer
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The day began to gradually darken.
[Han Su-ryeon: Alpha. I've arrived home!]
[Han Su-ryeon: [Photo][Photo][Photo]]
[Han Su-ryeon: Heehee, it's been so long since I've been in my room.]
[Han Su-ryeon: (Happy rabbit meme)]
[Han Su-ryeon: (Bouncing rabbit meme)]
Good thing she made it in safely.
No questions asked, so no need to reply.
With a smile.
He immediately swiped the notification away with his hand.
He picked up his phone again and continued what he was doing.
[Title: Part-time interview review—how bad is it?]
—Posted by: Newb120053
(Round gloomy cone meme, roughly)
Didn't get the hourly wage lololol
Then I went to a cafe part-time interview.
Rejected for being too honest.
How bad is this?
I'm so depressed.
[Likes 12][Dislikes 0]
[Pa Cheonhwang]: Isn't that not "not paying" the part-time wage, but actually unable to pay it?
ㄴ[Flounder]: Wow, what a person. This is why the Suppression Squad—
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: ..What a total asshole. Convenience store owner! Even if you die, you gotta pay the part-time wage!
Watching the two bicker.
A question came flying.
ㄴ[Flounder]: Lololololololol
ㄴ[Flounder]: More importantly, why'd you go to the cafe?
ㄴ[Newb120053]: I originally had interviews at a convenience store and a cafe.
ㄴ[Newb120053]: They had me taste the coffee and asked what I thought, so I answered honestly and got instantly rejected. Is this right?
ㄴ[Narita]: Ahem. That's because you lacked service smile.
ㄴ[Narita]: More than that.. Nobita, are you on the Investigator side? Or the Suppression Squad side? You definitely seem talented on the physical side!!
Seeing the "talented in physical" comment made a thought suddenly pop into his head.
Lately, he'd been wondering if his body was changing a bit.
Before, he'd get out of breath just climbing stairs.
Now, even sprinting up to his floor didn't leave him that winded.
And he hadn't been exercising separately.
He hadn't trained hard enough in the past month to see such noticeable changes.
He didn't even take protein supplements or vitamins.
His lifestyle habits were the same as always.
Yet, strangely, his body kept getting better.
Less fatigue, and it felt like his muscles were gaining strength.
Then, after clearing the convenience store anomaly this time, that vague suspicion turned into certainty.
His stamina and strength had definitely improved.
More than before.
'At least 1.5 times better?'
'Could this be...'
Is it like contamination from entering anomalies?
Or did my constitution just change?
Honestly, he was a little worried.
It didn't seem like something to just celebrate because he got stronger.
Who knows what side effects might come later.
Continuing his thoughts, he looked back at the gallery.
The gallery was still embroiled in its chaotic civil war.
Flames everywhere, familiar veterans locked in heated debates.
He watched the scene for a moment, then moved his hand.
Come to think of it.
The worry he'd just had was one that didn't need worrying.
Because the people who knew more about this change than anyone were gathered right in front of his eyes.
[Title: Come to think of it. My body somehow]
—Posted by: Newb120053
Come to think of it. My body somehow.
Feels tougher and more resilient lately.
Any veterans among the dead who know why this is happening?
Not sure if it's good or bad.
[Human Centipede]: No idea? Nah, Newb. You might not know. You've only been diving into anomalies for just over a month? And you've cleared six already? Insane lolololol
That's when another veteran jumped in.
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: That's because when you clear an anomaly, some of its energy seeps into your body. There's a paper on the exact mechanism, but we just call it reinforcement.
ㄴ[Newb120053]: Reinforcement?
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: Yeah, it varies by talent, but when you neutralize or destroy an anomaly, most people see their physical potential increase in the general case.
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: A handful get it in the brain area, another handful in sensory abilities. In extremely rare cases... a completely new ability might even unlock.
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: Like in a game. Suppression Squad
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: Besides what I just said, there's one exception. Talent. Everyone has their own talent.
ㄴ[Pa Cheonhwang]: Some might absorb only 10 units of energy from clearing the same anomaly, while others take in 100 or 200 at once. Suppression Squad
Right after clearing the convenience store anomaly.
His body, on the verge of collapse, suddenly regained its energy.
It felt like 'something' inside his body was restarting somewhere.
He realized it wasn't just tension release or adrenaline.
It was probably the 'reinforcement' phenomenon Pa Cheonhwang mentioned.
Thanks to that, his doubts were mostly cleared up.
Except for the 'Suppression Squad' tacked onto the end of every comment, which grated on him.
He had a gut feeling that mentioning it would lead to something exhaustingly troublesome, so he didn't ask.
After organizing his thoughts, he added a (Thanks meme) to the comments and opened the delivery app.
He needed a gift today.
For himself.
—Order complete.
He tried not to use his credit card if possible, but the stock sale money would come in next week, so he could cover it.
As he tossed his phone aside and lay on the bed to catch his breath, it vibrated.
Vrrr—
He picked up the phone again before it fully hit the bed.
[Kang Su-ji]
[By any chance, Do-yoon. Are you free right now?]
***
He checked the message and immediately got ready before heading out.
Conveniently, it wasn't far from home.
The chicken might get a bit cold, but he'd endure it.
"Over here!"
Kang Su-ji was visible in the distance.
As he approached, she spotted him and came over.
"Did I keep you waiting? Sorry."
"No. My place is close, so I got here quick."
Kang Su-ji glanced around, steadied her breath, and spoke.
"Um.. actually… I came to make one proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Yes. I was going to mention it during our last call, but… I worried it'd be too much if I contacted you too often."
She smiled cautiously.
Her expression was tense yet prepared.
As he felt a bit puzzled, her mouth opened.
"You know our team, right? The Investigation Team operating under the Anomaly Bureau. Senior Kim Seung-tae is stepping away for personal reasons this time."
At those words, he nodded.
The guy rescued from the Doppelganger Maze anomaly last time.
He'd heard about the marriage through Kim Sera.
Thanks to that, another hole had opened in his wallet.
"So, we were looking for someone new to fill that spot…"
She took a small breath.
"We talked it over, and one person immediately came to mind."
"..No way."
After a brief pause, she smiled.
"Yes."
A subtle expectation gleamed in her eyes.
"To be precise, not a regular agent, but a 'freelance agent under the Anomaly Bureau.'"
"Freelance agent…?"
"Ah. Well, it's like… much broader authority and freedom of movement! Probably considering you're a mercenary, Alpha, so the Bureau made accommodations."
Like a freelancer?
"Truthfully, it's not fully our team, per se."
Seeing no big reaction from him.
She fidgeted with her fingers, then seemed to steel herself.
She opened her mouth like she was promoting, unfolding her fingers one by one.
"The salary's higher than a big corp's annual pay! Plus extra allowances! Bonus income for discovering rules too!"
Hm.
Was she trying to persuade him?
"And full four insurances covered!"
He listened quietly for now.
"Life Allowance too!"
At 'Life Allowance,' his closed mouth opened.
"Is that good?"
"Uh… well. If you die, you can't spend it anyway… but the amount's decent! It's paid quarterly combined, so it takes a bit of time to receive… Ah, that's not important!"
She smiled awkwardly.
Soon, she rallied her spirits and continued.
"And! This is my personal top recommendation. The Five-Star Company Cafeteria!"
"…Five-star?"
"Of course, not literally five-star. But it tastes just as good! The lab director invests a ton in food costs."
He looked at her silently.
She kept smiling, but her eyes were serious.
"Half joke, half serious. Truthfully, I personally think… we need someone we can work with long-term while smiling."
To lighten the mood, he gave a small smile.
"That sounds like a threat."
"..It's a lure."
Her eyes held something heavy as she replied.
"..Above all, this job… you can't do it unless you choose it yourself."
He did feel the need.
The first few times, he'd luckily resolved anomalies and gotten fair compensation.
After that, as he kept smashing anomalies.
…He no longer needed rulebooks provided.
And it became hard to get rewards tied to them.
Above all, anomalies.
Weren't something he could avoid just by saying 'I don't want to meet them.'
So.
If he was going to encounter them anyway, shouldn't he at least make money?
He spoke to her, who watched him anxiously.
"Let's eat first. Headhunting means you're buying, right?"
Her face brightened at his words.
"Yes! I've got money! Order whatever, even expensive stuff!"