Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: No Issues for the Time Being
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I wonder.
After parting ways with Kang Su-ji at the restaurant that morning.
The food that day had been better than expected.
Though I felt bad for getting distracted midway by another veteran's stream.
More importantly.
I got up from my seat, packed my things, and headed out.
Time was running short.
And right on cue, it arrived without fail.
The spot that took about ten minutes to walk to from the bus stop.
Back then, I'd been half-doubting, but advice like "Be careful with money" had turned out true.
Even the part about it being unavoidable.
The room was as sparse as last time.
The worn wooden floor creaked underfoot, and the wallpaper was stained in places.
The scent of aged wood mixed with incense wafted into my nose.
Just like before, she sat there with her face covered by black cloth.
I doubt my past self would've imagined I'd be frequenting a shaman's place.
Still, it was better to get caught up while prepared and at ease than blindsided out of nowhere.
This time, I'd asked for the same reading as before.
Then, from her who had been staring intently at the table scattered with rice grains for a while, a voice emerged.
Hoo—
A deep sigh tinged with some regret.
And once more, a heavy sigh echoed.
Hoo—
For some reason, it made me uneasy.
'What is it... Is the reading bad?'
She slowly raised her head to look at me.
With her face hidden by the cloth, we just stared into each other's eyes like that for a long moment.
My throat went dry.
Her lips parted.
"..For the time being."
Gulp—
Is something about to blow up again?
'Something's coming.'
I kept my eyes fixed on her mouth.
Probably like last time: "Be careful with money," "Danger in the near future," something along those lines.
Then, her lips moved slowly.
"...there are no problems."
"...Pardon?"
"There are no issues at all."
Hoo—
She stated it flatly and extinguished the candle.
As if the divination was complete.
Then.
'...Why the heavy sighs just now?'
Before the questions could pile up, a small ember that hadn't gone out completely sparked briefly from the candlestick with a crackle.
"Many gods are watching over and protecting you from those around you. Thanks to them, you should be free of major problems for a while."
"...Gods, you say?"
She nodded faintly.
"They're blocking the misfortune, bad luck, and incidents heading your way. From what those 'benevolent spirits' create."
I tilted my head in confusion for a moment.
'Benevolent spirits?'
Gods that create misfortune, bad luck, and incidents?
'That... sounds like straight-up malevolent spirits, doesn't it?'
As I muttered that inwardly.
The small ember still lingering in the candle fizzled out with a puff.
White smoke rose, making the air shimmer.
She tilted her head slightly to the side.
From that moment, her voice subtly changed.
Each word came a bit slower.
It carried an echo, as if someone else were borrowing her mouth to speak.
"Even so. Don't think... that will last forever."
The room gradually darkened.
A faint yellow glow leaked from beneath the cloth.
"The gaze of the gods upon you is slowly scattering. The protection directed at you is thinning just as much."
As the last wisp of smoke rose, her voice had completely transformed.
"...The interest of the gods, you see."
She paused for a moment, then continued very slowly.
"...May seem eternal at a glance, but it can vanish like reeds in the wind with a single mistake."
A closed room with the door shut.
She slowly removed the cloth covering her face.
Hot air escaped, and the atmosphere cooled strangely.
Out of habit, I glanced down at my hands.
Black spots had spread hideously across my forearms.
She brushed the spot lightly with her fingertips for a moment.
As if wiping it away would make it disappear.
In truth, though she'd called them benevolent spirits or whatever.
The shift in speech was part performance, part imagery.
It was just a simplified expression tailored for the client visiting the shaman to understand easily.
To be precise—
It was 'Karma.'
Good deeds bring good karma.
Bad deeds bring bad karma.
A single absolute rule set by the world.
No one could freely evade it.
She was no exception.
She merely possessed eyes that could glimpse its flow, however slightly.
Her reincarnation perk.
'Light and Shadow.'
She could intervene in that flow and read it.
When she activated her ability.
The weight of karma accumulated over a person's life visualized as light and shadow.
She divined fortune and misfortune by the amount of light, predicting disasters.
That was the true nature of the 'gods' she spoke of.
Light was good karma.
Shadow was bad karma.
With this ability, she had seen countless people up to now.
And likewise, countless forms of karma had passed before her eyes.
Most were between white and gray.
Rarely did anyone lean heavily toward one side.
And—
She had seen a portion of it.
Among all that light and shadow, it lingered in her memory like an afterimage.
From another altar affiliation.
A high-ranking observer.
His entire body was smeared in darkness so thick no outline could be discerned.
And just now, the other person she'd seen.
The newb.
Not yet a fully formed being.
But she saw the potential growing within, something harbored inside.
If she had to put it into words—
A very small sun.
Why call it potential.
Good karma, unlike bad, could crumble at any time.
'Do good deeds and receive blessings.'
Nice words.
But when one who has accumulated good karma needs it.
That stored good karma flows out to help on its own, but each bit is small and feeble.
Thus, accumulating good karma.
And maintaining it.
Was no easy task.
She slowly lowered her hand.
The stagnant air began to flow again.
The world returned to normal.
There was a long silence.
The room held only the cooled incense scent and the smoke from the extinguished candle.
Then, Shin Seung-ah let out a soft sigh.
"Anyway. Looks like... I need to catch up on streams for a while."
She rose from her seat.
Brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen to one side, she naturally picked up her phone.
A familiar motion.
In just a few seconds, typing sounds filled the screen.
[Title: Newb Broadcast]
—Author: Serious Junkie
Won't be around soon.
[Recommendations 0][Disrecommendations 153]
[Crazy Woman]: Just curse him already.
I can't be the only one suffering.
***
It hadn't been long since escaping the anomaly.
Han Su-ryeon's fingertips still trembled.
The anomaly bureau agent seated in the corner of the cafe silently pushed a cup of warm water toward her.
Dressed in a black suit, expressionless face.
A single business card lay on the table.
[Anomaly Management Bureau Agent Section Chief —]
"Thank you."
She carefully sipped the water.
The agent watched her for a moment before slowly speaking.
"May I ask about your memories from that time?"
She nodded.
"By any chance... When do you remember it starting?"
"The date was December. Time was night, place was a convenience store. The lights suddenly went out, and after that, my memory gets fuzzy."
The agent nodded briefly.
He straightened the record sheet on the table as he continued.
In an even tone.
"After that, once out of the anomaly, have you heard anyone's voice? Or seen any flashing lights?"
"Lights?"
"Yes. Or mechanical sounds. Numbers. Times. Anything that comes to mind or appears, anything at all."
"Are you referring to auditory or visual hallucinations?"
The agent merely smiled faintly without answering.
Han Su-ryeon thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"...No. Nothing like that in particular."
The agent observed her reaction closely.
The flicker in her eyes, the tension in her fingers, the hesitation at the end of her words.
He noted her condition on the record sheet.
"Then, last question. What emotions do you remember?"
"...It was scary."
She whispered lowly.
"Just... everything felt unfamiliar, like I wasn't even sure if I was myself."
The agent set down his pen.
"..That should suffice."
The agent nodded and opened the small silver case on the table.
Inside was a single shimmering white pill.
"If you take this medicine."
His voice was calm.
"The memories from that segment will be completely erased. Any subsequent insomnia or anxiety will vanish as well."
For a moment, even the air seemed to still.
"After taking the pill, the bureau will not contact you separately."
Han Su-ryeon quietly stared at the pill.
A single white dot in the small case.
"So... I'll forget everything?"
She asked.
The agent nodded.
"Yes. You can return to your ordinary daily life. Back to before you were swallowed by the anomaly."
She lightly touched the case with her fingertips.
A small, hard clacking sound rang out.
"...Even if there's something in there I don't want to forget. That'll be lost too?"
A brief silence.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he placed the case back on the table and quietly stood.
"The choice is yours."
“…”
"You seem to need some time, so I'll wait outside the cafe. Let me know when you're ready."
Only the silver case remained on the table.
As he turned to leave, the cafe was now empty.
Just as his hand touched the door handle—
"...What if."
A low but clear voice pierced the agent's ear.
His steps halted.
He slowly turned his head.
Han Su-ryeon was still seated at the table, but her eyes had changed.
"What if I said I want to become an agent right now..."
Her lips trembled ever so slightly.
"...Is that possible?"
The agent said nothing.
His gaze wavered briefly before calming again.
"...It's not that simple. Dealing with monsters—"
Ding—
The door chime rang.
Cold wind seeped inside.
"You asked earlier... If I saw anything.
I didn't see anything, but I felt something."
A moment of silence.
"...It won't be easy.
Even so—
Hasn't your mind changed?"