Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Rene
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The Anomaly Management Control Department boasted nearly 130 years of deep-rooted history.
Back in 1897, when the Korean Empire was established, it had launched as the nation's first official institution to deal with anomalous phenomena, gathering shamans, exorcists, fortune-tellers, religious figures, and the like from across the country.
Thanks to that, it remained one of Asia's largest anomaly management organizations to this day.
Why, even with a neighboring country boasting a population in the hundreds of millions?
Because that country had smashed its own culture to pieces with its own hands.
Even the shamans hadn't escaped that disaster, or so the stories went. The aftermath still left China struggling with a manpower shortage.
Anyway... Even this massive behemoth of an Anomaly Management Control Department had once been cleaved in two.
In 1941, around the time Japanese oppression peaked and the Pacific War broke out. Internal strife had erupted among the Management Bureau's leadership.
"We must actively exploit anomalous phenomena to drive the Japanese bastards off this land" versus "Anomalous phenomena must never be revealed to the world."
After over thirty years of Japanese oppression, plenty of agents were worn down. About a third of the Bureau's personnel had defected, or so the records said.
Their initial goal had been noble, no doubt.
Resist the Management Bureau's abuse of power and monopoly on anomalous phenomena.
Even if it meant using the extreme tool of anomalies, they would save the people being plundered by the Japanese.
Tear down the high walls the Bureau had built and wield anomalies more aggressively for the sake of the people.
But... before the passage of eighty years, their purpose began to blur.
Eventually, only the "tear down the high walls the Bureau has built" part remained, birthing a chaos-aligned terrorist group.
That was the origin of the anti-Bureau organization, Advent of Chaos.
So why bring up this story out of nowhere?
"Because I'm bored."
I muttered softly and opened my eyes.
A pristine white ceiling filled my vision.
"I wanted to say 'an unfamiliar ceiling,' but..."
Unfortunately, it wasn't unfamiliar.
It was the familiar ceiling of the isolation room I'd seen every time I played as a Management Bureau affiliate.
Turning my gaze to the side revealed a stark white room.
Unlike the typical image of an "isolation cell," it had everything one might need.
A desk and chair, a computer, books and shelves lining one wall. It surprisingly resembled an ordinary home.
The bed was quite plush too. Nearly thirty minutes after waking, I still felt like lounging.
If not for the full-wall glass on one side and the array of safety locks dangling from the door.
"Ugh, maybe I should've come up with an excuse."
I'd rushed in without thinking. My plan was just to reveal I was anomalous and get Bureau protection, but it overlapped perfectly with the isolation failure incident.
Fighting anomalies deep in Bureau territory with no escape had made me forget a few key facts.
Ordinary people can't handle disaster-class anomalies alone. Especially not someone like me, who'd absorbed a disaster-class one and could wield its powers intact.
Anyone would see that as anomalous.
"Well... it probably doesn't matter anyway."
I'd resisted when the Gyeonggi Branch soldiers tried dragging me off, but I followed Han Yura to this isolation room for a simple reason.
It felt less like locking me away and more like keeping me around for now.
In that sense, it wasn't far from my original goal of entering the Bureau. I was under their protection, after all?
"Right, Peanut?"
I asked, turning my head.
Peanut, now back to fist-sized SD miniature form, sat cross-legged on the pillow and nodded.
He seemed satisfied too.
"What about the Renaissance Virus?"
📛 Name:Renaissance Virus
📊 Status:Satisfied with current state
A status window appeared before my eyes.
Since it existed as a formless virus inside my body, this seemed to be how it communicated.
"Oh, right. I need to give you a new name too."
Calling it "Renaissance Virus" every time was inconvenient for many reasons. It evoked memories of the rampaging, brainwashing entity it used to be.
It had gained a new life, so a new name was in order.
"Hmm, Virus? Nah, that sounds too dangerous. Renaissance feels a bit off too."
📛 Name:Peanut
📊 Status:Your loyal devotee believes every name you give is wonderful
"...You'll say that no matter what name I pick."
It wasn't called "Loyal Devotee" for nothing. He'd probably praise even "Dog Shit" as a great name.
See? He couldn't even respond properly.
His evasive gaze was so cute that I stroked him with a finger and kept pondering.
"Hmm, but I don't want to stray too far from the original either."
Twisting the source name too much felt awkward too.
After some thought, I settled on one.
"How about Rene?"
Taken from the first two syllables of Renaissance Virus.
Rene sounded like a person's name—pretty good, right?
📛 Name:Rene
📊 Status:Satisfied with the new name you gave
"Hehe, knew you'd like it."
I grinned and sat up.
Lying still was starting to make me fidgety.
I didn't feel this way in my past life. Being young made energy surge through me unnecessarily. Youth had its perks.
The one and only advantage of this childish body.
"...Not that there are any others."
With Peanut and Rene, I felt secure now, but dark corners still spooked me. My intelligence felt a tad lower, my thinking more anomalous, and I was acting all girly...
"Haa..."
I sighed softly and pressed my hand to the wall.
A slight surge of power, and one hand began shimmering with starlight.
"Do your thing, Rene."
As soon as I spoke, starlight enveloped my body.
My white lab suit-clad form turned translucent, my presence fading away.
This was the trait I'd gained absorbing Rene.
Rene's true form was a ghostly virus that pierced even walls. Thus, I could convert my body to starlight, turning myself into a phantom.
And in this state...
"Whoa, feels weird."
I could phase through walls bare-handed.
Placing my transparent hand against the wall met no resistance—it passed right through.
Even the anomaly-forged isolation room wall couldn't block a disaster-class power like Rene's.
Slipping through easily revealed a pristine corridor.
Hard to believe this was the lab that had been a warzone from the isolation failure just two days ago.
Researchers passed by occasionally.
Despite losing half their staff in the incident, their faces showed no emotion. Had isolation failures become routine?
Just to check, I waved. Beautiful starlight trailed my hand. Yet the researcher didn't react.
Seemed my body was completely invisible.
Well, viruses are invisible by nature, right?
How did I see the Renaissance Virus's true form?
No idea. Maybe because I'm the artists' goddess? Just a guess.
A bit further, and I found my target.
The research director's office.
Faint voices drifted from inside.
"...so ...the kid in isolation..."
"Im...possible..."
"...but"
Pressing my ear close didn't help—words remained muffled. The anomaly walls? Or just thick construction?
Didn't matter.
To me now, walls were just denser air.
Stepping through boldly revealed two women.
Han Sohee and Han Yura.
They faced each other across the director's desk, deep in talk.
"We manage and control anomalies. That's the lab's job. Even if that girl is truly human, as director, all I can do is isolate her."
"...But, sis. Locking up a mere thirteen-year-old kid like that feels wrong."
Family, after all?
Thinking that, I scampered to the desk and perched on it.
Eavesdropping like this okay?
It's about me, so fair game, right?
"Right, Peanut?"
Peanut, on my shoulder, nodded in agreement.
What happened to that Baek Eunha who said to filter Peanut's yes-man responses?
No idea.
Being short, my feet dangled off the desk. I swung them while listening.
"Hmmm... She's probably not thinking much of it?"
Han Sohee nailed it. She looked lazy-eyed and half-assed everything, but she was sharp.
"Eh, really?"
"Obviously. Our isolation rooms cap at disaster-class. A kid who soloed one could probably walk out alone."
'Yet she's staying put, so she's fine with it.'
She yawned after adding that, and I itched to prank her.
Why? Just seemed fun.
Why are anomalies anomalous? Because their motives defy understanding. Better not to bother.
"Maybe she's hiding somewhere, eavesdropping right now?"
At her joke, I snapped my fingers.
Star shards peeled off me. My fully transparent form regained shape, and Han Sohee's sleepy eyes went wide.
Swinging my legs innocently, I asked,
"Huh? How'd you know?"
Han Sohee froze in shock; Han Yura shoved back her chair and stood. I flashed a mischievous grin.
Park Cheolmin descended from Gangwon Province's nameless mountain exactly two days after his first attempt failed.
Intel reported Pietà artists had arrived in the province.
The Gangwon Branch was swamped with damage control. Holes gaped in what would've been a tight intel net.
Thus, ten anomalous artists slipped into Korea easily.
Park Cheolmin and the artists shared a goal.
The Gangwon Branch's annihilation.
No need for complex negotiations between kindred aims.
The deal wrapped quickly.
The assault kicked off precisely one hour from now.
Park Cheolmin scanned his surroundings and issued orders.
"Infiltrate amid the chaos. Kill all visible Bureau agents. Use civilian hostages if needed. Secure that singularity, by any means."
A faint crack marred his stoic face.
"...And those damn Isolation Team 3 bastards—"
He knew even "Cognitive Dissonance" wouldn't make them easy. Casualties were inevitable.
No mercy required.
"Hand them to the anomalous artists."
Park Cheolmin had no plans to let the ones who'd held a gun to his head die easily.
"Give them the most horrific death imaginable."
A sinister smile curled his lips.