Return After Slaying Bermuda's God
Right after killing Bermuda's god, before parting ways with Shin-nim, I first sifted through the bastard's memories. I needed to grasp what the hell those guys had been up to.
"Hmm..."
As expected of a god, the volume of memories was enormous. An average mage would've been crushed by the aberrant god's recollections, their sense of self obliterated. Of course, at Saga level or higher, it wouldn't have been much of an issue. Unlike the vast gap between Legend and Saga, the line between Saga and Myth was a bit blurrier. Plenty of monsters lingered at Saga, but with proper preparation, they could even slay gods.
"Not the point, though."
I managed to roughly organize the memories. Being a god, the bastard's sense of time was a little off. First contact with those guys was 100 years ago. He formed the Deep Sea Cult on their orders 30 years ago. Prep for this operation started a year back.
"Damn land dog bastards."
Reading the aberrant god's memories, I pieced together how things had unfolded. Those guys had been eyeing Earth since time immemorial. Infiltrating human society, pulling strings from the shadows, coaxing powerful anomalies into becoming their slaves. Just like land dogs, sneaky and underhanded to the core.
"Should I just kill them all?"
It'd be overkill—like burning down the thatched roof to catch a flea—but for land dogs, it might be worth it. I seriously pondered grabbing Shin-nim's hands and wiping them out.
But I shook my head. Feasibility aside, tracking them down would be a nightmare.
"Sneaky bastards."
The deep sea could distinguish those guys. Just encountering them triggered intense hostility. But if they hunkered down and hid for real, it was different. We could sense them, but we lacked tracking abilities.
"No large-scale tracking spells or anything?"
All three saying it was tough. If even they struggled, Earth's tracking magic wouldn't stand a chance against those guys. Land dog bastards—always calling us bugs, and now they're acting just like bugs.
"...."
From their reactions, they seemed to have other methods but were holding back for my sake. Probably something like wiping out humanity or cracking the planet apart.
'Thanks.'
They wouldn't get mad if I suggested it. I appreciated the consideration. Thoughtfulness is key in marriage. With stepdaughters(?) this sweet, no worries about wedded bliss.
"???"
Anyway, with the aberrant god cleanup done, I sliced open space and returned to the cruise. Woke the unconscious passengers, recalled their positions, and dropped them back.
"Ugh... what?"
"I blacked out for a sec..."
"Hold up. Why's the time like this?!"
About an hour later, everyone woke up, confused by the situation. But they couldn't piece together the truth. I'd scrubbed the radar, CCTV, video logs—everything.
"I swear I saw some monster..."
"Cut the crap, Kim, and get back to work."
A few with high mana retained fuzzy memories, but whatever. At worst, they'd post stories online, spawning another urban legend. Colleagues would handle that.
"Shall we enjoy the rest?"
What mattered now was savoring the remaining vacation. Enjoy the cruise with the Yog girls after ages, clean the stone slab reclaimed from the cult leader.
Another week passed, and we docked at Busan Port. The trip—long if long, short if short—drew to a close.
Humans conquered Earth. They survived harsh lands, outmatched any predator. Advanced science, built vast civilizations. Humans—undisputed rulers, apex of the food chain.
...Or so normals think.
"What a joke."
Earth's true rulers were never humanity. Born alongside us, still threatening: anomalies. The real predators. Without eradicating them, tomorrow's not guaranteed. We've nearly gone extinct multiple times.
"Though things have improved a lot."
Modern era's better. Centuries battling anomalies built strength and knowledge; we even recruited friendly ones. Not dominant, but we won't lose.
"Still precarious. That's why we need you."
"...."
The man belonged to the secret Management Bureau, chronically short-staffed—worse in Korea. Korean HQ matched Europe's branches. The Mu-dang Association covered most, but...
"Heard about recent events?"
"The Ma Tower incident?"
A naive-looking man answered. Recently, the Ma Tower in Korea got hit hard. Bureau sent aid; rumors spread—including the aid's failure.
"Zero impact. They retreated injured."
"...."
"Not their fault. Bureau's overall failure."
Every aspect botched: understaffed, poor quality, prophecy errors, intel gaps. All from manpower shortages.
"Bureau needs talent. Reliable even without heroics."
"...."
"I believe you'll fill that role."
Han Seok-un, Bureau agent and HR officer, eyed the dozen rookies. Varied backgrounds, skills. His job: place them right.
"No long intros. Bae Jin-a, take newbies to dorms."
"Got it. Follow me, everyone!"
Alone in the empty office, Han Seok-un skimmed profiles.
"Flashy bunch."
Special forces, genius scientists, doctors. Impressive, but second-string—no anomaly experience. Frontline deployment? Instant funerals, his reprimand.
"No veterans?"
Bureau favored experienced survivors. He found one this batch.
"Lee Yun-seo..."
Recent department store erosion. Legend-grade anomaly rampage, mass deaths—yet she escaped and reported, minimizing damage.
"Clean record."
No crimes, no priors. Ordinary life: quit college after three fails, part-time gigs, lives with parents, one brother.
"Surveillance target?"
Odd—her brother on the watchlist, lowest tier.
"Whatever."
Not close, probably. Lists balloon from dumb sites. Can't lose talent over suspicion.
"Test her on a Rumor-level op."
Assign to safe team. He closed the file, moved on.
Two weeks post-cruise. Adjusted now, fully back to work.
"Urghhh."
"Hate overtimeee..."
"Bu-jang-nim... this right...?"
Our department swamped lately. Three superhumans meant hyper-efficiency, snowballing work.
"Don't ask me, you overachievers. Dial it back."
"Ahem."
"...."
We whined outwardly but loved the raises. Bu-jang-nim, no superhuman, suffered with us—fidgeting with white envelopes lately. Retirement soon?
Ding!
"Hm?"
Pacing work when a text pinged—from parents.
"Hmm?"
Normal content: meet this weekend. But the kicker:
"For real?"
Jobless slacker sister employed? Hard to believe—more than meeting Shin-nim first time.
'Shin-nim, visit home soon.'
'Not what I meant...'
Still, if legit—no scam—celebrate. With my raise, gift necklace or watch.