Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Agent Training #1
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It was the first day in my new home, but things were so chaotic that I couldn't get a proper night's sleep.
Endless nightmares.
The moment I closed my eyes, I saw a world where everything had perished, witnessing my parents and comrades dying gruesome deaths. Among them, the most terrifying was the penalty for death. It was so utterly unknown that it came as a horror beyond my imagination.
But despite fearing it, I couldn't bring myself to spend my remaining 2,000 points to reduce my Death Count.
Abilities... yeah, abilities.
I needed more abilities. Detection seemed pretty useful. There might even be better ones out there.
The fundamental way to lower the Death Count wasn't by wasting points to shave off numbers. It was to acquire more abilities and resolve things without dying. As long as I didn't die, it was fine. Hadn't I joined the Management Bureau? I could learn about anomalies here and survive alongside powerful agents like Jaaldi...
"Ugh, damn. Sleep."
It felt worse than when I was surviving in Seoul. At least back then, guys like Jinseop had my back solidly. Here, there were no battle-tested comrades I could trust with my life.
This is driving me crazy.
To think I missed those times.
Shaking off the dreadful unease, I got out of bed.
Whatever. It was my first day on the job.
If I dove into more info as a Management Bureau agent, this anxiety would fade. With that in mind, I got ready and headed out.
"Commuting on a shared electric bike."
What a joke for an agent. It looked pretty pathetic.
Don't they have anything?
Do real agents have to bike around?
Grumbling like that, I soon arrived at the Management Bureau building. It looked like a perfectly ordinary office building. The kind any salaryman would enter. It was large, and with morning rush hour, plenty of people around. But none of the passersby looked like agents.
The moment I stepped inside, questioning that...
Whoosh.
I sensed something off.
Looking back, the outside scenery was the same, but all the bustling people had vanished.
"An anomaly...?"
Had I gotten caught in another anomaly?
Right in the middle of Management Bureau HQ?
What kind of bullshit is this, you bastards!
As I tensed up, someone grabbed my shoulder.
"Gah!"
"Why so jumpy?"
"Ah... Team Leader Jaaldi. Good morning. I, uh, was coming in for work, and when I turned around, everyone suddenly disappeared. They were definitely there when I entered."
"That? The Management Bureau building isn't normal. Neither are the agents. Think of it as a veil of concealment and disguise."
"Oh man, is that how it is?"
"Yeah."
The Management Bureau lived up to its name.
They had some mystical tech.
"Let's head up."
"Yes, ma'am."
I got right into the elevator with Jaaldi.
"Team Leader Jaaldi, I rode a shared electric bike here since it was my first day. Doesn't this look kinda bad? For an agent secretly protecting the world, it's a bit off."
"So that's what you were on about. You worry about that stuff?"
She looked at me like I was ridiculous.
"Well, no, just... having a car would make getting to work easier. Electric bikes have their limits."
"Got it. Submit an estimate."
"Huh? For real?"
She was actually giving me one?
"Don't pick anything too flashy. Something modest."
"You're seriously giving me a car?"
She said this monumental thing without changing expression?
"You've contributed greatly to the Management Bureau. A car is no big deal."
"Contributed? You mean the hospital Rulebook?"
"And info on Section Chief Lee Do-hyung."
Whoa!
Chills ran down my spine as we reached the office.
"Team Leader Jaaldi! What's my assignment today?"
"For now, memorize basic knowledge. I'll give you materials to study."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As expected, a newbie's first task was studying. Still, bustling around trying to do everything at once was rookie behavior.
Now that I'd joined the Management Bureau, I'd work my ass off. Promote somehow and access more info. That was the point of joining.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Team Leader."
Inside, Jamtree and Spandal were already there.
I'd have to leave 30 minutes earlier starting tomorrow.
No matter what, arriving after my seniors wasn't a good look.
"Good morning, seniors!"
I greeted them loudly.
"Morning, Grong."
Jamtree smiled with her eyes and waved back.
But.
Spandal stared at me with those lifeless eyes, just like yesterday.
"Why's Senior Spandal staring at me like that..."
That gaze was too ominous.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah? Pretty well."
Why ask suddenly?
"Hmm, really? That couldn't have been the case."
"What do you mean?"
"That apartment. It has secrets."
"What?!"
What?!
"The apartment has secrets?! No, something felt off! I barely slept, tossing and turning! Team Leader! There was something wrong with it, right?!"
As I thought!
An agent apartment wouldn't be normal!
"Sigh... Jamtree. Handle this."
Jaaldi sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Calm down, Grong. Nothing like that."
"Huh?"
What was this?
"Spandal was just messing with you."
"You don't... Oh!"
I'd been had!
"Hehe, so naive. Isn't that too foolish? Ahh, so innocent—you'll die in no time. So sad. Should I prepare your coffin already?"
Spandal was grinning sinisterly, spouting nonsense.
"Don't tease me so much...! I thought it was real!"
"You're an agent, right? Not falling for it is a skill too. If you get tricked so easily without suspicion, who knows what'll happen?"
I wanted to snap back, but she had a point.
Yeah.
Trust no one. Gorgodio had shapeshifted like he was gonna rip everyone apart, but he didn't get ripped. Quras seemed more trustworthy.
"You're right. I'll work on not getting fooled. Then, Team Leader Jaaldi, give me my first task! I'll nail it!"
"Jamtree. Give him the materials."
"Here, Grong. Memorize this today. Ask your big sis if anything bugs you."
Jamtree handed over a stack of documents.
"Got it. But why paper? You could email it."
"Hmm, that's tricky. Management Bureau materials can't be entered into electronics."
"No way... What happens if you do? Something bad and dangerous?"
"Right. Good instincts, Grong."
Seems the Management Bureau had various rules to avoid anomalies. Memorizing them was newbie work.
I opened the documents right away.
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1. The duty of Management Bureau agents is to protect humanity and its civilization from anomalies. Always remember you are humanity's last bastion and serve accordingly. This is for safety.
2. An agent's real name is replaced by their Management Bureau code name. Never utter your former name. This is for safety.
3. Do not enter anomaly-related materials into electronic devices. This is for safety.
4. Observe meal times. This is for safety.
5. Disobeying legitimate orders may result in loss of agent status. Upon disqualification, memories will be erased, and you will live as a civilian. This is for safety.
6. If an anomaly is judged to occur within HQ, execute safety protocols immediately. Safety protocols must be orally taught by the team leader. This is for safety.
7. If given a Rulebook during a mission, strictly comply. This is for safety.
8. The Management Bureau's lights never go out. If you think they have, trust nothing and evacuate the building immediately. This is for safety.
9. Minimize civilian casualties during missions. The Management Bureau has memory erasure tech. Secrets can be kept easily, so actively rescue civilians.
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The Rulebook itself was ridiculously simple. Compared to rolling through SSS-grade hell like Cheongak Mary Hospital, it was child's play.
I could memorize it sitting down in 5 minutes.
The only thing that bugged me was the repeated "This is for safety." Suspicious, but no need to dwell.
"Senior Jamtree, the Rulebook's pretty short. Is that all?"
"Those are the basics. Most info is passed orally."
"For safety?"
"Yeah. Most rules are for safety, so just follow them."
"Got it. Anything else to watch?"
"Mission Rulebooks are issued separately, so follow those then."
I nodded and memorized the Rulebook solid. No way I'd break these on purpose.
"By the way, what do you do, Senior Jamtree?"
She was browsing shopping sites on her computer. Killing time since it was slow?
"Checking malls for 'suspicious items.' Gotta act fast if they pop up."
"Suspicious items?"
"Things that shouldn't exist in reality. If they sell, big trouble."
"Oh."
"Look at this. A teddy bear that injects pleasure into your brain."
"What?!"
Whoosh!
The screen flashed by. For a split second, I glimpsed a bloody, maniacally laughing creepy doll.
"This needs immediate action."
Jamtree typed rapidly, and the page vanished.
She kept monitoring afterward.
The Management Bureau handles this too... Gotta thank her every time I shop.
"This world is full of more anomalies than you'd think. Lots of fieldwork, but desk stuff like this too."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"What's the lesson here?"
"Thank Senior Jamtree every time I shop?"
"Hehe, cute."
I'd remember this kind of work, but my interest was fieldwork.
I'd memorized the basic Rulebook.
Time for more.
"Team Leader Jaaldi. Basic Rulebook memorized."
"Excellent."
Anyone could do it quick.
"But what's the safety protocol?"
"When it feels like the Management Bureau's under attack, execute it. Smash a window and jump out."
"Huh?"
That's it?
"That's all?"
"No need to overthink. Just know that. Teach it the same when you're team leader."
"..."
Couldn't comprehend, but it's the Management Bureau. I'd accept it.
"Understood. I want more—like our enemies or anomalies. I wanna take out vampires ASAP."
"Ambitious. Good attitude, but rushing in will burn through lives fast."
"I know my life matters."
This was a race against time.
No leisurely newbie phase. I wanted on vampire-killing missions pronto. Better to strike first than get assassinated while slacking—that was the shortest path to fewer deaths.
"Hmm... Alright. Hostile groups you can know now: three."
"Three?"
"Fake Management Bureau. Holy See. And Jihadists."
"Huh?"
"There's a Fake Management Bureau mimicking us. It's an anomaly too. They don't exist in reality. Monsters popping up out of nowhere to kill. The 'black-suited men' you met are from them."
"..."
"And that incident you reported. The 'Management Bureau' that raided the hospital and Section Chief Lee Do-hyung are Fake Management Bureau. They fight anomalies sometimes, imitating us."
"Ah, so that's why Senior Jamtree back then..."
Telling me everything since I'm a newbie now.
"They're strong and infamous enough to trouble us. Good riddance it's dead."
I already knew about the Fake Management Bureau. Jaaldi explained on; I nodded, cross-checking with what I knew.
No discrepancies. Past loops or this one, Jaaldi spoke truth. In summary, we're at war with Fakes, clashing often. Lee Do-hyung killed many of our agents—a dangerous one. Section chief or team leader grades are very strong; beware.
"Understood. They're enemies of us and humanity. What's the Holy See?"
"Exactly as it sounds—Vatican-based in Italy. Like in movies: the Pope and priests fighting monsters."
"Got it. But aren't they allies? Why enemies?"
"Fair point. Not fully hostile, but frequent clashes. Rare firefights, so be cautious around priests."
As expected, Management Bureau and Holy See weren't close.
Cooperation in the Giant incident was a one-off necessity. They subtly conflict usually.
"Jihadists. What's that? Islamic stuff?"
"Perfect timing. Here's the file."
"This?"
Wanted poster style... Huh?!
It's Sal-hyung's photo!
"What is this?"
"A figure we're watching closely. Extremely dangerous. Like a walking bomb—you never know what he'll blow up."
"Dangerous? A terrorist?"
"Not wrong."
What are they saying about my good Sal-hyung!
He looks the part...
"Saladin is Islam's greatest jihad holy warrior, dubbed a grand hero. Currently deployed in Korea—never clash with him. Flee on sight."
Looks like...
Reuniting with Sal-hyung as an agent would be tough...