Chapter 14
Translator: True Detective
Mystic Management Bureau (1)
Conceal and manage mysteries. It is a phrase akin to the ideology of the Mystic Management Bureau.
To maintain social order, they hide mysteries that deviate from common sense from the eyes and ears of the public, and assist civilians who accidentally get swept up in accidents caused by mysteries.
The Bureau has moved looking toward such a goal since a long time ago. However, compared to its grandiose goal, the Bureau was surprisingly not that busy.
Anomalies, which are beings transcending common sense; the anomalous phenomena caused by such anomalies; prayers and magic borrowing the power of supernatural beings; and even secret martial arts and breathing techniques that humans awaken by training themselves.
Because even when encompassing and grouping all sorts of elements, mystery was still a rare concept to see.
"Then, we will begin the meeting."
However, far too many things had happened in the recent month. Even more so, every single incident was important enough that it couldn't be vaguely glossed over.
Thanks to that, for the past month, the Bureau was so busy that the expression 'suffering from overwork' fell short. It was to the point where they even had to use mysteries stored by the Bureau to work overtime.
"The reason I convened today's meeting is simple, but it is due to a matter of utmost importance for the future of the Bureau."
However, the HR Head of the Bureau, Kang Yuna, who convened the meeting as if declaring that such hardships were now coming to an end, spoke in a blunt voice.
"Mount Geumjeong Forked Path, Yeongshin Elementary School, Monkey Dream, Cults of the Ghouls, and Marcel Lacrima..."
She listed off the various incidents that had plagued the Korean branch of the Bureau over the past month.
"We did not know who the being that resolved these incidents was. We only managed to figure out the gender, face, and voice roughly with the help of Agent Park Shinhyuk, who returned alive from the Monkey Dream."
The moment she said that much, the department heads of the Bureau who had been listening attentively to Kang Yuna's words widened their eyes. It was because she ended her sentence with the past tense 'did not know' and 'only managed to', rather than a present progressive ending like 'do not know' and 'only manage to'.
"Department Head Kang, does that mean..."
The Response Department Head, who was smacking his lips, spoke and then trailed off. The thought 'could it be?' struck his mind and the minds of everyone gathered here.
Kang Yuna gave a slight smile at that question. Seeing everyone's eyes widen greatly, she nodded.
"Yes. We found him."
No one asked questions like 'who'.
Because no matter how much they thought about it, there was only one person capable of sitting the Bureau's department heads in the meeting room chairs just with the fact that he was discovered.
"Kim Sihyeon, a 21-year-old male with no family relations. Originally from an orphanage, he is currently a sophomore enrolled at OO University."
A presentation with a brief personal profile and a single photo unfolded on the meeting room monitor.
"According to the investigation results, he has been treated as a weirdo by his peers since elementary school, and the reason is said to be because he trains in a power called martial arts." "M-martial arts? That's a mystery that's been lost for over a hundred years...?"
As soon as Kang Yuna finished speaking, the Research Department Head raised an objection in a timid voice. Just as she said, martial arts was a mystery that once existed but was now lost.
"Following the suppression of martial artists that started from the Qing Dynasty, it wasn't enough that its lineage was almost severed by various wars in modern times, but it was judged completely lost due to the Cultural Revolution decades ago..."
Even the barely preserved martial arts were far too incomplete to be trained in themselves, so they ultimately failed complete restoration and became mysteries reinterpreted in the form of secret martial arts and breathing techniques, did they not?
It is a mystery that practically disappeared well over a hundred years ago, and even using the moment it received the official lost judgment as a baseline, it has been missing for decades.
Yet, to say such martial arts suddenly appeared? Furthermore, not even in the land of China where it flourished most, nor India which is said to be its origin, but in the remote land of Korea?
Even if it doesn't add up, it doesn't add up too much. The Research Department Head expressed her opinion with that logic.
"Even the Constellations of Liangshan Marsh, who made the restoration of martial arts their long-cherished project, revealed that their secret martial arts are trivial compared to proper martial arts..."
Liangshan Marsh, an organization that no place in the world can match in the field of martial arts. Even the Heavenly Strong Star, the martial artist leading such a group and considered the best in the world in modern times, has not been able to fully restore a single martial art up until now.
"B-but to say there is a person in Korea who has trained in martial arts enough to resolve various anomalous phenomena and even strike down Marcel Lacrima..."
The Research Department Head's rebuttal was reasonable.
Kim Sihyeon is the civilian mystery possessor we have been looking for, and the mystery he possesses is the martial arts we only thought was lost.
Because the basis for that claim was far too flimsy.
"T-there seems to be a high possibility that the person named Kim Sihyeon is the person we've been looking for... It should be, especially since the agent who recently transferred to the HR Department finished confirming it..."
However, martial arts is a story of a different grain.
Couldn't there be a possibility that he just learned a powerful and special secret martial art, or is a figure who contracted with a certain entity?
Even the evidence brought forth saying he might have learned martial arts is merely the ridicule-laced testimonies of civilians who do not know of the existence of mysteries.
"Because secret martial arts is a concept that originated from martial arts... A-perhaps there's a slightly higher possibility that a layman mistook a secret martial art for martial arts... Ugh."
The Research Department Head, who had been lowering her voice while timidly glancing at her surroundings, let out a groan and bowed her head deeply.
"I-I'm sorry, it feels like I'm raining on the parade..."
But shouldn't I say what needs to be said? What kind of work is it that we do?
Seeing the Research Department Head finish her words to the end even while looking dejected, the HR Head Kang Yuna let out a chuckle.
"You are correct. This is an extremely leaps-and-bounds and absurd deduction. The Research Department Head's words are not wrong at all."
Then, it's a matter of verifying it.
Saying so, Kang Yuna flipped the presentation.
"Kim Sihyeon, whether this person can truly use martial arts. It's simply a matter of us verifying and proving it directly."
Doesn't the Bureau originally put effort into investigation in all matters? It's no different this time. It is not too late to prepare meticulously, confirm the truth, and then make a move.
"The Branch Director has also given permission." "...Is the Branch Director making a move?"
The Branch Director, the figure in charge of the Korean branch of the Mystic Management Bureau, and an entity whom not even the Korean government or conglomerate chairmen can treat carelessly, was mentioned.
Surprised by that fact, the Response Department Head immediately threw a question, but Kang Yuna shook her head, indicating denial.
"No. That person stands out too much. Given the nature of the issue, he said he would report to the Bureau Headquarters later when the results are confirmed to some extent, but that practically means we should try our best at our level. He might draw up a rough plan, but we have to run in the field and resolve it ourselves."
The final successor of the lost mystery might be in this country.
If the Mystic Management Bureau Headquarters learns of that fact, they will dig into the truth no matter what means they use, and if it's true, they will try to bring him to the US where the Headquarters is located somehow.
Isn't it a world where the level of mystery is included as a part of national competitiveness, much like military power? As long as the Branch Director was also born and living as a Korean, he couldn't help but be careful in this kind of matter.
Having briefly explained up to that point, Kang Yuna inhaled.
"Our goal is simple."
Unfolding the final slide of the presentation, she spoke while tapping it as if hitting a wall with her hand.
"One is Kim Sihyeon, verifying whether he truly learned martial arts. The other is recruiting him into the Bureau or drawing him into an amicable relationship."
It's even better if he's a person who learned martial arts, but even if he isn't, he is valuable manpower.
Because there aren't many humans capable of processing three anomalous phenomena in a row and even striking down a mage possessing a grimoire.
"The Branch Director will contact you separately with the rest of the details. I hope you all check your communications well, and with this, I will conclude the meeting."
They are peaceful but busy days.
There isn't any special event like an anomalous phenomenon, but with university lectures and assignments, it's not very relaxing either.
It's already been half a month since I got my hands on the grimoire, Cults of the Ghouls. Still not having found a way to get rid of this crazy scrap of a book, I was still carrying the grimoire around in my bag.
'It periodically tempts me to read it and become a mage, though...'
Honestly, I have no interest in the slightest. To be precise, I have some interest in the effect of the magic itself, but the process required to achieve it is too terrible.
The magic dealt with in the Cults of the Ghouls is largely two things. Creating monsters called ghouls to work as slaves, and making oneself a ghoul to pursue eternal youth and immortality.
'Either way, the disadvantages are too great.'
Not only is there nowhere to use ghoul slaves even if I make them, but even if it's eternal youth and immortality, it's meaningless if I myself turn into something like a ghoul.
I wouldn't even be able to walk around outside openly, yet merely having a hard and strong body and a lifespan to live long without aging is all there is.
That much can be sufficiently achieved with martial arts as well. Didn't Marcel Lacrima, who dug into the Cults of the Ghouls to the level of a major textbook, also die by my hands right away?
'There is a high probability that the answers to anti-aging and eternal youth and immortality will also become visible as my realm rises.'
Body Metamorphosis, Returning to Youth, Rejuvenation, etc. Because martial arts developed based on Taoist teachings, eternal youth and immortality are fundamentally emphasized often.
If we trace the roots, the orthodox Buddhist lineage of Bodhidharma, who spread martial arts to the Central Plains, might be slightly stronger, but the basic theories and training methods involving Dantians and meridians are heavily influenced by Taoism.
'To begin with, just as the ultimate pursued in Buddhism is liberation, and the ultimate pursued in Taoism is transcendence, the goals are also different from each other.'
Scattering my thoughts, I took out my phone and checked the time. 5 PM. Considering it's early April now, it was exactly the time to be cool.
So, to cool my head, I walked around inside the campus for a walk. How long did I walk feeling the refreshing breeze? I suddenly approached the club president senior I saw from afar.
"Senior, what are you doing here?"
The club president senior was moving luggage together with club members. Seeing as the amount of luggage seemed quite substantial, it looked like they were preparing for a big event.
"Oh, this? Didn't I tell you we're going on an MT next week? I put an announcement in the group chat, too." "Ah..."
Only then did I remember. The club announcement I had just skimmed over appropriately a little while ago. It said we were planning to go on an MT before the midterm exam season.
"I saw you didn't vote on attendance, you're going too, right?" "There's no reason not to go. Where should I deposit the dues?" "You know the communal account we always send it to. The treasurer will probably take care of it if you send it there? Just send a message on the chat saying you deposited it."
I, whose wallet had been hefty recently, immediately deposited the dues and then shared the load of some of the luggage the president senior was moving.
To be exact, as soon as I showed signs of doing so, the club president senior heavily dumped my share of the luggage into my arms.
If there was anything peculiar, would it be that most of the items were food and water play equipment?
Even assuming it's natural to pack a lot of food since it's an MT, the water play equipment was somewhat puzzling.
"Aren't we going to the mountains for our MT this time? I think the announcement also said we're going to the place we went to last year again."
Because traditionally, our school's kendo club mainly goes to the mountains rather than the sea for the first semester MT.
It's not that we never go to the sea, but the first semester MT season is too cold to play in the sea. Usually, we go to the mountains in the first semester, which is late spring to early summer, and go to the sea in the second semester, around late summer.
So, I definitely thought we would go to the mountains now that it's the first semester, and even in the contents of the announcement I recalled by tracing my memory, I think it was announced that we were going to the mountains.
"Oh, that? It's nothing special."
When I asked with a puzzled mind, the club president senior, shrugging his shoulders and making a beaming, excited expression, answered, even making nasal sounds.
"Perhaps because you got good results in the kendo tournament last year, the university is sending us to a resort with government support this time. We still have to pay some money too, but still, isn't getting a resort for the price of a usual MT a huge bargain?"
At first glance, it was news that could be called a windfall.
To say the university received government support to fund a club MT, it's a level of preferential treatment hard to imagine normally.
However, is that why.
"...Wow, really."
The unprecedented news that the government supports our university, and the university that received such government support is pushing only our club's MT.
'Fuck, could this be the Bureau setting up an operation to catch me?'
It was incredibly suspicious to me.