Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Why So Weak?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
But why are you all so weak?
Whump whump whump whump!
The deafening roar of the rotors announced the arrival of Ghost Gate's helicopter. It scooped up the survivors from Team 4 and lifted off into the sky.
I plopped down on a bench by the roadside and cracked open a canned coffee.
Sa-hyeon sat quietly, a strange expression on his face as he felt the lingering heat from the overwhelming solar flames Fry had unleashed just moments ago. Pepper wagged her tail and settled at my feet.
Seo Hwa-rin, who had come over after directing the on-site containment, wiped the sweat from her forehead as she approached. Her suit jacket was torn and filthy, but her expression looked relieved.
"Great work out there, Agent Kang Han-gyeol. You too, Agent Sa-hyeon. If it weren't for you, Team 4 would have been wiped out, and Nowon-gu—no, the whole city of Seoul—would have been contaminated. I'll make sure to note Team 7's first major achievement in the report."
She bowed her head sincerely.
But I stayed slumped against the bench and blurted out the question that had been nagging at me.
"Team Leader. I'm still new to this world, so forgive my ignorance..."
"Go ahead."
"Ghost Gate is a national organization, right? Korea's top yokai management group, funded by taxpayer money. Isn't that correct?"
"That's right."
"But why are you all so... weak?"
Seo Hwa-rin's shoulders stiffened at my blunt question.
"No offense—I'm genuinely curious. Those Team 4 agents couldn't even control that swarm of bugs and nearly got wiped out. You said yourselves that without us, the whole district would've been lost. You're supposed to be the nation's front line of defense. How do you sleep at night with talent this thin?"
My words hit home hard. Seo Hwa-rin stood silent for a long moment.
A deep, bitter shadow passed through her eyes.
"Ghost Gate's current forces are woefully inadequate to fully defend against large-scale disasters like this. A-grade powerhouses like Team Leader Do Jae-hyeok of Team 1 are rare even nationwide. Most agents are just E-grade or D-grade low-rankers."
"Is it a budget issue? Can't scout strong talent? You gave me 10 billion won and a full house setup."
"It's not about money."
Seo Hwa-rin clenched her fist tight.
"There's no talent. The well's run dry. Ghost Gate wasn't always this feeble. Back in the day, every branch across the country was packed with peerless exorcists, one to a thousand. We had the world's strongest forces, second to none."
"So what happened? Did they all retire?"
"They're dead."
Her chilling reply made me flinch.
Even Sa-hyeon turned his head, looking intrigued as he stared at her.
"It was 20 years ago. Agent Kang Han-gyeol, have you ever heard of the yokai called 'Gang-gil'?"
"Gang-gil? First time. Sounds like some neighborhood uncle's name."
"It's a legendary monster recorded in Grand Prince Inpyeong's [Records of the Yan Capital Journey] from the Joseon Injo era. A bizarre form with a dragon's body and a long, horse-tail-like appendage dragging behind. But that's just a shallow human fragment. Its true infamy dates back much further... 500 years ago, to the Human-Yokai Great War."
Seo Hwa-rin's voice trembled faintly.
"Even then, it was the worst war criminal yokai, mercilessly slaughtering hundreds of thousands of humans and the era's top exorcists. Our ancestors sacrificed rivers of blood and flesh to barely seal it away in some deep abyss—a calamity known only from ancient texts. Exactly 20 years ago... it tore through its seal and descended right in the heart of Paju, Gyeonggi Province."
I swallowed hard. A monster that had pushed humanity to the brink 500 years ago had reappeared in modern times?
"It wasn't just some monster. Every swing of its tail unleashed massive typhoons and torrential rains. Everywhere it passed turned to blood-soaked sawdust—buildings, mountains, everything shredded. It was a living 'natural disaster'."
Even fighting that grotesque bug swarm had creeped me out, but this description was on another level entirely.
"As Gang-gil ripped through the city southward, a national emergency was declared. Ghost Gate pulled in every elite agent from the Seoul branch and all eight provinces nationwide. It was an all-out war."
Seo Hwa-rin bit her lower lip hard. Blood beaded from the suppressed emotion.
"The battle raged for three days and nights. After mountains were shaved down and rivers dried up in the fierce struggle... Ghost Gate finally subjugated Gang-gil. We shattered its heart and granted it eternal rest."
"So you won, right?"
"It wasn't a victory. It was mutual destruction."
Deep despair clouded Seo Hwa-rin's eyes.
"The cost to kill one Gang-gil was unimaginable. Of the agents deployed... 500 C-grade agents were torn apart on the spot. 100 B-grade aces from each branch were swept away by its storms and reduced to ash."
She swallowed dryly before uttering the most horrific number.
"And... of the 20 A-grade national strategic assets upholding Korea's skies, 18 lost their lives blocking Gang-gil's final rampage."
Silence fell.
C-grade: 500. B-grade: 100. A-grade: 18.
I was speechless.
Even Sa-hyeon pressed his lips tight, his face unreadable.
From a yokai's perspective, a single entity massacring human elites on that scale was staggering firepower.
"So... where are the two A-grade exorcists who survived?"
At my cautious question, Seo Hwa-rin hesitated long before answering haltingly.
"Ghost Gate Seoul Branch Director Park Dong-cheol. He's one of the two survivors. The other..."
Her gaze drifted to the Haetae Sword at her waist.
"...is my father, former Gangwon Branch Director Seo Jin-tae. He survived by sheer luck, but... he couldn't overcome his severe internal injuries and passed away a few years later."
Ah.
I stared blankly at Seo Hwa-rin.
Suddenly, it all made sense—why she was so rigid about rules and principles, why she scrambled so desperately to protect this weakened Ghost Gate.
This place was what her father had defended with his life.
"Since that day, Korea's Ghost Gate has been a hollow shell with a broken spine. The few survivors and rookies like us shed bloody tears rebuilding the defenses, but filling that massive generational gap in just 20 years was impossible. At least mutants like Team Leader Do Jae-hyeok have kept things barely under control."
Seo Hwa-rin looked me straight in the eye.
Desperation from the brink and a heavy sense of duty filled her gaze.
"Now do you understand, Agent Kang Han-gyeol? Why we so readily handed you a groundbreaking 10 billion won salary and turned a blind eye to Agent Sa-hyeon's mysterious origins accompanying you."
I looked down at my right fist.
Behind the 10 billion won contract I gripped were the sacrifices of hundreds who perished 20 years ago and the lingering resentment of those left behind.
"Your overwhelming power and this shikigami's area purification ability are the only deterrents that can protect this country from the next Gang-gil-level disaster that could erupt anytime. You are Ghost Gate's 'hope' after 20 long years."
A heavy weight of responsibility pressed down.
The mood had grown too solemn, too grave.
To lighten the stifling air, I tossed my empty coffee can into the trash and furrowed my brow slightly as I spoke up.
"Hold on, Team Leader."
"Yes?"
"If things are that desperate and talent's dried up..."
I crossed my arms and gave Seo Hwa-rin a sideways glance.
"A few days ago, when you first showed up at my rooftop room."
"......Yes."
"If I was Ghost Gate's one and only 'hope', the savior you absolutely had to recruit... why'd you break into someone else's house so casually? I came back from Daiso, saw unfamiliar women's shoes at the door, and nearly passed out."
"......Ah."
Seo Hwa-rin's shoulders twitched visibly.
"No, you said the door was locked, so it was 'official business' and you opened it right up. Korea's elite yokai management agent picking locks on a civilian's place. Even rummaging through my hard-earned 3.5 million won part-time cash envelope. Is that how you treat the 10 billion won hope you're here to recruit? Huh?"
"Th-that was..."
Embarrassment flooded her usually icy face. She averted her eyes and cleared her throat.
"Ahem! That was... an unavoidable measure for swift business processing. Since you weren't home, Agent Kang Han-gyeol, I was scouting for potential risks in advance..."
"Ah, scouting. If I'd called the cops for breaking and entering back then, it would've been a show. Korea's hope getting recruited from a jail visiting room. Ghost Gate nearly shuts down."
As I teased her mercilessly with a sly grin, the tips of Seo Hwa-rin's ears turned bright red.
To hide her fluster, she put on a stern face and brushed dust off her broken Haetae Sword.
"In the end, you joined, so it's fine. Let's overlook that minor procedural hiccup for national security. Time to head back to HQ."
Seeing the elite team leader embarrassed by her own blunder lightened my heavy heart a bit.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Excellent. Beyond expectations."
In the spacious branch director's office, white-haired Branch Director Park Dong-cheol sat at the head seat, setting down the report with a gentle smile.
I eyed the old man quietly.
An A-grade survivor who made it through that hellish battle 20 years ago.
His kindly grandfather face hid who knew what cards up his sleeve.
"Agent Kang Han-gyeol. Without you, the entire northeastern Seoul region would've become a contaminated zone. 10 billion won salary feels like a bargain for that firepower."
"Well, gotta earn my keep for the pay."
I shrugged casually, and the director chuckled, nodding.
That was when it happened.
"Impressive firepower, sure, but..."
Team Leader Do Jae-hyeok of Team 1, lounging crookedly on the sofa sucking a lollipop, sat up.
His gaze pierced not me, but Sa-hyeon standing beside me.
It wasn't his usual sly glint.
It was sharp and chilling, like a sheathed blade.
"You there, newbie. Sa-hyeon, was it?"
"Speak, Senior."
Sa-hyeon replied leisurely, hands in his pockets.
"Field reports say you swept the first bug swarm with your 'sandstorm'. Sandstorm. Rare ability."
Do Jae-hyeok crunched his lollipop and rose slowly.
With each step forward, the office air grew heavier.
"But no matter how I look at it, something's off. Too murky and alien for pure spiritual power. Feels like some gutter-crawling killer ghost that got bloodied up. What's your real deal?"
But Sa-hyeon didn't flinch.
He smirked brazenly, eyes crinkling.
"Too kind. Killer ghost? I'm just a law-abiding citizen with strong vibes and a quirky talent. Dig too deep, and you ruin the mystique, don't you think, Senior?"
"This punk, right to the end..."
Do Jae-hyeok's hand twitched toward his sword hilt.
"Enough, Team Leader 1."
Branch Director Park's heavy voice boomed through the office.
"I distinctly said not to interfere with Team 7's personnel."
"Director. But that guy's energy is blatantly off. Even if we're desperate for manpower, letting in someone of unknown origins..."
"Black cat, white cat."
The director cut Do Jae-hyeok off firmly.
Pragmatism etched his wrinkled eyes.
"Black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's good. You know Ghost Gate doesn't have the luxury to scrutinize weapon origins right now. If he wields his sword for us, the source of his power doesn't matter."
The leader's ruthless calculus: scrape together every bit of manpower.
"Haa... the desperation from the top, really."
Do Jae-hyeok scratched his head irritably and let go of his sword hilt.
"Fine. If the director insists, I won't pry. But..."
Do Jae-hyeok's eyes gleamed like a blade.
"If this guy ever turns his claws on us or pulls any stunt, orders or not, I'll take his head myself. Don't touch that, Director."
"......Fine. Handle it your way then."
Park Dong-cheol nodded gravely.
A chilling declaration worthy of Ghost Gate's ace.
Once the icy exchange with the director ended, Do Jae-hyeok dropped his killing intent like it was nothing.
He grinned at me and clapped my shoulder like a friendly neighborhood bro.
"Anyway. 10 billion monster newbie, great job on your first mission."
"Ah, thanks, Team Leader 1."
"Your firepower's tempting the more I see it. Our strict Seo Hwa-rin Team Leader will drill you hard in training, but if it gets rough, run to Team 1 anytime. I'll buy you a welcome drink soon—let's grab one."
"Oh, sounds good! Definitely call me."
Do Jae-hyeok rolled his lollipop, casually setting up drinks—full of fondness and expectation for me.
The firm warning to the director, Sa-hyeon's subdued demeanor, and the ace senior's warm affection.
The tense office atmosphere melted away under Do Jae-hyeok's cheeky smile, and Park Dong-cheol smiled amiably again to lighten the mood.
"Alright, good work everyone. Team 7, rest up for the rest of the day and start official duties tomorrow. The lodging Agent Kang Han-gyeol requested is all set, so you're free to clock out."
"Thank you, Director! See you tomorr... Huh?"
I cut off mid-greeting and checked the wall clock.
The hands pointed exactly to 1:10 PM.
"Director, it's just past lunch at 1 PM. Already clocking out? This is my first day."
I asked, stunned and pricked by conscience. Seo Hwa-rin adjusted her glasses beside me and replied.
"After a large-scale swarm subjugation, field agents must rest at least half a day to stabilize depleted spiritual circuits—Ghost Gate protocol. Plus, today Agent Kang has to move from the rooftop room to the penthouse."
"Ah. Sweet... I mean, what a rational, welfare-packed workplace."
I barely caught my slip of true feelings.
It was a brutal job risking life and limb, but the coolness of a 1 PM quit without batting an eye deserved full marks.
"Alright, let's go. Moving truck's waiting in front of your rooftop room."
"Thank you, Director! See you tomorrow!"
This time, without a hint of hesitation, I snapped a sharp 90-degree bow and bolted from the office.
Seo Hwa-rin sighed as she followed, and Sa-hyeon strolled out humming.
Behind me, Fry chirped, "I'm looking forward to the new palace for our luggage!" while Pepper wagged her tail furiously, leading the way.