Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Karma
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Due to passing out midway, I couldn't remember what had happened.
"Signal's this way..."
"...Hurry! His condition is critical!"
"ID... external special consultant..."
From the voices I half-heard in my daze and waking up in the hospital, I could tell that Foundation agents had rescued me.
"Any discomfort anywhere?"
"No, everything's fine."
The doctor's explanation confirmed as much.
"That's a relief. You were in very serious condition when you first arrived. Blindness in the left eye, skull fracture, not a single bone in your body without cracks, ruptured spleen, punctured lung, liver damage too..."
In an ordinary hospital, it would've been untreatable, or at best I'd still be in the ICU, comatose.
"But you're remarkably intact. Even with surgery, recovery should take time, right?"
"Haha, it's the Foundation. We can treat most injuries without aftereffects or rehab."
But the Foundation's hospital was no ordinary place.
"Organ failure, brain death, multiple organ dysfunction, terminal cancer, AIDS, fatal genetic diseases—the Foundation hospital can handle a lot. Agents get it free, and external special consultants too, so feel free to use it often. Though, of course, not needing it is best?"
Treatment had finished while I was out, and I was good for discharge, but they wanted to observe for a day just in case.
"Can regular people use it too?"
"Direct family of Foundation staff can. We treat their illnesses under the guise of routine checkups at normal hospitals."
"With so many people around outside, I had to ask."
"Yeah, lots. Yesterday was the end of first-round new agent recruitment. Second round starts with health checks, so agents from the area all flooded in."
"Ah, so those people over there..."
Out the window, crowds were streaming into the hospital.
"But what if someone gets rejected? The Foundation's existence is secret, right?"
"We have a wonderful thing called memory erasure."
While chatting with the doctor and watching new recruits, I spotted a familiar face.
'That guy's?'
Kim Go-deok, the martial artist who appeared in the world after the Dial TV prophecy. Stroking his long white beard, which clashed with his black suit, as he looked around. Curious what he was saying, I focused my hearing to eavesdrop.
"Heh heh, what an intriguing facility. To think such a place exists on the world's underbelly—a mystical sect indeed! They say this world is full of all manner of evils? Protecting the righteous from evil is righteousness, and executing it without hesitation is chivalry."
"You're muttering to yourself again."
"Disciple, mark my words well. Righteousness and chivalry are the foundation of every martial artist!"
"Forget that—teach me more martial arts. Might as well learn quick and go solo."
The woman beside Kim Go-deok looked familiar too.
'Kim Mi-ri.'
The high school girl who'd nearly become an extreme victim in my dream.
With college entrance exams over by now, she was probably a college freshman, but seeing her with him meant she'd given in to his request, become his disciple, and somehow ended up joining the Foundation.
"Sigh, if it weren't for the money..."
"Out! Blinded by wealth! Didn't I teach you to shun worldly temptations that disturb the mind?"
"And weren't you the one who joined after they dangled immortal pills? Ignored it completely before, then your eyes lit up?"
"Ahem, it was an unavoidable choice to nurture my promising disciple."
Amusing. I figured she'd learn martial arts, but joining the Foundation?
'Well, the Foundation had to step in eventually. Kim Go-deok was drawing too much attention.'
A quick smartphone search showed all photos of Kim Go-deok scrubbed from the internet, his antics dismissed as rotten trees, fakes, or composites.
'Hm?'
I thought it'd just be those two, but I spotted one more unexpected person.
『Really, really! No exorcisms, sealing, or weird experiments, right?』
"Yes, why are ghosts so timid?"
『In movies and novels, they seal ghosts in strange places, turn them into evil spirits, and use curses...』
"No need to worry. Most of that's fiction."
『Ahaha, right... Right? Most? So some is real!?』
It was Shin Young-moon, the first ghost I'd met.
'No wonder I hadn't seen him lately. Was he being chased by Foundation agents?'
No one else to ask but the doctor?
Luckily, someone who could explain visited.
"How's your body holding up?"
"Haha, we're here!"
Two agents with deep ties to me from the Foundation.
S-Grade agent and manager Sung Yu-ra, and C-Grade—no, now B-Grade—agent Kim Dong-wook.
"I, uh, got promoted. B-Grade agent now."
"Congratulations. I knew you'd rise quick, Kim Dong-wook."
"Now I can have subordinates. No more driving myself!"
The driving topic came up, so I subtly asked about that day.
"But do you remember? The day we did driving training?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I remember. You drove great—followed instructions perfectly, obeyed signals. Real talent."
"...What about the independent dimension destruction?"
"Huh? Destruction? Oh, that was a gas line mishap in the independent dimension, right? Sephirot said so."
Kim Dong-wook remembered our driving training suddenly exploding into a hospital stay from a gas leak.
'Sephirot covered it up?'
Why? To help the Foundation? A multidimensional AI computer's motives are beyond me.
"Seung-hoon, next time driving trai—tra—training..."
"Dong-wook? What's wrong?"
The moment training came up, Kim Dong-wook broke into cold sweat.
"N-No, nothing. Must be tired or something."
"Well, vacation soon—rest up."
"Yeah, I will."
Anyway, they thanked me during the visit.
"Truly grateful for resolving the Hell Train incident. We dispatched some agents too, but they all went missing."
"Thanks to you, all missing agents returned. We're short-staffed—one person's precious."
"Call on the Foundation anytime you need help."
"Just did what needed doing."
From them, I learned the Foundation's situation and Shin Young-moon's whereabouts.
"Foundation's understaffed. Still half short compared to pre-Constellation invasion. With interdimensional incursions detected now, we need to rebuild forces ASAP."
"Ordinary dimensions are fine, but these match our level. Tech parity means manpower decides—recruiting extra agents hard."
Interdimensional invasions and agent shortages.
"Tracking escaped symbionts for cooperation, recruiting ghosts, yokai, superhumans as agents."
"Wouldn't have before. Foundation's mission was serving humanity. Now, too short, so tempting with money and perks."
"Ghosts as agents too?"
"Rare, but precedents exist."
Even the Foundation couldn't sustain on "service to humanity" zeal alone.
"So, one request."
"Yes."
"When war with other dimensions starts in earnest, will you help us?"
How could I refuse?
"I will."
After discharge, I returned home.
'Been a while.'
Showered, short nap, then sorted train souvenirs.
[Objects are far more dangerous than they appear.]
[Ignorance of Right and Wrong]
[Anger at What One Lacks]
[Gate of Verbal Calamity]
Four photos snapped; missed the greedy soul and conductor.
'Pity, especially the conductor's. Should've gotten that.'
His defeated look after the call captured every office worker's woe—prime art.
'Maybe get a job soon?'
Not lifetime employment. Just experience office life a month or two.
'But short-term gigs aside, no such jobs.'
Feeling like after a long battle and an art-hunting expedition, I skipped the office for rest.
"Honey, thinking of making my own homepage—help?"
Rested, enjoying hobbies.
『Understood. I'll make the sleekest, coolest homepage ever.』
"No, just my way."
Made my homepage with Sarang's help.
[Nanolgaek's Debate Hall]
[Rest spot for debaters. Debater friends, recharge life here, bask in knowledge, evolve reason.]
[Debate Hall]
[Debater Rest]
[Debater Makeover]
[Debater Hall of Art]
[Debater Suggestions]
[Debater Free Board]
[Debater Humor Spot]
Sarang built it as I wanted.
『Seung-hoon, the community's style is awfully dated. Strongly recommend modernizing.』
"Fine. I want serious folks, not popularity."
Advertised online to promote.
[Hey! That troll Nanolgaek made a homepage!]
[Whoa! What crap's the psycho plotting now?]
[Who's Nanolgaek?]
└[Community troll. Roams every board shitposting. Posts gross pics calling it 'art,' floods with nonsense, derails with dogshit logic.]
└[Shits from his mouth lol]
└[Fr real shitter.]
└[Terror his site with poop pics.]
Hordes of community users flooded my homepage.
[Site has been shut down.]
Poop image spam led to reports; closed in three days.
"Sad."
A tear fell unwittingly. Inspiration struck—I grabbed the Polaroid, snapped the shutdown message with my face.
"And perfect."
My teary face beside the monitor's closure notice. Back: titled.
[Karma]
Week of such daily fun. Rested enough, headed to office—someone waited.
"Hello."
A tall woman, forcing me to look up, handed her card.
"Lucifer Company Overseas Sales Division Head, Asmodeus. Waiting with a message from Baal."
Took her card, opened office door.
"Yes, hello? I'm Lee Seung-hoon."
Didn't expect a request so soon.
"Come in first."
Had to, after their help, right?