Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Devil's Hunch
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html, body { margin:0; padding:0; } No choice then.
"You've come all this way, so have something at least. Cola and fries?"
"No."
Asmodeus, lounging on the sofa and eyeing the office, spoke up.
"I'm not Baal."
"Hmm, then how about some tea? Asmodeus?"
"I don't like tea either. And feel free to call me Asmo casually."
"Yes, Asmo. Anything specific you'd like?"
Her eyes darted around my office nonstop, clearly fascinated.
"Do you have chocolate and cocoa? Dark chocolate for the chocolate, and cocoa with sugar and marshmallows, please."
"Lucky break."
Thanks to Satoshi's recent efforts stocking global snacks for the occasional foreign guests, I could accommodate her request.
"Here you go."
"I'll enjoy it."
I asked her, who was reverently sipping the dark chocolate and cocoa.
"I figured demons would all have similar tastes, but you're different."
"Even humans don't all like the same things. Demons are the same."
"My bad, that was narrow-minded of me. I apologize."
"Apology accepted."
She maintained a stiffer, more businesslike demeanor than Baal.
"Anyway, you have a message from Baal?"
"Yes, he's currently recovering from injuries that'll keep him out for ten weeks after a fierce battle."
"Oh dear, sounds serious."
"It's the worst he's had since before 2024. That's why I'm here, and his message is this."
Asmo cleared her throat and mimicked Baal's speech.
"'Well now, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon, you owe me one, don't you? Recently, my 'Devil's Hunch' triggered in that land where you live. If left unchecked, it could lead to humanity's doom, so I've been keeping tabs, but now that I'm sidelined for recovery, I'm handing it off to you.' That's the message."
"Hmm."
I understood everything, except one thing.
"What's this 'Devil's Hunch'?"
"It's a demon's instinct that kicks in when their goals are at risk of being snatched away. A power that emerged after the tragedy before 2024—it triggers sporadically."
"What do you mean by 'goals at risk'?"
"It refers to losing objectives to angels, prophets, saints, or other transcendent beings. Baal said the hunch hit all of humanity, but especially strong at the location noted here, so whatever's happening there could doom mankind or transform it into something we demons can't touch."
She placed a slip of paper on the table. It had a rough map to a specific spot.
"Do you sense anything yourself, Asmo?"
"Not me. The Devil's Hunch is as capricious as a demon—mostly fires off on its own whim. Even among demons, the odds and triggers vary wildly."
"Humanity's doom... so demons are worried about humans?"
She fished a floating marshmallow from her cocoa with her finger and popped it in her mouth.
"If bugs infest your garden and a thief eyes your frostbitten crops, it's the owner's duty to swat them. Can't let someone else steal what you've nurtured. Sure, we've washed our hands of this dimension's humans long ago, but the seed of Original Sin is ours—we sown it, so they're our property."
I got the gist.
"I'll check out the location on the map."
"Then I'll be off."
Before she left, I asked one more thing that bugged me.
"But no qualms handing such a critical task to a human?"
"Doesn't matter. Dimensions aplenty. Unlike Baal, I'm not attached to this one. Plus, per him, you're a prime candidate to join our firm, so think of this as vetting an intern's skills."
"High praise."
"Have to be. From my view, you're already splendidly corrupted."
Corrupted, huh. The Karma Call Center said my good deeds overflowed for guaranteed paradise postmortem, but here they call me corrupted. Guess the two hells have different standards for good and evil.
"Am I corrupted?"
"One question. What do you think of furries?"
"A fine fetish. Humans have always gotten massive thrills and guilt from breaking taboos, and bestiality's one of them. Furries craft beast-people to dial down the guilt while keeping the taboo thrill—solidly mainstream taste."
Her questions didn't stop.
"What about tomboys?"
"Love 'em. A woman flaunting masculinity while hiding her femininity suddenly unleashes it—that reversal hits like a volcano, making you see her as a woman for the first time. And her masculine appeal laced with undeniable femininity, biting and amplifying each other in yin-yang harmony? Peak taste."
Asmodeus, demon of lust as I recalled.
"I see people's sexual tastes. Yours are incredibly broad, qualifying as corruption, so to me, you're prime demon material."
"It's not broad tastes—it's that once I connect deeply and build affection with someone, looks or bedroom styles don't matter; I can share love regardless."
"Still, aren't there impossible tastes?"
"You can see those too?"
Classic judgment from the demon overseeing sexual corruption.
"Yes, sadly. Homosexuality, pedophilia, necrophilia—included in your 54 tastes. Master those, and I'd beg you to join us on the spot."
"My body's strictly heterosexual, and only adults stir me—sorry."
"No, it's fine. You've conquered top-three caliber tastes among humans I've seen, so I'm satisfied."
Asmo left the office.
"Keep those promiscuous tastes going forward."
Knowledge gained.
"East applies puberty safeguards to cut slack on sins, but the West? No mercy."
I checked the small slip on the table—Baal's map of where his Devil's Hunch triggered.
'Not far. Scout from home first?'
Quick internet search. The building there was a four-story headquarters monopolized by a mid-sized firm.
[Sarang Goods]
"This place spells humanity's doom or corruption."
Thirty minutes by car from home, so next morning, I took an early taxi.
'Factory attached—makes sense.'
7:30 a.m., employees gathered before the building as peppy music blared from speakers under the podium.
『National Gymnastics~! One~ two~ three~!』
Oh, neat. Doing national gymnastics?
'Army rejects don't do this at dawn, do they?'
Is this normal company life? Never worked or researched, so who knows.
"Torso twists! One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Today too! Energetic! Day! Charge up! And work!"
Up front, the chairman兼CEO from the company homepage history led the gymnastics, shaking vigorously.
'Even my shoulders are bobbing.'
Pretty catchy.
"Let's work hard today too! Fighting!"
"Fighting!"
Watched from afar after, but nothing stood out.
"Kim, you done with that?"
"Sir? Which one?"
"That one! You know! That thing! How many years you been working and you don't know that?! Should clock it the second I say!"
"Uh, s-sorry."
Super professional, by-the-book section chief.
"Hey, newbie! Can't you carpool me in mornings?"
"Isn't your place kinda far from mine, Section Chief?"
"Psh, what's far? Hop on the highway, you're there. C'mon? Pretty please?"
"Uh, sure..."
Sentimental section chief bonding with the newbie commute.
"Thanks for the meal today!"
"Wasters get divine punishment! Clean your plates—no leftovers!"
Staff cafeteria all-veggie, no meat or fried foods—health-conscious.
"Here's the report."
"Just one? Redo it. Might as well draft three while you're at it. One project's gonna fly?"
"But you said submit by end of day..."
"Deadline's next Monday. Weekend starts tomorrow—plenty time. Skip play; self-improve on this."
Boss even micromanages underlings' growth.
'No good.'
Can't judge objectively. Ever since that company-life craving hit post-Hell Train, everything corporate looks positive.
'Whew, all so fun—jealousy kicking in.'
First envy since the army in ages. Too bad—no red flags outside.
'Sneak in after closing.'
Disable security with Sarang-i.
'Why no quittin' time?'
Past 8 p.m. Execs including chairman gone, but section chiefs on down still there.
"Ugh, gotta head out."
Section chief leaves, then staff trickle out—finally empty just past 9.
"Alright, Sarang, do it."
『Disabling now.』
Security off, ransacked the building. Over an hour, nada suspicious.
'Hmm, what's the issue?'
Home, pondered seriously.
'If Baal's hunch real, gotta ID how the problem manifests here.'
No physical anomalies.
'Mental then?'
Like mental contagion among employees, or perception-warping entity?
'If not physical, high odds it's mental—or triggers off rituals/events. Hard to spot without bonding with the spawners.'
E.g., someone learns shady ritual by chance.
Meets dream figure teaching curse used at work.
Or urban legend rumor gains form inside.
"Only way: Become employee, build intimacy as community member."
No firm hires full-time short-term; faking then quitting quick causes hassle—nope.
"I'm joining Sarang Goods starting now."
No choice but to get hired.