Chapter 5

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 5

Chapter Title: Superhuman Management Bureau (3)

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Until the agent arrived to measure my rank, we decided to wait in a conference room at headquarters. I'd heard they were coming up from Busan, so it would take a little time.

Anyway, I had time to kill.

'Might as well check out the galleries.'

The thought crossed my mind, so I decided to look up hunter-related communities.

However, as I scrolled through the list of galleries in the community, the 'Hunter Gallery' I was looking for just wasn't there. It had definitely been created, so why was it missing?

I turned my head to look at Agent Choi, who was sitting beside me with an awkward expression. I'd heard her name earlier, but I'd already forgotten it, leaving me with only one way to address her.

"Hey, you."

At my call, Agent Choi jumped in surprise and turned her head.

"Y-yes! Ma'am Kim Hyun. Do you need something?"

"You know anything about the galleries?"

"Gal...leries?"

"Yeah, you know, internet communities."

Agent Choi's face took on a subtle expression at my question. I had no idea why she was making that face, so as I tilted my head in confusion, she slowly nodded.

"I know of them, but..."

"Oh, you do? So where's the gallery where awakeners—no, hunters mostly hang out?"

I shook my wrist to show off my smartwatch.

"I searched everywhere, but no Hunter Gallery."

"Uh, um. You should go to the Monster Hunter Gallery...?"

"?"

What? Was she messing with me?

As I stared at her blankly, Agent Choi frantically shook her head.

"I-I'm not joking. Really!"

Who did she think I was, an idiot?

"Monster Hunter—that's a game, right? And hunters hang out there? Does that even make sense?"

At that, Agent Choi quickly started explaining.

"Well, it started as a game gallery, sure. But since there wasn't a gallery for hunter talk, the users into that stuff invaded the Monster Hunter one and took it over."

"What the—why do you know so much about it?"

"I browse the Monster Hunter Gallery a bit..."

"Gotcha."

That tracked.

I shrugged and manipulated my smartwatch to search for the 'Monhun' Gallery. Sure enough, a gallery overflowing with that familiar stench of shitposting welcomed me.

Just reading the titles, the pungent smell wafted up. But somehow, seeing it made it really sink in that I was back on Earth.

"Heh."

Perfect. Just what I wanted.

I spent quite a while browsing the Monster Hunter Gallery like that.

Bang!

The conference room door burst open, and Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk walked in.

I leaned back fully in my chair and asked Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk.

"They here? The agent to measure my rank?"

He nodded at my question.

"Yes. Let's move to another location for now."

Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk guided me deep into headquarters.

The room he led me to was a small one with a large armchair and a table. What stood out was that one entire wall was a mirror—so blatant it was almost funny.

I stared intently through the mirror and asked.

"This an interrogation room?"

"...No. Please wait just a moment."

"Looks like an interrogation room no matter how you slice it."

Whatever, didn't matter if it was or wasn't.

I plopped down into the armchair and crossed my legs.

Let's see how they measure me.

Superhuman Management Bureau headquarters entrance.

From the main gate below, a woman with a ponytail came sprinting madly toward the headquarters entrance.

"Huff, hack!"

The woman, having run for a good while, clutched her knees and panted heavily upon reaching the entrance. Through her slightly open collar gleamed an ID badge reading 'Superhuman Management Bureau Agent: Chae Seol-ah'.

"Hah, haah."

My heart's gonna burst.

Chae Seol-ah shed a few tears as she screamed inwardly.

'Why, why is the Bureau on a hill...!'

The Bureau grounds were on a gently sloping hill. Headquarters sat right at the top.

And from the main gate at the bottom of the hill, outsiders couldn't enter, so even taxis couldn't come up.

Thanks to that, Chae Seol-ah had no choice but to sprint up that tall hill with her pathetically poor stamina.

"Heek, heek..."

After panting for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a while, Chae Seol-ah wiped the drool trickling from her mouth with her sleeve. Then she staggered toward the headquarters entrance.

Passing the parked cars, a familiar sight soon came into view.

"T-Team Leader..."

Spotting Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk standing at the entrance with arms crossed, Chae Seol-ah made a teary face and said.

"Sorry I'm late..."

"You're not late. You got here right on time, so don't worry, Agent Chae."

"R-really...?"

Lee Min-hyuk nodded and patted her shoulder reassuringly. Then he entered headquarters with Chae Seol-ah.

As they walked down the hallway, Lee Min-hyuk spoke first.

"This returnee can cause mana contamination."

At those words, Chae Seol-ah ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fumbled to recall.

"Uh... mana contamination means... that, uh..."

Soon, Chae Seol-ah's face turned deathly pale.

"Th-that means that person is a National Power-level Hunter?"

"Not sure. But at minimum S-Rank, and I assess they have combat power above mine."

Lee Min-hyuk glanced at Chae Seol-ah.

Then, in a grave tone, he asked.

"Can you measure them?"

Of course, it was just a question—he wasn't worried at all. He had no reason to be. Chae Seol-ah's ability had produced flawless results that left no room for doubt.

Chae Seol-ah.

She was the contractor of the Akashic Manual.

The Akashic Manual was an information entity recording countermeasures for everything in this world. Simply put, it was a book containing the ' methods' for all existences.

Naturally, its value was incalculable.

Just listing the benefits the Superhuman Management Bureau of Korea had gained from the Akashic Manual would fill volumes.

Thanks to the Akashic Manual, the Bureau had devised capture methods for every high-ranking hunter affiliated with domestic corporations.

And that was just the start.

The three National Power-level Hunters who had visited Korea.

The Bureau even knew their methods.

Well, knowing the for National Power-level Hunters and actually executing it to subdue one were entirely different matters.

Still, theoretically, they could take down a National Power-level.

As such, the value of Chae Seol-ah, contractor of the Akashic Manual, was beyond measure.

That was why Lee Min-hyuk gave her a choice.

"What do you want to do? Check via photo, or look with your own eyes? Either way's fine, so speak freely."

Chae Seol-ah swallowed dryly and answered.

"Y-you know already, Team Leader. The Manual gives way more complete info if I look directly..."

"True, but we have to guard against unknowns. A photo's plenty to devise a."

Lee Min-hyuk turned to face Chae Seol-ah squarely. Then, with a serious expression, he warned her.

"This returnee hasn't had a psych evaluation yet. No one knows their mental state. Any freak situation could unfold."

However, despite Lee Min-hyuk's warning, Chae Seol-ah didn't change her mind.

"I-I'm fine. I'll look directly."

At that, Lee Min-hyuk silently nodded and led Chae Seol-ah to the room next to where Kim Hyun was.

That room had one wall made of semi-transparent glass. Naturally, Kim Hyun's room was visible through it.

"Whoa..."

Entering the room, Chae Seol-ah gaped at Kim Hyun beyond the glass.

Beyond the glass wall, Kim Hyun lounged in the armchair with beauty that didn't seem human. A loveliness no mere celebrity could match. Her sharp features made her a bit intimidating, but that only added to her allure.

'She's really pretty.'

How could someone like that exist in the world?

And an S-Rank hunter on top of that appearance.

Suddenly feeling down, Chae Seol-ah fidgeted with her hands.

But the gloom was fleeting. As usual, she crumpled her emotions and shoved them aside. Swallowing dryly, she took a deep breath.

Then she stared straight at Kim Hyun and shouted.

"Manual! Show me the method!"

"Wh-what?"

The Manual that should have appeared immediately was nowhere to be seen.

As Chae Seol-ah panicked at the anomaly.

A foul smell wafted from somewhere.

The stench of something rotting.

And then.

"...Huh?"

The color drained from Chae Seol-ah's face.