The Response Agency's Rulebook Method
“How can I hold back from the chance at legal incest not bound by blood?”
What the hell did I just hear?
Nahee pressed a hand to her trembling eyes, steadying herself. From the moment they'd been caught in this anomalous phenomenon, reactions weren't what mattered—judgment was.
Nahee stared at Jeongchan in front of her. The way he smacked his lips every time he saw an anomaly, the eerie heat in his eyes. Nothing different from usual, but that statement couldn't be ignored.
Is he crazy?
He was a junior who'd been repeatedly swept up in anomalies. It wouldn't be strange if his mind had cracked long ago. In a place like this, sanity could shatter in an instant.
At least he wasn't showing any aggression. Small mercies.
“What if we just add one more person to the actual family photo? Turn her into the real mom, right?”
“Hold on. Why don't you take this medicine first?”
What Nahee handed him was a mental contamination resistance drug.
She didn't care how it was made or what the principle was. It worked—that was enough.
She was the type who valued practicality over theory.
“Huh? You want me to take this?”
Jeongchan's eyes flickered with strange doubt. If he turned aggressive here, she'd have no choice but to subdue him.
“It's from you, Team Leader, so I'll trust and swallow it.”
Gulp.
Jeongchan downed the drug in one bold gulp, like he was putting on a show.
“Anyway, you still haven't answered my question. I'm against removing one of the moms. If the fake one's the problem, just make her the real mom, right?”
Nahee felt an inexplicable chill at the sight of Jeongchan licking his lips.
Deep contamination.
The drug didn't seem to be working.
He was still capable of communication, at least—asking questions and waiting for answers. The problem was his twisted thought process.
I need to get him out fast.
This anomalous phenomenon seemed to deliver a mental attack lethal only to men. She'd confirm later, but either way, her junior's contamination was only getting worse.
She'd thrown herself into danger for promotion, but she didn't want to climb by sacrificing others—especially not a promising junior's life.
“Jeongchan. Follow my lead for now. We'll try your way after.”
“Got it.”
Nahee gripped her baton like she wanted to snap it.
Never thought I'd end up doing this.
Fight back with force.
Those were the words of a legendary agent from the era when terrifying anomalies and incomprehensible phenomena first emerged.
He'd crushed every oncoming anomaly and phenomenon with raw power.
Suspicious ghost on your tail? Beat it down.
Caught in some unidentified somewhere? Wreck the place until they spit you back out.
That legendary agent's principles had been passed down to juniors even now. It was a method avoided these days due to the risks, but agents were trained that in truly dire situations, they should smash the anomaly with brute force.
To her, this was exactly that moment.
“Let's head down first.”
Nahee led Jeongchan to the first floor.
“Come here, come here, come here.”
Not this one.
A gaunt, twisted anomaly like a giant centipede spat out endless creepy words. Nahee smashed its head with her baton in one stroke.
Crack.
A sound like splitting wood echoed as the anomaly collapsed, leaving a concave dent.
Chilling presence at her back—she whipped her head around to see another anomaly descending the stairs, identical to the one she'd just killed.
“Why didn't you choose me???”
She crushed the attacking anomaly swinging its long arms again.
She smashed walls, flipped furniture, tore the house apart.
Won't go outside.
Like a spring rewinding backward, the broken furniture restored itself. Brute force wouldn't get them out, it seemed.
She closed her eyes and opened them—back in the middle of the stairs.
“Jeongchan! Nahee! It's dangerous up there! Come down quick!”
The same voice echoed from the second floor.
“Kids! Mom just heard too! Don't go down!”
Jeongchan asked with a dazed expression.
“Team Leader, what is this...?”
“We failed to clear it properly, so time rewound.”
Has his mind cleared?
Her junior seemed to have snapped out of it. Shock could sometimes reset the mind, or so they'd heard.
“So we can infinite retry?”
“No. It might get stronger each revival. It could even remember previous timelines.”
“Too bad. I wanted to do whatever I pleased...”
Whatever Jeongchan was imagining, his eyes went dreamy.
Not fully sane yet. Gotta set him straight.
“More importantly, changes come to us trapped in the anomaly too. Depends on the phenomenon, but no good cases on record.”
Memory loss or bodily defects could occur. Fortunately, nothing like that here yet.
“Team Leader, what now?”
Nahee closed her eyes, recalling the family photo from before the anomaly. A normal four-person family. Her gut said to escape, they'd need to match that photo.
“Can't brute force out, so find another way. Gotta remove the fake mom, but killing the first-floor one didn't work, so let's try the second floor first.”
The team leader strode upstairs.
“Come here, come here, come here.”
Like before, centipede-like limbs sprouted sharp, thorn-like spines.
“No memory of before, it seems. Resets each loop.”
Crack.
The team leader ignored it and smashed the head. No real difference from last time.
Time rewound again.
The team leader clutched her head like it ached.
“This won't solve it. Let's think a bit.”
No time for that, unfortunately. Anomalies with eyes bulging from the center of their faces approached from both staircases.
“Nahee, Jeongchan. You gotta listen to Mom, right?”
“Nahee, Jeongchan. You gotta listen to Mom, right?”
She subdued them again.
Took longer than before.
Time rewound.
They split to first and second floors. Fought anomalies.
New info: Mom's room on the second floor. Couldn't break the door open.
Time rewound.
“Jeongchan! Nahee! It's dangerous up there! Come down quick!”
“Kids! Mom just heard too! Don't go down!”
Looping again. Anomalies growing stronger, stamina draining.
“Team Leader, we need another approach.”
“...Even if it takes time, we'll observe and find the exit. You seem better—mind okay?”
The team leader's question was odd.
There'd been no time his mind was off, but she didn't argue. No time for that.
“First floor first.”
The first-floor mom suited my tastes more than the second. Those spines sticking out were more elegant.
The mom with even longer-grown spines greeted us.
“Come here, come here, come here.”
Chosen Mom
Chosen by her child. Treasures the child and devotes herself to them.
Chosen Mom?
Seemed divided not by real or fake mom, but by the child's choice.
Too bad.
I could've made her the 'real' mom, but no chance now.
Footsteps from the stairs, chilling presence. Second-floor mom approaching.
“Team Leader. Don't just turn your head—whole body, slowly look back?”
The team leader glanced at me, flashed brief surprise, then hid it. Same for me. Something weird behind her in an instant.
Unchosen Mom
Rejected by her child. But a mom never ignores her child. She follows until the child looks at her. If noticed, she'll express joy.
Two moms. The unchosen one stalks from behind like this.
She gestured subtly.
Behind me too?
Yes. You too?
Yeah. Don't let on.
As a 9th grade, she already knew not to suddenly twist just her head back. And not to show surprise. I'd learned from the Containment Gallery ghosts.
To escape, we needed info. Just thought of a good way to get it.
Team Leader. I'll hold the first-floor mom. You search for info.
Huh? Got a plan?
Of course.
I approached the first-floor mom and smacked what I guessed was her butt.
Smack!
Felt like wood cracking through my hand. Unique texture—wanted to hit it more.
The first-floor mom twisted her head in confusion.
“Son? Be good. What was that?”
Eyes all over her body fixed on me.
Chilling glare. Looked ready to swing those spined arms any second.
Can't play bad like this.
Understanding of Chosen Mom has increased.
Direct Gaze and Truth-Seeing Eye Drops reveal hidden info.
Chosen Mom
Chosen by her child. Treasures the child and devotes herself to them. Wants the child to behave like a good kid.
I apologized right away.
“Sorry, Mom.”
“It's okay, dear.”
Mom's spined hand stroked my head. Drew blood, but that was her way of showing love.
I got to the point.
“Mom. Let's sleep together like old times. Tuck me in. Wanna sleep in your room now.”
“Really? Sure, dear.”
The devotion description checked out. The first-floor mom had been emanating friendly white energy toward me from the start.
I followed Mom upstairs, winking at the stunned team leader.
Team Leader, info's on you.
Got it...