Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Indefinite Contractor Gets Dragged to the Church
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-Ring ring ring ring, ring ring ring ring.
The alarm's blaring jolted him awake.
The smartphone clutched in his hand read 6:00 a.m.
Another grueling day was kicking off.
"Yawn."
He shuffled toward the bathroom.
After a quick shower, he threw on a wrinkled shirt, slipped into his shoes, and stepped out of his one-room apartment.
6:40 a.m.
At the bus terminal, he grabbed a simple breakfast from the convenience store and boarded the bus.
The road clogged with folks like him commuting to the capital would roar along until they hit Seoul Terminal at 8:10 a.m.
From there, the subway to the office would get him in right at 8:30.
He chugged a modern man's stamina potion—a mixed coffee—while mentally sorting through the day's tasks.
Check Excel files, tidy up report formats, log into the company messenger, review the checklist.
Just glancing at the workload made him sigh, but he forced some willpower into gear.
9:00 a.m. Real work began.
"Mr. '' , handle this, would you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Section Chief '' , got a sec to chat about this?"
"Of course."
Endless paperwork, messenger pings nonstop, bosses calling left and right.
Three hours vanished in a blink.
He'd never slacked off.
Yet the pile of remaining tasks loomed like a mountain.
Noon.
He wolfed down lunch at the company cafeteria like it was just fuel, then snatched a power nap during the leftover time to recharge.
1:00 p.m.
The hellish work cycle looped again.
Even if he craved a breather, the youngest section chief in history, '' , was swamped with assignments that left no room for rest.
He raced through, breathless and mindless, until suddenly the clock pointed to quitting time.
"Good work."
"See you tomorrow."
7:00 p.m.
Indefinite contractors and new hires exchanged bows and headed out.
He clocked out too and left the office.
His destination wasn't home like everyone else's—it was a restaurant.
"Auntie, one more plain rice, please."
"Sure thing, hold on."
After dinner at a spot near work and an iced Americano at a café, he headed straight back to the office.
Overtime kicked in.
He wrapped up unfinished tasks and prepped for tomorrow's load.
No overtime pay to speak of, but what could he do?
Leave it till tomorrow? That'd unleash a work inferno beyond hell.
'Hang in there just a bit longer, Section Chief '' . Suffer until they call you Deputy '' .'
He psyched himself up and dove back in.
10:20 p.m.
Finally done, he left the office for real, hopped on a bus.
Eyes shut, opened—already at the end of the line.
Home by 11:30 p.m.
No TV, no phone—just wash up and crash into bed.
The clock hit midnight sharp.
'Sleeping an hour earlier than yesterday. Lucky.'
A modest, pathetic relief washed over him as he closed his eyes. Consciousness faded.
And morning broke again.
"Gasp!"
Daniel bolted upright in bed.
His body drenched in cold sweat, he quickly scanned the room.
Antique furniture, magical lanterns, and Gorgo snoozing peacefully on the pet cushion he'd bought recently.
Not a dream. Reality.
Daniel let out a deep, heartfelt sigh of relief.
"Holy shit. That scared the hell outta me."
No joke—it was scarier than the wyvern squad's dive-bombing raid up north.
Looking back, it was downright stupid.
Sacrificing his health and stamina for a shot at success, overworking like a maniac. Why the hell did he do that to himself?
No way he'd do it again.
His body couldn't hack that work hell anymore.
"Sigh. Nightmare killed my sleep... Maybe some tea?"
Casually labeling his past life a nightmare, the reincarnator rose from bed.
Morning commute.
Daniel's face, as he left the Magic Tower dorm, was shadowed unlike usual.
Gorgo noticed and asked,
"Rough night? Master? You look like absolute crap."
"Watch your mouth."
"Scolding a demon for proper speech? You're off your game today, Master."
"Ugh, whatever. Just a nightmare. Kinda bumming me out."
"Nightmare?"
"Yeah. Working myself to death nonstop, no days off, then dropping dead for real. Horrifying, right?"
"......"
"Huh? What's up?"
"Master... are you lodging a polite complaint or something?"
"Huh?"
Daniel blinked at Gorgo's response.
"What're you talking about?"
"No matter how I slice it, sounds like you're whining that you overwork every day because of me. Is this what they call 'meck'?"
"What?"
What the hell is this guy saying?
Daniel meant it.
"Absolutely not! No, Master, I can't even grasp how your brain jumped to that conclusion?!"
"So you're saying you're not griping about overworking because of me?"
"Obviously! Do I strike you as some whiny kid bitching about this dream gig?"
"'Dream gig,' you said? Just now?"
"Yeah!"
Daniel raised his voice to clear the misunderstanding.
"Listen up. A whole day off every week guaranteed! Six-day weeks with 9 a.m. starts, one-hour nap at lunch, clock out at 7 p.m. sharp! Free time galore, plus eight hours sleep minimum! No way I'd complain about a routine this heavenly. Use your common sense!"
"... Still feels like a roundabout roast."
"Misunderstanding!!!"
Ugh. Demon-human vibe gap?
He'd preached the joys of perfect YOLO life, yet it got twisted like this.
No clue how to convince him.
"... Master's sense of normal is just different."
"No, I've wondered this forever—why say that? Where's an everyday guy like me gonna find another normal person?!"
"I'll hold my tongue, Master."
"Ugh. Cultural differences, huh."
Thus, the mage and demon—harboring crossed wires—headed to work as usual.
Toward the job awaiting their same-old routine.
"Archmage Daniel. Mind accompanying us for a moment?"
"Huh?"
Daniel, facing an unusual day, thought,
That damn nightmare must've been a bad omen.
"Working normally?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
Cain pondered his subordinate's report.
'He's taking too long, Daniel.'
A week since leaving his contact.
No word from Daniel.
Not acceptance, not rejection—silence.
Cain read it as hesitation.
'Lacks decisiveness. Point deduction.'
Loyalty to Titania?
Or jump ship for regular status?
Worth mulling, but keeping the boss waiting? Wrong answer.
Downgrading Daniel's mental score, Cain decided.
'No choice. Time for a little nudge.'
"Contact Jake. Have him surprise-inspect Daniel."
"Understood."
Jake: Magic Tower internal affairs mage and one of Cain's hands.
The schemer smiled, ready to stir up the lately quiet Tower.
Official Black Mages were state-recognized jobs, but lifelong tagged as high-risk.
Thus, annual mandatory inspections.
Secret pacts with other demons?
Forbidden black magic on the sly?
To check for illicit acts.
But even that wasn't enough—surprise checks hit without warning.
Like now.
"Cooperate with the investigation, Junior Daniel."
"Sure."
Daniel nodded readily.
Not thrilled, but balking would just complicate things.
At the internal affairs agent's cue, two paladins stepped forward.
These surprise checks were standard joint ops between Tower and Church.
Used to be Tower-only, but sloppy work let a 6th Circle Black Mage topple a nation.
Now, special clause: Must include Tower and Church reps.
Hence paladins stationed at the Tower.
"Reveal your inner self in the name of God."
-Flash!
The paladins' prayer unleashed light at Daniel's feet, unfolding a holy circle.
Hallowed energy swept his body, relaying info like a status screen to the paladins.
They fired questions based on it.
"Mana spiked since last check. How?"
"Got lucky with an elixir."
"Elixir use. We'll verify later. What about altered mana circuits?"
"Hit the Infinite Archive recently, picked up some new spells."
"Congrats. Next."
Q&A flowed smoothly.
All by the book.
'After this, internal affairs grilling and paperwork. Ugh, annoying. Gonna splurge on good eats tonight.'
Daniel waited it out, mind wandering.
"All clear."
"Right."
"Archmage Daniel. Accompany us to the Church for a bit."
"...Pardon?"
But things veered off-script entirely.
Daniel blinked at the paladins' words.