Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Vampire Hunt
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[Title: The Management Bureau sent someone to my house today]
[Anon]
Negotiation Division? Something like that. They asked about what happened while catching the Eight-Foot Ghost.
I bullshitted my way through it. They thought I exorcised it with a talisman.
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-How'd you fool them? You can tell they're from the Management Bureau just from the business card.
ㄴAnon: The card said detective? I fired off a message based on that and spun a whole story.
ㄴ?? Detective? Last time I saw one, it just said Management Bureau.
ㄴAnon: ? I could check both though?
ㄴTaming Master: Business cards from the Management Bureau are a type of anomaly. If you're below a certain level, it's hard to distinguish, but once you reach a certain point, you can tell fake from real.
ㄴAre you calling me below level right now?
ㄴTaming Master: (mage derp con)
ㄴTaming Master: More importantly, aren't you a newbie mage? How'd you tell? I can't even do it.
ㄴAnon: It just worked?
ㄴTaming Master: (mage punch con)
-Deep Sea Angler: You didn't kill them?
ㄴAnon: Why kill?
ㄴDeep Sea Angler: They found out who you are. Gotta kill 'em.
ㄴAnon: Read the post. They didn't find out.
ㄴDeep Sea Angler: Oh right. But you would've if they did?
ㄴAnon: Depends on the situation. Probably.
ㄴDeep Sea Angler: I like that.
ㄴDeep Sea Angler: (sinking newbie con)
Ian pocketed his phone and stepped outside with earbuds in. He figured he'd go for a light walk.
In the past few days, he'd encountered anomalies twice.
Both had impressive physical abilities. The Eight-Foot Ghost went without saying, and the monkey was a pure physical brute too—if he'd rushed in barehanded without magic, he'd have been slaughtered without doing a thing.
Not every anomaly was that strong, but they weren't weak either. There had to be plenty who fought with even tougher, more resilient bodies.
At his current stamina level, handling them would be tough.
So, to build up his endurance, he planned to start light exercise today. He'd never really exercised properly in his life—breathing was about it—so it felt a bit awkward, but he couldn't just sit idle.
He checked his watch.
It was still 11 a.m. Being a Monday, the riverside wasn't too crowded. Just some elderly folks and middle-aged people doing light workouts. Ian stretched a bit while watching them, then started jogging slowly along the track.
About 20 minutes later, he collapsed onto a bench, panting.
"Damn... tiring... huff...!"
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd moved like this. Ian chugged the cold water from his bag and caught his breath slowly.
He pulled out his phone to check the distance.
A little over 2km. Not bad for a first try. Nodding in satisfaction, he started walking back home.
"...Shut up. I can handle my love life or whatever. Even this walk is because you egged me on."
As he walked, a woman in a deep hood approached from the opposite direction. Her long black hair and faintly visible mint-green eyes marked her as unusual.
Whether on a call or talking to herself, she gripped her coffee cup tighter while muttering.
"I've compromised a lot too. I was just gonna buy coffee, but now I'm walking all the way to the riverside. Once I'm home, I'm not leaving the house for a week. Got it?"
Mid-sentence, she suddenly flicked her eyes toward Ian. Their gazes met in the air.
It was brief. She bowed her head slightly in greeting right away and hurried off along the track. Ian looked away from her and continued home.
"...Eye contact is fate? Be quiet. Keep muttering like that, and I'll leave you at the library."
Ian didn't catch her mutterings. With earbuds in, it was natural.
Back home, he tossed his cap aside, showered, and headed to the living room. The grimoire on the bed flipped its cover toward him, then flopped back down.
"...?"
Bemused by the odd behavior for a moment, Ian quickly towel-dried his hair, screenshotted his run log, and posted it to the community—after blurring any personal info, of course.
[Run done.]
[Anon]
(2km run photo)
Exercising to handle anomalies. Thinking of getting a gym membership too.
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[Comments]
-Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie: 2km? That's kid stuff. I run that much.
ㄴAnon: Proof or gtfo
ㄴStrawberry Yogurt Smoothie: I don't listen to weaklings weaker than me.
ㄴStrawberry Yogurt Smoothie: (mage knuckle con)
-Where's that? Riverside?
ㄴAnon: Lol
ㄴLmao come back
-★Grandmother: Oh.
ㄴAnon: ? What? Something up?
ㄴ★Grandmother: ...Nothing. Did you just run this?
ㄴAnon: Yeah. Why?
ㄴ★Grandmother: No reason. Just curious.
The cryptic question from Grandmother. As Ian furrowed his brow trying to read into it, a message arrived from Lee Seo-ah.
[Lee Seo-ah: Got a request from the Cartel. Wanna check it out?]
Perfect timing—he'd been waiting. Ian sat on the bed and replied positively.
Moments later, she sent a photo.
It was a bulletin board plastered with papers. Ian groaned and scrutinized each one.
[Ghoul Hunt.]
[Reward: 6 million.]
[Reclaim Vampire Territory.]
[Reward: 8.5 million.]
[Politician Assassination.]
[5.6 million.]
[Hunt Anomalous Mage Eddie.]
[9.5 million.]
[Human Trafficking.]
[4 million.]
The requests varied wildly. Simple anomaly hunts to assassinations, massacres, kidnappings, etc. Plenty tied to crime, with rewards all over the map.
'...What the hell are these guys that they can pull off shit like this?'
The Management Bureau was out there with eyes wide open. No matter how sneaky, a long tail gets stepped on eventually. Especially if they brokered anomaly jobs and dabbled in every crime under the sun.
"...."
Lee Seo-ah said the Cartel was trustworthy, but he wasn't convinced. Rewards were solid, but the jobs were beyond imagination. What made this any different from dark web illegal crap?
There were normal requests too—far more than the criminal ones, in fact. But the human trafficking and kidnappings kept sticking in his craw.
[Me: You sure this is legit?]
Finally, he couldn't hold back and asked. Lee Seo-ah, apparently glued to her phone, replied instantly.
[Lee Seo-ah: Of course it's legit. Oh, some requests bugging you?]
[Me: Yeah. Not desperate enough to kidnap or kill innocents.]
[Lee Seo-ah: Most of those are crime syndicates using the Cartel's name as a front. Cartel takes the money and does whatever.]
[Lee Seo-ah: No need to worry. Just check for the verified mark.]
He did.
Ian sorted through the requests, pulling out only those with the Cartel's emblem.
Fortunately, these weren't deeply criminal. Mostly anomaly-related.
[Lee Seo-ah: Cartel handles anomaly jobs for cash. Buys and sells materials from anomaly hunts, mainly trades with mages and Management Bureau folks.]
[Me: Management Bureau too?]
[Lee Seo-ah: Yup. They import stuff they don't produce themselves? Cartel sells it for a fee. So the Bureau overlooks whatever as long as it's not huge.]
In simple terms, symbiosis. Bureau turns a blind eye to Cartel's anomaly brokering and distribution; Cartel supplies them useful goods.
Not a bad deal for the Bureau. Anomalies handled without their involvement, byproducts delivered right to them.
One lingering issue, though.
[Me: Could the Cartel sell mage info to the Management Bureau?]
He'd just fooled Bureau staff today. If Cartel couldn't guarantee basic trust, no point using them. Better find another way.
[Lee Seo-ah: No need to worry. Cartel's been living off trust alone since the 17th century. Thousands of mages they've dealt with, never a single issue from their side.]
Relief. No red flags there. Ian lay back on the bed, grimoire on his stomach, and typed.
[Me: Checked it out. So how do I accept a request?]
[Lee Seo-ah: Call the number I give you, say what job you want. Only for first contact with Cartel, so suck it up.]
[Me: Person who picks up trustworthy?]
[Lee Seo-ah: You're super suspicious? Trust me. If they screwed me, I'd be in Bureau custody already.]
Fair point. Ian exhaled deeply and reviewed Seo-ah's forwarded requests.
'No need for tough ones first. Better start easy, get anomaly experience.'
He'd only faced two anomalies so far. Jobs like [Flesh Mass Trapped in Mountain] or [Reclaim Organs from Rose General Hospital] were beyond his experience. Poke his nose in blindly, and he might die instead.
Mages weren't invincible. Recreation was powerful, but slip up and you're dead. Better secure a workshop, stock up on unique items, then tackle hard ones.
'Requests pay near a million each—tempting, but dead is dead. Play it safe.'
Decision made, Ian picked one and dialed the number from Seo-ah.
Three rings, then pickup.
[Hello, Mage. Thank you for using Cartel services. May I ask what brings you to call?]
"Vampire hunt. I'll take it. Send location, time, and co-op details."
[Confirmed. One joint with Management Bureau, one with Vampire Hunters. Which?]
"Hunters."
[Party of 3 total including you. Confirmed. One moment.]
The broker replied promptly.
[Location: Club. Address and time sent via text. Happy hunting.]
Click.
Call ended as words did. Ian checked the texted club address and chuckled.
"Vampires at a club."
Felt like he needed sunglasses.