Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Magic Eden
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The first floor of the Management Bureau building housed a variety of convenience facilities.
Basic lodging and dining areas, of course, along with a game room, lounge, café, and even a mental counseling center.
A wide range of facilities had been established by the Management Bureau itself to safeguard the mental health of its employees. Given the nature of their work, usage rates were inevitably high, and the interiors were always bustling with staff.
That said, the Response Division rarely made use of them. Most members were out on field assignments.
Even now, out of the Response Division's six teams, four were out handling operations.
This was just the capital region branch. If you factored in the other branches, probably at least a dozen teams or more were roaming the country, hunting down anomalies.
The grueling workload came with equally generous compensation, of course. They boasted higher pay than the Reconnaissance Division, whose members lived on borrowed time within the Bureau. Financially, it was solid.
Sure, if you died, your salary just reverted to Bureau funds anyway. But still.
Kim I-seo of Response Team 3 had enough money sitting in her account to make you whistle in awe just by glancing at it.
Of course, that was largely because she wasn't one to splurge.
Unlike other agents who shopped through the Cartel, she had no taste for luxury brands either. The most she'd spend on was ordering the priciest drink at a café or treating her juniors to snacks.
Like right now.
"Here, drink up."
It was her day off.
Kim I-seo had ordered the most expensive menu items and desserts at the café on the first floor of the Management Bureau and slid them across the table to the junior sitting opposite her. Her junior, who resembled a puppy, gave an awkward smile and accepted the drink with polite hands.
"Th-thank you...."
Steam rose gently from the blue coffee.
It was a fatigue-recovery drink made from a special Management Bureau recipe. The taste was similar to cola, but the effects were outstanding. You could go two days without sleep after downing one.
It was the ultimate beverage for Negotiation Division staff who pulled all-nighters like they were eating rice. It cost a ridiculous 30,000 won, but plenty still sought it out for the results. Park Min-ah was one such fan.
But when your senior—five times your seniority—was the one footing the bill, you couldn't help but sip cautiously. So she put the straw to her lips, stole a glance at Kim I-seo, and took a careful sip.
Kim I-seo didn't look at her directly but stared out the window instead.
The Management Bureau building stood in the heart of the city. A barrier prevented outsiders from seeing inside or entering, but from within, you could clearly view the outside world.
"...."
Lunch hour had arrived, and the streets were filled with people. Office workers headed to restaurants in groups, cars crawled along the roads following traffic lights.
It was peaceful everyday life.
Kim I-seo had once been part of that normalcy, but after her entire family was transferred into a brutal fairy tale all at once, everything crumbled.
She was the only one who escaped the fairy tale. Her little sister ended up in the witch's oven as soup, and her parents were vivisected alive. She was the sole survivor.
Overnight, she became an orphan. She dropped out of school and became a Management Bureau agent.
"...Sigh."
It was a commonplace tragedy anywhere in the Bureau. Getting sentimental about it now was just silly.
Kim I-seo shook off the stray thoughts and turned to Park Min-ah across from her. The junior was nibbling her pancake like a hamster.
"Tasty?"
Kim I-seo asked with a faint smile. Park Min-ah nodded awkwardly and swallowed.
"Y-yes. It tastes even better since you bought it for me, Senior...!"
"We're not even in the same division, so no need to butter me up that much. Response and Negotiation don't cross paths often anyway."
"B-but still...."
"More importantly, that guy. Not a mage?"
Kim I-seo's expression turned serious as she asked. Park Min-ah swallowed hard and replied.
"Yes.... He just had vaguely strong energy and was carrying an exorcism talisman. I didn't sense that distinctive mage aura...."
"...An exorcism talisman. Did you confirm it was really from an actual shaman?"
"She didn't seem aware of the card's true nature, so I didn't check that far. Unless you have personal certainty of direct contact with an anomaly, piercing through the card's disguise is impossible anyway."
"...True enough."
If the man at the convenience store had directly confronted the Eight-Foot Ghost's true form, it would have been impossible to discern the fake info on the card. Even seasoned agents couldn't spot the falsehoods, so how could a civilian?
Even a mage would be the same. No, a mage would react even more hypersensitively.
Mages hated entanglement with the Management Bureau to an irrational degree. A few cooperated, but they were a tiny minority. The rest hid their identities and lived in secrecy.
No mage would stay calm upon seeing the words "Management Bureau." They would have acted in some way.
But the two who visited his home returned unscathed, even with intel in hand. No signs of brainwashing....
Which proved the man was truly just an oblivious civilian.
Someone with ambiguously strong energy who didn't even know the anomaly's true nature or that he'd been caught up in a mystery.
There was no need for memory wipes or recruitment offers for such people. You couldn't forcibly drag someone into the world's underbelly if they hadn't glimpsed it.
"For now.... Got it. Thanks for the heads-up."
"N-no, it's the least I could do."
Kim I-seo didn't entertain the idea that Ian might be a mage who had pierced the card's disguise.
That would imply an absurdly high skill level, and such a mage wouldn't have let the Eight-Foot Ghost slip away right there.
Plus, a mage of that caliber would already be in the Bureau's mage database by face and name. But his wasn't.
So, he was just a plain civilian. With that conclusion, Kim I-seo stood up.
"A-are you leaving?"
"Yeah. Day off today. Gonna rest at the dorms and get back to work."
She replied, pulling her hood low. Then, a sudden thought made her glance back at Park Min-ah.
"After our op in a few days wraps up, your team will be busy too. Lots of potential survivors from this one."
"...Um, did a major erosion incident happen somewhere...?"
"Nope."
Kim I-seo gave a wry smile and pulled a small ticket from her pocket.
It was red, printed with an image of two clowns blowing trumpets. Park Min-ah checked the text and furrowed her brow deeply.
[Fun Theme Park! For Kids and Adults Alike! Amusement Park for Happy Everyone!]
[Come to our magical paradise full of attractions, Magic Eden!]
[Free admission with this ticket. Visit without worry!]
*
"....What the hell is this?"
The day after the vampire fiasco wrapped up.
On his way back from buying a simple lunch at the convenience store, Ian spotted a red ticket sitting conspicuously in front of his door and squinted.
Picking it up, he saw it was amusement park promo material. He couldn't fathom why it was painted bright red, but it seemed harmless enough. Ian pocketed the ticket separately, tossed it onto the table, and nuked an instant lunch in the microwave.
With a whir, the microwave spun. Ian sat on the bed, waiting for the timer, and opened his banking app.
"8.5 million won, huh...."
Adding his original savings to the request payout brought him to about that much. Ian grinned and flopped back.
He suddenly had some real breathing room financially. Not full financial freedom, but a hefty sum nonetheless.
He wouldn't have to scrape by for at least a few months. Even after rent and daily necessities, hundreds of thousands would be left.
But he couldn't just blow the surplus.
His immediate goal was securing a workshop. Buy only essentials, save the rest, and rent a space once he had enough.
As he pondered, the microwave dinged. Ian pulled out the lunch, set it up, and eyed a new icon on his phone.
[Cartel]
Installed right after completing their request—a mysterious new app.
Ian had been wary at first, but Albert and Benjamin's explanations eased his mind.
-It's like a certification mark the Cartel implants only in trusted individuals. With it, no need to meet their contacts or call. You can access all Cartel services through it alone.
-So, like a delivery app? Order everything without calling the store?
-...A stupid analogy for a mage, but accurate. No need to suspect. Anyone who's worked with the Cartel at least once has it. Me, Benjamin, everyone.
With their assurance, Ian relaxed. He'd even launched it in front of them to confirm it was safe.
Today, he opened it with relative ease.
He shoveled a spoonful of rice and accessed the Cartel's main page.
[Welcome to the Cartel. Please enjoy the services you desire.]
[Top 3 Most Popular Recommended Services]
[1. Request Brokering]
[2. Shop]
[3. Codex]
Ian eyed the three recommendations, pondered briefly, and tapped Shop.
The shop sold an astonishing variety of items.
Basic swords and guns to alchemy ingredients, magic components, bizarre tools and weapons made from all manner of anomalies. Categories tailored to professions abounded.
But prices were no joke across the board. Swords and guns went for a few hundred thousand won at best, while anomaly-related items started at millions.
Even the cheapest chunk of anomaly flesh Ian had harvested himself was over 1.5 million.
He could afford it, but it would strain his current funds.
The guns tempted him most.
Firearms to bolster his deficient magic firepower.
Purchasing one wouldn't hurt too bad. Ammo, magazines, holsters pushed it over a million, but reusability made it worthwhile compared to disposables. Far more efficient.
'Just not sure how delivery works. Cartel handles it, I guess....'
Maybe it was growing up in a country where guns were lifelong illegal. Buying one made him uneasy.
Still, guns were essential for surviving this anomalous world. At least until he mastered magic and offensive spells, relying on them seemed fine.
"Better think of it as an investment."
Ian muttered, adding necessities to his cart.
He glanced at a movie-like silencer—hundreds of thousands, as expected. Shrugging it off, he ordered only essentials and checked out.
Deer had assured him Cartel purchases weren't traceable, so he paid without hesitation.
Ding.
[One revolver, 70 rounds of ammo, gun maintenance kit, holster. Total 1.45 million won payment confirmed.]
[Thank you for your purchase.]
He chose the revolver to minimize costs. No extra magazines needed, low capacity per cylinder, but high stopping power.
Perfect for temporary use.
[Delivery expected within approx. 12 hours of payment.]
[Delivery destination defaults to your phone's location.]
[Error detected. Lemegeton interference recognized. Destination setting impossible.]
[Please enter desired delivery address manually.]
Lemegeton interference.
'Grandmother's spell, huh.'
The magic to evade Management Bureau tracking was affecting the Cartel too.
Address, though....
Even with the Cartel, was sending his home address outright safe?
[Please send to your residence.]
As he thought that, a notification pinged.
[Headquarters administers daily memory erasure to delivery personnel to prevent info leaks. Rest assured.]
[Your set delivery location will not be logged in our database.]
[We at Headquarters value happy relations with customers. Trust is the foundation of trade. Please trust us and continue patronizing our services.]
The explanatory notice. Ian hesitated briefly, then inputted his home address as suggested.
If issues arose, he could always interrogate a Cartel staffer in person.
The ones he'd met seemed genuinely businesslike.
An alien attitude of utter indifference to anything but the deal. Oddly, it built trust.
If even delivery grunts were such robotic types, the Cartel's reliability was high.
Plus, Lee Seo-ah had recommended them, so he'd give it a shot.
[Destination confirmed.]
[Some messages below are exclusive to first-time shop users.]
[If you're a repeat customer and see all these, halt transactions and contact customer service immediately.]
[In transit]
The verbose guide ended, replaced by an animated truck icon.
Delivery underway. Ian cleared his dishes, sat on the bed, and switched to the Request Brokering section.
'I bought the revolver out of need, but spent money, so time to refill.'
He wasn't starting requests immediately. Plan was rest a few days, then take one when in top form.
This was recon.
"Hm."
Among countless requests, he filtered for those with Cartel certification marks—ones they posted.
He clicked the top one.
[Anomaly Incident. Retrieve the Manager's Heart from Theme Park, Magic Eden]
(Magic Eden ticket image)
[This request is limited to ticket holders. Tickets scattered randomly by Magic Eden. Regretfully unavailable otherwise.]
[Warning: Fail to visit the theme park within a week of ticket acquisition, and forced transfer occurs. Confirmed via our staff intel. If you have a ticket, complete this request before transfer to claim the reward.]
[Reward: 15 million won.]
A seven-figure payout request.
But what truly caught his eye was elsewhere.
"....This."
A ticket image smack in the request description's center.
He stared at it a moment, then glanced at the red ticket on the table.
He let out a hollow chuckle.
"Identical."
No room for doubt.
Looked like his next request was decided.