Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Figurine Containing a God
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Even after the Master of the Outer Sea withdrew, Pygmalion remained in place, trembling uncontrollably without doing anything.
This continued well past the twenty-minute safety window.
Proper communication was impossible.
In the end, Ian had no choice but to leave the isolation room alone, leaving Pygmalion behind.
“…….”
When he operated the terminal, the isolation room door slid open with a mechanical whir.
At that exact moment, a pale white hand shot out from a blind spot and seized Ian’s wrist with brutal force.
It was Kim I-seo.
Before he could react, Ian was yanked along by her grip. A sharp pain raced up from his wrist, and her face filled his vision.
“…….”
Ian flinched at the unexpectedly close distance. But Kim I-seo paid no mind, scanning him from head to toe in one swift motion.
“……Phew.”
Only after confirming he was unharmed did she exhale in relief and release his wrist.
“……Are you all right?”
“……Everything’s fine except my wrist feels like it’s about to shatter.”
A small handprint from Kim I-seo was etched onto his wrist, hidden until now by his coat sleeve. It was a mark far redder than crimson. It looked like it would bruise just like that. The throbbing pain was quite intense.
This showed just how much force she had used.
Even if Management Bureau agents had baseline superhuman specs, this wasn’t the grip strength of an ordinary adult woman. It was as if she’d been injected with some super soldier serum—she was a monster in her own right.
‘It’s not actually broken, is it?’
He rubbed it tentatively, just in case, but felt no pain beyond the throbbing. The joint moved fine. Fortunately, it wasn’t fractured, sprained, or even cracked.
That was some good news, at least. Ian let out a deep sigh and turned to Kim I-seo.
“What was that about all of a sudden?”
“……I’m sorry. You didn’t come out even after the safety time passed, so I was about to go in to check.”
Kim I-seo bowed her head slightly as she spoke.
“The window suddenly turned pitch black, a warning sounded, and the view was blocked, so I couldn’t assess the situation inside. I tried to open the door to at least rescue you, and right then, Wizard, you came out.”
“…….”
“Unsure of the emergency, I pulled you right away, but it seems that was my mistake. I’m sorry.”
“…….”
Instead of replying immediately, Ian thought for a moment.
It seemed the Management Bureau hadn’t noticed the brief appearance of the Outer God fragment.
The Master of the Outer Sea must have smoothed things over to avoid complications. If they were going to provide that kind of cover, wouldn’t it have been better not to show up at all?
“……Sigh.”
Ian let out a deep sigh and looked at Kim I-seo.
His wrist throbbed, but he couldn’t blame her. She’d provided the catalyst first, and she’d used force not to harm but to save him—there was no reason to complain.
Even as a mage, snapping or getting irritated at someone who tried to rescue him would be wrong.
A typical mage might get away with it, but Ian firmly believed himself to be a mage of excellent character. No need to get angry here.
Instead, he rubbed his wrist and turned on his heel.
“Let’s keep going.”
“Understood. The infirmary is…….”
“No need. I’ll treat it later.”
“Confirmed.”
Kim I-seo nodded and fell into step right beside him. As Ian walked with her, he glanced at Pygmalion’s isolation room window.
The window was covered in something like black viscous fluid plastered on it. Fortunately, no unusual energy emanated from it, but it didn’t look easy to clean off.
Even if it was just a fragment, an Outer God was an Outer God. The residue from its summoning lingered, holding its ground.
It might dissipate naturally over time, but not right now. Who knew how long it would take.
Whatever the case, it wasn’t Ian’s concern. It wouldn’t harm the Management Bureau, so no need to worry.
‘Thanks to the blocked view, I hid that it was an Outer God grimoire. If anything, I came out ahead.’
It wasn’t intentional, but the outcome was positive. With that thought, Ian headed down to Sector 2 with Kim I-seo.
Sector 2 housed several proper biological anomalies. The most memorable among them were the “Santa’s Elves.”
Small stature. Suspenders. Robin Hood hats and long ears.
They were straight out of a fairy tale, Santa’s underlings. Their difference from typical elves probably stemmed from their fairy-tale origins.
“Put that one over there! This one here. Eve! Help with the wrapping!”
“Yeah! Hehe, today we help Grandpa Santa make presents too!”
Their conversation was perfectly wholesome. Aside from their hands being stained with blood and the “presents” being human organs and limbs.
According to Kim I-seo, the organs they wrapped resembled human ones in form but weren’t compatible with humans. Transplanting one would turn the recipient into one of their kind.
They were no different from a virus.
Even Management Bureau agents didn’t know where they sourced the corpses and organs. Locked in thick isolation rooms with nothing provided, they’d be packaging fresh bodies the next day.
Mysterious creatures, through and through. Their higher entity, “Santa,” was isolated in Sector 4, and since Santa featured as a protagonist in countless horror tales and fairy tales, the variations were numerous.
The one in Sector 4 was the Santa that sucked out children’s brains while they cried.
A grotesque bastard. Resembling a mosquito in appearance, Ian had no desire to see it.
Sector 3, reached after passing Sector 2, was surprisingly mundane.
The opposite of Sector 2: almost no tool-type anomalies, just crawling with biological ones. There were a few dangerous ones, but none strong enough to break out of isolation.
He’d heard there were some tricky to manage, but that was bad news for the isolation team, not something for Ian to worry about. Unless a mass breakout happened, he wouldn’t set foot here again.
After finishing the Sector 3 tour, the two took the elevator down to the subway.
This time, it was a simple one-button trip, no complex controls.
“The Management Bureau’s subway connects across the entire Republic of Korea for rapid travel.”
Ding.
As they stepped out of the arriving elevator, Kim I-seo explained. Ian followed, eyeing her pink hair.
“It links all branches basically, with doors to key facilities. The principle is anomaly extract.”
“……Extract?”
“Yes. There’s a creature that travels via mirrors. Smash its head, and shards like brain fluid fall out. Assemble them into a transparent glass pane, shatter it to move, and it transfers to another pane.”
“……I’m more curious how they figured that out.”
“Pygmalion helped. His statues are indistinguishable from real humans. Perfect for experiments.”
“…….”
They shoved his statues in as test subjects.
He could grasp the direction of their mission to research, utilize, and exterminate anomalies. Completely unlike the Vatican’s brute-force suppression. Same end goal, maybe, but no overlap in methods.
They cooperated when needed, so relations weren’t terrible, but calling them allies felt off. Just look at Cecilia’s attitude.
“The trains on the subway aren’t large. Stations have massive glass panes; smash through to the next. No trains running now, though.”
“Hmm…… Can you use the trains anytime?”
“No. Only emergencies or support requests. Glass is consumable, and production takes time. Can’t abuse it.”
“How long?”
“Half a year each.”
Half a year per pane.
A long time. Still better than not having it.
Ian asked as they exited the station with Kim I-seo.
“That anomaly just lets you smash its head repeatedly?”
“No. It freaks out every time. Dangerous if not subdued. But valuable, so we commit personnel.”
High risk, high return. The effect made it understandable, so Ian nodded.
After the subway, they toured the Management Bureau’s overall facilities.
The harsh work environment meant their amenities outclassed most megacorps. Everything a company building could have, they did.
“This is the last. The cafe.”
After seeing everything, Ian and Kim I-seo sat in the first-floor cafe, sipping their drinks. Ian drank his Americano, taking in the cityscape outside the window.
The sky just before sunset.
Sunset light slanted through the window, faintly illuminating his seat. The coffee aroma and agents’ murmurs made it feel like any human place.
“How was it?”
As he stared out, Kim I-seo asked softly. Ian pondered, then smiled bitterly and closed his eyes.
“Good. I get what the Management Bureau is like now.”
“Then I’m glad. Satisfied if no negative impressions planted.”
Kim I-seo smiled faintly and undid her ponytail. With a soft rustle, her hair cascaded down.
“No minor summons after today. Only for collaborations.”
“You?”
“Yes. Assigned as your dedicated agent, Wizard. For two-person jobs, probably with me. Even more, I won’t be sidelined.”
She said carefully. Ian hummed and nodded.
She was trustworthy enough. Never faltered in two meetings, so mental fortitude was top-tier. Shooting skills too.
She’d pull her weight anywhere.
Ian checked the time, downed the rest of his Americano, and stood.
“Business done. Can I head out?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll see you off. You didn’t introduce yourself to the other mages—what about that?”
“Skip if not needed.”
“Then we will.”
They left the cafe and walked to the main entrance.
Lobby full of bustling staff. Ian replied to the bowing Kim I-seo, rubbed his wrist, and stepped out.
“…….”
The moment he exited the building, the din vanished. Only car engines and faint voices remained.
“……Time to go home.”
Ian stretched, put in his earbuds, and headed to the parking lot where his motorcycle waited.
The Master of the Outer Sea’s words echoed in his mind.