Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Seo-ah's Incarnation
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"Hmm... It seems a bit different from your typical mutant. Maybe that's why you woke up so early, Seo-ah."
I closely examined Seo-ah's condition in response to Jin-ha's words.
And that's when I sensed it.
Her body... didn't seem to have undergone any particular mutation.
The golden hands I'd seen earlier were some kind of authority or ability, not her actual hands multiplying like that.
"I'll go get the teacher. Let's start with a physical test."
Soon enough, the teacher burst in and ran every physical test imaginable...
"Seo-ah's body hasn't changed much physically. Her strength hasn't skyrocketed or anything like that. She's just incredibly healthy now."
I'd told her earlier to punch the alloy wall, but the alloy wall finally did its job properly for once.
In other words, it was fine.
There were no notable physical changes in Seo-ah.
She'd just gotten healthier.
"Yeah, that feels right. I feel strangely refreshed, like my condition's great...?"
"Is that so."
"Do you feel anything like a special ability... or something?"
Seo-ah nodded at my question.
In that instant, countless hands unfurled from behind her back.
Those golden hands glowing with light were exactly like the ones I'd seen before.
Each palm had an eye in it, which might look creepy at first glance, but it didn't feel that way at all.
Instead, just looking at them made my mind feel at ease.
"Something like this?"
"Oh... What kind of functions does it have, roughly?"
"Functions... feels a bit off to call it that, but for now, it can soothe mental confusion in people and heal their bodies."
"This might threaten my job."
That was the doctor's joke at the time.
...It didn't sound like a joke at all.
Even if Seo-ah had gained the ability to heal people, the reality was that the changing world was causing all sorts of incidents and accidents.
The more resources there were to heal people, the better.
"Ow, my head."
"Why now, sis?"
"Beastman registration number—what should I register as?"
"Hmm... Technically, doesn't calling me a mutant feel a bit off?"
"That's why I'm stressing over it. Thousand-Armed Kannon-type mutant or whatever... it just feels weird."
"Then how about Incarnation-type mutant or Awakening-type mutant?"
"Incarnation?"
"Yeah... I had an awakening with my eyes open, you know? The Bodhisattva projected her will onto me, so doesn't that make me her incarnation?"
"Incarnation... That's not bad. Come to think of it, there could be plenty more cases like yours. We should create a subcategory for it. There'll be other mutation types besides Incarnation-type mutants."
"And since I woke up this early, it seems mental awakenings don't take as long as physical mutations. Though it probably varies by person..."
"So that's why you called it Awakening-type?"
"It's about splitting up the classifications. So people don't get confused. Well... mutants or not, to non-mutants it'll all look the same anyway."
"Not a bad idea. By the way, we should ask Nia about this."
"Nia... the World Tree?"
"Yeah. There's some stuff that doesn't match what I knew."
"Well, it looks complicated, so handle it yourself. Anyway, sis... you're one scary mutant."
"You just figuring that out now?"
"No, knowing something vaguely and seeing its true nature clearly are different. That's me right now. Seeing the reality I only dimly knew... it's a bit overwhelming."
"Hmph."
"If I weren't your sister, I'd be shaking. Anyway... now I have no idea what to do next."
"You don't need to do anything grandiose. Just... live like normal, and step up when you have to. That should be fine."
"I'll think about it. Maybe just join the Mutant Management Bureau outright?"
"What about school?"
"Is school the issue right now? The world's gone to hell. You said you'd reenroll but haven't yet. I'm about to be a junior, sis."
"...Fair point."
At that moment, Jin-ha, who'd been listening to our conversation, lit up.
Ah, something about Seo-ah flipped a switch in her.
No wonder she'd gone quiet earlier.
She was probably thinking up outfits that would suit Seo-ah.
"Seo-ah."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Even if you join the bureau, come by the boutique often. It'd be a shame to waste that talent."
"I was planning to anyway."
"And I just got an idea—let's get you a new outfit."
"Really?"
Seo-ah's eyes sparkled.
She looked like someone who'd found something fun.
But was it okay for the incarnation of Thousand-Armed Kannon to act like that...? Her words were pretty insightful, though.
It's natural for people to have desires. But as long as those desires don't go astray, that's fine too.
Ultimately, proper cultivation can turn desires into clues leading to enlightenment.
And so, even after becoming a bureau agent, Seo-ah ended up visiting the boutique regularly.
She didn't want to give that up, or something.
...She wasn't like this before.
Well, I got what she meant right away.
"But to become a bureau agent, is there some procedure?"
"...I'm thinking about it now. Oh, right—with the Third Mutation coming, maybe we should openly recruit bureau agents."
"For real?"
"I can't cover all of Korea alone, and international society might ask for my help later... More manpower is always better."
"Isn't that all just money?"
"Is money the issue right now? Our deputy director's got dirt on the higher-ups anyway... and my influence is so strong I can redirect useless budgets here."
"That sounded really scary..."
Ignore it. Anyway, I'll post a recruitment notice later, so apply. The current agents will judge your abilities and assign a rank."
"That's so haphazard..."
"In my eyes, you're top-tier for sure. It's also for promotion, so keep that in mind."
Seo-ah gave me a puzzled look at my words.
"How do you know I'm top-tier when I haven't done anything?"
"Just like you can see my true nature, I can see yours. I was too flustered at first to look closely, but now I can tell."
"Really hitting me now... your ability is total bullshit."
"I know."
* * *
So, I officially informed the deputy director and the existing bureau agents.
With the Third Mutation, mutant numbers had surged, so let's recruit agents a few months later when most mutations finished.
Everyone agreed enthusiastically, of course.
They were swamped as it was. They desperately needed more hands.
The deputy director smiled wryly.
"If I'd known, I should've gotten hit with a mutation beam myself."
"That'd be a disaster for the bureau. The system would collapse."
"You never know. Like your sister, Seo-hyun—it might just be sleeping a few hours."
"Nah, what if you slept for months... Ew. If you're tired, just say so. I can share some of my blood."
"Would Dragon Blood be used for that...?"
"That's exactly when you use it. Perfect timing since it's hitting the market anyway."
That's right. The drugs made from my Dragon Blood had just launched.
Clinical trials showed no negative side effects, and even severe trauma could be fully healed with enough time and blood.
Not like Ha-yoon regrowing her leg instantly with my blood before, but still enough to give hope to countless people.
Especially now, with disasters everywhere—it felt perfectly timed.
The massive revenue from it was flowing into my wallet.
This money... I'll use it for the bureau agents later.
It's only right to reward the people working nonstop for others like this.
After that, to clear up doubts about Seo-ah's mutation, I contacted Nia.
To ask why this happened.
And to my question, Nia answered.
Apparently, with Yahweh and Han-gyeol's existences, various gods were starting to place incarnations in the world.
Thus, these Incarnation-type mutants were different from the old Paradise mutants.
She cautiously added that the mutation criteria itself seemed to have shifted a bit.
Before, mutations were just from Paradise's influence, but now they seemed tailored to Earth's environment.
The emergence of Incarnation-type mutants fit that pattern.
I nodded at her words.
I understood.
Meaning, future mutants or Paradise monsters might differ completely from what Nia knew.
Looks like I need to tighten the recruitment timeline.
No time to waste.
* * *
And just like that, running around busily here and there... two months had flown by.
It was also around the time when all Third Mutation cases had finished mutating.
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