Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: New Agents in Action
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Right after the Mutant Management Bureau's public recruitment, the new agents were thrown straight into the field.
In particular, the two mutants I'd been keeping an eye on showed some impressive performances and quickly started making waves among the public.
Sure, there were plenty of reactions like "I wanna touch that shark tail so bad, heh heh," but let's just ignore those.
Anyway, the moment the new bureau agents were deployed, Korea's situation stabilized at an astonishing speed.
Of course, that was largely thanks to Ha-rin's tireless efforts installing gates all over the place.
Thanks to her, people were starting to mention Ha-rin a lot more.
Lately, she'd even been getting a decent number of ad offers.
Come to think of it, without Ha-rin's abilities, mutants wouldn't have been able to roam the country so freely... so response times would have been much slower.
Not just ads, though—with authority over processing monster byproducts, bureau agents no longer had to worry about money.
Even low-rank mutants were raking it in.
Anyway... society slowly regaining its peaceful normalcy was pretty encouraging.
That was mostly because the higher-ups weren't pulling any weird stunts.
Overseas, governments trying to control mutants had botched it plenty of times, but here, they didn't seem keen on meddling too much.
Well... that made sense.
The sharp ones up top must have figured messing with us would bring backlash they couldn't handle.
"Ugh, I'm beat..."
"Oh, you're back?"
Just then, Seo-ah got home. She'd been zipping around everywhere, mostly hitting up remote temples—isolated monastic areas.
As a bodhisattva who naturally looks after Buddhists, she seemed to have an affinity for the practitioners.
Not that anyone minded her volunteering for those godforsaken backwoods no one else wanted.
I'd been ready to crack down if she tried slacking off as "my little sister," but she'd been impressively diligent, which left me impressed.
Come to think of it, I'd heard she was hanging out a lot with her fellow recruits lately. Wonder how that's going.
Better check in case there's any drama.
"You've been hanging with Min-ah and Se-min lately—how's that?"
"My cohorts? Not bad. Good, even? But..."
"But?"
"They're way too clingy."
"To you?"
"Yeah."
She said it with a hint of exasperation.
I get it—I might've gotten a bit more affectionate post-mutation myself, since I can't help rubbing cheeks with cute things. But she was still her dry self.
"Well, better than them hating you, right? If you like it, that's a win."
"Nooo... yeah, sure, but still—too clingy."
"How clingy?"
"Just... I dunno. They keep rubbing up against my cheeks or whatever."
"Who mostly?"
"That spirit girl."
"Se-min?"
"Yeah. Turns out she's my age."
"And Min-ah?"
"Year younger than me. She's better—she dodges like a shark when I go for her tail and surrenders."
"So Se-min clings to Min-ah too?"
"Nah."
"Why not?"
"No clue. She says she doesn't know why either. Claims she's not usually like this, but being around me relaxes her and makes her all mellow."
One thing suddenly came to mind.
One of Guanyin's powers is mental defense and healing—maybe that's influencing them.
"Isn't that 'cause of your powers?"
"...Maybe? Yeah, they do calm people's minds. But sis."
"Yeah?"
"Are there lots of other Incarnation Variants besides you?"
"Dunno yet... Gods and religious figures from myths are gradually sending their incarnations here, so other countries might get ones from their own myths."
"...So we might end up with Greek, Roman, or Norse myth incarnations too? Who knows."
"It's possible... but it kinda worries me a bit."
"Greek and Roman gods are all nuts."
Seo-ah said it like it gave her chills.
I nodded slightly at that.
Famous stories, right? Zeus, history's most notorious playboy, is a total wall just thinking about him.
Hardly any "normal" gods there.
And it's not just Greek and Roman myths.
Norse and Celtic have their own pantheons.
Those have fewer personality-problem deities... but still.
Maybe I should brush up on mythology.
The world might freak out the second one of those variants shows up.
Wonder what Nia's up to, anyway.
* * *
"Sis Seo-ah."
"What now."
"How's she at home, the Director?"
"Just your average big sis?"
"Oh, really?"
Min-ah looked at Seo-ah with genuine surprise.
"What'd you expect from our sis?"
"Just curious. Wondered what the world's strongest mutant's like at home."
"Lounges around the house all day when there's nothing going on."
"Ah, fascinating."
"What's fascinating? Anyway, back off a bit. Gonna grab that tail?"
"Ah, okay, okay!"
Min-ah recoiled in horror at the tail threat.
It was the usual routine lately.
"And you, quit hovering silently—back off, Jin Se-min."
"Mm? Nah, don't wanna~"
"I'll peel you off by force then. One, two..."
"...Fine."
Se-min sulked away from Seo-ah.
Seo-ah sighed.
Why were these two so into her?
"But seriously, why are you guys always sticking to me?"
"Told you. It calms me down."
Se-min grumbled.
She seemed miffed at Seo-ah's constant shooing.
If it were Seo-hyun, she'd let them cling 'cause they're cute, but Seo-ah just treated Se-min indifferently.
Cute was cute, annoying was annoying.
"So, we on standby for now?"
"Yeah. Ha-rin unnie said to wait."
Seo-ah nodded at Min-ah's words.
"Hope today's somewhere without the creepy crawlies..."
"Then come with me somewhere else."
That was the part Seo-ah couldn't wrap her head around.
She stuck to remote areas with isolated folks.
Super hazardous vegetation, bugs the size of dogs.
Yet they insisted on tagging along, and she couldn't figure out why.
"I'm a spirit now, so bugs don't freak me out anymore. Prefer sticking to you over watching them. And without you around, it's too noisy."
"Noisy? What do you mean?"
"Oh... didn't I mention? As a spirit, I hear voices from all nature around me. Elves hear plants, but I get animals, plants, even spirits in the earth and water. Super loud, headaches all the time. But near you? Total silence. That's why I stick close."
Seo-ah nodded at Se-min's explanation.
"You should've said so clearly. Fine, you can stay put from now on—no complaints from me. What about you, Min-ah?"
"Me? No reason. Just like the skinship."
"...You're banned from approaching from now on, sharklet."
"Ah, why!"
"How'd you like me groping your tail nonstop? That's the vibe. At least Se-min has a good reason..."
They were bickering over that when Ha-rin burst into their waiting room.
"Ah, Ha-rin unnie."
"Time to move out."
"...Yes. Where to today?"
"Gyeongju Jusa Temple. Got a rescue request from there."
"Jusa Temple? Wasn't that where other agents went earlier?"
"Yeah. But they called for backup. Situation's bad—some injuries too. Seo-ah, you're up."
Seo-ah stood up at Ha-rin's words.
"Got it."
"Ugh, wonder how gross the bugs'll be this time..."
Min-ah stretched and rose, while Se-min silently plastered herself to Seo-ah.
"You three never change."
Ha-rin chuckled at the sight.
Serious as it was, with this trio, it'd be fine.
In their short time, the three had left strong impressions.
Se-min unleashing monstrous power in mountains.
Seo-ah protecting and healing, getting wounded back to the front lines fast, with killer combat skills herself.
And Min-ah just brute-forcing monsters with her absurd physique.
They were S-rank for a reason, so Ha-rin usually dropped them in hot zones.
Could split them up for wider coverage, but Ha-rin figured combining forces cleared areas faster.
With her instant nationwide teleport gates, travel time wasn't an issue.
Plus...
"Any other danger spots?"
"Tae-hwa unnie's on it."
"Oh."
With cities stable, Tae-hwa was free to move.
Ha-rin could just drop her anywhere sketchy with a snap, and the monsters there got wiped in seconds.
Thanks to the bureau agents hustling nationwide, Korea reclaimed its peace faster than anywhere else.