Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Second Mutation Chaos
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When the first mutation occurred, everyone thought the same thing.
Surely a gate like thing wouldn't open up now, right?
But that was a misconception.
No gate opened. So people had no choice but to think, ah, the mutation is over.
I was the same. With nearly a year passed since the mutation ended and no changes at all, I figured that was the end of it.
But... it wasn't.
What the hell is going on?
I wanted nothing more than to lose my mind amid the tidal wave of tasks crashing down on me. If not for the dragon's blessed memory, I wouldn't have been able to handle this workload at all.
"...Where the hell is all this work even coming from?"
"W-Well, it's from upstairs."
The Deputy Director had turned into a half-zombie. The bureau was already swamped, and now we had to draft behavioral guidelines for mutants on top of everything.
At least the guidelines from the National Intelligence Service Director during the early mutation phase kept things somewhat afloat. And since the number of mutants wasn't overwhelmingly huge, it was 'at least' manageable.
Public perception of mutants had softened a bit thanks to that variety show last time, or we'd be facing total chaos.
This is the kind of pandemonium that erupts when a mutation hits.
Having gone through it myself during my own mutation, I hadn't experienced this side of things. And man, it was no small headache.
I was starting to respect the National Intelligence Service Director.
For starters, the hospital where I'd mutated was packed with mutants again.
Word was, thousands had mutated just from what I could sense... and that was just this one hospital. Others were taking in mutants too.
With so many new mutants appearing all at once, society was in utter turmoil.
And on a personal note... someone close to me had gotten caught up in this wave, leaving me feeling a bit bittersweet.
At the very least, I hoped they'd end up with a mutation that let them stay themselves.
Something different from the previous Minotaur-type mutants, liches, or dullahans.
Ideally, something like mine.
...Not that I'm saying they should turn into a girl.
Thinking about it, it was kinda funny.
What if Yoo Han-gyeol and Han Tae-hoon both turned into girls?
Hmm, not something I particularly want to imagine.
But it's not impossible either.
Who could've predicted I'd become a dragon—and a girl?
* * *
"Haa."
I let out a sigh. The insane workload was finally done. Without my superhuman dragon mentality, I might've ended up like those two over there ages ago.
"Uuuaaaang..."
Unnie Yeon-hwa looked like she'd mutated into a zombie instead of a vampire, and Ha-rin was in a similar state. In other words, both were face-planted on their desks like zombies.
But what surprised me more was the Deputy Director, eyes gleaming as he clicked away at his mouse.
The other agents in the bureau were much the same.
Those guys seem more impressive than us mutants.
"Director? I'll send over the approvals."
"Ah, yes. Send them. I'll handle them right away. Does that wrap up the Deputy Director's work too?"
"Haha. For now."
To still be smiling through this. What kind of person is he?
"Alright, everyone. Let's clock out. Clock out."
As the Director, I gave the order to head home.
Thanks to our marathon work sessions, the backlog had shrunk a lot.
We'd also created new Mutant Registration Numbers, like social security numbers, to log existing mutants and those newly regaining consciousness.
These Mutant Registration Numbers would list species and abilities, managed separately by the bureau.
Some mutants had already snapped out of it, and since their mutations weren't too extreme, we didn't need to watch them as closely...
The real issue would be those waking up later and later each time.
Look at me, for example.
Just three months unconscious, and I'd ended up with world-conquering specs.
No guarantee someone like that wouldn't pop up again.
Just like the Demon-type mutants before, we might see Angel-type ones next—or entirely new types I didn't know about.
I just hoped they wouldn't harbor ill will toward humans. Ideally, they'd blend in like me, enjoying life's little pleasures.
...Though in reality, that's next to impossible.
Mutants each have their own dispositions.
For every gentle one, there's a violent one.
For every self-controlled mutant, there's one who can't rein it in.
Still, I had no intention of letting prejudice turn this into another America-style fiasco by shunning them.
I'd clamp down on any incidents before they blew up and work to nudge public opinion toward mutants in a more positive direction.
"Ah, right. Director?"
"Yes? What's up?"
"Orders came down from above."
"...What kind of orders?"
I'd just finished packing up to leave when the Deputy Director's words hit, and a bad feeling washed over me.
That premonition soon took definite shape before me.
"They say it's a shame to limit a new mutant-related agency to just crime prevention."
"...You don't mean."
Seeing my shock, the Deputy Director nodded.
"Yes. The Mutant Crime Management Bureau is now officially the Mutant Management Bureau. Looks like the Mutant Registration Numbers were all buildup for this."
"...Hold on. We're short-staffed as is. How many agents do we even have for that?"
"They say reinforcements are coming soon. Probably a ton of administrative staff. Also, they're building a new Mutant Management Bureau near Seoul and Sokcho, outside the National Intelligence Service."
"So they're dumping all mutant oversight on us."
"Pretty much. It's logical, but I wish they'd given us a heads-up... Well, no helping it. We'll be relocating soon, so expect the official notice."
Aigoo...
I felt a vein throb in the back of my head. Fine, I get we're the only ones equipped for mutant management, but a little warning wouldn't kill them?
Should I flip the National Assembly upside down?
"Want to storm the National Assembly?"
"Please hold back... This was probably our fate from the start."
The Deputy Director looked fully resigned.
"No, but why us? Why saddle the crime-prevention bureau with this when there are plenty of other departments?"
"Probably because we're the bureau—they figure we can handle overall management. No better option, so it all lands here."
"Tch. Just more pointless work."
"It's sudden, but the National Intelligence Service Director guaranteed full staffing support, so let's roll with it. Your workload won't spike like this again. We'll get middle managers too."
Silver lining amid the crap.
At least they didn't do this half-assed.
"With the second mutation hitting, you'll be out in the field more, though. Leave the admin to us."
"Got it."
And so, the Mutant Crime Management Bureau became the Mutant Management Bureau.
* * *
After work, I headed straight to where Han-gyeol and Tae-hoon had started mutating.
"Ah, you've arrived."
"How are they doing?"
Luckily, they'd been admitted to the same hospital I'd used.
Their bodies were changing bit by bit.
Han-gyeol was wrapped in a sphere of feathers, while Tae-hoon was enveloped in flickering blue flames.
...What are they turning into?
"Any guesses on the mutation?"
"Well... Not sure yet, but Han-gyeol seems bird-related, maybe a beastman. Tae-hoon... no clue. That blue fire doesn't burn even up close. No idea how it works."
Blue flames... Is that natural Maybe a goblin or something.
Han-gyeol was a total mystery. Harpy? Bird beastman?
Or... angel?
No way.
Whatever they turned into, I just hoped it'd be stable.
As I watched them, their families stopped by now and then, greeting me.
"...Seo-hyun's here."
"Hello."
I'd met the families occasionally while hanging with the guys before, but not like this. Their faces full of worry, I reassured them.
"They'll be fine."
"...You think so?"
"Yeah. Look at me—I'm doing great, right?"
"Right, yeah... They'll pull through."
I knew exactly the worry they felt, so I just repeated like a parrot that it'd be okay.
Please, let them live normal lives.
* * *
Thus, two months buried in work.
Finally, Tae-hoon and Han-gyeol's mutations completed.
Han-gyeol wasn't a bird beastman—she was an angel.
The halo shimmering above her white hair was proof.
And Tae-hoon... had become a dokkaebi. Basically, like Japan's oni.
The blue flames and the two horns on his head—every which way, it screamed oni.
...What do you even call that? Dokkaebi-type Mutant? Since it manifested in Korea, let's go with Dokkaebi-type Mutant.
My friends turning into an angel and a dokkaebi—what the hell?
But the most shocking part by far...
Was that both were now girls.
What is this?
A wide-area gender-swap beam?