Chapter 85.
[Employee Park Yeon-jeong! You’ve worked really hard today.]
Yes, I really did work hard.
Today was especially tough.
It was a freaking Department Head threat.
The Department Head position, known as the highest combat power on the agency’s side.
If Seo Eun-bom, that woman, had come at me with her full strength from the beginning, I might have been instantly killed on the spot.
‘I never thought they’d decide on such a hardline measure against me this quickly.’
These bastards are only fast when it comes to things like this.
Still…
It’s a miracle I got out of a fight with an Department Head threat without major injuries.
Honestly, I should consider myself lucky.
Static.
Along with the noise from the speakers, the white librarian approached me as usual to retrieve the quill pen.
Noise’s voice followed.
[Your performance bonus will be paid immediately.]
Almost as soon as the words about the bonus were spoken.
Bzz.
A vibration in my pocket. I checked my phone, and sure enough, the amount corresponding to this ‘C-grade’ mission had been deposited into my account.
-50,000,000
…Fifty million won.
Somehow, it feels like my sense of money is being shattered.
Ever since I started working here, I’ve never had to worry about money, which is a relief…
But now, money doesn’t really matter.
‘I miss the lower-grade ghosts.’
Well, of course, just because they’re lower-grade doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous.
But creatures like that ‘Smiling Mask’ ghost I encountered at the Wonderlot Circus are still overwhelming.
Also, right now, I’m carrying a significant amount of fatigue in my body.
Lately, I’ve only been capturing high-grade ghosts, and it’s starting to feel mentally exhausting.
It’s not one of the three basic human desires.
It’s something else entirely.
If I think about it a little, the reason becomes clear.
The true nature of this strange fatigue I’m feeling now is.
-Mental damage.
Until now, unlike civilians, I’ve been able to block almost all mental damage thanks to the ‘Top of the gradeglasses,’ which protect against mental strain.
It might even be accurate to say they block 99% of it.
But that remaining 1%…
If I ignore and don’t address even that tiny 1% of damage, it will eventually accumulate and poison me.
The agency has prepared for this.
For employees who have accumulated a certain level of mental damage, there are welfare facilities in place for mental care.
So what I’m saying is…
I wish they’d set up something like that here.
I’ve heard it’s not good to compare yourself to others, but…
It wouldn’t hurt to have it, right?
‘Should I ask Noise for a favor?’
This isn’t just for my own benefit.
It’s a welfare issue that would help ensure smooth work operations in the future.
So wouldn’t this be a reasonable suggestion?
As I was lost in my own thoughts, deep in my imagination.
Swish.
…Ah!
Right.
I forgot.
The white librarian was standing in front of me, palm outstretched.
I’d completely forgotten to hand over the quill pen.
Just a moment ago, I’d been holding our ‘Max-Level Pillow,’ but now it was gone.
As I moved to hand the quill pen to the librarian.
Plip.
?
Ink?
A drop of black ink fell to the floor, accelerating as it went.
The moment the clear sound of the droplet reached my ears.
[The child… just loved toys, that’s all.]
!
A very familiar phrase appeared before my eyes.
Gulp.
The single drop of ink that had fallen began to grow.
A balloon of ink, swelling rapidly.
And soon, unable to sustain its own expansion.
Pop!
It burst weakly.
At the same time… a child with two horns sprouting from its head came into view.
‘Th-this thing is…’
[The Dreams of Toys.]
…What?!
The captured ghost story had escaped from the quill pen on its own.
An unexpected situation.
I frantically tightened my grip on the quill pen, trying to recapture it.
Sway.
!!
Suddenly, the ground beneath me rippled like a wave, shifting left and right.
The world in front of me swayed like a massive tidal wave.
Is this…
Mental damage?
Did that ghost kid attack me?
I don’t know.
Why is the mental damage hitting me so suddenly?
But one thing’s clear.
Sway.
Sway.
I won’t be able to hold onto my consciousness for much longer.
Sway!
The man who couldn’t even keep control of his own body soon.
Thud!
Collapsed helplessly.
The film of his consciousness snapped.
******
Under the dim fluorescent lights, a clean and neatly organized hospital room.
In the center, a bed covered in pristine white sheets.
A woman with disheveled hair hung limply over the edge, staring blankly at the sheets.
“…Haah.”
Twitch.
A heavy sigh.
Murderous crimson eyes glared at the woman lying on the bed.
“Not only did you fail to land a single hit on a freshly assigned S-rank ghost brat… but you got injured? Injured?!”
“S-s-sorry!”
Crack!
The man’s red eyes burned even fiercer.
“I heard reports that Team Z, the ones usually treated as background characters, had finally found a usable Department Head member. I thought you’d at least be somewhat competent… but this is just pathetic.”
“……”
The woman lying on the hospital bed was Seo Eun-bom, recently promoted to Department Head in Team Z.
Now, she was being berated by Department Head Kang Tae-sik of Team B, in front of other Department Heads, no less.
The fact that Seo Eun-bom, an Department Head member, had lost in a fight against the ‘Man with Black Flames’ and returned in defeat was causing significant shockwaves within the agency.
Some were even discussing whether her Department Head status should be reevaluated.
“How humiliating…”
And the most problematic part was.
No matter how recently Seo Eun-bom had risen to the Department Head, the fact remained that despite using her ‘Luck-Consuming Predator,’ she hadn’t landed a single effective hit on the ‘Black Flame Man.’
“Luck-Consuming Predator.”
Even after using this high-grade custom item, which annihilates all perceived enemies at the cost of the user’s own luck… Seo Eun-bom barely returned with her life intact.
The current situation was clearly an emergency from the organization’s perspective…
“An emergency, my ass! This stupid brat just relied on some overpowered item and ended up like this! This is why I can’t stand higher-ups who don’t understand the field!”
Kang Tae-sik’s anger had reached its peak, like a runaway locomotive. At this rate, it seemed Seo Eun-bom might not survive his wrath.
Before things escalated further, a towering man stepped in to block Kang Tae-sik.
“Kang Tae-sik! Seo Eun-bom is a patient right now. Have some decency, you grown-ass man!
No wonder people call you ‘problematic personnel.'”
“What?! You old bastard from Team J, you’ve crossed the line now!”
“…!”
Crackle!
As the tension between the two men flared, a woman calmly walked past them, her white hair swaying.
Click.
“Excuse me… for a moment.”
The woman stopped by Seo Eun-bom’s bedside.
“…D-Department Head Lee Joo-i?”
It was Department HeadLee Joo-i from Team R.
What she wanted to ask Seo Eun-bom was this:
“What did… that ghost story … say to you?”
“…It said this was the last warning. And… it already knew my name.”
After hearing Seo Eun-bom’s account, Lee Joo-i fell into deep thought.
Then, something a rookie from Team A had said flashed through her mind:
“I felt like it was something that would bring calamity.”
Soon after, Lee Joo-i addressed the gathered Department Head:
“From now on… if you encounter the Black Flame Man… it would be wise… to avoid reckless attacks.”
She suggested that they should handle the Black Flame Man with extreme caution moving forward.
But.
Snap!
The first one to explode, unsurprisingly, was our hotheaded Department Head Kang Tae-sik.
“Lee Joo-i, you snowwoman! Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?! Are you already scared of that S-grade ghost ?!”
“I’m just saying… we should proceed… with caution…”
“Ha!!”
But Kang Tae-sik didn’t let her finish.
Or rather, he didn’t see any value in listening to her at all.
“All you cowards can get lost! A bunch of Department Head acting like damn bugs!”
“Watch your mouth, Kang Tae-sik!”
Department Head Kwon raised his voice at Kang Tae-sik’s harsh words, but.
Bang!
Disgusted by the den of cowards, Kang Tae-sik stormed out of the ward.
A few other Department Head followed him out, leaving only a handful behind.
In the end, only four people remained in the ward:
Seo Eun-bom,
Department Head Kwon Ji-yong (Team J),
Department Head Han Ji-eun (Team L),
And Department Head Lee Joo-i (Team R).
“…Department Head Lee Joo-i.”
Department Head Han Ji-eun from Team L, who had been silently listening until now, finally spoke up.
Sweeping her signature purple bangs aside, she pressed Lee Joo-i for further explanation.
“The higher-ups’ directive was the permanent elimination of the Black Flame Man. If we just stand by and let it grow stronger, we might really miss our chance.”
“…Seo Eun-bom.”
“Y-Yes!”
Lee Joo-i turned to the downcast Seo Eun-bom once more.
“That ghost you saw… did it truly seem… dangerous?”
“…Huh?”
The other two Department Head were stunned by the question.
Asking whether an S-grade ghost seemed dangerous was inherently contradictory.
But…
After a moment of contemplation, Seo Eun-bom gave an unexpected answer.
“…I-I’m not entirely sure, but… for some reason, I couldn’t shake the thought…”
“That it might actually be… human, just like us.”
*****
It feels like I’m endlessly falling through an abyss.
Where is this place…?
Who am I?
Yet, even in this hazy state of mind, one sensation remains clear.
Soft.
A pleasant touch.
Like being embraced by a giant marshmallow, warmth envelops my entire body.
It’s gentle.
Cozy.
I just want to let myself melt into it.
【That’s right, just let go~】
…Okay.
【Dreams are places where all your wishes come true~】
…I see.
Then, does that mean my wish to go home will also come true?
【Of course. Just picture it in your mind~】
Picture it?
Will that really take me back?
【Anything is possible in dreams. Trust me~】
…Alright.
I closed my eyes and envisioned the home I wanted to return to.
In detail.
Retracing my memories.
Reconstructing the house I lived in within my mind.
And always…
Always, unconsciously, I recalled the face that smiled at me.
“…Master.”
From beyond the silhouette gradually emerging through the mist, a soft voice called out.
That voice was so…
Playful.
“…Employee Park Yeon-jeong. Or should I call you ‘Master’? Either way, thank you for returning to me. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment.”
“………….”
Ah…
Damn it.
This is a dream.
And not just any dream.
A top-tier delusion.
‘…Time to wake up.’
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