Chapter 153

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Regular rescue mission.

If I write it like this, one might wonder what on earth it is, but surprisingly, it is something that happens naturally in reality.

“If people frequently fall and get hurt in a place I manage, I end up looking into it more. It’s like that.”

Meaning, when working near natural features or facilities where people frequently get caught in accidents, regularly patrolling and inspecting to see if anyone is in danger and performing rescue duties.

It was similar in the Paranormal Disaster Management Bureau.

“We designate several paranormal disasters and enter the ghost stories to inspect them once every few months, in this way.”

Checking to see if there is anyone in need of rescue.

However, one most important precondition is added.

-Ghost stories where rescue reports are impossible.

“It’s for people who can’t say ‘save me~’ even when caught in a paranormal disaster.”

Yes. By nature, some ghost stories make rescue requests using phones or the like completely impossible.

For such ghost stories, if agents can relatively safely enter and escape, it is said that the Dispatch Rescue Team patrols them as a regular duty.

‘…Certainly, there were exploration records written based on that setting.’

It was so when recording changes over time was an important point of interest, or when points that changed as rounds accumulated were points of interest.

In this aspect, it could be seen as similar to the assigned Dark that Daydream Co. distributed to employees or teams.

Although the purpose was incomparably noble….

Agent Choi, who was irritatingly scratching people’s insides just a moment ago, swept his back hair leisurely with quite a reliable face.

“And this ghost story… um, if you just follow the rules quickly and well, it isn’t dangerous, but by the nature of those rules, work runs well only if it’s unconditionally a duo. It’s a two-person job.”

Hmm?

“But earlier, you said it was for three people….”

“Right! Our junior is the buffer player!”

A buffer, a buffer player….

Being treated in a way I had never experienced in my life made the front of my eyes slightly hazy, but I soon closed my mouth upon realizing the fact that it was a huge gain.

‘Whatever it is, if the number of people increases, it will be less scary.’

Moreover, there probably wouldn’t be any trolls among the Disaster Management Bureau agents anyway.

I even heard the lineup, and they are very familiar people.

“Me and Jae-gwan!”

Agent Choi roughly made a shape with his hand in the air for Agent Bronze, who had briefly disappeared for a report, and pointed at him and himself alternately.

And that hand points toward me.

“And our buffer player.”

“T-yes….”

Giving up on everything, I calmly affirmed.

Then, Agent Choi, who was peering into my expression, chuckled and lightly patted my shoulder.

“Kid, you endure well.”

“…?”

“Let’s go. Jae-gwan’s neck is going to stretch out waiting! Your senior will also find his way to the destination well on his own~”

Agent Choi led me to the elevator.

The location was the 2nd basement floor.

“The guys who go out for field duties are at the headquarters? You can think of them as mostly waiting on the 2nd basement floor.”

An explanation followed that because going quickly was often their life, they were allocated a relatively lower floor.

And as soon as we got off the elevator and turned the hallway, a nameplate is visible.

[Black Tortoise Team 1]

Agent Choi opened the door cheerfully.

“Tada! Welcome to the Black Tortoise Team 1 waiting area!”

Inside was, unexpectedly… a cozy space.

A round sofa, a pantry space, blankets, and a bookshelf randomly filled with board games, philosophy books, and comic books.

As is the case with rest areas for officials of public institutions, there was no expensive or modern feel, but it was a space that gave an impression strangely like a club room.

On the whiteboard on the wall, old scribbles also remained intact.

-The best rescue team was here

-If you play EDM at my funeral, a Dokkaebi will catch you

-We will never forget our Black Tortoise Team 1 forever

…It seemed that the phrases last left by people who could no longer perform duties were accumulating intact without being erased.

It could be seen as the exact opposite feel of the clean and individual single-person office space of Daydream Co.’s elite team.

“Haha, a gentleman who retired now said home interior was his hobby and even picked up a haunted picture frame… isn’t it quite nice? Just by sitting, work automatically arises!”

“Yes. …It is a pleasant space.”

“…….”

Agent Choi, who was silent as if slightly flustered, smiled brightly.

“Right? I told you it was a good team. It’s not a lie.”

“…….”

“In that sense, hey, you too can be on our team…”

“It is fine.”

I almost gave him an opening.

“Sure, sure! Because there is still time left.”

Agent Choi guided me to the sofa, and we sat facing each other and took a brief breather.

There was a table between the two sofas, and whether to block dust, a tablecloth was covered so it was bumpy, but it was strangely friendly.

“Whew! Let’s rest a bit until Jae-gwan comes.”

“Yes.”

“And… this.”

Agent Choi suddenly put on a slightly warm smile, and pulled out a well-sealed paper from his chest pocket.

…It was that piece of paper I bought from the manhole market and gave him.

Ah.

“I am sorry, but it seems there is no paranormal disaster fitting this note’s text in the Disaster Management Bureau’s database.”

“…….”

Naturally so. Because that was just a hint letting one know the location of the research lab behind the manhole….

And Agent Choi added words as if soothing a rookie, as if such a situation was familiar.

“Probably… it seems the Bureau hasn’t caught it yet, but because such things are originally frequent, let’s take time and wait a bit.”

“…….”

“Will you be okay?”

He was probably asking because what he said meant ‘I don’t think we can save this person’.

However, I nodded.

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

And taking a breath, I received the note Agent Choi held out.

‘Actually, I even already checked the corpse of the researcher who traded with me….’

If this was a real situation… I would have replied in this way.

“Still, I think there is meaning in having tried.”

“…….”

Agent Choi did not reply for a moment.

‘…Was it too cliché?’

The moment I slightly regretted it.

“Junior, give that to me again.”

“…?!”

Agent Choi held out his hand to me again.

“I will look into it just one more time.”

“Yes?”

“Originally, if you eat this much experience, you have know-how other than the database. I might as well try one more time.”

…And so, the slip of paper went back to Agent Choi.

My conscience hurt slightly, but because my life was also at stake here, I endured. Let’s repay it by working hard like an ox in the Disaster Management Bureau too….

“……Thank you.”

“Okay.”

Agent Choi did not say things like ‘come to the team if you are thankful’ this time, and just chuckled.

‘…Is he planning to ask the informants he knows too?’

Because Agent Choi had so many exploration records, the factions he was involved with were also many.

So as a result, it meant he became a well-connected character with various personal networks here and there.

So his saying he would look into it once more probably meant he would dig up information outside the Disaster Management Bureau once.

‘It doesn’t matter anyway.’

It literally meant he would scan it once, wouldn’t it? Probably a trick to lure me to Black Tortoise Team 1 once more with this…

…Wait a minute.

‘No way… he won’t really bring back a ghost story, right?’

Going into a highly frustrating and implausible development where there coincidentally is a ghost story fitting that paper… ayy, surely not.

Well, it was just a delusion that would make cold sweat run just by thinking. Let’s stop.

And right after Agent Choi wrapped up the slip of paper and put it back in his pocket, finally, the last agent of today’s mission opened the waiting room door and entered.

“Oh, Jae-gwan!”

Agent Bronze strode in and sat on the sofa.

Yes, the target to express the pain of my conscience is this side!

I abruptly bowed my head.

“Agent Bronze! Um, I am sorry….”

“…Yes?”

“Even though you looked after me so much, because I couldn’t handle the work properly in the Site Cleanup Team….”

“…….”

Since I apologize like this, please give me just one more chance.

I haven’t given up on that Site Cleanup Team yet…!

And Agent Bronze let out a small sigh and then shook his head.

“You do not need to apologize.”

“Right~ It’s rather stranger to apologize for smashing a paranormal disaster!”

“……Agent Choi.”

“Oh dear, Jae-gwan is scary~ Let’s work, work.”

As Agent Bronze glared, Agent Choi feigned innocence and hurriedly pulled out the briefing documents.

…Thanks to him, I missed the appeal time. Let’s aim for the next opportunity.

If we enter today’s work together anyway, another opportunity will arise.

“Junior, how far did I say?”

“Ah, you spoke up to today’s mission being a 3-person team….”

“Right! But you see. In addition to that, a very reliable person will also help us.”

Agent Choi pointed to the wall next to the sofa.

There, a semi-transparent curtain hung droopily.

“He is our Elder. Team leader!”

“…….”

A curtain?

I barely spoke.

“…I, don’t see him, though.”

“You don’t see him, but you believe he exists!”

“…….”

“Since the Elder heard a rookie is coming today, he said he must help.”

‘Is this perhaps a rookie hazing?’

I started to get confused.

Right before digging through my head’s Records of the Dark Exploration to see if someone had really transformed into a curtain and if that was possible, I rose from the sofa at Agent Choi’s urging and stood politely looking at the curtain.

“Jae-gwan stands here, and junior stands in the middle… good.”

Agent Bronze, me, Agent Choi.

And Agent Choi went forward and drew the curtain.

Light poured through the curtain.

“…!!”

Behind the semi-transparent curtain, surprisingly, there was a window that had been invisible.

Of course, because here was underground, the outside was not visible, and only a propitious and miraculous light like an aurora danced outside the window.

A window rippling between frames like a paper door.

“Mysterious, right? I heard this was also done this way and that with mysterious glass… I don’t know well.”

Agent Choi approached with a smile.

“The important thing is that the Elder looks here through this!”

Elder.

“Who… on earth is the Elder?”

“I told you. He is our Black Tortoise Team 1 team leader!”

Surprisingly, Agent Bronze also did not refute and stayed quiet. It meant it was the truth.

“Jae-gwan. That.”

Agent Bronze politely removed the wrapping cloth covering the table between the sofas.

Swish.

Placed on the revealed table was… food.

‘Buckwheat jelly, and… pavé chocolate?’

What on earth was this combination.

“Now. Wave your hands.”

Agent Choi raised both hands as if leading by example. Because Agent Bronze even raised his, I quickly raised mine together.

“Receive many blessings today too, Elder!”

And all together, we made a deep bow toward the window.

“…?!”

“Please look after today’s mission well.”

I solemnly declare, my mind became dazed by a deed I had never read in the Records of the Dark Exploration. But like a rookie, I followed along with the bow, and.

The moment I stood up.

“…!!”

My body began to shrink.

My vision lowered, and my limbs became small. Everything entering my eyes became slightly more giant and shook.

No, what was shaking was my head! My relatively large head compared to my shrunken body briefly lost balance and staggered.

“Heh.”

My voice also changed. And….

The change stopped.

“…….”

“…….”

Now, in my vision, there were only two things that had not become more giant than before.

The two people on both sides of me.

“The preparation is well done. Thank you, Elder.”

I turned my head.

In the spot where Agent Choi had been, some elementary schooler was standing and looking at me closely as if inspecting.

No, so… it was the younger Agent Choi! In the child’s face, slickness and leisure are visible!

“Are you okay?”

On the other side was the child Agent Bronze. This side was equally wooden, no, no….

‘Oh my god.’

I looked down at my hands.

I also saw the Dokkaebi fire child arm that had shrunk in size to match my shrunken body size.

It waves its hand at me as if excited, instead of a thumbs-up.

“Good. Mission preparation complete.”

“…….”

“Because today’s paranormal disaster is… a place where only children of a new nation can enter normally.”

“…….”

“So we all became 8-year-old children, that’s what I’m saying!”

I feel like I’m going out of my mind.