Chapter 11 : Irregular

Bureau of Anomalies, Conference Room 2.

Monitoring screens and terminals on the table blinked quietly.

“The entity we’re using for this training… is it Karsra?”

One of the surveillance agents looked down at the training list as he spoke.

“For a Class-D anomaly, it’s quite tricky. Not aggressive towards humans, but it induces emotions with illusions, even distorts space… It’s basically a fully loaded Class-D.”

Another agent murmured in agreement.

Dr. Im Hyorin stood with her arms crossed, staring at the 3D map of the training zone.

At the center—deep within a maze—a red dot blinked slowly.

Karsra.

A fairy-type anomaly that shapes forests and judges the lost.

It was the objective of today’s exercise.

The rookies’ mission was simple:

Pass through the maze created by Karsra, retrieve the target, and return.

“Yes. For rookies… it’s quite a heavy burden.”

The agent shook his head.

It sounded simple, but he knew better than anyone that reality was far from easy.

Even so, Im Hyorin’s voice remained calm.

“But this time, Kim Min-woo is among them.”

“Still, he’s a rookie. Karsra pulls out suppressed emotions and memories. If you’re not careful, you could get lost inside and never come out.”

The agent voiced his concern cautiously.

Hyorin let out a small laugh.

Her smile was gentle, but with a chilling coldness.

“If it were a typical rookie.”

She tapped the surveillance screen with her finger.

On it appeared a live feed of Kim Min-woo preparing for the training.

“Remember? Even Pamyoh went quiet in front of him.”

Hyorin muttered as she stared at the screen.

“Will it be the same this time? Or… maybe we’re overestimating him.”

A brief silence.

Another agent let out a soft breath.

“This won’t be easy. That thing doesn’t clash head-on—it digs into your mind. It tests you by shaping the path. It’s even used as a ‘security device’ within the Bureau itself… I’m not sure a rookie can handle it.”

“That’s exactly why it’s exciting.”

Im Hyorin’s lips curled slowly into a smile.

It was neither cruel nor warm.

Just the pure, clinical curiosity of an observer.

“Kim Min-woo, favored by anomalies… I’m curious how he’ll react to his own inner self.”

Just then, the numbers on the terminal began to shift.

Air density, wave amplitude, emotional response—

All indicators began to fluctuate.

“It’s begun.”

Hyorin said briefly.

Her eyes were still fixed on the red dot on the screen.

“We’ll soon find out… whether this anomaly will submit too. Or if… heh.”

A silent laugh played across her lips.

The watching agent sighed quietly to himself.

Dr. Im Hyorin’s bad habit—

That experimental curiosity, unwelcome news for any rookie, had returned.

“Please… let him come back safe.”

The training ground was as large as a soccer field.

The moment a foot stepped forward, the floor gave slightly.

“…What is this? Ugh.”

A strange resistance tingled at his toes.

The mushy texture felt like mud.

Even the air was different.

Sticky humidity clung to his skin.

‘I’ve entered the anomaly’s sphere of influence.’

The scene before his eyes was, quite literally, a forest.

Leaves were spread like carpets across the pathway, and—

On both sides, the living, breathing walls of nature writhed.

The light was both dim and bright,
and it felt as if my sense of direction had been deleted—there was no telling which way to go.

I slowly opened the manual.

[Entity: Karsra]

Name: Chorongi

Risk Level: D

Characteristics:

• Prefers confident and assertive individuals.
• A mischievous fairy who craves affection.
• Enjoys childish wordplay.
• Likes having its head patted.
• Will open a path if you promise to play with it.

“…This is basically a child, isn’t it?”

Enjoying childish jokes and being starved for affection— it was like a child who just wanted to be loved.

“Please make sure to review the manual before proceeding.”

Jayden stepped forward with a confident voice.

“There are likely other low-level anomalies scattered throughout the maze aside from Karsra. Of course, I’ve already done the research, so no need to worry—just follow me. Hoo-hoo.”

Despite his grand words and confident demeanor…

“Waaaahhh!! Why is a Somflower here!?”

A scream erupted moments later.

Jayden’s legs were tangled in vines.

“This… this thing should only appear in South American jungle-type zones, according to the papers… Why is it here…!? Damn it…! The sleeping powder—No!”

To the side of the corridor, a massive plant-like anomaly resembling a flower opened its mouth.

“That’s… a Somflower?”

I quickly checked the manual.

[Entity: Somflower]

Risk Level: E

• Restrains nearby creatures, then puts them to sleep with pollen.
• Likes human blood.
• Takes a long time to digest, but its restraint is strong.
• Gets startled and spits out prey if kicked on the side.

Being E-class, its countermeasures were surprisingly simple.

“So, just kick it?”

Without hesitation, I slammed my foot into its side.

Kuweeeeh!!

With a bizarre screech—

Kak-thooot!

The flower spat Jayden out.

“Heh… haha… What an embarrassing mistake…”

Jayden stood up, brushing off the grass stuck to his body, but his face was ghostly pale.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. But… how did you know? Somflowers are known to never release their prey unless uprooted…”

I shrugged.

“I was in a rush. My foot just moved on its own. Guess I got lucky.”

“That just happened to be its weak spot? Amazing…! Somflowers reacting to side impact and releasing prey—it’s never been reported in academia! This is a major discovery!”

Jayden went on, passionately explaining how groundbreaking this was.

I held back a smile.

It wasn’t luck—I’d just followed what the manual said.

“Let’s calm down and move on. Karsra specializes in inducing illusions, trauma, and emotional manipulation. Controlling your emotions is crucial to avoid getting drawn in.”

Trying to stay composed, Jayden began rereading the manual with slightly trembling hands.

He pretended to be fine, but he had clearly been shaken.

From what I’d heard, this was his first time encountering an anomaly outside the lab.

That was when—

“Um… Kim Min-woo?”

A quiet, soft voice.

I turned my head to see Seo Yuna cautiously approaching.

She glanced warily at the flickering illusions between the trees and spoke shyly:

“Have you… met a lot of anomalies before?”

“…Why do you ask?”

“Back there with the Somflower… You handled it so naturally. I, um… don’t have much field experience yet.”

She quietly stood beside me, her head slightly lowered—
like a frightened kitten.

“…And Min-woo, you said you liked cats, right?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Me too! I really do…! So I, um… just wanted to say that!”

As we talked, Seo Yuna’s expression gradually softened.

Her bright smile,

and the way she shyly played with her fingertips—

“When you first saw an anomaly… weren’t you scared? You didn’t… come to hate them, did you?”

Then, hesitating slightly, she added:

“If you could form a contract… what kind of anomaly would you want? Maybe… something cat-like?”

She was nothing like the confident and poised impression she gave at first.

Now, she just seemed like a shy and curious child who couldn’t quite hide her wonder.

“This is a totally different side from how she acts with Jayden.”

I still couldn’t fully figure out who Seo Yuna really was.

One thing was certain—Seo Yuna only acted this friendly with me.

And there was something I wanted to ask her too.

“Do you know anything about an anomaly called Bakeneko…?”

But I couldn’t ask.

Because just then, a scream rang out.

“Kyaaaaa—!”

A piercing scream echoed from afar, cutting straight to the bone.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yes, it was a scream.”

And it clearly came from voices like ours—rookies.

“Someone…! Please help!”

The situation was obviously serious.

There was no time to hesitate.

Yuna quickly raised her hand and pointed in a direction.

“That way!”

Even though the mist-filled maze made it nearly impossible to get a sense of direction,

Yuna somehow instantly pinpointed the source.

We rushed off immediately, running in the direction she indicated.

And when we arrived— we stopped dead in our tracks.

Our breath caught in our throats.

III.

Red trails of blood trickled down the wall.

Scattered across the grass were torn pieces of suits and chunks of flesh.

And in the middle of it all— petals of white peach blossoms floated gently in the air.

At the center stood a woman dressed in a traditional white mourning robe.

Her long hair hung down like it had been soaked in water,
and her bare feet were submerged in damp soil.

She raised her head.

A song drifted out of her lips.

♪ Is this flower pretty, is it fairer than me? ♪

♪ The fairest one you’ve ever seen? ♪

♪ Close your eyes, fall into a dream ♪

♪ Don’t turn away… where are you going? ♪

Don’t… go…

Even the air seemed frozen.

Our bodies refused to move.

Jayden’s lips trembled.

“Damn it…” he muttered under his breath.

“That’s… an anomaly.”

My eyes were fixed on the woman.

She looked at the human she held like a doll—
and smiled.

Then, with a flick of her finger,

stabbed it straight through the chest.

“Aaaaaah!”

The scream echoed like a haunting cry.

But it didn’t stop.

Not until the breathing did.

Thud—

Her fingertip soaked in blood.

Thud—

She repeated the same motion.

And then again.

Thud—

The body tilted and collapsed without a sound.

Lee Min-a, an intern from the Field Support Team of the Bureau of Anomaly Control.

She had joined at the same time I did.

Everything happened in seconds.

A flash.

Jayden finally spoke.

“…Mountain Peach Blossom. A C-class anomaly.”

His voice was hoarse.

“This anomaly… should never have been part of this field exercise.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Dr. Im Hyo-rin had clearly said it:

Only D-class or lower anomalies would be used.

It was supposed to be a completely controlled environment.

But now—
we were face-to-face with a C-class monster.

Someone…
had released it on purpose.