Chapter 9: Exploration team (2)

[Title: Can You Live with a Super Pretty Long-Haired Ghost (Virgin Ghost) for a Month?]

Frozen Zone?

I got a scouting offer from the Exploration Team here—are we sure this is a legit big company?

They asked me to join the Exploration Team.

The conditions are so good it’s suspicious.

Feels like they just want me to be a disposable bullet sponge, right?

Anyone currently working there or knows it well—please give me some advice.

I heard newbies don’t get sent to dangerous areas right away.

Is that just a rumor?

As soon as I posted it, comments started flooding in.

I began reading them one by one slowly.

“Welcome, suicidal hopeful lol”

“Is the monster’s lunch (future meal) here? lol”

“Joining the Exploration Team is suicide. Ever seen a monster? Leaves trauma for real.”

“But if it’s Frozen Zone, the gear should be good, right? Take the survival kit and protective suit and just run.”

“Depends on the team. Frozen Zone R.O. is a huge company, so every team’s vibe is different. Some say newbies mostly do support work or stay in safe zones. But yeah, if you’re unlucky, you might die on your first day.”

“My friend joined the Frozen Zone Exploration Team and vanished after a month… Think it over carefully.”

“R.O.? Yikes.”

“But I heard Exploration Team pays really well.”

“Lol you gotta survive to get paid.”

“Okay but where the hell is the ‘super pretty ghost’ from the title? Get your act together.”

Opinions were split.

There were slightly more negative ones.

Main reason: being in the Exploration Team means taking on enormous risks.

But one comment caught my eye—

“newbies don’t get sent to dangerous places right away.”

Of course, it might not be true.

But if it is?

What if I use my cheat-mode ability, gain some relatively safe experience, stack up money quickly, and move to Seoul?

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

That phrase came back to me again.

Great money also comes with great responsibility.

The power I had was definitely unique.

Would I just run away using it?

Or risk it all to win bigger “safety” and a future?

I was scared, but—I didn’t dwell on it long.

I sent a text to the number on the business card.

Saying I’d accept the offer.

***

A few days later, I stood in front of Frozen Zone’s HQ.

“…Whoa, this is a big company.”

I came here thinking there’d just be one office building, but there were not one, not two, but three massive skyscrapers—So tall I had to crane my neck just to see the tops.

All three of those enormous buildings belonged to Frozen Zone.

Following the instructions in the message, I entered the building closest to the station.

Inside, the lobby was practically airport-sized.

People busily moving around in a vast space, and to go further in, you had to go through a security check like at an airport.

As I stood there looking confused, a female security staff member approached me.

“Can I help you?”

“Uh… I’m here for the Exploration Team meeting room…”

“Oh, are you Mr. Kim Min-jun?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Right this way.”

Following her guidance, I passed through security.

I was told to go to Basement Level 2, so I got on the elevator.

Even though the building was dozens of floors high above ground, it apparently had ten underground levels too.

That was surprising.

“How deep is this place?”

As the elevator descended, I recalled going down into a hotel basement a few days ago.

A chill crept up my spine.

The reason I was heading to the Exploration Team’s meeting room was because of a text I received a few days earlier.

Right after I sent the message agreeing to join the team, I was assigned to Exploration Team 15 and told to report for my first day today.

Now, I was on my way to meet the members of Team 15.

As soon as I got off on B2, I saw a room labeled “Exploration Team Meeting Room.”

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath to calm myself and pushed the door open.

Creak

As I entered the room, three people turned to look at me.

All three were dressed in black suits like mine.

One was a middle-aged man, and the other two were women who looked around my age.

Rahee must have been assigned to a different team—she wasn’t there.

I gave a polite bow and walked toward them.

The first person who stood out was the middle-aged man, who seemed to be the team leader.

He had a slightly thin build, shoulders a bit hunched, and when our eyes met, he awkwardly looked away.

He had a kind of timid vibe.

Next to him stood a woman with glasses.

She gave off a cold and analytical vibe as she looked me up and down with sharp eyes.

The last person was a woman with short hair.

Unlike the other two, she smiled brightly at me with curious eyes—she seemed lively and upbeat.

“Ah… um, are you Mr. Kim Min-jun, the new recruit?”

The middle-aged man spoke first, though his voice trembled slightly, and he trailed off at the end.

He seemed even more nervous than I was.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Kim Min-jun, joining from today. Nice to meet you.”

As I bowed again, he hurriedly bowed in return.

“O-Oh, yes, yes… I’m Park Chul-woo, team leader of Exploration Team 15.”

“I’m Seo Ji-hyun, in charge of analysis and documentation.”

The woman with glasses introduced herself briefly and coldly.

Her voice matched her demeanor.

“Nice to meet you, rookie! I’m Han Sora! You can just call me Sora-noona! If anything’s tough, come to me!”

Han Sora, the short-haired woman, gave me a cheerful shoulder pat as she spoke.

Her friendly attitude helped me relax a bit.

Although… was she really older than me?

She looked younger, honestly.

“Well then… Let me explain our team’s duties.”

Team leader Park Chul-woo cleared his throat and, now sounding clearer than before, began his explanation.

“Our Frozen Zone Exploration Teams are divided by number. Teams 1 through 5 mainly handle high-risk monsters or the first contact with unknown ones—basically, very dangerous missions.”

I swallowed hard.

I felt lucky to have been assigned to Team 15.

“Teams 6 to 10 are in charge of medium-risk anomaly investigations and hazardous area management. And our teams, from 11 to 15…”

He paused for a moment.

“Our main task is to manage anomalies that have already been fully investigated or have established response manuals. It’s relatively stable work.”

“To be precise, it means that most of the tasks involve few variables and are carried out in a controlled environment.”

Seo Ji-hyun adjusted her glasses and added an explanation.

“So basically, our team is relatively safe! No need to be too nervous, rookie!”

Han So-ra laughed and patted my shoulder again.

It seemed that what I’d heard in the gallery—‘Rookies aren’t sent into dangerous places right away’—wasn’t entirely wrong.

I felt a bit relieved.

Still, I became a bit curious upon hearing that all 15 exploration teams risk their lives managing anomalies.

“Um, but how exactly do we make money doing this kind of work? The contract terms were pretty extreme…”

Managing these incredibly dangerous anomalies—how does that become profitable?

When I asked the question that had been on my mind the most, Team Leader Park Cheol-woo answered.

“Officially, we report our activities and results to the Bureau of Anomaly Management, and we receive our budget from them. Of course, there are other sources of income as well…”

He trailed off.

I didn’t know what those “other sources of income” were supposed to mean, but I let it slide for now.

“Oh, right.”

Once the job explanation ended, Team Leader Park Cheol-woo said,

“Since it’s your first day, it’d be best if you observed how we do anomaly management firsthand. Min-jun, for today, you just need to watch.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Great! Then let’s head out!”

Han So-ra took the lead, and we left the briefing room.

The two others followed her without hesitation, as if used to her behavior.

We walked through the hallway and took an elevator designated for the exploration team, located in a corner, down to the lower level.

When the elevator doors opened, a corridor with a very different atmosphere appeared.

The walls were made of solid-looking metal, with warning signs and tight security systems visible everywhere.

“This is the low-risk entity containment and management zone,”

Seo Ji-hyun explained concisely.

We walked down the corridor and finally stood in front of a thick steel door.

On the door, it read “Containment Room No. 11”, and next to it was a plaque labeled [Subject: “Wandering Eye”].

“Wandering Eye?”

It was a peculiar name.

Thump, thump, clunk.

Team Leader Park Cheol-woo went through an authentication process and opened the door.

What awaited beyond that door?

Nervously, I took my first step into the containment zone, following the team members.

I frowned and looked up at the anomaly.

True to its name, a giant eyeball the size of an adult male’s torso floated freely in the air, complete with roots dangling beneath it.

The eye itself wasn’t too bad, but the root part was eerie enough to make me grimace.

“Uh, this is…”

Team Leader Park Cheol-woo showed me a smartphone.

An app was open on the phone, containing information and a manual for the Wandering Eye.

[Wandering Eye]

Risk Level: Low

Safe as long as you don’t touch it or make prolonged eye contact

To collect tears, use a sad movie or drama

“This is an anomaly app we developed here in Dongto. Min-jun, you’ll get access to it too.”

“…For tear collection, use a sad movie?”

I couldn’t make sense of it until I looked around the containment room and saw a large TV installed on one wall.

“Okay, rookie! Watch closely!”

Han So-ra strode forward, grabbed the remote on top of the TV, and skillfully turned on a drama.

It was a recently popular, notoriously sad drama.

Ssshhh.

As soon as the show started, the giant eye floated toward the TV, staring at it intently.

Han So-ra casually placed a large square container beneath the eyeball.

Then she shouted,

“All done! Fall back!”

“…Huh?”

That was it?

That easy?

The anomalies I’d encountered before…

While they weren’t exactly beyond my abilities, I’d been terrified trying to escape from abandoned hospitals and creepy hotels.

There were unwanted battles—or rather, attacks I had to survive.

But now, playing a sad movie was enough to handle it?

It didn’t even try to attack humans.

Are there really anomalies like this?

“We need to leave now,”

Seo Ji-hyun tapped my shoulder.

“Huh? Why?”

“If it sees someone crying, it becomes violent.”

“…Oh.”

I scrolled down the manual on the smartphone and, sure enough, it read:

[Caution: If it sees someone crying, it becomes aggressive.]

Yep, still definitely an anomaly.