episode_0011

First, I decided to go to the management office.

Information about the Constellation community was important, but I could not accept the shocking test results that showed that I was not human.

“You can really find out if you go to the management office, right?”

“Don’t worry, there are several entities that check and test humans.”

Eun No-eul, who spoke firmly and climbed into the back seat of the car, looked back emotionlessly, saying she had forgotten.

Oh, by the way, the fascination with her had already worn off.

The non-existent woman with her suddenly took out a castanet and tapped it, and Eun No-eul began to tap dance, but after a few minutes of tap dancing, she absurdly returned to her original state.

It is truly a shame.

“Now that I think about it, we haven’t introduced our team yet. You know that, right?”

“Ah, yes. Eunno-eul.”

“The one lying around here pitifully is Kwon Gyeong-gu. The non-existent kid sitting in the driver’s seat is Heo Sae-ron.”

“Hello! Please take care of me! Oppa Han-gil! Ah! Can I call you oppa!?”

“Huh? Ah, yes…”

Although Heo Sae-ron had no presence, he was a very lively and friendly child.

Even though he is quite tall, he looks strangely cute, like a small animal.

“You can speak freely! I’m twenty years old now!”

“Then what…”

“For your information, Kwon Gyeong-gu is twenty-five! Eun No-eul is twenty-two!”

“…Younger?”

I couldn’t believe it, so I looked at her sitting next to me, and she glared at me.

“Anything to complain about?”

“No. There is none.”

“Ha…Saeron. Don’t say unnecessary things.”

Eunno-eul’s voice was sharp.

I guess it hurt his pride that he was so fascinated by me and even tap danced right in front of me.

“Ahaha! Yes! I understand! Then, let’s leave now!”

As she lightly stepped on the accelerator, her body sank into the seat.

“…Please drive safely.”

“Ahaha! You don’t have to worry!”

As I looked anxiously at her stomping on the accelerator, I slowly rolled my eyes and focused on the eye tattoo on the back of her right hand.

Immediately, the emotional eye was activated.

‘A form of the ‘Mirror of Resentment’, a type of curse spell, that has grown several levels by receiving a large number of sacrifices.’

‘The mirror, which is twisted and twisted through a strange process and eventually becomes a face-to-face shape, creates an infinite number of images.’

‘You can sensitively sense hostility and murderous intent and detect attacks in advance.’

‘By amplifying resentment, the damage received can be returned several times.’

‘Damage received can be applied equally to multiple people. If you specify a target, all your resentment will be concentrated.’

‘It is the subject of the magic user’s soul. As long as the soul is not destroyed, the body will also not reach death.’

“ha…”

I finally found out that the eye tattoo was a ‘mirror of resentment’, but the overall content was extremely ominous.

Apparently, the problem was that I died and was revived by the Mirror of Resentment and sacrificed myself, so the spell was strangely modified… Looking at the last explanation, it seems that unless I remove the eye tattoo, I will never physically die.

If you understand it, that’s not the case.

“hmm…”

This is probably why I am not considered human.

Rather, there is nothing I can guess about other than this.

“……”

First, I need to go to a place called the Management Bureau and get a detailed examination.

Then I will be able to know in detail what my current physical condition is.

***

The management bureau branch looked like an ordinary company building on the outside, but as expected, the inside was just like an ordinary company.

People wearing suits and moving around busily.

People are busy typing on keyboards, printing, copying, and sending emails.

“Uh, um…”

Among those people, heterogeneous things naturally came into being.

For example, a pen that moves on its own even when no one is writing it, a copier that reads thoughts and prints them out, or a chair that guides people into the most comfortable posture…

“…Do most supernatural phenomena take the form of objects?”

Eun No-eul nodded to my question.

“That’s right. But that doesn’t mean you should think it’s not a big deal. Most of the things here are low-risk and useful, so we just bring them in and use them. There are also many supernatural phenomena that are extremely dangerous and cause incomprehension. Do you have any idea of urban fantasy or cosmic horror? Do you know the genre?”

“Uh, um… a little bit?”

“Then you’ll understand quickly. Just think of it as similar to things that appear in that genre. For example, the most familiar ones are the Red Mask or the Eight Chuck Ghosts. Or Cthulhu.”

He made a blank expression at Eunno-eul’s words.

“Are they really there?”

“Of course. Of course, Cthulhu is not real, but there is something similar.”

“It’s surprising that something similar exists…”

I frowned, not knowing how to react to the truth about the world I didn’t know about.

“Ahaha. Are you surprised that you know about the Constellation community? If you really want to ask, are you saying that the Constellations are also foreign powers like Cthulhu?”

“…Really? But for all that…”

It looked a lot like a human.

As I was hesitating, not knowing if it was right to say this to a transcendent person, Eunno-eul grinned.

“The level of conversation you have is very childlike, isn’t it?”

No, this girl is one drink hotter than me.

“…Huh? Wait, but how do you know the level of community conversation?”

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? I’m also someone who entered the ‘post’ section of the Constellation community.”

“Why are you telling me such an important thing now?”

I looked at her in bewilderment and she smiled.

“…! No way, to lure me here…!”

Damn it! Wow!

When [Howl of Despair, Pain, and Grief] is used, a grotesque snout protrudes from the neck, shoulders, chest, and back, revealing teeth.

“Ah-oh…!”

There was no need for this much to come out.

It really hurts!

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not that I don’t have that intention, but I really don’t intend to cause harm, so calm down and stick that thing in. Even for me, it hurt so much that I couldn’t stand it, right? I don’t think it’s an offensive skill, so it doesn’t have much lethality, but it really hurts a lot. “And it’s not just my body that hurts, my heart hurts too.”

I don’t know what it means to be heartbroken, but looking at her expression, it’s definitely not a happy thing.

“…To be honest, it’s hard to trust the Bureau.”

“I understand. I was like that too.”

“If there’s anything you want from me, I hope you’ll tell me in advance.”

“Ah, that’s…let’s move to another location and say it. It would be a big deal if the Constellation heard it.”

“…yes?”

When I looked at her blankly, unable to understand, she let out a small sigh.

“Anyway, there’s a special place, so let’s go there. Let’s put it in quickly.”

He glanced at her as she urged him on, then quietly removed his muzzle.

“Ugh… aren’t there too many suspicions? Have you been scammed a lot?”

“Oh well… I was in an environment where I had to be suspicious to survive…”

“Are you talking about the ‘post’? It looks like it was quite difficult.”

“It was hard…a lot.”

When I remembered the battle with Sahagin during the month on the fantasy uninhabited island, I automatically sighed.

“Hmm…let’s go first.”

She grabbed my wrist and walked without hesitation and got into the elevator.

“Oh, sister! We’ll be waiting for you in the office!”

“Good luck, team leader.”

“Ah, okay. You worked hard, so get some rest.”

I thought they would follow until the end, but Heo Sae-ron and Kwon Gyeong-gu waved their goodbyes in front of the elevator.

“Are we the only ones going?”

“Yes. Those kids are on the same team, but they are not victims of the Constellation community.”

She answered and pressed the 7th floor.

Oh, by the way, the highest floor was the 10th floor.

“But I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Isn’t this company too lax? You don’t even have to come inside the building, you can just see supernatural entities outside the windows.”

“Ahaha. That’s because Mr. Han-gil received ‘permission’ to enter the building.”

“Allowed to enter the building? What do you mean?”

She pointed to the ceiling of the elevator and smiled meaningfully.

“This building itself is an object of supernatural phenomena. The official name given by the management bureau is ‘Ordinary Small Business’. Even if any supernatural phenomenon occurs inside, it cannot be observed unless you are an ‘office worker.’ Instead, it is maintained only while you are working, so you can continue to work. But I have to.”

“oh…”

There are so many amazing things.

“Oh, by the way, salaries and such are all determined by the building, so we cannot pay more than that. You are also forced to work overtime. Of course, there are no allowances, right?”

“…Why are there all these supernatural phenomena? You must be going through a lot.”

It is absurd that a black company that we have only heard about appears as a supernatural phenomenon.

Then she smiled mischievously.

“What? Shim Shim-gil will also be working with me in the future.”

“Huh? What is that…”

“Didn’t you just say that you have to get permission from the building to see the true appearance of this place? In other words, Mr. Sim Jin-gil is already a ‘temporary employee’ here?”

“…Am I supposed to like it?”

“Well, once you get the job, shouldn’t you like it?”

uh? Wait a minute, is this a mess?

“No, why didn’t you ask for my opinion? If that was the case, you should have explained it in advance.”

“This is the Bureau’s way. They never leave anyone who causes paranormal phenomena alone.”

“Do I really have to go to work and work?”

“Of course. Please be aware that if you are absent without notice because you don’t want to come to work, the building will forcibly summon you. Last time, a certain ‘office worker’ was summoned in the middle of a shower and forced to perform a striptease?”

“…Is there any way to get out?”

“Nothing. You were kidnapped.”

“Will you accept my resignation?”

“No, I will never accept it.”

“and…”

It’s a completely eye-opening situation.

I broke into a slight cold sweat.

Is this the bureau’s tactic of forcing people to get jobs at small and medium-sized companies?

“I would at least feel better if it were a large company… No, I don’t want to work before that…”

Ah, how could it not be possible to cry?

As I was seriously thinking about it, Eun No-eul smiled mischievously.

“Ahaha! Is that what you’re worried about when you’re forced to belong to an unknown organization? Mr. Han-gil, you’re a more interesting person than I thought.”

It was new to me, but it was so pretty that I couldn’t help but stare at it blankly.

“It’s a joke, so don’t worry too much. We will respect Mr. Han-gil’s wishes. Whether or not you work at the management bureau is optional. Of course, if you don’t work, you may receive periodic reports or be monitored, but that’s not the case. “You have to endure it, because if you refuse, we will use force without hesitation.”

“…It’s a little scary.”

“Of course. What a scary place the Management Bureau is.”

Just as the elevator arrived, she grabbed my wrist again.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Ah, yes…”

But is it really necessary to hold his wrist?

It feels strangely close to the distance… Perhaps the influence of ‘Charm’ still remains.

The place Eun No-eul took me was a place labeled ‘conference room.’

“Conversations here will never be leaked unless some other supernatural phenomenon intervenes. Because that’s what conference rooms are for, right?”

“…But aren’t constellations supernatural entities?”

“Of course, they are supernatural entities. I don’t know if the supernatural phenomena in the ‘conference room’ will work for them, but I can at least give them peace of mind. It’s better than nothing.”

“Hmm…”

I nodded and entered, and an empty conference room appeared.

“Uh, there’s no one here?”

“Who thought you would even wait?”

“hmm…”

To be honest, I thought many people would be waiting like she said.

Maybe it felt like I was the main character of a novel.

When I think about it that way, it’s a little bit embarrassing.

As I was gently touching my heated face, I saw her sitting at the head of the conference room, smiling confidently.

“Let me introduce myself once again. My name is Eun No-eul, and I am the head of the Seoul branch of the Paranormal Phenomena Management Bureau. I am also the president of an ‘ordinary small business.’”

“……”

I had heard that he was the branch manager, but I had no idea that he was also the president, so I stared blankly at her and burst out laughing.

“What kind of expression is that?”

“No, what kind of branch manager and president are running in the field?”

“Because the Constellation community is such a big deal. Many of those who enter and leave the ‘post’ return with dangerous powers.”

I slowly sat down and looked at her.

“Are there that many victims of the ‘constellation community’?”

“Hmm…no. If you really want to say it, it’s very small and rare. However, it is also true that it is overwhelmingly more frequent than other supernatural phenomena.”

When she snapped her fingers, a paper cup filled with mixed coffee was created on the desk.

“…Eh?”

“Hehe. It’s funny because the reaction is fresh. Isn’t it amazing? This building provides everything you need for work for free, right? Food, coffee, and even a place to sleep.”

“No, why are you sleeping…”

“It’s a necessity for working overtime.”

Is that overtime work?

Am I misunderstanding the meaning of overtime?

At a loss for words, I stared at the coffee and sipped it.

“Whew…then let’s talk in earnest. Oh, we can do a detailed examination after we’re done talking, right?”

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter.”

“Okay. First of all, before I talk about anything related to the Constellation community, let me tell you about myself.”

Her calm expression frowned as she remembered something.

“One day, I was drawn to a post written by G-414 on the Constellation community. The title of the post was ‘Who would win if a succubus without combat skills fights a hundred orcs who have not been able to control their sexual desires for a month?’ The content said that the succubus would win. “There was a post saying it looked like it and my selfie photo was uploaded.”

“…uh, um…?”

Just listening to it made me dizzy and I was at a loss for words.

“To put it simply, I became a succubus and fought a 100-to-1 battle with orcs.”

“…?”

I didn’t understand any more.

Has the race changed at all?

No, before that, does being so fine now mean that you fought and won?