episode_0042

We, who dramatically escaped the crisis thanks to Rael, widened our distance from the ‘crying paper’.

“Noel. Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. I don’t think I’m being manipulated now.”

After moving her body a few times, Noeul covered the wound on her finger and glared at the ‘crying paper.’

“I guess the contract will be canceled if I put it back where it was.”

“Haaah. Do you think so too?”

“I’m not really training some kind of mutt…”

After hearing Noeul’s words, Retel and I sighed deeply.

“Retel. My memory isn’t perfect, so tell me honestly. Do you think that’s possible?”

“Uhm…”

Letel seemed to think about my words for a moment, but then smiled refreshingly.

“Yes. Impossible! The moment you run into that guy who calls himself a god or a boss, it’s game over! To be honest, I was lucky enough to run away before, I’m sure it won’t happen again, right?”

“That much? Umm…”

‘A terrible conglomerate’… No, is it now the ‘Temple of the Beginning’? Anyway, I clearly remember going there.

However, the memory of encountering the being she refers to as ‘God’ has completely evaporated, so I have no real sense of it.

Still, seeing her always so confident talking like that, you have to think it’s impossible, right?

“This is the worst situation. What happened in just a few hours?”

At Eunnoeul’s words, Retel crossed his arms and lowered his voice with a solemn expression.

“Nothing happened…!”

“Stop playing around! Anyway, you bitch!”

Wow! match!

“Ahh!? Ah! It hurts! It really hurts!”

Letel jumps and runs away from the harsh smash on the back.

“ha…”

-Are you okay? You look very tired.

Sweet.

A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of me, and a floating wet tissue wiped my face.

Not only that, but the invisible force also massages your shoulders and limbs.

“Oh, oh…!? Wow, this is so cool…”

-I appreciate your compliment. Is there anything else you need?

“No, it’s okay. Thank you… But Rael, you don’t have to go this far. As I said before, we are colleagues. We are equals.”

-…I just do it because I want to.

“If you say that, I don’t have anything to say, but…”

“Hangil. Why are you mumbling to yourself like that?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right. I can’t see it with your eyes…”

He waved his hand at Retel, who had already approached him, as if it was nothing, and then sighed.

“But what now? Is there a way?”

“Of course there is.”

Letel spoke confidently and grabbed Noeul’s wrist and pulled her tightly.

“Wow!? W-what are you doing!? Let go!”

Eunnoeul struggled in her arms, but Retel clung to her like a leech and pressed his face against her cleavage.

Oh…what am I looking at?

“Oh! Is this really!?”

“Ahahaha! Even Noeul’s tantrums are cute!”

“Huh!? S-Stop…! Stop!”

Letel, who had tormented Noeul until she was exhausted, stood up with a lively expression on her face.

“Charged! Now I have no choice but to go directly to the ‘horrible conglomerate’ and return the crying paper! To the elite few!”

“You said that’s impossible?”

“Of course we can’t do it alone! So…”

At that time, with perfect timing, the door to the president’s office opened.

“We’re here~!”

“I’m a little late, right? I’m sorry. I was working out, so I saw your call late.”

The gait of an ‘office worker’ who left work in a good mood and then returned to work after being called by the boss was truly pitiful.

Gyeong-gyeong and Heo Sae-ron trudged in and flopped down on the sofa.

“I just heard this outside the door. Where should I go as a small elite?”

“But other than that, everyone else went to work too… Did a new supernatural phenomenon appear?”

“Ah, how did that happen…”

Feeling the need for a detailed explanation, I briefly informed him of the current situation, with Letel interjecting occasionally to supplement the necessary information.

The color drains from the faces of the two people who heard the whole explanation.

“Well, isn’t that a really big deal!? If you do something wrong, monsters will come rushing out!”

“Whew, it turns out it was more serious than I thought. Then let’s get ready right away. What should I do?”

When we all looked at Eun No-eul, she sighed.

“First, let’s get our paranormal response team fully armed and ready to head to the ‘horrible conglomerate’. Of course, after defeating the incoming bastards.”

I followed behind her as she left the president’s office with trustworthy words.

“Ah, Retel. You take care of the ‘crying paper’.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Letel, who had manipulated space to launch the ‘Crying Paper’, was standing next to me and quickly fiddling with his smart phone.

“Is there anyone else I can contact?”

“Ah, request support from the management bureau headquarters. That too on a special scale. If this is rejected? Then we’re done. No frills.”

“Are you that anxious? What on earth did you see?”

“…an irresistible being.”

“……”

Letel, a man with frighteningly strong force, say something like this?

Maybe the situation is more serious than we think.

***

Murmur.

In the company lobby, more than a dozen ‘office workers’ were gathered and chatting.

“Wow, is this a ‘security guard’?”

“This is my first time seeing it in person…it looks really scary.”

“They’re not really going to attack you, right? I heard it’s safe…”

“Sooo…”

Among them, the one that stood out the most was the huge ‘security guard’.

He was standing blankly, surrounded by ‘office workers’, and seemed a little troubled.

“Hmm, everyone focus!”

When Eun No-eul stands in front and raises her voice, attention is immediately focused.

I don’t know if it was because only those who could fight were called, but the military spirit was very high.

“Right now we are in a rather urgent situation. An act of invasion by none other than a supernatural entity has occurred.”

“Huh!? An act of aggression!?”

“If it’s such a serious matter, shouldn’t you contact headquarters!?”

“quiet!”

“……”

“……”

The people who fell silent at every word Eun No-eul said looked at them with eyes full of suspicion.

“oh…”

“Ahaha. Come to think of it, Han-gil, this is your first time seeing No-eul like that, right?”

“How are you doing, brother? Are you cool?”

As I was admiring the majestic appearance, Gyeong-gyeong and Saeron whispered and started talking.

“Oh, yeah. That’s cool.”

“Really? I heard that when you do something, you do it right. Well, that’s probably why you’re the branch leader.”

Heo Sae-ron smiled happily and looked at Eun No-eul.

“It is common to not be able to identify and understand supernatural entities! It is also common for crises to arise in the process! This situation is no different!”

After a tempo of fifty, she looked around at the ‘office workers’.

“The president of a ‘horrible large company’ proposed a ‘subcontract’ to an ‘ordinary small and medium-sized company.’ The contents of the contract were that the ‘ordinary small and medium-sized company’ would be used as an entry point for invasion. This is how the contract was sent.”

Retel floated the ‘crying paper’ in the air.

“Kwisss! Ksss!”

The voice of the paper crying, as if the space had been manipulated, echoes loudly.

It’s such a great production that I wonder if it was discussed in advance.

“If I, the CEO of an ‘ordinary small business’, sign this, countless monsters from ‘horrible large corporations’ will flock to this world. Maybe even the CEO will come over directly. If that happens, more damage than you can imagine will occur. Maybe, Even more than that.”

“……”

“……”

“In fact, even at this very moment, ‘office workers’ from a ‘terrible large corporation’ are heading here under the pretext of this contract.”

“…!!”

“that…!”

“So to fix this, we have to give it back to the ‘horrible conglomerates.’”

Some fear and anxiety spread among the ‘office workers’, as if they thought they would be tasked with returning the ‘contract’.

However, he showed a much more resolute attitude than I expected.

I was slightly impressed to see that some ‘office workers’ were raising their eyebrows and even shining brightly in their eyes as if they were fighting spirit.

Those people really have a certain sense of duty.

“However, because it is a dangerous job, I have no intention of asking an ‘office worker’ to do this. This is the job of our paranormal response team.”

“That’s it! Branch Manager! If it’s dangerous, shouldn’t we be the ones to go!?”

“That’s right! If all we have to do is return the ‘contract’, we can do it too!”

At their cries, Eunno-eul resolutely shook her head.

“It’s an unnecessary sacrifice. Besides, you all have to take risks while protecting this place on your own. That’s why we split into teams in the first place.”

“……”

“We have contacted headquarters for support, so additional troops will be arriving! So, we must deal with the enemies that will arrive here first! Can you do it!”

“You can!”

“Just leave it to me!”

“Good! From now on, a state of emergency is declared by the branch manager! All ‘office workers’ must prepare for battle!”

“yes!”

“All right!”

I stared blankly at the ‘office workers’ who were scattering in perfect order.

“Wow…what kind of general does he look like?”

“…is that a compliment?”

Eun No-eul, who has suddenly returned to her usual appearance, glances in this direction with a gloomy expression.

“Of course it’s a compliment. You were great, Noeul.”

She blushes, clears her throat and turns her head.

“Hmm, hmm. Well then… But then, the ‘office workers’ of the ‘horrible conglomerate’… So, when will the ‘intruders’ arrive?”

“well?”

As I shrug my shoulders, Saeron, who was listening next to me, tilts her head.

“But, from the perspective of an ‘ordinary small business’, ‘office workers’ from a ‘terrible large corporation’ come to negotiate to conclude a ‘contract’, right? Then why are they called ‘intruders’?”

We also looked puzzled at her words.

“Well, really, why is that?”

“Let’s ask the ‘security guard’! Mr. ‘security guard’! Why do you call the ‘office workers’ of a ‘horrible conglomerate’ ‘intruders’?”

“Well…”

In response to Retel’s question, he slowly opened his mouth.

“The ‘contract’ is concluded just by signing the ‘contract’… There is no reason to come… It seems that the company judged it to be an ‘invasion’…”

“ah-ha, I see…”

“It really feels like AI making decisions according to a set algorithm.”

“Sigh… I’m already worried about updating the information of ‘ordinary small and medium-sized companies’ and ‘horrible large corporations’… I have no idea how to fix it.”

I patted Noeul’s shoulder as she held her head and looked at the people heading to the ‘horrible large company’.

Me, Eun No-eul, Gyeong-hyeong, Heo Sae-ron, Retel, and even Rael.

If the request for assistance to the Bureau’s headquarters is rejected, only this personnel should head there.

To be honest, it feels very reassuring, but I keep feeling anxious.

“Retel. Do you think there is no hope even if we go with this number of people?”

“Yes. If you just look at me, everything will melt.”

“…Avoiding its existence?”

“Do you think that’s possible? If he had brains, he’d probably wait in the elevator, right?”

“Hmm…I guess so.”

Since it is impossible to move through space, we have to go directly, but the only entrance is an elevator.

That alone was hopeless, but Retel continued as if it wasn’t over.

“The worst case scenario is that we have to return the ‘crying paper’ to what they call the ‘Bible.’ It would be nice if just throwing it across the elevator would be enough, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem likely, does it?”

“…That’s true too. Phew.”

I scratched my head in frustration.

Since all memories of the ‘irresistible being’ that Retel spoke of have evaporated, there is no sense of crisis.

“Uhm…”

First of all, it’s correct to assume that you’re a few levels stronger than the ‘evil spirit’ you fought last time, right?

“…hmm?”

uh? So isn’t there absolutely no possibility?

To begin with, that evil spirit was an opponent that Gamjeongan could never defeat, but he is much stronger than that?

“You see, I know that saying this now will ruin the mood, but if it’s that dangerous, wouldn’t not going be one option? We could change our perspective and come up with a different method…”

“Well, definitely…”

“That makes sense.”

As Heo Sae-ron and Gyeong-gyeong look at my words, Letel smiles meaningfully.

For some reason, Eunno-eul had a very stern expression on her face.

“Don’t worry, everyone. We have an ace up our sleeve.”

“A secret weapon?”

As I looked at them curiously, the two people lifted their smartphones at the same time.

“Yes. I just got a call, and he said Director Romenel himself was coming. He’ll probably arrive soon.”

“Director Romenel? Oh, you created the Bureau 200 years ago and are still alive and well?”

“That’s right. But Han-gil, didn’t you say that was confidential?”

“…I’m being kidnapped?”

“Ahahaha! It’s okay! Actually, it’s just poor information that only those who know know!”

“Whew… I told you that in advance. But is he that strong?”

“It’s strong. So strong that it can’t even compete with someone like me. It’s probably strong enough to deal with that being as well.”

“oh…”

I feel a little relieved to hear Letel say that.

“Then all we have to do is wait until Director Romenel comes?”

“It’s not waiting, it’s holding on.”

“…Oh, I see.”

The scattered ‘office workers’ began to gather one by one, fully armed.

“Branch leader! We’re ready!”

Combat uniforms made by the management bureau and various firearms and bombs… It feels like going to war somewhere rather than dealing with a supernatural entity.

…Ah, if you think about it, this is war.

“Mr. ‘Security’. When do you think the ‘intruders’ will arrive?”

“Well…”

In response to Letel’s question, the ‘security guard’ pointed to the elevator.

“huh?”

“ah…”

When we looked at the elevator, we immediately understood.

-332nd floor-

This is because the electronic display board indicating the number of elevator floors was displaying ridiculous numbers.

“Everyone ready for battle!”

“yes!”

Following Eun No-eul’s orders, the office workers move quickly and plant bombs aimed at the elevator on the first floor, line up and point their guns.

Of course, I didn’t forget to prepare several unidentified supernatural entities.

-310th floor-

-230th floor-

-150th floor-

“Whoa…”

“Seup, haa…”

The faster the number decreased, the more tense people became.

-88th floor-

-23rd floor-

-11th floor-

The moment the elevator reached the top floor of an ‘ordinary small business’, we couldn’t believe our eyes.

“uh?”

“for a moment…!”

-10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1st floor-

Tteiing~

Tteiing~

Tteiing~

Tteiing~

Tteiing~

From the top floor, the 10th floor, to the first floor, the alarm sound signaling the arrival of the elevator rings simultaneously and overlaps like an echo.

A large amount of blood drained from our faces as we realized the situation a beat late.

Slurp!

And finally, the door opened.

“Oh my god! We have arrived for the temple!”

Tukwaaang! Fuuu! Turrr!

Before any response could be prepared, the battle began.