Chapter 69
The moment I selected the random ability box.
ㅡDing!
[You have acquired a new ability.]
[You can now obtain useful hints.]
"Huh?! Useful hints?!"
"For once, something normal—no!"
"Did I get an ability that actually seems legitimate!"
ㅡThump-thump!
Just seeing the words "useful hint" made my heart start pounding.
Not from fear, but from excitement and surprise.
I can hardly remember having an experience like this recently, and it's truly astonishing.
Wouldn't it be great if it were always like this?
Detection was total garbage, and Action Repeat was somewhat useful but not very noticeable. But useful hints? Just from the name, this ability looks good.
Does that mean I'll get hints related to how to solve things when I run into paranormal incidents? That would be amazing. If I can get even a hint, a situation that would have killed me three times might only kill me once.
"You should've given me this sooner!"
If this had been my first ability, it could've dramatically reduced my death count.
Then it'd be the start of an SSS-grade Grong life.
Still, I should be grateful it showed up now.
As expected, not everything has to be bad and horrible. I had just been anxious over the mail-terror scare a moment ago, but now that a seemingly useful ability had appeared, the fear was somewhat offset.
"But how do I use this?"
Is this the kind that pops up with information when I face a paranormal incident? If so, I can't test it right away. Shame, but I'll try it next time. I don't want something popping out just because I'm testing an ability.
Honestly, I'm scared a ghost will show up and grab my neck if I'm alone.
"Phew!"
Thanks to my improved mood, I managed to get some decent sleep.
In my dream, Spangdal had very long hair.
* * *
The next day.
I went in to work at the bureau.
I don't even know how long it's been since I last came in. How can going in to work once be this hard and take this long?
I've been at the bureau for a while, but in truth it hasn't been that long, and I still wasn't very familiar with the office building.
Giant apocalypse, vampire apocalypse... I really wonder how many years have passed.
"Good morning."
I greeted them as I entered the General Response Team's office.
"Morning morning. Grong's here?"
"Yes."
Jemtree seems to get in very early.
"Want me to make you coffee?"
As she said that and got up, I couldn't let Senior Jemtree go to the trouble of making coffee the moment I got to work.
"Sit down. The break room is my territory. Making coffee is my pleasure."
"B-but...! I want to make coffee for you too!"
"Hehe, give up."
Then Jemtree made me the usual condensed-milk mix coffee.
As expected, the day should start with coffee.
Sweet things aren't bad either.
"Tasty, right?"
"Heh-heh-heh, now it finally feels like the day has started. The sugar feels like it's waking up my head and brain."
"Yeah. Grong always gives such detailed reactions."
At my words, Jemtree smiled gently.
"Team Leader Jaaldi and Spangdal don't have any reactions, so they're boring. They just say it's tasty."
"How can you drink something like this and not have a reaction? It gets you talking."
"Exactly! That's the kind of reaction I'm talking about!"
Since neither of them had come to work yet, we spent the time talking like that. Then the office door opened.
"Good morning!"
It was Jaaldi and Spangdal.
"Good morning. Now, we're busy, so everyone sit down."
Do we have work to do?
I sat down right away.
"Spangdal. Jemtree. Today you'll be handling management work related to perception suppression. Just do it like usual."
"Yes, yes."
"Understood."
Managing perception suppression?
"Grong. Today's work is exactly what it sounds like: management and surveillance. Originally, I was going to send you as support to the quarantine team today so you could get used to that work, but because we did large-scale perception suppression for the vampire incident, there are a lot of things that need fixing."
I can roughly guess what's going on.
"Is this about finding the people who didn't get hit well by the perception suppression?"
"As expected, you're quick on the uptake. It's similar. We need to make sure 'rumors' don't spread through the internet."
So it's internet management work.
"This is a very important job. We can't have fake bureau bastards showing up at people whose perception suppression is only half-effective."
"Gasp! That's right! If people start roaming around the internet saying they've learned the world's secrets, and then fake bureau bastards come looking for them...!"
"They'd disappear just like that."
Such a thing has to be stopped!
"Spangdal. Show Grong how the work is done."
"Grong. Come here."
"Yes."
I immediately went over to Spangdal's side.
As expected, a nice scent drifted from Spangdal. It was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. If the hair were long, I would've reached out and played with it.
"This is the program. If you run it, you can identify posts written by people who felt something suspicious about this incident. You just delete those posts or change their contents."
"Huh? Delete or edit them? If we do that, won't they just get even more unhinged and start freaking out?"
"The post I wrote was changed!!!!"
"The government is watching me!!!!"
It's obvious this would happen.
I know this from experience. Delusions will become reality, and after getting so absorbed in places like the World Politics board, they'll end up with fake bureau agents coming to find them.
"Of course."
"Right. Rather than that, it'd be better to delete the posts and go erase these people's memories quickly."
"Yeah. That's what we'll do."
"Huh?"
"I'll hand over the identified data, so figure out people's identities. As quickly as possible. Swiftly, so this senior won't be disappointed. Understand? You're a seasoned agent now, aren't you?"
What a provocation.
"If that's what you're saying, I can't hold back. I'll show you my ability."
I immediately carried out the assigned task and identified people's identities and locations.
But going to people who learned the world's secrets as an "agent"...
This is also... pretty similar to what the fake bureau does.
Of course, the fake ones would kidnap those people and rip out their brains. That definitely isn't the same as us, who only erase memories.
Wait.
Rip out their brains?
That judgment came from my own prejudice.
They won't necessarily be ripped out.
The fake bureau... Jinseop... maybe Jinseop got caught up in a paranormal incident and was taken by the fake bureau? Maybe he agreed to become an agent instead of having his brain ripped out there?
They're not a group made up entirely of anomalies. As long as Jinseop is there, that's certain. They have human members.
I kept thinking along those lines while focusing on the work, and was able to narrow down a few people.
"These are the people whose perception suppression was only half-effective, right?"
"Yeah."
"Once you've compiled them, write them on paper and bring it to me."
"Yes. Ah, Team Leader Jaaldi. Then in the afternoon, do we go out on assignment and erase memories?"
"Another team will handle that. Today, we only do this job."
I'm curious about the other team too.
And so,
I spent the whole day monitoring the internet and identifying the people whose perception suppression hadn't properly taken hold. Even so, since this affected an entire city, quite a lot of people were found.
"But, Team Leader Jaaldi. So many people have become suspicious on such a wide scale—doesn't that mean fake bureau bastards will be showing up all over the place?"
"Not necessarily. In fact, when it's widespread, they tend to appear less."
"Huh? Really?"
"That's only statistically speaking. Besides, even our bureau hasn't completely figured out the conditions for their appearance."
So whether they show up or not is random.
After finishing the work, I headed home.
It really was a day of doing something just like an ordinary office worker.
How nice would it be if every day were like today?
* * *
Since it had been such a relaxed day, I felt a little refreshed.
After all, it's better to tap away at a keyboard in a cool office than to roll around in some hellish place. Besides, having Spangdal in the office was a treat for the eyes too.
Even if I can't do anything about the unease in my heart.
Anyway.
No matter how seasoned an agent like me may be, if I spend all my time in death and pain, I'll eventually go insane.
For now, let's be careful.
If I want to keep going for the long haul, I need a refresh.
"Hmm."
What's good for recovery?
Should I take up a hobby after all?
Ah...!
Right!
"Vampire hunters!"
If I truly want to heal, it's obvious that finding them and hanging out with them would be best.
If I spend good time with them, share funny stories, tell jokes, or play board games and the like, my heart will quickly be full, and I should be able to become a powerful warrior of love who can overcome any trial.
So I tried to gather information to find the vampire hunters.
Where should I look?
The World Politics board, maybe?
The moment I turned on the computer.
ㅡBang bang bang!
"Gasp."
Someone was pounding on the apartment front door.
I didn't order any delivery.
ㅡBang bang bang!
ㅡBang bang bang!
ㅡBang bang bang!
"..."
This...
Something feels off.
To be specific, it was exactly the feeling I had back when I was at home obsessively browsing the World Politics board and fake bureau agents came looking for me.
ㅡBang bang bang!
Is it real?
No way, did these bastards really come looking for me?
What did I even do?
While feeling confused, I pulled out my pistol. It was the self-defense pistol issued by the bureau. You've got to carry at least one pistol for the cool factor.
Fake bureau bastards... do you think I'll fall for it like I did back then?
I am Bureau agent Grong.
If you come in, I'll kill you on the spot.
ㅡBang bang bang!
The banging kept going.
But something was strange.
If they made that much noise, wouldn't other apartments come out to check? This is an apartment building. The people across the hall would hear this right away.
I carefully checked the peephole in the front door.
ㅡBang bang bang!
The banging continued.
The door was shaking.
But no one was visible...
"..."
At that point, I felt a pitch-black unease spread through my chest. Quietly. Very quietly, I touched the intercom button and checked the front-door CCTV.
ㅡBang bang bang!
Something was standing there.
...A ghost-like thing with long hair hanging down.
Damn it... why is this happening again...!
ㅡDing!
[You have encountered the 'ghost trying to get into your home.']
It's only been how long since I was dealing with that vampire-angel bullshit, and now a ghost shows up out of nowhere!
Hint!
Is there no hint?
Shouldn't it pop up exactly now?
ㅡDing!
[Useful hint: stray ghosts in Korea.]
How is that useful, you son of a bitch!
I sharply scolded the message window while pointing at it. Of course, I didn't do it out loud—I shouted it inside my head.
For now, act like it's not there!
Let's pretend it's not there!
ㅡClunk!
ㅡWhoosh!
The disheveled ghost darted in and grabbed my face
.
.
.
.
[You died after your innards were stolen.]
[Death count : 16(-1) -> 17(-1)]
.
.
.
[Restarting.]
* * *
"What the fuck!"
It hasn't even been that long since this bastard started reducing my death count, and he's killing me again!
"Yeah, you bastard! Let's have a round!"
Bring it on! I'm Bureau agent Grong!
You filthy stray ghost, I'm definitely killing you no matter what!
I roared from the sofa at home, the place I had regressed to, and grabbed my phone.
"Senior Spangdal! Help me! A ghost appeared in my house!"