[Title: The Agency Sent People to My House Today]
[o.o]
They were from some department like ‘Negotiations’ or something similar, asking about what happened when I caught the Eight-Foot Tall Woman.
I fed them some convenient lies and got through it. They thought I’d vanquished her with a talisman.
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–How did you fool them? You can tell they’re from the Agency just by looking at their business cards.
–o.o: The business card said ‘Detective’? I saw that and embellished a bit, writing a whole novel.
–?? Detective? When I saw it last time, it just said ‘Agency’?
–o.o: ? I could confirm both, though?
–TamingMaster: The business cards used by the Agency are a type of anomaly. If your level is insufficient, it’s hard to distinguish, but once you reach a certain level, you can differentiate between the disguise and the genuine article.
–Are you calling me insufficient?
–TamingMaster: (Wizard flustered emoji)
–TamingMaster: More importantly, didn’t you just become a newbie wizard? How did you distinguish it? Even I can’t do that.
–o.o: It just worked for me?
–TamingMaster: (Wizard punch emoji)
–DeepseaImp: You didn’t kill them?
–o.o: Why would I kill them?
–DeepseaImp: Your identity was exposed. You should have killed them.
–o.o: Read the post. It wasn’t exposed.
–DeepseaImp: Oh, right. But if it had been exposed, would you have killed them?
–o.o: Depending on the situation. I probably would have.
–DeepseaImp: I like that.
–DeepseaImp: (Sinking newbie emoji)
****
Shin Ian slipped the phone he was holding into his pocket, put on his earphones, and stepped outside. He intended to take a light stroll.
In the past few days, he had encountered anomalies twice.
All of them possessed considerable physical prowess. The Eight-Foot Tall Woman was formidable, of course, but the Ape also boasted brute physical strength; had Ian confronted it unarmed and without magic, he would have been utterly helpless and slain.
Not all anomalies would be as strong as those two, but they wouldn’t be weak either. There were undoubtedly many who engaged in combat using even stronger and more robust bodies.
At his current fitness level, it would be difficult to contend with them if he encountered them.
Thus, to build up his stamina, he planned to start exercising lightly today. Having never truly exercised beyond breathing in his life, it felt a bit awkward, yet he couldn’t simply remain idle.
He checked his watch.
It was still 11 AM. Perhaps because it was Monday, the riverside wasn’t particularly crowded. Only a few elderly and middle-aged individuals were lightly exercising. Ian watched them, stretched his body slightly, and began to jog slowly along the track.
Approximately twenty minutes later, he collapsed onto a bench, gasping for breath.
“This is… exhausting… *pant*…!”
He couldn’t even recall the last time he had moved his body like this. Ian took a long drink from the cold water he had brought in his bag, slowly steadying his breathing.
He pulled out his phone to check the distance he had run.
It was just over 2 kilometers. For a first attempt, it wasn’t bad. He nodded with satisfaction and began walking back towards his home.
“…You’re being noisy. I’ll handle my own love life and everything else. This walk I’m on right now? You instigated it, didn’t you?”
As he continued walking, a woman with her hood pulled low approached from the opposite direction. Her long, black hair and the faint glimpse of mint-colored eyes suggested a remarkably unusual person.
Whether she was on the phone with someone, she mumbled to herself, tightening her grip on the coffee cup.
“I’ve conceded a lot, too. Originally, I just meant to buy coffee, but now I’m walking all the way to the riverside. Once I get home, I won’t leave the house for a week. Understand?”
As she spoke, her gaze suddenly shifted towards Ian. Their eyes met across the air.
It was only for a moment. The instant their eyes met, she immediately bowed her head slightly in greeting and walked quickly along the track. Ian, too, tore his gaze away from her and continued his walk home.
“…Just meeting eyes means fate? Be quiet. If you keep mumbling like that, I’ll secretly leave you at the library.”
Ian, however, did not hear her mumbling. This was natural, as he had his earphones in.
****
Upon returning home, he carelessly tossed aside the hat he had been wearing, showered, and then emerged into the living room. The grimoire, lying solitary on his bed, turned its cover towards him before flopping back down onto the bed.
“…?”
After a brief moment of puzzlement over its peculiar behavior, Ian quickly toweled his hair dry, captured a screenshot of his running record, and uploaded it to the community forum. Naturally, any parts that could reveal his personal information were redacted.
[Today’s Workout Complete.]
[o.o]
(Photo of 2km run)
I’m exercising to deal with anomalies. Thinking of signing up for a gym too.
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[Comments]
–StrawberryYogurtSmoothie: 2km? That’s child’s play, daeyo (TL Note: A cutesy, informal Korean ending often used for emphasis or to sound endearing/childlike.). I can run that much too, daeyo.
–o.o: Prove it.
–StrawberryYogurtSmoothie: I don’t take orders from people weaker than me, daeyo.
–StrawberryYogurtSmoothie: (Wizard head pat emoji)
–Where’s that? The riverside?
–o.o: Hehe.
–LOL, too bad.
–★Godmother: Oh.
–o.o: ? Why? Is something wrong?
–★Godmother: …It’s nothing. Did you just run this?
–o.o: Yeah. Why?
–★Godmother: No reason. Just curious.
★Godmother’s question was pregnant with meaning. The moment Ian furrowed his brow, attempting to discern the hidden intent behind her words, a message arrived from Lee Seoa.
[Lee Seoa: A request has come in from the Cartel. Want to check it out?]
This was precisely what he had been waiting for. Ian sat on his bed and sent a positive reply.
A moment later, she sent a photograph.
It was a picture of a bulletin board plastered with various papers. Ian hummed thoughtfully as he scrutinized the contents of each paper affixed to the board.
[Ghoul Hunt.]
[Reward: 6 million.]
[Reclaim Vampire Territory.]
[Reward: 8.5 million.]
[Political Assassination.]
[5.6 million.]
[Hunt Anomaly Mage Eddy.]
[9.5 million.]
[Human Trafficking.]
[4 million.]
The requests were incredibly diverse, ranging from simple anomaly hunts to assassinations, massacres, and kidnappings. Quite a few were related to criminal activities. The rewards varied just as wildly.
‘…What kind of bastards are these people, to be capable of such things?’
This was a world where the Agency operated with wide-open eyes. No matter how secretly they acted, if their tail was long, it was bound to be stepped on. This was especially true for those who brokered requests involving anomalies and dabbled in all sorts of crimes.
“….”
Lee Seoa had assured him that the Cartel could be trusted, yet he wasn’t entirely convinced it was truly safe. While the rewards were substantial, the nature of the requests themselves was beyond imagination. He couldn’t see how this differed from all the illicit activities found on the dark web.
There were ordinary requests, too; in fact, their number was several times greater than those related to crime. However, the requests for human trafficking and kidnapping kept catching his eye.
[Me: Is this really trustworthy?]
Ultimately, Ian couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked. Lee Seoa, perhaps having been holding her phone, replied immediately.
[Lee Seoa: Of course, it’s trustworthy. Oh, are some of the requests bothering you?]
[Me: I suppose so. I’m not desperate enough to capture and kill innocent people or kidnap them.]
[Lee Seoa: Those are mostly criminal organizations using the Cartel’s name to place requests. The Cartel will do pretty much anything as long as they get paid.]
[Lee Seoa: No need to worry about them specifically. Just check for the ones with the authentication mark.]
He did so.
Among the countless requests, Ian filtered and checked only those bearing the Cartel’s emblem.
Fortunately, these were not deeply involved with crime. Instead, they largely concerned matters related to anomalies.
[Lee Seoa: The Cartel is a place that handles matters related to anomalies for money. They buy and sell materials obtained from hunting anomalies, and they primarily deal with mages and Agency personnel.]
[Me: Even the Agency?]
[Lee Seoa: Yes. Items they use, aside from what they produce themselves, are sometimes brought in from outside sources, you see? At those times, the Cartel sells them for money. That’s why the Agency doesn’t pay much mind to whatever the Cartel does. Though they wouldn’t stand by if something major happened.]
In simple terms, it signified a cooperative relationship. The Agency turned a blind eye to the Cartel’s anomaly-related requests and distribution, while the Cartel, in turn, provided them with useful items.
From the Agency’s perspective, it wasn’t exactly a losing proposition. They could have anomalies dealt with through the Cartel’s requests in areas where they couldn’t directly intervene, and still acquire the byproducts.
However, one concern lingered.
[Me: Is there a possibility of the Cartel handing over mages’ information to the Agency?]
He had just managed to evade the scrutiny of Agency personnel today. If the Cartel couldn’t guarantee even a minimal level of trust, there was no need to use their services. It would be better to find another method.
[Lee Seoa: You don’t need to worry about that. The Cartel has been operating solely on trust since the 17th century. The number of mages who have used them must be in the hundreds, if not thousands. Nothing has ever gone wrong specifically because of them.]
Fortunately, it seemed there would be no cause for concern. Ian lay down on his bed, placed the grimoire on his stomach, and typed.
[Me: Understood. So, how do I accept a request?]
[Lee Seoa: You just need to call the number I give you and tell them which job you want to do. It’s only like this the first time you contact the Cartel, so you’ll have to bear with the hassle.]
[Me: The person answering the phone is trustworthy, right?]
[Lee Seoa: You’re more suspicious than I thought? They’re trustworthy, so don’t worry. If I’d been double-crossed, I’d already be in Agency custody.]
She had a point. Ian exhaled slowly and meticulously examined the details of the requests Seoa had sent.
‘There’s no need to take on difficult tasks right from the start. It would be better to handle relatively easier ones first and get accustomed to anomalies.’
Ian had only encountered two anomalies thus far. He still lacked the experience to handle requests like [Deal with the Flesh-Mass Trapped in the Mountain] or [Reclaim Organs from Rose General Hospital] listed on the request form. He had to consider the possibility of rushing in blindly and getting killed instead.
Being a mage didn’t make him invincible. While the power of Re-Creation was quite potent, even with it, a single misstep could easily lead to his demise. It would be better to at least acquire a workshop and adequately prepare the items that could only be crafted there before taking on difficult requests.
‘Earning nearly ten million for a single request is tempting, but if I die, it’s all over. I need to move cautiously.’
With that thought, Ian selected a request. He then entered the number Lee Seoa had provided and made the call.
The dial tone rang three times before the other party answered.
–Hello, Mage. Thank you for using the Cartel. May I know the purpose of your call?
“Vampire hunt. I accept. I’d like the location, time, and information on collaborators.”
–Understood. We have one request in cooperation with the Agency, and another with vampire hunters. Which do you prefer?
“The hunters.”
–Total personnel joining the request: 3. Confirmed. Please wait a moment.
As soon as the broker finished speaking, they immediately provided an answer.
–The location is a club. The address and time have been sent via text message. May you have a successful hunt.
*Click.*
The call disconnected the instant the words ended. Ian checked the club’s address that had arrived via text message and let out a chuckle.
“Vampires in a club, huh.”
He felt as though he should probably be wearing sunglasses.
