Chapter 99 …
A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Too Good at Possession
First, Kwon Ik-seong, who discovered the mess that Choi Woo-jin and I were in under the hackberry tree, immediately called the entire special team.
Choi Woo-jin pretended that I had contacted him to come.
“Well… it popped up at the top of my personal contacts…”
It was true—the most recent messages always appear at the top, thanks to that stupid coffee errand.
Kwon Ik-seong’s expression shifted subtly at that, but instead of pressing further, he carefully asked if I was hurt anywhere. He even stopped Pi So-won from immediately running in and shooting the guys under the hackberry tree.
“That was the smartest thing you did…”
Anyway, the guys under the tree couldn’t go anywhere. They were completely subdued by the druid-transformed trees, looking utterly pitiful.
As soon as the special team arrived, inside the unregistered dungeon, the Incheon Dungeon Management Department officials and smugglers were either bound to tree branches or suspended upside down from the massive hackberry roots, looking like fruit hanging from the trees. Everyone was tense and slowly lowered their weapons, which were aimed at them.
All eyes turned toward me, and I gave an awkward smile.
“So… uh… here’s the thing…”
I decided to use Kang Si-bang to explain the tricky situation. In other words, I shifted the blame so it seemed like it wasn’t me but Kang Si-bang controlling the druids.
“This hackberry is like a giant druid that can network with the dungeon’s lifeforms. I think it gained this ability from the energy inside the dungeon… so Kang Si-bang, being part of the dungeon, seemed to have a way to connect with the hackberry.”
I hadn’t had time to coordinate with Kang Si-bang, so I explained everything bluntly. Instead of contradicting me, Kang Si-bang whispered directly into my ear:
[X-bang. I have that kind of ability?]
“……”
[I’ll let it slide this once. Upgrade the feed next time.]
I thought, I’m already bending in half with this feed! But I quietly made an OK sign to Kang Si-bang, only visible to him.
The other team members… didn’t really seem interested in verifying the truth of what happened—they just seemed to accept it.
“Wow… isn’t this a dragon egg? Where did you get this?”
“Can’t you see? It’s from Baekdu Mountain.”
Pi So-won shook her head at the number of containers, letting out a hollow laugh.
“Looks like we’re all working overtime tonight.”
And she declared it. The special team members nodded with resigned expressions, as if it were obvious.
The speed of operations was thanks to Ji Won-gil.
“The Chief said they’ll carry out a municipal raid. Whether the items violated customs procedures will be known by early morning.”
Thanks to Ji Won-gil’s quick communication with the Hunter Management Chief, all the officials present could be rounded up by dawn. The Chief’s prompt action was also a major help.
“What’s going on with that sly guy…”
I recalled my last call with the Hunter Management Chief, feeling a little dumbfounded. They moved this fast?
Which meant—
“This matter is getting out of hand, so they immediately sided with us.”
A bat-like guy. True to the cunning politicking of a minister aspiring to Yeouido, his maneuvering skills were impressive.
But in other words, this also meant the matter had become something that couldn’t be easily covered up, whether by Choi Jun-gu or anyone else.
“You carried out all this as an investigative reconnaissance?”
I sat before Hong Jae-gyeol, looking like a criminal, with a helpless expression.
“More precisely, I recognized it. After the suspect Go Cheol-won became mayor, I focused on the concentrated expansion of greenbelt areas in Incheon.”
Before I could respond, Kwon Ik-seong spoke up beside me.
“Suspect Go Cheol-won.”
Even his choice of words carried significant weight.
“We also secured testimony from slimes, so we expected there to be an unregistered dungeon in that area. But to confirm it, we would have had to enter areas not authorized by the municipality, and waiting for permission would have taken too long—”
I couldn’t hold it any longer. I looked resolutely at Hong Jae-gyeol.
“I couldn’t wait, so I went in without telling anyone. I thought they’d take all the items if we waited.”
“……?”
Hong Jae-gyeol looked dumbfounded at Kwon Ik-seong and me.
Pi So-won interjected this time:
“Yes. I figured the same, so I suggested to Lee Yoo-ji that we go in.”
“……?”
Now all our eyes—mine, Kwon Ik-seong’s, and Hong Jae-gyeol’s—were on Pi So-won.
Hong Jae-gyeol let out a deflating laugh, almost a hollow chuckle.
“Are you showing off your teamwork in front of me?”
“Yes.”
Pi So-won continued, firm and precise.
Hong Jae-gyeol held the back of his neck, and I felt like holding mine too.
“Then, this time, show me your teamwork, Captain Hong.”
But Pi So-won still stared straight at him.
“We want this incident to be considered approved at the Hunter Police level.”
“You’re asking me to take responsibility?”
I couldn’t resist and jumped in:
“You’ll take credit too, right?”
Hong Jae-gyeol narrowed his eyes.
“Before coming here, I spoke with the Hunter Management Chief. Mayor Go Cheol-won is being expelled from the Korean Party. The President will mention Mayor Go Cheol-won at a public press conference.”
Hong Jae-gyeol’s eyes widened.
“You have a hotline with the Chief?”
Not exactly a “hotline”… just some sort of direct line.
“So don’t worry too much. Next week, there’s a TV show. When I appear, can I do something like breaking boards? Maybe a hundred?”
…Board line, or something.
Annoying. Seriously.
Why does everyone freak out when I, who practiced Taekwondo, can’t break a board? Apologize to the trees!
But the weak in power… my name is civil servant.
I agreed to break 100 boards and obtained all this information from the Chief.
I wondered why they hadn’t told the Hunter Police captain first. Meeting Captain Hong today, I understood.
They didn’t want to elevate the Hunter Police too much—they wanted me to quietly take all the spotlight.
Bat-like bastard.
The Choi Jun-gu line wasn’t being abandoned either.
“Makes sense.”
But I had no intention of acting according to the Hunter Management Chief’s wishes.
“So… yes. Politically, there’s no risk in dealing with Mayor Go Cheol-won. So—”
Hong Jae-gyeol interrupted, looking serious:
“Let’s change it so it’s ‘we,’ not ‘you,’ who did all this. All of it.”
I nodded immediately.
“Ha…”
Hong Jae-gyeol snorted a laugh.
“Our special team doesn’t have to rely on gamers anymore, right?”
He looked at Pi So-won. I was a bit curious about that secretive expression, but Pi So-won remained expressionless.
“Good. Let’s go. Now we’re riding all the way up to the President’s line, damn it!”
When that foul word came out of Hong Jae-gyeol’s mouth, a strange catharsis spread through me.
But the true catharsis didn’t end there.
A few days later:
List of 3rd-Level Promotions
Lee Yoo-ji, Investigator — After Change, Investigator Lee Yoo-ji (same position)
Me… I got promoted to Level 3.
It felt like all the grudges from my past life had flown away.
Finally, I was ranked higher than that cursed section chief from my past life!
