Chapter 03 …
I already knew Team 5 was a dead-end department…but this was worse than expected.
If this guy was the one who planted the bomb, then he must have nerves of steel.
In disbelief, I lightly tapped Byun Gudo on the shoulder.
He flinched hard and hurried to cover his screen.
“Wh–Why? Is the team leader here?”
“…….”
“What? There’s no one.”
“When… will the team leader come in?”
“Why are you looking for him?”
Why?
Because I need to find the bomb and survive?
So you can live, and I can live?
No—beyond that, it’s my first day. Shouldn’t someone be briefing me about actual work? Aren’t there morning meetings or something in a detective unit?
“Ai, seriously…there’s nothing worth discarding… What do I throw out…”
He mumbled at the screen, then added,
“The team leader barely comes to the office.”
“…Sorry? Then how do you do your work?”
At my question, Byun Gudo took his hand off the mouse and gave me a look.
“Why would we do work?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Don’t worry. Most cases assigned to our team, the team leader handles them.”
I slowly turned toward the whiteboard on the wall.
Monthly Performance: 0 Cases
If he ‘handled’ them, it clearly didn’t mean he solved anything.
“So if you’re bored, do some self-development. Or maybe clean the office or something. Ah, seriously… What do I throw out… Time’s almost up…”
I already cleaned the office earlier.
I even searched the place thoroughly for suspicious boxes, but all I found were dried-up noodles, socks with unknown ownership, and…
“…Why are mushrooms growing inside a file folder?”
They were actual mushrooms.
And when I picked one up to throw it away, a message appeared.
You have harvested ‘Mushroom Grown from the Spores of Funny Powder’!
Item: Mushroom Grown from the Spores of Funny Powder (Click for details)
Wait.
I recognized this from the novel.
—Eating it makes you feel good and speak only the truth.
—Heating it adds special effects.
“So it really is that mushroom.”
The kind that only grows under very specific conditions.
As in, damp enough for mold to thrive in an environment unfit for human life.
“Just how long did they neglect cleaning for it to grow here…”
I picked it up carefully with two fingers and placed it in my pocket.
If I find the mole, I can make them eat it and force a confession.
‘So… who exactly is the mole?’
I looked toward Byun Gudo, who seemed too relaxed to be a spy.
“Seven.”
“What?”
“Throw away the seven. It’s your first move, right?”
“Huh? …Oh?”
He stared at his screen.
His eyes widened as he realized.
He threw the seven—and another seven appeared from his opponent’s flip.
“Got it!”
Cards poured in from the other players, and in seconds, Byun Gudo had won.
He grinned and looked at me.
“Oh, rookie~ You know how to play Go-Stop?”
Of course.
‘Do you know how many citizens I played Go-Stop with while doing home visits…?’
Then it happened.
Byun Gudo’s Affection +5
When affection increases, the possession residue remains stronger.
…?
Possession after possession?
But I already possessed this body. What do you mean ‘after’? And what’s a residue?
Wait.
No way.
Status window.
Before recovering the memories of possession, I was F-rank with zero skills.
In other words, a full-fledged failure.
But now—
Name: Lee Yu-ji (F)
Title: Extra Possessor (Hidden) (NEW!)
Unique Skill: Your Body Is My Body, My Body Is My Body (EX) (NEW!)
Skill Slot 1: Not yet unlocked
Skill Slot 2: Not yet unlocked
Status Effect: Time until ‘Explosion Death’ — 02:03:33
…!
I had an EX-rank skill!
And EX-rank skills are above S-rank.
One S-rank skill alone could make you a top Korean Hunter, but this…this was beyond that.
Forget being a doomed civil servant—I could become a top-tier hunter, defeat monsters, get commercials like Kang Se-han, pay off my 200 million debt—
Wait.
There was small text beside the skill.
(Click for details)
Right.
I should actually check what it does.
With a confident smile, I pressed the description.
Skill Details – “Your Body Is My Body, My Body Is My Body” (EX)
Can possess any living creature within a 10-meter radius
When possessing, can control the target’s body for 10 minutes
During possession, the original body can perform simple instructions
Cooldown: 24 hours
An EX-rank possession skill… It had endless applications.
I could possess a bank worker and transfer 200 million won to my account.
Or possess the president and promote Detective Lee Yu-ji.
…Yeah, no.
None of that is legal or realistic.
‘There’s no legal way to use this for personal gain!’
Also not very useful for killing monsters.
But—
that didn’t mean it was useless.
If I possessed the person who planted the bomb, I could immediately disarm it.
Then I’d avoid exploding and prevent a second death.
The problem:
Cooldown of 24 hours.
Which means I only get one chance before boom.
So I need to find the likeliest suspect and use it on them.
Wait.
I had that, didn’t I?
I smiled sweetly at Byun Gudo, whose affection had risen just a little.
“Um… I saw something while cleaning. Our team is in charge of managing the detection dog, right?”
I pointed at the whiteboard.
Feed Lulu the detection dog
The only task written under “Important Duties.”
I pointed again.
“I really like dogs. Before the team leader arrives, would it be okay if I handled feeding the dog?”
Then—
Ma Deok-ho’s Affection +10
…?
Ma Deok-ho, who’d been sitting silently in the corner, suddenly had his affection increase.
What…?
10 minutes later
Pet Food — “Dog-Bab-Ba-Ri La-La”
I stood in the back yard of the Hunter Investigation Unit building, holding a bag of dog food.
In front of me was a large metal kennel marked Lulu.
Hunter Investigation Unit – Team 5
Lulu
“…So you’re my senior officer?”
As I reached out my hand, the kennel door opened slightly, and a golden retriever with bright golden fur rushed out, tail wagging.
A detection dog for bombs and Funny Powder.
The unit kept a dog trained to sniff out hallucinogenic “Funny Powder,” as well as bombs made from magic stone dust.
“You’re the new rookie investigator again, huh?”
The security guard smiled at Lulu.
I forced a smile at his words — “again.”
“Yes. Again.”
Lulu’s Affection +10
Lulu’s Affection +10
Simply pouring food into the bowl sent Lulu’s affection skyrocketing.
And then I remembered the skill description.
—Can possess any living creature within 10 meters
Not “human.”
“Living creature.”
And my senior can smell bombs.
