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Chapter 03
So I knew Team 5 was considered a dead-end assignment, but was it really this bad?
If this guy was the “inside man” who planted the bomb, then he had some serious guts.
Completely dumbfounded, I tapped Byun Gu-do on the shoulder.
He jumped and quickly covered his screen.
“Wh-What? Did the captain come?”
“…”
“Huh? There’s nobody here.”
“Um… when does the team leader usually come in?”
“Why are you looking for the team leader?”
Why?
Because I need to find the bomb and stay alive. That way, both you and I survive.
Besides, it was my first day at work. Wasn’t there supposed to be someone explaining the job? Don’t detective units usually have morning briefings or something?
“Ahhh… damn it… None of these are worth throwing away… what do I discard…?”
Muttering to himself while staring at the screen, Byun Gu-do finally answered.
“The team leader doesn’t come to the office very often.”
“Huh? Then how do you handle your cases?”
At my question, Byun Gu-do slowly took his hand off the mouse and looked at me.
“Why would we handle cases?”
“…What?”
“Relax. Most of the cases assigned to our team get taken care of by the team leader anyway.”
I glanced at the whiteboard on the wall.
Cases solved this month: 0
Apparently, when he said “taken care of,” he didn’t mean solved.
“So if you’re bored, work on self-improvement or something. Or clean the office. Seriously… what do I throw away…? Time’s almost up.”
I’d already cleaned the office.
Thinking there might be a suspicious box hidden somewhere, I’d searched every corner.
What I found were dried-up ramen noodles that looked years old, a random sock that belonged to who-knows-who, and…
A mushroom.
Why was there a mushroom growing inside a file cabinet?
And when I reached out to throw it away, a message appeared.
You have harvested a Mushroom Grown from Funny Powder Spores!
Item: Mushroom Grown from Funny Powder Spores
(Press Detailed Description)
Huh?
I’d seen this in the novel before.
- Eating it makes you feel good and causes you to speak only the truth.
- Additional effects are added when heated.
Yep. It’s definitely that mushroom.
A rare mushroom that only grows under very specific conditions and temperatures.
As far as I remembered, it only grew in environments so filthy that normal people could barely stand living there.
Just how little cleaning do you have to do for this thing to grow?
Carefully holding it between two fingers, I slipped it into my pocket.
If I found the inside man later, forcing a confession with this might be useful.
Now then… who exactly is the mole?
Looking at Byun Gu-do, who seemed far too lazy to be a secret operative, I spoke up.
“Discard the Seven Clover.”
“Huh?”
“The Seven Clover. Throw it away.”
“Uh…? Oh, you’re right.”
Byun Gu-do stared at the screen, surprised.
As soon as he discarded it, another Seven Clover appeared from the flipped deck.
“It’s a jackpot!”
His eyes widened.
Cards flew in from the other players, and before long, his victory was confirmed.
Grinning, he turned toward me.
“Oh? Rookie, you’re pretty good at Go-Stop.”
Of course I was.
Do you know how many residents I played Go-Stop with during home visits?
Just then—
Byun Gu-do’s Affection has increased by 5.
As Affection rises, stronger traces remain after possession.
…Huh?
After possession?
I’d already possessed someone.
What did it mean by after possession?
And what were “traces”?
Wait.
Could it be…?
Status Window.
Before recovering my memories, I was an F-rank with no skills whatsoever.
In other words, complete trash.
But now my status window showed—
Name: Lee Yu-ji (F)
Title: Extra Possessor (Hidden) (NEW!)
Unique Skill: Your Body Is Mine, My Body Is Mine (EX) (NEW!)
Skill Slot 1: Not yet unlocked.
Skill Slot 2: Not yet unlocked.
⚠ Status Effect: Time Remaining Until Explosion — 02:03:33
…!
I had obtained an EX-rank skill!
An EX-rank skill!
A single S-rank skill could make someone one of Korea’s top-ranked Hunters.
And mine was literally beyond rank.
Maybe I should forget about being a government worker doomed to explode and start living as a famous Hunter instead.
Hunt monsters.
Shoot commercials like the famous Hunter Choi Woo-jin.
Pay off my 200 million won debt.
And—
Then I noticed some tiny text beside the skill.
(Press Detailed Description)
Right.
I should probably check what the skill actually does.
Smiling happily, I opened the description.
Detailed Description
Your Body Is Mine, My Body Is Mine (EX)
- You may possess any living creature within a 10-meter radius.
- You can control the possessed target for 10 minutes.
- During possession, you may give simple instructions to your original body.
- Cooldown: 24 hours.
An EX-rank possession skill?
The possibilities were endless.
I could possess a banker and transfer 200 million won into my account.
Possess the president and promote Investigator Lee Yu-ji.
…Yeah, right.
There’s literally no legal way to use this skill for my own benefit.
It wasn’t even great for fighting monsters.
Still, it wasn’t useless.
If I possess the person who planted the bomb, I can remove the bomb immediately.
That would save me from exploding and dying a second time.
The problem was the cooldown.
If I could only use it once every 24 hours, then before the bomb exploded, I’d only get one shot.
That meant I had to narrow down the suspect list as much as possible before using it.
Wait.
I have that.
I looked at Byun Gu-do, whose affection toward me had risen slightly, and smiled.
“Uh… while cleaning earlier, I noticed that taking care of the detection dog is one of our team’s duties?”
I pointed at the whiteboard.
Feed Detection Dog Lulu
The only thing written under Important Tasks.
Pointing at it, I said,
“I really like dogs. Would it be okay if I handled feeding her while we wait for the team leader?”
At that moment—
Ma Deok-ho’s Affection has increased by 10.
…?
Ma Deok-ho’s affection had gone up even though he’d been sitting there quietly.
What was that about?
* * *
10 Minutes Later
Pet Food
Dog Food Barirara
I stood behind the Hunter Investigation Unit building, holding a bag of dog food.
More specifically, in front of a large kennel with a sign that read:
Hunter Investigation Unit Team 5
Lulu
“…So you’re my senior officer, huh?”
As I held out my hand, a Golden Retriever with shining golden fur ran out through the slightly open kennel door, wagging its tail wildly.
Lulu.
An explosive and Funny Powder detection dog.
The Hunter Investigation Unit kept specially trained dogs that could detect both Funny Powder—a hallucinogenic substance from dungeon materials—and explosives made from magic stone powder.
“So you’re the new Team 5 investigator. They changed again, huh?”
The security guard smiled at Lulu.
I forced an awkward smile at the words they changed again.
“Yeah. Changed again.”
Lulu’s Affection has increased by 10.
Lulu’s Affection has increased by 10.
Just from pouring food into her bowl, Lulu’s affection was shooting through the roof.
And suddenly, the skill description came back to mind.
– You may possess any living creature within a 10-meter radius.
It definitely said living creature, not person.
And my senior officer here could sniff out bombs.
And she can smell things far better than any human ever could.
