The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 117

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 117

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So it all began in a rural village in Chungcheong Province.
“So, you said you came from the Hunter Association?”
“Yes, Village Chief.”
I pulled out my business card from my pocket.
Hunter Association Member Guild Bureau
Ha Ye-seul, Associate
“So, would it be possible to take a look at that protected tree over there?”
“You brought the permit, right? If that thing gets moved or cut down, we’re in serious trouble.”
The man standing beside the Village Chief—supposedly the youth association president, though he looked nothing like a young man—spoke up.
“I have it. Kim Ju-im, this way.”
I smiled brightly at Kim Ju-im.
Kim Ju-im’s expression soured as he obediently pulled out the permit from his bag at my direction.
“We won’t be moving or cutting down the protected tree. There may be minor damage depending on the situation. I’d appreciate your cooperation in keeping villagers and passersby at least 200 meters away from the area in all directions.”
“No need to worry about that. That place isn’t somewhere people usually go anyway.”
“Pardon?”
Damn.
I should have understood what he meant by “not somewhere people usually go.”
“Huff… huff…”
I gasped heavily as I watched Oh Tae-won, Pee So-won—no, Kim Ju-im, and Cheon Min-jun casually scaling up the mountain.
This wasn’t a mountain—this was cliff climbing.
The three of them climbed the cliff face effortlessly with just one hand, and even drank water while precariously balanced on the rock.
“Would you like some?”
Cheon Min-jun held out his water bottle to me.
His eyes held a hint of pity for me, clinging precariously to the cliff face.
“Ha Dae-ri, you’re weaker than I expected! Getting tired from just this bit of climbing? I guess D-rank hunters really can’t help it! Ha ha ha ha!”
Oh Tae-won laughed mockingly at my pathetic state.
Oh Tae-won.
He was our direct supervisor who had just returned from a two-day vacation, so we met him for the first time at the business trip location.
And his opening greeting was this.
‘Hey! So you’re the new recruit who caused trouble on the first day! Nice to meet you!’
Judging by how he bypassed me entirely and went straight to greet Kim Ju-im, he’d clearly heard all the rumors.
I couldn’t quite figure out which faction he belonged to, but one thing was certain—
‘Ha ha ha, how do you shoot so well? What’s your secret? Were you a bee in your past life? You sure do sting! Ah ha ha ha ha!’
This man possessed extraordinary humor and social skills.
I suspected his talent was freezing the atmosphere around him.
‘Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.’
I laughed awkwardly, finished my first greeting with Oh Tae-won, and immediately set out on the business trip.
The entire way here, he kept cracking strange jokes that were absolutely excruciating.
Of all things, Oh Tae-won and I ended up sitting together, while Cheon Min-jun and Kim Ju-im sat side by side.
‘Sigh.’
“Let’s take a break here to conserve our stamina.”
Kim Ju-im—no, Pee So-won made a remark that seemed to be taking my side for once.
Though her eyes were looking at me as if I were pathetic.
“Ah, is that so? As expected, a Ju-im of higher rank than a Dae-ri has a broader perspective! Ahahaha!”
How on earth did he survive at the Hunter Association with that kind of obliviousness?
Or is he deliberately trying to get under my skin?
I flared my nostrils and grasped the hand Cheon Min-jun extended, finding a spot on the cliff face where I could at least rest and sat down.
“Sigh…”
D-rank? I’m F-rank, for crying out loud.
I’m dying from exhaustion.
I’ve only done mountain hikes like this when coaches made us run endurance training!
And that was back in my late teens!
Every joint in my body, drained to the marrow back then, seems to be creaking with each movement.
Even if I awaken, I always end up as F-rank.
And even when I possess someone, I always become this kind of extra.
Anyway, Lee Yu-ji’s life! How remarkable!
“Huh?”
Thinking that, I gulped down water greedily.
Then, just as I wiped my mouth and shook the water off my hands, I noticed the spot where I was sitting felt strangely soft.
The ground beneath me was unnaturally mushy.
“Manager, our dungeon’s starting point…”
The moment I turned my gaze toward the Manager.
Cheon Min-jun—no, Kwon Ik-seong grabbed my hand.
He gripped my hand, the one wearing the ring, firmly.
“Don’t move.”
Kwon Ik-seong looked at Manager Oh with a composed expression.
“The ground here is unstable. Please check for dungeon fluctuations.”
At those words, Manager Oh’s expression changed completely as he pulled a wave detector from his pocket.
That was the moment.
Kwon Ik-seong and I were sucked into the cliff face, which felt as soft as water.
The next instant, we were inside a mysterious cave.
The walls were made of tree roots, and the ceiling was open above.
“Manager Ohhhhh?”
I called out to Manager Oh toward that opening, but there was no response from that direction.
“Hey, you tactless bastard!”
I wondered if calling out like that would get a response, but again, nothing.
“It seems we’ve entered the dungeon. That back there was just the entrance, and it appears we can’t exit through there again.”
Kwon Ik-seong quickly assessed the situation and looked upward.
If Kwon Ik-seong said so, then it must be true.
My mind couldn’t keep pace with his deductive prowess.
“So what do we do? Should we wait for Manager Oh to join us? Or…”
I gazed at my surroundings, which stirred an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
That wall covered in tree roots—I’ve seen it before.
More precisely, beneath the Zelkova Tree in the Unregistered Dungeon.
“We need to leave. There’s no guarantee this place connects to the dungeon Manager Oh will enter, and if this is a hidden dungeon, we can’t rule out the possibility of monsters stronger than anticipated.”
Originally, this dungeon in Chungcheong Province was expected to be C-rank.
So the team was assembled with the assumption that B-rank Manager Oh, Cheon Min-jun who was officially C-rank, Kim Ju-im, and myself at D-rank would be sufficient.
Besides, during dungeon exploration, we weren’t clearing the dungeon—we were just confirming its stability and assigning it to guilds.
‘If it’s this stable for C-rank, there’s no risk of a gate opening. Just assign it to some mediocre guild and leave. If monsters appear, we just exit immediately. I’d rather not get dragged into clearing it by attracting aggro. That’s exhausting, right?’
I recalled what Kang Han-geul had said before we came here.
Kang Han-geul’s tired face bore an expression of utter indifference to everything.
‘Ugh, having to manage even these trivial matters one by one—we’re always short on personnel.’
Thanks to that, I succeeded in my undercover investigation.
Regardless.
If we’ve fallen into a room where we need to clear the dungeon to escape, that would be genuinely troublesome.
I’d have no explanation for the Association, and I’d have to account for the possibility of Kwon Ik-seong’s A-rank power being exposed.
“Which way should we go?”
At my question, Kwon Ik-seong quietly gazed at the ceiling.
Light streamed in like a spotlight from the hole in the ceiling, making it seem as though something mystical was sending us a signal.
No matter how I looked at it, that direction seemed like the exit—but he was saying it wasn’t?
“There’s another light in that direction.”
Kwon Ik-seong, turning his gaze, pointed to one end of the elongated cave.
Another light.
At his words, I narrowed my eyes and stared into the darkness at the far end of the cave.
What could possibly be there?
“…I don’t see it.”
“I can see it, so it’s fine.”
Kwon Ik-seong led me into the darkness while still holding my hand.
Ah, my hand.
He was still holding it.
Realizing this, I swallowed hard.
Of course, we’d held hands in an emergency, and right now only Ik-seong had clear vision, so it was purely a practical gesture—yet my heart raced wildly.
I was actually holding your hand, the one I’d only seen in illustrations.
Our Ik-seong’s hand… it’s quite rough, isn’t it?
Well, that makes sense—fieldwork rather than desk work…
Just as I was thinking that.
Another light truly appeared before my eyes.
“…?”
I looked upward.
This time there were multiple sources of light.
I gazed up at the ceiling from the bright space that had suddenly appeared.
Several holes had been pierced through the ceiling.
“What is this?”
I asked, staring at the ceiling.
Kwon Ik-seong tilted his head while still holding my hand.
Like a mathematician working through a calculation.
Like an AI deliberating over an answer.
Then, after a moment, he opened his mouth.
“Do you remember what the village chief said about this region’s dam drying up? He said it was because the protected tree underwent a transformation. He also mentioned that with groundwater depleted, they’ve been drawing water from dams in other regions.”
“Yes, I remember.”
But how does that connect to this….
I realized what I had done just before falling into this dungeon.
Water.
I had drunk water.
And I had… dropped water onto the cliff face.
That was the moment.
A gentle sound of water came from down below.
But what was strange was—
“It sounds like something drinking the water.”
It didn’t sound like water flowing naturally.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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