The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 122

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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 122
“Even though I kicked back at Team Leader, sir?”
Kwon Ik-seong nodded at my question.
“You were communicating with the tree, weren’t you?”
“…!”
“I was getting in the way of that.”
Wow, he deduced all the way here just from hearing that skill theft was possible?
That’s terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Wait, more importantly—he likes me?
Is having favorable feelings the same thing as liking someone? Or is it different?
Is favorable feeling just… favorable feeling?
That was when my mind started getting complicated.
Kwon Ik-seong seemed to notice, tilting his head slightly as he spoke.
“They’re the same thing.”
“Can you read minds too?”
“It’s not so much that….”
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“It’s written all over your face.”
“Tch.”
“Does my expression of favorable feeling displease you?”
“No, of course not!”
I waved my hand dismissively.
As if that could be the case.
“It’s just… I’m not sure what ‘liking’ actually means….”
“I’m not entirely sure either.”
Then who would know? Am I supposed to know?
I wanted to ask that, but Kwon Ik-seong had already read that expression and answered.
“I’m accustomed to making inferences using the various senses and cognitive functions surrounding me. With internal signals rather than external stimuli—”
His brow furrowed.
An expression that conveyed emotional turbulence.
I detected a hint of pain in that expression.
A pain that had accumulated over a long time, seemingly without his own full awareness.
“I don’t respond well to them.”
“Is it like a defense mechanism?”
I asked.
Then Kwon Ik-seong looked at me with an enigmatic expression.
It was an expression I’d never seen from him before—one that seemed uncertain, as if he were lost.
“I’ve experienced something similar. It was like that when I quit sports. There were so many things I had to handle, and so many choices I had to make immediately…. My parents had passed away, and I had to live alone with Lee Yu-gyeom, and since I’d quit sports, I had to figure out what to do next. Everything was so overwhelming….”
I recalled the time I’d gone up to the rooftop.
That moment.
That thought surfaced again.
‘Will I really fall?
That voice echoed in my ears once more.
I furrowed my brow.
As if I’d climbed back onto that rooftop, a cold wind brushed against my cheeks.
Like magic, I was being dragged back into that past.
My hands grew cold as if gripping an icy railing, and the distinctive air of heights enveloped my body.
‘I’m someone who has to witness even your death.’
Who was that?
I never had such a memory to begin with.
So why suddenly—
That’s when it happened.
The hand I thought was gripping the railing suddenly grew warm.
When I turned my head to look down, I saw Kwon Ik-seong’s large hand holding mine.
“Don’t do that.”
“Pardon?”
When I lifted my head, I saw Kwon Ik-seong’s stern expression.
“Stop dwelling on those memories. Certain thoughts consume a person.”
“Those memories… How did you know what I was thinking…”
Just as I was about to speak.
Both Kwon Ik-seong’s and my phones rang simultaneously.
An encrypted number.
A spam-like phone number starting with 070.
Kwon Ik-seong and I looked at each other.
We both answered our phones.
The message that likely came through both our phones was probably this.
[Assemble.]
It was Captain Hong’s order.
We quickly hung up and looked at each other.
Kwon Ik-seong spoke first. I withdrew my hand from his.
“In any case, if Officer Oh ever needs to call Inspector Lee Yu-ji in the future, pretend to be one of Choi Jun-gu’s ‘points.’ Remember: Choi Jun-gu ensures that ‘points’ rather than ‘lines’ remain completely unaware of each other. You must also pretend not to clearly recognize Officer Oh’s line. And don’t show too much aversion toward Choi Se-a.”
I nodded.
Right.
This wasn’t the time to leisurely dwell on past memories.
Besides—
‘I was too confused back then anyway. That version of me wasn’t really me.’
That was me with my spirit hollowed out.
The me from a moment when everything felt like a dream.
So I shouldn’t dwell too deeply on that past self.
As Ik-seong said, certain memories consume a person.
That’s when it happened.
Kwon Ik-seong grabbed the receipt before I could even blink and finished the payment, then we headed toward the parking lot.
“I should have paid for it…”
“I’ve heard that on a date, it’s customary for the man to pay. If you’re upset about it, you can treat me next time.”
“…No, I’m not upset. I’ll definitely pay next time!”
The meat had cost 300,000 won.
Thinking that, I pulled out my zippo lighter from my pocket.
And the moment I lit the flame—
“Well done! Our youngest! You’ve caused trouble again. Yaaaay! Impressive! Everyone, applause!”
It was indeed time to settle my karmic debts.

* * *
[Breaking news. Ginseng has been discovered as a dungeon byproduct in a D-ranked dungeon in South Chungcheong Province, drawing attention. During the Hunter Association’s investigation, these ginseng items discovered in bulk have been confirmed to have body-enhancement effects in preliminary measurements, with each root expected to fetch over 50 million won. Residents of nearby villages claim that the discovery of ginseng in this dungeon aligns with legends passed down through their community.]
[Village Chief Choi XX
“Well, when the Hunter Association people came, I could already tell something was different about them, you know? That Protective Tree has long been called the Sacred Tree, and there’s a legend that when a spiritually gifted sage appears, it recognizes them and bestows great gifts! Turns out those Association people were the spiritually gifted sages!”]
Though their eyes were obscured, the interview made it perfectly clear who they were.
I furrowed my brow watching it.
“A spiritually gifted sage. Congratulations.”
“…No, that… why is this already on the news…?”
“It’s the SNS era now, isn’t it? Even rural villages have WiFi everywhere. They must have taken all their photos before we could seal the area.”
Captain Hong sat down in a chair in the subspace and sighed.
Pee So-won, who had been summoned to the subspace slightly later than Kwon Ik-seong and me, spoke with tired eyes.
“The Hunter Association has decided to distribute items to the village residents, Ha Ye-seul, Officer Oh, Secretary Cheon Min-jun, and Chief Kim Eun-kyeong respectively to wrap up the incident. The rescue team will also receive a portion of the ginseng.”
I see… so that’s how it is.
I pressed my lips firmly together.
“Since the legendary spiritually gifted sage in the folklore happens to have the surname ‘Ha,’ most of the clear rewards will go to Ha Ye-seul to prevent her from getting media attention. The Hunter Association doesn’t want to hear criticism about how they went out on an investigation, cleared a dungeon, and came back while their employees took the fall and the Association reaped the benefits.”
Pee So-won looked at me with hollow eyes.
“Lucky you, partner.”
Lucky?
While it’s nice that 50 million won worth of ginseng rolled in, this incident could push back the Quest that my life depends on!
If I stand out like this within headquarters, I might not be deployed to the next dungeon.
‘Damn it.’
“Well… regardless, all three of you need to keep a low profile and not draw attention from this. We’ll do our best on our end to make sure your identities don’t leak.”
Hearing Captain Hong’s words, a question formed in my mind.
“But who helped us with our personnel matters? Did the Hunter Association arrange it beforehand?”
“We didn’t arrange anything, but there is someone else who did.”
I immediately understood who he meant from those words.
Baek Hee-ryeong.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if she, who had been targeting the Hunter Association for so long, had cultivated connections within it.
‘We ended up using the connections that the President herself had established.’
My cover won’t be blown by this incident.
That much is reassuring, but—
Isn’t this blocking the path to being deployed in the decisive event that gets Bureau Chief Choi Se-a arrested?
My concerns were resolved faster than I expected.
The next evening.
Bureau Chief Choi Se-a’s office.
Officer Oh, Team Leader Kang Han-geul, and I stood there with Kim Eun-kyeong, the assistant manager.
And Bureau Chief Choi Se-a was looking up at us with a crooked smile.
“Hmm… Team Leader Kang here says these new recruits are quite trustworthy? I’m not really sure myself, but—”
Bureau Chief Choi Se-a spoke while looking at Kim Eun-kyeong.
“If Team Leader Kang says so, then that’s what I should believe, right? Besides, we’re short on personnel to dispatch anyway. And most importantly, you know, don’t you? The dungeon byproducts from this incident—we decided to distribute them specially to our bureau’s staff.”
She barely finished speaking before gesturing with her chin toward Cheon Min-jun—or rather, Kwon Ik-seong disguised as Cheon Min-jun.
Cheon Min-jun then pulled out several large boxes and stacked them neatly in front of us.
“Each root costs 70 million won. Five roots each for everyone, and I’ve specially prepared ten roots for Ha Dae-ri.”
…Excuse me?
I swallowed hard, staring at what I thought were ginseng roots—no, bundles of cash worth 700 million won laid out before me.
“I prefer to buy trust with money.”
Bureau Chief Choi Se-a smiled wickedly as she spoke.
“You’ll need to survey a dungeon in Jeong-an City. It’s not particularly difficult work, just something simple. Go there and do exactly as Team Leader Kang instructs—measure the wave frequency with a wave detector at the dungeon entrance and bring back the paperwork.”
Jeong-an City.
The moment I heard those words, I swallowed quietly where no one could see.
It finally appeared.
One of Bureau Chief Choi Se-a’s major crimes.
The very incident where she nearly destroyed an entire city.
And the incident where Bureau Chief Choi Se-a gets arrested.
I had been deployed into that incident.

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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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