The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 20

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

A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 020

* * *
It had been several days since I last managed to leave work on time.
The moment I arrived home, I collapsed into bed without even washing up.
Those days preparing for employment while picking up dungeon raid shifts seemed far more fulfilling in retrospect.
In terms of hourly wages, wasn’t I actually losing out now?
-Quest Completion Reward: 7,000 Gold
…No, wait.
The truth was that completing quests brought in enormous sums of money.
After sleeping for twenty straight hours on my first day off in ages, I reflexively checked my smartwatch upon waking.
No alerts.
Next, my phone.
The first thing that caught my eye was an enormous stack of missed calls.
Hae (56)
Hae was Kang Il-yeon’s nickname.
Since it felt awkward to have calls from someone who had been a minor criminal suspect coming to my personal number, I’d changed his name in my contacts.
But what was going on?
I shot up and checked the messages first.
Hae
I made this! (video)
I was thinking of uploading it to the site. What do you think?
Sir?
What are you doing?
Are you sick by any chance?
Investigator, I’ve created an alarm machine that wakes you up well, and if you don’t get up, it twists people and…
…A photo of some bizarre torture device had come through.
‘He really does churn out items at an incredible pace.’
For reference, the “site” he mentioned was an item trading platform that Kang Il-yeon had created in just three days.
However, since item trading created by Hunters required approval from the Hunter Management Office, legal review was necessary.
So the official launch was being postponed, but—
‘If he keeps making items like this, it’ll turn into a gore site…!’
I shuddered and sent him a reply.
How about making something more mainstream and user-friendly instead?^^ I’m up now. Good morning.
Remember, he’s a minor. I need to handle this carefully and gently.
The reply came immediately.
Hae
I’ll try my best. Oh right, that Slime came to me. Can I use it as an experimental tool?
Right. Instead of sending the Slime I’d rescued from that Subspace to a dungeon, I’d had it sent to the apartment I’d arranged for Kang Il-yeon.
Despite being a high-grade Slime, its weak aggression meant that instead of a restraint resembling a leash like dogs wore around its neck, I could designate it as Kang Il-yeon’s property.
That doesn’t seem like it’ll work. How about you feed it the food I sent and raise it well for a while?
There’s no response.
Well, I’m sure I won’t kill it.
I didn’t have time to worry about it for long anyway.
Besides the message that came to Kang Il-yeon, there was another important message.
Ham I-na
57th batch group chat^^
…I was invited to a new recruits’ group chat containing about a dozen people starting with that message.
Was the 57th batch really this large? I thought, but it seemed to include not just investigators from Team 5, but new recruits from various support departments and even rehires who seemed like they might not be.
And the last message in that group chat was this.
(Article link)
Wow, Team Leader Kwon is really going head-to-head with the Great Empire Guild?
The face plastered in the article link was Kwon Ik-seong’s stern expression.
And in the font typical of YouTube news briefs, it read like this.
Kevin Choi of Daeyeong Banned from Leaving the Country, Team Leader Kwon Takes Aim at the Great Empire Guild!
So it came to this.
Kwon Ik-seong, who overheard the conversation between Choi Woo-jin and me in the investigation room yesterday, decided as expected to summon Kevin for questioning.
‘Is it really okay to do this…?’
‘We’re simply doing our job.’
‘…But didn’t you tell me to take it easy?’
‘I said I would be the one not taking it easy.’
As expected.
Cool. But—
In the original story, it was much later when Kwon Ik-seong discovered Kevin’s crimes. It was because Kevin’s crimes were so cunning.
‘Right now we’ve caught the tail through a different route than back then, so I’m not certain if we can connect other crimes besides the illegal item purchases.’
Moreover, focusing on Kevin at the Heonsu Department was a completely different matter from summoning Choi Woo-jin for questioning.
‘This is something that will directly impact the Great Empire Guild and Choi Jun-gu.’
There was a high possibility the Great Empire Guild would move directly.
And getting entangled with the Great Empire Guild, which even influences South Korea’s political circles, was something a mere civil servant absolutely had to avoid.
For instance, it was like how a civil servant working at a district office would want to avoid sending official documents to a construction company run by the district chief’s cousin’s younger sibling.
However—
‘I think it would be best to end the collaboration with Investigator Lee Yu-ji here. Thank you for cooperating with the investigation. Regarding the Geumho-dong illegal weapons trafficking case, I’ll speak with Team Leader Pee and we’ll submit our investigation report from our side….’
‘I want to… be included too!’
The problem is that I’m currently in danger of being dismembered to death!
-Failure: Death by dismemberment
I should have possessed into some common medieval fantasy with a noble lady character.
How did I end up possessing into a hunter story… and a crime one at that!
‘Investigator Lee Yu-ji, this isn’t work that can be done with just a sense of duty. I understand your intentions, but….’
Kwon Ik-seong looked troubled.
It was natural. This wasn’t an investigation of a size that I, having just joined as a new recruit, should be getting involved in.
In times like this, I have no choice but to appeal to Kwon Ik-seong’s sense of duty.
‘An item created by a boy around my younger sibling’s age while being abused. I want to know what you were planning to do with such an item.’
‘….’
Kwon Ik-seong’s eyebrows twitched.
Just as I thought.
Ik-seong’s weakness lies in his sense of justice.
…the moment I realized this.
‘I heard that Investigator Lee Yu-ji was quite concerned about the transfer of the Kang Il-yeon and Kang Won-yeon brothers. So that’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it?’
‘Well… it’s just that….’
‘I will definitely find out about that. Don’t worry.’
Ik-seong brushed past me!
And when I returned to Team 5, I naturally heard from Team Leader Pee So-won to ‘drop that case.’
‘You got dragged into someone else’s team’s case by bad luck anyway. Consider yourself lucky to be getting out of it now.’
She swiftly erased the number 2 from the whiteboard and changed it to 1.
Her eyes held not a shred of enthusiasm.
If this woman were truly a psychopath, she probably wouldn’t have committed murder either—for lack of diligence.
In any case, what matters more than my involvement in the investigation is that Kevin’s crimes are exposed.
However—
But would Kevin Choi cooperate willingly with the Hunter Investigation Unit’s inquiry? At this rate, won’t the Hunter Investigation Unit be abolished first…? The media outlets are in an uproar. They’re saying the Hunter Investigation Unit conducted coercive investigations.
Oh no… Will we lose our jobs? I passed the first round at Taebaek Guild but ended up coming here instead…
The problem was that the backlash was far from trivial.
The moment Kwon Ik-seong issued a summons for Kevin Choi on suspicion of illegal weapons trafficking, numerous tabloids began attacking the Hunter Investigation Unit.
There was plenty of ammunition for their attacks.
Letting a criminal they’d already caught slip away by mistake, failing to prevent civilian casualties when an illegal gate opened, destroying half a building in the process of apprehending a villain.
In truth, the Hunter Investigation Unit, dealing with criminals possessing superhuman power, inevitably carries mistakes and conflicts in the course of their work.
By seizing on such issues and touching the grandson of Great Empire, public opinion was being swayed to suggest that the Hunter Investigation Unit was conducting an overzealous investigation to demonstrate its own existence.
‘It’s obvious who created this situation….’
If things continue like this, within a week, not only will I fail to catch Kevin’s crimes, but Ik-seong will be fired first before the crimes are even revealed, and at the same time my own limbs will be severed too….
‘That can’t happen!’
I pressed the contacts search on my phone.
And when I dialed the phone number I found—
[Hey, what’s up, Miss Lee? I was just looking for an F-rank porter. You always know the right timing.]
The team leader from the illegal raid I’d worked for before answered the phone.
I lowered my voice and responded.
“My younger sibling was in a traffic accident. Team Leader. The surgery costs are insufficient.”
I’m sorry, little brother.
[….]
A deep silence.
Then the team leader spoke.
[How many bills do you need?]
“Two large ones, please.”
[Sigh….]
The Team Leader exhaled a long breath, then spoke with a tone of resignation.
[I really…. I was planning to wash my hands of this kind of work. But hearing it’s about Miss Lee’s younger sibling, my resolve just crumbles.]
And the next morning, after consecutive days off.
I stood before an Illegal Dungeon.
“Survive for 10 minutes in that ring with a C-rank monster and I’ll deposit two large ones immediately! Last 30 minutes, and I’ll save your life and deposit three more large ones!”
The Team Leader pointed at the Lamia hissing and baring its teeth in the cage, his face gleaming with excitement.
And this is supposed to be the face of someone with a soft heart?!

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