The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 225

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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 225
Kang Min-joo sang far better than I had anticipated.
“Let the true one descend upon this land, and let dawn break in the heavens.”
No, she sang exceptionally well.
Every eye in the room instantly fixed upon Kang Min-joo.
I found myself uncertain whether the attention she commanded stemmed from her skill or her vocal prowess.
Her fingers glided effortlessly across the acoustic guitar’s strings, and the hymn’s melody possessed an almost intoxicating sweetness.
“When dawn becomes morning, we shall understand the will of the sacred heavens.”
Morning.
Yet that single word set my mind racing with purpose.
Ryu Yeong-gyo had disclosed inaccurate information about her daughter being taken from her, then fell silent thereafter.
‘When people fall into religion, they become different people. As if they’re no longer themselves… I wonder if their very souls are being stolen. At this rate, I’ll fall into it too.’
But morning sunlight. From that word alone, I could discern the truth.
Just as the name Gu Saebbyeok was not one he had chosen for himself.
The name Seol Jo-yang must have been given to her by Seol Ok-gyun.
Then each character in those names must carry meaning.
Morning sunlight.
And…
‘Her legs hurt.’
She had said her legs were injured.
I quickly turned on my phone.
There was only one person I could think to ask at a time like this.
Park Min-bae.
Have you heard if the Taebaek Guild Master has a daughter?
There was no way this man would respond quickly on a precious holiday.
He was probably playing some game or other.
What was that game called again?
He said it was a strategy game, and if I logged into that game, I could quickly find his account ID…
Detective Park Min-bae
No.
The reply came faster than expected.
“The false shall crumble before evening, but the true shall forever lift us up.”
As Min-joo’s voice filled the space, people began joining in, singing the hymn one by one.
I found myself gazing at Min-joo without realizing it.
Her ability permeated the entire hall.
Captivating even my gaze.
—The false shall crumble, and the true shall rise.
Only that sentence echoed through my mind.
As if I were being brainwashed.
And my eyes kept drifting to Min-joo’s face as she conveyed that sentence through her beautiful melody.
That child was beautiful enough to fall in love with at any moment.
‘This won’t do.’
I’m getting drawn in.
Just because my skill is EX-rank doesn’t mean I am.
I need to get my head straight.
I activated my Concentration skill.
My ears and eyes, which had been involuntarily pulled in, returned to their proper place.
Peace returned to my mind.
The false self and true self game that had filled my head disappeared.
I quickly looked at my phone again.
Park Min-bae had sent me a bunch of photos.
Park Min-bae (Investigator)
(Photo)
(Photo)
I was mistaken. Apparently there was one. They say she died in a traffic accident when she was young.
Screenshots of community posts and old internet articles.
Posts from already fifteen years ago. Which meant…
‘If she was twelve years old then, she’d be around twenty-seven now.’
Park Min-bae (Investigator)
But why this?
He asked the reason quickly.
Remember “love for your peers, love for your country”?
Park Min-bae (Investigator)
Of course.
Think of this as the same thing. I’ll buy you beef.
I wondered if such a flimsy excuse would work.
But Park Min-bae’s response came surprisingly simply.
Park Min-bae (Investigator)
Don’t forget either. Love for your peers, love for your country.
What are you talking about.
Why would I forget.
With that thought, I scanned with my eyes among those singing hymns and found a woman with two conditions.
Someone who appeared to have difficulty walking.
Someone estimated to be in her late twenties.
This place, with its wide and offensively ornate floral decorations, felt more like a maze the more I walked through it.
“The true one raises us up.”
It was even more so because hymns tangled with the voices of men, women, children, and adults echoed from all around.
Damn it.
“Mom, are these real flowers?”
That’s when a young boy I nearly brushed past grabbed his mother’s hand and asked.
My mother then responded.
“Of course. The True One cherishes all life, doesn’t he? Look over there. See those roots? That’s a real tree.”
A tree?
Upon hearing those words, I lifted my gaze upward.
A tree… well, it wasn’t quite a tree, but rather something vine-like was scattered sparsely across the ceiling and walls.
And flowers were parasitizing what appeared to be small water pouches nestled between them.
If that’s the case—
‘The whisper of trees.’
Could this even be considered a whisper?
It was a memory of possession I activated just in case.
A gamble of hope I had wagered—
-I’ve lost it. Can’t sing for the life of me.
-Ugh! I’m running out of water!
-She just threw up on my body. Get off me right now!
-Filthy human bastards! You’re exhaling way too much carbon dioxide.
-At least it worked out… I’m dying faster than the Earth’s destruction… thank goodness…
Angry voices rang in my ears.
I furrowed my brow and listened to all those voices.
Focus.
Just focus.
I utilized Ik-seong’s skill to its fullest.
After using it a few times, I had become capable of thinking and moving somewhat like Ik-seong.
When using the focus skill, all the senses in my body awaken.
The amount of information flowing into my body increases exponentially, but my ability to process that information improves proportionally.
That’s why Ik-seong can respond agilely to every situation.
-Look at that woman. Her legs seem to hurt?
I hear the voices of flowers, trees, and vines.
I turned toward where the voices were coming from.
Then I saw a woman in high heels limping.
When she removed her heels, red blood oozed from her heels.
-She’s really limping badly.
Going deeper in, there was a gentleman leaning on a cane.
-Rheumatoid arthritis, that is.
Again.
Again.
Again.
I wandered between countless voices.
Then I heard a very small voice.
-She just sits there the whole time with a sullen expression. If that’s the case, why does she come to these parties every time?
-Don’t be like that. It must be suffocating to have to sit in that little wheeled chair. Just like it’s suffocating for us trees to be wedged between the cracks.
A wheeled chair…?
I followed the voice.
As I did, the sound grew louder and louder.
I quickly found the source of that small, delicate voice.
It was moss wedged between thick vines.
Above it was a machine that automatically sprayed water.
Hisssss—
Water sprayed down, and I heard the moss cheering.
-Yaaay~
At the same time, through the fine mist of water droplets, I glimpsed the silhouette of a woman.
A wheeled chair.
She was in a wheelchair.
I followed the woman.
Or rather, I ran after her.
When I opened the back door she’d exited through, a magnificent chandelier and a spiral staircase leading down to the lobby came into view.
The woman was right in front of that staircase.
Her head was bowed, and I heard her murmuring something.
At the same time, I noticed her wheelchair’s brakes weren’t engaged.
In that instant, the image of Lee Yu-ji flashed through my mind.
‘Yu-ji. Come down from there. I need to talk to you for a moment. Yu-ji.’
I cried out without thinking.
“What are you doing!”
My shout filled the empty lobby.
The woman spun around in surprise.
The woman in the pristine white dress appeared to be in her late twenties.
She furrowed her brow sharply.
“What?”
“What are you doing!”
As I shouted, the woman replied as if bewildered.
“I’m praying.”
“So why are you praying there of all places—”
Just as I was about to ask why she’d choose such a dangerous spot.
As the woman tilted sideways to turn and look at me, her wheelchair’s brakes, unable to support her shifted weight, began to slip.
Sideways.
Ssshhhhh.
The sound of the wheels reached my ears.
I watched in slow motion as the wheel’s direction shifted by one degree at a time.
Every moment fragmented into frames, each piece of information flooding my mind.
‘What’s the probability I can reach that wheelchair if I run from here?’
Even if I caught the wheelchair, the woman would tumble out of it.
Then let’s abandon that idea.
My decision was swift, but my legs were swifter still.
I leaped instantly, my body plummeting beneath the wheelchair to the middle landing of the spiral staircase.
“Aaahhhhh!”
With the woman’s scream, I caught both the wheelchair and her body with my entire frame.
I blocked the wheelchair’s armrest from striking her head with my hand, my voice emerging as a strained groan as I asked.
“Prayers are something….”
Save them for the prayer room.
That’s what I wanted to say, but the woman stared at my forehead, her face drained of all color.
“Blood….”
Blood?
“You’re bleeding….”
The woman murmured those words before losing consciousness entirely.
Collapsing into my embrace.

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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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