Chapter 275

“So, this is the group you’re bringing along for this operation?”
“That is correct.”
I stared straight ahead.
The field agents, returning to the Fox Counseling Room after four days of grueling rescue missions, wore looks of pure bewilderment as they sized up the new additions to the roster. Their schedules had clearly been exhausting, yet their gazes remained sharp—likely a result of the sheer number of incidents that had unfolded while they were away. Between the arrival of Director Cheong, the involvement of the Security Team, and the introduction of high-level gear, much had changed.

Agent Choi let out a sigh, roughly rubbing the back of his neck before speaking.
“If you stick to this timeline, we won’t be able to accompany you. You’re aware of that, right?”
…I was.
The agents had unfortunately exhausted their official leave. Instead of resting, they had spent the latter portion of their time off filling in for another Hyunmu Team. They had traded their overtime pay for extra vacation days, but it was impossible for them to utilize those days on such short notice.

‘Actually, even if they could, it would look suspicious.’
It was already risky enough that these work-obsessed agents had requested time off instead of a paycheck. We had to be cautious. For this specific mission, they had to remain on the sidelines. However, the two individuals taking their places were…

> **Long-term Recovery Room**
> **(Strictly No Visitors)**

One was a person so thoroughly warped by contamination that even glimpsing their face was forbidden.
“Greetings…”
The other was a member of the Security Team, clad in his guard uniform, who radiated an aura that was anything but normal. It was only natural for the agents to feel uneasy.

“Wait… I recognize you. You’re the one who came at me in that Underground Laboratory.”
“Ah… yes. That was me…”
Agent Choi, who had previously clashed with the Security Chief and seen the terrifying extent of his corruption, extended a hand. His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he took the measure of the man before him. The Security Chief, appearing drained and listless as if existing itself was a chore, simply accepted the handshake with a limp grip.

Agent Bronze groaned under his breath.
“At the very least, couldn’t you have picked just one of them?”
“You bureaucrats,” the Security Chief muttered.
“When we step into Segwang Metropolitan City, who can say what state they’ll truly be in?” Bronze argued.
He wasn’t wrong. Our plans were based on patterns from the past; there were no guarantees. That uncertainty was exactly why I had initially planned to leave the Security Chief behind.

“Listen… you mentioned the goal was to kill them…”
The Security Chief had stepped forward of his own accord.
“When it comes to putting down contaminated things… the Security Team is the expert. It’s more efficient if both of us go… if we must go at all… it’s better.”
His logic was that they could keep each other in check.
“I won’t consume them… I’ll just… end them.”
“…”
At that chilling remark, Agent Bronze struggled to find his voice.
“Security Team personnel don’t usually engage directly with Supernatural Disasters, and this metropolitan area is far from a standard threat. Based on my experience—”
“I have… plenty of experience…”
“!”
“You civil servant. Most of the veterans in our company’s Security Team started out in the Field Investigation Team.”
They were essentially recycling contaminated staff for efficiency. Agent Bronze’s expression hardened as the grim reality of that statement set in. He turned his eyes toward me.
…I suppose, in his view, I wasn’t much different.

“Let’s just agree on this: we retreat the moment something feels off after entry.”
Agent Bronze finally stopped his protests. The Security Team’s involvement was set in stone, even if it meant Daydream Inc.’s reputation was currently hitting rock bottom in the eyes of the agents.

“Hmm.”
Agent Choi seemed less shocked. He moved on to practical confirmations.
“Right. Weren’t you a leader of an Elite Team once?”
“I suppose… that’s one way to put it…”
J3, the former head of Elite Team B, responded with a defeated slump.
Thinking about his past brought a thought to the surface.
‘Perhaps, once we enter Segwang Metropolitan City…’
Maybe the Security Chief would revert to his original self.
*[Transformation. A trope that never fails to please.]*
I didn’t want to call it “hope” just yet, so I pushed the thought aside.

Next, I presented the new gear I had requested to the group.
“Is this… the collector?”
**Positive**
Agent Bronze handled the specialized device from Daydream Inc. with a look of suspicion. The Dream Collector. This was the very reason the Field Investigation Team risked their lives—to extract value from urban legends. Director Ho, using the excuse of “project confidentiality,” had managed to secure and smuggle out several Dream Collectors that belonged to “Long-term Missing Persons,” ensuring their serial numbers were scrubbed.
Unlabeled, official Dream Collectors. This was a feat only a director of development could pull off.

‘I can’t believe we managed to get three.’
The company tracked these devices with obsessive scrutiny. They would tear us apart if they knew a field agent was currently holding one.
‘Ho must have fought a war inside the office to get these.’
I had to ensure we extracted high-grade Dream Weave. I didn’t want to imagine the fallout if we lost even one of these. But if we succeeded…
‘The company won’t be able to dismiss this project for the rest of the year.’
I felt confident about our chances.
‘At Sekwang Technical High School, even when the escape involved dying, the Dream Weave remained intact.’
Essentially, as long as it didn’t count as a true death in the physical world, the collector would function. Deep inside an Annihilation-class Disaster, within a still-active subway legend…
‘A high-grade sample is guaranteed.’

Then, I produced a fourth collector, one that stood out from the others. It was the Elite Team’s Dream Collector, an item recovered from the “Dark Exploration Record Merch Box.” I had finally reclaimed it.
*-Manager, can I use this to buy back some of my collateral?*
*-Confirmed.*
By selling off the precious metals salvaged from the “Golden Jar of Canopus,” I had cleared my debt with Section Chief Lee Ja-heon and bought back the item before he could sell it off.
‘Finally.’
If I could extract Dream Weave with this Elite Team device, I could secure the Dreamy Solution. I had several plans for it, but first…

**Question**
**Target: Agent Choi**
“Hmm?”
I sent a small puff of smoke toward him, visible only to him. I was asking about the current state of the Dream Incubation Room—the place that used to be the Potion Making Room. It was also where Agent Choi had first pegged me as a mole.
“Ah, that Underground Laboratory,” Agent Choi said, his voice smooth and professional. “Why? Do you have a use for it?”
**Positive**
“…”
He didn’t give a verbal reply, but his silence was telling.
‘He hasn’t just turned it over to the Disaster Management Bureau yet.’
I would need to reach out again once I had the Dreamy Solution in hand. I gave him a curt nod and moved on.

Finally, we did a headcount.
“Regrettably, it seems Assistant Manager Dolphin will be staying behind as well.”
Lee Seong-hae was out. If she woke up in the Casino Station, her status as a “dealer” could cause catastrophic problems. Furthermore, since she had been gone for so long, she had a mountain of paperwork to deal with, and her official transfer to Director Ho’s team wasn’t finalized yet.

“This prosthetic gear should hold up for a few months, so don’t worry about me. I just feel bad that I can’t be there to support you all…”
“We’d feel much better if you were with us, Assistant Manager Dolphin.”
It was the truth. I knew exactly how valuable an elite veteran like her was in the unexplored reaches of the Darkness. If only she could join the Segwang mission…
“I wonder if her contamination would clear up if we won back all her original body parts at the casino. Or if we just ruined the casino entirely?”
‘For that to happen, we’d need a Gambling Master to navigate the Body Casino.’

We didn’t have anyone with that skillset, so I had to be careful with my remaining Casino Coins. I pulled the coins from my pocket—the ones I had hidden in my tattoo. Fortunately, they weren’t seized when I left. I did regret leaving behind the coins I’d bet on Russian Roulette, but there was no time.
“What’s the balance?”
**Casino Coins: 924**
It was a significant sum. However…
“Actually, only 424 are available.”
Over half had been promised to someone else. I saw Baek Saheon looking at me with greedy eyes.
“The 500 coins, as we agreed…”
“I’ll be keeping a very close watch on this one!”
“!?!”
He was promptly snatched up by Assistant Manager Lee Seong-hae. I chose to ignore his protests.
‘Since we were in the VIP Room together, the casino probably views us as a single entity. If he goes back in, they’ll likely try to harvest his body to pay off the remaining property damage.’
With so many new factors in play, letting Baek Saheon wander off alone would be a disaster. I’d give him his coins… during the next trip.

**Order: Stand by**
“…”
Surprisingly, Baek Saheon didn’t fight it. I expected a tantrum, but he seemed to be calculating something while looking at Lee Seong-hae. He probably figured he could get something better by sticking with the elite team members.
‘Well, he can try.’

The final roster was set:
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
Kim Soleum (130666).
J3 (Security Chief).
And Supervisor Park Minseong (Contaminated).

“Another government-approved ‘cult’ operation. Let’s move.”
Carrying a mix of dread and anticipation, we dove into the gateway leading to the Annihilation-class Foundation.

I opened my eyes.
I saw the glow of colorful bulbs and, in the distance, the grotesque forms of those who had lost their physical bodies twitching on the subway platform.
**Midnight Station.**
This was the heart of Segwang Metropolitan City, the home of the Body Casino.
“!”
I sat up quickly. I had been worried we would spawn exactly where we “died,” but we were back on the platform floor. It was a relief.
Beside me, another man sat up and looked my way.
“Noruya?”
“Supervisor.”
Park Minseong looked at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. He was drenched in cold sweat as if waking from a nightmare, but he looked… perfectly normal.
“Are you okay?”
It worked. The contamination of the “Sprout Class Teacher” was gone, and his mind was clear. He looked down at his armless torso in shock.
“Wh-where are we? How did I…”
“Badger!”
The others scrambled over to check on him.
“Drink this.”
“Ah—!”
They forced a C-Class Regeneration Potion down his throat. Within moments, both of his arms sprouted back.
“Phew!”
We removed the bindings we had used to restrain him before tossing him into the Well and took a collective breath.
“It actually worked.”
“It did.”
It was a massive weight off our shoulders. Nearby, the other new arrival was slowly coming to. The Security Chief.
J3 was…
“…”
He still looked like a Security Guard. He wore the same tattered coat and cap.
*[Oh, what a pity. It seems a specific condition wasn’t met!]*
I didn’t know the reason, but I was just glad he wasn’t in agony. He was a professional, regardless.

“Looking at this group… it feels like the old days of the Field Investigation Team, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
Aside from the Security Chief, everyone here was a member of the original Team D. With Supervisor Park’s miraculous recovery, the mood was high, but I tried to make sure the Security Chief didn’t feel isolated.
“Do you… need a hand?”
“Ah… thank you.”
I accepted his help to stand, since I was still missing my legs. The Security Chief might not have cared about being left out, but he was clearly bothered by something else: the fact that he was the one who had previously torn off and eaten the Supervisor’s arms. He kept avoiding Park Minseong’s gaze. Park, however, was too overwhelmed with joy to notice.

That joy vanished the moment we explained the situation.
“An Annihilation-class? By the Bureau’s metrics, that’s…”
“Yes. It’s an Abyss Grade Darkness by company standards.”
“!! I understand.”
Faced with a top-tier urban legend, Park’s instincts as a veteran investigator kicked in. He knew exactly what had to be done.
“I just need to go into the casino and buy the ‘Roe Deer’s’ legs, right?”
“Yes. You’re the only one here not flagged for property damage.”
Supervisor Park took my remaining coins and slipped into the casino. It wasn’t long before he returned with my legs in hand. He was as efficient as ever.
“Here they are!”
“Thanks.”
I finally had my legs back at Midnight Station. I had guessed they would be in a standard pawnshop since they were seized for debt rather than lost in a VIP game. I was glad I didn’t have to burn through my Nostalgia Candy stash to go get them myself.

“So… what’s the move?”
Most of the group couldn’t set foot in the Body Casino again. There was only one path forward.
“We take the train.”
I added, “I want to wait for the specific train Ms. Goral told me about.”
*-It’s that train. Train G1572. If I can just board that one…*
I had checked the fire hydrant where Go Young-eun had pushed me, but it was empty. No body, no blood—just a single water bottle.
‘She must have boarded.’
I was certain. I wanted to find her train.
But the Security Chief spoke up slowly.
“The cars… they rotate schedules. We don’t know… how long we’d be waiting here…”
“…”
I nodded. He was right.
“Do you have a better idea?”
“My idea…?”
“Yes.”
“Well…” he said hesitantly, “since we have an objective… maybe we check a different station first? We can wait for the train there… it will have to pass through eventually…”
It was a sharp, logical assessment.
*[Oho!]*
“Then we board the next one,” Section Chief Lee Ja-heon decided.

We stepped onto the next train that pulled into Midnight Station. The cars were eerily vacant.
“…”
The only sound was the rhythmic clatter of the wheels on the tracks. Then, the intercom crackled.
*[Next stop is Midnight Night. Midnight Night Station.]*
*[The hall of records, a sanctuary for the public, the temple of ■■. Passengers for Hanbit Library, please depart here.]*

A library.
“That sounds manageable.”
“Agreed.”
It sounded much safer than a forest of nooses or a casino that dismembered its guests.
*[The doors are opening.]*
But as the doors slid back and we looked out at the platform of Midnight Night Station, we all went still.
“…Look at that.”
The station looked normal, but a single sheet of A4 paper was taped to a central pillar.

> **Sekwang Technical High School Graduation Ceremony**
> **Exit 4 —> This way!**

We were at the station for the high school.