Chapter 92: Special Security Department

Personnel are being dispatched?

My eyes widened as I read Manager Mi’s message.

What does that even mean? I wanted to ask.

But then, everything froze.

Or at least, that’s how it felt to me.

”…”

The silence was profound, as deep as death.

Even the Demonic Mist-laden, bone-chilling wind that had been raging around us.

Even the Undead Legion and the demonic beasts of Daehwa Island, locked in fierce combat with blades, claws, and fangs.

Even Go Geonho, who had stepped forward with the resolve to sacrifice himself.

Even the Blood Mage on the mansion’s rooftop, plotting a mutual demise.

All were frozen in place like statues, motionless.

Then, abruptly, a man’s weary murmur drifted into my ears:

“Ugh, of all places to send me on assignment. A distribution site for the initial version of the Status Window? It’s been ages.”

His tone was heavy with exhaustion and world-weariness.

The image of a man with deep dark circles under his eyes and a scraggly, unkempt beard instantly materialized in my mind.

“Oh, long time no see!” A cheerful female voice followed.

“I don’t know. 150 years? 200? Maybe even longer.”

“I wasn’t even born back then!”

“What class were you in?”

“Um… isn’t it more common to ask for age rather than class here? And it’s a little shocking that you, my leader, can’t even remember that.”

“What’s the point of remembering? Half the recruits quit and transfer to other departments within a week anyway.”

“Hey, I’ve stuck around longer than most!”

“So, what class were you in?”

“The 1464th Class. I swear I’ve told you at least a hundred times.”

“Tell me another 150 times. Maybe it’ll finally sink in.”

“That’s just cruel…”

As the frivolous banter continued, utterly incongruous with the grim atmosphere of the scene, I stood motionless, surveying my surroundings.

It was bizarre.

I couldn’t even begin to fathom the location of these “beings” engaging in such trivial conversation.

Their voices didn’t seem to emanate from any specific direction. One moment they seemed to come from the west, the next from the east. Sometimes they seemed to rise from beneath the ground or descend from the sky.

I couldn’t even determine if they were speaking Korean or if my Current Status Window was automatically translating some other-dimensional language.

“Enough with the nonsense. Let’s wrap this up quickly. I want to go back and shower.”

“I thought I smelled something off.”

“Are you forgetting the week of overtime I spent cleaning up your mess?”

“My mess stinks? Heh heh.”

The banter continued unabated.

With a metallic clang, two figures materialized nearby, as if being printed into existence.

However, their exact forms were impossible to discern clearly. They clearly resembled bipedal beings, but their shapes were distorted, as if obscured by static.

The larger of the two was unmistakably the Leader, while the slightly smaller figure beside him was the Deputy Leader.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the Deputy Leader’s silhouette spoke.

“Hold on a moment.”

“What now?”

“Didn’t you set up the Police Line properly?”

“I set it up perfectly.”

“Then why is there still an active user?”

“Stop talking nonsense. I brought the Isolation Device with the exact Dimension Code. What’s your problem?”

The Leader, who had been speaking in disbelief, froze mid-sentence. Even through the distorted, static-filled image, it was easy to tell which way his head had turned.

In the frozen scene, where time seemed to have stopped, I was the only one standing perfectly still, blinking normally.

“It’s real,” he muttered.

“R-right? He’s looking right at us, isn’t he?” the Deputy Leader stammered.

“There should only be one 2.0 Version or higher target here. And he specifically set up the Police Line parameters when he deployed it.”

The two men exchanged confused glances. Meanwhile, the chat window above my head erupted with activity:

As expected of Manager Mi, the very image of incompetence.

Whatever he’d done, it seemed his blunder had thrown them into confusion.

Ignoring them and asking Manager Mi for the full story would be awkward, though.

I slowly approached the noisy, indistinct figures.

“Oh, what do we do?” the Deputy Leader stammered anxiously, fidgeting nervously.

In contrast, the Leader didn’t seem particularly tense. Instead, he casually bent at the waist and spoke.

“Greetings. Are you by any chance a Status Window user with Version 2.0 or higher?”

He skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point, trying to assess the situation.

His composure was a stark contrast to the Deputy Leader, whose panic was palpable even in silhouette.

There was no denying the authority that came with experience.

“That’s right,” I said, nodding as I studied their silhouettes.

“Ah, it seems the situation we were reported to investigate is slightly different from what we’re seeing here. We unintentionally caused you some inconvenience. We apologize,” the Leader said.

“It’s quite alright,” I replied.

Inconvenience was the least of my concerns. Their intervention had resolved the volatile situation, so gratitude was due on my part.

I surveyed the eerily frozen surroundings, where time seemed to have stopped, and continued, “More importantly, could you please explain what’s going on?”

“Hmm. Where should I even begin?”

“Oh, I’ll explain! I’m great at explaining!” the Deputy Leader piped up.

“Shut up,” the Leader snapped.

”…”

After silencing his Deputy Leader, who was making a fuss, the man continued in a low voice, “First, if you have a Status Window of Version 2.0 or higher, you’re probably aware of the Company to some extent.”

“I know that a Company exists to manage Status Windows,” I replied.

Through Manager Mi, I had learned more: the Company was divided into various departments handling Customer Service, Q&A, user monitoring, the Parsley Market, and other Status Window-related functions.

“We belong to the Company’s Special Security Department.”

Special Security Department.

Somehow, that didn’t quite fit the image of office workers sitting quietly at their desks.

“I can’t disclose the specifics of our mission, as it’s confidential. But to explain the immediate situation, we’ve been deployed here to apprehend a Status Window user who’s on the wanted list.”

“A wanted Status Window user?”

“That’s right.”

The Leader turned his head toward Azazel’s motionless figure on the mansion’s roof. “That man is wanted by the Status Window Management Company.”

“What’s the reason for the warrant?”

“I can’t elaborate on that. Suffice it to say, he attempted to profit by exploiting certain functions of the Status Window.”

I fell silent, lost in thought.

Come to think of it, I’d heard something similar from Manager Mi before.

Back when I asked her for Earth’s Dimension Code to arrange a direct trade with Ellikroid…

“Our company is far more sensitive to Status Window holders breaking the rules than regular employees.”

“If someone crosses the line too severely, a response team might be dispatched to administer ‘punishment,’ depending on the severity of the violation.”

At the time, I hadn’t taken those words to heart.

Though I knew from Manager Mi that Status Window Management Companies existed, that was the extent of my knowledge.

I’d never interacted with anyone else from the Company besides Manager Mi.

So, I’d assumed he was just making up stories to avoid work.

But then…

”…They really exist.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

I mumbled incoherently and turned my gaze toward Azazel.

“So, you’re saying that Blood Mage over there is a user wanted by your company?”

“Ah, you’re familiar with him?”

“Only slightly. I got tangled up with the Book of Fate he created.”

“Yes. We received a report about a screenshot of that Book of Fate and were dispatched here. The symbol—a hexagram with a single eye in the center—is a mark he frequently uses.”

A screenshot?

The chat window beside my head displayed a triumphant emoticon.

Aha, so that’s why Manager Mi vanished the moment she confirmed the symbol on the Heavenly Blood Book.

“We’ve been tracking him across dimensions for nearly thirty years since he slipped through our fingers. We assumed he’d eventually faded away without a trace. To think he’d be hiding in a backwater like this… My apologies. I never imagined he’d conceal himself in a dimension like this.”

“It seems it’s difficult to track someone down in a place where the Current Status Window hasn’t been properly distributed.”

“That’s likely the case,” the Leader replied casually.

This didn’t seem to be classified information.

“The author hasn’t used their Status Window even once since transmigrating to this dimension. Moreover, they bound the Book of Fate to operate entirely in a traditional manner.”

“That’s what it appeared to be.”

“Exactly. With these measures, even we would struggle to track them down. They’ve played their cards cleverly.”

With a sigh, the Leader’s form seemed to distort and waver from side to side, as if shaking his head.

And then, just at that moment, the Deputy Leader, who had been standing behind him, spoke up.

“Uh, can I say something for a moment?”

“No.”

“It’s not that. I think the Target is starting to break free from Isolation.”

The Leader and I simultaneously looked up at the mansion’s roof.

And there he was.

“H-how did you all get here…?” Azazel muttered, red light flickering from beneath his robe.

“It’s you, human! You’re the one who brought them to this land!” He fixed his crimson gaze on me, spitting the words with venomous hatred.

“Good. Today, I’ll burn every last spark of my life force to annihilate you all!”

Kwaaaaaah!

At that moment, the Demonic Blood Orb, which had been dormant within Azazel, began spinning again at a terrifying speed.

Instinctively, I knew:

If that Blood Magic were unleashed, an explosion at least as powerful as a nuclear bomb would engulf the entirety of Daehwa Island.

“Oh dear,” I muttered.

But this was a hair-trigger situation.

“We wasted too much time chatting,” the Leader said, his voice utterly devoid of tension, as if he were watching a boring movie.

“Let’s get to work,” he said.

“Yessir!” the Deputy Leader replied in a tone straight out of a cartoon.

Snap.

In the blink of an eye, they were on the mansion’s roof, standing beside Azazel’s Shinhyung.

What?!

Before the shock in Azazel’s eyes could even register, the Deputy Leader spoke calmly.

“First, let’s neutralize the hazardous material.”

As if sucked into a black hole, the crimson Demonic Blood Orb swirling in Azazel’s grasp vanished completely. The bomb, capable of obliterating Daehwa Island, disappeared without a trace.

The Deputy Leader continued in an even tone.

“Azazel von Arceus, you are hereby placed under arrest, effective immediately, in accordance with Rule 5, Article 13.”

“H-how…?”

A mumble filled with shock, disbelief, and terror.

That was Azazel’s final word.

Shuuurk!

This time, Azazel’s Shinhyung itself spiraled inward, vanishing as completely as the Demonic Blood Orb had.

Just like that, the Blood Mage was dealt with astonishing ease.

“I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I may have unintentionally caused,” the Leader said, bowing politely in my direction.

“It’s quite alright,” I replied.

To be honest, I found it difficult to say much more. With so many thoughts swirling through my mind, maintaining a poker face was already a considerable challenge.

“And we’ve just confirmed that you were the one who reported the wanted criminal.”

“To be precise—”

“Technically, Manager Mi from the Status Window Management Company filed the report, but ultimately, it amounts to the same thing. Thank you for your cooperation in apprehending the suspect. This is the best token of gratitude we can offer at this time.”

Immediately afterward…

Huh?

The exhaustion that had been gripping my body due to the depletion of demonic blood and Mana suddenly vanished, leaving me feeling as light as a feather.

Checking my Status Window, I saw that my depleted Mana had been fully restored. The Body Information Window, which had been constantly flashing warnings, had also quieted down.

“You’ll likely lose consciousness as soon as the Isolation is lifted,” the Leader said. “Even for those with a Status Window of Version 2.0 or higher, moving around in this environment is beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human. But please rest as comfortably as possible.”

With these words, the Leader bowed deeply once more. This time, the Deputy Leader, who had quietly positioned himself beside him, joined in the bow.

“We’ll be taking our leave now. You may receive a survey through your Status Window later. Please make sure to check it carefully when it appears.”

…A survey at the end? Leave it to the Status Window Management Company to ruin the atmosphere at the last moment.

“Understood. Thank you for your hard work,” I said.

Naturally, I had countless questions I wanted to ask.

But I knew with absolute certainty that no matter what I said, they wouldn’t answer any of the things I was truly curious about.

“Yes. We hope you’ll continue to make full use of your Status Window in the future.”

Immediately afterward, with a crackling static, the two Shinhyung figures before me dissipated like dust in the wind.

Instead, voices echoed from all directions:

“How was it? Perfect this time, right?”

“No. You messed up again.”

“What the hell are you babbling about now?!”

“It’s Rule 3, Article 15, not Rule 5, Article 13.”

“Gasp.”

The voices exchanging their pointless banter gradually faded into silence.

Then, at some point, a cold breeze tickled my cheek.

“Take Miss Serin inside. Hunter Taejun, I’ll handle this…” Go Geonho, who had stepped forward with a determined expression, trailed off, staring in confusion at the empty roof of the grand mansion.

The roar of a demonic beast.

The clattering of Undead bones.

The deafening crash of the burning Heavenly Bloodwood tree collapsing.

Time began to move again.

As my vision dimmed, I whispered softly, “It’s gone, Lord of the Nine Heavens.”

So I’ll rest for a while too.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in bed, bathed in sunlight. Go Geonho must have carried me, unconscious, all the way back to the mansion.

[ Good morning, Taegoon-nim! ] Manager Mi greeted me.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe.”

What do you expect from someone who just woke up from being knocked out?

Just then, Manager Mi sent me another message:

Status Window?

Come to think of it, there was a small, flickering window in the corner of my vision the moment I opened my eyes.

Could this be the “survey” the Special Security Department had mentioned earlier?

With a shrug, I expanded the Status Window.

“Huh?”

My jaw dropped.

Azazel was a wanted criminal.

Which meant…

If I reported him and helped with his capture, I’d naturally receive a reward.

“This is kind of a jackpot.”

The bounty amount flashed before my eyes.