Chapter 33: The Anomaly Response Headquarters
The Heavenly Ordeal Sect never gave up.
Like a certain organization that keeps targeting Electric Rats* every week only to face explosions and still persists, the Heavenly Ordeal Sect did not falter even after being beaten up for targeting the successor of the Ilwol-Oakmoon Sect or being terrorized by the Heavenly Demon Cult for daring to aim at their precious figures.
“There’s no other choice now.”
“If you say there’s no other choice...?”
The leader of the Heavenly Ordeal Sect, Nagu, muttered under her breath.
Her eyes were bloodshot red.
“We’ll use the government. We’ll bury Yoo Hajin using the Anomaly Response Headquarters’ website.”
The Anomaly Response Headquarters website.
A top-tier anomaly coveted even by the Cheonji for its management rights.
Nagu decided to utilize it.
The origin of the Anomaly Response Headquarters website went like this:
It was a week after the day of spiritual awakening.
Psychics attempted to overturn the government by storming into government departments, killing high-ranking officials one by one to force the government’s surrender.
Among those trapped in the building was a girl named Lee Sehwa, known as a genius hacker. She was there to receive an award for winning first place in a national hacking competition hosted by the government.
But as she witnessed people dying in front of her, and even her sister, a government official, was tortured to death over an hour for trying to protect her, invoking the wrath of psychics, the girl went mad.
To go mad means to come to a realization.
Being mad, the girl fully comprehended her fundamental vow.
On the day of the massacre, the girl looked up at the sky.
The sky was so blue, and not a single drop of rain fell.
Realizing everything, the girl began her vow with a voice filled with madness.
“I vow as a shaman who resonates with all the information in the world!!! I offer my life, my soul, everything I am as a sacrifice to create a single piece of information!!! Information that will overpower those demons!!!”
The girl couldn’t finish her words.
Before she could, her body completely vanished.
In place of her body, a site appeared in the internet world.
The name of that site was the Anomaly Response Headquarters website.
A site where methods to deal with anomalies are generated on their own.
A site that also generates information about psychics and anomalies.
And a site that can distort that information.
Even now, the names of the psychics who stormed in that day are displayed in a wiki-document format on the Anomaly Response Headquarters website. The document still contains content that blatantly distorts the truth with hatred and curses, left unedited.
And the content of that document became a reality in the physical world.
The psychics suffered endlessly, unable to die.
The Anomaly Response Headquarters website.
And the girl who moves the digital world centered around that site.
That girl was the actual head of the Anomaly Response Headquarters.
She is known among the psychics by the derogatory nickname “Judag*.”
Nagu, the leader of the Heavenly Ordeal Sect, thought of that girl and frowned.
“Right, the head of the Anomaly Response Headquarters is hostile towards psychics without even understanding the subject.”
“Then, leader...”
“However, the current South Korean government is at its weakest. They desperately need our help. They wouldn’t refuse our offer to distort Yoo Hajin’s information in exchange for our assistance.”
Yoo Hajin was a powerful psychic, recognized as a successor of the Ilwol-Oakmoon Sect and respected by the Heavenly Demon Cult. It was clear why the head of the Anomaly Response Headquarters would harbor unjustified hatred towards him.
If the price is right, Nagu wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate Yoo Hajin’s information. After calculating her moves, she headed to the Anomaly Response Headquarters.
Upon hearing of the arrival of the Heavenly Ordeal Sect’s leader, Lee Dok-jun, the director of information, immediately served her tea in a private room.
A director-level position. He was practically the top executive of the Anomaly Response Headquarters, mockingly referred to as “Pathetic.”
“So, you’re saying that if we manipulate the information of one psychic, the Heavenly Ordeal Sect will fully support our government?”
“Exactly.”
Nagu internally criticized the cheap quality of the tea she was served.
Even if it wasn’t tea leaves that cost hundreds of thousands for a single brew, it should at least be of a quality where one could discern its origin.
As Nagu suppressed her dissatisfaction, Lee Dok-jun inquired about their target.
“Who is this person?”
“His name is Yoo Hajin. He may look like a young man, but whether he truly is young is uncertain.”
“Wait, Yoo Hajin...?”
As Lee Dok-jun trailed off,
Nagu pulled out a photo from her pocket.
It was a photo of Yoo Hajin.
The CCTV in the room observed it, and something in the electronic sea connected to the CCTV saw it too.
Yoo Hajin.
The girl sleeping in the electronic sea remembered that name.
The only being in this world she could look upon without feeling displeasure.
Judag, as the head of the Anomaly Response Headquarters was called, despised all psychics in this world.
The stronger the psychic power, the greater the hatred, but that didn’t mean she liked those with weaker powers.
After all, the girl was born from hatred towards psychics.
However, after the day of spiritual awakening, everyone in the world possessed some degree of spiritual power, however slight. Thus, Judag couldn’t help but dislike the human race.
Yet, she protected the South Korean government because the position of head of the Anomaly Response Headquarters was her reason for existence. Without that purpose, humanity would have faced the worst information contamination in history.
Despite her hatred for humanity, the girl protected them.
Judag eventually found someone.
A human she didn’t need to hate.
His name was said to be Yoo Hajin.
<Question: Why can’t I feel hatred towards this person?>
<Hypothesis: It might be because he is a human without spiritual power.>
<Counterargument: It’s impossible for a human to be without spiritual power.>
The girl had not yet come to a conclusion about this question.
But she was determined to find an answer someday.
At that moment, the leader of the Heavenly Ordeal Sect made a pathetic request.
“Please manipulate the information about this Yoo Hajin. Use the most miserable and pathetic phrases you can. If you do, the Heavenly Ordeal Sect will support you.”
Hearing this, Judag muttered under her breath.
<Anger. Those who antagonize the administrator are enemies of the Anomaly Response Headquarters. Initiating interception against the enemy.>
Yoo Hajin, he was her “Pathetic*.”
To mess with her “Pathetic” was to be hostile towards her.
Content about the Heavenly Ordeal Sect began to be edited within the Anomaly Response Headquarters website.
===
Heavenly Ordeal Sect.
A group of psychics in South Korea.
Known as the worst trash of an organization...
===
At that moment, Nagu felt an information contamination pouring over the Heavenly Ordeal Sect.
Information was being implanted in her mind that the Heavenly Ordeal Sect was a trash group filled with second-rate thugs and that their assets were on the brink of bankruptcy due to foolish investments.
Nagu shouted in surprise.
“What is this madness?! How dare you attack us?!”
“Ah, it seems the head of the Response Headquarters has taken action. That’s the price for messing with our website administrator. Yoo Hajin is an honorary website administrator of our headquarters website.”
“What nonsense. Yoo Hajin is a powerful psychic, one you hate! And now an honorary website administrator?!”
Hearing Nagu’s outcry, Lee Dok-jun’s face turned cold. Seeing his expression, Nagu could only flinch and stand up from her seat.
“We don’t hate psychics.”
Lee Dok-jun said.
“We hate psychics who threaten the safety of our citizens. And administrator Yoo Hajin is our hero who has saved more of our citizens than anyone else.”
Hearing those mad words, Nagu quickly made her exit.
These people were not normal.
Nagu bit her lip tightly as she searched for the Rolls-Royce she had arrived in. But her Rolls-Royce had already been switched to a kia Morning car.
Seeing her chauffeur sitting dazed in the Morning, Nagu couldn’t contain her anger and shouted.
“You fools!!!”
* * *
“Who’s badmouthing me?”
I’m on the hunt for a part-time job, yet my ears are strangely itching.
They say it happens when someone’s talking behind your back.
“Nayu with a bored expression.”
As I lay browsing my phone, Nayu, who was beside me, started fidgeting and edged closer to me.
Every time Nayu, clad in a tank top, innocently flashed a bit of skin, I couldn’t help but look away.
A beauty with a vacant expression, clear eyes as blue as the sky, and sky-blue hair.
She’s just so, so pretty.
And the hair doesn’t even feel out of place, as if it’s dyed.
And the curves of her body, so beautiful...
I discreetly pulled up the blanket.
Get a grip, Yoo Hajin!!!
Are you getting hot and bothered over someone who’s out of their mind?!!!
In my head, I started singing the national anthem*.
“Nayu with a curious expression.”
“What, what are you curious about?”
But Nayu, oblivious to my inner turmoil, slowly started to approach.
“Na, Nayu?”
“Nayu with a curious expression!”
Creeeak-
Suddenly, Nayu tried to lift my blanket.
What, what’s this? Nayu’s craziness kicking in at this moment?
I jumped up from my lying position, leaping over Nayu, and rushed outside with just my slippers on.
“That was close.”
Is my phone alright?
I glanced at the smartphone screen.
It seemed uncracked.
“Wait. This part-time job looks decent?”
The smartphone screen displayed a listing for a part-time job.
It was a delivery job.
But not just any delivery job, one that offered a high rate for skirting dangerous ghost spots.
Without hesitation, I pressed the accept button.
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
[TN: Electric Rats: This is a reference to Pikachu and Team Rocket from pokémon anime.
Pathetic: Here pathetic is referring to the website administrator.
Judag '주딱': This is an internet term used on the DCInside website which is a Korean internet forum, referring to the owner of a gallery( this is kind of a sub-reddit where user can post images). The meaning varies slightly depending on the nature of the gallery, but it is similar to the metaphorical use of the term "cult leader" in everyday life.
Singing the national anthem: Korean men usually say or do this when they want to change their attention from someone or something or any 'strange situation'.
