Humanity Protection Company

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: posted in discord

Join the discord! Here

Yeonwoo popped out of thin air. The Investigation Team members, who had been leisurely enjoying their day, were startled. Suddenly moving through space was clearly the work of an anomalous entity.

"What the-!"

The team leader frantically grabbed a land contract, Ji-yoo pulled out a natural-looking vest, and Jae-min threw his mouse while playing a game.

The team members, who had been staring at Yeonwoo with wide eyes, now looked suspicious. The team leader spoke:

"...Is that you, Yeonwoo? We didn't see you this morning."

It was the wariness befitting investigators, and they were ordinary people he hadn't seen in a while. After encountering all sorts of monsters like directors and Level 6 entities, Yeonwoo smiled warmly.

"Yes, it's me. I had some business to attend to, so I stepped out for a bit."

The investigators trembled at that smile. This wasn't like him. The friendly smile was so unnatural it was creepy. It felt like something inhuman trying to imitate a person.

"As the owner of this building, I command any unwelcome guests to reveal themselves!"

They reacted instantly. The team leader invoked the power of the contract and drew his gun. Ji-yoo quickly put on the fluorescent vest and threw some to the team leader and Jae-min.

All this happened in a flash, and only Jae-min, who could see parents, grasped the situation. Yeonwoo's parents were the same as usual. Jae-min hurriedly shouted:

"Team leader! It's really him... Or is it?"

Jae-min's voice trailed off.

The power of the contract enveloped Yeonwoo. He didn't resist.

Swish-

The possibility of appearing in human form unraveled, and threads of probability sprouted over his face. Yeonwoo quickly raised his hands before the team leader could fire.

"It really is me. I reached Level 6, and I just came back from work related to that."

"...Level 6?"

The team leader tilted his head. He'd heard the term before. An extremely dangerous threat or the leader of a hostile group. If he'd reached that level, he should naturally go to headquarters for various discussions, but...

Yeonwoo awkwardly smiled as he returned to his human face.

"So I came to say goodbye, among other things."

Click, the team leader lowered his gun and contract. The other investigators slowly sat down too, pushing aside the fluorescent vests.

They realized it was Yeonwoo. They looked hurt, as if they'd never pointed guns at him.

"You're going to headquarters? Well, if you've reached Level 6, that's what you should do."

"Wow. So you must be super strong now, right? Can I call you if something big happens later?"

Yeonwoo scratched his head. Then he slowly reached out. He could feel the threads of probability. Those threads were the probability of the investigators dying.

"I'll give you a little blessing right now."

"What blessing? No need. We've already received plenty, why give more?"

Even as the team leader waved his hand dismissively, Yeonwoo concentrated all his senses on his palm.

'Oh. So I can use it like this too.'

He grasped the probability of the team leader dying. But upon closer inspection, that one thread was composed of numerous thin threads.

Random probabilities of death. If he unraveled that single thread like untying a knot, it separated into heart attack, natural death, gunshot, and so on.

One vague thread was made up of several detailed threads.

After gauging those threads for a moment, Yeonwoo made a subtle expression, then quickly felt for Ji-yoo and Jae-min's possibilities too.

"Huh. Your chances of dying are really low."

As expected of investigators. Their chances of encountering accidents or anomalous entities were high, but their chances of dying were almost non-existent.

The investigators, who had been curiously watching the threads wriggling on Yeonwoo's palm, suddenly panicked. They grasped the situation quickly.

"Uh, uh, uh. Yeonwoo. Don't do anything. If you mess with that wrong, we might die right now!"

"Stop!"

"Hey!"

Their deaths were in Yeonwoo's hands. Surely Yeonwoo wouldn't kill them, but just having their lives physically manifested like this was terribly unsettling. It felt like having their hearts exposed.

Empathizing with that feeling, Yeonwoo quickly released the threads.

"Um, well. If your life is in danger, please call me. I'll move through space right away to find you."

Probabilities were fluid, and even if he manipulated them now, new ones could form in the future.

At his words that he'd come to rescue them with just one phone call, the investigators wore expressions mixed with guilt and gratitude.

"Thanks. That's reassuring."

"Wow. We've got a Level 6 acquaintance now. Can I brag about this?"

At that point, Yeonwoo felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Jae-min, who had approached without him noticing, his eyes trembling as he spoke:

"Can you maybe... use that to make me a normal person?"

He had been born an anomalous entity. He'd suffered hardships at a young age when caught by the company, though it was because he'd recklessly thrown out parent-related insults and gotten caught, but he wanted to be a real human, not a monster.

'Isn't being an anomalous entity a good thing? Plus, it's a useful ability for detecting anomalous entities.'

Not understanding why he wanted to lower his own survival ability, Yeonwoo blinked before slowly reaching out. He stirred the air, finding the probability.

"It's possible, but... do you really want me to?"

If he could create ordinary domains, there was no reason he couldn't apply it to a single entity.

Yeonwoo seemed somewhat reluctant. Jae-min pressed his lips together for a moment before opening them with determination.

"I'd rather be normal than some kind of mons-"

"Jae-min. If you become a normal person, you'll have to go to the military."

"An anomalous entity that detects monsters is better. I always liked this ability. It's special, you know?"

In an instant, his stance completely changed.

Going to the military VS living as he had been. The answer was obviously the latter. Racial identity wasn't even a factor to consider.

Ji-yoo looked dumbfounded at Jae-min, who had shamelessly changed his tune, while the team leader clicked his tongue.

"The company won't bother solving your military problem if you're not an anomalous entity."

Because he was an anomalous entity that could detect parents, they helped him substitute company work for military service, like an industrial specialist. If he was just a normal person, there'd be none of that.

Unexpectedly, those words hit Yeonwoo hard.

"...You don't have to go to the military if you're an anomalous entity?"

"Why would they send someone who might cause an accident to the military?"

No. No. Yeonwoo's mouth opened and closed.

'I think I was originally an anomalous entity too.'

He'd felt it after reaching Level 6 with both: the survival instinct seemed to have been inside him from the start. It was just sleeping safely without any accidents, then woke up and evolved as he experienced serious incidents.

'No. I didn't have to go to the military? I didn't even have to prepare for the civil service exam and could have just joined the company?'

It was unfair. Really unfair. In the end, Yeonwoo's face contorted as he cursed the company for no reason.

'They found Jae-min just fine, so why couldn't they find me? If they'd found me earlier, I wouldn't have had to go to the military or get a job. No, ah.'

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment as Yeonwoo stuck out his lips like a duck, but the team leader clapped his hands to clear the air.

"Well, let's go eat some meat. To send Yeonwoo off."

And so they chatted until evening before heading out in a group for a company dinner.

------

It was around dusk when the sky was growing dark. The Investigation Team members strolled leisurely through the city streets. Being outside, they were careful with their words as they conversed.

"So I decided to start a new business. It's called Survival Agency."

"That name is..."

Survival Agency didn't seem like a proper name at all. It seemed Yeonwoo lacked a sense for naming things. The Gambling Eradication Center was the same.

Ji-yoo's eyes lit up.

"Do you need people there by any chance? I want to change jobs."

The desire to take a different path from her family of office workers welled up inside her.

Yeonwoo nodded. Weren't investigators masters of survival? Of course, they would be suitable talent for Survival Agency.

"We do need people. It's too much for me alone, after all."

"...But what would I do there?"

"Monitoring? Administration? I don't know. How many people do we need and what kind of positions."

He'd never done administrative work, so he had no idea. Seeing Yeonwoo's troubled expression, Ji-yoo fell into thought.

At that point, they arrived at the meat restaurant. It was just a place near the office.

"Let's go in..."

Jae-min opened the door first and held up four fingers. Four people.

"Uh..."

But Jae-min slowly lowered his hand. The moment he crossed the threshold, the world changed. The ordinary meat restaurant transformed into a bizarre one with bright red lights.

Everyone following him stopped at the door.

In the visible kitchen, something that looked human was hanging from hooks, and the chef wielding a large Chinese cleaver was wearing some strange skin.

It was an anomalous entity. Both spatial and entity types.

"..."

"..."

Tension settled on the investigators' faces. They were sharp as blades. Their hands moved towards their weapons.

The chef wearing skin chuckled. The cleaver stained with blood scattered an eerie light.

"Fresh ingredients have arrived. Good, good. One human female, one young human male. One old one. And..."

Yeonwoo rubbed his face. An emotion of utter annoyance radiated from his entire body.

'Ah, what now? How annoying.'

A farewell party? A send-off? Whatever it was, it was supposed to be a good occasion, and this was ruining it?

He gave up on his human form. Threads of probability covered his face. Yeonwoo strode forward and sat down in any seat.

"Order."

"...Yes! What would you like?"

The chef had already put down his knife and politely clasped his hands. There was a monster in front of him. Something on a different level from himself.

The investigators glanced around before sitting near Yeonwoo, and Jae-min spoke:

"There's no menu here."

What accident could happen with Yeonwoo here? The chef's attitude alone explained everything. Jae-min didn't miss the chance to tease this evil anomalous entity that killed people.

"Maybe it's because it's an anomalous entity without par-"

"Shut up!"

Ji-yoo quickly covered his mouth. He needed to be careful; why was he spouting unnecessary mean words?

For a moment, the chef gripped the cleaver tightly, but then jumped in shock at Yeonwoo's gaze. An awkward smile appeared.

"I don't know how to write letters or numbers..."

"Hamburger."

Yeonwoo slammed the table. The chef was bewildered.

"Sir, this is a meat restaurant-"

"Hamburger."

"But that's-"

"Hamburger."

The chef fell silent, then spoke with difficulty:

"What kind of burger would you like me to make?"

"Just a hamburger. If I don't like it, you die."

Yeonwoo clenched his fist. Several nearby tables and chairs disappeared. Without any sound, as if time had stopped and then resumed.

The chef started moving desperately.

---