Surviving as an Office Worker in Monster Management Bureau

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Episode 5
What is fear?

When I was younger, the unknown scared me. They often say that fear is the driving force that allowed humans to survive. It’s because we fear the unknown that we could keep death at bay.

Then, as I socialized and gained knowledge, people began to forget about fear. At least I did. If given a choice between watching ten horror movies in a row or suddenly losing all the documents I had worked on, I would undoubtedly choose the former.

But after seeing that just now, it felt like I reverted back to being a child.

“Wake up!”

I blinked my eyes wide open at the hand shaking my shoulder.

Yu Da On was looking at me with a concerned expression.

“Your face is pale. Are you okay?”

“…Yeah, well. I’m okay.”

Honestly, I wasn’t okay.

I recalled something that had been looking down at me. It couldn’t be called human, and it felt too unpleasant to call it a god.

If that were a god, I could confidently say that all religions up to now have been large-scale scams.

Ah, thinking about it again sent chills all over my body.

“I was surprised when you suddenly collapsed.”

“…You didn’t see it, did you?”

“See what?”

“If you didn’t see it, then that’s a relief.”

It seemed like Yu Da On hadn’t seen it. If that’s the case, then good. There’s no benefit to one’s mental health in having to see something like that.

“Has the containment been completed?”

“For now, it seems so.”

Yu Da On took out her manual.

“From now on, external intervention is impossible, but it says anything can happen internally.”

“What kind of things?”

“It just says ‘any kind of things.’”

Upon her words, I also took out and opened the manual.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[AA – Post-Containment]

1. After containment, no external interference is allowed, meaning any actions taken within the management department gain legitimacy and probability.

2. The most important thing is stabilizing the situation. Staff members, please protect the management agency with a sense of ownership.

※ If any excessively unethical behavior is carried out, the upper-level Human Resources Team may convene a disciplinary committee.

Sense of ownership? What kind of nonsense is that? What era do they think this is to be saying such things?

I scoffed and turned the page.

3. You may use objects and entities in the isolation room. The location of the isolation room is indicated below.

※ The management agency is not responsible for any outcomes of deaths, disability, soul destruction, or permanent bindings caused by improper use.

What in the world are they trying to say here?

Yet, they kindly mention the location of the isolation room, meaning they ultimately want you to use it.

The isolation room.

I hadn’t checked whether my eyes are applicable to containment objects. In fact, I couldn’t remember having seen anything besides a human in my life…

A blurry memory made me furrow my brows.

I guess I haven’t seen one. Yeah, that must be right.

So that’s why it was in the Human Resources Team.

“Well then, I guess we need to head to the isolation room.”

“Isn’t that where the root of this problem lies?”

“Exactly. But if it’s an external invasion, that’s a different story.”

An external assault, or is it an internal issue?

“But after hearing what Employee Jae Heon just said, it might resolve itself surprisingly quickly.”

What is this woman talking about?

Staring intently at Yu Da On, she looked back at me with eyes full of expectation.

“Can’t you use that magic eye again? Is there something wrong?”

“Ah.”

I recalled the phrase I had seen earlier.

[Critical: 1->0]

“It seems… difficult.”

“Excuse me?”

It wasn’t just the phrase. I instinctively knew that I couldn’t perform the same trick immediately.

“I need time.”

“How long?”

“Well, that’s the question.”

“…It can’t be helped then.”

With a disappointed sigh, Yu Da On adjusted the jacket I had given her.

“We need to break through with our bodies.”

“You mean, fight?”

“There’s no way to win without fighting.”

She wants me to physically confront that monster?

I had no confidence at all. After all, I wasn’t the type to rely on my body. If I were good at physical things, I would have joined the Security Team.

“I could go in!”

Yu Da On confidently suggested.

Should I say that again, just to humor you? That thought was on the tip of my tongue but never came out.

“What would happen if you get hurt?”

“Me?”

“No, if you fall, I’m dead too.”

“I can fix that with just effort!”

Was this girl really this clueless?

As I looked at Yu Da On with exasperation, she gazed back at me earnestly.

“Isn’t there another way?”

“…”

We couldn’t escape. They’d blocked any chance of us fleeing ourselves.

But is this really the right thing to do?

“…Let’s go for now.”

I don’t even understand the real state of this situation. I couldn’t sit idle while waiting for more clues. Ultimately, we had no choice but to go.

Yu Da On nodded with satisfaction and stood up.

“I’ll lead the way.”

“Go ahead.”

*

The isolation room wasn’t surprisingly far. Another fortunate point was that we didn’t encounter a single enemy on our way.

“We’re quite lucky.”

“…”

It felt strange.

The Management Agency was not a place that sleeps. Except for office staff, it operates in three shifts to manage containment objects continually, staying vigilant against any unforeseen external invasions. How could it be this quiet?

“It’s odd.”

“What is?”

“There are too few people. There should be enemies, if not corpses, but there are no signs of any.”

If there were no corpses, there should at least be bloodstains.

Since there was nothing at all, it felt like someone had laid down a path for Yu Da On and me.

Only then did Yu Da On also look around seriously, her expression turning grave.

“…That’s true.”

Pretending to pull out her gun, Yu Da On began to walk carefully, observing the surroundings, but she didn’t encounter anything until we arrived at the door of the isolation room.

“…”

“…”

It’s damned huge.

That was the thought that crossed my mind as soon as I saw the isolation room door.

Have you ever seen a bank vault? There’s a lever in the center that lets it open when you turn it.

This door stood three times that size before us.

How do we get in there? That thought didn’t even need to be considered. The door was already open.

Which meant someone had either exited the isolation room through this door or entered.

An ominous premonition surged within me.

Yu Da On likely felt the same way; she too just stared at the door, gulping nervously.

“…We have to go in, right?”

“We have to.”

Ah, I don’t want to go.

I hit my shaky knees with my fist and crossed the threshold.

The isolation room itself didn’t seem special.

Aside from a row of sturdy-looking iron doors, it looked just like an ordinary office.

One difference was the traces of fierce combat visible as soon as I crossed the threshold.

The acrid smell of gunpowder and the metallic scent of blood filled the air.

A headache was beginning.

Rubbing my temples, I looked around.

Mountains of dead bodies were stacked high. If one were to physically describe a mountain of corpses, this was the feeling.

All were wearing suits, some had expressions of agony, while others had looks of confusion as they lay sprawled.

Why hadn’t they taken their bodies?

I glanced around, hoping there might be someone alive, but every window was firmly shut.

That meant they were all dead.

The headache worsened.

Yu Da On, who had followed in behind me, gasped.

“This is…”

“They’re all dead.”

“We won, didn’t we?”

What is she saying right now?

Yu Da On let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s why there were no signs outside. We somehow held them off!”

Held them off?

I scanned above Yu Da On’s head, where a bright smile shone.

[Resurrection: Yu Da On]
[Age: 23]
[Special Trait: Immortal]
[Talent: – ]
[Background: Not being able to die, she got embroiled in a major incident from her first day on the job.]
[Weakness: Her body has completely overcome death. No physical interference can keep her bound forever. However, her mind has not yet conquered death.]

“Why so serious? Don’t worry too much—”

Yu Da On smiled at me, but suddenly stopped.

-Crack…

A sound of something splitting was heard, and with a thud, Yu Da On collapsed, turning her back to me.

The jacket I had given her was torn in half and scattered in the air.

“Ah, uh, ugh,”

Yu Da On trembled, making strange sounds.

From her head to her spine, a red line ran along her body, and she started shaking violently, uttering eerie sounds.

I recalled the man Yu Da On shot in the corridor.

A wound running from the head to the spine.

“Don’t tell me—”

Quickly, I scrutinized Yu Da On with my eyes.

[Name: Yu ? On]
[Age: 2?]
[Special Trait: Imitation? Immortal?]
[Talent: – ]
[Background: Something horrifying has entered the body of this immortal being.]
[Weakness: Please wait.]

In just that brief moment?

Aghast at the situation unfolding before me, I barely had time to react—

-Swish… A sound of something sliding could be heard.

My head throbbed to the point it felt like it would shatter.

Forcing my blurred vision into focus, I glanced ahead.

It was a person.

No, it was a larva.

The figure of a human and a larva repeatedly interchanged before my eyes.

A voice echoed in my dull mind, replaying what Yu Da On had just said.

“We somehow held them off!”

Why was Yu Da On seeing a different situation than I was?

Why?

Slowly, that thing approached.

The closer it got, the clearer it became.

This is not human. Why had I mistaken it for a human earlier?

I squinted and stared at “it.”

It was a larva, about my size.

Nasty, it wriggled and as it approached me, it glanced at Yu Da On, changing direction towards her.

Soon, a translucent window arose above what appeared to be its head.

[Name: ???]
[Age: ???]
[Special Trait: Parasite]
[Talent: Cognitive Distortion]
[Background: This has been released from confinement for certain reasons after suffering oppression from humans for a long time.]
[Weakness: An empty cart makes a loud noise.]

Now even my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Yet, I seemed to understand what it was saying.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my head, I forcibly stood, taking Yu Da On’s trembling arm and began to drag her away in the opposite direction.

If my thoughts were correct, then this was the right answer.