WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 21: A Private Investigation Request

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The main topic of Han Yujin's call with the official in charge was, unexpectedly, not his knowledge. It was the “practicum” he needed to complete in connection with a Hunter vocational school.

“At the soonest, there's an E-rank Rift practicum in three days. Would you be willing to take part? If not, there'll be another E-rank Rift practicum in about a month.”

“I haven't received any preliminary training yet. Is it okay to go straight into a practicum?”

“I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally think you'll be fine, Mr. Han Yujin. You're a prospective A-rank Hunter, after all. The practicum site is among the safer E-rank Rifts, safe enough for students to enter.”

“Hmm.”

“You can decide whenever you're comfortable. As you said, receiving preliminary training before participating in a practicum is the formal route.”

The official seemed remarkably flexible for a government employee. It was as though everything would be fine as long as they coordinated properly and avoided any problems.

Or perhaps, being familiar with Rifts, the official was simply certain that something like this would not cause any problems.

“Then please schedule me for three days from now. How many practicums do I need to complete in total?”

“Normally, you'd need to complete around three. But Administrative Officer Oh Taemin will accompany you as an evaluator, so the number may be reduced.”

“It can be reduced?”

“In principle, if your evaluation is good, it can be reduced as much as necessary. Usually, though, the number increases rather than decreases for other people.”

“Ah.”

After hearing more, Han Yujin learned that it was unusual for a civil servant from the Special Ability Management Bureau to participate directly as an evaluator. Normally, instructors from Hunter vocational schools evaluated outside participants as well.

Naturally, Han Yujin could not help realizing that he was receiving special treatment.

The conversation then turned to the preliminary training that was normally part of the formal process before a practicum.

There were two options. One was to apply for the evening class at a Hunter vocational school and begin training in a week. The other was to follow an educational program at the Special Ability Verification and Training Center, which would open in about forty days.

There was supposedly no difference in the content, evaluation methods, or difficulty between the two.

“I'll go with the Hunter vocational school's evening class. It starts sooner.”

“Yes. I'll submit the application and let you know the result.”

“Yes, please.”

The call ended without any further discussion of Han Yujin's knowledge.

'It seems like they don't want to make me feel pressured by rushing me.'

They would probably bring it up casually when they met in person on the day of the practicum. It was only three days away, after all.

After thinking a little longer about the practicum and preliminary training, Han Yujin inwardly shook his head as he recalled the investigation into Yeongwon High School that he had failed to mention.

'I can't suddenly ask them to investigate it.'

It would have been different if an acquaintance had been involved, but requesting a private investigation from a well-known official of the Special Ability Management Bureau without any real reason seemed inappropriate no matter how he thought about it.

'But put another way, if I have a plausible lead, I might be able to get the Special Ability Management Bureau involved...'

If he made good use of the special treatment he was receiving, he might be able to accumulate a considerable amount of Karma. That was, if the reason such a powerful ghost as Wonhui had been born was something substantial enough to warrant the Special Ability Management Bureau's involvement.

And if, by some chance, that place was connected even slightly to the emergence or progression of the Ghost Apocalypse, he would be able to gain far more Karma than expected.

After considering several options, Han Yujin checked his bank account balance on his smartphone.

It was enough for an ordinary university student to live on for a month or two, but far too little to carry out what he had in mind.

'Should I take out a loan?'

Having obtained a Basic Certification, he could receive a fairly decent loan even without a proper job. It was part of a government welfare policy for Awakened, so the interest rate was very low.

He decided to take out a loan without much hesitation. In the past, he would have spent a long time worrying over it, but confidence in the future he could build with his awakened ability made the decision easier.

The series of events he had experienced through that ability had also strengthened his decisiveness. He woke up in reality afterward, but he had still experienced death several times. Becoming a little bolder was perhaps only natural.

'I'll be earning a lot in the future. If there's a chance I can gain Karma with money, I shouldn't hesitate now.'

Having made his decision, he searched online for a good detective agency.

If he wanted to investigate something efficiently, it was only natural to seek out professionals.

Especially if he did not want to devote himself entirely to the task.

* * *

When there was a lot to do, time passed quickly.

Since he planned to take out a loan, he visited the bank early the next day. Though nothing had been officially decided, he had already made up his mind to sign a contract with the Special Ability Management Bureau, so he began preparing in advance as well.

First, he chose Flame Projectile Art and Jade Skin Art, organized their contents separately, and saved them onto a USB drive. He could hardly hand over the books he had obtained from the Five Elements Sect ruins as they were.

He also needed to add his own annotations to the dharma patterns. Once he began organizing everything, he realized that it was far from a light task. He could only treat the work as a chance to study while reviewing the material.

'It's all for Karma.'

He needed Karma to use his awakened ability and grow as quickly as before. Once he grew stronger, all the things that felt difficult and troublesome now would be resolved smoothly.

He also could not neglect his studies of the Five Elements Celestial Escape Art and Five Elements Arts.

Naturally, he considered using his awakened ability.

Before that, though, he was too curious about whether he could open the Door to Earth Just Before the Apocalypse. When he tried, he failed miserably.

'Why did it fail?'

Based on how he understood his ability so far, it should have succeeded. Yet he had felt uncertain from the start, and the Door had once again become fixed on Earth After the Apocalypse.

'Is it impossible to fix the Door wherever I want? Or is there a clear reason I can't go to a time before the apocalypse?'

One possibility that came to mind was that Earth After the Apocalypse really was the future of this Earth. Perhaps he could not fix the Door to a time before the apocalypse because Han Yujin himself was still alive there.

If he could fix the Door even in that situation, two Han Yujins would exist in the same world.

'If even that were possible, it would mean I could use my awakened ability to do all kinds of unbelievable things...'

Han Yujin shook his head.

The more he thought about it, the more complicated it became. It was a time paradox that felt as though it had to be impossible under the laws of the universe.

In any case.

Since revisiting the incredibly dangerous world of Earth After the Apocalypse was out of the question, he immediately left the Waiting Area. He still felt that his mind had not fully recovered, so he could simply consider it another day or two of rest.

The next morning, after waking up, he visited the detective agency he had found online, paid, and booked the previous day.

After riding the bus for about an hour, he arrived at a busy district in central Seoul. The agency was on the second floor of a respectable building, the sort of place where he would not have expected to find a detective agency.

Because he had made a reservation, Han Yujin was immediately guided to a consultation room, where he met one of the agency's team managers.

The man looked to be in his mid-to-late forties and had the appearance of an ordinary office worker. However, he had an exceptionally sturdy build, and the hand that gripped Han Yujin's when offering a handshake was remarkably strong.

'He's different from what I expected...'

Han Yujin had imagined a detective from a drama, a somewhat shabby man who staked out a car to investigate someone's affair, then snapped photographs of a couple leaving a motel.

But the person before him gave the impression that he could easily handle rougher and more illegal work than that.

“I'm Kang Taehyeok, Team 1 Manager at Owl Private Investigation. What brings you here?”

As he spoke, he placed a booklet in front of Han Yujin. It seemed to introduce the other detectives in the agency and the kinds of investigations they had handled.

Instead of looking through it, Han Yujin got directly to the point.

“I need information about the foundation behind Yeongwon High School. More specifically, the cult that established that foundation.”

He then gave the address of Yeongwon High School. There were several other high schools across the country whose names had the same pronunciation but different meanings.

“What kind of information do you mean? Are you looking for someone?”

“No. I want everything about that religion. Where its church buildings are, approximately how many followers it has, its assets and social influence, how many core figures there are and who they are, what its doctrine is, whether it performs any special rituals, and if it does, what form and purpose those rituals have. Everything.”

“Hmm... The more specific your purpose, the easier the investigation will be. Why do you need that information?”

“I think there may be a serious problem there. Not simple tax evasion or exploiting followers' property. Something more serious.”

“If it's more serious, then roughly what kind of...?”

“I don't know that much. That's why I came here.”

“Hmm.”

Han Yujin had no choice but to say that. He judged that making up a plausible reason could instead interfere with the investigation.

Unfortunately, that made him sound as though he was voicing a completely baseless delusion, and Team 1 Manager Kang Taehyeok wore a slightly ambiguous smile.

Still, he did not look ready to refuse the job.

“This sounds more interesting than an ordinary affair investigation. We can conduct a broad investigation, but the problem is the cost.”

“How much would it be?”

“The scope of information you want is so broad... How about starting at two million won per day? If more personnel become necessary as the investigation progresses, the cost would increase accordingly.”

Two million won per day.

And the cost could rise depending on the progress of the investigation.

It immediately felt expensive. Even compared with the industry's average rates he had checked online, it was by no means cheap.

Still, considering that the subject of the investigation was not ordinary, and that they had to gather broad information without even knowing the exact reason for the investigation, it did not feel entirely like a rip-off.

'Well... there were a few reviews saying they were skilled but expensive.'

He had already prepared himself for it to be somewhat costly. It would have been better if he had come after actively working as a Hunter and had more money, but if that happened, he could simply come back and commission them again.

As he fell silent to think, Kang Taehyeok made another offer.

“If you think it's too expensive, we can cut the price by more than half and conduct a simpler investigation. You said it was a major issue, so I set the fee that way to conduct an in-depth investigation.”

“No, don't lower it. I'll pay two million won per day. About how many days would it take before the overall picture becomes clear?”

“Let's proceed for about a week to ten days. We'll send the results by email every evening, and if there's anything you're dissatisfied with, you can make additional requests.”

“Then let's start with one week.”

“You won't be disappointed. Our fees are a little steep, but there's a reason for that.”

With a broad smile, he instructed another employee to bring the contract.

Han Yujin hoped this investigation would not end up being wasted effort. Regardless of whether he would have plenty of money in the future, wasting it could not feel good.

Even if it was not connected to the Ghost Apocalypse, it would not be a loss if they found something that could build Karma. For example, an ugly hidden side of the cult worth reporting to the media.

* * *

For now, the investigation into Yeongwon High School was only a secondary goal.

What would reliably build Karma was beginning serious Hunter work after completing the practicum, preliminary training, and other steps. He would prepare to spread knowledge at the same time.

If he distributed the basic spells well, he should be able to achieve his intended goal.

For the time being, he intended to teach the Returning to the Origin Art while completely omitting the part that elevated the soul into a Dharma Soul. The body and soul cultivation method that included Purification Art and Clear Mind Art was valuable enough on its own.

'I don't need to rush alone for no reason.'

As he had thought before, spreading knowledge inevitably took time.

Perhaps he would eventually reveal everything, but he had plenty of room to adjust according to the situation. Teaching everything in a hurry would not make its effects appear any faster.

In any case.

Today was the day of the practicum conducted in cooperation with the Hunter vocational school.

With the help of Purification Art and the like, he quickly got ready to leave. He exited his studio apartment building and headed to the main road, where he had agreed to meet them. It was the spot where Officer Oh had dropped him off before.

After waiting a moment while exchanging a few messages on his smartphone, he got into Officer Oh's car. In addition to the familiar officer, there was a woman in the front passenger seat. Han Yujin knew at once that she was Kang Mina, the official assigned to him.

She looked as young as her voice had sounded, and her short haircut suited her well. She also gave off an elite air no less pronounced than Officer Oh's.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just came out.”

After exchanging the usual greetings, Han Yujin got into the back seat, and the car soon pulled away smoothly.

Originally, he had said he would use public transportation, but Officer Oh stubbornly insisted that they were going the same way, so Han Yujin accepted.

Honestly, it was more convenient.

After greeting Kang Mina, whom he was meeting for the first time, their conversation naturally drifted into small talk.

Before long, the topic smoothly shifted to Han Yujin's knowledge.

“So, have you given it some thought?”

“Yes. I plan to sign a contract with the Special Ability Management Bureau.”

“Excellent! You definitely won't be disappointed.”

While keeping his attention on the road, Officer Oh could not hide how pleased he was.

Knowledge from someone who had displayed the abilities of an A-rank Hunter immediately after awakening was certainly worth being pleased about. It was probably no small achievement.

'Even if I don't join them completely, I think having ties to the Special Ability Management Bureau will make it easier to build Karma.'

That was another of Han Yujin's thoughts.

Because of his clear answer, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Officer Oh and Kang Mina kept the conversation going as though showing off their social skills, drawing Han Yujin into it.

It felt like small talk, but he gained a fair amount of useful information about Hunter work, so Han Yujin could not help concentrating.

After traveling for around an hour and a half, including one stop at a rest area, the three arrived at a place on the western outskirts of Seoul known as a Rift Terminal.

Numerous Rift Inducers had been installed there, drawing in and opening just as many Rifts. It was a facility operated through a great invention that had contributed enormously to the stability of human civilization.

Of course, not every Rift could be guided there perfectly. Still, without even such an invention, society as a whole would not be nearly as peaceful as it was now.

They parked in one section of the lot and entered the terminal.

The structure and materials made it feel like a fortress that had sacrificed some exterior elegance. Soldiers stood guard throughout the facility with guns loaded with live ammunition, and many people who were clearly Hunters wore various weapons and armor.

For Han Yujin, who was visiting for the first time, it felt as though he had briefly entered another world through his awakened ability.

'So this is the Hunters' world.'

Feeling slightly excited, he continued following Officer Oh.

As expected, the authority of a Grade 5 civil servant from the Special Ability Management Bureau was formidable even here, and they passed through every procedure with almost no delay.

Afterward, they headed to the place where the Hunter vocational school students had already arrived and were waiting.

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