TRC 06

Chapter 06…

Gate Management Bureau.

An organization established three years ago when the gates first appeared.

The problem?
No one wanted to work there.

Why?

“Why else? The work is brutally hard and dangerous, but the pay’s the same as any other government job.”

And lately, the frequency of unpredicted gate appearances had been steadily increasing.

That meant one thing: a manpower shortage.

“The current staff are probably being worked to death. A good number have likely quit already.”

They were desperate—so desperate they’d probably even accept help from a cat if it could hold a weapon.

That’s why I thought Seo Gyeoul would definitely accept my proposal.

But I was wrong.

There was something that exceeded even my regression-based expectations.

“I’m not sure why you’re making that offer, Mr. Kang Siwoo, but we have no information about you whatsoever.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Even if you’re an Irregular, all you’ve done so far is clear a single low-rank gate. And to sign an official contract with the Gate Management Bureau, your level must be at least 20—”
“No, no, Ms. Seo Gyeoul…”

That was it—Seo Gyeoul’s almost perverse meticulousness.

“Does she really have to be this nitpicky just to hire one part-timer?”

I rubbed my forehead and tried to refocus the conversation.

“First off… I’m not trying to sign a contract with the Gate Bureau.”
“Then what did you mean just now?”
“Exactly what I said—part-time work. To be frank, I’d like to make a deal with you, Ms. Seo.”
“With… me? Then that’s even more impossible. As a public servant, I can’t engage in personal—”
“Hold on, just hear me out first.”

I’d planned to do this with her—but at this point, I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

You can do this. You can do this. You have to—if you want to get that thing.

Even though I felt like my chest might explode if I talked to her any longer, I steadied my voice.

“The number of unpredicted gates has been surging lately, correct?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“And in contrast, the Bureau’s manpower is dwindling. It’s getting harder and harder to handle operations, isn’t it?”

She didn’t answer, but her silence said enough.

“Let me help. You know I’m a promising player. Give me a little time, and I’ll be able to clear mid-rank gates without trouble.”
“But I can’t offer you any compensation.”
“If you mean monetary compensation, then yes.”
“…?”

Seo Gyeoul came from a distinguished family.
Her father was a high-ranking government official; her mother, the director of a major research institute.

Her strict sense of duty and rigid principles came from her father, and her remarkable talent as a player—from her mother.

And it was her mother that I needed to meet.

“In exchange, introduce me to your mother.”
“…??”

Baek Miran.

Currently the director of the world’s largest and most advanced think tank—
the Inexplicable Beasts Research Institute.

Inside Seo Gyeoul’s personal car.

As she’d said, we were on our way to the Player Management Division for a special test.

“……”
“……”

The car was filled with an awkward silence.

There’d been a slight… misunderstanding in our earlier conversation.

To be clear—I have normal tastes.
I’m nothing like that “Cao-someone” from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Still, I had to sweat bullets explaining myself.

“You seem to have a habit of speaking without proper context.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way at all.”
“I sincerely hope not.”

Even after I apologized, the wary look in her eyes didn’t fade.

“Anyway, it’s possible to arrange the meeting you asked for. But whether my mother will actually agree to meet you—I can’t promise. She’s extremely busy.”
“I understand. I expected as much.”

Of course, I knew how busy someone like Director Baek would be.
But I was confident—
confident I could make her want to meet me.

Maybe feeling a little guilty, Seo Gyeoul added:

“Still, I’ll tell her I owe you a favor. Whether she agrees or not is entirely up to her—she’s unpredictable.”
“That’s more than enough. Thank you.”

She was being generous, actually.
She hadn’t even asked why I wanted to meet Baek Miran—probably out of courtesy.

And truthfully, she was afraid of her mother.

Maybe that’s why she added a condition.

“However, if two conditions aren’t met, I won’t go through with this deal.”
“Let’s hear them.”
“First, you must achieve an A+ final grade on the player test.”

A tough demand.

A+ was right below S-rank.

Only three people—known as the Three Sovereigns—had ever achieved S-rank.
So A+ was effectively the highest achievable grade for ordinary players.

“I know it’s difficult. But if we make this deal, you’ll be deployed immediately to the front lines. If you lack that level of ability, I’d just be sending you to your death.”
“Fair point. I accept.”
“…You sound confident.”

Her reasoning was solid.

And though the bar was high, that didn’t bother me.

Because—

“My grade in my previous life was A+.”

As long as I hadn’t grown weaker, I already met the first condition.
Plus, I now had Geri and Freki—that made success nearly guaranteed.

Now, the second condition… can’t be harder than that, right?

So I thought. But—

“Second, you must form a guild—even if it’s only you.”
“…What?”

That one surprised me.

A guild? Out of nowhere?

“I told you before—only registered players can enter designated gates.”
“Sure, but there are loopholes for that—”

There were plenty of easy workarounds.
For instance, registering as an intern under the Bureau. I could think of at least five methods on the spot.

But Seo Gyeoul cut me off coldly.

“No. We’ll do it by the book. We’ll only assign gates appropriate to your guild’s rating, and rewards will be properly issued.”
“…”
“Our deal is personal, but I’ll still honor it seriously. You can count on that.”

I couldn’t even find the words to respond.

Yeah—no worries there.
Someone that uptight wouldn’t lie even if her life depended on it.

“…I accept your conditions.”
“Good. Once you meet them, we’ll draft the written agreement at the office.”
“Understood.”

My stomach churned.
I turned to look out the window.

To be honest… I was already exhausted.

Near the Tower — Special District
Player Management Division, Building 3.

This place opened only twice a year—
for the biannual Regular Player Tests.

But today, something unusual was happening.

“I heard there’s a special test today.”
“Did an Irregular appear?”
“You know that unpredicted gate break in Gangdong District? Rumor says someone cleared it.”
“What’s his class?”
“He dual-wields daggers—probably a Thief. But who knows, maybe he’s some hybrid Magic-Fighter.”

Clerks preparing for the test gossiped excitedly.

It wasn’t just rare—it also meant they’d get a little bonus on the side.

“I heard that gate was evolving mid-clear.”
“What?! That means it was at least an Indigo Gate! Then this Irregular isn’t just any Irregular.”

They traded rumors feverishly.
Accurate information meant they could pass tips to the right scouters—
guild recruiters always looking for new talent.

“Hey, Oh, thirsty? Let’s grab a coffee.”
“Park, there’s that soybean stew place nearby—almost lunch, isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, the scouters gathered in droves.

In Auditorium 1, where usually just a few observers came, there were now dozens.
Scouters from major and mid-tier guilds, curious government officials, and collaborating researchers—all waiting like an audience before a celebrity lecture.

“Ugh… what a damn crowd. How annoying.”

Technical Officer Kim, in charge of the test, was grumbling.

He hadn’t planned for any special testing today.

He was responsible for managing and operating the Bureau’s Artifact: Talent Analyzer, the most crucial tool of the first test.

“Idiots… do they have any idea how much it costs to run this thing once? There’s a reason the regular tests only happen twice a year!”

Still, a government worker’s gotta do what he’s told.

He checked the system one last time.

“Mana core stabilized… Talent I/O confirmed… all that’s left is the player.”

Just then, noise rose from the entrance.

The door opened—every eye turned toward the young man who entered.

“This is today’s special test candidate, Kang Siwoo.”

The woman introducing him was the Bureau’s famous Officer Seo Gyeoul, known throughout the public sector.

She led Kang Siwoo down the aisle to the testing platform.

Officer Kim watched him carefully.

“Hmm? Doesn’t look the type.”

He’d expected some hulking brute or someone with an obvious aura of power.
But the young man looked… ordinary.

Slim build, clean lines—almost delicate.

“…Please don’t let this be a waste of my time.”

The worst-case scenario for him was simple:
Running this expensive device, only for the candidate’s talent to be trash-tier.

“Come on, he’s an Irregular, right? It can’t be that bad.”

“Begin first test.”

As Kim muttered to himself, Seo Gyeoul announced the start.

Kang Siwoo placed his hand on the artifact.

Vrrrrrrrrm—!

The machine lit up.

Silence fell.

All eyes turned to the display board.
A die rolled, showing letters from A to F.

Clatter—Ding!

[ C ]

“Hmm…”
“Ah… that’s… mediocre.”
“Might not even be worth recruiting…”

Groans rippled through the room.

C-rank. Average. Neither terrible nor impressive.

“Damn it…”

Officer Kim cursed quietly.

The scouters could just walk away, but for him, this was the worst-case scenario—
wasting resources on mediocrity.

But then—

Clatterrrrr—

The die rolled again.

“Huh?”
“It’s spinning again?!”
“A double talent awakener!”
“What?!”

The room erupted.

Even a low-tier double-talent was a jackpot.

“Double talent? No way!”

Kim had worked here for years and only ever heard of such cases—never seen one.
It was that rare.

And double talents were powerful—
skills independent of mana stats.

That’s what “talent” meant.

The room went silent again.

You could hear someone swallow.

Clatter—Ding!

[ __ ]

A blank face.

“…!!”
“…!”

Gasps filled the room.

The die had six faces—A through F.
But this one showed nothing.

“…S-rank.”

It meant his talent surpassed A-rank.

Officer Kim’s jaw dropped as he stared at Kang Siwoo in stunned silence.