Chapter 8
**Episode.8 First Day at Work**
– Tweet. Tweet tweet.
The sound of sparrows in the morning resonates.
As my eyes slowly open, light begins to seep in through the window, filtering through my half-closed eyelids.
“Ugh…”
I immediately get up from the mattress and stretch.
The mattress I’m lying on is far more comfortable than the bed in the Golden Realm.
‘This place feels more uncomfortable, but it has a strangely familiar vibe…’
Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to my old home?
It’s a bit disappointing that the precious belongings in my former house, which disappeared along with my previous identity, are gone.
But I quickly shake off my disappointment and prepare for my first day at the association.
As I head to the bathroom to wash up, I notice two toothbrushes under the mirror.
A purple toothbrush and a red toothbrush.
‘… Why are there two?…. No, why is there a toothbrush at all?’
I found it strange that there were toothbrushes in the bathroom.
After all, I didn’t come fully prepared when I got here.
Of course, I hadn’t packed a toothbrush.
‘… Did Eunbyul prepare these?’
I assumed it was a toothbrush Eunbyul had set out and quickly brushed off the thought.
‘But… which one is mine?’
I fell into contemplation but managed to escape it quickly.
‘Is one a spare?’
However, one of the toothbrushes looked a bit used.
The bristles of the red toothbrush were slightly splayed.
Not thinking much of it, I confidently picked up the purple toothbrush and hurriedly washed up to avoid being late for my first day.
… The mint flavor of the toothpaste is overwhelmingly strong.
I came out and opened the box I had brought.
Inside, there were, of course, the potions and my ID I had packed.
I took my ID and pulled out one of the potions.
But underneath that potion, there was an A4 paper.
The A4 paper contained information indicating which department I was assigned to.
Let me see… where is my department?
“Hmm…”
My assigned department is the ‘Gate Processing Division.’
… This department seems related to Eunbyul’s circumstances.
So that’s why I was sent here.
Her family had to receive the news of a family member’s passing through someone while on a business trip due to the inefficiency of this department.
I have no idea what kind of information I’ll need to extract from this department in the future.
Thinking about doing something bad made my hands tremble subtly.
‘Since it’s my first time, I guess I can’t help it…’
– Pop!
I pulled the cork from the potion.
Ye-rim had sealed the potion with a cork.
I guess it feels good or something.
Anyway, I downed the face-altering potion in one shot and set off for the association.
It doesn’t taste good at all.
If I had to describe it, it tastes like stale tap water.
I felt a twisting sensation in my face.
This unfamiliar sensation was not pleasant.
– Ding!
[Thanks to the effect of P. Drug Addict’s Blessing (D), the duration of the potion’s beneficial effects has increased tenfold.]
[It has increased from 24 hours to 240 hours.]
My Drug Addict’s Blessing is now at Lv.2.
So, the duration that increased fivefold at Lv.1 increases tenfold at Lv.2.
You may not understand why this effect is classified as a D-class skill, but back before I met Ye-rim… long before I got the System.
At that time, the potions provided by the country lasted at most 10 minutes, and the expensive ones I bought barely lasted an hour.
I had once tested a cheap frost resistance potion priced at 5 minutes with the Drug Addict’s Blessing at Lv.1 during winter, and it lasted 25 minutes.
But I soon leveled it to Lv.2, and at that time, it lasted 50 minutes.
I clearly remember losing some money as I bought ability-check scrolls online in order to confirm this ability.
So, usually drinking a potion means having regular skills, but in the case of the top-notch potion made by Ye-rim, the basic duration is a minimum of 24 hours, which makes it seem like a scam-level performance yet is classified as a D-level skill.
In reality, even securing an hour-long potion is a struggle, so D-class remains D-class.
You need financial backing to see effects beyond D-class.
Well, to get to the point, this means that when I reach Lv.3, the duration could increase to fifteenfold.
I wanted to level up faster.
The further I grew, the closer I would get to meeting her.
Of course, the ‘her’ I’m referring to is my ex-girlfriend, Yena.
I stood up, brushing off my knees, looking forward to the day I could implant my debuff… no, nerf ability into her.
Just then, the twisting sensation in my face subsided.
I immediately checked the mirror.
I looked a little different.
There was a dot on my face.
I had no freckles on my face before.
And while it hadn’t changed drastically, there were definite changes.
… Ultimately, my impression as a person had altered.
In conclusion, my face was shaped to match the ID Yena created for me.
‘Is this face going to last a day?… No, considering my Drug Addict’s Blessing, which has increased the duration tenfold, I can live with this face for 10 days.’
Additionally, there were quite a few potions inside the box.
I didn’t count them precisely, but it looked like a significant amount, putting my mind at ease.
I resolved to do my best and headed to the association.
**********
I arrived in front of the association.
The exterior of the association’s building is made of transparent glass.
Rumor has it that this building consists of 51 floors.
… Still smaller than the 63 Building.
I entered the building through the main entrance.
‘Why did they even make revolving doors?’
I thought about trivial things as I looked around the interior.
I was unsure where to go, so I approached a male staff member who seemed to be providing guidance at a counter in the middle of the first floor.
“Um… I’m new here at the association, and I’m looking for a specific place…”
I showed the male staff the A4 paper as I spoke.
“Oh. The Gate Processing Division is on the 4th floor. Please head to the 4th floor.”
‘No, you need to tell me where to go on the 4th floor.’
It’s not like the entire 4th floor is the Gate Processing Division, so why didn’t he provide that extra info?
I grumbled to myself as I headed for the elevator.
Fortunately, the elevator going up had just arrived from the basement.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, I saw pure white hair.
The blind woman I met yesterday was inside that elevator.
‘Is she Baek Harin from yesterday…?’
I knew her name due to the King’s Insight effect, but I felt that mentioning her name would be inappropriate since she thought I didn’t know her.
“Uh… you’re the person I met on the street yesterday, right?..”
“Oh! Were you also affiliated with the association?”
“Not yesterday, but today I’m starting to work in the Gate Processing Division at the association.”
“I see… If you’re in the Gate Processing Division, you must be in a lot of battles?”
“Yes… I suppose so… but you haven’t introduced yourself yet…”
“Really, you don’t know me? I thought it was a joke yesterday… but meeting again like this must be fate, so I’ll tell you.”
Actually, I already knew.
I could extract no information about her except for her name, age, and position.
‘At least knowing her name is something.’
“My name is Baek Harin. I’m a healer at the association.”
She was a healer.
‘Though I already knew that.’
As I talked to her, before I knew it, we arrived at the 4th floor.
“Oh, are you getting off now?”
“Yes, it was nice meeting you again.”
I greeted Harin and stepped out of the elevator.
“You… see you soon~”
She also cheerfully waved goodbye.
Her eye smile was quite charming.
Even without eyes.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, I turned to look back.
The moment I did, I realized why that staff member hadn’t told me where to go, why he hadn’t given additional explanations.
It was because, indeed, just as I imagined, the entire 4th floor was composed of a single department.
Given that this association has 51 floors… and the first floor is the lobby… then… it means…. there are 50 departments?
As I was pondering such trivial thoughts, suddenly someone placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.
“Ooh~ a fresh face! You must be the new hire I heard about!”
“Yes… and?”
“Oh, just call me I Dae-ri. What’s your name?”
“Ah, yes… I’m Han Shiwoo, the new hire in this department. Nice to meet you, I Dae-ri.”
‘… This should be enough for an introduction. The rest is probably all set up by Seoyoon with her hacking skills…’
“Right, right, Shiwoo. But that person you were talking to in the elevator earlier… seems high-ranking and close to you, huh?”
… High-ranking person?…
“Uh… I don’t really know…”
“Pff.. A younger kid than me doesn’t know the best doctor in the Hunter community, not just in the association?”
A healer might be considered a doctor, huh… Did she make a lot of money through healing abilities and become a high-ranking individual?
“No.. I genuinely have no idea.”
“Listen well, rookie. That person, you see…”
– Swallow.
As I listened intently to Dae-ri’s elaboration, I unconsciously swallowed.
“That person is the only S-class healer who is not just the best in the association, but also in the entire Hunter community!”
What’s all this fuss about?
… The blind woman I bumped into while taking a night stroll was the only S-class healer?