“Sorry?”

“When you’ve been around this long, you’ve got more than just the database. I’ve got my own tricks too. I’ll give it one more shot.”

…And so the note returned to Agent Choi.

I felt a bit guilty, but this was a life-or-death matter, so I kept my mouth shut. I’ll repay him by working like a mule for the Bureau…

“……Thank you.”

“Okay.”

This time, Agent Choi didn’t say anything like “If you’re that thankful, just join our team already.”

He just gave a dry chuckle and let it go.

‘…Is he going to ask one of his informants?’

Agent Choi had so many exploration records, and that meant he’d crossed paths with plenty of different factions.

Which meant that, in the end, he’d become a character with wide-reaching connections.

So when he said he’d look into it again, it probably meant he was going to check sources outside the Bureau too.

‘Well, whatever.’

If he says he’ll take a look, that’s all it means. Probably just another excuse to try and recruit me into Black Tortoise Team 1…

…Wait a second.

‘No way… He’s not seriously going to find a ghost story that fits the note, is he?’

Don’t tell me this is going to spiral into some ridiculous and implausible plot twist where there really is a matching ghost story… Nah, no way.

Just imagining it made cold sweat trickle down my back. Time to stop.

And right after Agent Choi tucked the note back into his coat, finally, the last agent for today’s mission walked through the door of the waiting room.

“Oh, Jaekwan!”

Agent Bronze strode in confidently and took a seat on the sofa.

Yes, this was the person I needed to make a confession to.

I immediately bowed my head.

“Agent Bronze! Um, I’m really sorry…”

“…Huh?”

“You went out of your way to help me, and I totally messed up the field cleanup mission…”

“……”

This was my appeal. Please, give me one more chance.

I haven’t given up on the Site Cleanup Unit just yet…!

Agent Bronze let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“Yeah~ it’d be weirder if someone apologized for obliterating a supernatural disaster!”

“……Agent.”

When Agent Bronze glared at him, Agent Choi panicked, whistled, and quickly pulled out the mission briefing papers.

…Thanks to that, I missed my timing to make an appeal. I’ll have to wait for another chance.

But since I’d be joining today’s mission, another opportunity was bound to come.

“Hoobae-nim, where did I leave off?”

“Ah, you mentioned that today’s mission was a three-person job…”

“That’s right! And on top of that, someone very reliable will be helping us out today.”

Agent Choi pointed to the wall next to the sofa.

There, a translucent curtain hung loosely.

“Our Elder. The Team Leader!”

“……”

Curtain?

I managed to speak.

“…Um, I don’t see anything.”

“You don’t see him, but you believe he’s there!”

“……”

“The Elder said, since a new rookie was coming today, he’d definitely lend us a hand.”

‘Is this some kind of rookie initiation ritual?’

I was starting to get confused.

Was someone actually transformed into that curtain? Is that even possible? I was about to dig through the Dark Exploration Records in my head when Agent Choi nudged me to stand in front of the curtain politely.

“Jaekwan stands here, and you, rookie, stand in the center… Perfect.”

Agent Bronze, me, and Agent Choi.

Then Agent Choi stepped forward and pulled the curtain aside.

Light poured through the curtain.

“…!!”

Behind the translucent curtain was, surprisingly, a glass window that hadn’t been visible before.

Of course, since we were underground, we couldn’t see outside. But instead, a mystical, aurora-like glow shimmered beyond the glass.

Rippling like rice paper doors, the glass flickered with sacred, almost divine light.

“Pretty cool, right? Apparently it’s made with some kind of magical glass… I don’t really know the details.”

Agent Choi smiled as he approached.

“The important thing is, this is how the Elder watches over this place!”

The Elder.

“The Elder… who exactly is he?”

“Told you already. Our Team Leader here at Black Tortoise Team 1!”

Surprisingly, even Agent Bronze didn’t object. Which meant that it was true.

“Jaekwan. That.”

Agent Bronze quietly removed the cloth covering the table between the sofas.

Whoosh.

Revealed underneath… was food.

‘Buckwheat jelly… and raw chocolate?’

What kind of combination is that supposed to be?

“Alright. Wave your hands.”

Agent Choi enthusiastically raised both his hands. Agent Bronze followed, so I hurried to raise mine too.

“Wishing you many blessings again today, Elder!”

Then we all bowed deeply toward the window.

“…?!”

“We humbly ask for your guidance on today’s mission.”

I was so thrown off—I had never read about anything like this in the Dark Exploration Records.

Still, I bowed along like a proper rookie.

And the moment I stood up…

“…!!”

My body started shrinking.

My viewpoint lowered, my arms and legs got smaller. Everything around me seemed just a bit larger and slightly wobbly.

No, it was my head that was wobbling! Compared to my now-shrunken body, my relatively large head tilted for a moment, struggling to balance.

“Huh.”

Even my voice had changed. And then…

The transformation stopped.

“……”

“……”

Only two things in my vision remained the same size as before.

The two people beside me.

“All set. Thank you, Elder.”

I turned my head.

In Agent Choi’s spot stood an elementary school kid, examining me as if checking me over.

No, I mean— it was Agent Choi, just younger!

His mischievous grin and relaxed air were still there, just on a child’s face.

“Are you alright?”

Across from me stood the child version of Agent Bronze. Same stiff demeanor… No, wait.

‘Oh my god.’

I looked down at my own hands.

Even my dokkaebi flame arm had shrunk down to match my reduced size, waving excitedly instead of giving a thumbs-up.

“Alright. Mission prep complete.”

“……”

“Today’s supernatural disaster… can only be entered normally by the children of the New Nation.”

“……”

“So now we’ve all become exactly eight years old!”

I think I’m going to lose my mind.