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Chapter 4: The World Beneath the Surface
With a mindset of surviving if possible—or at least securing a hefty compensation if not—Leon stepped into the eerie, haunted-house-like Cleansing Bureau. Following a crumpled directional sign in the dimly lit corridor, he found his way back to the familiar large office at the very end and knocked firmly on the door.
“Hello? Is anyone there? I’m here for the job interview!”
“Creak.” The heavy, dark door groaned open, revealing not the red-haired female interviewer he had met before, but... a black goat standing upright on two legs?
“What are you staring at? Never seen a demon before?”
The black goat, cigarette dangling from its mouth, blew a smoke ring skillfully and glared at Leon with eyes full of irritation, baring frothy lips as it snarled: “I swear, what’s wrong with you? Did someone crush your balls? I magnified the malice in your mind sevenfold, and yet you still resisted stabbing that fat bastard?”
“???” A demon? A bipedal goat? You magnified my malice? So, I wasn’t out of control earlier?
A flood of questions surged through Leon’s mind. But before he could articulate any of them, a massive empty liquor bottle spun out from inside the room, crashing into the back of the black goat’s head with a resounding thud.
The arrogant goat collapsed instantly, eyes rolling back as its short-haired body toppled stiffly into Leon’s arms with a thump.
“Zzzzt!”
[Encountered an incomprehensible anomaly. Anomalous Colored Badge "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" activated. Your cognitive boundaries have expanded, granting partial information about the anomaly.]
A familiar piercing hum echoed as the crimson badge on Leon’s virtual panel flickered and vanished. Above the unconscious goat’s head, strange text materialized in the air:
[Name: Demon Horns (Corruption, Knowledge, Whispering)
[Appearance: Two jet-black, spiral-patterned horns. When a Welsh billy goat is used as a sacrificial offering and the Erosion Ritual is performed correctly, the offering will transform into a black goat that smokes, walks upright on two legs, and calls itself a demon.
[Abilities: Amplifying malice, extensive knowledge, expertise in occult studies.
[Cost: A pack of “Gott” brand cigarettes or a sinful soul.
[Record: Captured during the Aslan Campaign and reported by Cleansing Bureau Sixth Division Head Olivia, who subsequently claimed it for personal use. Note: While it has not caused any deaths post-claim, the anomaly has indirectly injured numerous individuals, leading to over 40 resignations in the Department of Public Works within five years.
[Evaluation: Possesses the terrifying ability to incite wars, but is physically weak, no different from an ordinary goat. Severely afraid of men from Wales.
[Contamination Value: 0.1]
Leon absorbed all the information in less than 0.01 seconds. Staring blankly at the faintly glowing crimson badge and the goat now limp in his arms, his mind raced.
Amplifying malice? Contamination value?
Before Leon could process these strange terms, the red-haired woman from the previous day emerged, holding another massive bottle of liquor.
“You again?” Taking a long swig of ale, she scowled at Leon, bloodshot eyes narrowing as she snapped: “I already told you yesterday—normal people like you don’t belong in the Cleansing Bureau. You’d be better off—”
“Wait, please!” Sensing that she was about to send him away, Leon interrupted, desperate not to lose this last chance at salvation.
“I’m not normal! I mean, I have... abilities beyond the average person! Abilities that might be exactly what you need!”
“Abilities beyond the average person?” The red-haired woman raised an eyebrow, a flicker of skepticism flashing in her eyes. Crossing her arms, she leaned back and said, “Alright, let’s hear it.”
Hear it? Leon’s mind whirred. To secure this job, he needed to demonstrate his worth. But how could he explain the badge without sounding insane? After a brief pause, he decided to conceal its existence.
“My observational skills are unique!” he declared. “I can identify special things, and if I make direct contact, I can immediately obtain relevant information!”
Yeah, right… The red-haired woman scoffed internally. While some people were born with anomalies, abilities like forcibly obtaining information were typically tied to rare and problematic conceptual anomalies. Such abilities only worked if the user’s rank was vastly higher than the target’s. If this skinny young man could actually do that, his rank would be comparable to that of an otherworldly demon god. But why would someone like that apply to the Cleansing Bureau?
Although skeptical, she gestured to the unconscious goat in Leon’s arms and said coolly, “Fine. That goat’s a ‘special thing.’ You’ve already touched it, so go ahead—show me what you’ve got.”
Phew… Hearing the "test" proposed by the red-haired woman, Leon couldn't help but quietly sigh in relief.
What he feared the most right now was that she would refuse to give him a chance and simply kick him out. Now that he had the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, as long as the "badge" didn't cause any issues, this job should be secure. After all, no matter the organization, information was always valuable.
Also, if this so-called Cleansing Bureau valued intelligence abilities so much, then even if he wasn’t given a key role, he probably wouldn’t be treated as cannon fodder. He might even get some special treatment and last a few more rounds in that terrifying monthly death rate statistic.
Although he had come here prepared to exchange his life for compensation, who would actually want to die if there was a chance to live a little longer?
Holding onto the hope that he might live a few more years, Leon took a deep breath and answered selectively: “This goat’s true form is its horns. Its ability is amplifying malice, and it possesses significant knowledge of the occult.
“It prefers ‘Gott’ cigarettes and sinful souls, and it currently belongs to someone named Olivia. Over the years, it has caused numerous injuries within the Department of Public Works and fears men from Wales...”
As Leon recited each detail, the red-haired woman’s expression shifted from mild indifference to seriousness. By the time he finished, her narrowed eyes were studying him intently.
This guy...
The information about the goat’s ability to amplify malice and its preference for Gott cigarettes was easy enough to obtain; that was no challenge. The fact that the foolish goat had caused injuries to employees in the Department of Public Works was also easy to explain—anyone who read the newspapers could have come across that. But the goat's true form being its horns, along with her name, was definitely not the kind of information an ordinary person could acquire.
Also, the fact that the goat was afraid of men from Wales was something even she had never heard of before.
If what this guy said was true, then his inherent "anomaly" must have an extraordinarily high rank. Even if he didn’t reach the rank of an otherworldly demon god, he must still be far above this foolish goat demon...
At this thought, the red-haired woman tilted her head back and drained the ale in her hand. Then, holding the thick empty bottle, she slammed it heavily on the black goat's head.
“Ow! Dammit, Oliv-, you lunatic! Stop hitting me with the bottle!”
Under the red-haired woman's glaring gaze, the black goat swallowed the name it had been muttering halfway through and, now awakened from the bottle strike, raised its hoof to protect its head, grumbling angrily:
"I was once a great demon! Can't you show me a little respect?"
"Heh, with the things you’ve done, you don’t deserve any respect from me."
Tilting her head back to shake the empty bottle and finishing the last drop of ale stuck to the sides, the red-haired woman pointed at Leon, who looked uneasy, and narrowed her eyes as she spoke to the black goat: "This young man from Wales just gave me a bottle of good wine worth two silver coins. From now on, you're his."
"From Wales?!"
Hearing the red-haired woman's words, the black goat shuddered, looked at Leon with a mix of fear and confusion, and quickly realized she was most likely lying. It crossed its arms and sneered, coldly huffing:
"Heh, stop lying to me. There’s only two months left until the end of the year. The headquarters will send people for the annual review, and even you wouldn’t dare mess around at a time like this!"
"That's right, I was lying to you." The red-haired woman nodded, openly admitting the goat's guess, and then smirked, her interest piqued as she asked:
"But... you seem very afraid of men from Wales?"
Damn it! How does she know?!
As the black goat's eyes darted around, trying to figure out how to cover up its "weakness," the red-haired woman, having verified the truth of the information, let out a soft chuckle. She turned and extended her fair right hand toward Leon, her expression warm as she smiled and said:
"Good... It seems you're exactly the kind of person we need. From now on, you're officially a member of our Virgo Cleansing Bureau."
Phew... finally made it through!
Hearing the news of his acceptance, Leon, who had been tense with anxiety, couldn't help but let out a deep breath, his stiff expression relaxing slightly. However...
Wait a minute? Something doesn't seem right.
After replaying the red-haired woman's words in his head, Leon couldn't help but stare in shock, his eyes wide.
Hold on. What bureau did she say this was?
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