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– Bang!

Every time the Branch Chief swung her fist, the air split with a sound and monsters exploded.

Soaked in rain, she smiled as she swung her fist.

– Bang!

Watching from behind the door, I felt a pang of injustice.

Yu Da On, Jang Chae Yeon, and I had teamed up for a prayer, broke windows, and even forced ourselves to look at the ceiling just to catch one of those things, and yet what was all my effort worth?

Isn’t that what they mean by “a healthy body would spare the brain from trouble”?

– Whooooosh…

“Can you give me a glimpse?”

The Branch Chief turned around to look at me, drenched.

“Excuse me?”

“The sky.”

“Um…”

I looked up at the sky as she instructed. My tear-stained eyes had unconsciously fixed on the Branch Chief.

“…It looks quite dangerous.”

“Oh my, are you looking at me?”

“…”

As if she expected it, the Branch Chief smiled and pulled out a branch, and at that moment, the rain began to pour down fiercely.

If the rain that fell just moments ago could be called a drizzle, now it was like a storm.

People, or what used to be people, who were rushing toward the Branch Chief were swept away by the wind.

Yet among them all, the Branch Chief stood tall, gazing at the sky.

“Now, Kim Jae Heon.”

“Yes?”

– Whiiiiing!

Her hair swayed wildly in the endlessly swirling wind.

“I’m going to use this branch now.”

“…”

Although a fierce rainstorm was raging, her calm voice pierced through the storm and reached my ears.

“If that happens, I’ll be off to somewhere for a bit.”

“…Where to?”

“A secret.”

With her eyes still closed, she playfully placed a finger against her lips.

“From then on, your role becomes important, Kim Jae Heon.”

“…”

I locked eyes with the Branch Chief.

She cracked a smile, her eyes twinkling.

“Everything will return to normal, so don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?”

Even in front of the Branch Chief, I couldn’t help but express the doubts that clouded my heart.

Will that really be enough?

“Of course!”

She smiled brightly like a child, even while drenched.

“Isn’t that our job?”

“…”

Was it a childish belief or a genuine faith from someone who has witnessed countless miracles firsthand?

Her words clearly conveyed the unwavering belief that everything would work out.

“Then… I guess I have to do it.”

Well, since they called me, it should be a problem I can solve. At least, I hope so.

I made eye contact with her.

“Please tell me.”

“The rain falling now will become just a regular rain with no effect.”

“Okay. …Wait, what?”

“Pierce through the rain and head straight toward where the light was.”

“What…?”

“Ah, I don’t mean to go to the sky.”

The Branch Chief smiled and added, “I know that Kim Jae Heon can’t fly.”

“Of course, you can go with the Human Resources Team if you want.”

Isn’t it always good to have trustworthy people around? she said with a smile as she continued.

“When you get there, you’ll find a very, very big tree.”

“Okay.”

“Look at that tree.”

“…Um, okay.”

“That will be enough!”

“Isn’t that a bit lacking in information?”

She told me to look at a tree?

“Do I really need to go do that?”

Isn’t it something others can do just fine too?

“No.”

Shaking her head, the Branch Chief replied.

“You’ll understand once you go.”

“…If you say so.”

Satisfied with my answer, she smiled and slightly opened her red eyes to meet mine.

“Will you trust me?”

She waved her hand and threw the branch into the sky.

The moment the branch floated in the air, the snow that had been in the sky disappeared like dust.

*

As I headed toward the main gate, I saw the Human Resources Team members I had parted with earlier huddled together, chatting about something.

“Everyone!”

Waving my hand and shouting, the gazes of three people turned to me.

“What’s this? Is it over already?”

“It’s not over.”

I replied briefly, drawn in by Song Ah Rin’s curious gaze, and conveyed everything that had happened with the Branch Chief.

“…So, I’m hoping for your help.”

“I’m in.”

Jang Chae Yeon immediately responded as she tidied her clothes.

“If you need me, I’ll go too.”

Yu Da On said as she put on her gloves, and,

“…So, I really have no choice, do I?”

Song Ah Rin sighed as she tied her shoelaces.

As we approached the main gate, someone blocked our path as if they had been waiting for us.

“You can’t leave right now…”

“I just came back from talking to the Branch Chief.”

“Wait, are you Kim Jae Heon?”

“…That’s me.”

It was the guy who was rolling around earlier. I scanned above his head.

[Name: Ahn Sang Hyun]

[Age: 31]

[Special Skill: Rolling]

[Talent: Untouched while rolling]

[Background: This man was hired by the Management Agency’s Isolation Team because rolling away makes him immune to all attacks and interference. But nobody knew he would become the strongest in the Gangseo Branch’s Isolation Team.]

[Vulnerability: He’s just a normal human when he’s not rolling.]

“…”

There sure are a lot of fascinating people in this world.

“I heard from the Branch Chief.”

“Oh, yes. …Yes.”

The man spoke with a solid voice while looking at me; I also replied somewhat reluctantly to him.

Thud,

Jang Chae Yeon placed her hand on my shoulder, standing protectively as she glared at him with suspicion.

“…Uh, what’s up?”

“Be careful.”

“Haha, isn’t this Jang Chae Yeon? How about we experiment with our abilities together sometime?”

“No thanks.”

Come to think of it, Jang Chae Yeon mentioned something like that before.

The ace of the Gangseo Branch Isolation Team is a weirdo.

What kind of madness is hidden behind that solid tone of his that Jang Chae Yeon said such things?

“…Anyway, we’re in a bit of a hurry.”

“Oh my, look at me. Right, you heard from the Branch Chief.”

The man tapped his forehead and promptly shouted.

“I’ll open the door! You’re a person designated by the Branch Chief!”

The Isolation Team opened the door.

“Now, be careful out there. We also have tasks given by the Branch Chief that we need to take care of.”

The man gave me a confident smile, and Jang Chae Yeon’s expression grew even sterner as she clenched her fist.

“Let’s go.”

At my words, the three started walking behind me.

Four of us began walking down the drizzling road.

“But what does this tree even mean?”

Jang Chae Yeon asked, looking curiously at me, and I could only give her a vague answer.

“They just said it’s a tree.”

“Just a tree?”

“Yeah.”

“…That’s hard to understand.”

Jang Chae Yeon frowned and muttered.

“But what’s so weird about that guy?”

“…He has impure thoughts.”

Jang Chae Yeon frowned as she seemed to recall the man.

“Will it take a long time to find the tree?”

“Well, let’s see.”

But contrary to Jang Chae Yeon’s words, finding the tree wasn’t as difficult as I thought.

“…”

I redirected my steps toward where the light had been.

Soon, a huge olive tree began to appear in my sight.

It wasn’t tall, but its girth was massive, showing it was firmly rooted in the ground.

“There it is.”

“…I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Jang Chae Yeon blinked at the sight, and a translucent window floated before us.

[Name: Olive Tree]

[Age: Just created]

[Special Skill: X]

[Talent: X]

[Background: But I am like that green olive tree in His house, forever relying on His kindness.]

[Vulnerability: Pull out the roots. Never cut it. Never burn it. Never break the branches.]

“…”

So that’s why they called me here.

“Chae Yeon.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you pull this out by the roots?”

“…I’ll give it a try.”

Jang Chae Yeon briefly gazed at the tree and reached out with both hands.

– Crank…!

With a dreadful noise, the tree began to be uprooted.

“…Ugh…!”

Jang Chae Yeon grunted, putting all her strength into it, and

– Urrgh…!

The tree came up effortlessly.

The rain stopped, and the sky rapidly cleared up, sunlight piercing into my eyes.

As I closed my eyes briefly from the glare, then opened them again.

“…Huh.”

A stuffy atmosphere was felt.

I looked around.

Blazing sunshine, people on the street who recognized us and pointed fingers.

There were no traces of water left, and the people who had been submerged returned to their daily lives, watching us closely.

“…”

And I confirmed with my own eyes that they were all living humans.

“Wait, the tree…”

“…It’s gone.”

At that moment, the realization struck me that Jang Chae Yeon had yanked the tree with telekinesis, and I hurriedly looked at her, who wore a blank expression as she met my gaze.

The tree she had pulled up had vanished as if it had never been there.

“Oh wow, that was faster than I expected!”

And from behind me, I heard the Branch Chief’s voice.

Turning around, I looked at her.

Her clothes were ripped in places, her hands covered with bruises, and her cheeks swollen as if she had been hit, yet she was smiling brightly.

“…You worked hard.”

She beamed brightly at others around us.

“Shall we head back then? Tomorrow, everyone should take a bit of a break.”

“…Just tomorrow?”

“Due to the Branch Chief’s discretion, I can only give one day off. But you’re young, so it’s fine, right?”

“…Do you have to say that like an old person?”

As if casually passing by, Song Ah Rin muttered, and the Branch Chief’s eyes widened as she looked at her.

“…I’m sorry.”

The color drained from Song Ah Rin’s face, and she hurriedly bowed her head and murmured.

“Alright, shall we go? I’ll buy you ice cream on the way back.”

Looking joyfully forward at the Branch Chief, I looked around at my companions trailing behind.

Those who had been lying in the water like corpses.

Warnings that stated no contact with water,

And the Management Agency, which seemed on the verge of destruction.

In stark contrast, the somewhat relaxed Branch Chief and the Isolation Team.

The ground, completely dry, the people not dead, and the eyes that had been in the sky.

Could everything end like this, as if nothing had happened at all?

I looked at the uprooted tree.

The sudden rain and disaster, and the people who had come back to life.

“Just in case, prepare for the outing.”

Jang Chae Yeon’s terrified gaze.

“I don’t remember anything about what could’ve happened, or what did happen, or what will happen, but the mere thought of packing to go to the Management Agency is terrifying.”

Song Ah Rin’s words.

Maybe this wasn’t the first or the second time such things happened.

If that’s the case, then I too…

A sudden feeling of dread enveloped my entire body.

“What are you doing? Are we not leaving?”

“…I’m coming.”

I shook my head, following the three.

It can’t be. No, I hoped it wouldn’t be.