Seoul Dragon - Chapter 74

When the first mutation occurred, everyone thought:

Could it be that some kind of gate will open because of this?

But that was a miscalculation.

No gate opened. So people could only think, ah, the mutation has ended.

I was the same. With no changes for almost a year after the mutation ended, I thought this was the end of mutation.

But... that wasn't the case.

What on earth is happening?

I felt like losing my mind in the tsunami of incoming work. If it wasn't for the dragon's blessed memory, I wouldn't have been able to digest this workload at all.

"...Where is all this work coming from?"

"Well, from above, I suppose."

The Vice Director had already become half-zombie. The Bureau's work was already busy enough, and now we had to draft protocols for mutation response too.

Thanks to the guidelines created by the National Intelligence Service Director in the early days of mutation, work was progressing to some extent. Since the number of mutants wasn't extremely high, that was somewhat fortunate.

It's good that the perception of mutants had been somewhat softened through the recent variety show; otherwise, there might have been complete chaos.

So this is the confusion when mutation occurs.

Experiencing this now, something I hadn't experienced when I mutated myself, it was no ordinary headache.

I was beginning to respect the National Intelligence Service Director.

First of all, the hospital where I had mutated was once again filled with mutants.

The number of people who mutated this time is estimated to be around several thousand... and apparently not just this hospital, but other hospitals are also accommodating mutants.

An enormous number of mutants appeared in an instant, causing no small amount of social confusion.

And specifically... people around me were caught up in this mutation, leaving me with mixed feelings.

At the very least, I hope they encountered mutations that allowed them to remain themselves.

Different from the previous Minotaur-type mutant, or Liches and Dullahans.

I hoped they would become like me if possible.

...Though I don't mean they should become women.

Thinking about it is a bit funny.

What if Yoo Hangyeol and Han Taehoon both became women?

Hmm, I'd rather not think about it.

But it's not an impossible scenario.

Who would have known I'd become a dragon and a woman?

"Hah."

I sighed. The incredibly busy work had finally ended. Really, without the superhuman mental strength of a dragon, I might have ended up like those two people over there long ago.

"Urghhhh..."

Yeonhwa unnie looked as if her species had changed from vampire to zombie, and Harin was in a similar state. That is to say, both of them had their heads buried on their desks like zombies.

But what was even more surprising was the Vice Director, who was clicking his mouse with sparkling eyes.

Other agents working at the Bureau were similar.

Those people somehow seem even more amazing than us mutants.

"Bureau Chief? I'll send you the approval documents."

"Ah, yes. Please send them. I'll process them right away. Is this the last of the Vice Director's work too?"

"Haha. For now, yes."

The fact that he can still laugh... what kind of person is he?

"Alright everyone, let's go home, go home."

I, as the Bureau Chief, gave the order to leave work.

Thanks to working like crazy, the workload has decreased significantly.

And like resident registration numbers, we created new mutant registration numbers to register existing mutants and newly conscious mutants.

The so-called mutation registration number.

The mutation registration number will include species and abilities, and will be managed separately by the Bureau.

There are already some mutants who have regained consciousness, and such people's mutation degree isn't that severe, so they don't need to be monitored that much...

The biggest problem will be the mutants who wake up later each month.

Just look at me.

Even though I was unconscious for just three months, I gained specs that could literally enable world domination.

There's no law saying mutants like that won't appear in the future.

Just as a Demon-type mutant appeared, an Angel-type mutant might appear too, or a new type of mutant that I don't know about.

I hope they don't harbor malice toward humans. I hope they mix with people like I do, just enjoying various pleasures of life.

...Though considering reality, that's almost impossible.

The disposition of mutants varies from one to another.

Where there are gentle ones, there are also violent ones.

Where there are mutants who can control themselves, there are also those who cannot.

Still, I had no intention of allowing them to be ostracized, leading to a situation like in the United States.

I planned to prevent them from causing incidents before they happened, and work to ensure that people's perception of mutants would be at least somewhat friendly.

"Ah, right. Bureau Chief?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Instructions have come down from above."

"...What instructions?"

Hearing the Vice Director's words just as I was about to leave after preparing to go home, I felt an ominous premonition.

And that ominous feeling took a clear form and appeared before me.

"They're saying it's a shame to limit an institution related to mutants to just the crime area when such an institution has been established."

"...Don't tell me."

Seeing my bewilderment, the Vice Director nodded.

"Yes. From now on, the Mutant Crime Management Bureau will be changed to the Mutant Management Bureau. It seems the mutation registration numbers from earlier were all building up to this."

"...Wait, that means we're severely understaffed, doesn't it? How can this be done with just a few agents?"

"They say they'll reinforce the personnel soon. I think quite a lot of administrative staff will be coming in. Also, they say they'll soon build a new Mutant Management Bureau not inside the National Intelligence Service, but near Sokcho in Seoul."

"You're saying they want us to take charge of all mutants."

"That's right. It's a reasonable approach, but I wish they had told us about this earlier... Well, it can't be helped. Anyway, they say they'll relocate the Bureau soon, so related official documents will probably come down soon."

Oh my goodness...

I felt a throbbing at the back of my head. Alright, I understand that there's no other place to manage mutants but here, but would it hurt to give us advance notice?

Would I turn the place upside down?

"Should I go to the National Assembly building and flip it over?"

"Please restrain yourself... I had a feeling it was destined to be this way from the beginning."

The Vice Director seemed completely resigned.

"But why, of all the perfectly fine departments, would they do this to a Bureau established to prevent crime..."

"Probably because it's a 'Management Bureau,' so the higher-ups think we should manage everything. And since there's no suitable place to manage, it seems everything has been passed on to us."

"Tsk, just more unnecessary work."

"It's sudden... but the National Intelligence Service Director has vowed to secure sufficient personnel reinforcement, so let's just acknowledge that this is happening and move on. The work coming to you, Bureau Chief, won't increase more than now. There will be middle managers coming in accordingly."

That's fortunate amid the misfortune.

At least they didn't do this without any thought.

"Still, with the second mutation having occurred, you'll likely be out in the field more often. When that happens, leave the administrative side to us."

"Yes."

And so, the Mutant Crime Management Bureau became the Mutant Management Bureau.

After work, the place I stopped by was where Hangyeol and Taehoon had started mutating.

"Ah, you've come."

"How is their condition?"

Fortunately, they were admitted to the same hospital where I had been admitted.

Their bodies were gradually changing.

Hangyeol was wrapped in a sphere made of feathers, and Taehoon was covered in flickering blue light.

...What on earth are they turning into?

"How will they mutate?"

"Well... I can't tell for sure at the moment, but I think Hangyeol-ssi might be some kind of bird-related human hybrid. As for Taehoon-ssi... I'm not sure, that blue light isn't hot even when you approach it, I can't understand the principle."

Blue light... ghost fire? Is he becoming some kind of goblin or something like that?

I really can't get a sense of what Hangyeol is becoming. A harpy? Or a bird-human hybrid?

Or perhaps, an angel?

No way.

Whatever mutant they become, I hope they turn out to be stable mutants.

As I looked at them like that, their families occasionally stopped by and greeted me.

"...Seohyun, you're here."

"Hello."

I had occasionally met their families while hanging out with them before, but I didn't expect to meet them again like this. Their expressions were full of worry and concern, so I said to them:

"It will be okay."

"...Will it?"

"Yes. Just look at me, I'm living just fine, aren't I?"

"Yes, that's true... It will be like that."

The worry and concern felt by their families was something I could fully understand, so I just repeated like a parrot that everything would be alright.

I hope they can live with their minds intact.

And so, after being swamped with work for a couple of months.

Finally, Taehoon and Hangyeol's mutations were complete.

Hangyeol wasn't a bird-human hybrid, but an angel.

The halo shining above his white hair was proof of that.

And Taehoon... had become an oni, a goblin close to the Japanese oni.

The two horns on his head along with the blue ghost fire, no matter how you looked at it, could only be seen as a form similar to an oni.

...What should this even be called? Goblin-type mutant? Since it appeared in Korea, let's just call it a goblin-type mutant.

To think that my friends would become an angel and a goblin, it was hard to believe.

But more than anything, the most shocking thing was...

They both became women.

What is this?

Was it a widespread TS beam?