Awakeners --- thought Mira, looking up at the MRS building in the daylight --- were essential to keeping that building standing, operating it to keep it doing what everyone depended on. It did not rest on the higher-ups, it rested on the people to do what was needed to be done.
She felt a dim touch of anxiety. She was back from her apartment with a resignation letter she spent three hours on, and hadn't checked her phone or email for the last twelve hours. But none of that mattered, she was going to resign today.
On her way to the Head Inspector's office, she had seen batches of equipment being delivered to the MRS Field Logistics Officers, quartermasters who distribute gear and conduct the Synchronization & Safety Checks. It had been a weekly duty they had done for years. So, why did she feel this sense of dread without reason? No, she thought, not dread, it was a warning. She had become accustomed to this feeling in high-risk dungeons, still she could find no explanation why she felt in now, here, of all places. Yet, she summoned the system window as if she believed it had an answer.
'System'
A blue translucent panel appeared before her, an interface seen by her alone as all awakened had their own.
___________________________________________________
Name: Mira An
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Rank: D
Core Attributes:
Strength: 27
Stamina: 31
Agility: 34
Intelligence: 56
Mana (MP): 48
Vitality (HP): 29
Skills:
Passive Skills
[Danger Intuition] — Rank B
A subconscious sixth sense that alerts user of unseen threats or mana anomalies in various ways.
[Steady Hand and Mind!] — Rank C
Enhanced spell stabilization and mind stabilization when user is under stress, shaking, or mild injury.
Active Skills
[Defense Barrier] — Rank D
A translucent shield that blocks weak projectiles or mitigates light impacts. Consumes 8 MP.
[Fireball] — Rank E
Standard-grade elemental spell with limited damage used to test environmental reactions or draw out low-level monsters. Consumes 10 MP.
___________________________________________________
There were no abnormalities with herself. Something was wrong. No, something was going to happen. She turned away from the panel.
She didn't know why she felt this way --- only that it was a scream of fear against danger, and somehow, it had to do with the Head Inspector.
The door of the Head Inspector's office was wide open when she entered his office, Haneul Rei was there, as if he were waiting for her. She knew at once that whatever was planned, it was already in motion, by the way he looked at her, and the way he silently pulled up a contract she signed years ago.
"Sit down, Ms. An." he said, but she remained standing in front of his desk.
"You had asked me once to let you know if I ever decided to change my employment, Sir," she said. "So, I came to tell you I'm resigning."
He took a moment to process what she said before he asked her quietly. "Why?"
"For a personal reason."
"Were you dissatisfied here?"
"No."
"Have you received an offer from a guild?"
"No."
He nodded once, as if humoring her answer. "Then I assume you've reviewed the terms of your contract recently."
She said nothing.
He turned the document toward her, his finger tapping one clause printed in small, precise font. "Section Nine. Emergency Deployment. All registered personnel of the Ministry may be reassigned to field duty during classified crises. Under such conditions, resignation requests are to be postponed until the deployment concludes."
Mira An hated when her gut was right.
"I don't see how this applies to me," she said tightly. "You have other Inspectors. You can replace me."
"There are others, yes," he said with that polite softness that never quite felt human. "But none with your survival record. None who've handled as many high-risk evaluations as you have."
"That doesn't mean I want to do it again."
He exhaled, almost a sigh, and closed the contract with deliberate care. "Of course. You're free to refuse. But you understand there would be… consequences. Financial ones, naturally."
Her eyes flicked toward the contract. "The fine?"
"Ten million," he said. "And possibly more, if the Board determines your refusal constitutes breach of emergency service."
There it was, the unspoken threat behind the civility.
She clenched her jaw. "So I don't have a choice."
He smiled faintly. "You always have a choice, Ms. An. Some are simply more costly than others."
She couldn't help but think those words were twisted in his mouth. In fact, those words made her want to punch the stupid smile off his face, and leave with the fine. But, an almost endurable contempt made her close her eyes instead. She wasn't a child --- the world was too complicated and cruel to be one. She wouldn't be able to pay for the fine either, even with her parent's financial support. The only way out was forward. A long silence stretched between them before she finally nodded.
"I'll take the assignment."
"Good," he said, his tone returning to that quiet professionalism. "Once this operation concludes, consider your obligations fulfilled. You'll be free to leave the Ministry after that."
She didn't thank him. She couldn't refuse either, she didn't that kind of money.
Haneul Rei reached into the drawer which produced a slim folder, and pushed it across the desk until it stopped at the edge. The cover bore the Ministry seal and a single stamped line: Operation — 09-F: Risk Re-Evaluation.
"You'll find the mission report inside," he said softly. "Read it. Know it. The briefing begins tomorrow at 0700 in Field Ops — punctuality will be taken as compliance." He folded his hands, eyes steady. "If you have questions after you read it, bring them then. For now, that will be all."
She looked down at the folder --- the paper felt heavier than its weight. When she met his gaze again, the room had settled into a quieter kind of pressure, one that said the choice she'd made had a price. She didn't like that, nor did she like that feeling of dread settling in again.
She could tell, this mission was bad news, and she had no say in it. Maybe that was the worst part of it.
Why hadn't she retired sooner?