"Haaa..."

Lately, Jensen has been sighing quite a lot.

Staring at the stack of papers spread out before him, Jensen thought back to the first time he had started filling them out. A faint smile crossed his face as the memory resurfaced.

Compared to back then, after endlessly working for the past couple of weeks...

"...The pile has gotten bigger."

Thud!

Jensen slumped his head over the table.

"Maybe I should quit."

It had gotten to the point where he couldn't take any more. He wasn't the only one. He had heard that several people had already quit the bureau.

This couldn't be helped.

Not only did they need to deal with the aftermath of the Malovia Gate, but they also needed to deal with the upcoming World Congress and Ranker Announcement.

'There's also the issue with public opinion.'

At present, the world's opinion of the BUA was far from favorable. The Malovia Island incident was widely viewed as a major failure. Thankfully, there weren't many casualties, but that didn't mean that the entire incident was without any casualties. The total death toll was still unknown, and with anomalies still rampaging around, the island was still uninhabitable.

"They really demand too much out of us."

Sitting back up, Jensen picked up one of the papers on the table. They were the latest headlines.

Breaking — [Malovia Island Gate Crisis Sends Shockwaves Through Global Markets — Questions Mount Over BUA Responsibility.]

Breaking — [World Economy Reels After Malovia Gate Disaster: Did the BUA Fail Its Mandate?]

Breaking — [From Containment to Catastrophe: How the Malovia Gate Crippled Trade and Trust.]

Breaking — [Billions Lost Overnight: Malovia Island Incident Exposes Fragile Global Defenses.]

Breaking — [In time of dire need, where were the top rankers? Have they gone into hiding?]

The headlines weren't pretty.

However, a lot of the things that were being said were true. The economic impact that the incident has had on the entire economy was very large. Trade with several islands had come to a complete halt, with the shares of several major Guilds falling.

The uppermost Guilds were no different.

Billions of dollars were lost in the span of a day. Trust with the Guilds and BUA was at an all-time low. Despite resolving the situation and sustaining minimal losses, everyone had witnessed the entire scenario from the start. They could see just how helpless the BUA and the Paragons had been on certain occasions.

But this wasn't anyone's fault.

The entity that they were dealing with was just that monstrous.

And yet...

"Ungrateful fuckers."

Scratching the back of his head, Jensen tossed the papers away. The more he thought about the situation, the more he felt his blood pressure go up.

"...I should at least count myself lucky. I'm sure they are having a much harder time than I am."

By 'they', he was referring to the absolute top rankers.

Because of the abruptness of the situation, despite this being a global crisis, not all of the Paragons were able to make it. This wasn't due to them not wanting to show up, but it was mainly because they were stuck in certain Gates.

This was particularly so for the uppermost rankers.

'I can see many articles about them already. I wonder what sort of reaction they'll have when they find out what happened while they were clearing their Gate.'

Jensen smiled wryly.

However, just as he was about to return to his work, the door swung open abruptly, and an agent walked in.

"Sir."

"Yes?"

Standing up, Jensen looked at the agent.

"Is something the matter?"

"Nothing serious, sir. I'm just here to report to you that the paperwork has been filed. As of tomorrow, detainee Seth Thorne will be released." Holding onto a file, the agent handed it to Jensen, who grabbed it and looked through it. "The last thing that is required is your approval."

"...I see."

Jensen pulled his gaze away from the time.

'So it's already time for him to leave...?'

Jensen didn't know how to feel about the situation. Although Seth had passed his detection, Jensen still felt that there was something wrong with him. That he was hiding something. However, regardless of how much he tried to push, he'd just receive the same answers.

If only he had more time...

"Sir?"

"Hm? Oh, yes..." Perhaps showing the tension on his face, Jensen quickly shook the thoughts away and dismissed the agent. "You've done a good job. You may leave now."

"Thank you."

Bowing once, the agent left the room.

"....."

Jensen stood in silence, rolling the paper and slapping it against his palm a couple of times. Eventually, he shook his head and proceeded to make his way out of the room.

'I guess I should send him off personally.'

*

The BUA headquarters were very large.

The entire headquarters was made up of several massive buildings, each more distinctive than the last, with the main structure, 'The Shell', standing out as the most remarkable of them all.

Resembling the shell of a snail, the massive metallic structure curved inward on itself, its layered surface catching the sunlight in muted silver tones. The metal reflected the sky faintly, and as a gentle breeze moved through the nearby trees, the structure stood out quite a lot against the surroundings.

Even Jensen, who had grown used to the sight of the Shell, couldn't help but marvel at the structure.

His admiration merely lasted a few seconds before he headed in the opposite direction.

Eventually, a building came into view as he walked into it and passed the main security, where he was soon escorted before a white door.

"....."

Standing in silence, Jensen hesitated for just a moment before reaching for the door and pulling it open.

Clank—!

This wasn't the first time he had come to visit him. And yet, with each visit, he found himself growing more and more nervous.

There was something about the detainee that made him feel unsettled each time he interacted with him.

Eventually, a slow and monotonous clicking sound reached his ears.

Click! Click! Click!

Jensen came to a pause, his expression tensing as he looked ahead.

The clicking sound ceased, and at the same time, a head slowly turned. A pair of dark eyes was revealed. So deep they seemed to consume the shadows around them, swallowing whatever darkness dared to linger.

A thin smile soon appeared on Seth's face.

"I take it that my time here is coming to an end."

"....."

Jensen's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Seth. A strange pressure radiated from him, subtle yet suffocating, and despite his best efforts to stay calm, his heart ignored him, beating faster with every passing second.

'He's different compared to before.'

This was one of the observations that Jensen had noticed.

Unlike the cold, detached version of Seth he had seen inside the Gate, and during their first encounters, the man standing before him now felt different.

He was a lot calmer.

More contained.

And yet...

He also felt a lot more terrified than before. The sense of oppression he gave out was far greater than before, and the darkness in his gaze appeared to be even deeper.

The more Jensen looked at him, the tighter he held onto the papers.

'...He's not normal. He definitely knows more. I'm sure of it!!'

Scrunch—!

"Huh?"

Before he even realized it, the papers in his hands had crumpled under his grip. By the time he realized, it was already too late. Or at least, that was what he initially assumed.

"Ah, this..."

Jensen looked at the papers in his hand in shock.

When did...

"I'll be taking these."

Appearing before Jensen, Seth grabbed onto the papers. He gave them a quick scan before nodding.

"I can finally leave this place. That's good."

His words, however, fell on deaf ears as Jensen stared at the papers in shock.

That...

He was sure that he had scrunched them up.

How come...?

How come they were fine?

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