MFM | Chapter 1.1

A person dressed in a colorful clown outfit walking towards a cliff.85b90352ea8d4da72d8f

In a world where it’s hard to live sanely, trusting money might be the most rational choice. Gabriel pondered his creed while looking at Dudley Lunggen in front of him.7947beaa7d87272afd02

Leaning lazily on his chair and tapping the proposal with his fingers, he was the president of Lunggen Trading Company and Gabriel’s employer. Lunggen twisted his lips and glared at Gabriel.6f18c9a1365edb7b4555

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“Is that all you can think of, even after graduating from the University of Misnik?”bd80facd88f2a4f9a399

It was starting again.91e2252b3d0f6d1c952d

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Until half a year ago, Lunggen looked like an angel to Gabriel. That’s because Gabriel needed a job, and there was nowhere willing to hire him. No place wanted to employ a medical school graduate with unnecessarily high education and terribly low reputation.cb19622edba950dbce13

Schools, publishing companies, big companies. Banks, newspapers, small companies. Those who smiled when they first met Gabriel all shook their heads with a troubled expression after talking to him.92c61b4b75756d98e596

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“Can you read ledgers?”e528ed6f2ca6f5bdd382

“I’m afraid we can’t match your salary expectations.”30b97449df072838f5cd

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In their eyes, there was a question mark saying “Why?” Why not open a clinic or become a university lecturer? He didn’t have the money for the former, and no recommendation for the latter. Instead of saying that, Gabriel just smiled.95eed1487b78a2e9f844

“If you give me a chance, I can do any job. It’s okay if the salary is low.”3941f4430eec4c6b105b

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However, they found Gabriel burdensome. Even places that asked him to leave his resume would often indirectly reject him when he visited a few days later. It seemed they had heard rumors about him.e0e8af8a55deaadc252f

Gabriel wandered the streets every day looking for a job. Then, in the third month, he came to Lunggen Trading Company.55d4e64bb149987633ed

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Dudley Lunggen was the only one who welcomed Gabriel. He was delighted to hear that Gabriel was from the University of Misnik. He shared his past of not being able to attend school due to financial difficulties and told Gabriel he was lucky.905ff1f274693e206cea

“Our company needs a talent like you. I’d like to hire you for a weekly salary of 2 pounds, how about it?”d9992eb4e61f0b7f808c

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General office workers usually receive a little over 1 pound weekly. New university lecturers or office lawyers get about 3 pounds. Gabriel’s weekly salary was in between, so he was quite satisfied.27c91524e4671837c903

Gabriel signed the contract on the spot. For half a year since then, he didn’t regret his decision to join.0506978aba5b110832bd

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Really.dffdc818b22c261e9318

“Your thinking is pathetic. It’s because your head is filled with dead knowledge. Didn’t I tell you to learn from me?”c7f37742fe8bd10ecd45

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He said he liked it just two days ago. Gabriel erased that complaint from his mind. Instead, he reminded himself of the most important fact.78608de823e6bb333fa8

Today is Saturday, the day to receive the weekly salary when leaving work. Today is Saturday.f11b6fd3223854d89785

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“So, how should I revise it, sir?”6fb1fc7c26c0ef7486e9

“Do I have to tell you everything?”c1606ab5e87d030cc7b9

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Lunggen spoke in a mocking tone and picked up the paper in front of him. It was the proposal Gabriel had written all week.1988703c02cf826a2803

He met Gabriel’s eyes and then tore the proposal vertically. Then he gathered it and tore it horizontally once more, throwing it at Gabriel’s face.a5e99e60a2a319c6f9d8

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Flutter, flutter, flutter. The weight of the insult touching his face was as light as could be.e54c0361492169f84ec7

“I thought there would be something special since you’re from the University of Misnik.”0130fa17500a46ca0411

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“……”e30965d75ef237d136db

“Even the oldest university in the kingdom is ultimately nothing special.”e3a50f9e6cd7edc3b8bc

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Gabriel’s gaze, with his head bowed, turned to the torn letters. This was the seventeenth time. The seventeenth time Gabriel’s proposal had been rejected.c9a31d14baf9e7b9e546

Since joining, Lunggen had given Gabriel seventeen instructions, always liked the content during the process, and when the final proofread result was presented, he tore it up and threw it at Gabriel.dd856ed2f2f727c31b03

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Three of those proposals were executed. The only thing modified in the process was the name of the proposer, changed from Gabriel Valentin to Dudley Lunggen.af031f34b26b03a06bbe

But recalling such facts didn’t drop a penny for him. Gabriel kept his mouth shut and clasped his hands even more politely. A faint headache helped maintain the silence.5e891834017e3abeff06

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A knock on the door of the silent president’s office was heard. Soon, the secretary opened the door and peeked in.92db261b48935f3dbad4

“Sir, it’s time for your meal.”ccf3f8897c48dd0fd02e

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“Get out.”ce5d9b3f6b719dd04a1a

Lunggen waved his hand at Gabriel. Gabriel bowed to him and left the president’s office.d785ac45686408639afa

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At the same time, he felt dozens of pairs of eyes on him. It was because the single desks facing the glass window of the president’s office had no partitions.832e2a15835ccca77950

Without making eye contact with anyone, Gabriel returned to his seat and sat down. He had to move quickly to handle the work others had piled on his desk while he was in the president’s office. Soon, Lunggen came out of the president’s office with the secretary and quickly walked out of the office.8d3fd1d8bd70ac9b7e3d

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Bang, about a minute after the door closed, someone clapped in the awkward silence.957b3314b84e77065978

“Let’s all go have lunch!”826aed6045945c7b1dd5

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The sound of chairs being pulled and murmuring chatter swept away the stiff silence. Before he knew it, Gabriel was the only one sitting at his desk. Gabriel, who was reading a paper on the new efficacy found in monster blood, looked up at the shadow cast on his desk.ae6e35933fba1ddde86c

“Gabriel, do you want to go have lunch together?”f8930c9e5909305aa7d3

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It was Ethan. With a friendly impression and a soft, mid-low voice, he was Gabriel’s junior at the company. He was also the most sociable and popular alpha in the company. Gabriel slowly shook his head.beee61f663cd691046ca

“It’s okay. I brought a lunchbox.”712b2492aaa963f665bb

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“Let’s eat together next time.”8a1d586532914cd87c83

He repeated the words he had said several times before with a smile. Gabriel just smiled without answering. Another colleague next to him glanced at Gabriel and pulled Ethan’s arm.f290384322f904a38c85

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“You said you were hungry. Let’s go quickly.”9a21a40fd026101ba7bd

“Yeah, just a moment. Gabriel, should I bring you something when I come back? You seem to smoke often, do you need cigarettes?”77ba6e499b6053110287

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Ethan asked Gabriel, bending over even though one arm was being pulled. His soft flaxen hair fluttered over his forehead. Gabriel habitually lifted the corners of his mouth while staring into Ethan’s brown eyes.defab217a3f207ac0167

“It’s okay. Go ahead.”0f5cfdbae6e97857823c

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Only after hearing Gabriel’s refusal did he move with a regretful expression. The colleagues who had gathered in groups also went out with him. Soon, the office was completely at peace.680aeaaf399e8b10cc19

Only then did Gabriel bend over and open his bag. Inside the crumpled paper bag, pressed by odds and ends, were two hard biscuits.54c5699fd7649ee11f65

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Gabriel placed a kettle on the wood stove in one corner of the office and boiled water. The cheap tea leaves provided were the only welfare in this company. Gabriel poured a lot of tea leaves into a cup of hot water and stuffed the biscuits in. If not soaked for a few minutes like this, the biscuits wouldn’t be edible.4dacadbd9b8c46ad6e28

The meal ended in 5 minutes. Gabriel picked up his coat to smoke and headed to the balcony at the back of the office. Normally, he would have gone outside, but today he didn’t have the energy.942127d27ee31fc38563

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The view from the balcony was simple. The red brick wall of the adjacent building filled the view at a distance of 1 meter. It was a large and solid wall that even blocked the gray sky.af68d158843e9bc6bf42

Gabriel leaned against the cracked wall and took out the cigarette case from his pocket. Inside the metal cigarette case were five thinly rolled cigarettes.1a200c32c1e84b546745

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Gabriel, who habitually checked the quantity, took one out and put it in his mouth. Having been away from cigarettes for half a day, his head was throbbing. There was impatience mixed in the gesture of striking a match.3d9301cce7d8281feceb

“Ha……”fef9f26787320f5f5425

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Gabriel rubbed his temples. With each breath in and out, his mind, which had been crumpled like wet paper, dried refreshingly. The faint headache evaporated, and a refreshing feeling permeated his mind.fb585d714c9f2670caf4

Gabriel slowly blinked his dry eyes. With a few breaths, the cigarette quickly burned away. As he was looking at the small pile of ashes with regretful eyes, a cheerful voice came from inside the office.4ec85ae0da43dec42a9a

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“Oh, no one’s here.”3a58416069b70830690e

It was Ethan. Gabriel extinguished the cigarette butt by rubbing it against the cigarette case. While putting the cigarette case in his pocket, Ethan continued.7be6da93785263a07dfa

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“Valentin must have gone out to smoke.”fc49f0f836f5dad1c56d

“Are you sure?”e75ad7471273cbf7385a

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It was the voice of the colleague who had grabbed Ethan’s arm. The speech was shorter than before. Ethan affirmed.90d564f87cc845e83108

“He always goes out to smoke.”6b0402be65981848d947

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“You sure observe closely.”8f7bb500df44b00d4276

“To get close, you need to know at least that much.”f971a38ceacb8c260bda

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Gabriel stood silently in front of the flimsy iron door with his hands behind his back. The colleague snorted and said.eecc2c708aa3c0725dff

“You have quite the tolerance.”8c55afeaae84f6a703fe

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“Why, what’s wrong with Valentin?”2517fb28cfdae74639d9

“Don’t play dumb. You also add a word with that soft voice of yours. You said it was creepy because he’s a coroner. Even though he gets paid more than us for graduating from the University of Misnik, why does he handle corpses every night after work?”bf8e9e970c0562426d8f

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“You have a good memory. What else did I say?”1ba9f857a17837e94613

“And his clothes are worn out, and he’s stingy with his spending.”a157bd5f5b506176a3b5

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The colleague giggled and laughed.e906aa2ab8cbd816d105

“Really, seeing things like that, it seems true that he blew all his inheritance and is left with only debts because of gambling or women. Anyway, thinking about handling the same documents as that guy is terrifying. I’d rather work with an undertaker.”18d6ad15001a2e66c084

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Gabriel fiddled with the cigarette case in his pocket. The rusty edge was cold and rough.4eb3f342b8b916d2d433

Being a coroner was originally a hard, dirty, and dangerous job. The rate of death from infection was high, and they often got beaten by angry bereaved families. This was because the national religion valued the body as much as the soul. In the eyes of the bereaved, coroners were those who disgraced the deceased twice.f2122423e6412d7859c6

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That didn’t mean the pay was good, nor were people’s views favorable. So most coroners were either bankrupt after losing a lawsuit over medical malpractice or outright criminals with a record. They were generally sensitive, irritable, and filled with a sense of defeat. Many were addicted to alcohol or drugs.dc51c05f24b2885a5bd6

The colleague continued.8d541f43b825c061268f

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“And the rumor about almost killing someone in college… they say it wasn’t even the first time. Do you know how scared I was when I heard that from a client?”2fb64e9e25ff1ac48669

“That’s why we made a bet, didn’t we? Everyone put 1 lion on it. Whether I can get close to Valentin and find out or not.”d8711907f873fde47356

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Ethan laughed.84af873fd41ff7ab2c54

“Don’t worry, nothing will rub off on you. We’re trying to win, so look at us nicely.”3b306ed7cb306f48e427

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Ethan’s voice turned sweet. The colleague made a nasal sound.d28fb603b4fc5544a35b

“You’re already acting sweet.”e79d0fd4a06ebc0daf63

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After about 3 seconds of silence, there was a sound of something wet and sticky mingling and colliding. Gabriel recalled the wedding ring the colleague was wearing. The owner of the other side was, of course, not Ethan.f29246c91b3dc8b424f6

‘So that’s how it was.’ca7af3de78c566d35833

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Gabriel acknowledged. So they were trying to find out such things.9f1bcc13af0070a07be3