Chronicles of the Otherworld Investigator

Human beings are not the only entities in existence in this world. It is my duty to address and assist all types of entities in reaching their ultimate destination, regardless of whether they are virtuous or malevolent. My name is Nathan McNeill. I am a very attractive 25-year-old who stands over six feet tall, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

In addition to being handsome, I like to wear mostly black pants and shirts, as well as black boots and a red jacket. It makes me look totally cool while I currently live in Busan, South Korea.

There are nice people, although it is very expensive to live here. Every time I pass a young lady I flip a hand through my hair, flash a smile and you can see the hearts in their eyes.

Yeah, I'm hot. It's just unfortunate that each time my fun is cut short by my down-to-earth partner, Mars.

The ginger cat is always by my side and will give me a sharp nip as I flirt, bringing me back to my senses and startling the girls. As he hissed at them, they would flee, leaving me staring at them forlornly afterwards.

"There goes another lovely pair. Why? Why do you keep doing this to me, Mars? I was just having a chat with them," I asked Mars frustratedly.

He sniffed, twitching his tail. "It's unsightly for one. Secondly, we have a job to do. Enough playing around, let's go before time runs out," Mars answered impatiently. He glared at me in disdain.

"All right, all right, already. It hasn't been ten minutes. See?" I showed him my watch.

He glanced at it briefly before trotting away. I followed him hastily. "Hold on!"

I huffed, ignoring the curious passersby. "It is very unfit for an Otherworld Investigator to be a playboy," he reprimanded.

"Yeah, yeah." There he goes again.

"Both of your parents worked in the same business and were excellent at what they did. I just can't understand where your tendencies came from," Mars kept going.

I rolled my eyes at the nagging. We were walking toward the outskirts of Nam-gu, where I lived.

Otherworld Investigator. It was a job my grandfather, Howard McNeill started when my grandmother died while their children were still young.

In grief, he began dabbling in occult studies to find closure and her soul. Little did he know he would discover more than he bargained for.

An entire world filled with spirits and ghosts and those who could communicate with them.

Along the way, he decided to take cases for both spirits and humans and bring them closure in return for money.

Thus, the Otherworld Inspector was born. My father, Jason, took over and married my mother, Amelia, who was once a client of his. It was love at first sight.

Oh, and somewhere along the way, Mars came into the picture too. My family made a deal of some kind that required his services.

Both he and my parents refused to tell me what it was. Which is ridiculous! I mean, I'm their only handsome son. Isn't that their obligation?

This was all back in Scotland before I decided to move. My parents are still alive and kicking back home, by the way.

After at least another half an hour, we finally arrived at our destination. It used to be a famous research lab but was closed down.

Now it is just a large, white abandoned building. The garden was overgrown, and moss covered the rooftops.

Windows were smashed in, and graffiti was everywhere. Some, I thought, were very artistic. We came to the front of the gate, which was very rusted.

The 'DANGER! DO NOT ENTER!' sign was hanging across the gate.

"It says do not enter, we should head back," I joked half-heartedly. The atmosphere was ominous, and I was just trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't be stupid. Use the skill I taught you the other day and climb over the gate," Mars snapped back. Yeah, that fell flat. I sighed and did as I was told.

I felt my eyes tingle, knowing they glowed golden. A sign that I was using my skills. I crouched down and took a small leap.

Despite the eight-foot high gate, I was able to jump twenty feet across and fifteen feet high with my LEAP skill.

When activated, I can use the same abilities as a cat. My abilities so far are better than that of an ordinary human in the dark, including leaping high, seeing, hearing, and smelling better.

But I have yet to learn any attack skills. Mars decided to hold those for last, no matter how much I begged.

Who is Mars, by the way? I have no idea. He was there for my entire life, as well as my parents' lives. I once had a conversation with him about it when I was a child.

"Hey, Marth?" my cute five-year-old asked.

"It's Marssss. What d'you want, Squirt?" Mars replied.

"How olth is 'oo?"

"Say what?" he barked, offended.

So that was my conversation. After that, I decided never to bring it up again.

I elegantly and perfectly landed on my feet on the other side of the rusty gate. I gazed around the messy yard as Mars landed beside me.

"It must have been a nice and neat garden once," I commented. He just huffed disinterestedly. I gave a shrug while we strode silently to the old building standing alone under the bright moon.

Luckily the lock on the door was broken, hence we simply came in without difficulty. The door creaked closed behind us as I activated my skill for night vision, SENSE.

'That door needs a lot of oil. So noisy,' I thought irritably as the door slowly slammed shut.

I scanned around for anything unusual or clues that might help me. What are we here for? To be paid, of course. A client who requested this job was a human woman. YunHee Park.

She was the daughter of one of the researchers who worked here. Thirty years ago, this building was lively and filled with people.

Their research was to find a cure for rabies. It sounded very noble, and many sponsored their research.

Many scientists put their all into trying to discover a cure, but not everyone was on board.

When two fundraisers sent several detectives to investigate the lab due to inconsistencies in invoices, it was discovered that several board members, as well as the main researcher, had embezzled over thirty percent of the funds.

Angered, the sponsors ceased funding, and without any money, the researchers lost their jobs, and the lab had to shut down.

The average-looking hoe, sorry, I mean woman, who sat before me told me that her father used to be a supervisor, and wow, was there quite a tale.

"As you know, rabies has no cure. If a person discovers they have symptoms, they are the living dead. My father was very dedicated to finding a way to create a vaccine, or at least a preventive measure.

It was very frustrating for him when that scandal happened," she murmured impassively.

I nodded in fake sympathy when YunHee tonelessly went on,

"They were given a week to clear out, so many things were left behind. My father asked me to find a certain vial. It may not be ground breaking, but he told me it could lead scientists in the present in the right direction."

"Why didn't they take it with them when they left?" I inquired.

"Because it's locked behind a safe room, and the only people who had access were the ones who were arrested for embezzlement," she answered.

She took her purse, pulled out a key, and held it up triumphantly.

"He managed to track down the safe key after decades of searching. He gave it to me just before he went to the hospital."

YunHee then sighed and said sadly, "It may sound like I speak coldly, but I am also a scientist, so please don't think badly of me."

She leaned forward and said, "I will give you the key. As well as a warning. It may be abandoned, but only by humans."

It didn't deter me, there was money at stake. "Okay. So sign here. After breaking and entering, trespassing, and stealing a potentially dangerous object, it will be two million and six hundred thousand won."

"What! You piece of-"

So that's why we're here. Oh, those look like canine teeth, cool.

Mars was sniffing in front of a desk that looked like a reception desk. Papers were littered everywhere, but that wasn't why we were here so I dismissed it.

"Come on, Kitty, stop playing around. We've got a job to do," I jabbed spitefully. Mars just hissed and sprinted toward a pair of doors.

I followed cheerfully. They were worn, and the paint was peeling off. I pushed them open and gasped.