Chapter 91
I clung to CEO Cha’s side, savoring this unbelievable situation.
My feelings could be summarized in one phrase.
’This is insane.’
Upon hearing Je Hyeon-oh’s remark, CEO Cha let out a short, dry laugh.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyeon-oh... you certainly have a lot of confidence, don’t you?"
Soon, they stared at each other in silence.
I knew now wasn’t the time, but I kept glancing back and forth between Je Hyeon-oh and CEO Cha.
I couldn’t stop looking because the sight of two beings who were so similar yet starkly different standing together was simply unbelievable.
In the Archive worldview, they had almost never occupied the same space.
It was considered a waste to throw individuals whose personal stats pierced the heavens into a single Trial.
Even when the TRA Management Bureau, a state agency, and Pasung, a private corporation, cooperated, Je Hyeon-oh and CEO Cha never tackled a Trial together.
Consequently, they had almost no reason to meet, yet they were acutely aware of each other’s existence.
They also knew that, ultimately, they needed one another to stop the increasingly frequent hatching of Trials.
’Though it seems Lt. Col. Je might not realize that.’
Right now, he seemed to have no intention other than tearing CEO Cha to pieces with his metallic hand.
While CEO Cha was committing an act of madness, he absolutely could not be seriously injured or killed.
It wasn’t because he was my favorite; it was because if a person like CEO Cha encountered a problem, it would be fatal to the defense against the Trials.
There was no other compatible in the entire world with abilities on par with CEO Cha.
Even though he had literally ripped the side out of the Bureau building, Director Jang Seok-yoon would never consider a punishment severe enough to prevent CEO Cha from entering a Trial.
Perhaps I had been glancing too obviously.
The gazes of Je Hyeon-oh and CEO Cha, who had been staring at each other, shifted toward me.
I flinched and cast my eyes downward.
However, with terrible timing, a loud fit of coughing erupted from me at that exact moment.
"Ack... cough, cough!"
It was because the surrounding area was still thick with dust.
I felt a bit wronged.
Je Hyeon-oh was wearing a gas mask, and CEO Cha was wearing a mask.
Seomun Chan didn’t seem particularly affected either, so it felt like I was the only one who had inhaled a lungful of dust.
After my noisy coughing fit, a strange silence fell.
I apologized belatedly in a cracked voice.
"I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation. I just inhaled a lot of dust..."
That was when a loud burst of laughter rang out.
It was mixed with mechanical sounds, but it was unmistakably laughter.
I looked up at CEO Cha blankly.
After laughing for a while, CEO Cha looked down at me and spoke.
"I should get to Pasung quickly."
In that moment, I actually wanted to sign the contract.
I was curious about the face that must be smiling behind that mask.
Clink, clink. The sound of metal lightly colliding echoed.
It was the sound of Je Hyeon-oh moving his metallic hand.
CEO Cha stopped laughing abruptly and let out an overt sigh.
"So impatient."
Then, he drew his sword. The Daeil Yeorae revealed its blade, scattering a white light.
It looked as though the two were finally going to clash.
CEO Cha had used an expensive consumable item to evade Samra’s eyes.
If it was the item I suspected, it was something that couldn’t be bought with money.
CEO Cha likely used such an item because it was generally better not to clash with the Bureau’s Compatibles, including Je Hyeon-oh.
But if a collision became inevitable despite that...
’He probably didn’t intend to dodge...’
I felt a headache coming on. Was there any way to get past this?
But it wasn’t easy.
Je Hyeon-oh went without saying, and CEO Cha wouldn’t simply retreat after coming this far, taking a loss without any gain Today, it might only end when one of them truly died.
"CEO Cha. That’s enough."
Then, a familiar voice was heard.
It was Director Jang Seok-yoon.
Leading a group of Bureau soldiers, he stood side-by-side with Samra. Won Tae-beom was visible a step behind them.
I quickly checked Samra and Won Tae-beom. Fortunately, neither seemed seriously injured.
Samra’s arms had returned to their original state.
The Bureau soldiers Jang Seok-yoon brought were fully armed, but they didn’t point their guns at CEO Cha.
Jang Seok-yoon spoke with a face etched with deep fatigue.
"Anything beyond this is merely a meaningless and wasteful act."
However, CEO Cha seemed to have no intention of sheathing the Daeil Yeorae.
Of course, Je Hyeon-oh felt the same.
Jang Seok-yoon gestured toward me and spoke.
"Trainee Han’s condition does not seem to be very good."
Samra stared at CEO Cha.
"Han Goyo has regained consciousness after 14 days, but is currently suffering from lower- body paralysis and degraded physical functions.
His gaze felt as if he were glaring.
"CEO Cha. Is this the result you were trying to derive?"
"How could that be? The Bureau created this situation. Not me."
CEO Cha spoke while pointing his sword at Samra.
"Samra. You know very well why I went to such lengths, don’t you? And Director Jang knows as well, so why are you acting like this?"
I desperately wished they would tell me what Samra and Jang Seok-yoon knew.
But CEO Cha’s words ended there.
Just as the atmosphere, which had barely calmed down with Jang Seok-yoon’s appearance, was beginning to deteriorate.
I, who was slumped against CEO Cha’s side, suddenly had a thought.
’Isn’t this a great opportunity?’
Currently, I had three main options.
1. Freelancer
2. Pasung
3. TRA Management Bureau
Option I was objectively difficult.
There was no way Pasung or the Bureau would leave me alone, and I needed the protection of a group.
According to what Samra had said previously, my identity seemed to be spreading abroad.
It might be an overreaction, but things like kidnapping incidents could happen.
I had to choose between Option 2 or 3, and right now, Pasung had dropped a massive bomb.
By ripping the side out of the Bureau building, they had demonstrated exactly how important a person named ’Han Goyo’ was to Pasung.
Furthermore, since I had kept my promise to the Bureau of closing three Trials in one month, my trainee contract was technically over.
’This means I can legally walk the tightrope between Pasung and the Bureau.’
Pasung and the Bureau would have tried to prevent a situation where I held the power of choice.
But as things got tangled, it ended up like this.
With Je Hyeon-oh appearing at the perfect time, CEO Cha’s forced contract signing became impossible.
Therefore, I was now given the chance to extract maximum benefit from both groups.
The only problem was how to steer this.
Any ordinary comment would surely be ignored.
After thinking for a moment, I slowly raised my hand.
"Um..."
All eyes poured onto me at once.
Becoming the center of attention, I put on the most pitiful face I could and spoke.
"First of all, I have to be alive to sign a contract with either Pasung or the Bureau, right? Everyone agrees, right?"
No one answered, but I assumed they agreed and pretended to be in pain.
"I feel like I’m about to die right now."
I was just adding the explanation that I might die if Lt. Col. Je and CEO Cha fought in the middle of me when...
Surprisingly, the moment I said those words, I felt my physical condition actually worsen.
"Roasted Chestnut."
I heard Dominic’s voice calling me. There was a hint of bewilderment in the call.
Come to think of it, waking up after 14 days... maybe I had pushed myself too hard...
"...?"
Drip.
Suddenly, something surged up from inside me and fell past my lips before I could stop it.
I hurriedly raised my hand to cover it and felt a damp sensation.
I slowly lowered my hand. My palm was stained entirely red.
With that as the last thing I saw, I fainted.
"Roasted Chestnut, was it fun this time too?"
[Roasted Chestnut: It was the best! The characters were great too]
[Roasted Chestnut: The post-credits scene you put in after the ending was really interesting.]
[Roasted Chestnut: Walking around Seoul with the Bureau in the game was fun too.]
[Roasted Chestnut: Will there be a post-credits scene in the next game too?]
[Roasted Chestnut: Please put one in T_T]
"I’lI make sure to put one in. So that Mr. Roasted Chestnut can have even more fun."
[Roasted Chestnut: Thank you!]
"Don’t mention it. As long as Mr. Roasted Chestnut is happy, that’s all that matters to me."
[Roasted Chestnut: I’m really happy!]
"I’m so glad I found you, Mr. Roasted Chestnut. If I didn’t have you... I... would have kept searching, searching, searching, searching, searching, searching, searching, searching, searching, searching."
[Roasted Chestnut: Are you okay?]
"Ah... sorry, Mr. Roasted Chestnut. Did I surprise you? It’s nothing. Forget about it."
[Roasted Chestnut: But...]
"Forget it."
[Roasted Chestnut: Yes.]
"Haa, I don’t want to be like this with Mr. Roasted Chestnut. What if I keep touching you and you get hurt? Ah, no. Not Mr. Roasted Chestnut."
"Absolutely not Mr. Roasted Chestnut. Anyone but him. Ah, ah... Mr. Roasted Chestnut. Why aren’t you saying anything? Say anything. Hurry. Quickly!"
[Roasted Chestnut: Ah, I think I dozed off for a second T_T I wasn’t even that tired today]
"Is that so? You forgot what I said earlier, right?"
[Roasted Chestnut: That you’ll put a post-credits scene in the next game? I didn’t forget]
"Yes, Mr. Roasted Chestnut. Good boy. I’ll give you the next game today."
[Roasted Chestnut: Wow! What kind of game is it this time?]
"This game is..."
I slowly opened my eyes.
It wasn’t the familiar Bureau hospital room, but an unfamiliar one.
Ah, the Bureau’s side got ripped out.
Since a huge hole had been punched in the side of the building, it wouldn’t be usable for a while.
While I was lost in thought about the hospital room, a chill slowly crept over me.
It was because of a dream that came back vividly.
In the dream, I saw memories I had forgotten.
In the past, I hadn’t noticed the Creator acting like a lunatic right in front of my eyes.
I had a gut feeling that it wasn’t just then.
Though the memories didn’t come back immediately, there must have been many other parts that should have felt strange.
Yet, the past me had accepted the bizarre phenomena I experienced while watching the Creator’s broadcasts and playing his games as if they were nothing.
Without a single doubt.
’Was I not doubting, but being manipulated?’
If the Creator was a god-like being, that was entirely possible.
Shaking a human’s psyche wouldn’t have been difficult.
I had even completely forgotten about it until now.
I didn’t know why it suddenly appeared in a dream, but...
As I traced back my memories, a sudden, cold shiver ran down my spine.
The Trials began four years ago when a meteorite hit Earth.
But the past me... hadn’t even realized the fact that a meteorite had fallen.
Even if I had been cutting myself off from outside news at the time, it was strange.
Even if I had been manipulated by the Creator, I only started playing the Archive game two years ago.
Even when I met Samra after the closure of the factory.
The moment I realized through Samra that the things I had experienced in the game were actually happening in reality, I harbored no questions.
And only now did I realize that my way of thinking was abnormal.
Once I realized that my memory and perception were twisted, a fundamental doubt shook me.
’Am I even sane?’
I couldn’t tell what had gone wrong or where it started.
I slowly exhaled. I wiped my face, which was drenched in cold sweat, with my hand.
If I could fully digest ■■■■, I might recover more.
"Roasted Chestnut, how are you feeling?"
I barely regained my composure at the sound of Dominic’s voice.
"I didn’t know Roasted Chestnut was this fragile."
Listening to the Pudding Slime’s lament, I recalled the chaotic situation just before I fainted.
’Come to think of it... did it get settled?’
I had fainted before I could even try to persuade anyone, so I had no idea what had happened.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out the hospital room I was in now belonged to Pasung.
’But why is no one here again?’
Groaning, I barely managed to lift my upper body and was checking if my legs moved when...
The hospital room door opened.
I turned my head, wondering if it was Samra, but...
"Trainee Han. You’ve finally woken up."
Director Jang Seok-yoon was entering the room.