Chapter 62
The Pudding Slime was still sitting in front of the tablet.
Even while half-asleep, the sounds piercing my ears were tumultuous.
Boom! Rat-tat-tat-tat-!
The noise was coming from the tablet.
On the screen, bombs were exploding, and a man, riddled with bullets like a honeycomb, was collapsing to the floor.
The Pudding Slime, who had been watching the blood-soaked scene with great seriousness, approached me and greeted me.
"Good morning, Roasted Chestnut."
I scrambled up, grabbed the tablet, and immediately checked the content rating.
’Rated 19+, containing sexuality, violence, horror, drugs, risk of imitation..?’
The "risk of imitation" tag made my stomach churn.
Oblivious to my distress, Dominic explained leisurely.
"I discovered that I could receive additional data through the electromagnetic waves here. Thanks to that, I’ve seen a great deal of material."
He mentioned a few works he found decent, but they were movies I had never heard of.
Checking the tablet, I saw that it was indeed connected to the internet.
I didn’t know how he’d managed it, but on a whim, I searched for the movie titles.
I discovered that Dominic possessed a very sophisticated, cinephile taste.
He seemed to have watched many art house and classic films-all of which were movies I had never seen.
There were even black-and-white films and silent movies.
For now, the first plan to reform him through audiovisual materials was a failure.
I gave up on the plan entirely and returned the tablet so Dominic could watch more movies.
Dominic didn’t forget to gently soothe me, just in case I felt upset.
"The action flick I watched with you last night was enjoyable, but this side seems a bit more to my taste. I’ve also come to understand the planet called Earth quite well."
I felt like I’d have to look up some movie summary shorts on M-Tube later to see what kind of "Earth" Dominic had come to understand.
Regardless, thanks to Dominic, I was wide awake.
With my drowsiness completely gone, I ate the breakfast served on my tray.
Then, after washing up and putting on my uniform, I stood before the mirror.
Today was the day I would meet Je Hyun-oh and the Captains for the first time in a while.
The plan was to conduct the S2P briefing in the afternoon and then meet the Special Task Team directly at the S2P spawning location to enter.
The entire Special Task Team was currently out on a mission.
Therefore, it was decided that everyone except me would conduct a video meeting while moving toward the S2P spawning location.
As for the TRA Administration candidates scheduled for additional entry this time, they were also performing missions, so Samra would handle their briefing separately from the Special Task Team.
’Lt. Col. Je is coming out of the Trial this afternoon, right? The Captains said they’d arrive around the same time.’ The Captains had traveled quite far to capture a candidate who had committed a serious crime.
Since candidates could use items obtained from Trials in the outside world, they were often misused for criminal activities.
In such cases, the TRA Administration arrested and punished the candidates.
According to the TRA Administration’s military law, captured candidates usually worked for the state like slaves instead of paying fines or serving prison time
However, if the nature of the crime was severe, the principle was immediate execution.
This was because there was no way of knowing what dangerous acts they might commit.
In the past, there had been an incident where a candidate attempted a terror attack on the TRA Administration by placing explosive items in their inventory, leading to even stricter punishments.
In Korea, where the death penalty exists but is not practically carried out, this was actually shocking.
However, since the TRA Administration, the candidates, and the Trials were kept strictly confidential, there was no way for the outside world to know.
If it had become public, it likely would have caused a massive controversy.
In many ways, candidates had very few human rights.
Thinking that my current situation wasn’t much different from that of a serious criminal, I perched Dominic on my shoulder.
A slight weight settled on one side of my shoulder.
I clenched my fists tight against a recurring, subtle urge.
’I really just want to squish him once.’
Unaware of my thoughts, Dominic wobbled his soft body and asked.
"Mr. Roasted Chestnut. Is this < Slay to Plate> you are entering today a place like Mornveil?"
"It’s similar, but it’s a completely different space." I gave him a brief explanation of the Trials and the candidates.
Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Would Dominic know something about the Creator?
Even if he didn’t know the specifics due to his memory loss, he might be able to tell me something that could serve as a hint.
"Um, Mr. Dominic. What would you think if there were a being who prophesied all of this?"
The answer that came back was clear.
"A god, then."
"Would they be a being similar to you?"
At that, a low chuckle was heard.
"I wonder."
I could sufficiently read the meaning behind that short answer.
It was telling me not to compare him to such things.
’And you don’t even have your memories.’
I was simply curious how he knew he was so great.
I wondered if it was something he felt instinctively.
I wanted to ask more, but I shut my mouth because Samra had arrived.
"Mr. Han Goyo."
In the morning, I was supposed to hear from Samra about the current status of Trials in South Korea and notable Trials in other countries... but
I froze mid-greeting upon seeing the woman who appeared alongside Samra.
"Hello...!"
It was Ham Ji-wol, the Head of the Research and Analysis Division.
Looking utterly excited, she was clutching a large bag.
It was a bag that looked as though it contained various horrific tools.
I immediately looked at Samra.
’Please save me.’
Receiving my desperate plea for rescue, Samra let out a sigh, much like a human.
"By order of Director Jang Seok-yoon, Head Ham Ji-wol will be checking Mr. Han Goyo’s current health status. We have agreed to keep this as short as possible, so I ask for your cooperation."
A health check-up for me.
The justification was so clear that even Samra couldn’t seem to block this. I looked at Ham Ji-wol as she approached with greedy eyes.
When our eyes met, she beamed.
Pushing up her large glasses, Ham Ji-wol approached me with a giggle.
"Goyo... I’m so glad you returned safely! Last time, I couldn’t... greet you properly... Today, I want to spend a bit more time with you..."
It was a terrifying thing to hear.
I was even more scared because I didn’t know what she would do to me.
Since Samra was present, I clung to the hope that it would end with just a little bit of blood being drawn.
"Head Ham Ji-wol."
Samra called out to stop her.
Ham Ji-wol quickly turned to Samra and answered.
"Yes...!"
’Lt. Col. Je Hyun-oh is still keeping an eye on you, Head Ham Ji-wol."
Ham Ji-wol, who had been full of thoughts of chewing, tearing, and tasting my body, became flustered the moment she heard those words.
"B-but... this is different from that... This, this is... the Director gave permission.."
"I am merely conveying a fact. The judgment is up to you, Head Ham Ji-wol."
Ham Ji-wol’s momentum vanished instantly.
Regardless, Samra stood in a straight posture, quietly waiting for Ham Ji-wol’s choice.
Clutching the bag tightly to her chest, Ham Ji-wol looked like she was about to cry.
Dejected, she trudged toward me.
"Then... just a little bit of Goyo’s blood.."
"Since you are scheduled to enter a Trial today, I will not permit any action that may affect your condition."
"Ah, ahhh... But last time, Goyo’s transfusion..."
"Head Ham Ji-wol."
Ham Ji-wol looked as if her world had collapsed.
Then, suddenly, her face became determined.
"T-then!"
She shouted as if this was the one thing she could absolutely not compromise on.
"I’ll collect more of the fingernails I couldn’t get last time... and I want to collect epithelial cells from the mouth..!"
Samra looked at me and asked.
"Mr. Han Goyo, would that be alright?"
I was willing to cooperate to that extent.
Though I had no idea what she had used the previous samples for.
"Yes, that’s fine."
"Th-thank you!"
Ham Ji-wol looked up at me with touched eyes.
She was shorter than me, so I sat down in a chair.
Once I was seated, Ham Ji-wol quickly pulled out a small pair of clippers.
I held out my right hand to her.
Ham Ji-wol grabbed my hand and began clipping my nails with a snip-snip sound.
"Goyo... your fingers are pretty..."
It was the scariest compliment I had ever received.
Fortunately, Ham Ji-wol didn’t suddenly pull out a hacksaw and start slicing my fingers.
Having neatly trimmed my nails, Ham Ji-wol fiddled with my hand, her eyes full of lingering regret.
As her movements in-which seemed to be checking my veins and bone structure dragged on, Dominic slid down from my shoulder and along my forearm.
Just as I began to worry if Dominic was about to do something, Samra intervened.
"Head Ham Ji-wol."
"A-alright..."
While grumbling, Ham Ji-wol quickly tucked the sample tubes containing the nail clippings into her clothes.
Then, she pulled something else out of her bag.
I watched tensely to see what strange thing she was bringing out, but they were just two long cotton swabs.
"Now, Goyo. Say ’ah..."
When I opened my mouth, she gently rubbed the inside with the swab.
The feeling of it brushing against the inside of my cheek was ticklish.
The collection ended quickly. Holding the swabs precious, Ham Ji-wol looked at me as if she were moved.
"Goyo is really... well-behaved. If other candidates were as well-behaved as Goyo... it would be so great... Everyone hates me..."
It seemed she lacked the self-awareness to understand why they hated her.
At that moment, Samra threw me a lifeline.
"Mr. Han Go-yo. I am told Lt. Col. Je Hyun-oh has emerged from the Trial. We will move for the < Slay to Plate> briefing."
’Lt. Col. Je!’
I couldn’t have been more glad.
He said he’d be out in the afternoon, but it seemed he had cleared it early.
Praising Je Hyun-oh’s greatness, I sprang up from my seat.
Ham Ji-wol let me go without a fight, as she was busy drying the swabs with the epithelial cells.
"See you next time..!"
I gave a quick nod to her greeting and hurried away with Samra.
Samra patted me on the back.
"You worked hard."
"No.. thank you for saving me."
Dominic, who had been quiet until then, spoke up from my shoulder.
"What an assertive lady. If necessary, I can make her interest disappear. Just tell me anytime, Roasted Chestnut."
I didn’t know what that method was, but I suspected it wouldn’t be by human standards, so I wanted to decline.
After expressing my refusal internally, I arrived at the Special Task Team office while chatting with Samra.
As I was welcoming the sight of the office after a long time, a polite request came in.
"Roasted Chestnut. Could you please set me down on the table?"
Samra had gone into the breakroom to get coffee.
I gently placed Dominic on the table.
Dominic wandered around the table at will, observing various things.
He showed interest in a pile of snacks, but he only looked closely and didn’t touch them.
It seemed he wasn’t particularly curious beyond that.
While I was glancing at the slime’s adventure, Samra returned with two cups of coffee on a tray.
"Thank you. I’ll bring them next time."
"There is no need. This is also part of the supporter’s duties."
For something like that, it felt like she only made coffee for me...
Recalling the Captains who were surprised by Samra’s coffee, I took my cup.
After confirming that I had taken a sip, Samra projected three screens in the air.
However, the first screen showed only black.
I realized belatedly that it was the black of the goggles.
The crow goggles had been snapped in half during the 3rd Trial, but it seemed he
had picked up a new pair in the meantime.
Je Hyun-oh, whose face had been pressed close to the screen, slowly pulled back.
I greeted him warmly.
"Lt. Col. Je. Congratulations on the clear."
Je Hyun-oh said nothing.
Wondering if he couldn’t hear me, I called him once more.
"It. Col. Je?"
- Goyo.
"Yes!"
- You’re not dead yet.
"Yes."
While I was debating whether I should say I was sorry or thank him, faces appeared on the other two screens.
- Recruit!
Mo Hae-in shouted abruptly, then bit her lip.
Kwak Han-mook also stared at me with wide eyes.
However, perhaps mindful of Samra, neither of them said anything.
It seemed I would need to have some separate time to talk with them later.
’I should bow my head and apologize...’
They must have been the ones to clean up the aftermath of my sudden disappearance from the 3rd Trial.
Thanks to them handling it well, I was able to enter the next Trial without being locked in an isolation ward. looked at Je Hyun-oh and the Captains with eyes full of apology.
"The meeting will begin."
Samra announced the start of the briefing.
"The Trial grade for < Slay to Plate> is five stars. This is Lt. Col. Je Hyun-oh’s first entry. Captain Mo Hae-in and Captain Kwak Han-mook have cleared this Trial multiple times as a team."
Until now, the Special Task Team had only entered four-star grades. This was their first five-star entry.
After giving the customary warning that there was no vaccine or cure for the BT-STP virus, Samra explained S2P.
It was while I was listening intently to the briefing.
’Huh?’
I heard Dominic’s laughter.
When I looked at him, Dominic crossed the table and approached me again.
I placed my hand on the table to help him climb up.
As Dominic crawled up my forearm, he spoke.
"Roasted Chestnut. There is a being here who can see me."
The moment I wondered who.
My eyes met with Kwak Han-mook’s.