Chapter 64
"It seems Captain Mo has taken a liking to Trainee Han."
Won Tae-beom stood expressionless, looking at Director Jang Seok-yoon.
Jang Seok-yoon continued speaking while staring out the window of the Director’s office, his hands clasped behind his back.
"As you know, Trainee Han has shown remarkable results over the past month
alongside the Special Task Team. He is a talent that our Agency cannot afford to lose.
Jang Seok-yoon turned around slowly."
With his piercing gaze, Jang Seok-yoon often gave the impression of glaring even when he was simply staring.
"Lieutenant Won Tae-beom. Ensure that the Special Task Team does not close this Trial."
It was an unjust order that directly contradicted the goals pursued by the Agency.
However, in the current situation, it was also the most reasonable order.
Won Tae-beom saluted in silence.
As he left the office and walked down the hallway, Samra’s voice came through his earpiece.
- Lieutenant Won Tae-beom. Report your current location.
"I am still at the Agency. I will move to the S2P hatching site immediately."
Jang Seok-yoon likely called him knowing this.
That even without an explicit order, Won Tae-beom would act exactly as he desired.
Won Tae-beom thought of ’Han Goyo.’
Within the Trial Response Agency, that name was synonymous with an anomaly.
Han Goyo, who appeared suddenly one day, had changed many things.
A being capable of closing Trials.
At a glance, he seemed like hope, but he carried the dual terror of potentially turning into a disaster at any moment.
And to Won Tae-beom, Han Go-yo was a definite disaster.
The shock of seeing Mo Hae-in upon her return from the 3-Class Trial was still vivid.
As a member of Field Team 2, he had known Mo Hae-in for a long time, but he had never seen her like that.
Hyper-arousal(/attached )caused by an extreme traumatic reaction.
Unable to withstand the state of extreme vigilance, Mo Hae-in eventually sought out the special isolation ward herself to be confined.
Kwak Han-mook and Je Hyeon-oh, who had closed the 3-Class Trial with her, also exhibited abnormal reactions.
Upon returning to the Agency, they visited the Director’s office along with Samra.
At the time, Won Tae-beom was in charge of Jang Seok-yoon’s security to prepare for any contingency, so he was able to overhear part of their conversation.
The Special Task Team’s request was simple.
They wanted permission to use the Agency’s personnel to search for the missing Han Goyo.
However, this was a request Jang Seok-yoon could not grant.
It was far too common for a suitable candidate to go missing or die within a Trial.
Even Samra had been unable to track Han Goyo’s whereabouts.
It was a situation where one had to conclude that Han Goyo was effectively dead.
No matter how important Han Goyo was, it made no sense to expend the Agency’s resources in such a situation.
The Special Task Team must have known this, yet they were making an irrational demand.
Samra mentioned Han Go-yo’s uniqueness, but Jang Seok-yoon cut him off, citing that Han Goyo’s trait merely elicited favorable reactions from NPCs and items.
Then, Kwak Han-mook stepped forward to persuade Jang Seok-yoon.
"We closed it, and then he vanished right before our eyes. As his teammates, we want to take responsibility and find him."
"Captain Kwak. He is merely missing. Waiting is also a viable strategy. Since Trainee Han causes anomalies, we don’t know how the situation might change."
Jang Seok-yoon attempted to reject the request by citing protocol.
"Director."
It was then that Je Hyeon-oh spoke.
A rough, non-human bass voice spoke as if scraping the floor.
"What I’m looking for. Han Goyo is the clue."
It was a statement that made no sense.
However, Jang Seok-yoon’s expression stiffened instantly.
After a deep groan, Jang Seok-yoon eventually relented and authorized the search for Han Goyo.
It was something that should never have happened.
The opportunity cost of time and manpower wasted to find a single candidate was immeasurable.
The most critical part was Samra.
True to the name ’Samra-Mansang’ (All- Encompassing Samra), he served as a
major pillar of the Agency by gathering information from all over the world.
Such a Samra repeatedly searched and searched until he was on the verge of overload.
All for a single person.
To scan the entire Earth by the second, Samra stopped mimicking a human and functioned perfectly as a machine.
The sight of him physically connecting his circuits to the Agency’s supercomputer was almost grotesque.
It wasn’t just Samra.
Kwak Han-mook and Je Hyeon-oh performed Agency missions as promised to Jang Seok-yoon, but they refused any mission that took more than a day.
This was to ensure they could respond immediately if a clue about Han Goyo appeared.
Head Ham Ji-wol fainted on the spot upon hearing the news, and as soon as she regained consciousness, she burst into wails, demanding they bring back even Han Go-vo’s corpse.
Unfortunately, Kwak Han-mook witnessed this, and things almost turned ugly.
"Head Ham. Are you treating a teammate of mine, who is still perfectly alive, like a cadaver? Keep acting like a piece of shit, you fucking bitch."
Kwak Han-mook tore through the Research Department.
Following Je Hyeon-oh, the Special Task Team had smashed the Research
Department twice, but the department failed to protest this time as well.
Because they knew what the word ’team’ meant to Kwak Han-mook.
The chaotic Agency only began to return to normal when Samra finally succeeded in locating Han Goyo.
Only then did everything slowly, very slowly, find its place again.
Having witnessed this series of events, Won Tae-beom reached a clearer conclusion.
Han Goyo must be subordinated to the Agency.
If necessary, he was prepared to throw Han Goyo into the Agency’s isolation ward as many times as it took.
"Special Task Team Trainee Han Goyo."
That thought remained unchanged even when he faced Han Go-yo right in front of him.
However, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It was because the boy’s face was clearly youthful.
The fact that he had to do something unpleasant to a kid ten years younger than him was not at all pleasant.
But that was merely a separate sentiment; once they entered the Trial, he intended to focus solely on the mission.
...Assuming they entered the Trial.
"Lt. Colonel Je, Lieutenant Won has joined. We are entering."
Mo Hae-in reported to Je Hyeon-oh and placed her hand on the S2P meteorite.
At that moment, Won Tae-beom felt something was wrong.
Because the world in his vision remained perfectly intact.
The only ones collapsing into fluorescent fragments were the members of the Special Task Team.
He lost sight of the Special Task Team right before his eyes.
From the earpiece of the frozen Won Tae-beom, Samra’s voice was heard.
- Lieutenant Won Tae-beom. Did you fail to enter?
"Yes. I do not know the cause."
- I will investigate the matter.
"Understood."
The voice, which he thought would cut off, continued.
- I will ask one more thing.
"Go ahead."
- What orders did you receive from Director Jang Seok-yoon?
[Han Goyo (The Lamb)’ has entered < Slay to Plate>!]
A system window popped up in front of me.
However, I couldn’t read it properly and just stood there with my mouth agape in bewilderment.
Oblivious to my state, Dominic asked cheerfully with a sparkle in his eyes.
"What is your job, Roasted Chestnut? Ah, let me try to guess."
Even if I could write off a four-person entry as an anomaly, the dungeon was the problem.
Because there were sections that forced a five-person party.
’Well, since the slime is counted as one person...’
I felt like it would work out somehow.
And if it was Dominic, he might be able to do something like magic in the dungeon.
While briefly imagining a pudding slime using magic, I belatedly read the system window.
◆ < Slay to Plate> Main Quest: Create the best restaurant and conquer the dungeon.
[Having chosen the role of Chef, you enter the Trial with grim determination.]
[For this is the first achievement you will present to Akasha as a Young God.]
[You must prove the abilities of a Young God and grow through a True Ending clear.]
[Success: Survival!]
[Failure: Decrease in Recognition! Explosion of !]
I read the last sentence repeatedly.
I didn’t know what ’Recognition’ was used for yet, so I could ignore that.
’S2P explosion?’
If a hatched Trial is left uncleared for a certain amount of time, it explodes.
Since it transforms the surrounding area into the same form as the Trial and spreads a virus on a large scale, it was the situation the Agency feared most.
I imagined the Gangnam area, including Dosan Park, turning into S2P.
A chill ran down my spine.
’I absolutely have to get the True Ending.’
I had intended to do so anyway, but now I felt more desperate.
Just then, Dominic said, his ears twitching.
"Oh my, I’ve seen the answer. You were a Chef, Roasted Chestnut."
After a moment, I realized the meaning of his words.
Dominic was looking at my system window...
It was eerie, but not entirely surprising.
If it was Dominic, it was entirely possible.
I took a light breath in and out to calm my nerves.
’But I don’t think Dominic could see the system window in Call of the Void?’
I needed to check if he could see it because we entered S2P, or if he could only see it in specific cases.
I stealthily scanned my surroundings.
Je Hyeon-oh and the Captains, who entered with me, were each standing far apart, checking their own system windows.
After confirming there was enough distance, I quickly whispered.
"Yes, I took the role of Chef."
Since it was a five-person entry, we had divided our roles during the briefing, and I had volunteered for Chef.
It wasn’t because I was good at cooking, but because I thought it would be the most convenient for managing a restaurant.
Even when I played S2P as a game, I always took the Chef role.
Hearing my answer, Dominic asked in a polite voice.
"If it is not too much trouble, may I request a dish of your cooking, Roasted Chestnut?"
In Call of the Void, Dominic had only pretended to eat food or drink tea, so I had no idea why he was suddenly interested in cooking.
"Of course, I should serve you as well, Dominic. I’ll make you something delicious."
Since he had been trapped in a British-themed Trial, I figured he’d find it delicious even if I made something simple.
With a mind full of prejudice, I promised Dominic a meal.
Around that time, Mo Hae-in and Kwak Han-mook, who had finished checking their system windows, approached me.
Mo Hae-in muttered in bewilderment while looking at me.
"We really entered as four... I’ve never seen an anomaly like this before."
She had checked several times and confirmed there were only four of us.
And beside the muttering Mo Hae-in, Kwak Han- mook stared at the pudding slime.
I stayed still, pretending not to notice his suspicious gaze.
"The dungeon is a problem, but let’s figure that out later."
Kwak Han-mook briefly exchanged glances with Mo Hae-in.
"Goyo."
"Trainee."
I answered, gauging the mood, as they called me.
"Yes, Captains."
Mo Hae-in spoke first.
She hesitated slightly and spoke in a very small voice.
"First... I’m glad you came back safely."
As soon as she said it, she immediately moved to the next point as if it were nothing.
"And there’s something I want to ask."
"Yes!"
I waited with the mindset that I would answer anything sincerely and to the best of my ability.
However, I couldn’t answer the question immediately.
"What is ’Registration’?"
"Pardon?"
Mo Hae-in, with her arms crossed, looked up at me and said.
"A system window popped up saying that you ’Registered’ me in the 3-Class Trial."
...Holy shit.