Chapter 109
Since Je Hyun-oh had entered as a creature prisoner, I expected Won Tae-beom to have entered The Cell X as well.
However, hadn’t imagined he would take on the role of a correctional chaplain.
The probability of being assigned that role wasn’t particularly high.
While my mouth hung open in surprise, I couldn’t help but think that the Roman collar suited him well.
When I grabbed his hand, he lifted me up as easily as pulling a radish from the ground and set me back on the soil.
"Thank you."
I thanked him quickly, but Won Tae-beom didn’t even look my way.
Instead, he helped Kwak Han-mook climb up.
Kwak Han-mook, having ascended effortlessly, brushed off his clothes.
"Ugh, solid ground."
Following his lead, I brushed off my own clothes, wondering.
’But where is CEO Cha?’
There was no way he entered later than Je Hyun-oh.
He must have entered The Cell X at the same time.
As I mentally went through the remaining roles, I suddenly felt a gaze upon me.
Under Won Tae-beom’s stare, I became aware of my attire.
I was equipped with the guard set I had received at the rookie guard training center.
"Ah, Lieutenant Won. My role is the medical officer."
I corrected him on my role, but his gaze remained fixed.
Just as I was wondering why he was looking at me like that, it finally clicked.
I had forgotten about the vine plant wrapped tightly around my forearm.
I discreetly retrieved the flashlight I had tucked into it and made an excuse.
"It’s necessary for the True Ending.."
I could feel Kwak Han-mook stifling a laugh, but I ignored it.
Fortunately, Won Tae-beom didn’t press me further: He asked calmly.
"What is the task at hand? I have completed my duties as the correctional chaplain."
He meant that since his mission was over, he would fully support me to achieve the clear.
I spoke with a bit of awkwardness.
"I haven’t finished today’s mission yet."
I had visited the rookie guard training center; but that was merely a sub-quest.
If I failed to complete today’s duties as the medical officer, I would pay the price for that failure.
’ll probably get beaten up soundly by the guards.’
I would do my best to ensure that didn’t happen, but I was worried because the remaining task was a bit tricky.
☐ Conduct rounds in Sector X.
"I have a remaining mission to conduct rounds for the creatures in Sector X."
Since medical officers aren’t given access passes for Sector X, I couldn’t enter and exit as I pleased on my own.
As soon as I spoke, Kwak Fan-mook asked Won Tae-beom.
"Lieutenant Won. You have Sector X clearance, right?"
"Yes. As a correctional chaplain, I have free access."
"Okay. There’s a general assembly for all guards right now. Some warden suddenly called for it.."
Kwak Han-mook grumbled that the warden seemed like a total old-school fossil, complaining about why there had to be a general assembly when he was busy as hell.
It might be different for the Security Chief, but it was rare for the warden to summon the guards.
This was because the warden had almost no significance in The Cell X.
I wondered if this was an extension of the anomalies.
"Anyway, the guards will all be gone, so Lieutenant Won, take Sweet Chestnut to Sector X. Sweet Chestnut, take this."
Kwak Han-mook pulled an item from his inventory and handed it to me.
It was a card key that could freely open the prison doors.
With this, I could freely conduct rounds even for the creature patients.
Having obtained the most necessary item, I looked at him with eyes full of emotion.
*Captain Kwak... how did you get this?"
Although it was a guard item, it was difficult to obtain in the early stages of the game.
To think he had already farmed an item that usually appears around the mid-game.
In response to my gaze full of respect, Kwak Han-mook answered simply.
"I borrowed it for a bit."
He stole it.
Kwak Han-mook smirked as he saw me admiring his excellent sleight of hand.
Then, he draped an arm over my shoulder.
"Lieutenant Won. I have to go now, so I’m leaving Sweet Chestnut in your care. Give my regards to Lieutenant Colonel Je. If he says the prison food tastes bad, sneak in some outside food for him."
Won Tae-beom saluted.
"Yes, Captain."
Seeing his polite demeanor, I was reminded once again that I was just an insolent trainee.
A Captain was normally such a distant, towering existence.
Just as I was debating whether I should salute now, Kwak Han-mook dragged me along with his arm still around my shoulder.
"Honey-Chestnut, see me off just until the front of the prayer room."
I was semi-forcibly dragged to the outside of the prayer room.
As soon as we were alone in the hallway, Kwak Han-mook called me.
"Goyo."
"Yes."
"I know it’s not something you can control, but still, don’t let your eye color change in front of Lieutenant Won."
"Yes..."
"Is it really that hard to hold back?"
"I can’t exactly hold it back, but... I’ll be careful."
"Lieutenant Won will help with anything if you say it’s necessary for the True Ending. But everything gets reported back to the Commissioner, so be careful about that too."
It seemed Won Tae-beom’s entry this time wasn’t solely because of Mo Hae-in’s hospitalization.
Until now, the Special Task Team had hidden many things about me.
Since Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon would have been aware of that, I thought he might have deployed Won Tae-beom to gather additional information.
After seeing Kwak Han-mook off, I entered the prayer room again.
Won Tae-beom looked back at me.
For a moment, we looked at each other in silence.
Won Tae-beom had a look in his eyes that suggested he absolutely could not understand the vine plant wrapped around my arm.
It seemed as if he wanted to rip it off and throw it away immediately if he could.
The look of someone seeing a crazy person was so familiar that it made me think of Captain Mo.
’Captain Mo... I should visit her in the hospital.’
If she was still hospitalized after The Cell X was closed, I wanted to visit her.
Pushing the thought of Mo Hae-in aside, I spoke first.
"Thank you for last time, Lieutenant Won."
Thanks to him risking his life to stand against the directors of Pasung, I was able to avoid signing the hamster contract and successfully create a negotiation table with Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon.
Belatedly, I bowed my waist in gratitude.
After doing so, the thought occurred to me that I should have saluted.
Not just with Captains, but there was a vast rank difference between a trainee and a Lieutenant.
’They probably don’t salute every single time. When do they actually do it?’
I felt like I should learn how to greet people properly once officially enlisted.
Won Tae-beom, who had been staring at me intently, answered a bit late.
"...It is nothing. At this point, please prioritize the closure of the Trial, Trainee Han."
He meant I shouldn’t waste time with useless pleasantries.
There was something I needed to check before heading to Sector X with him.
Since we were in the prayer room, I asked quickly.
"Lieutenant Won. Did you notice anything unusual?"
Since I had played as the correctional chaplain in The Cell X, I knew exactly what missions were performed.
What I was curious about now was whether there were other anomalies, similar to how Creature Prisoner No. 13 had appeared.
As expected, as soon as he heard the question, Won Tae-beom told me exactly what I wanted to know.
"It takes the form of Catholicism, but the god worshipped here is a different entity."
Won Tae-beom looked toward a certain spot.
I followed his gaze.
In the prayer room, there was no cross, which should normally be in a cathedral or church.
Instead, a strangely shaped wooden carving hung on the wall.
It was a shape where tentacles, resembling octopus legs, surrounded a large central eye.
I examined the wooden carving closely.
I could feel the pudding slime on my head squishing its body as it also inspected the carving.
’In the game, there was just a normal cross hanging there...’
In the prison cells of The Cell X, there was one old black-and-white TV in each cell.
The only thing broadcast on those TVs was religious programming.
Even when playing the game, I had thought the content of the religious broadcasts was a bit strange.
The eyeball wrapped in octopus legs matched the bizarre broadcasts I had seen back then much better.
Since I didn’t know much about religion, I made my own guess.
"Is it something like demon worship?"
"No."
The definitive answer was surprising.
Given Won Tae-beom’s personality, he wouldn’t have spoken like that if there were even a shred of uncertainty.
I unconsciously glanced at him.
Receiving my gaze, Won Tae-beom answered calmly.
"I was an exorcist in the past."
He shifted his gaze back to the wooden carving, and without looking at me, he continued.
"I joined the TRA Agency after being infected by the BI virus. It’s not particularly a secret; most people know it."
His attitude suggested it was no big deal, so there was no need to be so surprised.
I felt a chill run through me.
I didn’t know Won Tae-beom’s past, but I knew about the Trial virus he had been infected with.
The BI-DFH virus was a Trial set in Hell.
To think an exorcist had been infected by a Trial virus swarming with demons.
Of all things...
However, unlike me, Won Tae-beom had an indifferent expression.
It was so dry that it felt as if he were talking about someone else’s business.
"I suspect that a separate god worshipped in this Trial world exists. Other than that, there are no unusual findings. We will move to Sector X"
I looked at the back of Won Tae-beom as he led the way.
His broad back, clad in the priest’s robes, was straight.
Swallowing my bitterness, I followed him toward Sector X.
"Roasted Chestnut."
As I walked with a bit of drained energy, Dominic, on my head called me.
"If you find anything similar to that wooden carving, please let me know. It is not urgent."
At the polite request, I gave a small nod secretly, hidden from Won Tae-beom.
I figured that if I visited the places where crosses were in the game, those octopus legs would be there.
However, I wondered why Dominic was interested in such a thing.
It seemed to be a symbol of a god, but it was just a fictional god set within the Trial’s worldview.
It was puzzling that Dominic was interested in it even though it had no direct physical entity like Infernium.
’Does he think it’s a real god?’
I thought that since he had no memories, he might want to check for himself.
Meanwhile, we soon approached Sector X.
The vine plant clinging to my forearm began to squirm violently, as if it sensed a familiar atmosphere.
I patted the vine to calm it down.
And as I turned the corner and reached the iron gate leading into Sector X.. wait..?
I thought I was seeing things.
Won Tae-beom, who was walking a couple of steps ahead, had also come to a dead stop.
Even without seeing his face, I could feel the bewilderment radiating from his back.
The massive iron gate of Sector X had been torn open in a long diagonal slash.
As if something sharp and metallic had sliced through the gate and then pried it open up and down.
Won Tae-beom and I had the same thought at the same time.
And without anyone needing to say a word, we both rushed into Sector X.
Once inside the sector, we were both left speechless.
Every single special cell had been cleanly sliced.
The iron bars of the special cells were shattered and rolling around the floor in a mess, and not a single creature was visible inside the cells.
At that moment, a loud siren began to wail.
It was the siren announcing the mass breakout of prisoners.
I groaned as I called out the culprit’s name.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je..."
Je Hyun-oh had broken out every single creature prisoner.