Chapter 119
"If I sign a formal contract with the Era Administration."
"You signed?"
"Not yet, but I intend to."
"What did the Commissioner tell you?"
"No, this is my own decision."
Before the meteorite from The Cell-X fell, while talking to Han Goyo on the rooftop, Kwak Han-mook had a gut feeling.
He sensed that Han Goyo had been pressured by Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon in some form.
He knew Jang Seok-yoon all too well.
Jang Seok-yoon was a man who fit the role of the head of a national agency perfectly.
He was the type of person who believed that the sacrifice of an individual for the state, and the misfortune of a Compatible for the sake of responding to the Trials, was inevitable.
He was more than capable of doing something truly vile to Han Goyo.
Kwak Han-mook knew this better than anyone because he had experienced it himself.
Kwak Han-mook had also remained at the TRA Administration because of Jang Seok-yoon.
Of course, the final choice was his own, but it was a fact that Jang Seok-yoon had exerted a profound influence.
If he had done the same thing to Han Goyo.
’Damn it.’
Kwak Han-mook swallowed his deep irritation.
The kid was only twenty-four.
He had even heard that the boy had been locked in his house for four years immediately after becoming an adult.
As far as social experience went, his only stint was a single year as a pro gamer when he was a minor.
There was no way a kid like that could handle someone as seasoned as Jang Seok-yoon.
If it weren’t for The Cell-X, he would have grabbed Han Goyo and grilled him for answers....
But since clearing the Trial was the priority, he endured it for now.
While suppressing the rising irritation, Kwak Han-mook thought of something else.
*Um, Captain Kwak. If I enlist in the TRA Administration... could you keep being on a team... with me?"
At that moment, he almost failed to keep his expression in check.
From the first time they met, he had been strangely concerned about Han Goyo.
After the boy was registered in 3Clean and covered by the golden veil, he had paid even closer attention.
The reason he hadn’t kicked away the shackles of the ’Special Task Team’ imposed by Jang Seok-yoon long ago was largely due to Han Goyo.
What was that longing he felt the moment he wore the veil?
It was definitely not an emotion forced upon him by someone else.
When he wore the veil for the second time in S2P, he felt that same longing again.
Kwak Han-mook had even gone so far as to thoroughly investigate whether he had any connection to Han Goyo in the past, just in case.
Of course, there was nothing.
They were at a level where they would never have accidentally crossed paths if not for the TRA Administration.
Ultimately, without the mystery being solved, he had entered The Cell-X.
For now, Kwak Han-mook moved diligently according to Han Goyo’s plan.
He moved Creature No. 1, gathered information from the guards, tampered with the CCTV, and soon.
After working his ass off, he went to find Won Tae-beom.
It was to ask if he knew anything about Je Hyeon-oh’s whereabouts.
However, he ended up learning a different fact.
What Jang Seok-yoon had done to force Han Goyo into a contract.
"...To a trainee?"
He asked back, unable to believe it even though he had heard it clearly.
Won Tae-beom answered with his usual expressionless face.
"That is correct."
"Ha, fuck."
Kwak Han-mook, who had been sitting crookedly on a pew in the prayer room, immediately let out a curse.
He ran his hand roughly through his hair, but his anger wouldn’t subside.
Mo Hae-in’s condition was a secret of the TRA Administration.
Won Tae-beom knew because he acted as the deputy team leader of Team 2 in Mo Hae-in’s absence, but otherwise, it was a secret shared only among high-ranking officials.
To think he showed that to a trainee.
The intention behind the ploy was so obvious it made him nauseous.
"Our Commissioner Jang... his habits haven’t changed."
As he muttered lowly and grit his teeth, Won Tae-beom, who was standing opposite him, asked.
"Will you discourage Trainee Han from signing the contract?"
"Of course I should."
He shouldn’t sign a contract under these circumstances.
Since Han Goyo was an adult, Kwak Han-mook had tried to stay quiet to avoid seeming too intrusive, but he felt he couldn’t just stand by anymore.
If left alone, the kid would probably just blurt out a signature on some lifelong contract with the TRA Administration.
"The TRA Administration needs Trainee Han."
Kwak Han-mook, who was wondering if he should have a showdown with Jang Seok-yoon, paused at the words he heard.
He slowly shifted his gaze toward Won Tae-beom.
And he stared at him in silence.
Won Tae-beom did not avoid his eyes. Looking straight back, he spoke again.
*Please ensure that Trainee Han can contract with the Era Administration."
Kwak Han-mook asked expressionlessly.
"You’re talking like a piece of shit, aren’t you?"
"Trainee Han is currently the only existence capable of closing the Trial. If such a person were to belong to a private company rather than the state."
"Lieutenant Won."
"... Various problems will arise. Furthermore, the RA Administration is the place where Trainee Han’s abilities can be maximized. While I cannot say Commissioner Jang’s methods are right."
Won Tae-beom finally crossed the line.
"I believe it is a necessary action."
Crash!
Kwak Han-mook bolted upright.
The pew he had been sitting on flipped backward with a loud noise.
Thwack!
A clean punch sent Won Tae-beom’s head snapping to the side.
"Fuck, you want to keep blabbing?"
Won Tae-beom slowly straightened his head. He glared at Kwak Han-mook.
"This is official business, Captain Kwak. Please exclude your personal feelings."
"Exclude? I fucking can’t exclude them."
Just as he let out a hollow laugh and was about to swing his fist again.
"Captain Kwak!!"
At the sharp shout, Kwak Han-mook froze his hand in mid-air.
He saw Han Goyo, who had flung open the door to the prayer room.
The boy looked startled, his already large eyes growing even wider.
Of all things, he had to be caught punching his junior.
Cursing inwardly, Kwak Han-mook opened his clenched fist wide and smiled.
"Hey, Chestnut, you’re here."
I had seen Kwak Han-mook beat up NPCs or monsters in the Trials many times, but this was the first time I had seen him hit someone from the TRA Administration.
Moreover, he didn’t stop at one hit; he was about to hit him again immediately.
"Captain Kwak!!"
Fortunately, at my shout, Kwak Han-mook stopped his hand and greeted me with a grin as if nothing had happened.
I hurriedly approached them.
"What’s going on? Why did you hit Lieutenant Won?"
One of Won Tae-beom’s cheeks was swelling bright red.
His lip seemed slightly torn, making me worry if a tooth had been knocked out.
As I stared with wide eyes. Won Tae-beom spoke first.
"It is nothing."
Is getting punched in the face considered ’nothing’ in the military?
His tone was so calm that the thought actually crossed my mind.
I glanced at Kwak Han-mook.
Perched carelessly on the overturned pew, Kwak Han-mook said nonchalantly.
"Whoops, my hand slipped. Maybe it’s because it’s humid by the beach."
Still, Kwak Han-mook wasn’t the type to hit a subordinate for no reason.
It seemed like Won Tae-beom had made some serious mistake, but....
’But Lieutenant Won isn’t the type to pick a fight first.’
No matter how much I speculated, I couldn’t find the answer.
As I just rolled my eyes between the two of them, Won Tae-beom spoke first again.
"I have been briefed on the current situation by the Captain. I also do not know Lieutenant Colonel Je’s location."
...Does it not hurt?
I couldn’t bring myself to ask him, but I wondered inwardly.
I wanted to ask what on earth had caused this one-sided punching incident.
However, neither Kwak Han-mook nor Won Tae-beom were the types to give an easy
answer.
I just gave up and brought up the strategy.
"Lieutenant Won, while performing the Correctional Clergy mission, were there any other unusual findings? Please tell me anything related to those octopus leg wood carvings."
"Are you aware of the religious broadcasts that air on the inmates’TVs?"
"I am."
I had watched them when I played the role of an inmate in the game.
The only channel on the black-and-white TVs was the religious broadcast.
Even then, it wasn’t aired every day; it could only be viewed once every few days.
It clearly bore a cross symbol, but the content of the religious broadcast was very strange.
The content was as follows:
A steamship navigating a sea of black waves suddenly encounters a violent storm and sinks into the deep sea.
Then, a giant eyeball, which didn’t seem human, is zoomed in on, filling the screen.
Music that sounded like it came from a distorted pipe organ played, and the hymn proceeded amidst a humming sound, as if dozens of people were muttering underwater.
"Praise! Worship! O Great Master of the Deep! The tentacles of salvation He extends shall lead us to eternal rest!"
"Cast aside your imperfect reason and embrace the divine madness that shakes the brain! In the deep, black abyss where there is neither pain nor sin, finally enjoy your rest!"
They were words that made no sense.
However, it was eerie enough that I immediately realized it wasn’t a normal religious broadcast.
Whenever the broadcast turned on, the inmates would all stare at the TV as if possessed.
While I just watched them blankly.
"Inmates who watch that broadcast become docile for about a day."
"Ah, that broadcast?"
Kwak Han-mook chimed in.
"The inmates worked hard on the days they watched that."
Meaning the productivity during the daily labor hours increased noticeably.
Was some kind of brainwashing happening through the broadcast?
If so, I wondered why they didn’t air it every day.
’Maybe it’s because it causes brain overload... or something like that.’
Since it was an act that caused mental damage.
Afterward, I obtained information about the guards from Kwak Han-mook and heard about CEO Cha.
It seemed he had succeeded in reigning perfectly over the guards.
"The Security Chief isn’t the type to stay quiet."
I still shuddered remembering how much I loathed the Security Chief’s tenacity when I played the role of the Prison Warden.
After gathering various pieces of information, I should have... left the prayer room.
Neither Kwak Han-mook nor Won Tae-beom had finished their missions for today.
I had to find Je Hyeon-oh on my own, but I wasn’t sure if it was okay to leave them behind.
I worried that if I wasn’t there, they might start punching each other again.
Reading my thoughts from my gaze, Kwak Han-mook spoke immediately.
"I’ve done all my hitting for today."
"Yes.... Please try to use words if possible..."
Even as I left the prayer room, I kept glancing back anxiously.
Then, Kwak Han-mook approached me with a mischievous grin.
"Want me to walk you?"
I hadn’t said anything of the sort.
But I just answered, "Yes."
After walking side-by-side down the hallway for a while, Kwak Han-mook spoke to me casually.
"It’s nothing, so don’t worry, Chestnut."
However, Kwak Han-mook’s current status shown on the status window was still Iritated.!
’I wish he would just tell me.’
I wanted to ask, but since I wasn’t even a team member; I felt I shouldn’t pry.
I just decided I should find some snacks for him later.
"Captain Kwak. Please don’t overdo it."
At that, Kwak Han-mook chuckled and patted me on the back
"Let me know when you find Lieutenant Colonel Je."
"Yes!"
I said goodbye to him and set off in earnest to find Je Hyeon-oh.
Although it was a remote island, the prison was quite large and the layout was complex.
’Trying to find Je Hyeon-oh in a place like this without any clues already felt daunting.’
I checked Je Hyeon-oh’s status window, and his current status was still displayed as ’Despair!’
I scolded the system window in my mind.
’Do something’
[You should utilize your abilities as a young god as soon as possible ]
No, not that. Tell me the direction Lieutenant Colonel Je is in, or something.
It seemed that as I grew as a god, I would be able to know the current location of my Kin, but wasn’t that a matter for the future?
I needed help right now.
The system window remained silent. Just as I thought I shouldn’t have expected anything, a square window popped up.
[You are amazed by the incredible power of the system window.]
At the same time, a golden arrow appeared in front of me.
It was an arrow like the ones that guide beginner users in games.
’Useful. Good job.’
After giving it a modest compliment, I began to move in the direction the arrow pointed.
I had to wander around here and there because some paths were blocked by walls, but it was much easier with the direction indicator.
As I got closer to Je Hyeon-oh, my anxiety grew bit by bit.
It was because the status of ’Despair’ kept weighing on my mind.
And finally, I found him.
A black figure was standing at the edge of a coastal cliff.
There was so little movement that at first glance, he looked like a statue placed at the edge of the cliff.
Positioned in a precarious spot where he looked as if he might fall at any moment, Je Hyeon-Oh was staring at the sky.
I approached him cautiously.
Even though he must have felt my presence, he did not move.
His goggles were also dark.
I realized belatedly that he was drenched in seawater.
He looked as if he had just emerged from the ocean.
What on earth had he been doing....
Feeling a hint of frustration, I called out to him.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je."
But Je Hyeon-oh did not look back at me.
For some reason, I felt I knew what I had to do for him.
’Protection.’
I placed the golden veil over him.
Only then did Je Hyeon-oh slowly turn his head toward me.
Within the golden protection, he called my name.
"Goyo."
"Yes.."
Just as I resolved to accept whatever he might say.
Je Hyeon-oh asked me in a whisper.
"You’re a god, aren’t you?"