Chapter 154

As if wondering why I was even asking, he gave an answer instantly.

The moment I heard it, I felt a mix of absurdity and doubt.

’Just when exactly did he start watching me?’

I had no idea on what basis he spoke with such certainty.

I had suspected he might have seen me since my days as a professional gamer.

After all, I had received an interview request from Sa Gong-yeon after my retirement.

But back then, I was definitely human.

Knowing what a god is, I could judge that clearly.

Honestly, the Black Block’s words felt like nothing more than nonsense. He was already capable of lying and manipulating me however he wanted so it wouldn’t be logical to take everything to heart.

Nevertheless, I kept his words in the back of my mind.

Perhaps it was simply a difference in perspective.

The Black Block was also an ancient god. There was a possibility that he spoke with a nuance entirely different from how I, as a human, understood things.

Just as Dominic had described the loss of a part of his existence to fit my human standards as "losing memories."

"Are you saying I was a god from the beginning?"

I threw out a slight bait to see if I could extract any more information, but the Black Block didn’t bite. Instead of answering, he merely chuckled.

I pondered how to get the Black Block to give me the answer I wanted and asked

again.

"Then is there no way to maintain my humanity?"

- Little Lamb. A god is a flawless being. Anguish, obsession, sorrow, fleeting memories... to a god, all such things are merely impurities to be discarded! The end of humanity is only natural. Just as a human cannot stand against a natural disaster.

The Black Block whispered to me as if revealing a very clandestine secret.

- However, if there is a steadfast anchor that can withstand even a tidal wave, it might be possible!

’Is he telling me to find something that can preserve my humanity?’

I wondered if such a thing even existed in this world.

And then, as always, the Black Block delivered his final farewell on his own terms.

- Little Lamb, my star! Let us communicate again. As your fan, I shall continue to watch you. Farewell...

Before I could stop him, the one-sided communication was terminated.

With a feeling of helplessness, I carefully retraced the Black Block’s words.

An anchor that could withstand the disaster known as a god, something that would pull me down and fix me firmly in place.

While contemplating this vague concept, I looked back at Dominic.

"Thank you for your help."

He, who had been on the desk until now, hopped up and landed on my shoulder.

Come to think of it, I had promised to contract with the Black Block right in front of Dominic.

As I belatedly checked his reaction, Dominic spoke unexpectedly.

"That one will be useful in the future."

It was a statement that suggested he knew the Black Block well.

I hadn’t expected him to tell me to use the Black Block. I thought he would reject other gods.

As always, it was difficult to guess Dominic’s true intentions.

Regardless, I was glad to have found a way to earn star fragments. I didn’t know how much money would come in, but I figured it was better than zero.

’I want to unfreeze my account quickly before the deposit arrives.’

Just then, there was a knock.

Sitting in the chair, I sprang to my feet. The instructor who was to provide recruits training was likely here right now.

However, the person who entered the meeting room was an unexpected figure.

"Captain Mo?"

Mo Hae-in, who had clearly left to handle some busy work, entered with a tablet PC in her arms.

Closing the door to the meeting room, she spoke.

"I dumped some work on Captain Kwak and came."

Originally, another soldier was supposed to be in charge of my training, but Mo Hae-in had come instead.

She had also mentioned that Won Tae-beom would be the instructor when I trained with the other recruits.

"I told you I’d teach you how to salute, recruit."

I looked at Mo Hae-in with eyes full of genuine emotion.

Looking up at me, Mo Hae-in gave a small smirk.

Mo Hae-in’s special tutoring was efficient, picking out only the necessary points without any fluff. Since there were many parts I already knew, the theoretical training ended smoothly.

However, the hand salute was slightly more difficult than expected. Even while paying attention to the angle of the palm, the position of the fingers, and the shape of the arm, it felt somewhat awkward. I couldn’t achieve a posture as cool as Mo Hae-in’s.

Still, by the end, I reached a level that satisfied her.

’I should show Lieutenant Colonel Je and Captain Kwak too.’

Recalling the memory of saluting Je Hyeon-oh only to receive a questioning look, I vowed to restore the honor of a recruit.

And after all the training was finished.

I had learned the tutoring and the salute, but Mo Hae-in didn’t announce the end of the session. It was as if there was still something left to do.

I waited for her quietly.

Mo Hae-in, seemingly noticing that I was waiting, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"You don’t need to worry about what Director Jang said."

She was referring to the time Jang Seok-yoon tried to hold onto me by using her personal history.

Recalling the pink meteorite embedded in Mo Hae-in’s abdomen, I realized that now was the moment to speak.

"Captain Mo. I.."

"Han Goyo."

For the first time, she called my name.

While I was too surprised to react, she spoke.

"I’ll be honest. I would also like it if you could close the Trial embedded in my stomach. But I don’t want to ask a recruit who just joined TRA"

Then, would it be okay if I weren’t a recruit?

"..."

Since I have a somewhat sharp impression when expressionless, I tended to keep my face as soft as possible in front of the captains. But this time, I didn’t avoid Mo Hae-in’s eyes; I looked straight at her.

"It’s likely a six-star grade Trial, and the fact that I cleared it and came out was pure luck... Even if the Special Task Team enters and closes it..."

She looked at me steadily as her lips moved.

"I might not be able to get my sibling out."

It was a strange thing to say. Unless the person has died, once a Trial is closed, those trapped inside can come out. Even infections are reverted to normal.

Mo Hae-in even had the experience of saving several employees of the toy factory by closing the Trial with a True Ending alongside me.

I wanted to refute her immediately, wondering why she was saying this when she of all people should know better, but I held back. It felt as though she hadn’t finished speaking.

With eyes that seemed to be seeing someone else through me, she said,

"My sibling...is a boss NPC."

I, who until a moment ago had been full of confidence that I would definitely close it, was suddenly speechless.

It happened occasionally for a companion to become NPCs of a Trial. But I had never heard of someone becoming a boss monster.

I couldn’t even imagine what Mo Hae-in had gone through in that Trial.

At the same time, I realized perfectly why Mo Hae-in had felt a sense of repulsion toward my friendly behavior with NPCs.

Mo Hae-in suddenly let out a laugh.

"Recruit, you suddenly lost your confidence, didn’t you?"

Looking at her as she spoke jokingly, I asked slowly.

"Could you tell me what kind of Trial it is?"

"No. Tell me after you’ve at least shed the recruit tag."

Mo Hae-in said with a lingering smile on her face.

"Instead, I’ll show you a photo of my sibling."

Acting as if it were nothing, she pulled a photo from the inner pocket of her uniform and held it out. In the four-cut photo, two women were smiling in various poses.

"We don’t look much alike. Neither in face nor personality."

A tall woman was laughing cheerfully with her arm around Mo Hae-in’s shoulder. It was a bright smile, one where you could almost hear the sound of the laughter.

And the Mo Hae-in in the photo... had long hair.

Staring intently at the photo, I shifted my gaze to the Mo Hae-in before me.

The woman with the short bob.

My kin with sorrowful eyes.

I felt angry.

"I’m sorry. Just a moment."

I hurriedly placed my hand over my eyes and stepped back. I felt my eye color about to change.

Just then, a small hand grabbed my wrist.

I flinched, but the hand holding me did not let go. Though I had the strength to shake it off if I wanted to, I couldn’t move.

Mo Hae-in slowly applied pressure and pulled my wrist down.

I looked down at her with golden eyes.

Mo Hae-in looked up at me steadily and opened her lips.

"Actually, I looked you up."

I understood the meaning immediately. She had looked into my past.

However, the words that followed were unexpected.

"I didn’t know much, so I wanted to. You were amazing."

"..."

I didn’t know how to react and just froze. It wasn’t just because of the candid praise. I hadn’t expected that Mo Hae-in would want to know me, just as I wanted to know her.

"I thought it would be unfair if only I knew one-sidedly, so I told you my story today."

She let go of my wrist.

"So don’t let it weigh on your heart for no reason."

I didn’t answer. I knew it wasn’t polite toward a superior, but I couldn’t help it. I felt that the moment I opened my mouth, I would end up saying that I would definitely close it.

Of course, it was a difficult task for now. First, I had to be promoted from a recruit.

Since we would move in teams, thorough preparation was necessary, and above all, I had to confirm if someone could be brought out of a Trial even if they had become a boss.

But I absolutely wanted to be the one to close her Trial.

Mo Hae-in gazed at me as I remained silent. After staring at my golden eyes for a while, she spoke.

"Recruit."

And then, as if she had never shared a personal story, she returned to her usual self.

"Let’s try saluting one last time."

***

After finishing the training, I immediately tried using my newly acquired ability, ’Awakening.’ However, only a notification saying it was unavailable appeared.

[This ability is currently unavailable.]

It seemed I needed to meet certain conditions, much like with ’Reserrection’. Back then, I had used the ability by breaking myself down. I couldn’t do that now. With my ego already being pushed back, it was too dangerous.

I figured I would have to try using awakening again when I entered a Trial with the Special Task Team.

The housewarming party was held a bit late. I had waited for Je Hyeon-oh to come out of the Trial, but as soon as he emerged, he immediately entered another one.

Kwak Han-mook, who delivered the news, wasn’t particularly surprised.

"Lieutenant Colonel Je’s time is indeed gold."

Too many places wanted his dispatch. Je Hyeon-oh almost never rested, and that was something he desired himself. Since Je Hyeon-oh was an infected, he didn’t even need sleep.

The time he took me from Paseong had been truly exceptional.

But I now knew that he was no longer an infected.

’Shouldn’t he rest at least a little?’

Even if his body didn’t tire, the mental fatigue must be considerable. Because it kept bothering me and weighing on my mind, I sent a message.

[Lieutenant Colonel Je. Please travel safely. I will buy you a cake when you return.]

After sending the message, I felt a sense of regret again.

Samra’s absence was the same. Since Samra rarely left the TRA Office. it couldn’t be helped. Moving Samra’s main body for a housewarming party was practically unthinkable within the Era Office. Instead, Samra promised to attend briefly via video.

In the end, the three of us, including the captains-gathered at the house. Since the "party" consisted of nothing more than ordering delivery food together, we decided to take a quick tour of the house and pick the menu.

Wearing comfortable clothes, Mo Hae-in looked around the house with somewhat curious eyes.

Since it was the same building and Kwak Han-mook had lived here originally, I thought she would have visited the official residence at least once, but it seemed she hadn’t.

Then again, considering how excessively sparse my belongings had been, I figured there had been no reason to invite anyone.

Mo Hae-in’s eyes widened when she saw the glass display cabinet. Originally, I had intended to cover the cabinet with a cloth again. But Kwak Han-mook asked why I was covering it, so I ended up just leaving it.

Beside the admiring woman, Kwak Han-mook spoke with his arms crossed.

"Captain Mo. Isn’t Brother Goyo truly respectable? To think we serve such a person as a recruit."

Then he looked at me and smiled mischievously.

"Master, you are amazing."

My face flushed. Mo Hae-in nudged Kwak Han-mook’s arm with her elbow. As Kwak Han-mook reacted as if he’d been struck, letting out a "Gah!", she looked at him with an exasperated expression.

"Captain Kwak. Don’t tease the recruit."

Then she turned to me and spoke seriously.

"I really think you’re cool."

Feeling shy, I couldn’t even meet her eyes and replied, "Thank you."

After that, the three of us set out a feast of food and shared various stories. When I mentioned that I had never drunk alcohol, both of them were shocked.

"...Chestnut has never had a drink?"

Since I had been shut away in a studio apartment after becoming an adult, there had been no such occasion. I hadn’t even been interested, so I never drank alone.

As soon as he heard that, Kwak Han-mook sprang from his seat and declared solemnly,

"Tonight, I shall make Chestnut a true adult."

He rushed outside and came back with boxes of alcohol.

-...

Samra, who appeared later by projecting a screen in the air, discovered a table full of liquor bottles, two collapsed captains, and one recruit sipping a glass alone.

Mo Hae-in was already silent, and Kwak Han-mook suddenly lifted his head and shouted to Samra.

"Samra..! That’s a fucking dangerous Chestnut..!"

And then he slammed his face back onto the table.

I finished the remaining alcohol in my glass and thought.

’It tastes bad.’

I didn’t understand why people drank something that tasted so poor. Still, after drinking this much, I did feel a bit dizzy.

- I recommend that Mr. Han Goyo also stopped drinking.

Upon receiving Samra’s suggestion, I stood up and faced him directly. Then, Samra’s pupils moved like a camera aperture. Since it was the first time seeing me drunk, it seemed he was collecting new biological data.

Looking at Samra, I said, "It feels empty without Samra here."

- I am currently in front of you, Mr. Han Goyo.

"But this is just like a video."

I reached out my hand. Naturally, there was nothing to touch, and my hand simply passed through Samra.

I gave a small smile.

"I just said it because I felt a bit sad."

For some reason, Samra just observed me in silence.

Since I’d had coffee before, maybe I could drink alcohol too. An android would be fine even if they drank, right?

While having these random thoughts, I tidied up the house under Samra’s surveillance.

After putting the heavy Kwak Han-mook into his bedroom with a lot of effort, I hesitated and then moved Mo Hae-in to my bedroom.

Although Mo Hae-in’s home was in the same building, I planned to take her back once she sobered up, just in case.

Only after I finished cleaning the house did Samra terminate the screen.

Standing in the middle of the cleaned living room, I checked my phone. After sending a short reply to a message that had arrived, I approached the window.

The night sky was clear, and the moon was well visible. Stars were barely seen due to the city lights, but...

Driven by some impulse, I stepped out the front door. And I headed for the rooftop, climbing the dim stairs.

The moment I opened the rooftop door, my lips parted unconsciously.

A pitch-black man was standing there.

He was someone who should not be here right now.

With the city’s night view behind him instead of invisible starlight, the man was looking up at the night sky. Even though he must have heard the sound of the door opening, he didn’t turn his gaze, looking only at the night sky.

A memory from the past surfaced. The moment I first met him on the rooftop of the Deadzone broadcasting station.

And just like then... Je Hyeon-oh was still waiting for something.

Even though I am here.

I hurriedly closed my eyes tight. My eye color almost changed, but I barely managed to hold it back.

As I tried to observe Je Hyeon-oh again, he was already staring intently at me. He had already taken off his goggles.

Je Hyeon-oh took a step toward me.

I stood there, having closed the rooftop door, and watched the one approaching me.

Strangely, he looked unstable. It felt as if the moment he stumbled even a single step, he would tear off his own wings again.

He had been fine the last time I saw him, so I didn’t know what had made him like this.

’Was the Trial he entered today the problem?’

It seemed he had cleared the Trial he entered in the afternoon in one go. Je Hyeon-oh was usually the type to clear them in the shortest time possible.

But today, he was so fast that it could be called a new record. He should have been transported to the next Trial in a container, but it seemed he had rebelled and come here.

Since there was no way an infected individual would have been permitted, the Era Office must be in chaos right now...

But I didn’t feel like sending him back.

I looked at Je Hyeon-oh anxiously and tried starting with something neutral.

"I’m glad you returned safely...."

I paused mid-sentence. It was because Je Hyeon-oh, as he walked toward me, was wearing a crow glove on one hand.

The memory of being slammed into a tree during the S2P flashed back, and I flinched reflexively.

That was when he pulled an item from his inventory and thrust it toward me.

It was the Day News....

My eyes widened at the sight of the alien newspaper, which featured a large photo of my face.

’Did he get this from the trial he entered today?’

Newspapers are updated in real-time even inside the trials?

How did Je Hyeon-oh read the article? I’m only just getting to see it now.

Je Hyeon-oh, watching my confusion, curved his eyes into crescents.

"Goyo."

Then, leaning his face close to mine, he asked.

"Want to kill Sa Gong-yeon together?"