Chapter 10
OQf04Before I could answer, he asked again.TTdyRt9
eZbXJw“How much do you know?”r6a
RpaAnd he asked again.GxhBj
W8r“Why do you know it?”NQvIDMK
IoklhHe fired question after question, but did not wait for any answers.g7OUgJ8
fHZjThe wall collapsed.Jm6GdQ
d1Wx6Like a wave made of images, the wall crumbled and took on a new shape. It curved around me like an enormous hemisphere.XfIYul
L5klNhBefore I realized it, I was no longer tied to the chair and was standing on a circular platform.1f9
OFCpwThe hemisphere surrounding me no longer displayed the world.fMPctEm
jhb41Now it displayed me.ORnjow
V4adNCountless screens of different sizes showed versions of me from various angles.uVaJvZ
NURTJ“I am Samra Man-Sang. There should be nothing that I do not know.”mf8TNS
ecNC9WFSamra began walking along the edge of the circle, always keeping me at its center.KM8S
VvYHM1“Then why?”QCO1hJu
nASDMJ2His holographic eyes remained fixed on me.Vwxzt2C
LsK“Is your existence an unknown?”5PM
efp9WEven so, he continued observing me.vCN
NiFbjJ“And yet, you are undeniably human.”1mY
hNz6eHe tilted his head back.PczeGL
kxWiFrom the point where his gaze settled, the screens began changing like ripples spreading across the surface of water.kvIsWi
VWpgurDFollowing his gaze, I saw countless versions of my past appear.4dP31B
cH9TWbMe in the orphanage.YXG
ZIlwxfMe in elementary school, middle school, and high school.aPKNzaF
jm0z4pAnd.u0aqBU
XkhEMe when I was a professional player.oWFxOQh
yqYDI saw myself smiling while holding a championship trophy in one hand and wearing tape wrapped around my fingers on the other.6CD
pc8LbMy mind went completely blank.Z4e
mf75iI could not understand what I was seeing.MdskgkT
W7mYTIf I had really entered the game, into the Archive World, then the characters should not know anything about my past.UyiRTk
s9wdwThey should have no way of knowing that I grew up in an orphanage.ZjVu
xT7Nor that I had been a professional player.fPJJfl
3TMA new truth struck me.PyYK
SnHgWait.6y385r
jM60aedThen this place…?vmep
UESWasn’t South Korea inside the game?SNA
f2jWasn’t it the Archive World?IvJ
GgaPmf2Was it the world where I had lived?Omz
aNP‘The real South Korea?’eOrk
Sn3My head hurt.T7b
PbAjddThe emotional distance I had maintained by believing I was inside a video game vanished instantly.xE1M
2gCP6yaBefore I could process that truth, a system window appeared.51MpTvu
7xK◆ Epic Mission : Close 3 Trials within one month.1JJg
NJLfUQWhat…?xAU
B0mYou have discovered a hidden truth.vxsG
DpMMYou have realized that the world you believed was a game was something that had been secretly occurring within your reality.rlLlk
XO9I1UmAs the System of planet Earth, you strive to stop the Trials.3KCto
IOcDTo achieve that, you believe you must close three Trials within one month.vw4t99Q
wJD*Trials currently closed (0/3)3GaWf2V
WuTrKtI shut my eyes tightly.9yw
8lFyiI took several deep breaths.ArbQG
QoKWhen I opened them again, the window was still there.SvJE
WnCU1FAClose three Trials through True Endings within one month.m6XO
d7eMfSeAnd if I failed, my limbs would be amputated?e2Tn
9OZIt was difficult to take it as a joke.s5dOC
cSOThe image of Park Seonggyeon’s head exploding spectacularly was still fresh in my memory.SLMW
fpqpxuAnd on top of that, the reward was ridiculous.PAk
noLP09The punishment was losing my arms and legs.oF5
klbJThe reward was keeping them.t9ug
1uE7JnpAs I tried to process that flood of impossible information, I could not help thinking.YaRm
iIvbmP1‘That practically means there is no reward.’mnVWbB6
apzPkoAAs if responding to my protest, another system window appeared.gs3ICHR
rnKFinal reward that will receive upon completing all Epic Missions.RGR
uon‘So there is something.’dX0
WWXI waited for the next window to appear.r27
MBZg4w’s body will be restored to its most perfect state.QwDipql
872lwI read those words.Hq1c
yxiMAnd I read them once more.ponGFlV
0plcZAt that instant, a faint tremor ran through my hand.MFaN
biR3xI forcibly restrained the direction my eyes wanted to move and clenched my fist to hide the trembling.E3stGk
nx3“……”npaEhs
Q2CG4x4Samra tilted his head slightly as he observed me closely.AqQmef
NAlsI managed to regain my composure.q46pGz
QNPDy4And decided to ask what I needed to confirm first.NyHOjxr
5kZH“…What date is it today?”N7x9
Bnnm2“March 8.”5p6u
MnfX“Of the year 20XX?”FrIak
g074u“Yes.”34Oh
WYnUSj“And when did Captain Mo Haein enter HasFac?”sYxI
tg9“March 7.”ZOZC
nCPRSamra’s pupils repeatedly expanded and contracted like the aperture of a camera.X6G
lBkv5RSHe was collecting data on my physical reactions.ExqkXCC
01dSs0“Furthermore, it was the day Captain Mo Haein found Mr. Han Goyo.”zNIN
fWnE4This year was a leap year.wVLN
eYVnThe day I watched the Developer’s livestream was February 29.SS2QTN
pKW3That meant there was a seven-day gap.n4oXKL
1OdUp until March 6.aMvMp
emaYDI had absolutely no memory of where I had been or what I had done during that time.QJ6529N
2uWf5O“When did the Trials begin?”MMK
MT0Q“Four years ago, on February 29.”dpQ
PJ8wTgnIt was around the time I retired as a professional player and became unemployed.EpRe
y4eI started playing the Developer’s game two years ago.X1XY
52Q0ToI tried to gather all the scattered pieces that seemed connected.REI
pD0But I could not reach any conclusion.DlnHl
T3Cn“Mr. Han Goyo.”uwHd
9wgQqrAfter confirming that my mental state was not at its best, Samra changed his approach.24Tb
iMRZ7All the screens surrounding me disappeared.uQql
5lyIn their place appeared a pleasant outdoor café on a peaceful afternoon.tGbCH
3fJwrUOn an empty terrace table sat two cups of iced Americano along with several desserts.Q0i1
maWV48xEven the containment uniform I was wearing had been replaced with casual clothes.JTigp
uIrOJSamra pulled out a chair and invited me to sit.hD1Tu60
nwvBpThen he sat down across from me.5V3
Uo0kx8iI stopped trying to organize the thoughts racing wildly through my head and took a large sip of the iced coffee.gsHYv
X7ItThe sensation of the cold liquid sliding down my throat felt absurdly real.36e
1JLtYBut it was not real.iPol
JoCm3QIt was fake.fuE
FZLuBecause this place was a virtual space created by Samra.KcKq4S8
HUekeDISamra had been created from an android item obtained from a science-fiction-themed Trial.px8pp
y7iOL6FPerhaps because his essence was that of a Trial item, he possessed the ability to create virtual spaces similar to the Trials themselves.jrXbecV
NXZVKWithin this place, Samra was practically a god.3nCQ
IGDHe could create or erase anything at will.c2wskL
pkZIn any case, thanks to the fake iced Americano, I regained some of my composure.dsMgHx
0xdAnd I was able to think a little more clearly.unXhbL
UPbFlX0I still did not understand why I had become a System.ccoFrlt
rWVeRI was not someone extraordinary.uZkMbAF
x1WQrYI did not possess the qualities necessary to occupy a position as grand as the System of Earth.nlDBYVS
1hFdaTyI was, rather, an ordinary person who prioritized his own survival.23nO
2cLyThere were countless people far more capable of bearing such responsibility or sacrifice.U5h
AZQBI did not understand why they had chosen me.18D6
rQqztOP‘Even now, it would be better if they chose someone else.’VpzPC
rvHI let out a brief sigh while waiting for the next system window.5nW
DhTsoBut nothing appeared.WDNK
LV3I swallowed a long exhale.FX8r7
ovk46rHAnd, as the ordinary person I was, I established the most important priority among my current circumstances.fC3mJpV
C9Eq5rvTo keep my arms and legs.zRD9jI
1NX‘Completing all the Epic Missions—that’s a problem for the distant future.’wHZDG0c
UHw2After all, I did not even know how many missions I was going to be assigned.ELSld
oJ2OnXdI looked at the android in front of me.LX0L
tQyrBsPFrom the moment I mistook this place for the world of Archive, I had reached a conclusion.mYnK
OLEMI had to go to the Trial Response Agency and meet Samra Man-Sang.5rrhE
IreFJBecause if there was anyone I could tell everything that had happened to me and ask for cooperation, it was Samra Man-Sang.3E2
m91i2dEven at this very moment, the android was probably recording information about me in real time.32TXjAd
VGUORHe was a gigantic database containing everything related to the Trials.rogN
pwx2Created with technology from a world far more advanced than Earth, Samra gathered information that human beings were incapable of perceiving.c8eIP
JgT5KThe machine that was drinking coffee as if he were a person smiled slowly.M9lVBKL
nZTOe7m“It seems you will need my help.”L80
SU0EmPhHis attitude gave the impression that he already considered himself the winner of the conversation.mm766
LshPFBut I did not need help.dohoP
oLeaMq“No. That won’t be necessary.”Tfhp5
84HSamra raised an eyebrow in surprise.kVk
VUlKQkdThen I made him an offer.m6Yz
VIttAIi“But I would like to make a deal. Are you interested?”wRYI
5l3w“Yes. What do you intend to offer?”uqT
ItFR9dM“Information about the Trials.”pGt
49d“Hm.”SrF
ztIN“Someone who knows the Trials.”5CM7n29
KXiGadc“No.”kPCqH5
Dx4nQU0At first, I considered offering exactly that.IZ2
oXVAD6SBecause what Samra needed most was information to expand his data on the Trials.GmnLgqf
WlXSamra could not enter them.AmN
4wdKhHe could only obtain information through Compatibles.PDu
iPz6X5But many Compatibles died inside the Trials.0DWbf2N
Rv688Y7And even when they survived, many ended up infected.eNUm
7SrHkThose who managed to come out unharmed were usually people who had cleared Trials whose methods were already known.QMW
1tWv0euAnd those Compatibles rarely tried to discover new routes or strategies.ncgNHX
6kQFJqThat was why Samra had difficulty obtaining new data.D5cg8ZT
Qf6Even by collecting information from other countries through hacking, there was still a fundamental lack of data related to the Trials.GSeSk
0SSHowever, I did not feel comfortable sharing all the information I possessed.GYf
ND4‘The development of HasFac was strange. The items were strange. Even the ending was different and appeared covered by those black blocks.’OwUxIx
RLoLXzBesides, revealing all my cards from the start seemed like a bad idea.yBx0N
crkgI did not know how the situation would develop.MEEJM
Xc3wI also needed to keep something of value for myself.0oo
yMUL3kYSo I decided to offer something else.M79qqWk
tR7“There is someone who knows the Trials.”aQYdr
BDqES3n“Hm.”SjgAR
2ZXz“Someone who knows all of this.”udQgHh7
SFnI meant the Developer.pHv
5uhoAfter coming this far, it was impossible not to be curious.zydqy
3zDCmuWhat kind of existence was he to have created a game about the Trials?UCJQ7y
bYUbSAnd why had he chosen me?O2R0iym
hW8He had probably selected me as a candidate to stop the Trials and trained me through Archive.9wf4rA
ZMmJuThat was the most logical conclusion.mNyj
vF6But I could not be certain.f9Kic
j6WBecause I remembered the last words he said to me.QvWM
GZt3ap“I suppose now I’ll be the one watching Gunbam’s streams.”tGOznn6
pRO6W“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time. A very, very, very long time.”axBiJ
5xN4oOIf he had really chosen me to become the System of Earth.RLt
jXMWell.zdVJH
G1Q67There was something about him that did not seem entirely sane.BACU
78kIn any case, I needed to find him.2v78Zn
sd2cYWThe problem was that my memories were incomplete.WdGt
lzDoNI remembered perfectly the games he had given me.g7EMBg
ub8kiJzI also remembered the conversations we had during his streams.VIibybE
tghlBut I was incapable of remembering his face.fyeO
x8kHEverything appeared covered by black darkness.U4CHc2g
4OaZAs if someone had deliberately erased that part of my memories.5Axt6
ukknHowever, Samra could probably track him using the information I possessed.ROLZtF
u5MQJ5y“…Interesting.”QY7zBp
wZu4Samra leaned slightly forward.vV6
Gnt“And what do you wish to obtain in return, Mr. Han Goyo?”Lea
49v0g“Absolute cooperation.”uHAJGHt
PDbQtfJIn addition to locating the Developer, I planned to use Samra to secure a stable position within the Trial Response Agency.k72
w2pigSamra’s opinion carried almost absolute influence within the organization.B5X
USTJkM5If he supported me, I could get rid of the accusation of being a national disaster.cIGaz
US50uAnd, of course, if there was any other way to take advantage of Samra’s assistance, I intended to do so without hesitation.S5Sw1Oa
PjQ1R“Absolute cooperation…”Ou9c
hZoxc8oSamra left the sentence unfinished as he pointed a finger at the Trial Response Agency uniform he was wearing.ojcxTGj
hRJuaBe“I am incapable of performing actions that harm humanity.”A5XvEUz
2cNSXHI“I know.”uOSDRCl
uoUGg“What exactly do you know?”SAzJHDt
ttWuIn“Even if you did not have a contract with the Trial Response Agency, you were always someone who wanted to save the world.”Hyr
7y0uSamra had tried to save the world from the Trial he came from.E9rKu
An9tThe lights already flickering within his eyes began shining even more intensely.BuS
zmRFor a moment, I considered asking if he could lower the brightness a little.ASe4gl
GrEKVBut before I could, he covered his eyes with his hand.1nlig
4iNjSsKWhen he lowered it, they had returned to normal.UJT2
IYxozSamra smiled.wZ1
jAAo5f“Now I am even more interested in the information you can provide, Mr. Han Goyo. As long as it does not harm humanity, I accept the deal.”uKI6O
SH6Awaz‘Sir, I’m on humanity’s side too.’Equr
ISQQ5LR‘After all, I’m the System of Earth.’DBsKBeJ
J3vI felt slightly offended by the way he treated me as though I might be some sort of villain.iEdT6Ja
Vs3D7HzBut I kept those thoughts to myself.LGgNrs
Ok4Then I extended my hand.Dli
VRJl“Then I hope we can work well together.”p3Rw
ZXzMSamra shook my hand and gave it a slight shake.EQemr
ql1pAs he did, his pupils expanded and contracted without rest.pubCkQ
FthI had the feeling he was examining me thoroughly.0FEg
L5XPuoaEven though a simple conversation should not contain that much relevant information.ejYu
TQIIn any case.cuFl
2DxjI had obtained a rather valuable ally.59I
j7V4oEIt was not a bad start.N8z
WpK***eIR
kWg1VI explained everything related to the Developer to Samra in detail.GAOT
q8IWwOf course, I omitted the part about me being the System.7KJ
YhfzPZWI simply told him that I had played the games created by that person for two years and that, in the end, I had been transported into HasFac against my will.zO3o
ubzcI also told him about the seven missing days in my memories.seiCb
MG2LWhile listening to my story, Samra searched for information about the Developer across social networks and databases around the world in real time.mFiZ5A
QLPP4Dd“There are some scattered references, but nothing particularly useful. Ideally, it would be best to gain direct access to one of his streams.”piiNjv
TZpklBut I remembered neither his face nor his name.z50
m5ylWThe first game I purchased, Happy Smile Factory, had been bought through a digital distribution platform.Ue21O
tNGsHowever, there was no record of it there.Qh4
y9Uroo7Not of HasFac.vk3N
G5gdLNot even that I had ever played the title.oks0JI
7KcTSamra even remotely powered on my computer and searched through all its files.dLSgCZQ
yheITBut he found nothing.1nxC0gi
tMfZNo HasFac.TuTHqAh
03EgNor any of the other games.enVEO6
C9a7mKNot a single fragment of information remained.nbDJxRN
RpkPwNot even traces of deletion.GY6
0WAIfIt was as if they had never been installed.s7SA
B5MMmAfter completing the search, Samra reached a conclusion.6pdE
V8pDvp5“There is a high probability that the Developer is an extraterrestrial entity.”YeeQ3q
PPOq2BIt was a logical deduction.vjaxvk
oSYxm1The Trials were a disaster originating from outer space.1V79
9VOi40C“I will continue investigating a little more. For now, perhaps we should leave. There are people waiting.”9DOHak2
b5w7bkPeople waiting.2edr
qqJIWosJust hearing that made me feel tired.YBir5xg
yIij41vBut I needed to handle the situation properly from the beginning.OnEMsx
TMPf2So I nodded obediently.JKobHp
KxtL9Everything began to melt.52ig
Nr5Normally, when a Trial ended, the surroundings distorted into fluorescent colors resembling neon lights before disappearing.0WT
oZZBut Samra’s virtual space was different.PLu
imIyQEverything shone with the same holographic colors as his eyes.GgtY
lCkLWhite light flooded my vision.rsBbn6
2ssSbA1Unable to bear the brightness, I closed my eyes.f2Z
nMEWhen I opened them again.yaW
kaFEI had returned to reality.ITLs0
I17wAlthough the welcome was a little more aggressive than I expected.CAS
FFlU“…Oh.”TsJJ
UhiII could not help letting out an exclamation.XGOS
7vuqDozens of sniper rifle laser sights were pointed directly at me.ixu8V4I
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dihnblls 300
Golden CoreLOOOLLLL
Sara Mos
MortalPoor guy why are they so aggressive