Chapter 4
MpxnMy heart was pounding, and before I realized it, the corners of my lips kept rising.rHUZR
tXsJA1OWas it an easter egg?ZomzOX1
Sx4RjfOr perhaps an ending route I had never discovered?JhU
6pzqWhatever the answer was, this was a new Happy Smile Factory.m7XSfm
F6owqDoTo think there were still things I didn’t know about a game I had played to the point of wearing it out!LXjwc
CmfvCI wanted to investigate everything immediately.H38
TP4Since I knew perfectly well that my reaction was far from that of a normal civilian, I bit my lips to hide my smile.BIMgbb
y4W1Just then, Mo Haein finished discussing things with Park Seonggyeon and noticed the Sad Smiley that I had put back together.IdD7yML
QKXtWbAHer gaze clearly said, “And what the hell did you do this time?”3Z0apma
zp99W3tI put on an innocent expression and explained myself.AKnI0a
o3rd“Well, I found this candy, and it said it could repair toys. Even if it’s a toy, I thought it must hurt.”y7Jz
SIJbMfjUpon hearing that, Mo Haein’s face went blank.Txr5Nmh
mtoRhCPark Seonggyeon burst out laughing.iiVNSy
Qlf“Hahaha! You’re a really good person. So you wanted to repair it?”6F5B
ea7uHe patted me on the shoulder.A8Io3
j7BT0“But being that innocent is forbidden here, okay? You need to be careful. I can’t explain it in detail, but this is a very dangerous place.”BGypxt
xdKprWNThen he tried to scare me by saying that the toy might get back up and attack us again.1325
Eb3g52AI apologized once more.s9N
A6fH7KAfter bothering me enough, Park Seonggyeon suddenly fixed his gaze on the air and raised his eyebrows.w6uK
dGH“Oh, Captain. The description of this item is a little strange.”8xL9
tOvSIOHe had read the description of the Sad Smiley item through a system window.1Ivai
lJ6T760“U-uh… Sorry, but could we move on? I want to get out of here.”4wm6Sf8
CzYdPretending to be frightened, I insisted that we move somewhere else.eIKgz
QRUBcRpI was worried they might touch the Sad Smiley doll.cLLpXML
441I didn’t know whether a broken toy could recover using Nut Candy, but since it seemed like the story was progressing along a different route, I intended to keep leaving candies for it.1ZmL
EgJ7WdOf course, Sad Smiley wasn’t an NPC, just an item with a recorded voice.23f7F
VhTEven so, I kept leaving candies.JIBn59I
c4KT5p“It seems to have some significance, but since we already split it in half, it doesn’t matter. Besides, we have a civilian with us, so let’s finish the Trial first.”adR
k947Fortunately, Mo Haein was focused on completing the mission quickly.M9TRZs
N8u0lLaShe had already brought out the Black Moon Blade, so it seemed she intended to force her way through and finish everything in one go.YXrs
ZGDMc0That mindset was very fitting for the Collapse Ending route.GGTj
qZhWhoosh.GW9a17v
nZgMo Haein swung her weapon broadly, shaking off the rainbow-colored blood covering it.LXAcN2
LOC9Then she gave me one last look before turning around.9lPE7
mWLSa“Let’s go.”vla1z3
JeW6“Yes!”eGLp6u
4hqPark Seonggyeon was in a good mood again.f8x9Kf
gBML9qHe couldn’t stop looking at his hands.QFsB
sUo9pBy now, he had even replaced his left arm with another toy arm.1ge4
AGDiMo Haein still retained one human arm because she needed it to use the Black Moon Blade.dxJT5tZ
MLgPIf it weren’t for that weapon, she probably would have equipped both toy arms as well.gl9
88CRntI carefully observed Park Seonggyeon.zJa
3lzqByInside a Trial, obtaining items was directly tied to survival, so it was normal to be happy about acquiring additional equipment.uFGvdQ3
JFt‘But this is a little strange.’YmXn
9W5ESxRMo Haein and Park Seonggyeon had cleared Happy Smile Factory many times.kQHc7
VuNjOPEven though there were unexpected variables now, as long as Mo Haein had the Black Moon Blade, clearing the Trial shouldn’t be difficult.Vkd
PzrA0No.vqfnE
9ALzIt was a guaranteed victory.nTwjS4m
BCxqhWgSo why did he seem so happy about obtaining just one more toy arm?YzTbTls
2iIIa“Goyo, you look young. Are you a college student?”Eikr
1QanKI temporarily put aside my suspicions and answered.mCZWdr
Yt1yo“Yes.”hPTgWt
q1rdWell, normally a twenty-four-year-old would be a college student.0k2PVd
WCjL1QtExplaining that I was a former professional player forced into retirement by an injury and currently unemployed was far too complicated.NrX
HT7“And your military service?”cq5tyoM
rzlso3“Not yet.”9Mi0RnF
AC5Zn6Actually, I’m exempt.OwCjo5
DYuBut there was no need to explain that either.5tq
Xrxoo“And how did you end up here?”3U7Ao7
t3Eu“I just fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes, I was here…. Will I be able to go home?”0IPsVwf
P2FcFp“Of course. Trust this hyung.”wiMYN5I
m5ll53iAs he said that, he clicked his pincers.prV2dC
l5T3t1SClack, clack.YExJBYq
r9IarEZHe looked exactly like the kind of person who could cause a problem at any moment.rTVnis
6LiSFortunately, the conversation ended when we entered the second area.aSVNS8O
Q4dThe laboratory.75uKqk1
w6RUnlike the bright exterior that looked as though it had come straight out of a fantasy world, the laboratory was a ruin filled with broken stone and exposed steel beams.zNH
hwFA5There were numerous devices that looked as though they belonged in a biological research facility.5MsI
hWYk1XNothing that fit a toy factory.eghpI3O
Q99◆ Main Mission: Awaken the Fragmented Prince.dD2Kxl5
jR9The Fragmented Prince sleeps within the toy factory’s secret laboratory.MmR3
dZxeYou believe you must gather the scattered fragments in order to awaken him.mMfgb
nCHIl5yWhile pretending to observe the laboratory, I glanced sideways at the system window.qGEsc
s9sWe had to find the fragments of the prince doll hidden throughout the area.ZUd
X8LB1iTo obtain the final fragment, it was necessary to defeat the first boss.aay1qo
Gyx1BPark Seonggyeon used his extendable toy arms to move debris and quickly found several fragments.xDEw
GrcMo Haein solved a puzzle that appeared on a computer screen and obtained a key.D3H
bZZNAfterward, she took the limbless prince doll and used the key to open a locked laboratory door.nFXR
evcBeyond the door, which bore a huge “Restricted Area” sign, was a shattered glass tank.8gLY2
tYv81pGIt looked as though it had broken recently.krq
dWMIGPEA massive amount of rainbow-colored liquid was still spilling out from the tank.wsn720l
cm21rIt was exactly the same color as the toys’ blood.aaMp
VacZyoPlop.Ufjqjm
VinA drop fell from the ceiling.OzLg
SyTI wiped my damp cheek with the back of my hand while thinking about how to express the right amount of surprise.9fkh
UA0emThen I slowly raised my head.VlEf1
a8F1“G-Gugh…!”ZgP
HhLaI hurriedly stepped back.A3sHw3
ZyP6qHPark Seonggyeon burst out laughing.ryJA6J
iPsAFAQ“What an overreaction. We’ll take care of that in no time.”GWmjhg
POFxyQiThere was a gigantic hole in the ceiling whose end was impossible to see.fkND
G5RTFrom the darkness descended an enormous toy spider, swaying on a thread web.wevEq
gMhwUNHIts eight legs were made of toy blocks.BkSX
xOW4On its body was a smiling face with four pairs of eyes.UJ3E
KoNdLmIt was a spider that should never be sold as a children’s toy.gIq
1r2u84yThe first boss of Happy Smile Factory.vGEhG8l
gpeRNAPrincess Tarantella.viGo
iJMZvXU“Captain Mo just has to swing the Black Moon Blade, and this will be over quickly.”XljG
mBiI glanced sideways at Park Seonggyeon.ruCZi
spfHis eyes were filled with greed as he stared at Mo Haein’s Black Moon Blade.f7x59
hQJZlThat gleaming look made me remember something I had forgotten.T3uL
vQkf6J‘Ah…. Park Seonggyeon. Now I remember.’0uy2
ETn9eBAt that moment, a new system window appeared.kjROy
KO0FLYou think it would be good to have an example to understand what the ‘System’ and ‘Registration’ are.VS1U
pPE7Fortunately, you have just found a suitable example right in front of you!XCw
URsmdZG‘Park Seonggyeon’ is a registrable sample character.7biJVS
DZjm40jWould you like to register him?9Uoyo
qX6y7pThe timing was incredibly convenient, as if the system had read my thoughts.doTi
7NAThis time, I did not hesitate.nb0n9Y
lsrzv‘Register.’T9llq0
rXxTIv0Registering ‘Park Seonggyeon (Sample)’….dkimyg
lTePWhen Archive games were completed, an extra scene would appear after the credits.4a0X4AY
AOymr4Normally, it showed brief conversations between the player and various Archive characters after the Trial had ended.sCYNLF
xia60LwSometimes it also allowed visits to different locations.KphQuJ
ySoJIn those cases, it was possible to travel around South Korea within the Archive World.bGPWR
5o7q0rI usually visited the Trial Response Agency.fOTm
tw9On one occasion, I entered Mo Haein’s office.sZK
VcYAnd there, I read an official document related to the trial of an incident that had occurred during a Trial.JAPnIg6
lErZIt was a death case caused when a teammate attacked Mo Haein in an attempt to seize the Black Moon Blade.aUzaQwc
aUecaMo Haein split her attacker in half with the Black Moon Blade itself.T2H93
QLnM…This incident was caused by the unilateral attack of Lieutenant Park Seonggyeon, and it was confirmed that the response of the attacked individual was an immediate reaction to prior aggression.gwSlopS
b0L9The incident occurred during a boss battle.uVr5rbX
JnKoj2vDue to the chaos of the location, there was insufficient time to properly assess the situation.hd0pG
Uiu6jbUThe attacked individual also suffered serious injuries.K1a2
Oy4w1DTaking the above points into consideration, it is determined that the actions of the attacked individual do not constitute excessive force but rather self-defense.cmaRxtp
sknJyDespite involving a death, self-defense was recognized, so the punishment was reduced to writing a report and a brief suspension.l5H5E
PvTvFThe name of the teammate who had attacked Mo Haein in that incident was Park Seonggyeon.RA2jq2
7fTzHSince he was only mentioned in a single line within the official document, it wasn’t strange that I hadn’t remembered him.Zclzj
68aqR‘So he caused trouble in HasFac.’MyJBq
pESCThe toy limbs that could be obtained in HasFac granted superhuman strength and, at the same time, enormous reach.E2WoR
5UMh‘And it seems today is exactly the day he plans to cause that trouble.’PVOyako
DHXx8w6After obtaining toy arms before Mo Haein and taking the Black Moon Blade from her, it seemed that Park Seonggyeon intended either to murder her or turn her into a factory employee in order to commit the perfect crime.GvLN3Ao
X3ZlfThere was a high chance that his actions would interfere with the True Ending.c0Odyq
bBnAnd I didn’t like the fact that he was trying to lay his hands on Mo Haein, one of my favorite characters.UDv
vi83E‘Besides, if he’s going to kill Mo Haein, there’s no way he’ll leave a witness like me alive.’072bF
hi2Therefore, I had no intention of leaving Park Seonggyeon alone either.eEXW
S79Registration complete!YiY
FzZhdUZYou are curious to review the sample’s status window.Rn2
rpaI had been thinking it for a while, but the way the system windows spoke was strange.6I3BV
JDt8qgIIn the original game, the system windows spoke completely normally.JAwi
IqZleTGThey were simply messages guiding the player, like in any other video game.fQ0
LbyHVeuBut now they acted as though they were expressing my own thoughts.v17
sHU‘Could it have something to do with me becoming the System?’24I4bSL
zKvFor now, our goals aligned, so I decided to go along with it.eNG
g8BAs the window indicated, I checked Park Seonggyeon.rEZBl
2GI‘Park Seonggyeon’s Status Window.’vSKPjlO
dGmN— Park Seonggyeon (Sample) ♥×3skurx
CRPy— Happy Smile Factory EmployeePl5rj
NkBad— Items: Cherry Picker (3), Nut Candy (12), Flashlight (1)DmGz2p
JGnmuThe information I could access as the System was extremely simple and sparse.lvNo
DpxThe moment I thought that, another window appeared.cbdw
hyhTYou are dissatisfied with your simple and sparse abilities.g7mEf
E0jq7FYou believe you must improve your capabilities as a System.RO1If
hSTeiIt seemed to mean that as my capabilities grew, more functions would be unlocked.sxPzB
v1HdnI carefully examined the limited information available.KUCB
dn5cX6The three hearts presumably represented his lives.k76I
WsaJ3CAnd the items.viANFwe
lMg1l4k“…Hmm?”deK
t87QxmDThe number of Cherry Pickers was three.gUt7z
2338However, Park Seonggyeon had only obtained two during this run.C2z5Fa
AksdJThere was only one explanation.4mV162i
3bVOXHe had brought items obtained during a previous HasFac run.BR3p3G
fugExcept under special circumstances, the Trial Response Agency prohibited the use of items obtained in previous attempts, even if they came from the same Trial.ThL
RmSUgIt was a measure intended to minimize variables, just like the ban on using items from other Trials.Lpr
3759AVMoreover, after completing a Trial, the Agency inspected all acquired items, and they automatically became the organization’s property.2x0OCGA
T4wThere was no reason for them to hand Cherry Pickers over to Park Seonggyeon.kfGYMk
CZfzcsWThat meant he had obtained them through illegal means.vOtl
hRBf‘He did it because of Mo Haein, without a doubt.’QlGYDHK
UaGRIMy conviction that Park Seonggyeon intended to cause an incident today became even stronger.d3a
ByeAs the System, you are curious about what influence you can exert over ‘Park Seonggyeon (Sample).’LGIYlCt
XmHreO4You wish to examine in greater detail the options that appear beneath Items.vNuWP
cjj0I followed the instructions and checked the options.pI3
RhY> MessageG4i
6q7uEZM> ExecutebGYGtRZ
fKEcw7wThere were only two.cTT
ml3And I had no idea what either of them meant.wjRIA
yliwaOI decided to try the less intimidating option first.0X2
sayMessage.SgyB3
AmNruVAThink of the message you wish to send to ‘Park Seonggyeon (Sample).’TIwt
lv81Don’t tell me I could display system windows to Park Seonggyeon?bOi
6CpZUTQWhile trying to guess how the ability worked, the screen of an old computer in the corner of the laboratory lit up.fuiCF
QtHuQh8A cheerful chiptune melody began to play.kmZAZWo
eT9x1zAThe 8-bit music announced the beginning of the boss battle.ZiI6FU
G5HPrincess Tarantella.hBNHGq
Q4gTarantella’s smiling face opened in four directions, revealing a mouth full of teeth.DS11n
60Zb“…!”DIQoCY
4LzsUlHAn incomprehensible screech emerged from that open mouth and pierced my eardrums.g8n
WB7opfAt the same time, in rhythm with the speeding-up music, musical-note-shaped toys began falling from the hole in the ceiling.FY0eVey
aiyjO6SThat mechanic only appeared on the Collapse Route.U7M0gU
A2b3JCMo Haein cut through the musical notes while blocking the eight legs with which Tarantella attacked.p2sJhsg
e4BSzQPark Seonggyeon watched the Black Moon Blade dancing through the air with fascination.PCQ7
1KlThen he fully opened both of his claw hands and slowly began closing them.nfMVh
AESe9Clack.iXxUDzp
A3bOjClack.vzoo
Dnwkd7A faint metallic sound could be heard amid the chiptune music.IXLdTz
e6KNWhile I had been busy checking the system windows, Park Seonggyeon had equipped a third Cherry Picker on one of his legs.eBs
cbwuUsing that toy leg, he leaped into the air.LZ3ws
hLfYIiHe cut through the rain of musical notes.ub4
bPFL0LAnd just as he extended his hand to attack Mo Haein.S8SP
iDpI sent him a message.zDZUf
xXw5IpI saw a system window appear in front of Park Seonggyeon.XHqz
yz8hxZHalCcDg
stVThe sudden window blocked his vision.LYUICQ4
79eNrjcHis hand faltered.2XzCOs
TTKSrKThe claw did not strike Mo Haein.dSJB0W
iEMr4z5It merely grazed her shoulder.IUmO1Kj
dk4Mo Haein, who had almost ended up inside Tarantella’s mouth, shouted furiously.CEiO0N
iS5“Park Seonggyeon! What the hell are you doing?!”R9X
uDhTUMPark Seonggyeon landed unsteadily.rxGdCn
0jIBJ5EHe wore a completely idiotic expression.9OlyM
l3a1UHe cursed under his breath and tried once again to swing his toy arms.eKXuW
P04eUBut when he raised his arm.YSLN0u
Cx4c3He froze.1EO9o
1kBvDAhahaiz9x
PJwSW5jhahahaha9IL
hrLZhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaPXn1W5
aZy7p3Park Seonggyeon’s face turned completely pale as system windows covered his entire field of vision.LzZom
iPXThey were the messages I had sent him.Mt6coH
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dihnblls 300
Golden Corespamming that shit omg😭
dihnblls 300
Golden CoreLMAOO
Sara Mos
MortalSo he can also kill him? Just like that?
dihnblls 300
Golden Corehewo OWO
dihnblls 300
Golden Corenot very cute
dihnblls 300
Golden Corewhat a cute namd
dihnblls 300
Golden Corecan’t keep a secret from it
dihnblls 300
Golden Coredoing too much bruh🤦
dihnblls 300
Golden Coreno I wanna know too
dihnblls 300
Golden Corei love when the mc in transmigration novels have an innocent act