Chapter 9
x0IBeep— Beep— Beep—.67wN2j
hoYdThe error tones continued sounding repeatedly.qvyD
F5nResearchers completely outfitted in protective suits and equipment reported in tense voices.tsZhwSJ
laGmNj“Attempt number three failed. It has been determined to be an error, and it has been confirmed that even forced measurement is impossible.”07qc
pWgy6vOne of the monitors displayed a waveform that had never been seen before.vZdM4X
g3OS8xFear began spreading among the researchers.pKo2b08
QDHXHam Jiwol, Head of the Research Analysis Division, who was reviewing the values, quickly turned her gaze toward Kwak Hanmuk.sKN8qmg
22PKoXKwak Hanmuk waved a hand to indicate that he was still maintaining the restraint properly.KAHFkkk
m0JpqDdHam Jiwol cautiously approached ‘it’ and replaced the patch that had been attached to it.n0E
ScwqsOIt looked as though she were handling radioactive material.rSzvASX
OiB9‘I wish it were radioactive material.’6GOq
S3UThinking that, Kwak Hanmuk observed through the glass.UIP
hEhThe atmosphere was heavy with tension.zDHmhc
lyL3However, the protagonist of all that remained calm.48UQxcr
ZJjGmaThe man sleeping peacefully, completely wrapped in rosary beads, seemed to be one step removed from all the commotion surrounding him.Ty19l
21KRKwak Hanmuk absentmindedly rolled one of the beads of his rosary, as was his habit.Va2Y
97TXLYpHis rosary was a defensive item.BR2UOfR
fy3YIMade from byeokjomok wood and infused with lightning energy, it could extend freely and, within a certain range, even separate into multiple sections.sc9it
iPvIt was an ideal item for restraining and subduing targets.TrgUXrP
InlHowever, Kwak Hanmuk usually used it in extravagant ways as an offensive weapon.FB9xY
2euZIn fact, he rarely used its original function of restraint and capture.amdFX
MoNP4The reason was simple.FQn6iBm
gxrBecause it was boring.i38h6a
8weBut what had happened a little while ago?NV3p
joKA1“Hanmuk, restrain him.”Xas1xT
2MNd0The moment Mo Haein gave the order, he launched the restraint technique without a second thought.Avw3x
SyLIt had been an instinctive movement.X6Bh7t
F37HThe feeling from that moment, when he acted purely on intuition without passing through reason, was still vivid in his memory.0NOy
VIok“Haein. What the hell did you pick up this time?”d02wxiZ
ZRHdgWhen Kwak Hanmuk asked while shaking his head, Mo Haein answered immediately.CKEK
OjFtM0F“I didn’t pick him up. He appeared in front of me.”c758qz
zZnGMo Haein had submitted reports to her superiors without even having time to rest.Ke4QK
GMQQRHer face looked exhausted.v9LMe3w
fwHjY4FHowever, her eyes were shining intensely.9Ssx7Pl
N4adThe only thing keeping her standing was the euphoria of having permanently closed a Trial through a True Ending.B2l83Y
Sus“Could he be human?”oZC0
SrKV“…I don’t know.”xRv9
6DuCAt the moment Park Seonggyeon’s head exploded into golden fragments, Mo Haein saw it clearly.5dpHU
1uVInzThe change that occurred in ‘its’ eyes.446A4
5hwMSomething impossible for a human being.9MO
AOV1SAt that moment, all available personnel of the Trial Response Agency were investigating the existence known as Han Goyo.xOp
Ur94GSoon Samra would begin a formal investigation.lsF0oa
RS3tYycPerhaps then they could discover what he truly was.ywCDq
xWoEM5Whether he was someone infected by a Trial virus.A1V8Yc3
cEZKvO5Or whether he was a non-human existence.vQy5YA
nOYFagIn truth, Mo Haein did not care very much what Han Goyo was.7T3ovxF
3s4GOnly one thing mattered.NqsIE
UaalCould he be used?eSY
5ZZKOr not?0DbGpw1
cR3shjIf he helped close Trials through True Endings, Mo Haein was willing to accept whatever he was.0EQJ6x
faloU“You worked hard, Captain.”ufbi
FtEYSuddenly, she remembered the way he had congratulated her.kIl
xO3tThat faint smile belonged to a completely ordinary university student.b8Y
dbJuBut Mo Haein pushed that memory out of her mind.OD3
c6KCBThe feelings she had experienced then had been genuine.6lN3o
6TdnCPHowever, now they only interfered with her judgment.eH8
57z2a6NWhile watching the sleeping Han Goyo without taking her eyes off him for even a moment, Kwak Hanmuk, who had been toying with the rosary beads, suddenly spoke.cJg4tQ
OYP“You said the Trial NPCs showed a friendly attitude toward Han Goyo.”Soo
ypkXG0“Yes.”WIM6Y5K
TEuk9c“By any chance, did you try attacking him with the Black Moon Blade?”bqEPBU
44f5aW1Mo Haein frowned at the absurd question.TGZlwd
vW9But Kwak Hanmuk was completely serious.kYNl
1H976“No, I know it sounds fucking crazy, but my rosary keeps feeling it.”ZjK
Y4mrKwak Hanmuk let out a disbelieving laugh, as if he himself couldn’t believe what he was saying.TP3Liy
rlv“It wants to release him.”74Ap
rqxAMo Haein slightly parted her lips.j83Z
kbHp1KKwak Hanmuk pressed the beads of his rosary while watching Han Goyo.AEQ6I
hYuFor a while now, the rosary had been giving him small chills on his skin, as if expressing its dissatisfaction.PrY5mF
UnByKFinally, he voiced the impossible hypothesis that had been weighing on his mind.RnnB1
IO0A“Not only the NPCs of the Trials…”CpTj4zD
owew“…Even the items might be favorable toward Han Goyo.”wZdZY
hHrs***m2qMUuh
qUm6“Ugh…”JWtw8OV
x0ZUeI opened my eyes while suppressing a groan.k1C
o4mUn2I saw a white ceiling.0l7
sSvv9TIt looked like a hospital room.JAwupuZ
lHDR…That was what I would have liked to think upon waking up.0XFPI
ZYWeBut reality was completely different.iK6q
1RFWhen I opened my eyes, I was in an interrogation room.lm1CS
89O54uMoreover, I was wearing a restraint uniform and was tied to a chair.VRF
y77‘Now I’m really screwed.’R2FeOc0
srE3vThe Trial Response Agency belonged to the Ministry of Defense, so trials were held in military courts.K2Xdy
IXQBut this could barely be called a trial.XSvQ
u4F1ezGDue to the organization’s special nature, they had their own courts and completely independent procedures.um4l
IWXhwgIn other words.r7f9e
01l4AO“This bastard is evil!”z0BJw
R9E3xAnd the Agency’s military judge could imprison or punish you immediately.F0iM
4WJCAt least there was a small piece of good news.p7LJ11
34WDEiAll my injuries had been treated.Os6
6BdcRRcNoticing that the pain in my thigh had decreased considerably, a question crossed my mind.wQG2sI2
pDMBg‘Come to think of it, why can’t I register Kwak Hanmuk?’UE6
eyIMSomeone like Captain Kwak was an important and powerful character.IvH
H84p6He should be registrable.Hapmjlm
DloylBut the system window had never appeared.MuA4cA
P8bctdYou think you must proceed cautiously when registering characters.MRP
9SOfXzoYou currently possess only ‘3 registration slots.’qB4g9ce
oK4HrkYou consider it far too early to use a slot on ‘Kwak Hanmuk.’kxhq
mmlThere is a possibility that he may escape from your ■■.cekJ
ciPCSsYou wish to increase your abilities as a System as soon as possible.95NJT
JqLYou think it would be a good idea to register ‘Mo Haein.’7g09Y
5IsidjA simple question received an extremely strict answer.wb7zmG
UND33Since my doubt had already been resolved, I ignored the system window as usual.En4
sbvid0At that moment, the closed door opened.49kGVw
SelvsIA man wearing a Trial Response Agency uniform entered the room.Gn2
ggtvjKu“Hello, Mr. Han Goyo.”FqvQN
Gqi3The man smiled kindly as he introduced himself.VbZ
FKlVvj“I am ■■■ of the Trial Response Agency.”tXYTII
rxOplAlthough I heard his name, he was a character I did not recognize at all.84b
oQ2hBwBut what had he said his name was?zB8
h9l6FNo matter how hard I tried to remember, the name I had just heard would not come to mind.pB2TOaJ
CwP4The man looked at how I was wrapped up like a cocoon and put on a sympathetic expression.5sdt13
qBPLXw0“It must be very uncomfortable, right? If you cooperate properly, we’ll release you immediately.”j7tc8ws
fbkZvFTI fully intended to cooperate.o5lM
Sy5TAfter all, I had nowhere else to go.7W9
f1958P‘They are literally my solution for lodging, food, and survival.’q9sR
00Pt2wkIf I left here, I would become homeless, so I tried to put on the friendliest expression possible and replied.PAMB
JJPM“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”8dde0xU
3d7yIkQThe man sitting across from me briefly checked a tablet and smiled.ZOYCt
vOCFWQt“First of all… what does Gunbam mean?”HoJ
pcpD2MI was prepared to answer immediately.zhyEbyw
TJPba1JBut I ended up giving him a stupid look instead.4bDOg
oc9“Excuse me?”u2nu
5k3“Gunbam.”ekUTu4
uli1D“Ah, Gunbam…”xeLDd5E
JegwyMI panicked.VJ3O
uzfMA‘How the hell do I explain Gunbam?’GgK7hX
t4pFor a moment, I thought it might also be some kind of interrogation technique.OHX
LQaUXNot knowing what to do, I blinked several times before answering hesitantly.cvuqo
UCkmC2h“Well… it just means Gunbam. You know, roasted chestnuts.”QNX
lwQpfThe atmosphere turned cold.lDgJwO
UO5lD7Trying to appear as cooperative as possible, I explained everything I could.ycvmVUh
ilX“My name is Han Goyo. You know, like the Christmas carol Silent Night. At first, people called me Gobam. Then one day I was eating roasted chestnuts with some friends, and Gobam turned into Gunbam…”xxGRGqi
chjOmWow.cxhTG
LLzThat sounded pathetic.7rY0G3
W0cEfe8The more I explained it, the more I felt I was ruining the situation.h9xIa
uVVUBut stopping halfway through would have been even stranger.9TwB
Xi5AZZQ“…And that’s how my nickname changed. Since it was a familiar word, I ended up using Gunbam quite often as a username online and things like that.”Ig57UtT
VtDEven when I played Archive, I always used Gunbam as the player’s name.dHuTwjL
9Afl“So Gunbam is a nickname you chose yourself?”Cj6fv
4kf“Yes.”XcGet
LZip“……”tY8
H2z9ZThe man fell silent.lvcUYuv
pYjRJ9cBut there was nothing else I could explain.Wf9
6Q5EMBI wanted to move on from the Gunbam topic as quickly as possible.vFUF1
lKWkmc‘Let’s go to the next question.’1yPIdQs
TLgoNWhile I waited obediently, the man spoke again.bNt2Pw
cfapS5“The names assigned within a Trial reflect a Compatible’s characteristics or possess some kind of symbolism.”kVD
egsGgHe stared directly at me.Xhi
Bvs6It was the kind of gaze meant to detect lies.4AKdD
1cgf“And all of those names are assigned by the Trial itself.”sYNfRCl
VINI4It was the first time I had heard something like that.4iyFOA7
OeoI had always thought everyone chose whatever name they wanted, just like when creating a character in a video game.ZFZ
qNZm7Even though I had played Archive extensively, much of the world’s information appeared as bonus content after finishing the game.cxs5yk
p6cIt was inevitable that there would be things I didn’t know.R2D
xXUXYV“There has never been a single case where a name without any special characteristic or meaning, and one personally chosen by the user, was used inside a Trial. Not once.”jkR47
2mzXsThe man showed me the tablet.8OYX
Qutl“During [Happy Smile Factory], there was another Compatible besides you whose name underwent a change.”fSJ
A9dfSkA photograph of Park Seonggyeon appeared on the screen.Ku49Gs
r1V4“Park Seonggyeon received a completely different name from the one the Trials had normally assigned him.”TKlLRL
EsGI immediately remembered Park Seonggyeon’s identification badge in HasFac.EJsh2NO
XujF9Written on it was:uv9Lxi
5L7ZugSample.MqFg
cPDAnd I also remembered another system window.GVn
OuYXmhu[‘Park Seonggyeon’ is a registrable sample character. Would you like to register him?]5aHSC
iVgCoSample.Kpz6RBA
j1mYIt was such an obvious name that it practically screamed:5Jzvw
AywxG“Please notice it!”pcyCX
QMPFrom the very moment he entered HasFac, Park Seonggyeon had been marked as a sample for me.AaO7UOA
sCxThe choice had not been bad either.AFtsVv
31YOfAPrecisely because it was Park Seonggyeon, I was able to choose the execution option without guilt or hesitation.536
iK7However, I did not like the situation.eEewfu
nfqI could clearly feel the will of some existence that wanted me to develop my abilities as a System.IIJrZf
iH8s7In any case, the interrogation seemed to be going poorly.I6z
3cTD‘I can’t exactly say that my characteristic or symbolism is Gunbam…’juA
MChAOREWhile I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, the man continued questioning me.p95v
LMEr5“You knew the method to complete [Happy Smile Factory] with the True Ending. Correct?”JQa
GCtJnoB“It was a coincidence.”vV873
dEMt“Han Goyo displayed exceptional skill during the boss battle and knew completely new strategies that even the Trial Response Agency was unaware of. Thanks to that, he achieved the True Ending.”Ith77
YiBXThe man smiled slightly before finishing the sentence.rjpQG
Kvx“…That was what Captain Mo Haein reported.”zic
Kquv“It really was a coincidence. It reminded me of a video game I liked, so I decided to try a few things, and it just happened to work…”RojV8
Rx4mmf“Why did Park Seonggyeon’s head explode?”2gJv
erdujEThe man interrupted me.XqcHoJa
E2VlAnd asked the question as though he had already decided I was responsible.V49OLf
7CYvor4I denied it again.Y4jz
UOxxa“I don’t know anything about that.”zpDeFCi
WZ2nMhThe man let out a long sigh.qwDn
Ptb2D“Mr. Han Goyo.”Bvqa6Hz
w98EL“Yes.”0q1S
L5Bk1“Perhaps you still don’t understand, so allow me to explain. Torture is legal in the Trial Response Agency.”qZ0VlL
3m4nWII knew that…9UE
RrHBelieve me, I knew that perfectly well…8zqyO
KUtW7h1But I couldn’t confess so easily either.GORdLH
KGF3LoTo do that, I would have to tell the absurd truth that I had entered the world of Archive from a video game.88Oj7UW
pU8s‘Can’t this guy be registered either?’PhM3AW
nbfcFor a moment, I imagined registering him and threatening to execute him.VAN
croL0RoThen a system window appeared.XC2dS
nDU2Entities that are not ■■ cannot yet be registered.4ek
pou1UThe window appeared suddenly.Kk0N
pLnxRTo avoid letting him notice where I was looking, I lowered my gaze and pretended to be frightened.GPSbD3M
8hZksG2‘Damn black blocks.’VdoelHx
8EY5HNsI didn’t understand why it hid certain words.nlG9cCP
6oUbaJzThen another window appeared.VtfgE5
SfekIInsufficient.LL6aRGY
2nxkMVNow it didn’t even bother writing, “Your abilities are insufficient.”DWpL
jTgNcV8It only sent a single word.IZ3
66lV9aEAt this rate, it would eventually communicate using only initials.YIPV
Bo8ISI was about to ignore the window.pmbG4N
oYVBut then I looked again at those black blocks.SSJC4
ho975■■…5b5P
ZuomlWhat if it meant human?xRY
kLNEXThe moment I thought of that word, a revelation hit me like a hammer.JaP
aTu9sOne of the main characters of the Trial Response Agency.eTo5af
WzbEKh1An existence created by South Korea using Trial items to fight the Trials themselves.p6R
fEucscHe was not human.IZfQxrX
8hXrdiHe was an artificial intelligence android system.JYvkQpl
W3NgaI spoke his name.uyz
CUHUI4y“Samra Man-Sang.”fozANAP
FhvBoAt that instant, I could clearly see the face of the man who until then had seemed completely normal.godqm
QUTHis face was covered by a black stain, as if someone had scribbled all over it.7i6wq
e9DrnThe moment I perceived that anomaly, the dark Trial Response Agency uniform turned white.AU37Pq
hHoYgbhThe paint covering his face gently disappeared.1Mqs
WnGYVAnd revealed his true appearance.3R4Umd
ZQyHair and eyes shining with holographic colors that constantly changed depending on the light.EAdCU
nuiHbsEAn existence with colors impossible for a human being.eGtDg
zKBThat existence smiled.Mwkd
xCcThe dark interrogation room disappeared.suTgNfb
ycPp8zdIn its place appeared a gigantic wall whose height seemed endless.vEpbv
MwiT2O2A wall formed from countless monitors, smartphones, tablets, and screens of every kind connected to one another with no apparent order.th4
3CM4uVEach displayed different images from around the world.cuRs
11WDIn front of that wall stood an absurdly high platform.091YE72
Ap5aOn top of it was a chair without a backrest.elaC
1GmqUBSeated high above, Samra looked down at me.2eMUoMV
VX5“How did you figure it out, Mr. Han Goyo?”y21tnw5
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!