Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity

As I asked that, I touched the bone fragment shaped like a pen that was faintly pulsing inside my pocket.

“Is there any limit to the number of uses?”

Supervisor Hong Na-gyeom, who had been heading toward the door, stopped and slightly turned her head to look at me.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

As I listened to her words, I examined the Universal Employee Benefits Machine once more.

“There is no established usage limit. amateur As long as you have sufficient capital and blood, you can theoretically perform an infinite number of refinements. acquire However, if it determines that the value of the inserted materials falls below a certain level, it will not activate. zenith It also does not accept as material products that it has created itself.”

Beneath the blinking red lens, I saw the slot through which it had devoured the banknotes.

But upon closer inspection, its shape was strange.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

That unsettling thought had just crossed my mind.

‘What would happen if I put in something that isn’t money?’

As if it could easily swallow something other than money.

For a simple opening meant for inserting paper currency, it was excessively wide, and its entrance opened in an unsettling way.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“Huff… huff…”

From behind the heavy lead door of the containment chamber came the sound of something sharp scratching against a metal plate.

Scrraaatch! advance Scrraaatch, scrraaatch!

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“…A dimensional entity?”

Without either of us noticing, he had made his way there and was protesting to be let inside.

A familiar wet breathing filtered through the crack beneath the door. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

It was that White and Chubby Furball.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Hong Na-gyeom’s eyes widened.

The black blade was coated in a viscous and unpleasant substance.

Without hesitation, she pulled a dagger from her clothes.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“W-Wait, wait a moment!”

Just as she was about to open the door and brandish the dagger, I hurriedly stepped in front of her.

Anyone could see that it was a weapon designed to kill.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

“Move aside! beacon According to regulations, any unauthorized dimensional entity that leaves its containment chamber must be neutralized immediately. arena Otherwise…”

The tip of the blade stopped less than a foot from my chest.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

She alternated her gaze between the door behind me and myself before muttering in disbelief.

Upon hearing my explanation, her eyes wavered again.

She looked like someone with an almost pathological fear of breaking the rules.

“No, Supervisor Hong. voyage It’s a D-rank dimensional entity that arrived while you were away. adopt Besides, it poses almost no danger. auction Extraction Team 1 has already given him permission to wander outside.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Hong Na-gyeom’s brows twitched.

“It’s not that… It’s just that this thing is a little special.”

“You’re telling me that a D-rank dimensional entity left his containment chamber, made it all the way to a C-rank extraction room, wandered around the hallways, and yet nobody did anything? legend Have you already suffered mental contamination?”

Without sheathing the dagger, she listened carefully to the idiotic breathing coming from the other side of the door.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“Hey, hey! alien Now’s not the time for this…!”

Completely ignoring the killing intent directed at him, the furball squeezed through the gap and approached me with his usual goofy expression.

He awkwardly rose onto his hind legs and placed a front paw on my shoulder.

It was unclear whether he was incapable of understanding the situation or simply possessed too much courage.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

“Ptooey!”

I was trying to push him away when it happened.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

He spat something directly at my face.

“…A gold coin?”

What landed in my palm along with a generous amount of saliva was a cold, heavy metallic object.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

And, strangely enough, it was warm to the touch.

It was a golden coin engraved with strange symbols.

One side bore an elaborate eye-shaped design.

I had no idea where he had gotten it.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

As if he were saying.

The furball wagged his tail while grinning brightly.

It was obvious that he was expecting praise.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

But the killing intent behind me did not lessen.

Hong Na-gyeom tightened her grip on the dagger while staring at the creature.

“Did I do well?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

He lowered his ears and hid between my legs while whining pitifully.

“Whine… whine…”

Only then did the furball seem to notice the predator standing before him.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

She roughly grabbed the creature by the scruff of the neck and shot me a cold look.

Finally, she sheathed the dagger.

“…Fine. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates. adapt I’ll personally escort this dimensional entity back to the D-rank containment chamber. atlas For now, I’ll postpone filing a report with the Security Team.”

Hong Na-gyeom let out a long sigh, as if she no longer knew what to do.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“Try putting it into that machine. abandon I’m curious to see how far your luck goes.”

“Do whatever you want with that coin of unknown origin. alpha It doesn’t look very hygienic. action Throw it in the trash or…”

Her gaze briefly settled on the enormous opening of the Universal Employee Benefits Machine.

After throwing out another jab, she dragged White and Chubby Furball out of the room.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

‘She said it could swallow anything as long as it had value, even if it wasn’t money.’

But my attention was already completely focused on the coin in my hand.

As he was hauled away, White and Chubby Furball gave me a sad look, as if he wanted to say.

“See you later!”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Would this strange coin be worth more than a fifty-thousand-won bill?

I thought about it for a few seconds.

Or was it nothing more than junk that White and Chubby Furball had picked up somewhere?

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

CRUNCH!

I shoved the coin, still covered in saliva, directly into the grotesque open mouth of the Universal Employee Benefits Machine.

Ah, whatever.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

CRUNCH! shadow RUMBLEEE!

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

The machine emitted a grinding noise far more violent than when it devoured banknotes.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

‘It’s not going to explode, is it?’

Black smoke poured from the insertion slot, accompanied by the smell of burning metal.

The sound of gears meshing together echoed like an agonized scream.

It began vibrating abnormally, as though it were struggling to endure the value contained within the coin.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Ding!

Finally, with a loud—

The machine’s red lens began blinking frantically.

I instinctively stepped back.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

And what came rolling out was a single object.

“…A collar?” Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.

The output hatch burst open as if something had been forcibly expelled from it.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

The moment I held it in my hand, I felt a strangely pleasant warmth emanating from the pendant.

The blackened leather strap was strangely warm, and the pendant had a grotesque texture, as if someone had compressed human entrails until they were tiny and embedded them inside.

As if hypnotized, I hung the collar around my neck.

I picked up the collar that had fallen to the floor.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Vivid lines of color began to trace themselves across the black-and-white landscape of the containment area.

“…!”

At that instant, my vision changed.

The presences of the dimensional entities beyond the glass walls emerged like reddish mirages.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

On the other hand, the blue color emanating from White and Chubby Furball, who was being dragged along by Supervisor Hong Na-gyeom, conveyed harmless vitality.

Even behind Hong Na-gyeom, who was walking down the hallway in the distance, a faint yellow energy floated.

“…My God.”

The intense red color undulating within the containment chambers conveyed an aggression capable of tearing my throat out with a single bite at any moment.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Yellow meant caution.

Blue meant safety.

There was no need for names or numbers.

Just by seeing the colors, my brain issued instinctive warnings.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

I felt a steady weight near my collarbone, right where the pendant rested.

I tucked the collar inside my shirt.

‘Later, I’ll have to bring him a ton of treats.’

And red meant danger.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

With the new collar carefully hidden beneath my shirt, I was reporting the current state of Zone D to Hong Na-gyeom while walking half a step behind her.

***

At the very least, Hong Na-gyeom’s claim that the machine provided objects truly necessary for the user did not seem to be a lie.

An hour later.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

The area where the collar touched my collarbone carried a reassuring sense of weight, and I could comfortably avoid the small yellow mirages lurking throughout the hallway.

“…That’s why the replacement cycle for D-103, The Record Gentleman’s bronze needle is currently every ten hours instead of every twelve. atom The irregularity of the waves had worsened, so we took that measure. altitude Fortunately, energy extraction efficiency increased by approximately five percent.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“Reducing the needle replacement cycle, huh? apple Was that approved by Manager Myeon?”

As she listened to my report, Hong Na-gyeom lightly tapped the screen of her tablet.

Her gaze remained fixed ahead, but it was obvious that she was analyzing every word I said as though it were data.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

The yellow energy surrounding her seemed somewhat fainter than before.

“A very Manager Myeon-like decision.”

Hong Na-gyeom responded in her usual mechanical tone and gave a slight nod.

“Yes. anxiety Manager Myeon said that if a song goes on for too long, it eventually becomes boring, so he recommended cutting it off at the appropriate moment.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

As I explained in detail all the unusual events that had occurred during the month she had been absent, she occasionally asked sharp questions, though for the most part she seemed satisfied with my answers.

We passed one containment chamber after another while reviewing their security status.

At the very least, it appeared that the way I had managed the work during her absence had received a satisfactory evaluation.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

It was a pitiful whimper.

[D-105: White and Chubby Furball]

The moment we arrived at the entrance to the containment chamber, I heard something different from the usual panting.

When I looked inside, my jaw dropped.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“…Supervisor Hong?”

He was tied so tightly that he looked like a giant ball of yarn.

In the center of the room, the furball was rolling around on the floor completely wrapped in special security restraint ropes.

Only his eyes, nose, and mouth were visible. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Hong Na-gyeom looked at the furball with a completely professional expression.

The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up as though he had found his savior.

“It’s a disciplinary measure. matrix He needs to receive this level of stimulation in order to learn that escaping does not contribute to improving extraction efficiency.”

However, because of the restraints, he could barely move and could only writhe desperately.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

All the confidence he had shown earlier had vanished.

Now he was nothing more than an unjustly bound cotton candy puff.

The moment he felt her gaze, the creature became dejected again and lowered his head.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

That was complete nonsense.

“Don’t worry. timber Given that dimensional entity’s elasticity, there is no risk of suffocation. ability In fact, it might even help strengthen his bone density.”

“…Even so, I think you tied him up too tightly.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

I fiddled with the pen in my pocket and thought.

But her expression was so serious that all I could do was look at the furball with silent apology.

The creature tried to roll toward my shoes while pouting resentfully.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Was she the type of person who hated leaving work?

After all, both humans and monsters were completely insane in this company.

“That will be enough for today.”

Hong Na-gyeom turned off the tablet and spoke with a voice that carried a faint trace of sadness.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“You managed Zone D properly during my absence. adopt I don’t know how long it will be, but I hope to continue working with you from now on.”

She seemed to be the kind of person who always added one extra sentence.

After giving one last glance to the furball, who was still rolling around the floor tied up like a package, she turned toward the end of the hallway.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

When she finished speaking, her orange eyes briefly swept across my chest, precisely where I was hiding the newly acquired collar.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

“Let’s return to the office. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors. alert Good work today.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Only the rhythmic sound of her heels echoed through the extraction corridor.

“I learned a lot thanks to you. amber Thank you.”

In a normal office, this would probably be where a conversation like, “Would you like to grab dinner sometime?” might arise.

She didn’t respond.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Still, perhaps because of the strangely comforting sensation of the collar beneath my shirt, I ended up sticking my nose where it didn’t belong.

But the atmosphere of this place allowed no such everyday warmth.

“…Supervisor, have you been working here for a long time?”

At that instant, the regular sound of her heels stopped.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Her orange eyes fixed directly on me.

There was no emotion or warmth in that gaze.

Her head slowly turned toward me, as if a carefully designed circuit had just activated.

It was a dryness similar to looking into an empty containment chamber.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Then she spoke.

She watched me for a long time, as though calculating the weight of the question I had just asked.

“Mr. amateur Jeong Haeil.”

Her voice was calm, but unmistakable.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“Curiosity is the least necessary thing in this place.”

It conveyed an absolute truth.

Her tone did not convey a warning.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“The only way to accumulate years of experience here is by never trying to find anything out.”

I said nothing.

Then she turned her gaze forward again and continued walking.

I closed my mouth.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

Just as that light swallowed Hong Na-gyeom’s silhouette, the warm yellow mirage surrounding her back suddenly flared into an intense red.

The skin beneath my shirt, where the collar rested, began to feel strangely cold.

At the end of the hallway, the elevator doors opened and monochrome light flooded the area.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

‘Audit Team Director Go Gyeol and Security Team Director Moon Ara were also humans who had lost some of their sanity.’

Perhaps working in this place for that long meant completely tearing out every trace of one’s humanity.

I remained alone in the hallway, thinking.

But the moment the elevator doors fully closed, the vision vanished as though it had never existed.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

“I’ll let you out later. academy Hang in there a little longer.”

Perhaps I would end up the same way.

Would that be better than dying miserably out there?

I pushed those thoughts aside and slowly raised my index finger to my lips while looking at the furball, who was still staring at me with eyes full of injustice and letting out tiny whimpers.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 39: The Value of Curiosity by Indra Translations.

In this company, silence was always safer than questions.

As if he had read my thoughts, the creature scrunched up his snout and finally calmed down.