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.

But upon closer inspection, its shape was strange.

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

“There is no established usage limit. attic As long as you have sufficient capital and blood, you can theoretically perform an infinite number of refinements. matrix However, if it determines that the value of the inserted materials falls below a certain level, it will not activate. timber 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.

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

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

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

As if it could easily swallow something other than money.

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

Scrraaatch! artist Scrraaatch, scrraaatch!

That unsettling thought had just crossed my mind. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

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

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

“Huff… huff…”

A familiar wet breathing filtered through the crack beneath the door.

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

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.

“…A dimensional entity?”

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!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Upon hearing my explanation, her eyes wavered again.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

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

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

“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? orbit Have you already suffered mental contamination?”

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

Hong Na-gyeom’s brows twitched.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

“…A gold coin?”

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

He spat something directly at my face.

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

It was a golden coin engraved with strange symbols.

One side bore an elaborate eye-shaped design.

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

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.

“Did I do well?”

As if he were saying.

It was obvious that he was expecting praise.

The furball wagged his tail while grinning brightly.

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

“Whine… whine…”

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

But the killing intent behind me did not lessen.

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

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

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

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

Finally, she sheathed the dagger.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“See you later!”

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

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

I thought about it for a few seconds.

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

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

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! palette RUMBLEEE!

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

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

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

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.

The machine’s red lens began blinking frantically.

I instinctively stepped back.

‘It’s not going to explode, is it?’

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

Finally, with a loud—

And what came rolling out was a single object.

Ding!

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.

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

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.

“…A collar?”

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

At that instant, my vision changed.

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

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

“…!”

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

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

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

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

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.

There was no need for names or numbers.

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.

“…My God.”

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.

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.

And red meant danger. Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.

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

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

I tucked the collar inside my shirt.

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

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.

***

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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? august Was that approved by Manager Myeon?”

“Yes. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com. harbor 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.”

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.

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

The yellow energy surrounding her seemed somewhat fainter than before.

“A very Manager Myeon-like decision.”

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.

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

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

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

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

[D-105: White and Chubby Furball]

It was a pitiful whimper.

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

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

“…Supervisor Hong?”

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.

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

Only his eyes, nose, and mouth were visible.

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

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

“It’s a disciplinary measure. meadow 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.

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

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

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

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

All the confidence he had shown earlier had vanished.

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

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

That was complete nonsense.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

“That will be enough for today.”

Was she the type of person who hated leaving work?

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.

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

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

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

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

“Let’s return to the office. adopt Good work today.”

She didn’t respond.

When she finished speaking, her orange eyes briefly swept across my chest, precisely where I was hiding the newly acquired collar. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

There was no emotion or warmth in that gaze.

Her orange eyes fixed directly on me.

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.

Her voice was calm, but unmistakable.

“Mr. armor Jeong Haeil.”

Then she spoke.

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

It conveyed an absolute truth.

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

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.

I said nothing.

Then she turned her gaze forward again and continued walking.

I closed my mouth.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Perhaps I would end up the same way.

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

I remained alone in the hallway, thinking.

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

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. attic Hang in there a little longer.”

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.

Would that be better than dying miserably out there?

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

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.