Chapter 90

Crazy…

Seeing my favorite’s mask up close made my heart start pounding.

‘The Perception Suppression Mask!’

It definitely felt different from seeing it in the game.

I stared at the smooth mask as hard as I could, but as expected, I couldn’t make anything out.

The perception-suppressing effect was working perfectly.

I was so captivated by the mask that I only belatedly realized my own situation.

Before I knew it, I was being carried by CEO Cha.

He released my waist and set me down on the ground.

Since the paralysis in my lower body still hadn’t worn off, I naturally collapsed into a sitting position.

…Gasp.

My body jolted.

The white sword was embedded in the ground between my legs.

Behind Daeil Yeorae, which had sliced through the asphalt as if it were tofu, CEO Cha crouched down.

Squatting there with a rough, delinquent-like posture, he looked at me.

Unable to run because my legs were paralyzed, I could only stare back at him in fear.

He shoved the contract toward me.

“I-I’m not mentally prepared yet…”

“If you don’t want to sign, want to use your fingerprint instead?”

Ignoring what I had just said, he even kindly suggested a different method of signing.

That was so very like CEO Cha.

I decided to try refusing politely first.

“CEO Cha-nim, thank you for personally coming to recruit me.”

I started with a respectful greeting, hoping to make a good first impression, then cautiously got to the point.

“But I’m far too lacking to join Paseong—”

Before I could even finish speaking, the two directors aimed their gun and sword at Won Taebeom.

Won Taebeom looked at me with tense eyes.

CEO Cha spoke indifferently.

“Ten seconds.”

The sheer professionalism with which he took a hostage and issued a threat…

That, too, was perfect CEO Cha.

I found myself admiring my favorite’s personality all over again.

“Trainee Han. No matter what happens, you must never sign.”

Won Taebeom spoke firmly.

But CEO Cha really was the sort of person who would cut off Won Taebeom’s head without hesitation.

“Five seconds.”

Standing before CEO Cha as he calmly counted down, I frantically wracked my brain.

“Three.”

“W-W-Wait a second, CEO Cha-nim!”

“One.”

“I’m your fan!!”

“…”

Even with the mask covering his face, I could feel the look of utter disbelief coming from him.

Still, I had successfully bought myself a little time, so I hurriedly continued.

“The chance to work with you would be amazing. Of course I’ll sign! But I have conditions. If you agree to them, I’ll sign immediately.”

“Speak.”

At the short command, I carefully began.

“First… I don’t want the Trial Response Agency or anyone affiliated with it to suffer any more harm.”

I had almost said “the people affiliated with it,” but Samra came to mind, so I changed my wording.

The fact that CEO Cha was here meant Samra had already been defeated.

Considering how many of his functions were restricted, the fact that Samra had held out against CEO Cha wielding Daeil Yeorae for this long was incredible.

To truly oppose CEO Cha, he would have needed to operate not as a defensive android, but as one equipped for lethal combat.

Judging from the flash of light I’d seen earlier, he’d taken a serious hit.

I wondered if he’d been damaged beyond repair.

‘I wonder if he can be repaired.’

The electronic billboards and streetlights still hadn’t come back on.

Samra’s inverse-phase field seemed to still be active.

His power source probably hadn’t been destroyed, so even if he’d suffered major damage, he could likely tell me how to repair himself.

Putting my worries about Samra aside, I waited for CEO Cha’s response.

I expected it to take at least a little time.

It wasn’t an easy condition.

“And?”

Instead, he brushed it off as though it were nothing.

As long as I signed the contract, he clearly didn’t care about the Trial Response Agency at all.

I struggled to keep my expression under control.

That was completely different from what I’d expected.

I’d assumed Paseong had some deeper motive for pulling a stunt like this.

Some grudge against the Agency that I didn’t know about.

Or maybe there was something important there.

‘But… they really attacked the Agency just because of me?’

I couldn’t understand what Paseong stood to gain by going this far to recruit me.

At this point, they’d done more than just fall out with the Agency—they’d become mortal enemies.

They’d reached the point where it would practically be more profitable to accept an expensive contract and sell me overseas.

Every suspicious possibility ran through my head.

I really didn’t want to be thinking like this.

But my opponent was CEO Cha.

I couldn’t help it.

‘At least Lieutenant Won and Samra are safe now.’

I’d thought the first condition would buy me at least a little time.

Instead, it had completely failed.

That made my second condition all the more important.

I thought carefully.

Something CEO Cha absolutely couldn’t agree to easily…

Something natural, not excessive…

I could feel his gaze on me.

Knowing his personality, there was no way he’d patiently listen to a third condition.

This had to settle everything.

I swallowed.

My Adam’s apple bobbed.

There wasn’t any more time to think.

“I want to see your face.”

The moment I finished speaking, Seo Moonchan and Mok Saehwa, who had been watching, reacted.

Seo Moonchan, whose glasses were cracked, let out a grin.

Mok Saehwa couldn’t contain herself.

“An Adaptee like Goyo-nim absolutely has to come to Paseong!”

Apparently no Adaptee had ever dared tell CEO Cha to take off his mask right to his face.

‘Then again… they all probably died.’

I waited for him to refuse.

Naturally, I expected him to reject me outright and demand another condition.

But for some reason…

He stayed silent.

The only part of his face visible through the mask—his eyes—remained fixed on me.

I couldn’t tell what color they were.

But I could feel his gaze.

“You’re curious about my face?”

“…Yes. Please show me.”

He leaned in a little closer.

For a moment, it felt as though he might actually remove the mask.

Unable even to blink, I stared at him.

He spoke slowly.

“Sign the contract first.”

There was mechanical distortion in his voice.

Somehow, it even sounded like he was smiling.

For about 0.1 seconds…

I had a very bad thought.

‘Should I just sign it?’

Actually…

Maybe it had been closer to a full second.

After barely shaking the thought off, I asked,

“…Are you really okay with that? Showing your face…?”

I’d played enough of the game to know how fiercely he avoided revealing it.

‘Even after playing together a thousand times, I’d never seen his face.’

As memories of our time in the game surfaced, he interrupted sharply.

“Those are all your conditions, right?”

“Ah, not yet.”

“Han Goyo.”

CEO Cha tilted his head.

“I can hear those gears turning.”

“…”

He grabbed my wrist.

Then placed my hand on top of the contract.

The paper glowed.

A quill appeared in my hand.

Holding it, I broke out in a cold sweat.

There was nowhere left to run.

At this rate, all that remained was becoming CEO Cha’s pet hamster that cleared Trials for him.

“Roasted Chestnut.”

The immediate problem wasn’t just CEO Cha.

Dominic spoke to me.

“Are you going to sign the contract?”

The pudding slime sitting on my shoulder watched with bright blue eyes.

Unlike the Fire Dragon’s Mark, this contract would leave traces upon both my body and my soul.

There was no way Dominic would like that.

If I couldn’t resolve this myself…

He might intervene however he pleased.

Back inside Slow to Full, at least he still had the convenient disguise of being a “mage.”

Here…

There were no such restraints.

I didn’t even want to imagine what Dominic—who no longer even pretended to be a mage—might do.

Je Hyun-oh, my only hope, still wouldn’t arrive for over three minutes.

Long enough to finish cooking instant noodles.

More than enough time to sign a contract.

As slowly as possible, I lowered the quill toward the paper.

Then suddenly, Samra’s words resurfaced.

“From this moment, I will generate an inverse-phase electromagnetic field for fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”

He’d already finished giving all the relevant explanations underground.

Yet he’d deliberately repeated the same words in front of CEO Cha.

Even though there was no advantage to letting him know how long it would take Je Hyun-oh to arrive.

‘Wait.’

Samra had never actually said that the duration of the field matched Je Hyun-oh’s arrival time.

That was only my own conclusion based on the situation.

CEO Cha had probably reached the same conclusion.

The instant that realization struck me…

The darkness around us deepened.

The moon—the only remaining source of light after the city had gone dark—was suddenly blocked.

I looked up.

Six black metallic wings spread across the sky, silhouetted against the moon.

It was the most welcome crow I’d ever seen in my life.

With all my might, I sent a telepathic message.

The moment I’d sent it, my heart turned cold.

‘He… isn’t going to ignore me, is he?’

I wasn’t sure we’d really built enough camaraderie through all these Trials.

But right now…

Je Hyun-oh was all I had.

I looked up at him desperately.

Checking the system window that had appeared before him, Je Hyun-oh looked down at me.

Despite the distance between us…

I knew our eyes had met.

CEO Cha clicked his tongue and stood.

He pulled Daeil Yeorae out of the concrete.

I expected him to immediately engage Je Hyun-oh.

Instead—

Grab.

He suddenly tucked me under one arm.

Just like Je Hyun-oh had once carried a sack of supplies.

Dangling helplessly, I stared at him in confusion.

With a loud crack, he rolled his neck.

Then looked back at the two directors.

“Run.”

The instant he gave the order, all three took off at terrifying speed.

For a brief moment I was too stunned to react.

Then I screamed,

“Lieutenant Colonel Je—”

“Ghk!”

CEO Cha tightened his arm around me, squeezing the air from my lungs.

Pinned beneath his arm, I couldn’t even finish calling for help.

Je Hyun-oh was already growing farther away.

“Director Mok.”

“Yes.”

At his call, Mok Saehwa stopped running and immediately aimed her gun at Je Hyun-oh.

He still hovered in the air, blocking the moon.

Mok Saehwa narrowed her eyes and sighted him through her scope.

The two remained locked on each other.

Then—

Je Hyun-oh’s wings moved.

At that exact moment…

The city regained its lights.

Streetlights and billboards flickered back to life, pouring countless colors across the streets.

A black blur streaked through the light.

The instant it passed over Mok Saehwa—

Ratatatatat!

She unleashed a barrage of bullets.

The black streak twisted through impossible trajectories, avoiding every shot.

But she’d never intended to hit him.

She’d only wanted to slow him down.

The moment his speed dropped—

CEO Cha turned and swung Daeil Yeorae.

A circular wave of brilliant white light erupted outward.

The radiance was bright enough to turn night into day.

A black crescent shot forward and split the light apart.

White brilliance scattered everywhere, briefly blinding the surroundings.

“…”

Je Hyun-oh landed slowly on the ground.

CEO Cha and Seo Moonchan had disappeared from view.

His wings clicked as they shifted, searching.

A frantic system message appeared before him.

After reading it, Je Hyun-oh flexed his metal hand with a loud creak.

Then he beat his wings and soared upward.

Swinging one arm toward the building.

A gigantic black line appeared diagonally across the fifteen-story structure, as though someone had drawn on it with ink.

The building immediately began splitting apart along the line.

The crack spread with terrifying speed.

Crash! Craaash!

Tens of thousands of glass shards rained from the sky.

The massive steel framework snapped apart.

Twisted H-beams burst outward like giant thorns.

Office desks, chairs, and computers disappeared into the gray cloud of debris.

Within the collapsing wreckage…

Je Hyun-oh found what he was looking for.

One powerful beat of his wings scattered the dust.

CEO Cha came into view, sprinting across the rubble.

Realizing he’d been discovered, CEO Cha abandoned any attempt to flee and dropped onto the street.

Behind him, the building collapsed completely.

Amid the thunderous roar…

CEO Cha and Je Hyun-oh faced one another.

“Too late.”

Still carrying Han Goyo tucked under one arm while I coughed violently, CEO Cha said,

“Han Goyo already signed with Paseong.”

Je Hyun-oh glanced at the system message that appeared before him.

Even if it had been true…

It wouldn’t have mattered.

“So what?”

Je Hyun-oh’s voice came slowly.

A low growl like metal scraping across concrete.

“CEO Cha.”

“You’re dying today.”