Chapter 91

I remained tucked under CEO Cha’s arm, taking in this unbelievable situation.

There was only one way to describe it.

‘This is insane.’

After hearing Je Hyun-oh’s words, CEO Cha let out a short laugh.

“Lieutenant Colonel Hyun-oh… you’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”

The two of them fell silent, simply staring at one another.

I knew this wasn’t the time, but I still found myself looking back and forth between Je Hyun-oh and CEO Cha.

I just couldn’t believe I was seeing the two of them standing together.

They were similar in some ways, yet completely different.

In the Archive world, they’d almost never been in the same place.

Putting two people with absurdly overwhelming individual combat abilities into the same Trial would have been a waste.

Even when the government-run Trial Response Agency and the private company Paseong cooperated, Je Hyun-oh and CEO Cha never cleared Trials together.

Because of that, they rarely ever met.

Yet they were both keenly aware of the other’s existence.

They also understood that, in order to stop the ever-increasing number of Trials, they would ultimately need each other.

‘Though… Lieutenant Colonel Je doesn’t seem to realize that.’

Right now, he looked as though the only thing on his mind was chopping CEO Cha into pieces with his metal hand.

CEO Cha had certainly done something outrageous.

But under no circumstances could he be seriously injured or killed.

Not because he was my favorite.

If something happened to a Adaptee like CEO Cha, humanity’s ability to defend against Trials would take a catastrophic blow.

There wasn’t another Adaptee anywhere in the world who could compare to him.

He’d literally torn open the side of the Trial Response Agency building…

Even so, Director Jang Seokyun would never consider punishing him so severely that he could no longer enter Trials.

Maybe I’d been stealing too many glances.

The eyes of both Je Hyun-oh and CEO Cha, who had been watching each other, turned toward me.

I flinched and lowered my gaze.

Unfortunately…

My timing couldn’t have been worse.

“Cough…! Cough!”

A violent coughing fit suddenly overtook me.

The air was still thick with dust.

It felt a little unfair.

Je Hyun-oh had a gas mask.

CEO Cha had his mask.

Even Seomun Chan didn’t seem bothered.

It really felt like I was the only one who’d inhaled all the dust.

After noisily coughing by myself, an awkward silence settled over everyone.

My voice came out hoarse as I apologized.

“Sorry for interrupting your conversation. I inhaled a lot of dust…”

That was when loud laughter rang out.

Though distorted by the voice modulator, it was unmistakably laughter.

I blankly looked up at CEO Cha.

After laughing aloud for a while, he looked down at me.

“We really need to get you to Paseong.”

For just that one moment, I wanted to sign the contract.

I wanted to know what expression he was making behind that mask.

Click.

The soft sound of metal shifting echoed through the air.

Je Hyun-oh had moved his metal hand.

CEO Cha immediately stopped laughing.

He sighed openly.

“You’re so impatient.”

Then he drew his sword.

Daeil Yeorae emerged from its sheath, scattering brilliant white light.

It seemed the two of them were really going to fight.

CEO Cha had already used an incredibly expensive consumable item just to avoid Samra’s detection.

If it was the item I thought it was, it wasn’t even something money could buy.

CEO Cha himself would have preferred not to clash with Je Hyun-oh or any of the Agency’s elite Adaptees.

That’s why he’d been willing to use something so valuable.

But if a confrontation became unavoidable…

‘He never intended to back down…’

My head started aching.

Wasn’t there any way to avoid this?

Probably not.

There was no need to even mention Je Hyun-oh.

And after coming this far, there was no way CEO Cha would simply accept a loss and walk away empty-handed.

At this rate…

One of them might actually have to die before today was over.

“CEO Cha. That’s enough.”

A familiar voice interrupted.

Director Jang Seokyun.

He stood beside Samra, accompanied by soldiers from the Trial Response Agency.

A step behind them stood Won Taebeom.

I immediately checked on Samra and Won Taebeom.

Fortunately, neither seemed seriously injured.

Samra’s arms had already returned to normal.

The soldiers accompanying Director Jang Seokyun were fully armed, but none of them aimed their weapons at CEO Cha.

Looking utterly exhausted, Director Jang Seokyun spoke.

“This has become nothing more than a meaningless waste of effort.”

But CEO Cha showed no intention whatsoever of putting Daeil Yeorae away.

Neither did Je Hyun-oh.

Director Jang Seokyun gestured toward me.

“Trainee Han doesn’t appear to be in very good condition.”

Samra looked directly at CEO Cha.

“Han Goyo regained consciousness only fourteen days after collapsing. He is currently suffering from paralysis in his lower body, along with significantly impaired physical functions.”

His gaze almost looked like a glare.

“CEO Cha. Is this truly the outcome you intended?”

“As if.”

CEO Cha pointed his sword at Samra.

“Samra. You know exactly why I went this far, don’t you? Director Jang Seokyun knows too.”

I desperately wished someone would explain it to me, too.

But that was all CEO Cha said.

Director Jang Seokyun’s arrival had just begun to calm the situation…

When everything started falling apart again.

Still hanging beneath CEO Cha’s arm, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘…Isn’t this actually a pretty good opportunity?’

At the moment, I basically had three choices.

1. Freelancer

2. Paseong

3. Trial Response Agency

Option one was objectively unrealistic.

Neither Paseong nor the TRA would simply leave me alone.

And I also needed the protection of an organization.

According to what Samra had told me before, information about me had already spread overseas.

Maybe I was worrying too much.

But kidnapping wasn’t completely impossible anymore.

That left options two and three.

And right now…

Paseong had just handed me an enormous bargaining chip.

By tearing open the side of the TRA headquarters, they’d publicly demonstrated exactly how important “Han Goyo” was to them.

On top of that, I’d fulfilled my agreement with the Agency by closing three Trials within a month.

Officially speaking, my trainee contract had already ended.

‘Which means… I can legally play both sides.’

Neither Paseong nor the TRA had wanted me to end up with a real choice.

But circumstances had gradually spiraled until we’d somehow arrived here.

Je Hyun-oh had appeared at exactly the right moment.

That made it impossible for CEO Cha to force me into signing.

Which meant, for the first time, I had a chance to squeeze the maximum possible benefit out of both organizations.

The problem was how to pull it off.

Anything ordinary would simply be ignored.

After thinking for a moment, I timidly raised one hand.

“Um…”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me.

With everyone’s attention focused on me, I put on the most pitiful expression I could manage.

“Well… I have to stay alive before I can sign with either Paseong or the Agency, right? I assume we all agree on that?”

Nobody answered.

I decided to treat the silence as agreement and pretended to feel a little worse.

“I think… I’m dying.”

I had just started explaining that if Lieutenant Colonel Je and CEO Cha fought, I’d probably die in the crossfire.

Then, unbelievably…

The moment I said it, I actually started feeling worse.

“Roasted Chestnut.”

I heard Dominic call my name.

There was genuine surprise in his voice.

Come to think of it, I’d only regained consciousness after fourteen days.

Maybe I really had overexerted myself—

“…?”

Drip.

Something suddenly surged upward from deep inside me.

Before I could stop it, it spilled from my mouth.

I hurriedly covered my lips with my hand.

It felt wet.

Slowly, I lowered my hand.

My palm was stained bright red.

That was the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness.

[Roasted Chestnut: It was amazing! The characters were all so good.]

[Roasted Chestnut: And the post-ending bonus scene was seriously interesting.]

[Roasted Chestnut: Exploring Seoul and the Trial Response Agency in-game was so much fun.]

[Roasted Chestnut: Will there be another bonus scene in the next game?]

[Roasted Chestnut: Please add oneㅠㅠㅠ]

[Roasted Chestnut: Thank you!]

[Roasted Chestnut: I really am happy.]

[Roasted Chestnut: Are you okay?]

[Roasted Chestnut: But…]

[Roasted Chestnut: Okay.]

[Roasted Chestnut: Ah, I think I nodded off for a secondㅠ I wasn’t even that tired today.]

[Roasted Chestnut: You mean about putting another bonus scene in the next game? I didn’t forget.]

[Roasted Chestnut: Wow! What’s this one about?]

I slowly opened my eyes.

It wasn’t the familiar hospital room at TRA; it was an unfamiliar one.

‘Ah, TRA’s side got torn open.’

Since a massive hole had been punched in the side of the building, it would be unusable for the time being.

“…….”

After briefly thinking about the hospital, a chill slowly crept over me.

It was because of a dream that had surfaced vividly in my mind.

In that dream, I saw a memory I had forgotten.

In the past, I hadn’t realized the Creator was acting like a madman right before my eyes.

I had a hunch that it hadn’t been just that one instance.

Although the memories didn’t come back to me immediately, there must have been other moments that should have seemed suspicious.

Yet, back then, I had simply accepted the bizarre phenomena I experienced while watching the Creator’s broadcasts and playing his games without a second thought.

Without a shred of suspicion.

‘Was it that I failed to be suspicious, or was I being manipulated?’

If the Creator was a god-like being, it was entirely plausible.

After all, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to sway the human mind.

After all, I had completely forgotten about it until now.

I didn’t know why it had suddenly appeared in my dream, but…

As I retraced my memories, a sudden, chilling shiver ran down my spine.

The Trial had begun four years ago when a meteorite struck Earth.

And yet, in the past… I hadn’t even been aware of the fact that a meteorite had fallen.

It was strange, even considering I had been cutting myself off from outside news at the time.

Even if I had been manipulated by the Creator, I hadn’t started playing the Archive games until two years later.

It was even the case when I met Samra after HapFactory shut down. Even at the moment I realized—through Samra—that the events I had experienced in the game were actually unfolding in reality, I hadn’t questioned it at all.

Only now did I recognize that my way of thinking was abnormal.

Upon realizing that my memories and perceptions were distorted, a fundamental doubt shook me to the core.

‘Am I even in my right mind?’

I couldn’t even tell what had gone wrong or where it had all started to unravel.

“…….”

I slowly exhaled and wiped my face, which was slick with cold sweat.

“Roasted Chestnut, how are you feeling?”

Dominic’s voice helped me barely regain my composure.

“I had no idea you were this frail, Roasted Chestnut.”

Listening to the Pudding Slime’s lament, I recalled the chaotic mess of a situation just before I’d blacked out.

‘Come to think of it… I wonder if things got sorted out?’

I had passed out immediately without managing to persuade anyone properly, so I had no clue how things had turned out.

It wouldn’t even surprise me to learn that the hospital room I was in belonged to Paseong.

‘But why is there no one around again?’

I was groaning as I struggled to lift my upper body and check if my legs would move…

When the hospital room door opened.

Thinking it might be Samra, I turned my head.

“Trainee Han. You’re finally awake.”

Director Jang Seokyun was walking into the room.