Chapter 96

I swallowed.

CEO Cha seemed determined to stop me from signing a contract with the Trial Response Agency.

But I intended to sign with the Agency.

It had nothing to do with Director Jang Seokyun.

I just… wanted to repay, at the very least, the kindness I’d been shown.

In Sla2Plate, I’d used my abilities recklessly.

Je Hyun-oh knew about my Message ability, sure, but Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein had no idea, yet I casually popped System windows up right in front of them.

I’d even used Divine Protection without pretending to take out an item first, exposing every lie I’d told.

At that point, I couldn’t complain even if I got slapped with “national calamity” charges a dozen times over.

And yet, no one reported any of it to the Agency.

The only reason I could stand confidently in front of Jang Seokyun now was because of the Special Mission Team’s silence.

Even Mo Haein, whose past trauma I’d stirred up because of me, never let it show.

The only time she’d stopped me was when I tried to throw my life away for nothing.

When I screamed that we had to get the twins out and begged for help, she was the first one there, using Black Moon Blade to cut open my stomach.

‘Captain Kwak even… said I was part of the team.’

I could still vividly remember him telling me, when Infernum had driven me half out of my mind, that we were teammates and asking me to tell him if there was anything I wanted.

‘And if I leave Lieutenant Colonel Je alone, what if he tears his wings off again?’

Samra had also been doing everything they could for my sake.

Just this time alone, when CEO Cha attacked the Agency, Samra had immediately picked me up and carried me away.

In the end, the only reason I’d been able to safely close the Trial was because of the Special Mission Team’s kindness and support.

Pretending I didn’t know that…

That was a little difficult for me.

More importantly, I would continue needing both the Agency and the Special Mission Team.

Closing Trials was beyond what I could accomplish alone.

Tracking down the Creator would also be impossible at Paseong without Samra.

So I planned to negotiate properly with Jang Seokyun.

‘The problem is convincing CEO Cha.’

I answered carefully.

“I think… I’ll probably—”

Bang!

The chair toppled backward as CEO Cha shot to his feet.

Drawing Daeil Yeorae, he spoke in that emotionless mechanical voice.

“Guess tearing the side off the Agency building wasn’t enough.”

“CEO Cha, wait a moment.”

“It’s because of the Special Mission Team, isn’t it?”

…How did he know?

I was momentarily startled by his uncanny intuition as he strode toward the door.

“CEO Cha!”

“If the Special Mission Team loses their heads, you’ll sign with Paseong.”

I hurried off the hospital bed and chased after him.

“CEO Cha, please just listen to me…!”

But he had no intention of listening.

Just as he reached for the hospital room door—

I grabbed the hem of his jacket and shouted,

“I’ll die!!”

CEO Cha finally stopped dead.

Slowly, he turned to look at me.

“…What?”

“I-if I’m not with the Agency, I’ll die. B-because of the Creator…!”

“What do you mean you’ll die? Explain.”

I mixed truth and lies together as I explained.

The Creator had been giving me quests, succeeding meant staying alive, failing meant death.

And one of those quests required me to belong to the Trial Response Agency.

Having personally experienced both the Creator’s status as an Outer God and the strange phenomena surrounding me, CEO Cha had no choice but to believe it.

‘It’s not completely a lie, anyway.’

“You think I enjoy being tied down to the Agency? Of course not! Absolutely not! I’d much rather work under the CEO I admire and respect so much, with the title of Director.”

But—

Because of the Creator, I had no choice but to complete a quest requiring me to “close Trials while affiliated with the Agency.”

I explained as earnestly as I could.

After listening, CEO Cha lowered his gaze.

His eyes had landed on my hand, still clutching his jacket like a lifeline.

I gasped and hurriedly let go.

Keeping both hands raised to show I was unarmed, I quietly waited for him to speak.

Looking down at me, he asked,

“Do the quests keep coming?”

“Yes… I don’t know when they’ll end.”

“What’s the current one?”

“The latest quest is to close seven Trials within two months while remaining affiliated with the Agency.”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Before I’d appeared, there had only been nine successful Trial closures in the entire world.

Trial closure was considered nearly impossible, so hearing such an absurd number would naturally sound ridiculous.

But CEO Cha already knew I’d successfully closed Trials.

For me, it was possible.

“That bastard Creator…”

The curse he left unsaid was almost audible.

After a long silence, he muttered coldly,

“I played the game, but he sends Han Goyo to the Agency instead of Paseong?”

…At least it seemed like my desperate lie had worked.

Having barely escaped disaster, I hesitated before adding,

“Also… this is the first time I’ve told anyone this, so… I’d appreciate it if you could keep it a secret.”

I already stood out enough.

I didn’t want to cement that image any further by saying it myself.

Of course, Samra was probably eavesdropping through Ham Jiwol’s phone.

‘But I was planning to tell Samra eventually anyway.’

So as long as I kept the person in front of me quiet, that would be enough.

The problem was that keeping him quiet wasn’t exactly easy.

“Han Goyo, you’re seriously high-maintenance.”

Even through the mechanical voice, I could hear his irritation.

Knowing his temper, I shrank back a little.

Just a little….

He bent down until his face was close to mine and whispered,

“Twenty.”

For a second, I thought he was about to headbutt me.

“…Pardon?”

“Twenty deployments. Not one less.”

The number of deployments didn’t really matter to me.

The Epic Quest would probably only demand more Trial closures in the future.

Pretending to consider it seriously, I answered,

“Agreed. Twenty deployments. But I have one condition as well.”

“What?”

“One CEO Cha Free-Use Ticket.”

Before he could draw Daeil Yeorae again, I hurriedly explained.

“You know my value better than anyone. You also know granting me something like this wouldn’t be a loss.”

To my surprise, he answered,

“Make it two.”

Leaving me staring at him in shock, he immediately pulled out a contract item from his inventory and began writing the terms.

Taking the contract, I widened my eyes and read it carefully.

‘He really made it two.’

I could hardly believe it.

Still suspicious, I checked every clause for hidden fine print before reading the item’s description.

It was definitely a contract item for an adaptee.

When I held my palm over it, a quill appeared.

Gripping the pen, I glanced one last time at Dominic.

He remained perfectly calm.

‘So this kind of contract is okay?’

It was probably because it was just an ordinary agreement, not something that left a mark on the body or soul.

The moment I signed, both the quill and contract disappeared.

“Let’s work well together, Han Goyo.”

With both hands tucked into his windbreaker pockets, CEO Cha spoke arrogantly.

Putting on my business smile, I replied,

“I look forward to working with you, CEO Cha.”

The negotiations with CEO Cha were over.

After reaching an agreement with CEO Cha, I was finally discharged from the hospital room.

Using her authority as Director, Ham Jiwol had approved my release.

Escorted by soldiers, I was taken to a room similar to the isolation quarters I’d stayed in before.

It didn’t feel much different from the previous room, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Samra would probably be busy until Jang Seokyun and CEO Cha finished negotiating.

In the meantime, I planned to take care of a few things myself.

I changed out of my hospital gown and into the Trial Response Agency uniform.

After making sure everything was as neat as possible, I held out my hand toward the pudding slime waiting on the table.

As Dominic climbed onto my hand, he asked,

“What do you think of making the one who wears the mask into your subordinate, Roasted Chestnut? He seems quite useful.”

It seemed he’d taken a liking to CEO Cha.

The fact that Dominic was recommending registering him as a character really drove home just how incredible CEO Cha was.

Having met him in reality today, he also seemed much gentler than I’d expected.

It wasn’t just favoritism because he was my favorite character—he genuinely seemed far softer than he had in the game.

Once again, I reminded myself that I couldn’t judge people based solely on the game before answering Dominic.

“I’d like to avoid registering anyone as a subordinate if possible. Taking responsibility for someone else’s existence still scares me.”

“I see.”

Dominic stopped halfway up my forearm and looked up at me.

“But, Roasted Chestnut, you cannot remain small and young forever. Eventually, you too must grow.”

The moment I thought he sounded almost exactly like the system.

Ding.

It had argued with Dominic before, yet now it shamelessly agreed with him the moment he said something it liked.

I already knew what it would say next, so I closed the system window immediately.

Checking that Dominic had settled comfortably on my shoulder, I said,

“I’ll do my best, Dominic-ssi.”

In practice, it was another refusal to register anyone.

“Hm. Very well.”

Dominic didn’t press the issue any further.

He was generally good about respecting my decisions.

Thinking he was much better than the system, I opened the door.

Since this wasn’t the main agency building, the doors could be opened from the inside.

Click.

The soldiers standing guard outside immediately raised their rifles at me.

Smiling, I politely asked,

“Excuse me, but could you escort me to Field Team 3’s office? I’d like to see Captain Kwak. He’s returned from his mission, hasn’t he?”

“We have received no such authorization. Return inside.”

“I received permission to request a meeting during my conversation with Director Jang today. You’re welcome to verify it. If you can’t reach the Director, you can ask Captain Kwak directly.”

Captain Kwak, I’m counting on you!

There was no way the soldiers could contact Jang Seokyun directly.

They’d almost certainly verify it with Kwak Hanmuk instead.

And if it was Captain Kwak, I was certain he’d understand what I was doing and play along, even if he suddenly heard something about a meeting request.

Seeing how confidently I spoke, the soldiers exchanged glances.

After hesitating briefly, they chose not to contact Kwak Hanmuk at all and simply escorted me.

“…Follow us.”

It wasn’t so much that they believed me because I sounded confident.

It felt more like…

They were reluctant to contact Kwak Hanmuk.

As if they thought that, even if there hadn’t actually been any meeting request, Kwak Hanmuk would sort it out himself.

Knowing Captain Kwak’s easygoing personality, I found their reaction rather strange.

The soldiers led me to Field Team 3’s temporary office.

Through the glass doors, I could see the team’s personnel.

Among them, one head of bright red hair immediately caught my eye.

Sitting at the innermost desk, Kwak Hanmuk was working with an expressionless face.

Watching him type away at a report felt oddly unfamiliar.

I was so used to seeing him smiling.

Just then, one of the team members cautiously approached him and asked something.

Without taking his eyes off the monitor, Kwak Hanmuk answered briefly.

The team member immediately saluted respectfully before stepping away.

Somehow…

He didn’t seem especially close with the members of Team 3.

Maybe I was reading too much into a single moment, but they seemed intimidated by him.

I’d always imagined Captain Kwak’s team would have an incredibly cheerful atmosphere, so it was unexpected.

Under the soldiers’ watch, I opened the glass door and stepped inside.

Gray eyes immediately found me.

They wavered ever so slightly.

“…Goyo?”

Kwak Hanmuk immediately stood up.

After noticing the soldiers behind me, he instantly grasped the situation.

“I called Trainee Han over because of the contract. No need to keep watching him. Off you go, off you go.”

He waved them away lazily.

The soldiers saluted before leaving.

Grinning, Kwak Hanmuk started to sling an arm over my shoulders before suddenly freezing.

“Ugh.”

Spotting the sparkling pudding slime, he gave up on the shoulder hug and chuckled instead.

“Goyo, the rumor about you coughing up blood and collapsing has spread everywhere.”

“Ah, well…”

“They’re saying Lieutenant Colonel Je and CEO Cha fought like crazy, tearing buildings apart over our little Chestnut.”

“…”

I had nothing to say.

It was true.

Bursting into laughter, Kwak Hanmuk jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

“Wanna grab some coffee? My treat.”

He added that the rooftop would be empty.

We had plenty to talk about.

Just as I was about to happily accept—

“Roasted Chestnut. Now would be a good time to grant the quest reward.”

Dominic’s words made my heart race.

‘Finally… am I about to learn why Captain Kwak can see Dominic?’

After waiting so long, I eagerly anticipated the answer.

Then Dominic continued.

“Order that subordinate to take off his clothes, Roasted Chestnut.”

…Excuse me?