Chapter 99

<The Cellblock X> was a game set in a prison designed to contain both humans who had committed heinous crimes and various creatures.

Upon launching the game, players were randomly assigned a role.

Among the various roles, the Medic—assigned with low probability—was the most difficult to play.

This was because, unlike other roles, the Medic frequently had to interact with the creatures.

A single misstep in gameplay could lead straight to a bad ending where the player transformed into a creature.

That wasn’t all.

In this setting, the Medic was a position held in contempt by the prison guards.

The reason they looked down on Medics was simple.

It was because they were weak.

The guards were individuals who had undergone rigorous special training and intense mental conditioning to deal with the vicious creatures.

Having survived that training to earn their posts, they possessed immense pride—and an equally intense hostility toward the creatures.

To them, the Medic—weak, untrained, and tasked with treating the very creatures they loathed—was an eyesore.

Throughout my time playing as a Medic in Cell-X, I was relentlessly bullied by the guards.

I was often dragged into areas without surveillance cameras—like the guards-only restrooms or showers—and beaten severely.

I even experienced the ending where, broken by the guards’ violence, I brought in a drug to exterminate all the creatures.

The memory of that ending—plunging a syringe filled with poison into a creature and pressing the plunger with my own hands—remained a vivid, shocking memory.

I didn’t care much for the other roles in the game either, but the Medic was by far the worst… I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.

‘No, I’d be better off doing it myself.’

It was far better for me—someone who knew the ropes—to choose the safe path than to let someone clueless take on the role of Medic and suffer the consequences.

Besides, the Medic was the only role in Cell-X that allowed for achieving the True Ending.

Calming myself, I read the quest window that had appeared before me.

The main quest was identical to the True Ending I knew.

In the prison, the zone where the creatures were confined was known as “X.”

Restoring true freedom to the creatures trapped in X was the key to the True Ending.

Yet, I didn’t even like that True Ending.

To be honest, there were just too many aspects of Cell-X that I disliked.

I had even voiced various complaints to the developer after playing the game.

‘What was it he said back then?’

I recalled that he had said something, but the exact words escaped me.

Swallowing a sigh at the gaps in my memory, I finished reading the quest details.

While success still meant survival, the consequences of failure had changed slightly.

In the previous version, failure resulted in a mere drop in recognition, but here in Cell-X, it meant a massive drop. I wasn’t quite sure yet how to utilize ‘Recognition,’ so I set that thought aside.

The biggest issue, as expected, was the potential for an explosion.

It had to be sealed off at all costs to prevent Cell-X from exploding and spreading the virus.

“I wonder if it’s at least a five-star difficulty rating.”

As I speculated on the difficulty level, I imagined the chaos unfolding outside.

A new meteorite had fallen out of the blue.

Since the meteor shower four years ago, not a single Trial Meteorite had fallen.

Unlike ordinary meteorites, Trial Meteorites were impossible to predict.

They would appear suddenly in the atmosphere, as if they had teleported there.

We were already struggling to handle the existing Trials, scrambling to defend ourselves whenever they hatched.

Now, however, we faced the troublesome possibility that new meteorites could fall at any time.

A state of emergency had likely been declared outside.

As I tried to guess why the meteorite had suddenly fallen, a system window appeared.

It was telling me to deal with the immediate problem at hand.

It wasn’t wrong.

I looked down at the Pudding Slime on the floor.

He was gazing up at me quietly; it seemed he was worried about my condition.

“I’m fine, Dominic.”

Having been lying prone until then, I finally answered and slowly sat up on the floor.

When I held out my hand, Dominic—as if he had been waiting for it—wiggled his way up onto it.

Perched on my palm, Dominic asked politely:

“Do things like this happen often?”

He was asking if it was common for a meteorite to suddenly fall and trigger a Trial. “No… this is a first for me, too.”

Even in the Archive setting, there had never been an instance of a new meteorite falling.

To my knowledge, there had never been a case where a meteorite hatched immediately upon impact and forced an entry into the scenario.

Although I had resolved not to blindly trust the information I’d gained from the game, I couldn’t help but feel flustered whenever such significant discrepancies arose.

“Ah, Dominic-ssi. Were you assigned a role this time as well?”

“Yes. The reason I wasn’t by your side at first was that I was watching the scene that explains my role.”

He had watched the introductory event scene.

Dominic explained that he had watched the event scene to the end to learn his assigned role and had come straight to me once it finished.

‘Wait. Teleportation was possible, too?’

Dominic must have watched the event scene from a location different from mine.

Yet, here he was, having suddenly appeared right in front of me.

To think teleportation was possible within the Trial.

‘Come to think of it, it would be stranger if he couldn’t do it.’

Dominic had already demonstrated so many abilities that this hardly warranted such surprise.

Accepting the Pudding Slime’s teleportation ability as a matter of course, I asked:

“May I ask what role you were assigned?”

“I am a prison guard, Roasted Chestnut.”

The Pudding Slime’s body shimmered.

Then, a small prison guard cap popped into existence atop his head.

“I received a uniform, a mask, and a baton, but they were uncomfortable to wear. I felt I should at least maintain an appearance appropriate for the setting, so I decided to wear just the cap.”

“……”

“Roasted Chestnut?”

The Pudding Slime, wearing the prison guard cap, called out to me with a puzzled look. I quickly praised him, struggling to keep my face from breaking into a grin.

“You look amazing. I was surprised by how well that hat suits you.”

I figured if I heaped praise on him now, he’d be more likely to wear other hats later.

Dominic seemed pleased with the compliment; he wiggled and shifted his soft body right there in my palm.

Thanks to that, I got to admire the hat-wearing pudding slime from every angle.

Afterward, the heavy feeling that had weighed on me since arriving at Cell-X felt significantly lighter.

I wouldn’t have regained my composure so quickly without Dominic.

I was so glad he was there.

The system window flashed a single word.

It seemed to be telling me to stop getting distracted by Dominic and pull myself together.

I took an item out of my inventory.

It was a hologram badge—the most essential item for the current situation.

I planned to use the badge Samra had given me to report my status and request support from the TRA.

The only slight issue was that the moment the connection was established, everything I said would be transmitted directly to Samra.

It meant I wouldn’t be able to chat freely with Dominic.

‘I wonder if there’s a way to toggle it on and off.’

In any case, it wouldn’t work unless I activated it, and activation required smearing a bit of blood on the badge.

I asked for Dominic’s understanding before proceeding.

“Dominic, using this item allows me to communicate with the outside world, but it means the person on the other end will be able to hear everything I say.”

I explained that while I would try to find a way to turn it on and off, if I couldn’t, I might not be able to speak to him for the duration of the trial.

Fortunately, Dominic graciously accepted the situation. Then, he said something strange. “If you become proficient in speaking as a god, Roasted Chestnut, you’ll be able to converse with me even while that badge is active.”

Is there a specific way a god speaks? Do they use telepathy or something?

Various questions crossed my mind, but I dismissed them, figuring it wasn’t something I could do right away.

Just as I was about to prick my finger on the badge’s sharp pin…

Dominic, who had climbed onto my shoulder, hurriedly hopped back down onto my hand.

“Roasted Chestnut, using blood is not a good idea.”

He looked up at me and asked,

“Who taught you to do that?”

“…Black Block-ssi did.”

“That is a method used only by those of low standing. You must use a different approach from now on.”

The pudding slime scolded me rather sternly.

He was so cute that his voice didn’t quite register, but I agreed nonetheless.

After all, there was no reason for me to draw blood if there was another way.

“Now, Roasted Chestnut, let me teach you a new method. It might have been impossible before, but now, you should be able to do it.”

I wasn’t sure why he was so certain I could do it now, but I got up from the floor and moved to the table and chairs to listen carefully.

I placed Dominic and the badge on the table, sat down, and began the lesson.

“I once told you that even lowly creatures possess an instinct to revere and serve a god.”

I remembered it clearly.

It was something Dominic had told me when the ‘Mischeivious Predator’ wielded by Director Seo Moonchan of Paseong failed to strike me.

“If there is something you desire, Roasted Chestnut, you simply need to issue a command as a god.”

It meant that, as I was now, I could freely issue commands to an item of this caliber. He also remarked that using one’s own blood was akin to making a request.

His explanation was that it amounted to bowing one’s head to a lowly subordinate—and even giving them a gift in the process.

Dominic strictly forbade the use of blood.

“You must get used to issuing orders to those of lower standing than yourself, Roasted Chestnut.”

Did it really have to be an order? It wasn’t as if we lived in a rigid caste system.

It was difficult to understand Dominic, who possessed the mindset of the absolute elite.

However, knowing I would surely be scolded if I voiced such thoughts, I simply nodded like an obedient student.

‘He looks so soft, though.’

Thanks to the guard’s cap, the training…

It gave the impression of having an assistant.

The slime assistant offered to help me with my first command.

“Since it’s your first time, I’ll provide a little assistance.”

It squirmed its way up onto my wrist.

I did as instructed and placed the badge on my palm. Then, gazing at the badge, I issued a command.

‘Turn on? Activate? Connect to Samra?’

Of course, nothing happened.

As I looked at Dominic, feeling a bit sheepish, the slime began to shimmer.

Some of that shimmer rubbed off onto my skin.

“Now is the moment, Roasted Chestnut. Try issuing the command.”

I looked at the badge again. I felt a strange, slightly hazy sensation.

Just moments ago, I had been completely clueless…

But now, for some reason, I felt like I understood.

I issued the command to the lowly creature.

A holographic glow emanated from the badge. A low chuckle accompanied a word of praise.

“Well done, Roasted Chestnut.”

At that same moment, an urgent voice called out to me.

—Han Goyo-ssi!

My dazed mind snapped back to alertness.

‘But I haven’t issued any command yet?’

I wondered if Dominic had established the connection, true to his offer of help.

“Samra!”

Greeting him warmly, I quickly gave my report.

“I’ve entered a Trial with Captain Kwak. Fortunately, it’s a Trial I’m familiar with.”

After briefly briefing him on <The Cellblock X> and the current situation, I asked about the state of affairs outside.

“What’s the situation out there?”

— A new meteorite has fallen for the first time in four years, so discussions are underway. An international video conference led by the Trial Response Agency is scheduled for fifty minutes from now.

It seemed, as expected, that there was quite a commotion. Just as I was worrying about how this situation might play out as a variable, Samra continued.

—Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyun-oh and Lieutenant Won Taebeom are scheduled to enter the Trial today to provide support for Han Goyo-ssi. And…

Samra paused for a moment. Letting out a soft sigh—uncharacteristic of an android—he spoke.

—CEO Cha of Paseong wishes to enter as well.