Chapter 113

To think CEO Cha was the Warden.

I couldn’t hide my astonishment; it was completely unexpected.

That was because the probability of being assigned the Warden role was incredibly low.

Even in Cell-X, I had only played the Warden role a handful of times.

While the Medic role also had low odds, the Warden role was assigned so rarely that it was practically non-existent.

Even if you managed to get assigned the role, the job involved overseeing the prison, so nothing but unpleasant events occurred throughout the playthrough.

The premise was that the previous Warden had retired and you were taking over; you had to engage in power struggles with the guards—including the Chief of Security—or commit acts like slaughtering creatures.

Since it wasn’t my style at all, I had only played it enough to collect all the endings associated with the Warden role.

And yet, CEO Cha was the Warden.

As I stood there, jaw agape, the guards who had brought me in pressed down hard on my shoulders.

I was forced to kneel on the hard floor.

The Chief of Security made his report to CEO Cha, the Warden.

"I have a report regarding Medic Little Lamb. He is suspected of being involved in the recent creature breakout."

CEO Cha’s gaze was fixed on me, not on the Chief of Security who was making the report.

I felt a cold sweat run down my back under that steady stare from the only part of his face visible through the mask.

Mercenaries from Paseong, a private military company, were famous for their high mission success rates and exorbitant fees.

This was only natural, given that Trials were constantly emerging across the globe, yet there was always a shortage of qualified individuals capable of successfully clearing them.

Since the income generated from Trials items was immense, Paseong raked in a truly staggering fortune.

And within Paseong, CEO Cha was the most sought-after and expensive asset of all.

Countless parties—both domestic and international—requested his deployment, and many were willing to offer blank checks for his services.

Yet, here was CEO Cha, spending his valuable time because of me.

He had even gone so far as to enter a Trial without any guarantee of proper compensation.

Just how much of a loss had he incurred because of me?

Even a rough estimate suggested the figure would exceed ten digits.

It might even reach eleven digits¹.

‘Wait a minute. If I factor in the consumable items used during that terrorist attack on the TRA…’

Adding the cost of those consumables made an eleven-digit figure a certainty.

The cold sweat trickling down my spine felt even more pronounced.

I had a feeling that once Cell-X was shut down and we left, Paseong’s board of directors wouldn’t let me off easily.

Or rather, CEO Cha would likely wring me dry long before that happened.

As an extreme pragmatist, he would undoubtedly seek to extract value from me far exceeding the losses he had incurred.

The thought made me wonder if I should do something more than just kneel and beg for mercy.

While I trembled at the prospect of being squeezed dry by CEO Cha, the Chief of Security continued his report regarding me.

"Protocol dictates lethal force, but given that he is the prison’s only Medic, I intend to employ a different approach."

He spoke in a respectful, formal tone.

"Please authorize the use of Neo on Medic Little Lamb."

I shuddered inwardly.

The Chief of Security still hadn’t given up. It seemed he was determined to turn me into an ally, one way or another.

‘He wasn’t this relentless in the game.’

If you escaped the rookie guard training grounds in the game, the Chief of Security’s affinity rating would plummet.

From that point on, he wouldn’t try to recruit you as a guard again; instead, he’d simply bide his time, looking for a chance to kill you.

In the game, I had worked hard to avoid being gunned down by the Chief of Security.

Yet, the Chief of Security in reality still held a high affinity rating for me and wanted to recruit me as a colleague.

‘What is the Chief of Security after?’

As an NPC holding a pivotal position within the prison, it was crucial for me to figure him out.

While trying to guess his ulterior motives, I shot a pleading look at CEO Cha.

It was a silent plea for him not to authorize the use of Neo.

I had barely managed to escape the rookie guard training grounds; if I were forced to drink Neo again, I might truly end up trapped as a prison guard with no way out.

CEO Cha didn’t react to my desperate gaze.

He simply scanned me up and down without a word.

I realized just what a sorry sight I must have been.

It was already a mess that a Medic was wearing a guard’s uniform, but I also looked utterly disheveled after being grabbed by the back, tossed through the air, and dragged against vines.

CEO Cha wasn’t the type to feel pity—far from it—but I put on the most pitiful expression I could muster.

After staring at me for a long moment, CEO Cha finally spoke.

“I will handle the Medic’s punishment myself.”

Punishment…

Even though we had a contract covering twenty plus two sessions—making me believe he wouldn’t actually punish me—I still felt a sense of unease.

It was because I couldn’t trust CEO Cha’s character.

CEO Cha spoke as if he had been the prison warden all along.

“Have all the escaped creatures been subdued?”

“We’ve subdued all of them, except for Creatures 1, 6, and 13.”

Creatures 1 and 6 had been with me, and Creature 13 was Je Hyun-oh; effectively, every single creature had been subdued.

It was a disastrous failure of a quest.

This was the first time I had suffered such a significant failure while tackling a trial.

If things went according to plan, reaching the True Ending shouldn’t be an issue, but a failure was still a failure.

Just then, one of the guards who had brought me in spoke up in a somewhat excited tone.

“The creature was exactly where the Warden said it would be. Thanks to those clear instructions, we were able to subdue it easily.”

CEO Cha gave them the location?

I struggled to keep my shock from showing on my face.

CEO Cha had used the Warden’s ability.

Just as the Medic could check a target’s affinity and suspicion levels, the Warden was granted specific abilities as well.

As a hidden role with an incredibly low assignment probability, it came with two abilities; the first was ‘Prison Control.’

The Warden could control every zone of the prison at will.

Issuing the Code Black and sealing off the zones must have been done using this ability.

The second ability was ‘Creature Detection’.

The Warden could check the total amount of Neo that could be harvested from a creature.

They could also track a creature’s current location, effectively cutting off any chance of escape from the prison.

However, Creature Detection wasn’t an ability granted right from the start.

It could only be obtained by completing a complex quest exclusive to the Warden—yet he had acquired it on the very first day. …in the midst of an trial where there was absolutely no information to go on.

‘As expected of Warden Cha.’

Warden Cha had certainly handled the situation masterfully.

Even the prison guards looked at him with evident respect.

They heaped praise upon him, remarking that subduing the escaped creatures would have been nearly impossible without the Warden’s quick judgment.

Prison guards aren’t usually known for being friendly toward the warden.

They often disregard authority, but now—perhaps because Warden Cha had proven his capabilities—there was a palpable sense that the hierarchy had been firmly established.

The Chief of Security respectfully made a suggestion to Warden Cha.

“The specimens we haven’t subdued yet are the ones that have always caused trouble. To set an example regarding this escape, how about we execute them on sight the moment we catch them?”

I was dumbfounded by the lie he told without batting an eye.

‘Creature No. 1 is such a scaredy-cat!’

There wasn’t a more docile plant-type creature than that one.

Of course, Creature No. 6—Orca—or Creature No. 13—Je Hyun-oh—might have put up some fierce resistance…

Regardless, killing them was absolutely out of the question.

Once again, I tried to convey my thoughts to Warden Cha through my eyes.

I hoped he would understand what I meant, but the message didn’t seem to get through.

“Kill them.”

“Yes, Warden.”

The Chief of Security smiled at Warden Cha’s authorization.

I shouted out in desperation.

“Cha—no, Warden!”

“You little bastard.”

The guard right next to me raised his hand.

He moved to smack me across the head, but he never succeeded.

Thud!

A dull, heavy sound rang out—the sound of the guard being sent flying and slamming into the wall.

I lifted my gaze. Before I knew it, CEO Cha was standing right in front of me.

He walked slowly toward the guard who had been slammed against the wall.

Then, a rhythmic sound began to echo.

It was the sound of CEO Cha kicking the guard.

“Gah… W-Warden…”

The guard, despite possessing an augmented body, curled up in pain while groaning.

CEO Cha then stomped his combat boot directly onto the mouth exposed beneath the guard’s metal mask.

The guard collapsed, vomiting neon-green fluid, and soon lay motionless.

Looking down at the guard sprawled on the ground, CEO Cha muttered as if the whole thing were a nuisance.

“Why raise a hand? You should have just used your words.”

I began to understand how CEO Cha had established his dominance as the warden.

He understood the logic of power that ruled the prison better than anyone.

Of course, he hadn’t used his words either—he’d led with a kick—but there wasn’t a soul who would dare protest against him.

“If you keep him as a subordinate, he’d likely serve his master well, Roasted Chestnut.”

Only Dominic seemed to appreciate CEO Cha’s temperament.

The role of warden seemed to suit him perfectly.

CEO Cha turned around, shoved his hands into his uniform pockets, and gave me a slight nod.

“Speak.”

I had been given the chance to speak, but I felt like I might get kicked flying if I said the wrong thing.

I quickly got straight to the point.

“Could you rescind the kill order for creatures that return on their own?”

I knew CEO Cha would immediately realize this was connected to clearing the trial.

Sure enough, he accepted my proposal.

“For now, just subdue the creatures; do not kill them.”

“Yes, Warden.”

The remaining guard answered promptly.

I savored the taste of power for a moment.

Having the warden as a player made things convenient like this.

The problem was the Chief of Security.

He remained silent despite the warden’s order.

A chilling atmosphere settled in as the silence dragged on.

CEO Cha called out to the Chief of Security.

“Chief of Security.”

“…Go ahead.”

“It seems you wish to disobey my orders.”

“No, sir. I will see to it that the creatures are subdued and placed in Zone X.”

Just when I was rejoicing that things were finally going smoothly for a change…

“In exchange, however, I would like you to grant me the authority to discipline the Medic.”

At the Chief of Security’s demand, the atmosphere turned frigid—tense enough to make one feel like they were walking on thin ice.

A short, derisive laugh escaped CEO Cha.

Sneering, CEO Cha tilted his chin back arrogantly.

“If you want to negotiate with me, bring something substantial to the table.”

His synthesized voice dripped with sarcasm as he addressed the Chief of Security.

“Not just something you’ve already put on the table.”

A sharp, heavy silence hung in the air.

Caught right between them, I swallowed hard.

I wondered if a massive confrontation was about to break out, but unexpectedly, the Chief of Security backed down first.

The lips beneath his mask slowly curved upward.

He replied with a smooth, polished smile.

“I shall proceed as you wish, Warden.”

As soon as the Chief of Security conceded, CEO Cha waved his hand dismissively.

“Everyone out.”

The Chief of Security left first, and the remaining guards dragged out the unconscious man.

I started to awkwardly rise to my feet, but a sharp remark cut through the air immediately.

“You, however, are staying.”

I respectfully knelt back down.

All the guards filed out, and the door clicked shut.

Clasping my hands neatly, I looked up at CEO Cha and offered a greeting.

“CEO Cha. Hello. That uniform suits you remarkably well. As a fan, I am delighted to see this different side of you here at the Trial.”

It was a habitual piece of flattery, yet it was ninety percent sincere.

The uniform truly looked excellent on him. The white Daeil Yeorae fastened at his waist stood out strikingly against his black uniform.

True to his title as the prison warden, a medal pinned to his chest seemed to make him shine even more.

“Han Goyo.”

CEO Cha spoke slowly.

“So, after signing the contract, you just run off into a Trial?”

“No, it’s not that.”

He knew full well that I had entered Cell-X like a disaster, yet he spoke to me like that.

It was so typical of CEO Cha.

Marveling once again at his personality, I quickly got to the point.

“CEO Cha. I’m going to clear this Trial with the True Ending. Please help me.”

Just as I was about to explain that the creatures shouldn’t be killed, CEO Cha brought up something completely different.

“What’s with your appearance?”

He stared down at me openly.

“…Ah, I apologize.”

Feeling a strange mix of emotions, I answered a beat too late.

It was because memories of playing alongside CEO Cha in the game came flooding back.

It wasn’t just his exceptional abilities or unique character design that made me like him.

In fact, while playing the Archive games, I hadn’t thought much of CEO Cha at all.

I neither disliked nor liked him; I simply viewed him as a capable character.

Since there weren’t many opportunities for our paths to cross in the game, I had regarded him as just another NPC.

However, the time I spent with CEO Cha was what made me grow fond of him.

There was only one ending to the game I played with him.

And to reach that ending, I had to repeat countless regressions.

A thousand times over.

¹ This would be a 7-digit number in USD, in other words, in the millions.