Chapter 141

Mo Haein looked up at the figure encased in the glass pillar.

It was an unfamiliar experience.

After all, she was the one who was usually asleep.

Whenever she opened her eyes, Ham Jiwol was always recording data, and sometimes Kwak Hanmuk was with her.

Entering the trial, surviving, entering again, surviving.

Sometimes, when she felt like she couldn’t endure it anymore, she would fall asleep and wake up.

And then the cycle repeated. It was a monotonous life, if you could call it that.

She lived holding onto the hope that if she kept entering Trials like this, she might one day find a way to end them for good.

She knew all too well that it was a futile endeavor, yet she did not let go of that hope.

Since nothing would change even if she let go, she believed it was better to hold on.

Then, a meteorite named Han Goyo crashed into that life of hers.

Mo Haein, who had been gazing up at the glass pillar for a long time, lowered her head.

After taking a light breath in and out, she turned around.

Je Hyun-oh, Kwak Hanmuk, and even Samra.

They were all staying put in the laboratory where the glass pillar stood.

The directors of Paseong had decided to stand by the immediate vicinity of the TRA until 72 hours had passed.

They hadn’t wanted to leave willingly; it had taken the drafting of contracts exclusive to Adaptees to finally get them out.

Ham Jiwol was wandering the research department area with eyes gleaming like a zombie, but Samra had sealed the entrance to prevent her from entering without permission.

The Special Mission Team was also in a situation where it wouldn’t matter if one or two members were absent until the promised three days had passed.

However, none of them could bring themselves to leave and remained in front of the glass pillar.

Samra could handle his duties from anywhere, but it was a different story for Je Hyun-oh, who had to enter Trials.

The losses incurred by him remaining here were immeasurable in monetary terms.

The same was true for Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk, so the TRA tried their best to mobilize them.

However, the attempts at persuasion did not last long.

As soon as Je Hyun-oh flapped his metal wings a couple of times, everyone who had come to try and persuade him fled.

Surprisingly, Director Jang Seokyun did not step forward; it seemed he had decided it was best not to provoke Je Hyun-oh any further.

The commotion subsided to some extent, and finally, only the Special Mission Team remained.

In the quiet, Kwak Hanmuk plopped down on the floor haphazardly.

He ruffled his hair wildly and asked Je Hyun-oh.

"How did we get out?"

The sound of metal wings folding echoed throughout the room.

Je Hyun-oh, with his wings hidden, answered while clacking his metal hands.

"Thanks to the efforts of Trainee Han."

"Lieutenant Colonel Je… Han Goyo has just been pronounced dead. Is that really the end of it?"

Kwak Hanmuk asked back in a somewhat fierce tone, but Je Hyun-oh did not reply.

Mo Haein carefully observed the silent Je Hyun-oh.

She knew well that he was the type of person who wouldn’t say things even when he should.

The TRA also left Je Hyun-oh alone, refraining from asking him what needed to be asked.

He was a man who always walked a precarious line.

Although everyone took special care to avoid accidentally provoking him, Je Hyun-oh would occasionally show signs of his condition flaring up even when left alone.

He might have simply shut his mouth because of his mental condition, but it felt a little different this time.

It seemed as though he was intentionally hiding something.

But for what purpose? Was there really a need keep secrets, even in a situation like this?

It didn’t feel like a relapse either; Je Hyun-oh appeared to be in much better condition than usual.

It was just as she was glaring at him to figure out his intentions…

“I have received a report from Lieutenant Won Taebeom regarding the specific circumstances of the trial.”

Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein looked at Samra in unison.

Samra had long since given up hope on Je Hyun-oh and was in contact with Won Taebeom.

“However, it was a report that lacked significant objectivity and credibility. Captain Kwak Hanmuk, please report everything you remember.”

Won Taebeom had been rambling incoherently… Even though it was Samra’s statement, it was hard to believe.

‘His condition was strange earlier, too.’

While Mo Haein thought about Won Taebeom for a moment, Kwak Hanmuk still hadn’t begun his report.

It was uncharacteristic of him.

He finally started his report, but his words were unclear.

He faltered and stopped speaking several times while describing the final moments.

“How on earth did we deal with that tentacle bastard…?”

Kwak Hanmuk muttered, his eyes narrowing in a grimace.

“It was a similar being to the one inside me.”

“…!”

Mo Haein knew the reason why Kwak Hanmuk had a tattoo.

However, she only knew that some supernatural being had been imprisoned; she did not know exactly what it was.

That was because Kwak Hanmuk had never revealed that specific detail to anyone.

Samra’s eyes gleamed even more brilliantly.

With eyes gleaming so brightly that one wondered if he was going to overload, he spoke.

“Before entering this trial, Han Goyo-ssi defined himself as a ‘System’ in the conversation he had with Captain Kwak Hanmuk.”

Since he was carrying an electronic device at the time, their conversation was transmitted to Samra in its entirety.

Upon hearing those words, Mo Haein could understand, to some extent, the parts that had seemed strange until now.

It seemed that the abilities Han Goyo had recklessly unleashed on the Special Mission Team during the boss battle in Sla2Plate were entirely possible if he was indeed a System.

However, Samra was formulating a different hypothesis.

“However, there are still many unexplained aspects. Captain Kwak Hanmuk. Is the prediction that he will be revived after 72 hours something Han Goyo-ssi conveyed using his abilities?”

“…That is correct.”

“Understood.”

The light slowly subsided from the holographic eyes that had been flashing continuously until now.

As if he had finished his calculations.

“Considering the current situation, and all the abilities Han Goyo-ssi possesses, the trials, and the fact that he can interfere with the Adaptees. The definition of a ‘transcendent being’ is inadequate. The most appropriate definition of Han Goyo-ssi is…”

Samra declared, his eyes radiating only a faint light.

“…a god.”

A chilling silence enveloped the laboratory.

A god…?

Mo Haein was speechless at the word, which seemed so distant.

But Samra’s statement was not yet over.

“If Han Goyo-ssi is truly resurrected, we have no choice but to definitively confirm him as a god.”

Samra concluded firmly.

“This is the judgment reached by Samra Mansang.”

At that moment, Mo Haein felt a surge of emotion.

It was a sense of revulsion toward something that was incomprehensible to a human.

In fact, while the concept of the ‘System’ was difficult to accept, it did not feel entirely detached.

This was because it was an entity one always came into contact with whenever entering a trial.

An Adaptee was bound to look at the system window when accepting quests or using items.

From the very beginning, the Trial Response Agency was a state institution established to respond to national disasters and threats caused by superior beings.

Han Goyo was also initially suspected of being a transcendent being and was brought to the Agency.

Therefore, if the ‘System’ were described as a transcendent being similar to the trials or the NPCs within them, it made more sense.

But the concept of a god… felt completely different.

It was an unfathomable unknown—a concept so vague it stirred a lingering sense of dread.

“What kind of bullshit is this, you son of a bitch?”

Kwak Hanmuk expressed Mo Haein’s feelings with rough language.

He, who had been sitting on the floor, sprang to his feet.

“Samra. I wasn’t cursing at you. Nor was I doubting your judgment.”

Kwak Hanmuk took a few deep breaths, as if trying to calm his emotions.

Nevertheless, the words that followed were incoherent.

“How is Han Goyo a god? It doesn’t make sense. I mean, what abilities? Yeah, he did use them a little. But even then, it wasn’t anything incredibly impressive… It was just sending messages and putting veils over heads, things like that. Besides, he’s only twenty-four. To be a god, don’t you have to be thousands of years old?”

Kwak Hanmuk, who had been rambling on in a rapid and rough tone, swallowed a curse once again.

“Calculate it again, Samra.”

“It is unnecessary. I have already reviewed every possibility.”

“Haa…”

Kwak Hanmuk strode toward the laboratory door.

It seemed as though he intended to go outside for a moment to clear his head.

However, he stood motionless in front of the door for a while before eventually turning back.

Even in this situation, he could not bring himself to leave.

Mo Haein, who had been standing there blankly, looked up once again at the being she had been looking at just a few minutes ago.

Naturally, nothing had changed.

Twenty-four years old, Trainee Han Goyo of the TRA.

He was exactly the same.

Just then, Je Hyun-oh spoke.

“Captain Kwak, Captain Mo.”

He lifted his goggles to reveal his eyes. And he met their gazes with golden pupils.

It was an unfamiliar situation.

This was because Je Hyun-oh rarely went out of his way to show his eyes unless he was in front of Han Goyo.

Slow words flowed from beneath the gas mask.

“Is it normal for the dead to come back to life?”

It was only after hearing those words that Mo Haein realized.

To be certain that the dead could come back to life was not normal in the first place.

Je Hyun-oh lightly tapped the glass pillar with his metal hand.

“It’s not that big of a deal, so don’t worry. It’s nothing special yet.”

Speaking as if it were nothing, he said in a voice tinged with amusement.

“Look at him now. He’s just trapped inside the glass pillar. If it weren’t for us, he would have been cut into pieces. Weak, young….”

Screech, sharp fingertips scratched the glass pillar.

Mo Haein tensed up for a moment without realizing it. It felt as though he might split the pillar open and pull Han Goyo out at any moment.

Leaving a long scratch behind, Je Hyun-oh spoke softly.

“He is a trainee that the captains need to protect.”

Mo Haein felt as if she were being split in half.

The moment she heard Samra’s words, she felt a strong sense of revulsion toward the very concept of a ‘God.’

However, at the same time, she also felt a protective instinct, believing she had to protect Han Goyo by any means necessary.

As if it were a completely separate issue.

The source of her irrational state was easy to guess.

[‘Han Goyo’ has registered ‘Mo Haein.’]

Something had gone wrong from the moment the system window popped up announcing that Han Goyo had registered her, and she began to wear a golden veil.

Of course, she had been concerned since he was first brought to the TRA, but it had never been this intense.

If so, were all these emotions due to divine power?

But…

Mo Haein knew Han Goyo.

The face that looked at him with eyes full of affection, dripping with the delight of being on the same team.

The strange kid who even liked Je Hyun-oh, someone everyone else shunned and avoided.

He was a bit foolish and often did things that seemed like he wasn’t in his right mind.

A trainee who found surprisingly bold and original breakthroughs, and who, when driven into a crisis together, was the first to think of sacrificing himself.

Thanks to Han Goyo, she had been able to overcome trials. That was an undeniable truth.

Because of Han Goyo, Mo Haein was slowly finding light in the hope she had once thought was futile.

Lost in thought, Mo Haein snapped back to reality at the sound of a voice.

“The trainee was declared dead trying to protect his seniors.”

Je Hyun-oh muttered, looking at Kwak Hanmuk with deep regret.

“You two¹ are being pretty heartless.”

Kwak Hanmuk let out a hollow laugh as he clutched his left shoulder, which bore a tattoo.

Mo Haein could tell that he, too, was wavering between revulsion and protective instinct, much like herself.

Amidst the confusion, 72 hours passed.

In the slow flow of time, both Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein agonized.

No matter how much they thought about it, no clear answer could be reached.

And Je Hyun-oh and Samra began to drop hints to persuade them.

“We suspect that there are beings outside of Earth that must be defined as gods. Han Goyo-ssi likely did not come into existence without any cause and effect.”

“…….”

“Han Goyo-ssi is absolutely necessary.”

Samra continued to throw out objective information, emphasizing Han Goyo’s importance.

In contrast, Je Hyun-oh acted as if it were a simple matter.

“It all comes down to Han Goyo.”

He spoke as though the fact that he was a god was a mere trifle, acting as if he couldn’t fathom why anyone would agonize over it.

“It’s not a choice between one or the other; it’s all Han Goyo. What’s the problem?”

The more he tried to persuade her rationally, the more suspicious she became.

Kwak Hanmuk acted as if he were half-crazed.

Sometimes he would simply stand there with his head pressed against the glass pillar; at other times, he would sit blankly for hours, rolling his prayer beads.

However, Mo Haein was also in poor condition, so she couldn’t look after him.

Just processing the information given to her was overwhelming.

And when the remaining time dwindled to single digits.

Kwak Hanmuk was the first to ask Je Hyun-oh a question.

“Lieutenant Colonel Je. Please tell me everything you know. As for Han Goyo… what is going to happen to him now?”

Je Hyun-oh let out a low laugh, as if he had heard an amusing question.

“I don’t know either. He’s still young, so wouldn’t he be heavily influenced by his surroundings?”

At that ambiguous answer, Mo Haein furrowed her brows.

It was an odd way to describe a grown man.

It sounded as if his divine self existed separately.

Je Hyun-oh, who had been leaning against the glass pillar, took out only one of his metal wings and wrapped it around the pillar.

“If the captains object, I’ll stay behind alone.”

At that moment, Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein ended up looking at each other.

They hadn’t fully understood or accepted the situation yet.

At the very least, it was certain that Han Goyo should not be left in Je Hyun-oh’s hands.

“Captain Kwak Hanmuk, Captain Mo Haein.”

At the same time, Samra called out their names.

“I propose a plan to protect Han Goyo-ssi.”

Realizing that their hearts were leaning to one side, he delivered the proposal at the most opportune moment.

“The continued existence of the Special Mission Team.”

“…….”

Kwak Hanmuk did not answer. Instead, he looked at Han Goyo inside the glass pillar.

The man who had been gazing up at the being defined as a god suddenly spat out a curse.

“Ha, fine, fuck. This time, I’ll lock him up on the right.”

Then, turning to look at Mo Haein, he asked.

“Captain Mo. Are you okay?”

“…I.”

Mo Haein slowly opened her mouth.

She had been tormented by countless thoughts for 72 hours, but in the end, she had returned to the beginning.

It was an irrational, illogical, and unscientific conclusion.

“I just want to stay by the trainee’s side.”

¹He calls Haein and Hanmuk noona and hyung here in an attempt to guilt trip them even further.