Chapter 154

He gave an answer in an instant, as if wondering why I was even asking such a thing.

The moment I heard that answer, I felt a mix of bewilderment and doubt.

‘Since when on earth has he been watching me?’

I couldn’t understand on what basis he spoke with such certainty.

I had suspected that he might have been watching me since my days as a pro gamer.

After all, I received an interview request from Sa Gongyeon after I had retired.

However, back then, I was clearly a human.

Knowing what a god is, I could judge clearly.

Honestly, Black Block’s words felt like nothing but nonsense.

Since he is a being capable of spreading lies and incitement to me whenever necessary, I had even less trust in his statements.

Nevertheless, I kept his words in mind.

Perhaps it was just a difference in perspective.

Black Block was also an ancient god.

There was a possibility he was speaking from a standpoint completely different from my human understanding.

Just as Dominic described the loss of a part of his existence—based on my human standards—as "losing his memory."

"Are you saying I was a god from the very beginning?"

I cast a bait to try and extract even a little more information, but Black Block did not bite.

Instead of an answer, he merely chuckled.

Trying to figure out how to get Black Block to give me the answer I wanted, I asked again.

"Then is there no way to maintain one’s humanity?"

—Little Lamb. God is a flawless being. Anguish, attachment, sorrow, fleeting memories—to God, all of those are merely impurities to be cast away! The end of humanity is entirely natural, just as humans cannot withstand natural disasters.

Black Block whispered to me as if revealing a secret.

—But perhaps it might be possible if there were a steadfast anchor that would not be swept away even by a tsunami!

‘Is he telling me to find something that will allow me to maintain my humanity?’

I doubted if such a thing even existed in this world.

And, as always, Black Block launched into his own arbitrary final farewell.

—Little Lamb, my star! I will reach out again. As your fan, I will keep an eye on you. Goodbye for now…

I was subjected to a unilateral termination of communication before I could even hold him back.

With a heavy heart, I pondered Black Block’s words.

An anchor that would withstand the calamity of a god, one that would pull me down and firmly anchor me.

Thinking of this vague concept, I turned to Dominic.

"Thank you for your help."

He, who had been sitting on the desk, jumped up and climbed onto my shoulder.

Come to think of it, I had already promised to make a deal with Black Block right in front of Dominic.

As I belatedly glanced at him, Dominic said something unexpected.

"He will continue to be useful."

It was a remark that suggested he knew Black Block well.

I didn’t expect him to tell me to make use of Black Block. I thought he would reject other gods.

As always, it was difficult to guess Dominic’s true intentions.

Anyway, I was relieved to have found a way to earn Star Fragments.

I didn’t know how much money would come in, but I figured it would be better than zero.

‘I want to unfreeze my account quickly before I receive the deposit.’

Just then, I heard a knock.

I sprang up from my chair.

The instructor who was supposed to train the trainees had arrived.

However, the person who entered the conference room was an unexpected figure.

“…Captain Mo?”

Mo Haein, who had clearly left to handle work, came in clutching a tablet PC.

She closed the conference room door and spoke.

“I dumped some work on Captain Kwak.”

It turned out that another soldier was originally supposed to be in charge of my training, but Mo Haein had come in his place.

I had also been told that Won Taebeom would be the instructor when I was receiving training with the other trainees.

“I promised to teach you how to salute, trainee.”

I looked at Mo Haein, deeply moved.

Looking up at me, Mo Haein chuckled.

Mo Haein’s special tutoring proceeded swiftly, pinpointing exactly what was necessary without any frills.

Since I already knew a lot of the material, I was able to finish the theoretical training easily.

However, the hand salute was a bit more difficult than I had expected.

Even though I was paying attention to the angle of the edge of my hand, the position of my fingers, and the shape of my arm, it still felt a bit awkward.

I couldn’t pull off the cool posture like Mo Haein.

Still, by the end, I had reached a level that satisfied Mo Haein.

‘I should show this to Lieutenant Colonel Je and Captain Kwak, too.’

Recalling the memory of receiving a question mark when I saluted Je Hyun-oh, I resolved to restore my honor as a trainee.

And after finishing all the training. I had learned everything—from tutoring to how to salute—but Mo Haein did not signal the end of the class.

It was as if she still had work left to do.

I waited for her quietly.

As if noticing that I was waiting, Mo Haein hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“You don’t need to worry about what Director Jang said.”

She was referring to how Jang Seokyun had tried to use her personal history to keep me under his thumb.

Recalling the pink meteorite embedded in Mo Haein’s stomach, I realized that now was the moment to speak.

“Captain Mo. I….”

“Han Goyo.”

It was the first time she had called me by my name.

Before I could react in surprise, she spoke.

“I’ll be honest. I also wish you would close the trial embedded in my stomach. But I don’t want to ask a fresh trainee.”

Then, does that mean I just shouldn’t be a trainee?

I usually tried to look as harmless as possible in front of captains, since my neutral expression tended to look a bit sharp.

However, this time, I did not avoid Mo Haein’s gaze and met her eyes straight in return.

“It’s probably a six-star trial, and the fact that I cleared it and got out was pure luck… even if the Special Mission Team were to enter and shut it down…”

She looked at me silently and moved her lips.

“…we might not be able to get my younger sibling out.”

It was a strange thing to say.

Unless they were dead, simply shutting it down would allow the people trapped in the trial to come out.

Even infections would be reversed to their original state.

Mo Haein even had the experience of saving several people who had become employees of the toy factory after shutting down HapFactory with the True Ending.

I wanted to refute her immediately, wondering why she was speaking this way when she knew better than anyone, but I held back.

It was because it seemed like Mo Haein hadn’t finished speaking yet.

She looked at me with an expression that suggested she was seeing someone else reflected in me.

“My younger sibling… is the boss NPC.”

I, who had been filled with the confidence that I would shut it down at all costs just moments ago, was left speechless.

It had happened occasionally that Adaptees became NPCs in the Trial.

But I had never heard of anyone becoming a boss monster before.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what on earth Mo Haein had gone through in the Trial.

At the same time, I realized it perfectly.

I finally understood why she had reacted so negatively to seeing me act so familiarly with the NPCs.

Mo Haein suddenly burst out laughing.

“Trainee, you’re suddenly losing confidence, aren’t you?”

As she spoke with a playful tone, I slowly asked.

“Can’t you tell me what kind of Trial it is?”

“No. At least get rid of your trainee badge before you speak.”

Mo Haein said with a smile still lingering on her face.

“Instead, I’ll show you a picture of my younger sibling.”

Acting as if nothing were wrong, she took a photograph out of her uniform pocket and held it out.

The photo, divided into four frames, showed two women smiling in various poses.

“She doesn’t really look like me. Neither in face nor personality.”

A tall woman was laughing cheerfully while putting her arm around Mo Haein’s shoulder.

It was such a radiant smile, I felt I could hear the sound of laughter at any moment.

And Mo Haein in the photo… had long hair.

I stared intently at the photo before shifting my gaze to Mo Haein standing before me.

The woman with the short bob haircut.

My subordinate with a pained look in her eyes.

I felt angry.

“…I’m sorry. Just a moment.”

I hurriedly placed my hands over my eyes and stepped back. It felt as if my eye color was about to change.

Just then, a small hand grabbed my wrist.

“…!”

I flinched, but the hand holding me did not let go.

Even though it was a force I could have shaken off if I had wanted to, I couldn’t move an inch.

Mo Haein slowly applied force and pulled my wrist down.

I looked down at her with golden eyes.

Mo Haein quietly looked up at me and parted her lips.

“Actually, I looked into it.”

I understood immediately what she meant.

She had looked up my past self.

However, I hadn’t expected what followed.

“I didn’t know much, so I wanted to find out. You were amazing.”

“…….”

I didn’t know how to react and just froze.

It wasn’t just because of the unadorned praise.

I hadn’t realized that just as I wanted to know her, Mo Haein wanted to know me too.

“I felt it was unfair for me to be the only one who knew, so I told the trainee my story today.”

She let go of my wrist.

“So don’t worry about it for no reason either.”

I didn’t answer.

I knew it was disrespectful to my superior, but I had no choice.

I felt as though the moment I opened my mouth, I would blurt out that I would definitely shut it down.

Of course, it was a difficult task right now.

First, I had to get promoted from trainee.

Since we would be moving as a team, thorough preparation was necessary, and above all, I had to verify whether I could bring her out of the trial even if she had become the boss.

However, I absolutely wanted to shut down her trial.

Mo Haein stared at me, who remained silent. After gazing into her golden eyes for a long time, she finally spoke.

“Trainee.”

Then, as if she had never had a personal conversation, she returned to her usual self and spoke.

“Let’s salute one last time.”

After finishing the training, I immediately tried using the new ability I had acquired, ‘Blossom.’

However, only a notification appeared stating that it was unusable.

It seemed that I had to meet certain conditions, just like with Resurrection.

Back then, I used my ability by breaking myself down.

I couldn’t do that now. My sense of self was already being overwhelmed, so it was far too dangerous.

It seemed I would have to try using Blossom again later when I enter the Trial with the Special Mission Team.

The moving celebration party was held a little late.

I had been waiting for Je Hyun-oh to emerge from the trial, but as soon as he appeared, he immediately entered another trial.

Kwak Hanmuk, who delivered the news, wasn’t particularly surprised.

"For Lieutenant Colonel Je, time is indeed money."

So many places were requesting his deployment.

Je Hyun-oh rarely took a rest, and that was exactly what he wanted.

Since Je Hyun-oh, being an infected individual, didn’t even need sleep.

That trip to Paseong he’d taken me on back then had truly been an exception.

However, I now knew that he was not actually infected.

"Shouldn’t he get at least a little rest?"

Even if his body isn’t exhausted, his mental fatigue must be considerable.

It kept weighing on my mind, so I sent a message.

After sending the message, I felt a sense of regret once again.

Samra was just as absent.

Since Samra rarely ventured outside the TRA, it was unavoidable.

Moving Samra’s physical body for a housewarming party was practically absurd within the TRA.

Instead, Samra promised to attend briefly via video.

Eventually, the three of us—the Captains and myself—gathered at the house.

Since the "party" consisted of nothing more than ordering takeout food together, we decided to take a quick look around the house and choose the menu.

Wearing comfortable clothes, Mo Haein looked around the house with a somewhat curious gaze.

Since she was in the same building and Kwak Hanmuk had originally lived here, I assumed she would have visited the official quarters at least once, but it seemed that was not the case.

Then again, considering how sparse his living arrangements had been, there probably hadn’t been any reason to invite anyone over.

Mo Haein’s eyes widened when she saw the glass display cabinet.

Originally, I had intended to cover the cabinet with a cloth again.

However, Kwak Hanmuk asked why I was covering it, so somehow, I ended up just leaving it as it was.

Standing beside her, who was marveling, Kwak Hanmuk spoke with his arms crossed.

“Captain Mo. Isn’t Goyo-hyung-nim truly admirable? To think we’d have someone like him as a trainee.”

Then, turning to me, he grinned mischievously.

“Master, you’re amazing.”

My face flushed. Mo Haein nudged Kwak Hanmuk’s forearm with her elbow.

When Kwak Hanmuk yelped and acted as if he’d been slapped, she gave him a look of disbelief.

“Captain Kwak. Don’t bully a trainee.”

Then, turning back to me, she said seriously.

“I really think it’s impressive.”

Feeling shy, I couldn’t even make eye contact and just replied, “Thank you.”

After that, the three of us sat around a table full of food, chatting about this and that.

Then, when I mentioned that I had never drunk alcohol before, both of them were shocked.

“…Chestnut-ie, you’ve never drunk alcohol?”

Since becoming an adult, I had been holed up in my studio apartment, so the opportunity never arose.

I didn’t really have any interest in it, so I hadn’t even tried drinking alone.

As soon as he heard those words, Kwak Hanmuk sprang up from his seat and solemnly declared:

“Today, I will turn little Chestnut-ie into a true adult.”

He hurriedly went outside and bought a whole case of alcohol.

—……

Samra, who appeared belatedly with a screen projected into the air, discovered the table full of liquor bottles, two overturned captains, and a single trainee sipping from a glass by himself.

Mo Haein was already silent, and Kwak Hanmuk suddenly lifted his head and shouted at Samra.

“Samra…! That little Chestnut is fucking dangerous…!”

And then he buried his face back in the table.

I thought as I finished emptying the remaining alcohol in my glass.

‘It tastes awful.’

It didn’t even taste good, so I couldn’t understand why anyone would drink something like this. Still, after drinking this much, I did feel a bit dizzy.

—I recommend that you stop drinking, Han Goyo-ssi.

Having accepted Samra’s suggestion, I stood up from my seat and faced him directly.

At that, Samra’s pupils moved like a camera aperture.

Since it was the first time he had seen me drunk, it seemed as though he were collecting new biological data.

Looking at Samra like that, I said:

"It feels empty without you here."

—I am right in front of you, Han Goyo-ssi.

"But this is like a video."

I reached out my hand. Naturally, I felt nothing, and my hand simply passed right through Samra.

I grinned.

"I just said that because I felt a bit sad."

For some reason, Samra just silently observed me.

Since he drank coffee before, shouldn’t he be able to drink alcohol too? Androids should be fine even if they drink, right?

Lost in my thoughts, I roughly tidied up the house under Samra’s watchful eye.

I diligently supported the heavy Kwak Hanmuk into his bedroom, and after hesitating for a moment, moved Mo Haein to my bedroom.

Although Mo Haein lived in the same building, I planned to escort her home once she sobered up a bit, just in case.

Samra only ended the call after I had finished cleaning the house.

Standing in the middle of the now-cleaned living room, I checked my phone.

After sending a short reply to a message that had arrived, I approached the window.

The night sky was clear, so the moon was clearly visible. The stars were barely visible due to the city lights, though…

Driven by some impulse, I stepped out the front door.

Then, I climbed the dim stairs and headed toward the rooftop.

The moment I reached the top of the stairs and opened the rooftop door, my lips parted involuntarily.

A pitch-black man stood there.

He was someone who should not have been here at this moment.

With his back to the city’s nightscape instead of the invisible starlight, the man was gazing up at the night sky.

Even though he must have heard the sound of the door opening, he did not turn his gaze away, staring only at the night sky.

Memories from the past came flooding back.

It was the moment I first met him on the rooftop of the DeZonDeal broadcasting station.

And just like then… Je Hyun-oh was still waiting for something.

Even though I was right here.

I hurriedly squeezed my eyes shut. My pupils nearly turned color, but I managed to hold on.

Just as I was about to look at Je Hyun-oh again, he was already staring intently at me.

His goggles were already off.

Je Hyun-oh took a step toward me.

I closed the rooftop door and stood there, watching the man approaching me.

Strangely, he looked unstable.

It felt as though the moment he stumbled even a single step, he would tear off his own wings again.

He seemed fine the last time I saw him; I had no idea what had made him like this.

‘Was the trial he entered today the problem?’

It appeared he had cleared the trial he entered this afternoon in a flash.

Je Hyun-oh was already the type to clear trials in the shortest time possible.

However, today was fast enough to be considered a new record.

He should have been transported to the next trial in a container, but it appeared he had deviated from the path and come here instead.

Since there was no way an infected creature would have been authorized to escape, the TRA must be in chaos right now.

However, I did not feel the urge to send him back.

I watched Je Hyun-oh anxiously and tried to say something safe first.

"I am glad you returned safely…"

I paused mid-sentence. It was because Je Hyun-oh, who was walking toward me, was wearing a crow glove on one hand.

Just as I flinched reflexively, recalling the memory of being slammed into a tree in Sla2Plate…

He took an item out of his inventory and thrust it at me.

It was Day News…

My eyes widened at the sight of the alien newspaper, which featured a massive photo of my face.

Did he get this from the trial he entered today?

The newspaper is being updated in real-time even in the Trial?

How did Je Hyun-oh see the article? I’ve only just become able to see it myself.

Je Hyun-oh, who had been staring at my confused expression, curved his eyes into crescents.

"Goyo."

Then, leaning his face close, he asked.

"Shall we kill Sa Gongyeon together?"

apparently lord of the myseries is a prerequisite to maintaining humanity. hopefully goyo will figure something out! i, for one, am grateful for the yaoi return