◈ Episode 41

They used two vehicles. One was a military vehicle that Leila and her group had brought. The other was a pickup truck that they had purchased from Roscoe.

The move took quite some time. For Kim I-hyeon, it was an enjoyable journey.

Asterique, who took the wheel saying he would change it when he got tired, almost crashed his car into a sign. Chelsea, who was forced to quit gambling, showed withdrawal symptoms… … .

There was also this conversation along the way.

"It would be nice to travel comfortably in Chelsea."

"What are you saying, all of a sudden?"

"Why, that's right."

It was a topic that Asterike brought up. She looked out the car window with eyes full of excellence as she spoke.

"It wasn't this easy back then. Three people took turns on night watch, we even shared a piece of beef jerky, and monsters would come out whenever we had a chance. Back then, it wasn't as bad as this."

"So what do you want me to do…?"

"No, it's just that. It reminds me of the old days."

It was absurd, but Kim Lee-hyun agreed.

"There were times like that. How good is it now? I'm still eating jerky, but I have my own portion. Someone else catches the monster. I still can't wash, but at this point, it's a drive, a drive."

"What on earth is the conclusion? Are you saying that I should be grateful to you or something?"

"You don't have to do that, but please take turns driving. Don't overdo it because it's hard."

"That's right. Hyun is the CEO, so he shouldn't be driving."

"Fuck..."

Chelsea took charge of the steering wheel most of the time, which made the trip comfortable.

It was a completely different experience from before, when I would just head to the city with a mere million credits. I definitely gained a lot from Cilicia.

"Now, there is something."

"huh?"

"Those three were it? The people Hyun talked about when we first met."

What did you say?

Kim Yi-hyeon tried to recall his memories. It had already been about half a year, so it took quite some time to recall.

A thought came to mind. 'The only three good people I've seen while I was here.' There was a time when I mentioned Leila and her group like that.

"You remember it well."

"I'm not as stupid as Hyun thinks."

"I never thought I was stupid… hmm."

It was hard to say no. In fact, when we first met, I thought this about Asterike. Is there really such a stupid woman…?

"That was a long time ago."

Kim Yi-hyeon turned his head to the window. The sharp gaze from behind him was thankfully blocked by the seat.

"Huh."

Asterike let out a small snort. If you just listened, it seemed like she didn't care much, with a relaxed attitude. However, her protruding lips were expressing her displeasure.

Are you stupid or something… That's shocking in its own right, but it's a separate thing.

'You weren't the first to meet me.'

I know that Kim Yi-hyun cares for me. But what if I had met her a step earlier than Leila? Wouldn't I have thought of her as more special than I do now?

It's a pity, she said, shaking off the thought.

"I'm looking forward to it. Are they all people like Leila?"

"How about that?"

Kim Lee-hyun did not blindly affirm it. There is no room for disagreement that rap is a good force from the users' perspective.

But in the end, it's a group of people. There's bound to be discord everywhere.

'Not everyone is as foolish as Leila.'

You will also see vivid parts that are not in the game. Even if you trust the organization called 'CellbroLogics Lab' itself... I'm not sure if that trust will extend to each individual agent.

Rap isn't exactly a utopia.

* * *

The western part of the continent. A land that had flourished for hundreds of years, long ago became desolate.

Collapsed buildings, moss growing in disarray, damp air and an unidentifiable smell. Now, only traces of civilization remain.

On the land swept by the disaster, Shalem no longer existed. Seven disasters that occurred over five years led to the destruction of a country.

Shalem's miserable words were expressed in a very simple sentence.

'I was unlucky.'

"This is amazing."

Chelsea stuck out her tongue as she followed the car in front.

In one corner of the ruins was the entrance to the lab. It was a steep slope made of iron plates, similar to a giant conveyor belt. At the end of the descent, a tightly closed iron door appeared.

After waiting for a while with the car stopped, the door opened by itself. After entering, I was able to arrive at the parking lot shortly.

"Thank you all for coming such a long way. We've only just passed the entrance, but what do you think of our visit?"

Leila, who got off first, asked. Kim Ihyeon wasn't surprised because he already knew, but Leila seemed to be expecting a reaction.

"What can I say, it's the complete opposite of Cilicia."

Cilicia, a place with both a prosperous surface and a dangerous and dark underground. However, only the underground part of the land retained its original appearance.

"I thought it would be in some city since it was a research institute."

"They say it used to be like that. Although I've only seen what it used to look like in pictures."

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Leila's mouth, then quickly disappeared.

"First, you need to unpack and get rid of the hangover. I'll show you to the room you'll be using during your stay at the lab."

* * *

Private room on the 5th basement floor.

Kim Yi-hyeon washed up in the bathroom attached to the room and changed into the clothes provided. He dried his wet hair and looked around the room again.

The interior was neat and tidy overall. The white bed sheets looked hygienic at first glance.

'Not bad.'

Since it was a background that appeared frequently in games, it felt familiar. Not only the room, but every corner of the lab felt very familiar.

Even the agents I encountered in passing.

'Who else is there at this point?'

Episode 3 hasn't even started yet. There are still many agents who haven't joined yet. I guess we should consider it as almost the early days of the game service.

'But there are some useful ones.'

The elite agents of the lab, including Ghost. Some agents may be insignificant at the moment, but they will become elite later. They are like a gold mine of talent.

'I think it might be okay to steal one or two people.'

As long as it doesn't interfere with the professor's future. I don't plan on taking any key agents who appear frequently in the story.

But what if it's just an extra...?

Kim Lee-Hyeon was in the middle of plotting a heinous crime.

smart.

Following the knock, Pablo's voice was heard.

"Hyun, have you unpacked everything?"

"Uh, uh. I don't have many personal belongings."

I also left my terminal in Cilicia. There is no communication outside the city anyway. It is just a watch with a glowing screen.

"Then come out. Our director is out for a bit. We decided to show you around the facility until he gets back. Well, if it's too much trouble, you can wait."

"No, please."

After tidying up my clothes, I left the room. I spent a while looking around the hallway with Pablo. The people from before gathered again in a neater state.

That's how the rap tour began.

"First of all, the 5th and 6th basement floors are used as agent quarters. The 7th floor below has training facilities, so you are welcome to use them as well."

"Hey, why is there a training ground in the lab?"

There was a brief silence at Asterike's question. It was a new but natural question.

Kim Lee-hyun, who has knowledge of the game, Leila and her group, who are members of the lab, and Asterike and Chelsea, who are outsiders. It was inevitable that there would be a big difference in their perceptions.

Before it got annoying, Kim Ihyeon roughly muddled through it.

"The world is a cruel place."

"That's true too."

"Do you understand with that explanation?"

As Chelsea took the lead, Asterique kicked the roof of his mouth in an apparent disdainful manner.

"Where else has Chelsea been besides Cilicia?"

"Huh? I'm a native of Cilicia, so I don't really know much about other places."

"That's right. You need to learn something about the world."

In the end, Chelsea kept her mouth shut.

She originally had a certain fondness for Asterike, but… it's been difficult to get along with her lately. Ever since she suddenly started acting like her senior.

I followed Leila into the elevator. It was an underground facility with the 8th floor being the lowest. It was a bit short, but it reminded me of Metro City.

And soon the elevator doors opened.

Basement 4. Asterike let out a small exclamation upon seeing the revealed interior view.

"Move to.... This is in room B506…."

"Terratonium? ...There's too much to do..."

"…I'm going to stay up all night. How many days has it been already?"

"Just bear with it until today. Soon..."

A corridor lined with numerous rooms on both sides. Researchers wearing white gowns, the same color as the walls, were moving around busily.

The smell of disinfectant and coffee wafted through the air. Even the researchers' haggard appearances seemed somewhat intellectual to Asterike.

The researchers also found Leila and her group. They greeted them with light gestures from afar, and some of those nearby even approached them to talk.

"Miss Leila. When did you come back?"

"I just got back. Everyone seems busy. Did something come up?"

"Ah… It's not that much of a problem. The director suddenly increased the number of business partners. The number of requests for equipment orders has been increasing."

"I see. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, no. This is our job. Everyone is just joking. I don't know why they're in such a hurry when they can sleep as much as they want."

After a brief chat, we returned to our duties. Leila greeted each researcher in the hallway and explained.

"They mainly develop things like the suppressor that Mr. Asterike is using. Since it is a field that requires specialized knowledge, they are also in charge of production."

There was a setting like that too.

It was easy to forget about it because it wasn't highlighted separately in the game. However, in some ways, the researcher was more important than the agent.

'Now that I look at it, it's a crazy black company.'

Research and production jobs? It wasn't the amount of work a person could endure. As the lab's power grew, their workload would increase.

'Cheer up.'

I gave him some encouragement in my heart.

There were also various other facilities: a power plant to supply electricity, a greenhouse to grow crops, a passageway connecting to an underground mine, etc.

The rap was completely self-sufficient, and of course, maintaining it required effort from the members.

'There are more than one or two mining slaves.'

In the game, agents are assigned tasks to maintain and expand the lab. They are sent to do mining work, and even sent up to the surface to collect useful items… … .

The guide includes this line:

― The lab's power is running low. We need teratonium to power the generator. We need to mine the ore containing teratonium, but who should we ask…?

- What are you all doing? Ha, I guess there's nothing I can do.

― Mr. Pablo said he'd come forward! Then, shall we send him on a 24-hour mine dispatch?

― You may reach your limit of fatigue along the way, but don't worry. You can use fatigue recovery potions to reduce your fatigue.

As I read, I suddenly lost my mind. It was so different from the character of Leila shown in the tutorial.

Even though it is a system guide, I sometimes wonder if it really had to be this way. There are even users who say, half-jokingly and half-seriously, that this is Leila's true nature.

This story had nothing to do with Kim Yi-hyeon. He was no longer the evil professor who fed Pablo fatigue recovery drugs and made him work 7 days a week without rest.

"...Oh right."

"Why are you doing that, Mr. Hyun?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen the professor yet."

One of the reasons I came to the lab was to check on the professor's condition. I had completely forgotten about it.

"Well, it seems like the professor is out of town too."

"I guess there's something going on with the director."

That was when I nodded my head.

"No. I heard he was sent to the mine."

"And, mine?"

I stuttered at the completely unexpected answer. Why would a professor go there?

"It takes a lot of resources to run the lab's facilities. They take care of the work when the agents aren't out on operations."

I already know that. That's not the point.

"The professor is digging with a pickaxe?"

"Ah… Originally, I was worried about your physical health, so I told you to focus on rehabilitation. But these days, I think you're meddling with the agents' work."

Leila smiled helplessly.

"I think he thinks he's the only one who's comfortable. I heard that other people are considerate of him and give him tasks that don't require much physical strength, like pulling a cart."

"...okay."

Kim Yi-hyeon pressed his thumb to his forehead. He wanted to share the burden of the agents… Although his intentions were good, it felt absurd to him.

'There are so many players like that.'

When I glanced around, Ghost also seemed to be feeling uneasy. This was definitely a problem. The professor seemed to be mistaken about his role.

"wait a minute."

After a while, Leila fumbled with her jumper. She pulled out her radio and exchanged a few words. She said she understood and ended the call.

"The director has arrived."