◈ Episode 173

Dustborne Corporation, in-house break room.

The sound of people chatting and the sound of a coffee grinder. Even the sound effects of a game, like "Pow, Pow", can be heard. In this lively space, there was a table that had a particularly cold atmosphere.

"...."

"...."

The silence was heavy. Roscoe wet his parched throat with saliva. Even though he was sweating profusely, he did not back down.

"How much would it cost?"

"what?"

"How much will it cost you?"

He spoke seriously, his eyes wide open.

"Just one game! How can we not have just one event match?"

"When you suddenly asked me to meet you, I asked you something…."

"That means I'm pushing forward with that much sincerity!"

He clenched his fists and showed his enthusiasm. Asterike couldn't help but sigh at the burdensome attitude. The joy he felt toward his acquaintance who came to see him had long since disappeared.

"I'll be completely honest with you."

He uncrossed his arms as if expressing his discontent. Then he pointed his finger at Roscoe. It wasn't a scolding, but rather a sincere piece of advice.

"First of all, that. It doesn't really suit you."

"Wh, what! Everyone said it was a perfect match."

"I misspoke. It fits so well, it's like mafia."

"…Me?"

"Yeah. You look like someone I'd want to roll my eyes at if I saw you on the street."

His fierce appearance reminds me of a bandit or a gangster. He seems to have worked out a bit recently and has bulked up. He is wearing a black suit and at first glance, he smells like someone from the underworld.

Roscoe lowered his head at the solid facts.

"Huh. I've always known that you have a face that's easy to misunderstand. To think that Miss Asterique would say something like that…."

"Huh? Why me? Do I look like a bad person too?"

"No, no. You're not as familiar with the mafia and all that stuff as I am."

"Wasn't that the case with Roscoe? He was an information agent."

He laughed and waved his hand, saying, "You don't even have a chin."

"When were you talking about the enemy? Besides, those bastards in Ulanz were just commoners. They acted like kings in that cramped place. Thinking back now, I think they were funny."

"That too."

Asterike also 100% agreed with this statement. Back then, those guys who were so feared were actually just rural mafia… city thugs. As time went by, I completely forgot their names.

It wasn't wrong to say that he was more familiar than Roscoe.

"The mafia I know dresses really well. So Roscoe is acting more like a mafia than a mafia. He should probably start thinking about getting married soon, so shouldn't he take better care of himself?"

"Hey, don't worry. It's hard for me to live on my own, so what about marriage?"

"That's why you need to have more families. They provide support."

Roscoe was momentarily dazed.

"Oh, really. It seems like only yesterday I was acting reckless and got my wallet robbed…."

"Those were the days when I was reckless."

A fleeting smile formed on Asterike's lips, as if she was longing for the past. There was even a sense of elegance in the way she drank from the straw in her tumbler.

Well, that was only for a moment.

"…Eh, hmph! What is this? Why is it written like this?"

"What are you talking about when I ordered an espresso?"

"Is this what it originally tasted like? Why are you drinking this?"

"Why did you ask me to do something I don't know?"

"The name seems interesting. I've been curious about it for a long time."

"Oh my. Put in a lot of sugar."

He sticks his tongue out and groans. Roscoe smiled happily. They say that if a person suddenly changes, they die, but Asterike was still the same.

Thanks to that, all the tension was relieved.

"Anyway! Can you please participate just once?"

"Why do you keep doing this to me? I was just messing around for a season."

"That one season was so sensational."

It wasn't an exaggeration or anything.

In just one season, Asterique has become a true star player. There are many fans who have been waiting for her.

As his time in Cilicia grew longer, Roscoe began to realize how valuable a player like Asterike was. Even in a league where all sorts of talents gathered, he had unrivaled star quality.

"I'm not saying you should return to the regular league. This is more important to you, Miss. It would be realistically difficult to fill the number of games, and if you leave in the middle, the fans will be very disappointed…."

"So you want me to play an event match?"

"That's it!"

There was a significant temperature difference between the two.

The more Roscoe pushed, the more Asterike grew colder. It was annoying and disappointing in many ways.

"I guess Roscoe only wants to sell me out to make money."

I said it jokingly, but there was some sincerity in it. Even though we have a big age difference, I thought of her as a friend. Every time she showed her greed like this, I started to feel a little bit more jealous.

Now, are you going to panic again and try to cover it up?

It was a time when I was drawing a typical repertoire in my mind.

"Yeah, I guess that's not the only intention."

Roscoe's eyes, which had been sparkling excessively, calmed down.

"But you know, this may be just my greed, but I wish you would think about it in different ways, young lady."

"Various? What."

"How will I live from now on?"

Roscoe slowly looked around the break room.

"I've been here a few times, and it's always amazing. Why, isn't it? Who would have thought that a company that used to have just one office like a third-rate gangster would grow this big in just a few years?"

This was a space that intuitively showed Dustborne's growth. It was a place larger than the previous office and was used as a welfare facility. The number of employees had also increased significantly compared to the days when it was no different from a hole-in-the-wall shop.

"I think you said White Fang? I heard you referenced the break room you used back then a lot."

"I've only heard of that. I've never been there, so I don't know."

"I see. In any case, isn't this proof that both you and the young lady have been running hard?"

Asterike thought for a moment and then nodded his head.

Kim Lee Hyun has a grand goal. He will not fail. It is not a blind belief that Hyun can do anything. Asterike is determined to take him to his destination.

And it's not just you. Chelsea, Edwin, and Echidna too.

Those who believe in Kim Lee-hyun and those who believe in Kim Lee-hyun are supporting him.

"But I won't be running my whole life."

The journey will end someday.

"I might take a few years off, and maybe my brother will say he can't take it anymore and throw everything away. What I'm saying is that my current state is definitely not everything in life."

Just as Roscoe, who lived as an information provider, found new life, and just as Asterike, who was wandering, changed after meeting Kim I-hyeon, we will encounter another turning point in the future.

"I hope you don't get too caught up in it. Sometimes, try something different and experience the many flavors of life. So that you don't feel empty when all you've done so far is over."

A perspective I had never thought about. It was a problem that I had to think deeply about at least once, and at the same time, I was curious. How will Kim Lee-hyun live after achieving his goal? What kind of life will he lead?

"You may wonder, 'What kind of peaceful talk is this when the world is like this?'"

"I don't really think so."

Surprisingly.

Asterike was not particularly impressed by the changes the catastrophe had brought to the continent. The world had been a difficult place to her to begin with.

Rather than social problems like poverty or racism, it was easier to deal with direct threats. The uneasy gaze toward Pecatum was unavoidable, but Parasites would die if burned.

Asterike was also a worn-out man.

Roscoe smiled bitterly at the indifferent expression.

"The world is so fucked up, so I have to live well until the end. This is my life goal right now. When the day comes that passes by in a flash, I want to close my eyes and say, 'I had a great time.'"

"They call it YOLO."

"What are you talking about, something my father used to say…."

He speaks in a relaxed manner and takes out his business card and hands it to me.

"Think about it carefully when you have time."

Asterike took the business card and looked at it.

Paruparu Management, Manager Roscoe Drucker.

Woohoo!

At that moment, the terminal on the table vibrated.

"Oh, dear. Excuse me for a moment."

Roscoe put the terminal to his ear and left. He kept nodding even though it wasn't a video call. Asterique watched him blinking, a typical office worker.

Somehow the tongue is long… … .

* * *

Gemma Putty's personal commission took a slightly more formal turn: the search for a missing septic tank. Connecting with the council would make for some pretty pictures.

However, no unnecessary lumps were attached.

Normally, it would be necessary to bring along at least a security force, but Dustborn has the authority to act autonomously. There is no problem even if only Dustborn personnel move.

In other words, they only took advantage of the pretense of carrying out regular operations.

The vehicle pulled out of the outer walls of Cilicia. The city's surroundings were certainly dirtier than before. There were signs of people coming and going regularly.

"At least there aren't any corpses rolling around."

"Of course it was cleaned up."

"How many people died while going out for purification work?"

"Well, if I put my mind to it, I could come up with some statistics…."

For some reason, Kim Lee-hyun, who was holding the steering wheel, snorted.

"I don't really feel like it."

Few cities are as healthy as Cilicia, but even this one is not in perfect condition. But it is better than this. If a disaster had struck the city, it would have been hell.

'I guess I have no choice but to rely on luck.'

There is no way to know when or where a disaster will strike. The continent is vast. Small-scale disasters that are not mentioned in the game are still occurring somewhere.

'Even if it comes out in the game, it might get distorted.'

The ultimate goal is to end the disaster, but there is no immediate solution. The only thing that is directly meaningful is sending a sample of the parasite to the lab. The scope of an individual's hand is very limited.

But it will get better. It will get better.

So that the fence we have built with great effort does not collapse due to disastrous irrationality.

'Until then, I can't die because I feel wronged.'

Anyway, now is the time to take care of those around you.

Just as the Congress tries to protect the city in its own way.

'hmm.'

Kim Yi-hyun glanced at Chelsea, who was sitting in the passenger seat. She was resting her arm on the window frame and resting her chin on it. Her eyes, looking out at the scenery, clearly showed her excitement.

Chelsea immediately spoke, perhaps sensing someone's gaze.

"How do you think I should deal with it?"

"Your brother?"

"There's that one, and there's the other one too."

It seemed like he didn't want to call me father even if he died.

"How would I understand?"

I'm sorry, but I can't give you advice on this. It's not a matter of meddling in other people's family affairs or anything, but your own family relationships are a mess, so it's hard to give advice.

"Just do whatever you want."

"Is it right to help you?"

"If you want to help, then help."

"What if I get angry and kill you?"

"Then I will make sure that no one comes forward and cleans it up."

As always, the tone was calm. Chelsea knew it was clumsy encouragement.

"Heh. Thank you."

A deflated balloon-like laugh. Chelsea suddenly realized something. When she thought about it, she had never really received help from Kim Yi-hyun for her personal problems.

Of course, working at Dustbourne improved my quality of life - but it wasn't a blessing. Chelsea was a perfect craftsman from the start, and she knew how to take charge of her own life.

There was no reason to blindly treat Kim I-hyeon like Asterike. There was no debt of gratitude. The reason I bickered with him like a friend was probably because I unconsciously considered him to be an equal.

If this incident changed our relationship, I thought it would be a little disappointing.

and.

There was a person who kept his mouth shut and couldn't bring himself to join the conversation. It was trainee Leone. She was stuck between the president and the founding members, and she felt like she was sitting on a bed of thorns.

'Why am I here?'

When we first met, he even insisted on taking me with him. At that time, he had not yet realized the scale of Dustborn. Now, he knows the gap between them and himself.

I was in a position where I had to criticize,

So I followed along, no matter what.

'Ma, I can't speak.'

No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like a place for a mere trainee to fit in...

It was a time when Leone was restless in a mysterious atmosphere.

"We're almost there."

The base camp of the septic tank was just around the corner.