NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21
Chapter 21
After sharing the contents of the manual with the two, a heavy silence fell over them.
“…First, don’t nod your head.”
At my words, Yu Da On attempted to nod but quickly pressed her cheeks with both hands.
“If we look at it, it seems odd, right?”
“…Right now, that’s correct.”
“…But,”
Jang Chae Yeon looked at us with a serious expression.
“What if this is a lie?”
“A lie… So you’re saying, what if the odd number being correct is a lie?”
Jang Chae Yeon nodded.
That wasn’t incorrect.
“It won’t be a lie.”
“Really?”
“To doubt even that would just lead to exhaustion.”
If we doubt every little thing and ponder it over, we wouldn’t reach any conclusion.
“…Alright.”
Jang Chae Yeon nodded slowly.
“Then, we should assume the odd number is correct and talk, right?”
“Exactly.”
Yu Da On, who had been observing the manual intently, looked at me.
“So, the talking part…”
“Kim Jae Heon should do it.”
“You should.”
The two spoke in unison.
“…I guess so.”
Well, I suppose if not me, then who else?
Yu Da On?
I don’t think she would falter, but she might end up blabbering something unnecessary.
Jang Chae Yeon?
She might suddenly say ‘sorry’ while using her telekinesis to knock someone out.
In other words, by the process of elimination, I was the only one who could speak.
I wonder if someday, when the Human Resources Team expands, a white horse-riding hero could come and speak for me too?
Doesn’t seem likely.
“First, let’s come up with a plan before going in.”
I traced a line through the even sections of the manual.
“If we only look at the odd sections, it goes like this.”
[Head left through the door ahead.]
[If something is asleep, move quietly. If it's awake, converse, but don’t let it know you're human.]
“Looks like two rules.”
“Isn’t that a bit few?”
“Hmm… it should be fine.”
For instance, it could mean there’s enough information to solve things, or conversely, it’s been vaguely noted down, having no substantial help regardless of the information available. I already felt like the information was being controlled to some extent.
But if my ominous feeling was right, it certainly didn’t seem easy.
“…Let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t we think about what to say?”
“Since we don’t even know who our opponent is.”
I was carrying a five-page script, but what if communication fails and I have to convey it through body language to prove I’m human?
Let’s at least try to get a grasp on what to do.
“If things go south, we have to prepare for a fight.”
“Are you saying we’ll fight?”
“If I make a blunder and it goes sideways, well… should I prepare for combat?”
“Leave that part to me.”
Jang Chae Yeon raised her hand.
“I’ll try to protect you no matter what.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll fight too, if possible.”
Yu Da On raised her hand as well.
Indeed, they were better than me in combat.
“Well… I suppose I’ll just roll my eyes.”
With no critical status, what could I do?
I might as well grab some popcorn.
After a brief strategy meeting, I looked around to see if there was anything useful nearby.
Same room structure as before. The unsettling red lighting and even the rusty chairs were still there.
If this were a game, it felt like I was in a lobby.
A lobby that looks exactly the same every time after clearing a stage.
“…”
Ultimately, there was no point in staying like this.
And who knows? Perhaps we could just easily pass by if someone was deep in sleep. I can’t know until I open the lid.
I looked at the left door.
Once again, a plain wooden door.
“…I’m going in.”
At my words, the two nodded.
“Don’t worry too much. If things go bad, we’ll just fight.”
“Right! We’ll manage somehow!”
Seeing them show confidence made me a bit more relaxed.
Yeah, if things go south, we’ll just fight.
With a bang, I kicked the door open.
It was the operating room.
A typical operating room that could easily be utilized in a horror movie cliché.
Dark dried blood stains were splattered around, with fresh blood splatters scattered haphazardly.
In the middle of it all, there were people dressed in green surgical scrubs.
As I turned my gaze to the right, a blood-stained pistol caught my eye.
If the manual was correct, this pistol was a trap.
But… if it could recover critical, it might be a tempting choice.
However, the thought just lingered briefly.
In a situation where I lacked critical, picking up a gun wouldn’t mean much to me.
And what about those people? We might be able to push through by fighting if it came to that.
Just by looking at how they looked, I felt like Jang Chae Yeon could easily take them out with a quick jab.
“Are you a patient?”
While hope was swelling, a voice came from above, pulling my gaze slowly to the ceiling.
Its limbs were abnormally long for a human, and where fingers should be, scalpels were attached.
Yet it wore surgical scrubs, so was it human after all?
But still, its spider-like crawling across the ceiling felt far from human.
“…Excuse me. I can’t see quite well.”
It spoke in an unnecessarily gentle tone and then stuck out its tongue before opening its eyes.
Where there should have been eyes, only two empty holes stared back.
Then, a translucent window appeared above its head.
[Name: The Yearning for Humanity]
[Age: Created approximately 30 years ago.]
[Traits: – ]
[Talents: Surgery]
[Background: For a long time, it lived as a toy and lost its humanity. Because of that, it yearns for humanity.]
[Weakness: In the worst-case scenario, scratch it with all your might. With luck, you might find a way out.]
Scratch it?
What does that mean? Are they literally saying to scratch with hands, or are they suggesting scratching verbally?
I tucked the weakness into my mind and cleared my throat a few times before responding to it.
“What do you mean by patient? We just came to look around for a moment.”
“Ho ho.”
It laughed with the same gentle voice.
“Well, normally one may not know if they are sick or not. Shall we check?”
It lightly floated down, passing me, Yu Da On, and Jang Chae Yeon, reaching for the pistol.
“…You haven’t touched the gun?”
Surprise filled its voice.
“Humans typically reach for the gun in such situations.”
It was a trap after all.
Should I claim ignorance about the gun or say that I do know about it?
Let’s think about what my character will be.
Something I can confidently portray while still sounding human.
“…I’m human yet not human.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m currently just following my mother’s orders.”
“Mother?”
“…We are a collective and follow a single will. All of this is the will of our Mother, and we exist solely for her desires, mere beings.”
I continued in a solemn voice.
Yu Da On looked at me with a face of disbelief.
Of course, she knew I was imitating information about a containment object.
Not only did she know well, but she had been directly possessed herself.
“…You are wearing human skin?”
A sense of reverence leaked from its voice.
“Of course. Unfortunately, humans are thriving here at present.”
“That’s true. You are indeed wise.”
It nodded repeatedly.
“If that’s the case, there’s no reason to use firearms. I understand.”
It nodded in satisfied agreement.
“I apologize. I had my suspicions for a moment. What brings you here?”
The reason we’re here.
Were we lost? Saying we got lost while claiming to be a child of the Mother would make us sound foolish.
What should I say?
After a moment of contemplation, I recalled the explanation on group psychology I saw in the last room.
“Don’t you also have a mother?”
“Mother?”
“Excuse me, should I say, a master in your terms?”
It hesitated.
“…Do you wish to meet that person?”
A slight metallic tone began to seep into its voice.
Did I touch a nerve?
But the dice had already been rolled.
“Indeed, our Mother hopes to have… a good relationship with them.”
“…Does your Mother know what kind of person that is?”
The metallic tone in its voice grew stronger.
Yu Da On naturally positioned herself in front of me, while Jang Chae Yeon stood by my side and raised her right hand.
It was the determination to be ready to fight if necessary.
“Maybe she doesn’t. That’s why we wish to know.”
“Your Mother seems quite curious.”
“I am but a humble servant of my mother; I question not her will.”
“That is intriguing.”
It soon turned its face toward me.
“But just now, our master said that the being contained in the Gangseo Branch has passed away.”
“…”
“Please tell me. Who are you? Could it be, a human?”
How on earth did it figure that out?
I stepped back a few paces.
I began to think about whatever ‘something’ might be behind this.
This monster, along with the bands of humans I had seen earlier, both shared a commonality.
Despite only having encountered two containment objects, the commonality was that they used people as sacrifices.
They captured people to use as experiment subjects and appeared to treat humans solely as sacrifices.
One could sense a powerful will behind it, as if someone desired to use only humans as toys.
And, they also knew about the Management Agency.
Their knowledge extended beyond familiarity; they even seemed to know about incidents that had happened just a week ago.
In other words, they either had a very high level of understanding regarding humans…
“Or they are human themselves.”
I mumbled that, and at that moment, a translucent window appeared before me.
[Understanding about ??? has increased.]
[Unlocking information about the Basement.]
[Name: Basement]
[Age: – ]
[Traits: Repeating]
[Talents: – ]
[Background: Why do madmen who wish to create art as humans exist everywhere? A person who blames their lack of aesthetic sensibility on their material will never achieve greatness, but they still set up a workshop to prove their own arrogance.]
[Weakness: This space will disappear with the master’s demise.]
[Critical: 0->1]
“…”
I stared at the window quietly.
Everything looked fine, but why did the description seem so personal?
However, before contemplating this, there was something I needed to do first.
I gestured to Jang Chae Yeon, and understanding my intent, she reached for the pistol.
Soon, the pistol was drawn into my hand.
“Prepare for battle.”
Now that I had gained critical status, it was time to return as a sub-dealer.