Chapter 159

The man walked, humming a tune to himself.

As he swept his hair back with both hands, the shaggy mess he had a moment ago transformed into a neat style.

His eyes, now clearly visible, were narrow like a snake’s, and his ears were cluttered with a chaotic array of piercings.

There was an air of arrogance in his light footsteps.

Walking down the dark corridor, the man licked his lips and gave a sly smile.

Then, he followed the faint sound of a violin melody.

The moment he opened the door, a classical horseshoe shaped opera house appeared.

The seats were filled with an audience, yet it was so silent that not even a breath could be heard.

On the stage, bathed in a spotlight, a woman was playing the violin.

Wearing a black dress and a hat with a short birdcage veil, her complexion was as pale as a widow’s at a funeral.

Under the white light, the woman pressed the fingerboard with precise movements and drew the bow across the strings.

The piece she played on a Guarneri crafted in the 1700s was Bach’s Chaconne.

The Chaconne was a difficult piece that demanded extreme technique from a violinist.

Yet, even amidst the suffocating harmonies, the woman remained perfectly serene.

A grand melody continued, so magnificent it was hard to believe it was produced by a single violin.

Despite the flawless performance, there were no cheers or applause from the audience.

For the dead have no voice.

The man smiled as he watched the performer.

He wondered what had displeased her to make her create such a hellscape in such a short time.

And yet, look at how neatly she had arranged them.

Those whose eyes and hearts had been ripped out were tidily organized, sitting in their seats.

The blood flowing from them soaked the floor in a thick, viscous pool.

The culprit who had created this scene was playing the violin in solitary nobility.

However, for today, she did not play until the end.

Normally, she would have ignored everything until the piece was finished, but now, the man had returned with the news she had been waiting for.

Lowering the bow, she asked,

"How was it?"

"Absolutely top. tier."

For a moment, emotion seeped into the woman’s expressionless, corpse like face.

As she showed a look of surprise, the man suddenly shouted,

"Ah, I want to show you right now!"

The long shadow stretching behind him twisted and bulged.

The shadow grew menacingly, as if something were about to burst out, covering the floor.

The man strode down the stairs.

With every step on the blood-soaked floor, a squelching sound echoed.

Leaping nimbly onto the stage, he spread his arms wide and shouted like an opera actor.

"Everyone will love it. All of us!"

The woman, staring silently, asked back,

"The Boss too?"

"Yeah. Definitely."

The man grinned and looked at the woman.

A smile began to bloom very slowly on her previously void expression.

With eyes burning with a thrill for the first time in a long while, she whispered affectionately,

"I wonder when he’ll bring them. He said not yet, but... I want to see them soon, too."

Approaching the woman, the man wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

After licking the blood-stained finger, he pulled his sleeve and tapped her lips to finish wiping them.

The woman smiled brightly with her reamserrensere

The woman smiled brightly with her red lips and said,

"Let’s tell the Boss."

"What, is the Boss back?"

"He’s sleeping."

The man rubbed his neck in delight.

"I’lI have to wake him up and tell him."

Tattoos that hadn’t been visible until then appeared on his skin.

The tattoos, neatly engraved vertically on the man’s neck, were clearly revealed under the stage lights.

The same mark was engraved on the wrist of the woman holding the violin bow.

Golden Heaven.

Those who bore the mark of the Golden Heaven looked at each other and smiled joyfully.

It was a moment of anticipation for the day they would engrave the mark upon a new friend.

***

- This is Geumcheon.

"Geumcheon entered the Era Administration Office as a trainee?"

- It was not through legal procedures.

As soon as I mentioned the Angel Wings to Samra, he immediately guessed the mastermind.

Samra had already warned the Era Administration Office about Geumcheon’s approach.

However, the ones executing Samra’s words were ultimately humans.

Gaps were bound to occur.

Despite keeping a close eye on Geumcheon, such a thing had happened after all.

Perhaps because my safety had been compromised, Samra seemed slightly angry.

He looked as if he wanted to put me in a capsule or surround me with a robot army.

Still, he didn’t say those things directly; he only explained the methods and items used by Angel Wings.

Angel Wings primarily used a method of appearing in the gap just before entering a Trial and disappearing immediately after clearing it.

Furthermore, he possessed an item that caused real-time memory distortion, making people unable to remember him even if they were in the same space.

In fact, Angel Wings had even detonated popping candy bombs in front of the trainees, but no one except me remembered him.

Samra brought up a man’s image on the screen.

- This is one of Geumcheon’s key executives.

I looked at the screen with unfamiliar eyes.

To think this man was Angel Wings...

At a glance, there were similarities, but the vibe was completely different.

The ears full of piercings and the Hanja tattoo on the neck were entirely foreign.

I didn’t know much about Geumcheon.

While there were mentions of Geumcheon while playing the Archive game, they never appeared specifically in the game or as NPCS.

At the time, I hadn’t thought deeply about why Geumcheon didn’t appear.

I just assumed they would show up eventually if I kept playing.

However, until the day the broadcast ended, there was no game where Geumcheon appeared as a main entity.

The creator must have intentionally limited that information.

Wanting to show me only the good parts, he likely wanted to hide Geumcheon’s cruelty.

- It might be safer to remain inside the Trials for the time being.

I agreed with Samra’s suggestion.

I had to enter the Trials anyway because of the Epic Quest.

However, I felt a bit disappointed that I had only just begun my formal trainee education.

- I will make arrangements so that you can receive trainee education separately.

I was slightly surprised.

He had spoken as if reading my mind, even though I hadn’t said a word.

While I was admiring the technological advancement of androids, Samra also mentioned that he would narrow down a list of candidate Trials of three-star rank or higher for me to enter.

Then, he brought up another topic.

- The Asset Management Division has requested cooperation regarding the clear items from < Hop Drop Pop >.

Until now, all the items I obtained by closing Trials were bound types that only I could use.

But this time, I cleared Hop Drop Pop with a Normal Ending.

Since it wasn’t a True Ending, it seemed they contacted me thinking they could finally receive items from me.

Because I had added a clause when signing the new contract with the Era Administration Office, items I obtained from Trials were basically my property.

The Asset Division had no authority to forcibly take them.

They were likely asking just in case.

I had no intention of giving them away, but I pretended to check the Orca Plushie Headband in my inventory.

But then, I discovered a genuine reason why I couldn’t give it.

"Uh... Samra, it seems this item is also bound."

- Is it an item related to emotions?

"No, it’s not."

Another exception had occurred.

Light flickered in Samra’s eyes as he began calculations.

I recalled the knowledge about items I had newly acquired during my training with Mo Hae-in.

When checking low-rank items through the system window, the usage was mostly explained intuitively.

Conversely, the higher the rank of the item, the more ambiguous the description, leaving more room for interpretation.

While this wasn’t a rule applicable to all items, it was generally the case.

For example, for an item like the Great Sun Tabatha, the usage isn’t clearly stated even after reading the description.

In such cases, the compatible user must figure out for themselves how to use the item.

Additionally, there were cases where the item’s ability changed depending on the compatible user, or in very rare instances, evolved.

Continuous and active research was being conducted on the possibilities of Trial items.

The items I received from NPCs had intuitive usage descriptions.

However, they possessed a special rarity in that there had never been a case where an item related to emotions was discovered.

’The Orca Plushie Headband from Hop Drop Pop isn’t an emotion item, but...’

I wondered if it was bound because it was an item created specifically for me.

Since I had taken it out of the inventory, I tried wearing the headband for a moment and noticed Samra’s pupils moving busily.

’Does he even record this?’

Anyway, nothing particular happened when I wore the headband outside the Trial.

I put the headband back in the inventory and examined the items I possessed.

Items bought with event star fragments at the Galactic Trading Post were tucked away in a corner.

And from the Happy Smile Candy to the Orca Band, I saw the items I had received from NPCs.

I had just been collecting them all.

Because the usage ’makes one feel emotions’ was ambiguous and seemed dangerous, I hadn’t dared to use them.

But now, I thought it might be okay.

After all, I had grown a bit.

I decided I should try using the items soon.

After the conversation with Samra, I left work quite late.

By the time I came out after clearing Hop Drop Pop, the clock had already passed quitting time.

I had secretly hoped I could leave with the Captains, but both were frantically busy.

I had no choice but to go home alone.

Still, being alone at home wasn’t a bad situation.

Because there was something I had to do.

After finishing my shower, I dried my hair roughly and sat on the bed.

Then, I made an interstellar call to Black Block, with the receiver paying.

The excuse was to ask what kind of food he liked before cooking for him.

Of course, there was another real purpose. It was Sa Gong-yeon.

My plan was to ask to be connected to Sa Gong-yeon, Black Block’s subordinate, and dig for information about Geumcheon.

For what purpose did Geumcheon approach me?

If they simply intended to sell me somewhere, there was no reason for an executive to go through the trouble of pretending to be a trainee to approach me.

It wasn’t a kidnapping; at best, it was just a probe, and thanks to that, our side’s vigilance only increased.

Geumcheon must have anticipated this future, yet they still sent an executive to meet me.

As if they were trying to confirm something.

I started to think that they might not view me simply as a being with monetary value.

Since this kind of thing is information that cannot be objectively digitized, it was difficult for Samra to find out.

So, I tried to dig into Sa Gong-yeon.

No matter how long I waited, Black Block did not answer the call.

Since he had been watching Hop Drop Pop, I thought he would pick up immediately.

’Wasn’t he an unemployed alien?’

It was suspicious to just brush it off as him being busy, given his track record.

Since I couldn’t force him to take the call, I just gave up.

Then, I opened my phone and replied to a message.

***

Director Pa Seong Mok-sae-hwa: The CEO is asking when you will start the dispatch contract. Would this month be alright?

Director Pa Seong Mok-sae-hwa: And did you enjoy your trainee education, Goyo-nim? I m just curious haha

Me: Yes, this month is fine. If you let me know, I’ll adjust my schedule.

Me: The trainee practice ended safely.

Director Pa Seong Mok-sae-hwa: If it was practice, it must have been Hop Drop Pop! I bet Goyo-nim became the Sugar Champion, right?

Me: Yes. I finished in first place.

***

After sending the reply, I looked through the messages I had exchanged with Mok-sae-hwa.

After asking Mok-sae-hwa about CEO Cha’s condition a while back, I had started messaging her sporadically.

Mostly, Mok-sae-hwa would ask about my daily well-being, but occasionally she would convey words from CEO Cha.

When I said I was receiving trainee education, she asked why I was doing something useless.

Naturally, when Mok-sae-hwa conveyed it to me, she changed it into elegant expressions.

I had simply guessed what CEO Cha would have said.

I could almost hear CEO Cha’s sarcastic voice in my ear, so there was no way I wouldn’t know.

Just then, a new message arrived.

***

SGY: Lamb-nim! Sa Gong-yeon from Day News...

***

As soon as I saw the sentence in the preview, I frowned.

I stared at the screen for a moment before clicking the message to check it.z

***

SGY: Lamb-nim! This is Sa Gong-yeon from Day News.

SGY: I have watched your recent achievements with great joy.

SGY: As a fan, I truly wish to be of help to Lamb-nim.

SGY: If it is something that happens within the universe, I can provide any information you desire.

SGY: Actually, I want to just give it to you, but since a sponsorship contract hasn’t been signed with my Master...

SGY: Since you likely still have no intention of a sponsorship contract, instead, in exchange for the information, I would like to request Lamb-nim to clear a Trial.

SGY: If you clear <City of Flame>, I will give you the information you want.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

It was a message that didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was watching me in real-time.

Moreover, wasn’t this too blatantly suspicious? It wasn’t easy to get caught up in this.

I simply ignored Sa Gong-yeon’s message.

But the next morning at dawn.

- Han Goyo-ssi. The entry of the Special Mission Team is required.

Samra notified me of an emergency.

- Due to a sudden surge in BT levels, a situation has occurred where the Trial will explode within 24 hours.

Samra’s following words were exactly as I expected.

- The name of the Trial is < City of Flame >.