Chapter 44

Lab cafeteria.

There were glances at the outsiders as they finished their meal and walked out, said Turkam, the young agent who owned one of them.

“Is that person really helpful?”

Sitting across from him was Pablo, who had joined the company a few years earlier. Pablo took a mouthful of soup and looked at Turkam.

“I caught a glimpse of the training room the other day, and it’s kind of cool, and I don’t know why Mr. Ghost is sticking around to teach, and I feel like he’s doing something with Mr. Westcreek lately.”

“Are you an idiot, why are you teaching me to be strong in the first place?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…. I mean, is it worth it to him, because it’s a convention and all, and he’s not even in the lab.”

I turned the volume down, but not to the point of drowning out the rest of the group, who were eating at a nearby table.

The presence of an outside collaborator, seemingly out of nowhere, has been a major topic of conversation in the lab lately, especially with Kim. He’s being mentored directly by two elite agents.

“…… is doing that again.

Asterike stopped moving her fork to her mouth. Her eyes glanced toward Turkam, frustration and irritation evident in her expression.

Before Leila had a chance to make a good impression, the Celbrosics Labs fantasy was long gone in her.

After all, it’s where people live.

Sure, they’re nicer than the placental humans you’ve met, and they don’t have bad intentions, but not all of them have good roots like Leila.

He tended to ostracize Kim and his team for being “collaborators” rather than members of the lab.

‘Chelsea, he doesn’t seem to have a clue.

Sitting in front of Asterique, Chelsea didn’t care what anyone said, she just ate. Her jaw moved well, despite her usual fat face, and she seemed to be enjoying Rap’s meal.

“Although the rice is delicious.

Asterike had already finished her second bowl. That’s why she and Kim had come to the restaurant together, but left at different times.

But my appetite was gone. The gruff agent’s voice continued.

“Isn’t it possible that he might just suck the honeydew? Well, I’m sure he can handle it, but I’m a little concerned.”

“Huh. Why are you so worried?”

“Why, I’m an agent of the lab.”

Pablo shrugged it off.

“Okay. Say what you want, but try to keep it out of my earshot.”

“What’s the harm, you want to dive in?”

“I doubt it, given the nature of the strings. He won’t do anything to you.”

Still,” he adds.

“Be prepared. You could suddenly be called in on a dangerous operation… your reputation in the lab could drop like a stone.”

“What? Eh, but you’re supposed to be working with him, and you’re going to do something so nefarious?”

“You gave me a reason.”

Snorting, Pablo wiped the corner of his mouth with the personal towel he’d brought with him. Life in the labs was affluent, but not enough to justify the use of disposable tissues.

“He’s not the kind of asshole who laughs it off when a clueless asshole disrespects him. So watch your language, asshole.”

“…so saith the Lord.”

Pablo inwardly clicked his tongue at Turkam’s disgruntled response.

He was incoherent. I wonder if he even realizes what he’s talking about, and it’s a slap in the face to Leila and Ghost, who were helped by Hyun.

Pablo rose from his chair and glanced over. Asterike’s expression was quite rotten.

This was a bad sign.

“Never mind, it’s none of my business anyway.”

Chapter ended the conversation and walked away. He had no intention of playing Chuck with Kim. It was 10:0 in favor of Turkam, who was at fault for gossiping first.

Thank goodness for Pablo, who was worried about a crash, but Kim, who heard the story through Asterike, wasn’t too upset.

“Aha. Did that happen?”

I didn’t laugh it off like an idiot, as Pablo would say, but I didn’t take it to heart either. I thought it was a valid complaint.

“Shadow doors, snowfields… key information is not available to all agents.

Kushan said he kept the details to himself, Leila, and the elite agents. The chances of him lying were extremely low.

For most agents, then, the perception of Dustborn goes something like this. ‘We’re small, we have no publicly recognized status, but we’ll fight with you anyway’.

It’s hard to accept willingly. Maybe even some of the elite agents don’t like it.

“They’re the same people who talked shit to my professor.

In the game, there was a special situation where a ghost was sacrificed, but… it’s not a normal situation now. It’s just a sea of noise.

“You don’t care about strings?”

“I’m not in the best of moods. I’m human.”

The problem was that they weren’t lazy enough to hang out with each other. It’s a bit of a hassle to sneak around under Kushan’s radar.

“But it’ll calm down sooner or later.”

Kim speculated on the timing.

Five months after the battle in Metropolis. The time was fast approaching. If it hadn’t been pushed back, the main episode 3 would begin next month.

And just ahead of that, we have ‘Events’.

Soon, he’d have a chance to prove himself. Kim planned to use this event as a springboard to solve several problems.

* * *

The next day.

Kushan’s call brings him to the lab director’s office, where Leila and Professor Kim are waiting for him.

They exchanged a quick glance and sat down. A moment later, Kushan’s words flowed out of his mouth.

“A request has come in from the Kingdom of Vunes, which has trade relations with the Lab. They say there’s been a spate of ‘dangerous men’ near the border.”

“Dangerous water?”

When the professor looked confused, Leila interjected.

“Dangerous beasts are the specialty of the beast, whether they have some kind of ability, like a spellcaster, or they’re just big, either way they’re a threat.”

“Okay. They say there are eight of them so far. It seems to be more than the Kingdom of Vunes can handle.”

“That’s… odd… surely Shadow also controlled the beast with a spell, could the Legion be involved in this?”

“That will be our mission until we get to the bottom of this, and here’s the Chapter data from the Wohnes.”

A projector emitted light and printed the picture on a screen. The physical distance to the Kingdom of Wünes was close, and there was a strong electronic communication network with the lab.

The pictures were all taken from a distance, and the chapters were not very clear. But they were enough to convey the majesty of a dangerous beast that the kingdom of Buness was on high alert.

A Nepenthes as tall as a building. A black horse with flames clinging to its hooves. A wolf with four heads, each with a horn…….

Each one was a seemingly unbeatable beast. The Professor and Leila held their breath.

Kim was actually relieved.

“The lineup is the same.

It’s a common battle of attrition. This is where another important plot point comes in: the truth is only revealed when the players have forgotten about it.

He knew every detail of the event. Apparently, this part of the story hadn’t gone wrong.

Kushan’s eyes landed on Kim.

“We’re sending out four teams. One of them will include Dustborn. Is there a problem up to this point?”

“Not a problem, but who’s in command?”

“……I was going to put the three of you on the Professor or Ghost’s team, but didn’t you say you’d take orders in a pinch?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to tear you apart if you don’t want to listen to me, but I think the fact that you’re sending us here is a way to test us.”

Kushan grimaced and shut his mouth. It was as if he’d been hit on the head.

“I guess you’re right. So why don’t we just go ahead and get a team?”

“Mr. Hyun, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I won’t know until I get there. I’ll give you a call if I don’t get a quote.”

“Okay. We’ll do the same.”

Leila smiled wryly, liking the feeling of collaboration. The professor, on the other hand, was giving her a strange look.

“It’s been that way for a while.

I reunited with the professor a few days ago. We didn’t talk about anything in particular. We just exchanged the usual greetings.

We never had in-depth conversations, even when we saw each other in the middle of the day. I’d get things off my chest that I wanted to point out, and by the looks of it, she didn’t either.

This was also an issue that we would take care of before we got to the next episode.

“…If you say so, I understand, but three people would be too few, so we’ll have to draw from the reserves. How many do you need?”

“It’s about three people.”

“That’s about right.”

Kushan agreed, and then asked.

“We’ll give you the equipment you need for the mission. But don’t expect any support beyond that. We’ll have a backup team ready to go, but it’s just insurance in case you fail. Keep that in mind.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

Kim answered gravely, but inwardly smiled a smile of conversion. This was his chance to make a legitimate connection with the agents.

* * *

Operation Ashbelt.

The first event stage to open after the game’s launch. A warm-up event of sorts before the main Episode 3 update.

“We were all newbies, and we had to learn the hard way.

This was a time when the agent pool was not equally available to all players. There weren’t a lot of loaded characters to begin with.

In the meantime, you have to deal with eight dangerous beasts. Two in the east, two in the west, and two in the north and south, meaning you’re forced to roll four teams.

“We always manage to fill up to three teams… but the last team is often empty.

Kim was one of the players who struggled. He didn’t manage to capture it until the very end of the event.

But now?

“It’s only two.

Special armament to three stars. Chelsea and Asterique. Supplies and up to three spare agents.

It’s a condition that can’t fail. Unless something ridiculous happens, like Snowfield.

I had already decided who I wanted to take with me. When I invited them to join the ops team, citing orders from the director of the lab, they readily accepted.

“…… or something. What a combination.”

Turkam, a former driver.

“Woohoo, woohoo, I’m finally on this important mission…!”

Tatalia, a decrepit rifleman who averages 7 out of 20 shots in live fire.

“Pooh, pooh-hee-tchoy!”

Shay, a test with an unusual condition that causes her to sneeze when she gets nervous.

The Ganodab Trio, as the players call them. A trio of shitty performers in the game.

I was very happy with the arrangement.