Chapter 62

Eighth floor of the lab basement.
The lowest level, this was a low-traffic area. It’s not that no one comes in or out, but there are very few people coming and going.
The secrets of the Cellbrox Labs, the traces of human testing that shouldn’t have been made public, these are not hidden. Kushan is not a shadowy figure.
The reason is simpler.
The first, because I just don’t have anything to do. And the second.
‘It’s fucking hot…….’
When Kim reached the bottom floor for the first time, he was barely able to contain his excitement. He hadn’t even been out of the elevator for a minute when he broke out in a cold sweat.
The furnace was responsible for the absurdly high heat. The eighth floor is a crafting workshop that takes up an entire floor. The concept of a crafting shop is essential to the game.
“Why did he call me?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t get it either!”
Her companion was Tatalia, a retired rifleman. She was the one who brought the news. A call from Tamtam, the owner of the crafting workshop.
“But how did you get fired anyway?”
“Actually, here’s what happened…….”
Cheers!
“…so, I thought I’d…….”
Bang, bang!
Conversation was hard to hear over the din. Furnaces humming, iron striking, metal melting. Just walking through the space was like walking through a ceiling of discomfort.
“Forget it. Let’s just go.”
“Yep.”
There were no more than 10 people on the eighth floor of the basement. It’s a small number, but they weren’t understaffed. From the beginning, the workshop was a half-heartedly run facility.
From crafting weapons and quest items to maintaining the agents’ equipment. Despite the staggering workload, Tam Tam never missed a minute of his schedule.
In fact, it’s often very successful. There isn’t a single user who doesn’t owe her a favor. The general consensus is that when she goes on strike, the rap is ruined.
The amazing woman was in the middle of sucking on a cigarette.
“Oh, hey, you’re here. You must be Hyun, right?”
Chelsea’s hair is as loosely tied up as she is. His blue hair and eyes are striking. Her baggy T-shirt has a picture of a rabbit on it.
“Wow, the real thing is better than the video!”
“What video?”
“I’ve seen your operation history.”
He stretches his hand high and hits her back. He was so short that he had to stand on his head to reach Kim’s back. Tam Tam was a typical hill tribe engineer.
“…… Okay, but can you put out the cigarette?”
“Huh? Oh, that’s awkward?”
“I wouldn’t say uncomfortable, but, um.”
The outward appearance of the man revealed his Zen-like temperament. I wonder if Kim Yi Hyun recognized the meaning in his gaze. Tam Tam said with a hint of plasticity.
“I’m at least 10 years older than you, asshole.”
“Hmm….”
“Okay, okay, you’re being picky.”
Ew, and smoked a cigarette against the wall. I couldn’t shake the feeling of crime.
And on a separate note, Kim was uncomfortable with Tamtam. There was something about her that made it hard to like her, even while recognizing her hard work.
It was “that line” that still rings in my ears.
– Ack, I dozed off…!
– Haha, bad luck. I’ll do better next time.
– Oops, my hand slipped!
This is a randomized script that appears when a reinforcement fails.
There was malice in every line, no matter how you slice it. The community would talk about her as a “crazy bitch who relieves stress by destroying other people’s equipment when she’s bored.
“How many did this bitch break…?
There are many times I’ve thought I’d like to slap him, and here we are. Kim’s biceps, now thicker than before, twitched.
“What’s up, you. Are you sick?”
The eyes looking up were innocent. A look of pure concern.
Kim fought back her Chapter inwardly. I’m crazy. Let the game be a game. If you act like a jerk here, you’ll only make yourself look like a jerk.
“Nothing, more like you found me, and for what?”
“Didn’t Kushan tell you?”
“I didn’t really say anything.”
“Eh, the surprise bottle. Hold on a second.”
Tam Tam slid down from her chair, making an “ouch” sound with her mouth. She disappeared into the back of the break room and returned less than 30 seconds later. Clutching something elongated in her arms.
“Here. Take it.”
The object handed to him was a knife.
A straight sword with a single hilt and handle. The design had a futuristic feel to it, as opposed to the old-fashioned swords Snowfield was used to wielding.
“Why would you do this to me?”
“I was ordered by Kushan to build you a weapon you could use, so I looked at your operational logs… Ugh, I’m sore after all these years of fictional day maintenance.”
I was not convinced by his explanation. His expression showed his doubt.
“You’re thinking, “Well, that’s not much use, because you could just make it a spell.”
Correct.
In fact, Kim had never been caught without a weapon on hand. Specialized weapons were generally first-rate. One- and two-star equipment was better than a mere bayonet.
Tamtam explained to him.
“I think it’s for show.”
“Show me?”
“Yeah. It’s intimidating to have it on your back or around your waist, isn’t it? You’ll need to negotiate that sometimes when you’re active. Besides, there are situations where you don’t need to spell.”
Or, there will be situations where you can’t,” she adds.
I’m nodding my head at this point. I can also think of a way to exploit an enemy’s weakness by intentionally exposing the sword. The conspicuousness factor is a plus.
It’s simple, but it’s a blind spot I hadn’t realized until now.
‘I didn’t expect Kushan to be so accommodating.
In a way, it was like Kushan. I’m not the type of person who gets all flustered when I give things away, so I have to be grateful when they give me free stuff left and right.
“Pull it out. Swing it and see.”
True to Tam Tam’s word, I pulled it out of the scabbard and the blade appeared. The color is gray, almost black. It was perhaps fifty centimeters long, with no ornate engravings.
I liked the simplicity of the design, which seemed to be focused on performance. The only thing that stood out was the border between the hilt and the handle, which had a small square piece sticking out.
“This?”
“Batteries. Super-vibrating cutter, vibroblade… call it whatever you want. It’s what it is. Don’t complain about the short runtime. It’s better than nothing, right?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I’ve heard that plasma cutters and other such tools exist in the real world, but seeing them in the form of a sword suddenly gave me a sci-fi sensation.
“A game is a game is a game.
It’s not even close to realistic. Even the civilization balance of the nations is off. I remember seeing equipment similar to this on billboards when I lived in Kilikia.
“That’s a little light. Maybe it needs to be adjusted.”
“This is serious for show.”
“Of course. I’m a craftsman, I have pride.”
Tam Tam watched Kim carefully as he held the sword. He even squatted down and tilted his head to get a better angle.
“I didn’t make this for nothing. Do you have any idea how much blood, sweat, and effort I put into this thing?”
“I don’t know about that… I’ll put it to good use. Thank you.”
“Make sure you write well. You, I’m going to inspect it. Just make sure you don’t mismanage it, okay?”
He’s persistent. But I was able to accept a few words from him without any arguments. Receiving the goodies made me feel a little better about Tam Tam.
About three, to be exact. The resentment of the ex-employer who had stolen two months’ salary ran deep.
* * *
Day 3 after returning to the lab, daytime.
I have not yet met with the professors. They have not returned so far from the Republic of Salares, where they went on a mission.
Originally, the main episode 3 was going to be about a month long in writing time. If all went well, we’d still need three weeks.
“What was the scenario damage rate?
He doesn’t remember them all. The messages that sometimes appeared in front of him were seriously unfriendly, appearing and disappearing at will. Even the logs were impossible to check.
“Well, it’s broken anyway, so it must be something different.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. But he also recognizes that over-intervention can be poisonous. He needs to gain experience, just as you need to grow.
There’s no guarantee that things will change for the worse. If anything, the difficulty is simplified by the fact that you’re likely to have to deal with the unexpected departure of executives.
“The episode with Shedore and Snowfield has already been aired.
In the case of Shadows, the character’s own narrative takes center stage, and Snowfield is in many ways a one-of-a-kind individual, with the exception of her special “godmother.
This means it’s hard to replace them with other characters. You can’t just swap out the boss like you could with Kilikia.
“Now the question is that part.
As he walked, lost in thought, he spotted a figure in the stairwell. It was Asterique coming up the stairs.
“Ah, strings… ha ha.”
Your nostrils flare and you yawn. It’s almost mid-afternoon, and my hair is all over the place. At least it wasn’t my pajamas.
“…… seems to have made life a lot easier over there.”
“I’m good at adapting anywhere, which is important for survival.”
“Yeah. He could sleep in a warehouse with the door open.”
“There was a time when…….”
The wistful look on his face was unnecessarily funny. Kim walked over and straightened her outfit, and I couldn’t help but touch the strings of her hoodie that were hanging down her back.
“Why are you wearing your hat backwards?
It was hard to look away from the unpainted figure. At least it was humanized, and when it dropped, Asterike’s confused face was immediately visible.
“Smile for a job well done. Let’s look in the mirror.”
“See?”
“But this is…?”
Maybe it’s a matter of aesthetics, maybe the unorganized style is all the rage among the Pekatums, like vintage or nudmirabshi….
It was a time of serious consideration.
“Hey, Hyun, what are you doing today? Where are you going?”
They’ve already decided they’re going to act together. The old squirmy days are gone, but they’ve become quite brazen. Out for a nap, Asterique was making the most of her vacation.
But Kim’s vacation was short-lived.
“I can’t today. I have somewhere to go.”
“Huh? Where?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back.”
I told him to look away and got on the elevator.
The destination is the ground. After leaving the lab, Kim walked the same path he had just traveled to reach the helipad.
“…There you are, are you sure you want to leave?”
The helicopter stopped at an airfield. The pilot asked nervously.
“We have permission, is there a problem?”
“No, it’s not a problem.”
The pilot rubbed my neck in embarrassment. The two of us were the only people on the airfield, and there wasn’t a nose in sight, meaning Kim had chartered the flight.
“I don’t know if I can do this.
For fear of damage, the lab rarely uses helicopters. For the Atlanta infiltration, it was only necessary due to the distance.
Given that, this was an anomaly.
Kim, who wasn’t even a member of the lab, was granted sole use. Not only was this unprecedented, but so was the destination.
“I’m not sure what the warden thinks.
The pilot shook his head. It didn’t matter, his job at the lab was to move people and supplies safely and quickly.
“Get in, I’ll take you to the border.”
Our next stop is Bastitera.
The Mutant Race, the Holy Land of Pekatum.