Mo Hae-in looked up at the person encased within the glass pillar.
It was an unfamiliar experience.
It was because she had always been the one asleep.
Whenever she opened her eyes, Ham Ji-wol was always recording data, and occasionally Kwak Han-mook was there with them.
Entering the trial, surviving, entering again, surviving again.
Whenever a moment came where she felt she couldn’t hold on, she would fall asleep and then wake up.
And then the cycle repeated. It was a monotonous life, to say the least.
She lived clinging to the hope that if she continued to enter trials like this, she might one day find a way to close them.
Though she knew full well it was a futile endeavor, she didn’t let go.
She believed that since nothing would change even if she let go, she might as well hold on.
And then, a meteor named Han Goyo crashed into that life.
After staring up at the glass pillar for a long time, Mo Hae-in lowered her head.
She took a light breath in, exhaled, and then looked back.
Je Hyeon-oh, Kwak Han-mook, and Samra.
They were all still lingering in the laboratory where the glass pillar stood.
The directors of Pasung had decided to wait in the immediate vicinity of the Trial Response Agency until 72 hours had passed.
They were finally sent out.
They hadn’t been willing to leave quietly, and it was only after signing contracts exclusive to "Subordinates" that they left.
Ham Ji-wol was currently wandering the research department area with eyes flashing like a zombie, but Samra had sealed the entrance to prevent him from entering this specific room.
As for the Special Task Team, it was a situation where one or two members could be absent until the promised three days were up.
Yet, none of them could leave this place; they remained rooted in front of the glass pillar.
Samra could handle his duties from anywhere, but for Je Hyeon-oh, who needed to enter the trials, it was a different story.
The loss incurred by him simply staying here could not be quantified in monetary terms.
The same applied to Mo Hae-in and Kwak Han-mook, so the Agency tried their best to get them to move.
However, the attempts at persuasion didn’t last long.
As soon as Je Hyeon-oh fluttered his metallic wings a couple of times, everyone who had come to "persuade" them fled.
Surprisingly, Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon did not step forward, seemingly judging that it was best not to provoke Je Hyeon-oh any further.
Once the commotion settled, only the Special Task Team remained.
In the ensuing silence, Kwak Han-mook flopped down onto the floor.
He ruffled his hair messily and asked Je Hyeon-oh.
"How the hell did we get out?"
Clink, clatter.
The sound of metallic wings folding echoed.
Having hidden his wings, Je Hyeon-oh answered while clicking his metallic fingers.
"Thanks to the efforts of Trainee Han."
"Lieutenant Colonel... Han Goyo has just been declared dead, and that’s all you have to say?"
Kwak Han-mook asked back in a somewhat fierce tone, but Je Hyeon-oh did not respond.
Mo Hae-in carefully observed the silent Je Hyeon-oh.
She knew well that he was the type of person who didn’t say things he didn’t feel the need to say.
The Agency also left him be, not asking the things they should have asked.
He was a being who always existed on a precarious boundary.
Everyone took extreme care not to accidentally trigger him, but even when left alone, Je Hyeon-oh occasionally showed signs of his "condition" flaring up.
Right now, he might have just fallen silent due to a psychotic episode, but it felt slightly different.
It felt as if he were intentionally hiding something.
But for what? There was no need to hide anything even after reaching this situation.
It didn’t feel like a flare-up either; Je Hyeon-oh looked to be in much better condition than usual.
Just as she was glaring at him to discern his intentions, Samra interrupted.
"I have received a report from First Lieutenant Won Tae-beom regarding the specific circumstances within the trial."
Kwak Han-mook and Mo Hae- in looked at Samra simultaneously.
Samra had given up on Je Hyeon-oh long ago and had been contacting Won Tae-beom.
"However, it was a report significantly lacking in objectivity and credibility. Captain Kwak Han-mook. Please report the parts you remember."
Won Tae-beom was rambling...? Even though it was Samra speaking, it was hard to believe.
’He did seem to be in a strange state earlier!’
While Mo Hae-in briefly thought of Won Tae-beom, Kwak Han-mook still hadn’t begun his report.
It was unlike him.
He finally started reporting, but even that was not clear.
While reporting the final situation, his speech broke several times.
"How the hell did he deal with that tentacle bastard...."
Kwak Han-mook muttered, his brow furrowing.
"It was similar to the thing inside me."
"...!"
Mo Hae-in knew why Kwak Han-mook had those tattoos.
However, she only knew that some transcendental being was imprisoned within him; she didn’t know exactly what it was.
This was because Kwak Han-mook had never told anyone.
Samra’s eyes flashed even more brilliantly.
He spoke with eyes flashing so intensely that one might wonder if he was overloading.
"Prior to entering this trial, Mr. Han Goyo defined himself as the ’System’ during a conversation with Captain Kwak."
Since they had been carrying electronic devices at the time, the conversation had been transmitted intact to Samra.
Hearing those words, the parts that had been strange until now became somewhat understandable to Mo Hae-in.
The abilities Han Go-yo had showered upon the Special Task Team during the boss fight of the S2P also seemed entirely possible if he were the System.
However, Samra was formulating a different hypothesis.
"Yet, many parts remain unexplained. Captain Kwak Han-mook. Was the prediction that he would revive after 72 hours something Mr. Han Goyo conveyed using his abilities?"
"...Yeah."
"Confirmed."
The holographic light in his eyes, which had been flashing continuously, slowly subsided.
As if he had finished his calculations.
"Synthesizing all current situations, and considering the abilities possessed by Mr. Han Goyo and the fact that he can interfere with the trials and subordinates... the definition of a ’transcendental being’ is inappropriate. The most appropriate definition for Mr. Han Goyo is..."
With eyes holding only a faint glow, Samra declared.
"A God."
A chilling silence enveloped the laboratory.
God...?
The word was so distant that Mo Hae-in was left speechless.
But Samra’s statement wasn’t over yet.
’If Mr. Han Goyo truly revives, we will have no choice but to fully confirm him as a God."
Samra concluded firmly.
"This is a judgment rendered as Samra-Mansang."
At that moment, Mo Hae- in felt a surge of emotion.
It was a rejection of something incomprehensible to a human.
In truth, the idea of being the "System" was also hard to accept, but it didn’t feel entirely alien.
Because the System was something they always encountered upon entering a trial.
As Subordinates, they were bound to see the system window to receive quests and use items.
From the start, the Trial Response Agency was a national institution established to respond to national disasters and threats caused by transcendental beings.
Han Goyo had also been brought to the Agency initially because he was suspected of being a transcendental being.
So, if being the System meant being a transcendental being similar to the trials or the NPCs within them, it was roughly understandable.
But a ’God’... that felt too different.
She felt a sliver of fear toward an unfathomable unknown, a concept whose very definition was uncertain.
"What kind of bullshit is this, fuck."
Kwak Han-mook spoke for Mo Hae- in’s heart with coarse language.
He, who had been sitting on the floor, suddenly bolted upright.
"Samra. I’m not cursing at you. And I’m not doubting your judgment."
Kwak Han-mook took a few deep breaths, as if trying to calm his emotions.
Nevertheless, his following words were disjointed.
"How is Han Go-yo a God? That makes no sense. I mean, sure, he used some abilities. Yeah, he did, but it wasn’t like it was some huge deal... He just sent messages, put a veil over our heads, stuff like that. And he’s only twenty-four; don’t you have to be thousands of years old to be a God or something?"
Kwak Han-mook, who had been speaking in a fast and rough tone, swallowed another low curse.
"Recalculate, Samra."
"That is an unnecessary action. I have already reviewed all possibilities."
"Haa.."
Kwak Han-mook strode toward the laboratory door.
It seemed he wanted to step outside to cool his head for a moment.
However; he stood blankly in front of the door for a while before eventually turning back.
Even in this state, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
Mo Hae-in, who had been standing dazed, looked up again at the being she had been observing just a few minutes ago.
Naturally, nothing had changed.
Twenty-four years old, Trainee Han Goyo of the Trial Response Agency.
He was the same.
Then, Je Hyeon-oh spoke.
"Captain Kwak, Captain Mo."
He pushed his goggles up to reveal his eyes. Then, he met their gaze with eyes containing golden pupils.
It was an unfamiliar moment.
Unless he was in front of Han Goyo, Je Hyeon-oh rarely bothered to show his eyes.
Slow words flowed from beneath the gas mask.
"Are you okay with a dead person coming back to life?"
Only after hearing those words did Mo Hae-in realize.
The fact that he was certain a dead person would revive was, in itself, not normal.
Je Hyeon-oh lightly tapped the glass pillar with his metallic hand.
"It’s not that big of a deal, so don’t worry. He’s still nothing special."
As if it were trivial, he spoke in a voice tinged with amusement.
"Look at him now. He’s just trapped inside a glass pillar. If we weren’t here, he’s a being that would have been sliced into pieces. Weak, young..."
Screech.
A sharp fingertip scratched the surface of the glass pillar.
Mo Hae-in instinctively tensed up. It felt as if he might split the pillar open and pull Han Go-yo out at any second.
Leaving a long mark behind, Je Hyeon-oh said softly.
"He’s a trainee that the Captains should protect, isn’t he?"
Mo Hae-in felt as if she were being split in half.
The moment she heard Samra’s words, she felt a strong rejection toward the being called a "God." Yet, at the same time, she felt a protective instinct that she must protect "Han Goyo" by any means necessary.
As if they were two entirely separate issues.
The source of this irrational state was easy to guess.
[Han Goyo’ has registered ’Mo Hae-in’]
From the moment the system window appeared saying Han Go-yo had registered her, and she had been draped in the golden veil, something had become strange.
Of course, she had been mindful of him since he was first brought to the Agency, but it had never been this intense.
Then, were all these emotions being felt due to the power of a God?
But...
Mo Hae-in knew Han Goyo.
The face that looked at her with eyes full of affection, openly showing how much he loved the fact that they were on the same team.
The strange kid who even liked Je Hyeon-oh, whom everyone else avoided and shunned.
A bit foolish, occasionally doing things that weren’t sane.
But a trainee who found surprisingly bold and original breakthroughs, and who would think of throwing himself away first when they were driven into a crisis together.
They were able to close trials thanks to Han Goyo. That was an undeniable truth.
Because of Han Goyo, Mo Hae-in was slowly finding light in the hope she had once thought futile.
Lost in thought, Mo Hae-in snapped back to reality at the sound of a voice.
"The trainee even accepted a death verdict just to watch over his seniors."
Je Hyeon-oh muttered as he looked at Kwak Han-mook, sounding quite regretful.
"You’re being quite cold, Hyung and Noona."
Kwak Han-mook, who had been clutching his tattooed left shoulder, let out a hollow laugh.
Mo Hae-in could tell that he, too, was wavering between rejection and the protective instinct, much like herself.
Amidst the confusion, 72 hours passed.
In the slowly flowing time, both Kwak Han-mook and Mo Hae-in agonized.
No matter how much they thought, no clear answer emerged.
Je Hyeon-oh and Samra gradually dropped hints to persuade them.
"It is presumed that there are beings outside Earth that must be defined as Gods. Mr. Han Goyo likely did not appear without any causality."
"Mr. Han Goyo is absolutely necessary."
Samra continued to provide objective information, emphasizing Han Goyo’s importance.
Unlike him, Je Hyeon-oh acted as if it were a simple matter.
"In the end, it’s just Han Goyo."
He spoke as if being a God were a truly trivial part of him, as if he couldn’t understand why they were agonizing.
"It’s not a matter of choosing one of the two; it’s all just Han Goyo. What’s the problem?"
Because he persuaded them like a normal person, it was actually more suspicious.
Kwak Han-mook acted as if he had half-lost his mind.
There were times he would just lean his head against the glass pillar and stay still, and times he would blankly roll his prayer beads for hours.
But since Mo Hae-in was also in a poor state, she couldn’t look after him.
Just accepting the information given to her was overwhelming.
And when the remaining time dropped to a single digit.
Kwak Han-mook questioned Je Hyeon-oh first.
"Lieutenant Colonel. Tell us everything you know. What... happens to Han Goyo from now on?"
Je Hyeon-oh laughed lowly, as if he had heard an interesting question.
"I don’t know that either. He’s still young, so wouldn’t he be heavily influenced by his surroundings?"
Mo Hae-in narrowed her eyes at the ambiguous answer.
It was an expression unsuitable for an adult man.
It sounded as if a divine ego existed separately.
Je Hyeon-oh, who had been leaning against the glass pillar, extended only one metallic wing to wrap around the pillar.
"If the Captains say they hate it, I’ll stay behind alone."
At that moment, Kwak Han-mook and Mo Hae-in looked at each other.
They hadn’t fully understood or accepted all of this yet.
But at the very least, it was certain that they could not leave Han Go-yo in Je Hyeon-oh’s hands.
"Captain Kwak Han-mook, Captain Mo Hae-in."
Simultaneously, Samra called their names.
"I propose a plan to protect Mr. Han Goyo."
Having sensed that their hearts had tilted in one direction, he offered the proposal at the most appropriate moment.
"The preservation of the Special Task Team."
Kwak Han-mook did not answer. Instead, he looked at Han Goyo inside the glass pillar.
The man who had been looking up at the being defined as a God suddenly spat out a curse.
"Ha, fine, fuck it. This time, I’ll have to lock him on the right side."
Then he turned to Mo Hae-in and asked.
"Captain Mo. You okay?"
"...!"
Mo Hae-in slowly opened her mouth.
She had been tormented by countless thoughts for 72 hours, but in the end, she returned to the beginning.
It was an irrational, illogical, and unscientific conclusion.
"I just want to be by the trainee’s side."
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