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Chapter 100
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 100: The Ownerless Room (4)
11:00 PM.
Long past the end of work hours.
Yet, the Audit Bureau was still as bright as day.
[Did you send a work request to the Investigation Bureau? Why haven't they responded yet?!]
[Well... all the responsible staff have gone home. They said they'll send it tomorrow.]
[Those bastards...!]
Whether it was the Administrative Bureau or the Investigation Bureau, all related department staff had clocked out long ago.
Not only was cooperation nonexistent, but even basic responses were unavailable, making productivity plummet to abysmal levels at this hour.
[Damn it, they're making us work our butts off because of their mistakes. Why are they so uncooperative?!]
[Probably because it’s their mistake.]
[Tsk! You think I don’t know that?]
Team Leader Jeon Do of the On-site Audit Department 3 let out a familiar string of curses.
As frustrating as it was, there was nothing he could do.
The Audit Bureau was responsible for uncovering internal corruption among employees and monitoring whether tasks were being handled properly.
There was no way other departments would willingly assist.
In fact, if anyone were too eager to help uncover their own corruption, that would be suspicious in itself.
[Damn it, those in need have to act first. Right?]
[That's right.]
Instead of wasting time complaining, acting directly was faster.
That was the conclusion he had reached after years of experience.
[We’ve arrived.]
As one grumbled and another took care of cleanup, they reached their destination before they knew it.
[Is this it?]
[Yes.]
The two stood before a brown wooden door.
[Shall I open it, sir?]
[Of course. Do you plan to admire it all night?]
[....]@@@@
Click!
Without hesitation, the door swung open to reveal the spire of the 13th District's Medical Examination Facility.
Even as they stepped into the partly collapsed spire lobby—perhaps a remnant of some battle—they continued their work discussion.
[[What about the subjects?]
They've been gathered in the waiting area.]
[Good. Be careful not to let any information leak.]
[Understood.]
As they chatted, they were about to exit the spire when—
Crackle!
A spark shot out from the ruins.
From the debris, amidst the pitch-black darkness where nothing should be.
[Huh? There’s something over there?]
Whoosh!
[Look! Look! Smoke’s coming out!]
[What? Could it be a fire?]
When they rushed over, they found a malfunctioning capsule.
It wasn’t an outdated model, but something had gone wrong, causing it to rattle noisily.
[There’s a scratch on the door... Could that be the issue?]
[No, I think... It seems to have broken down from being used repeatedly without refueling.]
A portable capsule found at a crime scene.
Even a passing dog would’ve found it suspicious.
So—
[Check the data.]
[Well... it’s all been wiped clean!]
[What?!]
The team leader shouted in frustration.
[What about the black box?!]
[Uh, it’s gone! Someone must’ve removed it!]
[You don’t even know who it belongs to?!]
[It’s confirmed to be owned by Jobok. Maybe Researcher Iro tried to escape but abandoned it when he failed?]
[Hah!]
Jeon Do let out a hollow laugh at the perfectionism that left no trace behind.
[A genius researcher, they say... Truly thorough.]
But what could they do?
The capsule had already lost all its data and was now a useless piece of junk.
[We’ve got no choice. Take it back, at least.]
[Understood.]
And then—
—Ding!
Just as an underling was about to transport the capsule on the team leader's orders, a message arrived.
Team Leader! They’ve finished inspecting Jobok’s office!]
[What’d they say? Did they find anything?]
[It’s not certain, but...]
The man lowered his voice before continuing.
[It seems there’s a secret space underground. Like they’re hiding some kind of treasure...]
[A secret space? Did they open it?]
[They’ve called in experts. They say they can start right at 9 AM tomorrow.]
Well, specialists would be needed.
Who knew what lengths the man went to in order to hide something?
[As expected, the guy’s got skeletons in his closet. His reputation was good, though. How did he manage that?]
[We’ve also arranged interviews with nearby staff. Would you like to attend?]
Efficient as ever.
Satisfied with his subordinate’s work, the team leader nodded.
[I’ll make sure to be there.]
[Understoo—]
Just as the subordinate was responding with ease—
"That suit looks great on you."
“Thank you, hyung!”
Jaehyuk, dressed in a navy suit, scratched his head and asked hesitantly,
“Are you really okay with that outfit?”
Because, after all, the outfit I had chosen was:
▣ Open-Collar Linen Shirt (White)
-A basic shirt made from flax harvested directly from the stalks.
High-quality linen ensures excellent ventilation.
-Effect: +1 Agility when worn, +5% Heat Resistance.
A plain white shirt.
▣ Tapered Crop Slacks (Black)
-Practical slacks designed to suit any formal or casual event.
-Effect: +1 Agility when worn.
Plain black slacks.
It was, in every sense, a combination that was close to casual wear.
Not much different from what I usually wore.
“Yeah, this is the most efficient.”
The stat boosts an outfit could provide were inherently limited.
Most clothes boosted charm stats, with the rare exception of agility by just one point.
After a meticulous search, I’d found a combination that boosted agility by 2.
“My body already feels lighter.”
“Well, if you’re dressing up anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to go for something more stylish...?”
As Jaehyuk and I continued this trivial conversation, the distant sound of unfamiliar footsteps echoed closer.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of high heels—a sound we hadn’t heard since the mission began.
The owner of those steps was—
“Jieun?”
It was Jieun.
“!!”
A sleek silk dress that clung to her curves, deep red in color.
The plunging neckline, paired with dangling earrings swaying between her short hair, exuded an air of elegance and allure.
I had only ever seen her in modest suits.
But seeing her like this...
“You look like a completely different person, Jieun.”
Without realizing it, I averted my gaze and muttered awkwardly.
Jieun, as if to justify herself, quickly added,
“Uh, well! This outfit raises charm by 20%, while others only raise it by 10%...”
Her cheeks, and even the nape of her neck, turned crimson as she mumbled softly.
“Since this is an event... I thought there might be a mission where charm is important.”
“A mission where charm is important, huh. That’s true...”
“Like during that memory mission! When we competed to raise sponsorships or something...”
“Yeah, that’s possible.”
Maybe I’d been too fixated on life-and-death situations, neglecting other possibilities.
As I found myself oddly persuaded by Jieun’s reasoning, more members of the group began to arrive.
“Oppa!”
“Yeon Bora?”
True to her name, Yeon Bora was dressed in a soft lilac dress, reminiscent of lilac blossoms.
Her long, curly hair and the flowing hem of her dress gave her an ethereal look.
“How do I look?”
Yeon Bora smiled brightly, spinning in place.
The swirling hem of her dress almost seemed to release the scent of spring flowers.
“You look beautiful.”
Starting with those two, more finely dressed individuals began to gather one by one.
“Ugh, this is so uncomfortable I could die.”
“Hmph—at least you look like a normal person for once.”
“What the fuck did you just say?!”
The sharp-suited loudmouth, Lee Yeji, the security guard, and even the cleaning lady.
While none of them rivaled Jieun or Yeon Bora, everyone had put on neat and polished outfits.
“Aren’t you going to change, young man?”
“I already did.”
9:00 AM.
Right on time, the announcement began to play.
[The door to the Orientation Hall is now open.]
Rumble—!
“What the—? Is this a mission?!”
“No, over there...!”
Pillars began to rise from the ground.
Two pristine white columns, tall enough to support a temple, stood dazzling in the sunlight.
Between the two columns—
Whoosh!
A translucent barrier appeared.
It shimmered like a mirage, swirled like clouds, and rippled like the surface of a lake.
Through it, an unfamiliar scene came into view.
A "door" had appeared between the columns.
“Are we supposed to go through that?”
“It seems so. Passing through must transport us somewhere.”
A vast grassland stretched endlessly beyond, so wide that the horizon was out of sight.
Within it, people began to appear, one after another.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people.
Most seemed to be foreigners, though some looked like they might be Korean.
Regardless—
[Proceed to the Banquet Hall!]
It didn’t matter who we encountered.
I—or rather, we—would survive.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]