Chapter 144
The manager’s face, which was right in front of my eyes, twisted hideously. At the same time, the chain that had bound him tightly shattered like glass.
What I thought was Larry hastily left the spot as soon as the chain was released. Right after, a deafening explosion roared from where he had been, and flames soared high.
The heat brushed roughly past my cheek.
Thanks to that, the reality I had almost lost completely came back a little.
All this happened in an instant, like leaves catching fire, until the chain that bound him regenerated.
‘Ah, it’s moving.’
I suddenly realized that my arm, which had been stuck as if nailed to the air, was now bending according to my will.
Immediately, without needing to grasp this absurd situation, I grabbed the desk in front of me and hurled it at what I presumed was Zero himself.
To throw a desk that seemed so heavy as lightly as a chalkboard eraser.
Usually, I wouldn’t have been able to do this or even think of it, but I remembered the time I had blown Larry away. I am strong!
“…Oops.”
But I was too strong.
It was my strength, but since it wasn’t actually mine, I couldn’t control it properly.
The desk flew far and crashed into what seemed like a wall, completely shattering.
Just because my desk attack failed didn’t mean I jumped into the fray. It was already hot enough just standing here due to the heat.
“■■! ■■! You ■■ bastard, how dare you act up here!”
That sudden, foul-mouthed shout had to be Larry.
I watched Larry (I presumed) mercilessly pressuring Zero (I presumed), who had been talking to me. Zero kept agilely dodging, breaking the chains several times, while Larry’s flames fiercely pursued him. This really made the sense of reality fade away.
Both of them were so angry that their faces were twisted in fury.
‘No wonder I couldn’t tell them apart.’
It seemed that Zero, who was only running away, was getting tired faster, probably because of the persistently regenerating chains. Seeing that he wasn’t fighting back much, it seemed true that all he could do was run away due to the chains. I would’ve been in big trouble if I had let him go earlier.
From a distance, Zero glanced at me and then asked Larry.
“Are you going to continue?”
“Why, is it tough to keep your hidden tricks up your sleeve and struggle like a rat, you ■■ bastard?”
“No matter how much of a rookie, the administration’s standards are indeed severe these days. Don’t you think so?”
Larry, who had been about to ignite his flames again in response to the obvious taunt, glanced at me and then shouted in a voice more menacing than before.
“…Get lost!”
For some reason, Larry was letting him go, even though he was grinding his teeth.
“You should always stay alert. I will always be watching you.”
Zero warned me.
“Whatever. Go crawl into your hole and suck on something that looks like you.”
* * *
With the exit of Manager 2320, Zero, the series of events came to an end.
Because a desk and a chair got destroyed during the fight, On Raon and Larry faced each other with sullen faces.
“How could you just accept something without knowing what’s inside? You’re old enough to know not to take things from strangers!”
“Well, I thought it was you.”
“Stupid talk. When did you ever trust me? Do you have no one else in the world to trust? This is why humans…!”
On Raon, who had been outright scolded by this irritable presence in front of him, couldn’t argue back because there wasn’t a single incorrect word in what Larry said.
‘Trust? Me, trust that guy?’
Honestly, On Raon felt a bit unfair.
“Hey, who are you?”
“I am Manager 14227. The ridiculous name you gave me is Larry. Why are you asking now? Shouldn’t you have doubted earlier? Do you realize you almost faced something worse than death?”
“If you’re so annoyed, don’t leave your post!”
Who would’ve guessed that the person sitting in front of him wasn’t the Larry he knew?
“Shut up and prove that you’re really Larry!”
“Ha! You’re so absurd!”
“A shut-in gaming addict like me.”
“An idol in this world?!”
“You rip off.”
“I rip off.”
“…This bastard, that bastard.”
“You asshole.”
As they exchanged words, On Raon inexplicably felt more irritated. He felt like he was losing something.
On Raon frowned and passed Larry’s verification process.
“Why did you let that guy go earlier? Weren’t you cornering him? He looked exhausted just running away.”
“That’s because if I didn’t, you would’ve been in danger.”
On Raon, about to ask “Me?”, suddenly felt his vision flicker like an oil slick on asphalt.
‘Uh…?’
Before he could regain his balance, he fell backward, landing hard on his butt. Looking down at him, Larry explained.
“The tea had hallucinogenic drugs mixed in. It’s highly addictive, and at this rate, even you won’t last long.”
What…
“I thought it was critical that I return because the manager left due to disciplinary action and it’s been almost a year since he came back… But you’ve already been affected.”
Hearing those cynical words, On Raon tried to stay conscious through the queasiness, but his shoulder twitched involuntarily.
‘Those words… Zero said the same thing.’
Was Zero a good imitator, or were they similar to begin with…?
“If the fully addicted you dies, I will be free.”
Was he serious? Were they all just alike?
“So I’ll give you my core.”
‘What?’
“Whatever happens, I can’t let that ■■ have his way.”
‘Won’t that kill you?’
Larry brought his tightly clenched fist, as if squeezing something out, to On Raon’s slightly open mouth. A slippery, strangely viscous, bluish liquid flowed into his mouth.
On Raon tried to spit it out, but his soul, which was on the brink of death, instinctively reacted to the substance filled with abundant energy and swallowed it all.
A moment later, a system window popped up in front of On Raon’s eyes.
[You have acquired a part of the manager’s core. (Core completion: 49%)]
[The addiction status is removed.]
‘Is this for real…?’
After waiting for a while, the hallucinations that had been flickering before his eyes disappeared. The nausea also subsided considerably, and On Raon immediately got up and faced Larry.
“What did you just give me…?”
“…How do you know what this is, customer?”
The conversation with Zero seemed to be beyond Larry’s imagination. On Raon explained everything that had happened earlier without missing a single word.
Even though On Raon disliked Larry, he couldn’t deny the seriousness of his actions when he attacked Zero with the intent to kill.
At least in dealing with Zero, he could trust Larry.
After listening to On Raon’s story, Larry muttered in a daze.
“He’s crazy…”
“I think so too.”
Among the intelligent beings On Raon knew, Larry was already one of the most insane, but Zero was even more deranged.
Zero deserved to call himself a bizarre psycho.
“Are you okay? The core is like your heart, right?”
“Managers must have a core, but it doesn’t need to be kept intact. We are definitely higher beings than humans. I gave you just enough to be okay without it. Well… my power will weaken a bit, but it’s better than you dying.”
Despite Larry’s dismissive tone, On Raon was slightly moved, until Larry continued speaking.
“If I got penalized for failing to manage you and that bastard got killed by another manager, what would I do? I have to kill him myself. And do you think I would die just to save you?”
“Ah, right.”
So much for being moved. He gave up on that.
“But what if that bastard’s goal from the beginning was to weaken your power, not to target me?”
“That could be it. Well, as long as the Infinite Loop of Subjugation isn’t destroyed, it’s fine. I can beat that scum with just my pinky finger!”
“Placing two certain-death flags at once…”
On Raon sighed deeply, feeling less confident.
“Anyway, what Zero told you is probably true. That’s his nature.”
This only made him feel worse. On Raon sighed again.
Then he declared.
“I’ll do it.”
“What?”
Larry, who had immediately questioned him, opened his mouth slightly as he read On Raon’s thoughts.
‘Is he serious?’
Earlier, he couldn’t decide because he hesitated to kill something that looked human and was equivalent to a heart.
But after going through such an absurd and maddening situation, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.
“I will. I’ll catch that bastard, take his liver, no, his core. That way, I can get revenge, nourish myself, and secure my safety. Wow, three birds with one stone. Why did I hesitate?”
“Well, that guy had something to gain from breaking the loop, but I don’t get much from this, do I?”
“Then don’t do it.”
“I’ll do it.”
With On Raon’s cooperation, Larry wouldn’t have to wander around chasing Zero’s traces while risking penalties for neglecting his duties.
“So what do I do now? Do I follow you around to catch him? I don’t want to neglect my main job…”
“Don’t worry about that. As long as you’re alive, especially if you’re living happily, he will definitely come. Besides, your job as an idol is one that shines brighter than anyone else’s…”
“…”
“You just need to focus on dazzling enough to blind him. Succeed as an idol and live a kind life as an individual. When you reach the pinnacle or a perfect moment in your life, Zero will make a move.”
“Should I be worried about something happening then?”
“When that disgusting face shows up, I will take responsibility and destroy him with the remaining core, so don’t worry.”
Why there was such a deep grudge between them was unknown.
“Now that you have a reason, you should work harder.”
“That’s a strange thing to say. I never had a reason worth telling anyone. I just do it because I want to.”
Pure longing, enthusiasm, desire.
On Raon was driven by the childlike feeling of ‘this is fun’ when he first stepped onto the stage on the day he was On Hae-jae.
‘Maybe that’s what he can’t stand…’