Chapter 5. Support
—
【001】─ㄷㄷ?
After that last chat.
The Assistant’s messages no longer appeared.
The words “Unknown – 001” were displayed prominently in the list of Assistants.
It didn’t seem like they had left the broadcast.
They were probably just in shock.
The existence of another world or monsters would be hard for an ordinary person to accept.
‘Well, they’ll have no choice but to believe it now.’
While the Assistant gathered their thoughts,
I decided to check on the newborn spider.
*［Sssss···.］*
The baby spider crawled clumsily onto the back of my hand.
It quickly climbed up my arm and settled near my shoulder.
*［Ssss!］*
The baby spider grinned widely.
It wasn’t creepy.
Its face looked like a puppy’s, which made it cute.
‘It seems like I’ve succeeded in taming it.’
Besides its behavior, which suggested it was following me,
I felt as if an invisible thread of connection was forming between us.
‘I think I can see a list of tamed monsters, right?’
I summoned a rectangular window in the air.
After a bit of manipulation, I found the list of tamed monsters.
**<Tamed Monsters>**
『001』
There was no picture of the monster.
The name was lazily listed as ‘001.’
It seemed that the monster didn’t have an official name.
Or maybe I had to give it one myself.
It was certain that the baby spider was 001.
It was the only tamed monster I had.
When I squinted at the baby spider, I could see the marker ‘001’ above its head.
‘Changing the name should be possible, right?’
It was.
When I lightly tapped the name field, a virtual keyboard appeared.
Without hesitation, I changed the name.
『Dog Spider – 001』
From now on, this spider’s species would be known as the Dog Spider.
It didn’t need a personal name.
The reason I left the number was simple.
It was just to avoid confusing it with other Dog Spiders.
There would likely be more Dog Spiders that I would tame in the future, as long as they were useful to me.
—
**<Passage 2>**
○ Ordinary cave.
○ Home to spider-type monsters.
I marked the entrance to Passage 2 with this information.
I decided to delay checking the Dog Spider’s abilities.
The Assistant, who seemed to have been in a state of confusion, had finally returned.
They had a lot of questions.
It seemed they were just beginning to believe that this wasn’t a concept broadcast.
Of course, they weren’t fully convinced yet.
【001】─So that really is another world? It’s not CG or something, right? You’re not joking?
“Just believe it already. Why would I lie about something like this?”
No matter how seriously I explained it, that was the kind of response I got.
This was the third time they’d asked the same question.
【001】─So this isn’t some kind of special broadcast? This is all real, right?
“I’m telling you, it’s real.”
Normally, I would be getting irritated by now.
But I was okay with it.
It was frustrating, but that was the normal reaction.
I couldn’t complain to an Assistant who had come to support me.
【001】─Okay, I get it. So, should I report you missing to the police? After all, you were kidnapped.
Fortunately, it seemed they were starting to believe me.
“Do you really think the police could help?”
【001】─Hmm, good point.
【001】─Now that I think about it, yeah, that makes sense. Sorry.
The police weren’t dimensional wizards or anything…
They couldn’t even properly find people who went missing within the borders of Korea, so what was the point?
“There’s no use reporting it, so forget about it. By the way, can’t you send me a gift or something?”
【001】─A gift?
I needed to explain further.
A Labyrinth Explorer and an Assistant.
As a Labyrinth Explorer, I was the one who worked on-site to conquer the labyrinth. You, as the Assistant, support the on-site work from a safe place. It’s like the difference between fieldwork and office work.
In other words, the role of the Assistant is to provide support to me, the Labyrinth Explorer.
I finished explaining it this way.
I wasn’t sure if it was a perfect analogy.
I didn’t know much about the Explorer and Assistant roles either.
【001】─You’re pretty good at explaining things.
“You understood?”
【001】─I get the gist of it. I’m pretty smart. lol
“That’s a relief.”
Considering they were thinking of reporting it to the police, they didn’t seem that smart.
The thought bubbled up to my throat, but I held it back.
I couldn’t afford to pick a fight.
After all, I was in a subordinate position, and the Assistant was in a superior one.
‘I should now explain why the Assistant should support me and what they gain from it…’
Few people act without seeking some benefit.
Unless they’re a volunteer.
No one would help others out of sheer goodwill without expecting anything in return.
Most people would probably think like this:
Why should I help you?
What do I get out of it?
I had thought a lot about how to respond to questions like these.
And I had briefly considered this:
Just as the Assistant supports the Explorer, the Explorer could also help the Assistant.
Someday, monsters will flood the Earth, and then I could repay the favor. For example, by dispatching monsters.
I thought about spinning this nonsense, about giving out absurd lies and asking for support.
But my conscience wouldn’t let me.
So, I came up with this instead…
Think of me as your avatar. Support me as if you’re investing in a game character.
That was it.
That was the only explanation that came to mind.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t grasp what the Assistant would gain from supporting me.
Sure, I could try fawning or clowning around to get help… but I’d rather survive on my own without any support than do that.
Anyway.
Just as I was about to ask for support by comparing myself to a game character, the Assistant sent another message.
【001】─So how do I support you?
“Huh?”
【001】─How do I support you?
“Are you really going to help?”
【001】─Yeah, why? Don’t want help?
“No, help would be great.”
【001】─Then why the long face?
“It’s just a bit unexpected. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d agree to help so easily.”
【001】─If someone I know is in trouble, of course, I have to help.
“Even though helping me doesn’t benefit you in any way, you’re still okay with it?”
【001】─Yeah, expecting something in return for helping someone in need makes you human trash.
The reason they wanted to help.
It was simply to assist someone in distress.
They seemed to be a kinder person than I had expected.
Or maybe they were someone I was somewhat familiar with.
By this point, I was really curious about their identity.
Though I wasn’t planning on asking just yet.
At the very least, it wasn’t a bad relationship.
【001】─And being able to watch a broadcast from another world is pretty rewarding in itself, right? It makes me feel special. This is a broadcast no one else can see, so I should pay a viewing fee. lol
“So, you believe this is another world now?”
【001】─I don’t believe it entirely. Anyway, how do I support you? This is the third time I’m asking.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. Is there a support button or something on your screen?”
【001】─Hmm.
【001】─There are several tabs. Hold on, I’ll check them out.
The chat paused.
They seemed to be busy looking for a way to support me.
I waited for the Assistant while stroking the Dog Spider’s head.
About a minute later,
the Assistant’s message popped up again.
【001】─Oh, I found something called ‘Send Coins.’
Coins?
Ah, come to think of it, I think I saw earlier that I had 0 coins.
【001】─Hold on. Now that I think about it, this feels like some kind of scam.
【001】─This isn’t some new scam method, right? This is starting to feel like phishing that leads you to charge real money… I don’t want to be suspicious, but I got scammed recently, so I’m a bit wary…
The Assistant still seemed to be half-believing, half-doubting the situation.
Well, they had a right to be suspicious.
The word ‘coin’ practically screamed scam.
It was only natural to suspect that this whole situation was just a setup to extort money.
“Don’t worry, it’s not a scam.”
【001】─Scammers always say that. Even my closest friend said that and then stabbed me in the back.
“…So what would make you believe me?”
【001】─Hmm.
【001】─Never mind. Since it’s you, I’ll trust you.
【001】─If it’s a scam, I’ll just track you down and beat you up. Anyway, I’ll send just 1 coin for now. For reference, 1 coin costs 10,000 won in cash.
『RED Grade Assistant ‘Unknown – 001’ has supported you with 1 coin!』
A message appeared in front of me.
Alongside it, another rectangular window popped up.
It had the words “Coins: 1” written on it.
The number quickly
changed from 0 to 1.
【001】─Sent the coin.
“Thanks.”
【001】─So, what do you do with it?
“Good question.”
【001】─?
“There’s definitely something I can use the coin for, but I don’t know what it is yet.”
【001】─You should have told me that beforehand. I sent it for nothing. ㅡㅡ
“Sorry. But can’t you send items instead of coins?”
【001】─Hold on.
【001】─Found it. I can send items, but there’s a fee.
“A fee? How much?”
【001】─I’m a RED grade, so I can only send items with a fee of 5 coins or less. The fee goes to the labyrinth development fund, they say.
“Really? Can you tell me what items are available for a fee of 5 coins or less?”
【001】─Hang on, I have to scan the items with my camera. It’ll show the fee.
The chat paused briefly.
About 10 seconds later, the Assistant messaged again.
【001】─lol Wow, the fee shows up for every item. That’s crazy. There are too many items under 5 coins to list them all, so just tell me exactly what you want.
“Hmm… Can you send me some food?”
I needed food first.
I was getting hungry.
【001】─Are you kidding me? I just checked, and why does bread have a fee of 5 coins? The bread itself only costs 1,500 won, so it’s not a big deal, but a 50,000 won fee? That’s robbery.
“That’s definitely a ridiculous fee. Did you check the fees for other food?”
【001】─Instant rice 5 coins, kimchi 5 coins, frozen dumplings 5 coins. It’s all super expensive.
“…It seems like food has high fees overall.”
【001】─I think so. The fees for edible items made me swear out loud.
There was no choice.
I’d have to cover the fee.
I’d repay it when I got back to Earth.
“I’ll repay you later, so just send me one loaf of bread for now.”
【001】─It’s fine. I’m not rich, so it’s a bit of a burden, but I’ll send it anyway. I don’t want to look bad after making a big deal about helping you. I’ll charge some coins and send it right away.
Not long after that chat,
『RED Grade Assistant ‘Unknown – 001’ has sent you a support item!』
A loaf of bread dropped in front of me.
The bread the Assistant had sent had arrived by crossing dimensions.
【001】─This actually works…
【001】─So everything you said was true. Now I believe it completely…
I silently picked up the bread.
【001】─Anyway, enjoy your meal! That’s a 51,500-won loaf of bread!
It was mint chocolate bread.