Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 8
I squinted at the system window, wondering what kind of ending this was supposed to be.
No miracle happened. The ■ didn’t suddenly turn into letters.
The next system window that popped up was just as incomprehensible.
Han Goyo has made his name known to Akasha!
Current Recognition: 0.02%
Recognition?
Who exactly had heard my name to raise my Recognition — and by a measly 0.01%, no less.
I was still picking through the system window when Smiley suddenly began to melt into a shimmering rainbow liquid.
There was no time to react. free𝑤ebnovel.com
The moment it dissolved, streaks of light shot out from the collapsed factory — multiple beams, like a meteor shower, converging into the rainbow liquid.
And then Smiley was gone.
Leaving only a strange candy behind.
I bent my knees slowly and picked it up.
Happy Smile Candy: Eating it will fill you with laughter and happiness.
The rainbow candy was shaped like Smiley’s face.
As I stood there holding it, another system window appeared.
You feel that you absolutely must consume this.
When I’d forced myself to accept that earlier system window, I’d had a secret hope — that maybe Smiley and the toys would turn into items I could take outside.
But I never imagined it would play out like this.
I stared at the candy for a long moment, then carefully placed it in my inventory.
The Trial <Happy Smile Factory> has ended.
The Trial will be permanently closed in 80 seconds.
"Th-this... this is the True Ending, right?"
I turned to look at Mo Haein. She’d read the system window too — her trembling eyes met mine as she asked.
"It’s the True Ending, isn’t it...? My eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, right...? Permanent closure..."
The True Ending of a Trial carried special meaning.
Permanent closure of the Trial. And the return of all survivors.
A Trial cleared via True Ending would never regenerate. It would also spit out everyone trapped inside — even those who’d been imprisoned in it before, their mutated bodies restored to normal.
In HapFactory’s case, the employees who’d been working at the plant would be rescued.
The True Ending was the only way to save survivors trapped inside a Trial, but its difficulty was near-impossible. Success stories were vanishingly rare.
When I first started the Archive’s games, an NPC told me there had been exactly nine successful cases worldwide.
"Yes, it’s the True Ending."
I gave Mo Haein a small smile and offered my congratulations.
"Good work, Captain."
"..."
Mo Haein stared at me blankly. Then her face crumpled, and she turned her head away roughly. freēwēbnovel.com
The back of her neck was flushed red from emotional agitation.
Mo Haein wasn’t normally the type to show her feelings this openly.
I looked away until she’d calmed down a little.
Fortunately, she soon returned to her usual self. Regaining her composure, she spoke slowly, in a near-whisper.
"...Thank you."
I had no idea how she’d explain me once we got out of here, but at least it probably wouldn’t be as a smuggler anymore.
Just then, a system window appeared.
You are the Top Contributor of <Happy Smile Factory>.
You may take ’1’ item.
When a True Ending — or certain specific endings — was cleared, those with high Contribution could take an item from the Trial. In HapFactory’s case, only the Top Contributor could acquire one.
Without hesitation, I chose the Happy Smile Candy.
Mo Haein looked curious about what I’d picked, but didn’t ask. She seemed to figure she’d have plenty of time to interrogate me later anyway.
Eighty seconds passed. The system window flashed its closure notification, and the scenery before me crumpled, washing over with fluorescent colors.
I emerged from the Trial.
---
The place where HapFactory had hatched was an abandoned factory site.
Police lines stretched wide around the perimeter. Scattered across the factory grounds were people of all kinds, unconscious and sprawled out.
The wind was cold. Wearing only a white short-sleeved tee and gray track pants, I went to rub my arms — then winced and swallowed a groan.
My injured thigh ached, and small wounds dotted my body everywhere.
If this had been a game, it would’ve been a no-hit clear.
There was a massive difference between clicking with a keyboard and mouse and actually moving your body. Even though I’d exercised diligently every day without fail, my physical limits were glaring. A no-hit clear with the basic physical stats the game gave you was impossible.
The TRA will treat me when they drag me in, right...?
Since I was already in this situation, I planned to let the TRA figure out my current status in more detail and mooch off their food and shelter for a while.
I looked around and spotted Mo Haein waking up at a distance. In her TRA uniform, she stood out sharply among the civilians.
I was about to limp over to her when —
"Don’t move."
A cold sensation touched my neck. I rolled my eyes to check — a military fixed-blade knife.
Ah. Park Seonggyeon.
I’d forgotten about this bastard.
I couldn’t help it — I let out a short, hollow laugh.
"You’re laughing? The fuck, Goyo. You think this is funny?"
"Should I cry instead?"
"...What?"
My informal tone caught him off guard. Park Seonggyeon faltered for a moment.
I looked down at him. He still seemed to think of me as an obedient, mild-mannered college student.
"Park Seonggyeon!"
Mo Haein had fully come to her senses now. She aimed her gun at him and warned, "Last chance. Back off."
But her gun was trembling — barely.
She was the one who’d taken the brunt of the attacks during the boss fight in HapFactory. She should have been on her way to an ambulance right now.
Park Seonggyeon, on the other hand, was perfectly fresh. Naturally — he’d hidden away while Mo Haein and I ran ourselves ragged, just waiting for the clear.
"Captain Mo Haein!"
Well aware of this, Park Seonggyeon sneered openly.
"I’ll give you a chance too. Hand over the Black Moon Blade."
"Aren’t you afraid of the TRA?"
"Nope. Not scared at all."
"How much did they offer you? If it’s money, I can pay — "
"Ha. Mo Haein. Mo Haein."
"..."
"You deaf or what? I said hand over the Black Moon Blade!"
The blade sliced across my neck. A thin red line appeared.
And while Mo Haein and Park Seonggyeon were locked in their standoff — I was reading the system windows that kept popping up without pause.
You are aware that ’Park Seonggyeon (Sample)’ will not spare the hostage.
You are enraged by his insolence.
You consider how to educate a dog that dares to bite without recognizing its master.
A suitable method comes to mind!
You want to check ’Execution.’
I had no idea what Execution was, or why the system was throwing such a fit about it.
The vibe wasn’t great.
But if things stayed like this, I’d lose the Black Moon Blade and bleed out. The wound on my thigh was still bleeding.
Execute Park Seonggyeon.
You execute ’Park Seonggyeon (Sample).’ This decision is irreversible and will cause a permanent change to Akasha.
Would you like to execute ’Park Seonggyeon (Sample)’?
Choices appeared.
- Yes.
- Execute.
- Dooo it!
Even through the blur creeping into my vision, the system window was so absurd I almost laughed.
"Hey, Park Seonggyeon."
He flinched and looked at me, still locked in his standoff with Mo Haein.
I grinned crookedly and said, "Last chance. Let me go."
"Have you lost your goddamn mind...?"
But his voice was trembling — faintly.
Like he was scared.
I selected ’Dooo it!’
Executing ’Park Seonggyeon (Sample)’!
Fanfare rang out. A cheerful sound, like confetti should have been flying.
Then came the sound of fireworks.
No — not fireworks.
It was the sound of Park Seonggyeon’s head bursting.
His exploded head turned to golden light. It scattered everywhere, glittering brilliantly like stars strewn across the sky.
His body, now headless, crumbled into golden dust after it.
Through the shimmering light, I saw Mo Haein.
She stood frozen, her gun still aimed.
She stared at me like that, without moving, until every last fleck of light was gone.
Her gun never lowered.
This is bad.
I’d thought Park Seonggyeon might die, but I hadn’t expected it to be so... spectacular. And outside the Trial, no less. Such a bizarre phenomenon.
I look way too suspicious.
Cold sweat beaded on my back, but the system window only displayed a placid square.
Registered characters: ’0.’
You wish to register ’Mo Haein’ as a new character.
I ignored the system window fluttering before my eyes and opened my mouth.
"Um... Captain?"
I was just about to call out to her carefully when —
"Captain Mo Haein! You got your ass kicked in the Trial or what?"
I turned around.
The air split open, and a man in a TRA uniform popped out.
Tall, with a lean, muscular build. His dyed red hair tousled in the wind.
Planting his boots on the ground, he stood with a crooked stance and grinned playfully.
"So you finally crawled out, huh, Captain Mo."
The grin faded from his face.
His eyes hardened as he swept his gaze across the factory grounds. Hundreds of people lay unconscious, scattered everywhere. He understood immediately what it meant.
His voice dropped low as he asked, "Haein. Is this a True Ending?"
I couldn’t see her, but Mo Haein seemed to nod in answer.
For a moment, the man stood there, speechless.
I knew who he was.
Captain Kwak Hanmuk. Team leader of TRA Field Team 3. One of the TRA’s strongest operatives, alongside Mo Haein.
As expected, Captain Kwak is tall.
I wasn’t short myself, but his eye level was way above mine.
While I was observing him curiously, he finally noticed me too. The moment he saw my injuries, he seemed to realize I’d contributed to the clear.
His eyes sharpened — and then Mo Haein muttered quietly.
"Didn’t think I’d ever see the day I’d be glad to see you, Hanmuk."
I started to turn at her words, then stopped.
Arms wrapped around my waist from behind.
It felt a bit much for a celebratory back hug commemorating our escape from HapFactory...
"Hanmuk."
Ah.
"Bind."
The moment her short command fell, a long bead rosary shot forward with a rattling sound.
In the blink of an eye, I was bound tight in Kwak Hanmuk’s rosary. It wrapped around only me, neatly avoiding Mo Haein — and on top of that, new handcuffs clicked onto my wrists.
Looking like a heinous criminal, I stared at Mo Haein in bewilderment.
"Mr. Han Goyo, I am placing you under emergency arrest on suspicion of being a National Calamity."
She continued rapidly.
"You have no right to remain silent. You may not appoint legal counsel. Everything you say and do from this moment forward may be used against you in court."
A TRA-style Miranda Warning.
She delivered the lines I never thought I’d hear, then finished coldly.
"Knock him out."
Light flashed from the rosary.
I lost consciousness.
