Chapter 99
The <Cellblock X> was a game set in a prison that incarcerated humans and creatures who had committed heinous crimes.
When the game first launched, players were randomly assigned a role.
Among the various roles, the Medic which had a low probability of being assigned-was the highest difficulty.
This was because, unlike other roles, the Medic frequently had to deal with the creatures.
Even a slight mistake in gameplay would lead directly to a bad ending where the player became a creature themselves.
That wasn’t all.
In this place, the Medic was a position despised by the prison guards.
The reason they looked down on the Medic was simple.
They were weak.
The guards were those who had undergone intense special training along with rigorous mental conditioning to deal with the vicious creatures.
Because they had to survive that training to be stationed here, they possessed immense pride and a profound hostility toward the creatures.
The Medic, who had received no training and was thus weak, and whose role was to treat the creatures, was inevitably an eyesore to them.
Throughout my time playing as a Medic in Cell-X, I had been relentlessly bullied by the guards.
I was often dragged to places where surveillance cameras weren’t installed, such as the guards-only restrooms or showers, and beaten severely.
There were several times I succumbed to the ’guards’ violence and reached an ending where I brought in a drug that killed all the creatures.
The ending scene, where I personally plunged syringes filled with poison into the creatures and pressed the cylinders, remained a vivid shock in my memory.
I didn’t like any of the other roles in the game, but the Medic was the absolute worst...
I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them.
’No, it’s better if I do it.’
Rather than someone who knew nothing becoming the Medic and suffering, it was far better for me, who knew the game, to take the safest path.
Furthermore, the Medic was the only role capable of clearing the True Ending in Cell-X.
For now, I calmly read the quest window floating before my eyes.
◆ <The Cellblock X> Main Ouest: Find true freedom for the creatures.
[The beings of Akasha are gazing upon the Young God.]
[Their gaze has begun to reach Earth.]
[You resolve to overcome this sudden trial.]
[Furthermore, through the True Ending clear, you intend to proclaim that the Young God is the master of planet Earth.]
[Success: Survival!]
[Failure: Massive drop in recognition! Explosion of <The Cellblock X>!]
The main quest was the same as the True Ending knew.
The area in the prison where only creatures were gathered was called ’X’.
The True Ending was achieved by restoring true freedom to the creatures trapped in X.
But I hated that True Ending too.
Simply put, Cell-X... had too many elements that I disliked in various aspects.
I had even expressed various complaints to the developer after playing Cell-X.
’What did the developer say back then?’
He had said something, but I couldn’t remember.
Swallowing a sigh at my fragmented memory, I finished reading the quest.
The reward for success, survival was the same, but the consequence of failure had changed slightly.
Previously, in S2P, it was just a drop in recognition, but this time in Cell-X, it was a massive drop.
I still didn’t quite understand the use of recognition, so I brushed that aside.
As expected, the biggest problem was the explosion.
I had to shut it down at all costs to ensure that Cell-X didn’t explode and spread the virus.
’I wonder if it’s at least a five-star rank.’
As I speculated on the trial’s rank, I figured things must be chaotic outside.
A new meteorite had fallen out of nowhere.
Since the meteor shower four years ago, not a single new trial meteorite has fallen.
Unlike ordinary meteorites, trial meteorites were unpredictable.
They appeared suddenly in the atmosphere as if they had teleported.
The world was already struggling to handle the existing trials, barely managing defenses every time one hatched.
And now, as of today, the headache-inducing possibility that new meteontes could fall had been added.
The outside world was likely in a state of emergency.
As I pondered the reason for the sudden meteorite fall, a system window appeared.
[You focus on the method of escaping the current crisis.]
It was telling me to just solve the problem immediately in front of me.
It wasn’t wrong.
I looked down at the pudding slime on the floor.
He was staring up at me quietly. It seemed he was worried about my condition.
"I’m okay, Mr. Dominic."
I, who had been slumped over until then, finally answered and slowly sat down on the floor.
When I reached out my hand, Dominic wiggled and climbed onto me as if he had been waiting.
Dominic asked politely from the palm of my hand.
"Do these things happen often?"
He was asking if it was common for meteorites to fall suddenly and for one to enter a trial.
"No... this is a first for me too."
Even in the Archive worldview, new meteorites didn’t just fall.
As far as I knew, there were no cases where a meteorite fell and immediately hatched to force an entry.
I had vowed not to blindly trust the information gained from the game, but I couldn’t help but feel flustered whenever such large discrepancies appeared.
"Ah, Mr. Dominic. Were you assigned a role this time as well?"
"Yes. The reason I wasn’t by your side at first, Roasted Chestnut, was that I was watching a play that explained my role."
He had seen the introductory event scene.
Dominic said he watched the event scene to the end to understand his assigned role and came to me as soon as it finished.
’Wait. Spatial movement is possible too?’
Dominic must have watched the event scene in a different location from me.
Yet, he just popped up in front of me.
To think he could teleport within a trial.
’Come to think of it, it would be weirder if he couldn’t!’
Dominic had shown too many abilities for me to be this surprised.
Naturally accepting the pudding slime’s teleportation ability, I asked.
"May I ask what role you received?"
"I am. a prison guard, Roasted Chestnut."
The pudding slime’s body sparkled.
Following that, a tiny prison guard hat popped onto his head with a pong.
"I also received a uniform, a mask, and a riot baton, but they were uncomfortable to wear. I thought I should maintain a certain level of attire appropriate for the location, so I decided to wear only the hat."
"Roasted Chestnut?"
The pudding slime wearing the guard hat called me, looking puzzled.
I struggled to keep my facial muscles from loosening and quickly praised him.
"You look wonderful. I’m surprised by how well the hat suits you."
I felt that if I praised him heartily now, he might wear other hats for me later.
Dominic seemed to like the praise, as he squished and moved his body on my palm.
Thanks to that, I was able to admire the hat-wearing pudding slime from various angles.
After doing so, my heart, which had been heavy from falling into Cell-X, felt much lighter.
If Dominic hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have regained my composure this quickly.
I was glad he was here.
[Focus.]
The system window sent a single word.
It seemed to be telling me to stop being distracted by Dominic and snap out of it.
I took an item out of my inventory.
It was the hologram badge, the most essential item in the current situation.
I planned to use the hologram badge given by Samra to report the current situation and request support from the Trial Response Agency.
However, there was a slight problem: from the moment the communication was connected, everything I said would flow to Samra.
Free conversation with Dominic would be impossible.
I wonder if I can turn it on and off.
Anyway, it was activated this time, but since it wasn’t working, I would likely have to stain the badge with blood.
Before that, I asked for Dominic’s understanding.
"Mr. Dominic. If I use this item, I can communicate with the outside, but if I do, my voice will be continuously heard by the other party."
I told him I would try to find a way to turn it on and off, but if I couldn’t, I might not be able to speak to him for the duration of my stay in the trial.
Fortunately, Dominic generously accepted my explanation. Then, he said something strange.
"In the future, once you become proficient in the way a god speaks, Roasted Chestnut, you will be able to converse with me even with that badge turned on."
Is there a separate way to speak as a god? Do I send telepathy or something?
Various questions arose, but since it didn’t seem like something I could do right now, I let it go.
Just as I was about to prick my finger on the badge’s sharp needle.
Dominic, who had climbed to my shoulder, hurriedly hopped back down onto my hand.
"Roasted Chestnut. Using blood is not ideal."
He looked up at me and asked.
"Who taught you such a thing?"
".. Mr. Black Block told me."
"That is a means used only by those of low status. From now on, you must use a different method."
The pudding slime scolded me somewhat.
He was so cute that his voice barely registered, but I replied that I understood.
If there was another way, I had no reason to bleed.
"Now, Roasted Chestnut, I shall teach you a new method. It would have been impossible before, but now, you will be able to do it."
I didn’t know why he was so sure I could do it now, but to listen seriously, I stood up from the floor and went to where the table and chair were.
I placed Dominic and the badge on the table and sat in the chair to attend the lesson.
"I mentioned this to you before, Roasted Chestnut. That even the lowliest creatures have an instinct to revere and serve a god."
I remembered that clearly.
It was something Dominic had told me when Director Seo Moon-chan of Pasung’s tooth-sword failed to attack me.
"If there is something you desire, you simply need to issue a command as a god."
He meant that with my current state, I could easily command an item of this level.
Furthermore, he said that using blood was closer to a request.
His explanation was that it was like bowing your head to a distant inferior and even giving them a gift.
Dominic strictly forbade the use of blood.
"From now on, you must become accustomed to commanding those of lower status than yourself."
Do I really have to use commands? It’s not like we’re in a caste system.
It wasn’t easy to understand Dominic, who possessed the mindset of the highest class.
However, since it was certain I would be scolded if I said such things to Dominic, I just nodded like a well-behaved student.
’For someone who looks so squishy.’
Thanks to the guard hat, he had the effect of looking like a drill instructor.
The slime instructor decided to help me with my first command.
"Since it is your first time, I will provide a bit of assistance."
He wiggled and climbed onto my wrist.
I placed the badge on my palm as instructed. Then, staring at the badge, I commanded.
Tum on? Please tum on? Connect me to Samra?
Of course, nothing happened.
As I looked at Dominic feeling awkward, the slime sparkled.
A bit of his sparkle rubbed off onto my skin.
"Now, Roasted Chestnut. Try commanding it."
I looked at the badge again. I felt a slightly dreamy and strange sensation.
Until a moment ago, I thought I had no idea...
But now, for some reason, I felt like I knew.
I commanded the insignificant trifle.
A holographic light swirled around the badge. A low laugh and praise followed.
"Well done, Roasted Chestnut."
At the same time, an urgent voice called me.
- Mr. Han Goyo!
My dazed mind snapped awake.
’I haven’t given any command yet?’
I wondered if Dominic had connected it since he said he would help.
"Samra!"
Greeting the other party happily, I hurried to report.
"I have entered a trial with Captain Kwak. Fortunately, it’s a trial I’m familiar with."
After quickly briefing Samra on <The Cellblock X> and the current situation, I asked about the outside.
"How is it outside?"
- Since a new meteorite has fallen for the first time in four years, discussions are under-way. An international video conference led by the Trial Response Agency is scheduled in 50 minutes.
As expected, it seemed to be chaotic.
While I was worrying about how this event would act as a variable, Samra continued.
- Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyun-oh and Lieutenant Won Tae-beom are scheduled to enter the trial today to support Mr. Han Goyo. And...
Samra paused for a moment. He let out a small sigh, unlike an android, and spoke.
- CEO Cha of Pasung wishes to enter as well.