Chapter 143. Whistleblower (4)
[Welcome to the Future Research Centre!]
The door installed in the Audit Bureau led straight to the Research Center.
At first, Eun-Ho wondered why they had to travel just to move from one company building to another, until he realized there was a good reason for it. The headquarters and the center were miles apart.
Eun-Ho squinted at the floating holographic map. “Where are we, exactly? If you look at the map, it appears we’re still on company grounds.”
“Go figure with that sharp intuition of yours,” came the dry, mechanical response from the blond supervisor.
Their location was indeed shown on translucent display alongside several other main complex buildings, just very far apart. Eun-Ho had to zoom out several times before the two even appeared in the same frame. To make matters worse, the Research Center stood isolated in what felt like the dead of winter, right in the middle of a vast, white snowfield. The biting chill seeped straight through their clothes, numbing their skin even as they kept moving.
“Ugh... Why is it so damn cold here?”
“Damn, I should’ve brought a coat. Wait, how are you fine? You’re in short sleeves!” Ji-Woong muttered through chattering teeth.
“This weather feels about right for short sleeves,” Dmitri replied flatly.
Ji-Woong seemed amazed and stared at Dmitri, who stood ramrod straight and unbothered by the freezing wind. “What?”
“Holy shit, how far did we travel? Did we cross seasons or something?” Swear-Master grumbled.
“If anyone’s got complaints, you can always go back,” the blond supervisor replied.
“Who said I was complaining? I was just asking!” Swear-Master shot back.
For once, Swear-Master wasn’t wrong. Thanks to their improved Stamina and Strength, the cold wasn’t unbearable, though their senses slowly dulled the longer they stayed.
“Do you think it’s some kind of weather anomaly?” Ji-Woong asked again.
Eun-Ho shook his head, “The snow’s packed solid, so it’s been piling up for months.”
“Ah... No wonder. My feet keep getting stuck.”
Last time, Eun-Ho’d simply followed the capsule’s directions straight into Iro’s room and left right after. He hadn’t even noticed the temperature then, which could be considered a blessing.
“It should be warmer once we’re inside,” Eun-Ho said.
“Yeah, I sure hope so. Unless everyone working here’s some kind of monster, they’ve gotta have heating.”
Whoooosh—
They trudged forward through the icy wind, stomping their feet for warmth as they approached the structure ahead.
A sleek, modern building stood on the snowfield, its white façade gleaming under the pale sky.
So this is what it looks like.
Five pristine buildings, seemingly sculpted out of hardened snow, surrounded a central plaza in a fan-like formation.
“Wow... This place is massive,” Ji-Woong said, looking up.
“And tall too. Eight or maybe nine stories tall?” Eun-Ho guessed.
It was a magnificent sight—sleek, imposing, and modern. However, there was one glaring problem.
“Holy, what happened to the place?” Swear-Master blurted out.
Several of the buildings were half-collapsed. Gaping holes yawned where ceilings used to be, and strange metal support beams had been installed to keep the ruins from caving in further.
“Looks like there was a bad earthquake,” Ji-Woong muttered nervously.
“An earthquake?” Swear-Master cursed under his breath. “Shit, if a quake hit a place like this, wouldn’t it cause a full-blown avalanche?”
Eun-Ho frowned because he wasn’t convinced.
This doesn’t look like earthquake damage, but more like an explosion...
“Was there an explosion?” Eun-Ho asked.
“An e-explosion?!” Ji-Woong stammered.
It was clear the impact wasn’t widespread. The fir forest in the distance, the surrounding snowfields, and even half the center’s buildings were perfectly intact. One building had exploded, and the damage had spread outward from there. The more Eun-Ho looked, the more certain he became.
When he voiced his suspicion, his mentor confirmed it. “Yes, that’s right.”
“The explosion must’ve been pretty severe,” Eun-Ho said, scanning the ruins. “Even the neighboring buildings collapsed.”
“... They said the reagents in the lab triggered a chain reaction.”
“Ah, I see.”
The moment he remembered Iro’s laboratory, everything clicked. Towering shelves had stretched to the ceiling, packed with vials and flasks—some faintly glowing, others ominously dark. Beyond the five stimulants he’d taken, countless failed potions filled the room.
If dozens, or even hundreds, of those unstable reagents had reacted and set off a chain explosion, it wouldn’t have been surprising at all. What mattered now was something else.
“Have you found the culprit?” Eun-Ho asked.
“The culprit?”
Eun-Ho was curious about who had caused the blast and for what reason.
If the explosion had been deliberate, then that would mean someone inside the company or the lab had a grudge.
However, before he could voice the thought aloud, his mentor cut him off sharply, almost as if he’d read his mind, “There is no culprit. It was just a research accident.”
“What proof do you have?” Eun-Ho pressed.
“The blast started from inside. It’s clear the reagents were mishandled and mixed improperly.”
Clear, he said? Eun-Ho frowned.
“So I guess there was no evidence then. You haven’t identified which lab, or who made the mistake, right?”
The blond mentor flinched as if his secret had just been exposed. It was quick, almost imperceptible, but Eun-Ho caught it.
“You’re considering the possibility that someone inside the center caused the explosion, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.
I thought so.
“I heard the investigation’s already wrapped up and the researchers went back. What field are you talking about now?”
If his mentor had truly believed that, he wouldn’t still be lingering at the site of an already closed case.
So he’s not just a mindless mentor who follows orders, Eun-Ho thought. He’s someone who sticks to protocol, but still trusts his own judgment. Not bad.
He was still mulling it over as they trudged through the snow when the blond supervisor halted mid-step, his tone crisp and final. “Stop. We’ll begin our trial.”
The abrupt announcement sounded almost like an attempt to change the subject.
Puff—!
Then, a translucent window appeared before Eun-Ho’s eyes, the letters crisp and neatly aligned.
[A new trial of Project OJT has begun.]
Eun-Ho tilted his head in confusion.
What now?
He guessed it had something to do with the explosion, an item retrieval mission, or another investigation trial similar to the last one.
[Trial: Identify the cause of the Desert of Corruption before anyone else.]
[Rewards: 2 Points, 2,000 Welfare Points]
[Special Condition: If another employee identifies the cause first, the trial activation will be canceled.]
So if it’s another race to find the answer first, I will—
He was already considering possible strategies when another message blinked into view.
[Trial: remain still and wait.]
What?
[Progress: 0/3 hours]
[Rewards: 1 Point, 1,000 Welfare Points]
Are you kidding me? So that’s how it’s gonna be?
***
“This spot should do.”
Fwoosh—!
Before the collapsed laboratory building, a circle of green light burst upward from the snow-covered plaza. The energy traced a familiar pattern in the air, one Eun-Ho had seen countless times before.
[The waiting zone has been created.]
[Time Remaining: 59 minutes 59 seconds...]
“... A waiting zone?”
“Damn it, don’t tell me this is some kind of safe zone,” Swear-Master muttered.
For the first time, the supervisor’s stern face relaxed slightly. “Stay here and wait. I’ll return every hour to update it.”
The faint upward curl of his lips suggested that the idea of locking them in here pleased him.
Seriously? This is it? The trial really is to just sit still and wait?
[Progress has increased.]
“Are you serious? We just stay put?”
“I’ve never seen a trial like this before,” Ji-Woong said.
“Man, I wish they were all like this.” Swear-Master laughed.
“Just sit tight until it’s over. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Both Ji-Woong and the Swear-Master seemed thrilled at the idea of earning rewards by doing nothing. However, Eun-Ho wasn’t buying it.
There’s got to be something worth checking out inside that building.
He hadn’t come all this way to stand around in a glowing circle. However, walking away meant forfeiting the trial reward. It’d be a waste, given how rarely such opportunities came.
There’s got to be a way to earn the reward and get some intel...
He was still mulling it over when a faint crackle broke through the cold air.
Bzzt!
“Huh? Did you hear that?” Ji-Woong asked.
[Conditions met.]
A garbled announcement buzzed through the speakers, nearly drowned out by static.
[... has been activated!]
[Brace fo... impact...!]
The distortion only made the voice sound more ominous. Then, a deep, resonant sound rippled through the frigid air.
Thoom—!
“Huh?”
“What the hell! What’s happening?!”
At first, it sounded like the distant beat of a drum, as the vibration wasn’t felt in the air but through the skin.
Thoom—!
However, the sound grew closer and closer until it roared like a ship’s foghorn
Thoooom—!
The ground shuddered and snow clumps trembled loose from the surrounding mounds. The vibration wasn’t just underfoot anymore, it pulsed deep enough to make their insides ripple.
“What the hell is that?”
“Do you recognize it?!”
Gnashing his teeth, the supervisor drew the baton from his belt in one sharp motion. His eyes darted across the frozen plaza. He couldn’t spare a second to brush aside the blond hair slipping over his face.
Tap!
From the gaping hole in the collapsed laboratory came a sound that shouldn’t have been possible.
Fwaaaaaash—!
Then, a jet of pitch-black smoke shot upward like oil erupting from a well. The moment it appeared, every hair on Eun-Ho stood on end. The ominous smoke surged skyward like a massive fountain until it finally reached the clouds.
The smoke stained the clouds a murky black, heavier than any storm. In seconds, the daylight vanished, and the heavens themselves dimmed into pure darkness.
Rumble—! Kaboom!
From a sky blacker than oil, countless pale flakes drifted down, glimmering faintly in the darkness. However, they were no snowflakes, but unblinking and innumerable eyes, the gaze of monsters made manifest.
***
The trial was simple, as it was for them to stay put and do nothing. Therefore, just as ordered, none of them took a single step beyond the glowing green circle. However, what good was that now?
[You are entering the Snowfield!]
[Defeat the monsters and survive!]
The very ground beneath their feet had been corrupted.
“Everyone, evacuate! Now!”
“Damn it!”
“The data! Did you grab the data?!”
Voices echoed from what was left of the laboratory. A handful of researchers rushed out in panic, their white lab coats whipping in the blizzard.
“What the hell’s going on?!”
“Why are monsters appearing all of a sudden?!”
Even the mentor looked rattled.
For once, the blond supervisor hadn’t seen it coming. Still, his professionalism showed. Within moments, he had slipped into battle stance, baton raised. “Form up around me!”
[Defeat the Starving Yeti.]
[Defeat the Giant Snowfield Rabbit.]
[Defeat the Ice Golem.]
...
“Get your weapons out!” Eun-Ho ordered.
Then the world fell apart. Hundreds of monsters poured forth—some soaring through the air, others crawling, leaping, or bounding across the snow—spilling from the blackened sky and the frozen earth alike.
“Grrrrrrr—!”
“Kraaah!”
“Bzzzt—!”
The monsters’ roars tore through the air, shaking heaven and earth alike. The feral bloodlust rolling off them was enough to make even seasoned fighters freeze. Their hair was already standing on end just from being on the same snowfield.
“Open the door! Hurry!” Eun-Ho shouted.
He was referring to the door that could take them back to the Audit Bureau. With that, there’d be no need to fight the monsters at all.
The blond supervisor likely had the same thought because he moved fast. “Activate!”
Fwoosh—!
A brilliant green light flared in the center of the circle, and a shimmering door appeared.
“Go, everyone! And request backup!”
Wait, what?
“You’re not coming with us, sir?” Eun-Ho asked.
“That gate didn’t open for no reason. The culprit’s still inside.”
“What?” Eun-Ho’s eyes widened. “You’re saying you want to look for the culprit, now when you don’t even know where they are?!”
“The gate that summoned the monsters came from the building where the first explosion happened.”
“Then... that means—”
“They’re there, without a doubt.” The supervisor snapped his baton with a sharp crack. It instantly disassembled into dozens of metal strands, each segment unfolding and linking together. The solid baton had transformed into a whip lined with razor-sharp blades. “... I can’t leave before the job’s done.”
The blond supervisor really meant it, even if it killed him. For someone with such a sharp, disciplined face, the man was hopelessly inflexible. He was almost admirable, in a frustrating way.
Still, Eun-Ho couldn’t help but smirk.
I found a way to get the reward and the intel.
Vrrrrm—
The Flame Sky-Shattering Blade at his side began to hum violently the moment the monsters appeared, reacting to their presence. Eun-Ho glanced between the glowing blade and the shimmering Door.
“I could help you, if you’d like,” he offered.
“Forget it. Just go call for reinforcements—” denied the blond supervisor.
“I’ll help, but on one condition.”
“... Condition?”
Eun-Ho grinned. “I want you to change the trial parameters. I can’t exactly follow them anymore, can I?”
[You have left the waiting zone.]
[Progress has been halted.]
[Please return to the designated area.]
Even a single step beyond the glowing circle triggered an annoying system warning.
“The trial parameters will...” the blond supervisor muttered, trailing off.
“Behind you!” Eun-Ho shouted.
Swoosh—! Fwoosh!
A shard of ice, sharp as a spear, shot through the air and sliced past them. If Eun-Ho hadn’t yelled, it would’ve pierced the back of the supervisor’s skull. There was no time to hesitate, and the supervisor knew that as well as anyone.
Grimacing, the supervisor typing rapid commands into the invisible interface. “... It will be changed.”
Beep—!
A shrill alarm rang in Eun-Ho’s mind.
[Your trial parameters have been updated.]
A crimson warning window appeared before Eun-Ho eyes.
[Trial: remain still and wait.]
[Progress: 0/3 hours]
[Rewards: 1 Point, 1,000 Welfare Points]
Soon, it was changed to a new one.
[Trial: Repel the Monster Wave.]
[Progress: 0/3 hours]
[Rewards: 3 Points, 3,000 Welfare Points]
The system notification flashed like a weight being lifted from Eun-Ho’s limbs. The sandbags binding his arms and legs had finally fallen away.
“... I’m counting on you.” the supervisor said quietly.