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– Swoosh…

I turned my head to look at the three people while staring at the undulating sea.

“…Does anyone have a good idea?”

No one answered my question.

“Alright.”

How should I solve this?

From the start, I never thought it would be resolvable.

There’s no Branch Chief, and with the stage reaching this point, how could I possibly survive?

“Chae Yeon.”

“Yeah.”

Jang Chae Yeon gazed at me intently as I spoke.

“Is there a way we can safely get to the Management Agency?”

“…There’s a way.”

As she stared at the shimmering water, Jang Chae Yeon mumbled.

“…You’re not suggesting we ride me, are you?”

Yu Da On clutched her arms around herself, clearly disliking the idea.

Ah. I did remember a way that involved flying while holding Yu Da On’s arms.

When I gazed directly at her, Yu Da On reluctantly lowered her arms while Jang Chae Yeon shook her head.

“The Gangdong Branch always has paths ready that lead directly to the mountains.”

“What kind of path?”

“This way.”

Jang Chae Yeon skillfully pushed through the trees before stopping at some point.

In front of her stood a single tree.

She stared at the tree and placed her hand on it.

– Clang!

I heard something fall from inside the tree, and then Jang Chae Yeon looked at me and extended her hand.

“…Grab on.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your hand. Grab it.”

I reached out and took her hand at her command.

“Everyone else, hold hands too.”

“Uh, okay!”

“Do we really have to do this…”

As I extended my hand, Yu Da On grabbed it, and then Song Ah Rin took Yu Da On’s hand, forming a line like a human train.

“So, what should we do now, Chae Yeon?”

“From now on, we’ll fold the ground and walk.”

“Uh…”

With a confident expression, she was spouting nonsense.

Fold the ground to walk?

“Be careful not to let go, or you’ll fall. Don’t talk.”

After only saying that, Jang Chae Yeon took a step forward, and the world sped past like a highway.

“Ugh—”

There was no time to be surprised.

As Jang Chae Yeon gently led my hand, I too began to follow her steps.

We walked past mountains, across the sea, and onto skyscrapers.

“Wow! Highway, hiyaah!”

And I could hear Yu Da On laughing from behind, apparently chewing on something.

After crossing the mountains and stepping over the sea, we moved on…

“…Huh.”

In just three steps, we found ourselves standing on what seemed to be the rooftop of the Gangdong Branch.

“Ugh, ugh!”

After forcibly tearing my gaze away from Yu Da On, who seemed to have something in her mouth, I looked at Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on right now?”

“Thinking back to when I heard you…”

Song Ah Rin mumbled while resting her chin on her hand.

“It’s most likely that we’ve flown to a different timeline.”

“…But the snow has stopped.”

“Does the work end just because the snow has stopped?”

“At least the operations I’ve done were like that.”

“If that’s the case, then usually that would mean it’s right…”

Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon began discussing seriously with serious expressions.

“So, does that mean something went wrong?”

“But usually, if there’s a failure in operations, the timeline doesn’t just get messed up.”

“…That’s true. It would mean the world is collapsing.”

I fell into thought as I listened to the two of them.

It was the same when I saw the wedge being managed at the Gangseo Branch.

“Shall we head inside the Management Agency for now?”

Even if it’s the Gangdong Branch, we could figure it out once we get in.

“…”

At my suggestion, Jang Chae Yeon hesitated, and after seeing her expression, Song Ah Rin closed her eyes and sighed, standing next to me.

“White-haired person. You stay there. Stay with the black-haired one. And you, come with me.”

“Sure, why not.”

“…Understood.”

Jang Chae Yeon nodded honestly at Song Ah Rin’s words.

“Uh, me too?”

“Black-haired person, you stay with the white-haired one and keep an eye on things.”

“Hmm…”

“Please, Da On.”

“Ah, yes. Got it.”

Yu Da On nodded at my words, standing quietly next to Jang Chae Yeon.

“Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Song Ah Rin confidently started leading the way, and I began to follow her.

“…It’s better for the white-haired person not to go into the Gangdong Branch.”

As the two disappeared completely from view, Song Ah Rin opened the rooftop door and started down the stairs.

“Is it because of the Cube incident?”

“It’s not just that one thing, but it did end up being the trigger.”

“Trigger?”

“The atmosphere of the Gangdong Branch is different.”

– Tap, tap, tap…

In the quiet Management Agency, only the sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed.

“The Gangseo Branch has a relaxed nature. Is it because it follows the personality of the Branch Chief? Of course, when it gets too relaxed, they scramble to solve things when it’s at their throat.”

“Ah, I think I understand.”

It’s like they have to wait for a big accident to occur before they take action. They do clean things up, but it’s thanks to that that the atmosphere is pleasant.

Is that why I’m struggling?

“The Gangdong Branch feels more like a military.”

“It feels military-like?”

Meaning chaotic?

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it means they’re very organized.”

Song Ah Rin quickly added, looking at my face.

“They try to handle everything with precision. Because of that, everyone gets a bit worn out and on edge.”

“That does make sense, Chae Yeon had that kind of vibe.”

“She just naturally has that personality.”

With a clunk, we opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

Countless people were running earnestly through the hallway.

People shouting, and those brandishing guns, running about.

“Isn’t this déjà vu?”

“…Looks like an accident did occur. And it seems alright for now.”

Song Ah Rin muttered, disregarding the people as she began moving somewhere.

“Where are you going?”

“To see an old acquaintance.”

Song Ah Rin said and walked forward without hesitation.

No one paid us any mind.

Though occasionally, people would glance at us, the moment Song Ah Rin looked back, they’d rush off with a blank expression.

“Song Ah Rin, could it be that you’re…”

“Correct. They’re making us forget.”

“Do we really need to go this far…”

In response to my mumblings, Song Ah Rin replied.

“It’s bothersome.”

That was a classic Song Ah Rin reason.

A little while later, she halted in front of a door.

<Management Team>

“Management Team…?”

Before I could even finish mumbling, Song Ah Rin opened the door and went inside without hesitation.

“Wait a moment, Song Ah Rin…!”

“Hey!”

Has this girl finally gone mad?

Before I could stop her, she shouted and entered the office.

“Is anyone there?!”

“…”

Inside, where she shouted, sat a single old man with gray hair in a chair, looking worn out.

“…It’s been a while.”

He looked at Song Ah Rin with a tired expression.

And I too checked above his head.

[Name: Choi Soo Cheol]

[Age: 67]

[Special Skill: N/A]

[Talent: N/A]

[Background: The insights and experiences of someone who has risen purely through effort can sometimes shine brighter than any other ability.]

[Weakness: An ordinary human. He will die if you strike a vital point.]

“So the little kid from the Gangdong Branch goes back to the central only to end up here again.”

“Is this really the time to reminisce?”

“Who’s that next to you?”

He stared at me intently.

“Looks like you brought another weirdo along just by glancing at the top of my head.”

“Uh…”

“Listen to me for a moment!”

Before I could respond, Song Ah Rin shouted, and the old man squinted at her.

“Alright, alright. I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, but what’s the matter?”

“Is this… reality?”

“…Ah.”

At her words, the old man smiled as if he had realized something and looked at her and me.

“Are you asking for a reality check?”

“…Yes.”

“I wondered what was going on when you came rushing in with such urgency.”

He pondered for a moment and took something out from the drawer.

“A mirror?”

A mirror, huh?

The old man began adjusting the mirror, reflecting it this way and that, and soon Song Ah Rin and I found ourselves looking back from within it.

“…”

I squinted at the mirror, but no translucent window appeared to be in sight.

What on earth can’t I see with my eyes?

“Let’s see…”

He looked into the mirror with a relaxed expression and mumbled.

“I don’t know how you ended up in the Gangdong Branch, kid.”

“…”

The old man turned to look at Song Ah Rin intently.

“It’s reality.”

“…”

Song Ah Rin’s expression stiffened, and the old man sighed heavily at the sight.

“It seems there’s a reason why it shouldn’t be real.”

“The wedge operation of the Gangdong Branch hasn’t failed, has it?”

“Just like always, it was successful.”

“Then do you know why this is happening?”

“If I knew, no one would be running around like that.”

“Got it. Sorry for coming back after such a long time.”

“No problem.”

He waved his hand dismissively and leaned back in his chair.

“Tell Chae Yeon to take care too.”

“…Understood.”

Song Ah Rin replied curtly and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out the door.

“Wait, hold on! Song Ah Rin…!”

“Be quiet. Hand over your phone.”

Song Ah Rin kept dragging me along, checking the phone that had been snatched from my hand.

“The signal is still down. That means the relay station is incapacitated. The infrastructure has lost its function. The scariest part is, this is reality.”

With a serious expression, Song Ah Rin mumbled, folding her arms nervously as she tapped her own arm.

“So, this is at a disaster level—”

“Song Ah Rin.”

“Yeah?”

“Can we trust what that old guy said?”

He was an ordinary person without any abilities, and if the mirror aligned with my sight, it was merely a mirror devoid of any powers.

Receiving my gaze, Song Ah Rin nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“He’s not someone trustworthy, to be honest. He’s not great at handling people either.”

“…”

“But when it comes to the reality check, at least among the Gangseo, Gangdong, Gangbuk, and Gangnam branches, he’s the best.”

What could be his motive for wanting to be so thorough about the reality check?

Lost in thought momentarily, Song Ah Rin hurriedly moved forward, mumbling.

“Let’s go up. We need to gather the others quickly—”

Before she could finish, I heard a commotion from afar.

“What’s that?”

“It’s fish!”

“It’s coming this way!”

Fish?

– Bang!

With a crash, the sound of something colliding echoed, followed by the screams of people.

I recalled what Aileen had said.

An aquarium, and a missing fish.

“Song Ah Rin, go up and bring back some people.”

“What are you planning—”

“I’m going first. If you don’t hurry, I might die.”

“Hey!”

Ignoring Song Ah Rin’s calls from behind, I pulled out my gun and ran toward the noise.

Countless people fled in the opposite direction from me.

It was pandemonium.

“Ah! Aaaah—”

Someone screamed with fear, then suddenly, their cry was cut off.

As the ground grew wet, by the time I reached the source of the noise…

– Squelch, squelch…

The screams of people were no longer audible.

It was a gigantic fish.

It appeared to be shaped like a carp, but when it opened its mouth, what showed were not fish teeth, but human teeth instead.

Blood was splattered everywhere, and people who had lost either their lower or upper bodies floated atop the water.

A translucent window rose above its head.

[Name: Fish]

[Age: 3 years old]

[Special Skill: N/A]

[Talent: Ingestion]

[Background: A fish released from an aquarium by someone is joyfully consuming its food.]

[Weakness: A fish cannot survive out of water.]

Each time it opened its mouth, remnants of people’s corpses faintly appeared, and simultaneously—

– Squelch!

Blood splattered all around as people fell towards the depths.

It closed its mouth, lifting its lifeless gaze to look at me.

Water began to rise up to my ankles.