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“What on earth is going on here? Is the Isolation Team in disarray, or have they been reassigned somewhere else?”

A woman grabs us and starts chattering away.

“…”

Jang Chae Yeon maintains her silence, while Song Ah Rin wears a confused smile that I’ve never seen before in my life.

With that awkward smile, Song Ah Rin looks at me.

– Is it hypnosis?

– Just a second.

– Why?

– You never know.

– Ugh.

I imagine the person holding the Cross.

Whether at the Nursery or the Amusement Park, the person with the Cross, or the Rosary, always had a spare life or something equivalent.

If Song Ah Rin had tried to hypnotize me and it didn’t work, it would be a disaster.

While exchanging a brief glance with Song Ah Rin, the woman suddenly exclaims, “I’m sure everyone fell apart during that incident with the Isolation Team, oh my, oh my. My mouth keeps rambling.”

As she slaps her own mouth and laughs awkwardly, our attention turns back to her.

I can roughly guess what type of person she is.

Someone who enjoys gossiping about others and lacks consideration for them.

I had to be careful with my words anyway.

“So, how did you end up here? Did you get reassigned to HR? Or is this a business trip? Or maybe—”

“I’m here for an HR evaluation.”

As I cut off her rambling, her eyes finally focus on me.

“Oh my, oh my. Who’s this gentleman? Boyfriend? Or just a friend with benefits?”

Ignoring her banter, I continue, “Hello, I’m Gang…”

‘Don’t get too comfortable just because people engage you. It’s better to act like I’m from the Gangdong Branch.’

The man’s words echo in my mind.

I ponder over it for a moment.

Could she really not know the HR staff from her own branch?

But then, there must be a reason why that guy said pretending to be from the Gangdong Branch is the best move.

“…I just started at the Gangdong Branch, I’m Kim Jae Heon.”

“Oh, from HR?”

“Yeah.”

He probably knows more about the situation than I do.

“Umm…”

She furrows her brows.

Seeing her expression, anxiety swells within me.

Could it be that she recognizes my face?

Since she’s from the Gangseo Branch’s HR.

“I’m sorry; I work in the field, so I rarely cross paths with office staff. First time meeting you.”

“I can believe that.”

Fortunately, it was just my overactive self-awareness.

“So, who are these two, including Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon…?”

“Ah, this is new Yu Da On.”

“I’m intern Park Ye Eun.”

“An adult?”

“Yeah?”

At the sudden question, Park Ye Eun blinks, then responds, “I legally crossed that line…?”

She spoke the lie without a blink.

“Oh, I see.”

The woman sighs in apparent relief.

“And so…”

Her gaze shifts back to me.

– Clink.

The Cross on her bracelet shakes.

“Why are you here? Normally, office staff wouldn’t dare to come here.”

A different sense of suspicion radiates from her face now.

“…”

The best tactic would be to sell someone out.

But how?

I can only think of one person’s name from the Gangdong Branch.

The man I just conversed with, Choi Soo Cheol.

Should I sell his name?

As I ponder this, Song Ah Rin slowly speaks up.

“I heard the Management Team’s Lee Hye In agreed to evaluate us.”

“Oh, Lee Hye In…”

At Song Ah Rin’s words, a look of confusion flits across the woman’s face.

“Right, you three were in the same team…”

“Yes.”

“Wow, but still, that Lee Hye In…?”

“She said it’s only this time.”

“Honestly, I doubt the evaluation for the two of you will yield good results…”

What kind of person is this Lee Hye In?

“Anyway, Lee Hye In is…”

The woman thinks briefly, “She’s in there.”

She gestures towards the inner corridor with her hand.

“Thank you.”

I just wanted to escape from this woman.

As I was about to move my feet, she piped up again.

“Oh, and…”

She rifled through her pockets, “Here, take this.”

She offered the Cross.

A translucent window appeared above the Cross.

[Name: Token of Faith]

[Age: Created 3 days ago]

[Specialty: -]

[Talent: X]

[Background: Truly, I tell you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.]

[Vulnerability: Therefore, whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.]

“…”

It’s all just incomprehensible words flowing out.

“Here, this will protect you.”

“Protect me, you say?”

I followed her words, looking into her eyes.

“Come on, take it.”

She offers the Cross again.

I truly had no choice.

As I extended my hand to grasp the Cross, a sharp pain surged through my temples.

A headache?

Still clutching the Cross, I hurriedly glanced around at the people nearby.

Park Ye Eun frowned slightly at the Cross, while the others looked on as if sensing danger, despite not knowing why.

A smile spread across her face as she saw me holding the Cross.

“You’re okay now. You can go in if you want.”

She waved to us, cheerful as can be.

She showed no signs of concern whatsoever.

What should I do?

I decided to just wave back at her before leaving.

As we disappeared from her sight, she waved with a bright smile.

“…That person wasn’t like that before.”

“Right.”

It wasn’t until the woman turned the corner and vanished from view that Jang Chae Yeon muttered, and Song Ah Rin nodded along.

“Wasn’t like that, you say?”

“All Management Team people are on edge.”

With Song Ah Rin’s words, Jang Chae Yeon nodded.

“Think about it. You have to input information about a newly encountered containment object, and if luck runs out, you might die on the spot or end up in a fate worse than death.”

“That’s true.”

“Wouldn’t you be on edge? It’s almost paranoid-level. The way that person was behaving was similar.”

“…”

Then, I could guess only one conclusion.

“But hey, brother.”

“Yeah?”

Park Ye Eun, who had been silent until now, looked at me, pointing at the Cross with her finger.

“That’s kind of weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“Um, it feels like… I don’t know how to put it, but it sounds like music?”

“Music?”

Although my head hurt slightly, it didn’t sound like anyone else could hear the music.

“I can’t hear it.”

“Neither can I.”

“Me neither.”

But it seemed like only Park Ye Eun could hear the music.

“…For now—”

– Clang!

Before I could finish my sentence, there was a loud crash coming from somewhere.

Yu Da On immediately stepped in front, while Song Ah Rin took position at the back, and Jang Chae Yeon raised her hand beside me.

– Thud… thud…

Footsteps echoed.

And then—

– Ouch!

A splitting headache suddenly struck me.

“…Ah.”

“…Oh.”

“…Ugh.”

“Everyone, stay alert!”

Holding my throbbing temples, as I lifted my head…

Jang Chae Yeon, Song Ah Rin, and Park Ye Eun lay unconscious.

The only one remaining was…

“Jae Heon!”

Yu Da On stood there with a dazed expression, merely looking at the others.

“What’s happening?”

“I have no idea.”

What on earth is going on?

Why was Yu Da On still intact in all of this?

– Thud…

I heard something crunching glass underfoot.

Looking up, I saw…

“…”

A man dressed in a pitch-black priest’s robe.

No, should I even call this a man?

The body clearly belonged to a man, but the face mirrored something more akin to a feminine sculpture from a sacred altar.

I hastily dropped the Cross to the floor.

Even so, my headache remained.

No, rather,

[Name: Priest]

[Age: X]

[Specialty: Repentance]

[Talent: Recursion]

[Background: Confront your sins boldly. If that’s impossible, kneel and pray to your god.]

[Vulnerability: Believe fervently in something else. Be willing to sacrifice yourself for it. Otherwise, become an outlier.]

What is this nonsense?

I had no time to ponder.

“Da On, buy us some time!”

“Okay!”

Yu Da On hurriedly put on her gloves and rushed ahead.

– Swish!

With a sound of something swishing through the air, her wrist was severed.

“Yikes!”

While mumbling, she grabbed her other wrist to bandage it.

As I looked at her, I hefted the two unconscious individuals.

“Gah, ow…!”

Even if they were light, it was still two adult women and a minor.

There was no way I could manage this alone.

“Outlier, outlier…”

Could I even designate someone as an outlier?

As that thought crossed my mind, a peculiar vulnerability suddenly surfaced.

[Therefore, whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.]

And the woman’s earlier question about being an adult.

I didn’t know.

In a hurry, I thrust the Cross into Park Ye Eun’s hand.

“Raaah!”

Park Ye Eun screamed and sprang up in shock.

What had happened, her face drenched in cold sweat.

“Oh, big brother?”

With a perplexed expression, she looked back at me.

But there was no time to waste.

“Can you carry the two?”

“Um, well.”

“Hurry!”

– Swish!

I heard a swishing noise from behind, and the stench of blood hit my nose.

“Ugh…!”

Park Ye Eun’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth in horror.

Soon, she hoisted both of them onto her shoulders like a sack.

“Let’s go.”

“Da On!”

As I turned around to call out to Yu Da On, her body seemed to ripple back into place.

Similar to during the Dream of the Butterfly, the fragments of her scattered body returned, more quickly than before.

– Whoosh!

Her form swung, and Yu Da On, back in one piece, somersaulted away from the priest’s grasp to my side.

“Can we go now?”

“Yes.”

“Got it.”

“Uh, where do we go?”

“Turn around!”

At my command, Park Ye Eun swiftly pivoted and took off running.

I followed closely behind.

No footsteps chased us.

*

“…Hah… Hah…”

“Ugh… Hah…”

“Phew… that was a close one.”

We had run through an endless maze of corridors for quite some time.

Even though no footsteps had pursued us, it felt instinctively as if we were in danger and needed to escape.

Yu Da On wiped the sweat from her brow and murmured.

“…I’ll drop you off here.”

Then Park Ye Eun, muttering to herself, let the two unconscious individuals rest.

“Ahh…”

“Ugh…”

Both of them were struggling with cold sweat in a fit.

“…And I’m going to hold this.”

Park Ye Eun offered me the Cross, a hint of concern on her face.

“This keeps me safe.”

“What did it feel like?”

“…It’s hard to express in words.”

Park Ye Eun frowned.

“It was a disturbing dream.”

“What kind?”

“…I don’t remember.”

“…Got it.”

I glanced at the unconscious Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon.

I placed my hand under their noses.

Both were breathing steadily.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[When a person loses consciousness]

1. For consciousness lost due to mental attack, you should usually wake them through a physical shock or other mental shock.

2. That doesn’t mean to give artificial respiration. Never apply artificial respiration.

The manual wasn’t useful.

“…”

[Method: 1]

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Why are you staring at me like that, Jae Heon?”

I had one method to wake at least one of them.

But I couldn’t connect to Yu Da On.

I surely couldn’t connect with Park Ye Eun either.

She’s still a minor. How would I know what might happen to her?

“…Da On.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m thinking of connecting with Ah Rin…”

“I’m fine!”

Yu Da On nodded with a smile.

“Then let’s do it.”

An unconscious person can’t voice their opinion. At least once she wakes up, she can complain.

[Method: 1->0]

A purple thread sprang up above Song Ah Rin’s head, and tentatively approached me.

It rebounded.

What conditions can connect me to her?

At the very least, I’ve done everything that I could.

I connect that thread to Yu Da On.

The result was immediate.

“…!”

Song Ah Rin swiftly sat up.

Then her gaze shifted to me.

Her eyes were devoid of anger, sadness, or emotion, just coldness.

“…You connected with her.”

Then, in her emotionless tone, she murmured.

“That’s right.”

“You were told not to… Ugh…”

She stumbled mid-sentence, gripping the wall and heading somewhere.

“Ugh…!”

We heard her retching from the other side of the wall.

“Hahaha…”

Yu Da On scratched her cheek with an embarrassed smile.

Soon, Song Ah Rin approached me.

“You… I told you not to…”

“…”

Just as she pointed at me with lifeless eyes, her movements suddenly froze.

“Ugh, uh…”

After several shudders, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall.

“…No, do what you want.”

“Ah Rin?”

“I’ll do whatever you say.”

With that, she looked at me with an expression full of ominous emotions I couldn’t comprehend.