Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Transport Team (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Leaving behind the Exploration Team 5 leader rolling on the floor, I headed toward the stairs with a complicated heart.
The stairs were already open.
It was something I'd planned ever since hearing that man say Exploration Team 5 would come charging in here.
Before they arrived, I'd secretly handed a green pen to Choi Employee and told him:
Watch the timing. When you hear the restaurant door close, fill up the points, then take the terrified Transport Team members and get out as fast as you can.
After that, explain to them what's been happening.
He seemed to have carried out my instructions perfectly.
The moment I lifted my foot to climb the stairs.
A voice came from the other side.
"You trash bastard!"
"P-Please, spare me!"
"..."
Along with a clamor from the upper stairs, someone started coming down.
It was the members of Exploration Team 5, who had desperately escaped to the surface earlier.
But now, they were being dragged down like criminals, their faces pale with terror.
To be honest, I should have stopped them when they tried to escape.
But I couldn't.
Just for a brief moment, I hesitated as I recalled the horrific things the monsters in this underground hotel would do to them if I blocked their way.
In the end, instead of me, the Transport Team—who had learned the gruesome truth of all these events—dragged them back here.
They were to be punished at the hands of the very Transport Team members they'd slaughtered countless times.
Spotting me at the bottom of the stairs, they paused for a moment.
Perhaps having heard Choi Employee's full explanation, they flinched before bowing their heads toward me.
"...Ah! You're the one who saved us, right?"
"Thank you so much!"
"...No need. Those people..."
When I pointed at Team 5's members, the others nodded.
"As you probably know, these guys tried to kill all of us. They've been murdering people even before that."
"And just earlier, they suddenly showed up on the surface and shoved guns in our faces!"
There must have been some commotion on the surface too.
But in the end, they couldn't overcome the numbers.
It was a somewhat anticlimactic end for an elite team.
Or maybe they'd already taken heavy losses in the fight with the Mannequins. Their bodies bore wounds that seemed too deep to have been inflicted by the Transport Team, scattered all over.
I stepped aside from the stairs to let the dragged-down Exploration Team 5 pass.
With faces full of fear, they were hauled toward the settlement hole.
And shortly after, one by one, they were thrown into the hole below by the hands of the very Transport Team members they'd intended to deliver as offerings.
"Aaaargh!"
"Spare me! Please!"
"..."
The bastards screamed, but I felt no pity.
Not after everything they'd done.
The Transport Team seemed to think the same, but hearing the screams made them grimace uncomfortably, as if their consciences weren't entirely at ease.
I let out a sigh.
In a way, the Transport Team had done the job that should have been mine.
I reflected on my past actions.
No more hesitation next time.
It hit me once again that my biggest weakness was this frail mentality of mine.
"...Shall we head up together?"
"...Yeah."
We stood dazed in front of the hole for a bit before snapping out of it and deciding to climb the stairs.
I couldn't even remember how I got home after escaping the underground hotel.
The moment I closed the front door, I collapsed onto the bed as if all my energy had been drained.
My body wasn't tired at all, but my mind was a tangled mess.
Everything that had happened today weighed down on me, all jumbled together.
"Grrr..."
Leo rumbled in his throat.
Normally, I'd be fawning over him the second I got home.
But today, seeing me quietly lie down on the bed must have been strange, because Leo prowled around the bedside.
Then, cautiously approaching, he gently nibbled on my limp finger with an "ang." Of course, it didn't hurt.
It was just a light nip, as if asking if I was okay.
At least, that's how it felt to me.
I pulled Leo, who was slobbering over my finger, into my arms and hugged him tight.
"Grr...!"
His small body wriggled in resistance for a moment, but soon gave up and settled obediently in my embrace.
The warm heat, soft fur, and steady vibrations gradually soothed my troubled heart.
For a long while, I stroked Leo and murmured my future plans to my little housemate.
"Leo... I think I'm going to switch to White Tiger."
Even as I said it, a corner of my heart was uneasy.
Maybe in this game world, no normal corporation even existed.
Still, I had no desire to stay with Dongto any longer.
"...Going to White Tiger is the right call, right?"
As if answering, Leo let out a deep "grrr rumble..."
Yeah, that had to be agreement. I wanted to believe so. After hugging him for a long time, drawing comfort and a bit of courage from him, I got up.
With my mind made up, I acted fast. I grabbed my phone and found "Park Sunja" in my contacts, sending her a message.
[I accept the offer you made last time.]
Short, but it clearly conveyed my intent.
Next, I sent a group message to my Team 15 members.
It was about the White Tiger office job offer Park Sunja had given me before—one I hadn't been able to bring up until now.
Finally, I added one more thing to the message for Park Sunja.
It was about Rahee.
[If it's okay, could you also consider an employee named Rahee from Dongto's Team 12? She's diligent and quick-thinking, so I think she'd do well in an office role.]
This was meddling on my part.
Maybe because she was the first connection I'd made since coming to this world, but as I decided to leave Dongto, she weighed on my mind a little.
Hoping my small recommendation might open a new opportunity for her, I hit send.
All the decisions were made; now it was just a matter of waiting for replies.
The next day, I headed to a neat restaurant in a downtown shopping mall.
There was a reason for coming here today.
Yesterday, I'd floated the idea of White Tiger's office job to Team 15, and everyone agreed we needed to discuss it seriously.
So we made plans to meet.
"Alright... time to head in."
I deliberately arrived about five minutes late.
I figured they needed time to talk among themselves and sort out their feelings without me there.
Some things might be hard to say with me present.
Entering the restaurant, I saw all three already seated at a table by the window.
As I approached, all eyes turned to me.
Team leader Park Cheolwoo awkwardly raised a hand in greeting, and I nodded lightly before sitting in the empty seat next to Han Sora.
The team leader looked noticeably tense.
Meanwhile, Han Sora, as usual, brightened the mood by teasing him about why he was so nervous.
Seo Ji-hyun just gave me her usual blank glance.
"I'll help you with your orders."
"Ah, I'll have—"
In the awkward atmosphere, we each ordered food, and a silence fell.
Han Sora was the first to speak.
Twirling her fork, she cut straight to the point.
"I'm all for it. Honestly, ever since I heard our team's missions were getting harder, I've wanted to quit. I was thinking it was about time anyway... perfect timing!"
That was so like her, straightforward.
The team leader cleared his throat once before cautiously speaking.
"...To be honest, I've long suspected what Dongto was up to. Your message yesterday confirmed it. I want to switch jobs too. I don't want to do exploration work for a place that uses humans as sacrifices."
Coming from someone who'd been on an exploration team for so long, his words carried extra weight.
Finally, eyes turned to Seo Ji-hyun.
In her usual calm voice, she said,
"Minjun, could I get that Park Sunja person's contact? I'd like to hear the details of the offer first."
"Ah, of course."
Hearing that, I inwardly sighed in relief.
Seo Ji-hyun seemed open to transferring if the conditions were good.
Honestly, I'd thought none of the three fit with the perilous exploration team life anymore.
"Wow, everyone's going! Hope we end up on the same team again."
"Hahaha..."
With everyone's intentions confirmed, the heavy tension melted away like snow.
We sighed in unison and began eating while chatting comfortably.
"Hello?"
"...Seo Ji-hyun?"
A little later, Seo Ji-hyun started calling the number I'd given her for Park Sunja.
It wasn't on speaker, but from her unusually soft tone and the snippets of conversation leaking through, it was clear negotiations were going smoothly.
She was so focused on the call that she didn't notice our food getting cold, even handling my transfer conditions on my behalf.
We quietly ate while eavesdropping on the call.
Seo Ji-hyun was Seo Ji-hyun, through and through.
We stared at her in a daze, and at some point—
Click.
Seo Ji-hyun set down her smartphone with a faint smile.
It seemed like everything had been settled satisfactorily.
"Now, let's finish our meal."
"Ah... yeah."
It looked like Seo Ji-hyun had decided to transfer too.