EP.7.5 Playing the Game Like Life
EP.7.5 Playing the Game Like Life
The day after that unforgettable day at the hotel.
After I reported the traitor's capture, the Director summoned me to his office.
"Agent Seon-ju, I ask this every time, but are you truly all right?"
"Yeeeah..."
Director Edwiner was genuinely worried about me, half-dead as I was.
Come to think of it, every summons to the Director's office seemed to follow a thorough mauling by my Companion Animals.
And this time, I'd been drained to the point where I seriously thought I'd turned into a mummy...
Honestly, wasn't it a miracle I was even having this conversation with the Director?
"If you say you're all right, I won't press it. In any case, thanks to you, we've secured the traitor's person and all the evidence. I'm sorry for pushing our work onto you."
"It's fine. Whoever caught him, the important thing is the fact that he was caught, right?"
With the traitor—one of the biggest headaches—taken care of, I could say my daily life had gotten a little closer to peace and quiet.
...
The incidents from my leave period suddenly flickered through my mind.
Is this really peaceful?
I was feeling a little confused.
"In any case, achievements deserve recognition. If there's anything you want as a reward, just say the word."
"A reward... hmm, let's see?"
"Ho? Not asking for leave this time?"
"A long leave is so boring I thought I'd go crazy. So now I'd rather not."
Not being able to sleep at night the whole leave because I was waging a Mandatory Defense Battle was also one of the reasons I'd come to dislike leave.
Sometimes I just want to use work fatigue as an excuse and get some decent sleep!
"Everything in moderation is indeed a good rule."
"So, here's the thing—isn't there something fun and active to do?"
"I have a mission perfectly suited for a person like y—"
"Excluding missions."
"It seems you'd rather die than take a mission."
"That's not fun, it's dangerous."
"What if it were an easy mission, like your very first one?"
"Hmmm..."
Would it really be easy?
If so, I'd be okay with taking it, though.
Just as the Director took a sip of his coffee, I glanced toward Yata. She raised her thumb toward me.
Oh? So it was a mission I was okay with taking!
But just briefly, Yata immediately drew that raised thumb across her throat.
Ah...! Aaah...!
"I'll refuse."
"Just as I thought."
It couldn't be helped.
I already saw the future...
"Then what about dropping by the training ground for the first time in a while? Coincidentally, training for my direct subordinate agents—whom you know—is scheduled from this afternoon onward."
"Oh? The training ground's interior was already fixed?"
"Ah, yes. Repairs to training facilities are a frequent occurrence, so they don't tend to take very long."
The training ground that had been completely devastated by Tia's power just a few days ago was already fixed...
Tia's power, which had wrecked everything, was tremendous, but I also thought the people who repaired it in such a short time were impressive.
"At any rate, you will likely have to share quite a few missions with them in the future. With that in mind, why not take this opportunity to conduct some joint training with them?"
"But I'm not a combat agent, you know?"
"I wish you'd stop being so stubborn and finally accept your circumstances."
"What circumstances are you referring to?"
"I'm referring to the circumstances that force you to fight, even though you are not a combat agent. Since the day you became an agent, through all your past deeds to this very moment, has there ever been a single instance with no combat?"
"Th-that's..."
It was true. There hadn't been a single time without combat.
At best, maybe my first mission. But even that, in the end, had combat break out between Yata and the terrorists without my knowing.
If Yata hadn't been there, I would have had to fight the terrorists who followed us.
"In the first place, now that you keep a Divine Beast at your side as a companion animal, combat is something you cannot avoid. So shouldn't you acquire a certain level of combat capability yourself? For your sake, and for the sake of your companion dragon."
"Ugh! That may be true, but..."
"Don't take my words too gravely, however. Fundamentally, our government intends to step up and protect your personal safety."
"But the point is, build up combat ability to prepare for when you can't protect me, right?"
"Precisely."
The government's manpower was not infinite.
Especially in the case of combat agents, many died in action fighting terrorists, and because of the unique danger, applicants were always quite scarce, so they were perpetually understaffed.
In a situation where combat personnel had to be deployed cautiously to maintain a nation where citizens could feel safe, I had demanded the government protect my precious family, and the government had willingly spent its manpower.
So for me to throw a tantrum and demand they protect me forever... was, frankly, a bit problematic.
"Haah... All right, Director. I'll take part in the training as you say."
"Thank you for taking my words to heart."
"If you're thankful, then please refrain from beating me with facts in the future. It hurts to the bone, you know?"
"Your personality is so slippery that I had no choice but to speak this way. My apologies."
That damn old man, hitting my bones with facts right to the end...
"And there's one more thing I wanted to tell you."
"What now?"
"That you have talent. It's my personal judgment, but I believe your combat sense is no less than that of the other agents, so have some confidence."
"And your basis for that?"
"Do you think an ordinary person can correctly aim at a temple and knock someone out?"
"Ah."
It seemed the Director had already figured out how I'd subdued the traitor when I handed him over to the government.
Certainly, for an average person to knock someone out in one go by targeting the temple was a very difficult feat.
But in my case, it was possible because of the experience of having all manner of horrible things done to me by lunatics since I was little.
I had a detailed knowledge of which parts of the human body were weak points and exactly where to aim, because I'd experienced it firsthand with my own body.
"It was just possible out of luck because I have this-and-that knowledge. Isn't it a bit of a stretch to judge that I have talent based on dumb luck like that?"
"Well, I'm not so sure about that. I'll simply answer that someone accustomed to wounds naturally knows well how to inflict them."
Director Edwiner gave a smile befitting a wicked villain.
As I thought, ever since he wanted to pull me in as an agent, his background check on me had already been thorough.
So whatever else I said here would just sound like sophistry to his ears.
"Ah, my apologies, but I have to get up for my next task now. Then, I fervently pray you have a pleasant time with your senior agents. Do receive your training well~!"
That damned egoist...
***
"Hah! New record!"
Even before I entered the room, the inside of the training waiting room was boisterous.
The familiar laugh of a woman reached outside.
"As expected, I just can't beat Da-hye at shooting."
"The undisputed number one in marksmanship. Can't be helped."
"I won the bet, so by our promise, you two are my servants for the day! So kneel at once and worship me! You lowly things!"
"Winning with your specialty... how dirty."
"It was Da-hye who recklessly insisted on betting in the first place. Petty."
"Sh-shut up! A bet's a bet! Anyway, I won, so quietly do as I say!"
There was someone inside getting pummeled with facts, too.
Not that I wanted to feel any sense of kinship whatsoever.
"Hello!"
"Oh? Who's this! If it isn't our junior?"
"Welcome."
"It's been quite a while, so good to see you~!"
The senior agents greeted me brightly the moment they saw me.
They were all still good people.
After the disgraceful scene I had witnessed last time, I doubted I could respect them.
"Junior! What brings you here?"
"Ah, the Director suggested I train here with you seniors, so I came."
"The Director did?"
"Yes. He told me this time not to just observe, but to train alongside you and learn."
"Mm! Mm! Indeed, there's much for you to learn from me!"
Senior Da-hye folded her arms and nodded repeatedly.
Personally, I thought she was the last person I had anything to learn from.
"After all, I am the number one ranked senior this week!"
"Number one ranked?"
"Ah! I'll explain that. See that screen displayed on the wall over there?"
As I turned my head toward where Senior Miria was pointing, I saw a computer screen projected by a beam projector.
And on the screen, information like ranks, names, and scores was displayed. The name Lee Da-hye at the very top, along with her score and rank 1, were the first things to catch my eye.
"This time, when they repaired the training ground, they newly introduced a scoring system. So that ranking up there was the result."
"Oh-ho, is there a reward for placing first or something?"
"No, not that, but doesn't it feel good to be first among agents? Just like that."
When I turned my head again toward where Senior Miria was pointing,
I could see Senior Da-hye's expression saying, How about that? This is how good I am!
To be honest, it was a little obnoxious.
"So the three of you were competing while training here, I take it?"
"Correct. Only, Da-hye insisted it'd be boring to just do it straight, so she clamored for a bet, and we ended up betting."
"That was the result."
"Aah~ after training, I'm so thirsty. One of you, whoever! Go fetch me some water!"
Her companion wolf was embarrassed on behalf of Senior Da-hye.
It seemed she had handed over her dignity as a senior to her wolf.
So that's what happens when you pick the wrong companion keeper...
"Then, may I give it a try too? I'm very inexperienced, but it seems fun, so I'd really love to give it a shot."
"Of course you can!"
"Go as much as you like."
Two kindhearted seniors,
"If your score turns out low, feel free to say so. This senior here will personally teach you!"
And one senior with what seemed like a personality problem.
I really wanted to cut that sky-high arrogance down to size.
...Shall I?
"First, I'll aim for first place and try my absolute best!"
"You...? Puhahah!!"
"Da-hye!"
"That's fine! It's laughable, after all. Since I haven't shown you any results yet."
"Don't flatter yourself, junior. How could you beat me when those two couldn't?"
"You never know, right? Maybe I'll get lucky and win?"
"Nonsense. Even with luck, you'd never beat me."
"What will you do if I do win?"
"Fine. If you surpass my record, I'll give you half a year's salary!"
"Really? You mean that?"
"I mean it and then some! Shall I put it in writing?"
Gotcha!
This felt like a weighty, perfect catch!
"Ah! But no using the dragon's power! Because that's way too unbalanced!"
"That's not fair! Didn't you use your companion wolf to set that record, Senior?"
"That may be, but using a Divine Beast's power is cheating no matter how you look at it! If you say you'll use the dragon's power, I'll pretend this conversation never happened!"
"Fine. In exchange, since I have no companion animal, I should get an advantage, no?"
"What do you want?"
"Not half a year. A full year. Give me your full year's salary, Senior."
"Pfft...!! Fine! Make it double if you want!"
"You promise?"
Ah...! What was I to do?
I couldn't control my expression.
I had to hold back my laughter...
I was enjoying it so much, my mouth felt like it was going to rip from ear to ear!
"Well then, I'll head in and get started."
"You can do it~!"
"I'll look forward to a good score."
Amid cheers from the two senior agents, I entered the training ground.
As an unofficial agent, I had to borrow Miria's identification. That actually worked in my favour.
It felt nicer to raise the score of a senior I had a slightly better impression of.
"Anyway, they said they repaired it, but they just completely overhauled it..."
The buildings and cover objects had structures different from what I'd seen before.
Standing in the center of this training ground that seemed to recreate a city district, I waited for the training to begin.
The training method was a simple system: shoot as many of the dummy figures that appear as possible to raise your score.
But in this wide training ground, you never knew when, how, or where enemies would pop out, and the buildings and cover served as shields for the dummies, making things troublesome.
In other words, the key was to personally run around quickly locating and eliminating dummy figures that could appear from anywhere.
Senior Da-hye had probably used her companion wolf to find enemies while racking up a high score with her excellent marksmanship.
Meaning this was training where, in addition to individual skill, coordination with your companion animal was critical.
But I had neither exceptional marksmanship nor a fine companion wolf.
Furthermore, I was in a state where I couldn't borrow the power of my companion dragon, Tia.
The odds of someone like me beating Senior Da-hye were basically 0 percent...
"Or so Senior Da-hye would think."
Pulling out a smile I could no longer hold back, I looked up toward the waiting room above.
There was a female senior smiling somewhat similar to me.
It seemed she still thought I couldn't surpass her.
I suppose so. How could I beat her all by myself?
If I wanted to win...
"First, I'd activate Black Sheep Wall."
I'd have to use the cheat keys of my two remaining companion animals, right?
"Dear husband, one dummy figure on the building to your right."
"Yeah!"
On the building to the right. I quickly aimed and shot at the dummy figure peeking out.
"Advance about ten paces forward, then behind the wall on the left."
"Got it!"
I ran according to what Yata told me, shooting and hitting dummy figures the moment they popped out.
This was my first cheat key.
Tracking? No need.
Why bother searching for enemies myself when I had an assistant predicting and telling me where they'd appear?
"Where next?"
"Next, there's one in the alleyway to the rear."
"Yeah!"
After taking down well over ten dummies in a short span of time.
Taking a brief moment of leisure, I looked toward the waiting room and saw Senior Da-hye's face looking considerably flustered.
Yes! That was it! That expression was exactly what I'd been dying to see!!
Ah, that was satisfying!
"Dear husband, three dummies inside that building 100 meters ahead of you. What do you want to do?"
"Hmm..."
It worked on a system where if you failed to take out dummies within the time limit, the figures automatically lowered and the next ones appeared.
If I went inside that building and ran all over the place trying to take them down only for the dummies to retract, it was an obvious loss.
It would become a task consuming considerable stamina and time.
One option was to leave them alone and wait for the next wave of dummies.
"I figured it was about time I used the resources cheat too."
"Yes! Here you go."
A single grenade was placed on my palm.
I approached the building to get an angle and threw the grenade, created by Miho's materialization ability, through the window.
The safety lever snapped off, and the grenade slid right through the window.
Soon after, a booming roar accompanied a clean explosion.
"That should've taken them all out, right?"
"Yes, confirmed that they're all down. Let's head to the next."
"I took the liberty of fully charging your magazine as well, so you won't need to reload separately!"
Map-hack cheat and resource cheat.
There was no longer a future where I could lose to someone while using two cheats simultaneously.
"Mwahahahaha!"
Ah! This was fun!
***
Back in the waiting room, which I returned to only after hearing the training-end sound.
Two senior agents applauded my score and showered me with praise.
there was one senior agent sitting in a chair, burnt to a white crisp in a state of dejection.
Given that sight, the result was obvious without even looking.
I checked the wall display anyway. As expected, the name in first place had changed.
From Lee Da-hye to Miria...
I won.
"Sorry, Senior. I ended up taking first place because the dummy figures happened to only appear at close range for me."
"Yeah, I saw..."
"Truly unfortunate. Then, as per our bet, I'll be collecting your full year's salary... uuh?!"
At that moment, Senior Da-hye abruptly grabbed both of my shoulders.
Seeing her body trembling like a drill stuck in the ground, the result just now must have been a tremendous shock to her.
"I-I have a proposal!"
"What is it?"
"W-wouldn't you like to call it a draw...?"
The senior's face looked as if she were about to burst into tears and snot at any second.
That expression alone felt like it could power me through a whole bowl of rice.
"I'm begging you! Please spare me the full year's salary...!! I'm already buried in a mountain of debt that I need to pay off at once! Please! Please Just this once, have mercy, junior!!"
"Senior..."
Poor senior. For her sake, I gave her the most pitiful yet merciful smile I could muster.
Perhaps from reading my expression, a glimmer of hope started to show on her face...
"Senior, shouldn't you be calling me 'Esteemed' Junior?"
"Huh...?"
In my benevolence, instead of mercy, I decided to bestow upon my senior the enlightenment that you must never stake your life on games like betting.
"Uwaaah...!! Nooo!!"
This senior was now mine. For the next full year, she'd belong to me to command as I pleased.
Truly, life was practical experience.