You Are My Friend, I Am Your Manager

Wherever you put her, my friend Hyeji was an embarrassment—and she failed the quest in spectacular fashion!

How do you fail a quest that easy?

All she had to do was throw one spell!

"Ugh. Lee Hyeji, you're hopeless. Just roll with it… take the path of the brawler."

She'd blown the perfect chance to snag American hero Noah Johnson's gear.

Nothing to be done about it now.

I'd have to set something aside for her next time we met.

In the meantime, maybe I should go check out the actual equipment.

The entities seemed to have stripped everything clean and piled it up.

I threw on my work clothes and headed up to the Basement 1st Floor.

"Miss~ You're here!"

"Yeah. Good work, everyone."

Whoa. The blood-red walls just turned into rainbow colors!

Just how horrific was this scene?

The filter was working so hard my head was overheating!!!

"Oof. Looks like you finished cleaning up?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. We've gathered all the equipment here for you, Miss."

"That's all the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠invaders' gear?"

"That's right. All of it belongs to you now, Miss."

"I scrubbed the blood off real hard, Boss!"

"Hehe. It's Cheonwoo. Hi."

"Yeah. Good work, all of you. Excellent!"

Kuku and Kkingkkingi were crouched down, polishing the bloodstained equipment to a shine. Beside them, the eight-foot ghost Popo smiled and pointed toward a corner of the Basement 1st Floor.

There really were bags and armor and weapons everywhere.

The gear was piled up like a mountain.

Magic engravings, rune stones set into the metal.

What even was this made of? Why was the blade red?

One look and you could tell every single piece was ultra-expensive.

Well, of course—the basement expedition guys had all been top-tier hunters with national backing.

"This is…!"

I'd seen it before.

This gauntlet had ranked among the most expensive pieces of armor in the world.

Something about a German blacksmith-class artisan handcrafting it from rare metals that only appeared inside the Tower.

Anyway, seeing stuff I'd only ever seen online piled up in front of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me was wild!

"Man, how much is all this even worth."

"I'm glad you look so happy, Miss."

"I'm thrilled. Here—one bottle of almond water each. Consider it a bonus."

"Wow! Thank you, Boss!"

"Oh my. Such a precious gift. I'll savor it carefully."

Mom, you can quit your job now!

Was this finally my chance to be a proper dutiful child?

I'd become the basement opener and even gotten the Manager title, but…

My income was still zero.

And after turning into a girl, buying clothes and everything else had only made my expenses bigger.

Finally, I'm making money off the Tower!

Even if that money came from gear farmed off corpses!

Still, it was income from legitimate self-defense, so I could call it honestly earned, right?

"So where are the bodies?"

Bloodstains everywhere, and yet not a single corpse in sight.

Don't tell me…

Nah. No way.

I even gave them almond water.

No reason to eat the guys, right?

Right?

…Why is nobody answering.

"…"

"Ahem."

"Buuuurp…"

"Who just belched!!!"

Are you serious?

You actually ate them…?

These insane entities!

People aren't nutritional snacks!

I gave you almond water!

Why did you eat them! Stop with the cannibalism!

"I-It wasn't me! It was that one!"

"Wasn't me either!!! That mask girl framed me! I'm innocent! Cheonwoo, believe me!"

"Ugh, seriously."

Kkingkkingi shook her head. Kuku insisted it wasn't her either. My eyes naturally landed on Popo, who smiled sweetly and pointed at a massive hole in the room.

"Hehe. We dumped all the bodies down the hole. We didn't eat them."

"The hole?"

"Yes, Miss. The hole worms are excellent janitors. They clean up trash quite thoroughly. Leave a body lying around and it'll rot, so it's better to toss them in while they're still fresh. If a corpse starts rotting in the basement… well. That's enough. I wouldn't want a needless description to wear down your mental fortitude, Miss."

"O-Okay… that's far enough. I won't dig any deeper."

So the invaders who died on the Basement 1st Floor hadn't even left bodies behind.

Only the gear remained.

Like a tiger dying and leaving only its hide—just the equipment, sitting there alone…

I was starting to feel like a completely emotionless psychopath running some evil organization.

"This feels insanely inhumane. My humanity is wearing thin…"

"Oh my. Miss, really."

"You're not the bad one, Boss. The Constellations are!"

"That's right, Miss. Think about it carefully. If you hadn't eliminated those invaders, they would have done terrible things to you. Kkingkkingi, show her what you prepared."

"Mm. Cheonwoo, look at this."

In an instant, Kkingkkingi's face changed.

That was… the face of the dead Noah Johnson…?

With the face of the American guy I'd seen a few times on the news, Kkingkkingi perfectly mimicked his voice and recited words he was presumed to have spoken while alive.

"The Constellation said just kill them. So if the basement Manager turns out to be a woman, you can do whatever you want with her. As long as you kill her in the end."

"…Is this real?"

"Yeah. These humans were bad humans. They were going to do bad things to Cheonwoo."

Must be a doppelganger's innate ability.

Apparently she could absorb fragments of a kill target's memories.

"Memories from one day of their life. Eat the brain and you can see some of it. Hehe. I did good, right? Your guilt's a little gone now, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I think some of it is gone. But you did end up eating them."

"Ah."

This little—! How much of that brain did she dig into!

I'd told them to cut back on the cannibalism whenever possible.

But it had clearly helped.

Thanks to her, even the tiny scrap of guilt lingering in a corner of my heart had completely vanished.

"Alright. Thanks, everyone."

"So what shall we do now, Miss? Just give the order."

"Yes, Boss! We can do anything!"

"Hmm… well."

What should I have them do?

The biggest immediate threat was gone.

Maybe I should check the Constellation Gallery first?

After all, it was the Constellations sending people into the basement.

I needed to get a read on their movements in advance.

What the—Constellation conversations are terrifying!

Especially this FrozenHeart?

This woman's rage is way too raw.

Was she about to invade right away?

Okay. Got it.

You're broke, huh?

This basement invasion was an all-in.

No points meant nobody was coming into the basement anytime soon.

Maybe I could loosen up a little?

"How about we all take a break in the lounge?"

"Ooh…! I've never been to the lounge before, Boss!"

"Oh my. Being allowed into Miss's room… hehehe. How delightful."

"Ah… I… I…"

Kuku and Popo headed into the lounge without hesitation. But Kkingkkingi, guardian of the Basement 1st Floor, hesitated.

Probably because of the rule that, as an employee of the Basement 1st Floor, she couldn't leave her post for other areas.

But I was the basement Manager now.

Couldn't I change the rules a little?

Unlike the Salaryman on the Basement 2nd Floor office, Kkingkkingi didn't seem to have any urgent work to rush through.

Couldn't she rest a bit?

That's how it worked with good employees—you gave them bonuses and vacation days.

"What are you doing? Aren't you coming in?"

"Th-That's… I have to guard this place…"

"It's fine. Nobody's coming looking for the basement right now. And the hole worms will keep watch on their own."

"…But still."

"Kkingkkingi. Let's go together."

I took the hesitant Kkingkkingi's hand and brought her into the lounge.

Everyone had worked hard—leaving Kkingkkingi behind alone would just be sad.

The Basement 1st Floor wasn't a livable environment like the office or the library.

Just a dark corridor.

If we all took off and left Kkingkkingi alone there, she'd be lonely and miserable.

I hated that kind of thing!

I wanted everyone to be happy together.

"How is it?"

"Bright. Lots of lights."

"Right? If there's anything you want to eat, go ahead."

"R-Really? Besides almond water and invaders… I've never seen food before."

"Yeah? The Salaryman likes coffee. Want to try this, Kkingkkingi?"

"This is…"

"It's called chocolate. It's sweet. Kuku, Popo—you two help yourselves too."

Chocolate.

Obviously, there was no chocolate in the basement.

Even low-grade Korean chocolate with barely any cacao and a ton of palm oil counted as a complete novelty down here.

"I… I've never eaten anything like this."

"There, there. Don't cry. Have another one."

"I wasn't crying!"

"Yeah, okay. You're allowed to cry."

Kkingkkingi was completely moved by a single piece of chocolate.

An entity who could butcher high-level Rankers from the 50th floor without blinking, getting emotional over a piece of chocolate—what an ironic situation!

At least Kuku and Popo had been fired from the basement once before, so they'd encountered plenty of outside culture.

But Kkingkkingi had lived on the Basement 1st Floor her entire life since birth.

Of course the shock would hit hard.

"I… you know… someone holding my hand. Today was the first time. Eating something like this was also the first time."

"Yeah?"

"Mm… Cheonwoo's hand. Soft. Warm. Chocolate is sweet. Cheonwoo isn't scared of me. I… am friends with Cheonwoo."

"Friends?"

Wait, why am I your friend.

I'm your workplace boss?

"Cheonwoo can be trusted."

"Hm? What are you trying to pull out?"

"I've waited a long time. And finally found it. So I have to give it."

"Give what?"

Kkingkkingi hesitated, rummaging through her pocket.

What was she trying to take out?

"Manager, take it. This is my gift."

"This is…."

What she gave me was a Lost Item.

A register listing the names of entities who had fully acknowledged me as Manager.

"Manager is weak. Cheonwoo is weak, so it's dangerous. So. Borrow with that."

"Borrow what…?"

"Us. The strength of the basement employees."

The Employee Register.

Every entity whose name was written here had fully recognized me.

I see. So that's what Lost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Items are…

You had to earn an entity's recognition.

Every Lost Item I'd obtained so far had come when an entity acknowledged me.

The Personnel Management Terminal came from the Salaryman as thanks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after I made him coffee.

The Book Loan Register came when I hired the Librarian—who'd been wandering the library forever—as a full-time employee.

And this time, by becoming friends with Kkingkkingi, guardian of the Basement 1st Floor, I'd obtained the Employee Register.

"Thank you, Kkingkkingi! We're best friends!"

"Mm. Cheonwoo is my friend. And my Manager."

I felt oddly proud!

Honestly, I hadn't done much of anything.

Just let her eat chocolate and share the lounge…!

But I'd been recognized.

Maybe becoming Manager had been the right call after all?