A Desperate Appeal

Connecting to the Internet is a dangerous endeavor.

The network that currently makes up the Internet is used as the neural network of the AI.

In other words, it is essentially the AI's brain.

Who would ever want someone else wandering around inside their own head?

The AI felt no different; it indiscriminately attacked any human who dared to connect.

It would flood their minds with massive amounts of data, turning them into vegetative husks, or trace their connection points to dispatch the Machine Species, laying waste to the entire area.

Ultimately, connecting to the Internet became a taboo for humanity.

Yet in this day and age, where infrastructure lay ruined by war and technological development had ground to a halt, the Internet was far more than a mere network.

It contained everything humanity had ever achieved.

From trivial life hacks like trapping cockroaches with toothpaste to the complex physics of launching massive hunks of iron into satellite orbit, all of humanity's knowledge, accumulated history, and buried secrets resided there.

A treasure trove of knowledge, a sanctuary of lost technology.

Thus, humanity began to risk diving into the Internet, constantly evading the AI's watchful eyes.

But not just anyone could make the dive.

Humanity established strict criteria, carefully selecting those who would venture into the digital abyss to scavenge knowledge and information.

High-tier processing power.

The adaptability to deceive the AI.

The combat prowess to defend themselves, and the resolve to sacrifice their own lives to protect Maetan if necessary.

Players.

That was the title given to those standing on the absolute front lines against the AI.

At first, it looked like a mere red dot.

I thought I saw something glimmering in the darkness at the far end of the train tunnel.

In the very next instant, the red dot materialized right before my eyes as a massive goblin.

Crash!

The sound of tearing air followed a split second later.

By the time the startled railway police officer tried to turn around at the thunderous noise, it was already over.

Smack!

The Red Goblin brought his palms together like a clap, crushing the officer's head between them.

The headless body of the railway police officer took a few stumbling steps sideways to keep its ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠balance before collapsing limply to the ground.

The Red Goblin spoke.

"Apologies for the delay."

"Player Kang Yeolchan..."

Yeolchan knelt down to check on the fallen bearded man.

"...He's gone."

The bearded man had lost consciousness, his limbs twitching violently as his eyes darted rapidly beneath his eyelids.

Yeolchan gently cupped the bearded man's head with both hands.

His hands were so massive that they completely enveloped the man's skull.

A wet cracking sound echoed in the next instant.

Something seeped through his clenched fists, but since his hands were already crimson, it wasn't particularly noticeable.

He picked up the now-still bearded man and the corpses of the railway police, hiding them in the dark, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unseen space beneath the platform.

"We won't be able to use this route anymore. To think they'd station police here... More importantly."

Having finished destroying the evidence, Yeolchan turned back to me and grinned.

He spread his arms wide and raised his voice.

"Splendid! That was magnificent quick thinking!"

Thud! Thud!

Yeolchan stepped close and clapped me on the back in admiration.

The blows were incredibly heavy.

"Subduing a police officer in an instant with such a small body! And your timing was flawless! Did you purposely wait until the passengers cleared out? And you went straight for the throat to stop him from using his phone, didn't you?"

"You saw that?"

"My eyes can see a kilometer away as if it's right in front of me! I detected AI movement and rushed over, only to find you already taking down one of the railway police! It was spectacular! So calm and daring in a crisis! I'm almost tempted to recruit..."

Yeolchan abruptly shut his mouth.

The passengers gathering on the platform had begun to glance in our direction.

"Ahem, I got a bit too excited. I'll get chewed out for this. Let's get on the train first."

We boarded the newly arrived train.

Yeolchan stood me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up against the pillar next to the door and used his massive frame to shield me like a wall.

Thanks to that, the passengers' gazes were completely blocked.

Right before my eyes, Yeolchan's imposing pectorals rose and fell with his breath.

Watching the oddly reassuring movement of his chest, I voiced the question that had been lingering in my mind.

"Is this really alright?"

"Hmm? What is?"

"You said it yourself, Player Kang Yeolchan. The residents of this world are like the AI's nerve endings. But those police officers... now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that those nerve endings are dead, won't the AI notice?"

"Ah, that."

Yeolchan stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, before asking me,

"What do you think of this world?"

"This world?"

"Yes, this virtual world created by the AI. What are your impressions?"

"...I think it's unnaturally natural. It feels more like reality than the human-made Intra-Maetan."

"Exactly. It's a virtual reality, yet it replicates the real world flawlessly. The level of fidelity is astonishing. Even the residents of the Internet are modeled after real people. According to our research, they mimic the appearance, personality, and behavior of people who actually existed in the past."

Mimicking real people.

I scanned the faces of the people on the train.

Would a face I know be out there somewhere in this world, too?

"The police officer we just killed was probably a direct clone of someone who once lived, down to their looks and temperament. That's why they can't help but act human. In my opinion, the residents of this world seem to strive to be even more human than actual humans."

Beings striving to be more human than humans themselves.

Sssss—

The train arrived at the next station, its doors sliding open and shut.

"The police are no different. They don't possess any abilities beyond those of an ordinary person. The AI won't immediately notice just because they died. But if they had managed to make that call to 'above,' that would be a different story. If a report reaches 'above' that a human has connected... that's when the special ones are dispatched."

"Special ones?"

"Agents, SWAT teams, special forces... They take many forms, but we Players call them one thing: Debuggers."

Yeolchan leaned down, bringing his face close to mine.

He wore a broad, beaming grin, as if thoroughly enjoying himself.

"That's why your decision to go for the throat to stop him from using his phone was absolutely spot-on. If you'd been even a second slower, we would have been in deep trouble."

Yeolchan stared at me with burning, intense eyes.

Avoiding his gaze, I asked,

"...What happens to that out-of-office worker in reality? Is he dead?"

"...They'll handle it on the outside."

Yeolchan replied flatly.

The outside.

Now I could guess why the man I saw before diving had his Neck-Hub ripped out.

At the next station, Yeolchan got off the train.

"I'll go check on the other out-of-office workers! I don't have to worry about you! Keep your guard up until the very end!"

Leaving me with those parting words, Yeolchan vanished into the far end of the underground passage, just as abruptly as he had appeared.

After a few more stops, I arrived at Mia Intersection Station.

Blending into the crowd, I climbed the stairs, and before long, my destination—the department store—came into view.

Steping through the main entrance, I found the place bustling with luxurious shops and people basking in abundance.

Recalling the note, I headed down to the basement level.

My destination: the cleaning supply closet inside the staff restroom on B1.

There were signs scattered all over the basement floor, but none of them pointed to the staff restroom.

After wandering around for a while, I spotted an employee walking by and quietly followed them.

The employee slipped into a narrow corridor marked STAFF ONLY.

"Found it."

Stepping cautiously inside, I saw a restroom sign at the very end of the narrow hallway.

I quickened my pace, but just as I was a few steps away from the door—

"Excuse me, sir, you aren't allowed in here."

A voice called out, stopping me in my tracks.

Turning around, I saw a department store employee wearing an apron jogging toward me.

"This is a staff-only area. Let me guide you back outside."

The employee smiled politely and gestured for me to follow.

"Is there a problem?"

"Why is there a customer back here?"

"Ah, I think he got lost. I was just about to guide him out."

To make matters worse, several men in uniform emerged from the restroom.

Though they wore neat suits, they had earpieces in their ears, and their frames beneath the fabric were solid and well-built.

Security guards, most likely.

They surrounded me in a loose perimeter, clearly intending to escort me out.

I can't back down now. The goal is right in front of me.

I grabbed the arm of the employee who was trying to lead me away.

"Sir?"

The smile vanished from the employee's face, and her voice turned ice-cold.

It looked as though they were ready to subdue me and drag me out at any second.

But I couldn't let them drag me away so easily.

I recalled Yeolchan's words.

'The residents of this world strive to be even more human than actual humans.'

I have no choice but to appeal to their humanity...!

If they are beings more human than humans, they surely won't be able to turn me away...!

Tightening my grip on the employee's arm, I squeezed out the most desperate, pleading voice I could muster.

"...It's about to burst...!"

I hunched my back, twisted my hips, crossed my legs tightly, and clung to her arm for dear life.

Startled, the employee hastily stepped aside to clear the path.

"O-Oh! Hurry, go on in!"

"Thank you...!"

I bowed deeply in gratitude for her display of pure humanity and shuffled quickly into the restroom.

I worried they might follow me inside, but perhaps because they were professional department store staff, they drew the line at entering a restroom while a customer was using it.

Still, I could sense their presence lingering just outside the entrance.

I don't have much time.

I opened the stall doors one by one.

Fortunately, the restroom was empty. In the very last stall, I found a utility area with a sink and shelves stacked with bulk detergents and bleach bottles.

"This is it."

Closing the stall door, I quietly knocked on the supply closet door exactly as the note had instructed.

Three times, three times, then five times, keeping a distinct rhythm.

....

Did it work?

When I gently pushed the door, a draft of warm air leaked through the gap.

I pushed the door wide and stepped inside.

"Oh! Are you the courier? You made it safely! Welcome to Intra-Sampyeong!"

A cheerful female voice rang out.

From behind a desk, a bipedal raccoon with a bright red nose stood up to greet me.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Do Woori, the immigration officer here at Intra-Sampyeong! Please place the luggage you brought on the scale on the desk!"

So you're the one.

I summoned my Neck-Hub's console window.

A list of compressed, hidden files stored in the Neck-Hub materialized before me.

'Just hand these over and say the password.'

Hee-cheol's instructions came back to me.

He had made it sound so simple, but it was anything but.

...This is the right person, right?

I scanned the surroundings to see if there were any other raccoons around.

I had to be absolutely, incredibly careful.

If I mistook the recipient, I would instantly become a perverted goblin running around distributing sexy avatars.

Good grief. It would actually suit me.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Do Woori was the only raccoon in sight.

"Mr. Courier?"

As I hesitated, Do Woori blinked and called out to me, pointing to the scale.

"Please place the items you brought on the scale."

I set the bag down on the scale.

Intra-Sampyeong's immigration office wasn't much different from Maetan's.

A makeshift desk was set up near the Monolith Gate—a polished, reflective black stone—and guards stood in a perimeter around it.

The raccoon read something in the empty air that was invisible to me, then handed me a small slip of paper.

"Confirmed. Here, please take this. It's your delivery receipt."

I looked for an opening.

Should I say it now?

"E-Excuse me!"

"Yes?"

"Tonight... with Mungchi..."

Do Woori's eyes widened.

"Whew, I worked up quite a sweat getting here. I can just leave my stuff here, right?"

Another out-of-office worker stepped up beside me and dropped his bag.

Swallowing the rest of the password, I naturally backed away and headed toward the area where Maetan's out-of-office workers were gathering.

Now isn't the time. I'll wait until there's no one else around.

Just then, the door opened and the Red Goblin walked in.

Spotting me, Yeolchan let out a hearty laugh and approached.

"Goblin! I knew you'd make it back safely! Congratulations. Your mission is officially complete. Now, just focus on getting back in one piece!"

One by one, the other out-of-office workers trickled in after him.

But the arrivals abruptly stopped, leaving our total count at just nine, including myself.

Yeolchan muttered with a bitter expression.

"Only nine... We'll have to forge a new route again. Everyone! We will wait another thirty minutes before heading back!"

Yeolchan and I walked over to where the other workers had gathered.

They were rummaging through a pile of junk that looked like a literal heap of trash.

"What are you doing?"

One of the workers digging through the pile replied,

"What does it look like? Hurry up and start digging too! This place is a goldmine!"

"A goldmine?"

"They said it's junk data that Intra-Sampyeong's Players scavenged from the Internet. Apparently, they're planning to throw it away because they don't need it anymore, but they said we could take anything we like."

Just as the term "junk data" implied, there wasn't a single intact item.

Books were torn in half, monitors were shattered, and chairs were missing legs.

The collection of defective goods strongly resembled Maetan's flea market.

"Oh, look at this! A traditional Cuban cookbook! Aside from the cover, it's perfectly fine! We don't have any restaurants serving Cuban food in Intra-Maetan yet, do we?"

One of the workers cheered, holding up the cookbook.

"Data recovered from the Internet is analyzed and recycled for use in Intra-Maetan," Yeolchan added.

"Of course, it's hard to replicate Cuban cuisine with just that book alone. If someone brings back data on the ingredients from the Internet, we can combine it with the recipes in that book to implement it in Intra-Maetan. At this stage, you could say it's only half-complete!"

"Oh!"

"To achieve a perfect replication, someone has to actually eat it in reality and provide the sensory data! Once that's done, we can recreate Cuban food 100% accurately in Intra-Maetan."

"Tsk, so this is basically useless right now."

"Not at all! If it's information that doesn't exist in Intra-Maetan yet, the corporation might pay out a bounty depending on the content! You might as well take it just in case!"

"R-Really?"

The worker grinned and tucked the cookbook into his shirt.

"Hey, look at this. There's some kind of safe here."

Deep within the pile of junk, a massive black safe emerged.

An incredibly familiar emblem was engraved on its surface.

An emblem depicting two clasped hands shaped like wings.

It was the symbol of the United Human Forces.