The Trial Passes
Mir's Side
In the lowest level of Central Headquarters, I lay completely sprawled out, staring at the ceiling.
One hand held a nearly empty can of coffee. The other held a roughly folded Safety Team report.
"Ah... I'm seriously gonna die."
"Why the hell are reports harder than managing Abnormalities?"
Static crackled.
The team radio connected.
"Wait, Doyun, you were listening?"
"Anyway... my management shift today was seriously brutal."
"ALEPH management is the same work you've always done."
"Exactly."
"That bastard was in a filthy mood today. Spent the whole work period staring at me like it wanted to tear me apart, and every time it snickered in between, my mood just tanked, you know?"
The sound of pages turning came through the radio.
"As if anyone has it easy."
Even Doyun's voice carried the faintest trace of exhaustion.
"I just finished ALEPH management myself."
"Still, you get the less insane ones. And everyone knows that thing's body is garbage even if the gear performs well."
"Your Abnormality is just particularly foul-tempered, Team Leader."
"Wow..."
"Are you agreeing with me right now?"
"That much, I will concede."
A brief silence.
Heh... finally admitting it...
And here he spent days going on about how a team leader should act like a team leader...
"See? You admit it in the end."
"You still have to write the report."
"Ugh... I really don't want to..."
I just want to bury my face in the couch and rest.
"Doyun."
"Yes."
"Write the report for me."
A short silence.
"No."
"Why not."
"Because it's your job, Team Leader."
"Come on~ Aren't we basically one body?"
"We are not."
"That hurts. We've been together for how many years now..."
"You aren't injured."
"But it's genuinely annoying."
"Can't you just do it for me? If it comes to that, I'll even give you the team leader position."
"That is the fourth time you've said that today."
"You've been counting?"
A very small sigh came through the radio.
"Team Leader."
"Yeah?"
"Please just do your work."
At that moment—
BEEEEEEP
Red emergency lights flooded the corridors of Central Headquarters. The entire ceiling bled crimson.
Harsh noise burst from the public radio.
Information Team — WAW-class Abnormality breach.
Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary subspecies confirmed.
A brief silence.
Of all things, that one had to break out?
The Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary... Of course it had to be the Information Team — and the corridor connecting Information to Education, right next to the new employee training zone.
Worst possible scenario.
Right next to the rookies.
"Doyun."
I pressed the radio immediately.
"Listening."
"You and Nova go first."
"Understood."
Nova's voice cut in right after.
"Ehh~ The kids'll run on their own, won't they?"
A light, giggling laugh.
"If they die, well — that was just as far as their luck was gonna take them, right?"
It's been a while since I got this pissed... Nova.
"Nova... does this... seem like a joke to you?"
A short silence.
"No."
"You'd better get moving. Right now."
At that moment, Han's voice forced its way onto the Safety Team public channel.
"Team Leader, Team Lea—"
BANG!!
A short gunshot.
Static.
The transmission cut out cold.
That was just now.
That was Han's voice.
I crushed the coffee can in my fist.
"Fuck.... this goddamn company."
My body moved before my mind did.
The axe rose.
It was over.
I couldn't breathe.
My heart was hammering like mad.
Yuri was down.
I could see the blood.
Red.
I hated it.
No.
Not again.
"Ah… ah…"
My hands were shaking. Even the sensation of gripping Repentance had gone hazy. My head was a wreck.
Why did this keep happening. Why again, right in front of me. Why again, me.
The Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary approached. Slowly, and without a shred of hesitation. A savage killing intent, like a butchered beast, crushed down on the corridor.
The gun barrel wavered, and the axe rose again.
Kill the prey. Movement left for that purpose alone.
I had to run. My body wouldn't move. I had to grab Yuri and run. But my legs wouldn't listen. My breath locked up. My vision swam.
I hate this... I hate it... I don't want to watch this again... I don't want anyone else to die... Anyone... please, help me...
And then—
A voice.
My breath stopped. It wasn't in my ears. It was inside my head. A calm voice. Not Carmen. No rage, no madness, no mockery. Only something lofty and pure.
"Ah..."
My lips trembled. My vision swayed. I could see Yuri. Blood spreading across the floor. Red. I hate it. Stop. Just stop already.
Repentance trembled. No... was it my arm trembling. I couldn't tell them apart. My body burned. My mind blurred.
Static.
"We've arrived at the Information Team containment line."
Rough noise followed behind Doyun's voice. Someone raised their voice. The sound of metal clashing. And then—
"The Control Team is currently blocking our advance."
"What..?"
Nova's voice erupted right after.
"Ah~ this is seriously pissing me off."
"We're telling them the Education Team line is already breached and they just keep harping on about maintaining the lockdown?"
A mechanical clunk. The central elevator doors opened. I walked straight out.
Damn it... that bastard again...
The Information Team containment line was already a mess. Doyun and Nova were locked in a standoff with the Control Team goons, and standing in front of them with his arms crossed, blocking the path, was that son of a bitch Seohyeok — the Control Team Leader.
Sharply slanted eyes. A pristine white suit. Even a sneering little smile at the corner of his mouth. Every single thing about him rubbed me the wrong way.
"Well, well, the Safety Team sure is in a~~ hurry."
That oily voice.
"If we don't hold the opposite line right now, the entire Information Team could get wiped out, you know? You're not seriously suggesting we leave this open just to save a few rookies?"
Nova let out a hollow laugh.
"I'm telling you the Education Team line is already breached."
"I know."
The Control Team Leader shrugged.
"But what can you do. Regulations are regulations."
Doyun's eyes slowly narrowed.
"There is no reason to waste time here."
"I've got one, though? Don't I?"
A laugh laced with mockery.
"If they're rookies, dying's just part of the package, isn't it? This is that kind of place."
Silence.
In that moment, the cut-off transmission from earlier flashed back through my mind.
Team Leader, Team Lea—
BANG
Ah... I'm pissed.
"Hey.. move."
The Control Team Leader smirked.
"And if I don't?"
CRACK
A blue flash tore past. The shield beside the Control Team Leader and the containment barricade split cleanly in half. Severed metal clattered across the floor.
For an instant, the corridor went dead quiet.
I looked at him.
"Control Team Leader Seohyeok... I told you not to make me say things more than three times."
BOOM!!
The next instant, my body launched forward. Blue sword-light carved through the Information Team corridor. Behind me, I could feel Doyun and Nova moving at the same time.
If I'm late, they really die.
I can't let the same thing happen again.., can I?
Repentance trembled.
No. Was it my arm trembling. I couldn't tell them apart. My body moved on its own. Like a broken doll, it slowly rose. Head hanging limp. Only ragged breath leaking out.
The Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary took another step. It raised its blood-soaked axe. To kill. To finish it.
So kill that goddamn wolf—
BOOM
A tremendous impact shook the corridor.
Huh... it doesn't hurt...?
I slowly lifted my head.
A black blade. Repentance was blocking the axe.
No — I was. I was blocking it.
When? How? I didn't know. There was no sensation in my fingertips.
And then salvation arrived.
"Azure Scale Style — Secret Art."
⟨ Falling Dragon ⟩
A low, settled voice.
Finally... you're here...
You damn Team Leader... you're way too late.
CRACK
The blood came late. The arm holding the Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary's axe went flying through the air. Then a streak of blue tore past right in front of my eyes. I couldn't even see when it had moved. By the time I came to my senses, someone was already standing before me.
A longsword trailing blue afterglow. Team Leader Mir.
Red blood slowly dripped from the tip of her blade.
"Hah..."
Mir glanced down at the severed arm.
"Trying to only cut the arm just makes it more annoying."
Two more figures appeared behind her. Senior Doyun walked forward, slowly rotating the black long spear Janseong. Faint light like starlight debris spilled from the spearhead.
"Escape route cut off."
A calm voice. Janseong pierced the air. The spear tip drove straight through the Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary's leg and buried itself in the floor.
BOOM
The Mercenary's body lurched hard. Its movement stopped.
"Retreat sealed."
On the other side, Senior Nova slowly raised a long black rifle. Golden patterns were etched along the barrel — a bizarre long gun that looked like a ritual relic. She smirked.
"Alright~ shall we finish this."
"Abraxas.. Deploy."
The Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary raised its remaining arm toward the muzzle.
"Too bad. You're already way too late."
BANG
Not a gunshot — a roar closer to an explosion shook the corridor. The round fired from the massive black rifle punched straight through the Mercenary's head. Half its skull burst apart like an explosion.
The Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary's movement stopped cold.
Silence.
Senior Nova slowly lowered the rifle.
"Done."
Thud.
The Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary's body collapsed forward. A moment later, the torn flesh began melting away like black mud. The tattered cloak, the axe, the bloodstains — all of it dissolved and vanished. In the middle of the corridor, only a single small egg remained.
Our Team Leader and seniors... for all their talk, they're strong.
But my head wouldn't work properly. My vision was hazy. Even breathing was hard. And it still wasn't over.
The voice came again. My body moved again. Repentance trembled a dark crimson.
I hate this. I'm scared. Something's wrong.
My arm rose on its own. Repentance's blade hummed low. The floor cracked.
"Uh..? Team Leader, that kid looks weird?"
Ragged breath spilled out of me.
Stop. Stop it. My body.. my body won't listen—
Repentance began slowly bleeding a dark crimson light. The air in the corridor grew heavy.
Senior Nova's eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Huh..."
Senior Doyun adjusted his grip on Janseong.
"E.G.O Corrosion response."
Team Leader Mir's gaze slowly turned toward me. I was gasping for air. My vision was already half-blurred, but my body was growing hotter in reverse. The voice kept sounding inside my head.
"Sh…it…"
The black blade trembled. My arm moved again. As if someone were forcibly gripping it and shaking it. And in an instant—
BOOM
My body launched on its own. Dark crimson afterglow streaked through the corridor. Repentance swung straight for Team Leader Mir's throat.
Seconds stretched into what felt like dozens.
Team Leader Mir simply stood there, watching.
She couldn't react?
Am I going to kill someone again
Please, Team Leader... no, Team Leader, dodge..
CLANG
Blue sword-light deflected the black blade. The blue sword shoved Repentance aside. A shockwave rocked the corridor. But Team Leader Mir's expression didn't change in the slightest. Instead, she looked down at my condition with cold eyes.
"Still not coming to your senses."
I could only gasp for breath. My body wouldn't listen. My arm moved again. Repentance trembled like mad.
—Kill.
—Finish it.
—You who have not finished your sins.
The whispering voice dug into my mind. Repentance rose again. Faster this time. And then—
Team Leader seized my wrist outright. The movement stopped by force.
"Han..."
A voice that was cold, yet somehow worried.
Was it the relief? My mind came back a little. The Team Leader looked down at Repentance. Dark crimson light. A trembling blade. And my condition.
"Hah...."
A short sigh.
"Seeing this in the first week."
Senior Nova smirked.
"Whoa~ the rookie's really causing a scene."
"Nova."
Senior Doyun said it low. Senior Nova shrugged.
"What.. it worked out, didn't it?"
Team Leader Mir wordlessly twisted the strength from my arm and forced Repentance down.
"Not now."
And with those words—
Thud.
A syringe plunged into my neck.
A K-Corp Ampoule.
Cold liquid spread through my veins. As my body recovered, the heat that had been boiling through me was forcibly cooled. Through my blurred vision, the Team Leader immediately turned toward Yuri.
"Yuri...."
Mir murmured low. Yuri lay on the floor, breathing raggedly. A shirt dyed red. The gunshot wound was deeper than expected. Mir's expression hardened just slightly. She immediately pulled out another K-Corp Ampoule and drove it into Yuri's neck.
Thud.
Green liquid slowly spread through the veins. A moment later, the sound of flesh regenerating could be heard. The torn skin began slowly knitting itself shut. Yuri's fingers twitched, ever so faintly.
"She's alive, at least..."
Mir muttered quietly. Doyun maintained perimeter watch while looking at the Mercenary that had returned to its egg form, and Nova, with Abraxas slung over her shoulder, glanced down toward where Han was.
"But that."
The corner of Nova's mouth lifted.
"That really was Corrosion, right?"
"Quiet..."
Mir's voice was low.
"He can hear you right now."
"Hear what. Even if he can, he's out cold — he won't remember any of it later."
Hazy. Damn it, Senior Nova, can't you just worry about me a little.
I'm definitely remembering that.
My vision grew steadily darker. Strength drained from my body. Everything was pulling away. And finally—
Only that voice remained, faint.
And then consciousness cut out.