Armchair Debate (2)

Executive 3: "We 'eliminate' him. That bastard 'Jeong Hoon' and every faction clinging to him — wipe them off the face of the Earth without a trace. Like pinching something between your fingers and crushing it. The way humans stomp a little insect to death."

Executive 2: "Whoa..."

Executive 4: "Hey, AI? ◐＊◑? That display just now... no, that statement — it's all being recorded, right? Yeah?"

Executive 3: "So what? The higher-ups would probably prefer we take that approach anyway. Cleaning out an 'irregular' like that early is standard procedure. Didn't Executive 2 just say it? If you drop a 'despairing' variable into a 'hopeful' atmosphere, upper management won't say a word. Wipe that guy out and 'despair' gets branded into every survivor's skull for good. Hell... I still don't get why they handed a freak system to a bastard like him and made our lives this miserable in the first place."

Executive 2: "You're not wrong... aggressive as it is."

Executive 3: "Aggressive, my ass! Think about it. You know why we're stuck running these petty little meetings. You know why we keep grinding out this ridiculous armchair debate every few days without a break. It's all because of that son of a bitch. That one guy. Every causal factor is concentrated in a single survivor. You know what that means? Kill that bastard 'Jeong Hoon' and everything gets solved. That's it!"

Executive 1: "...Nothing incorrect in what you've said."

Executive 3: "Right? Now that's a veteran executive talking! Executive 1 actually gets it—"

Executive 1: "However, I cannot adopt that proposal. It is rejected."

Executive 3: "Huh? Rejec— what?"

Executive 2: "Oh? Really, Executive 1?"

Executive 4: "...Surprising. I had always taken Executive 1 for someone extremely strict about irregulars."

Executive 1: "I concede that the irregular is a thorn in our side. I also accept that Administrator A's careless management is what created ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him. Even so... eliminating him, or applying direct sanctions ourselves, is out of the question."

Executive 3: "Mind if I ask why, Executive 1?"

Executive 1: "Two reasons. First. You are all aware that he is not the only person equipped with a heterogeneous system. Though they do not depart from the parent system we descended upon Earth — that is, the game Brave Saga Online — a very small number of individuals were assigned 'roles' different from other survivors, and some of them are still alive. I would like that fact kept in mind."

Executive 2: "Ah, now that you mention it... they don't wield influence on Jeong Hoon's level yet, but there are survivors whose systems clearly differ from everyone else's. A fair number of them are dead, though."

Executive 4: "Ah, system differences... you mean differences in system quality? For example... that survivor who killed the second Field Boss? His name was something like Kim..."

Executive 2: "Yes, that's right. 'Kim Jaehoon.' It was based on Brave Saga Online, but the differences from everyone else were considerable. Nothing earth-shattering, though."

Executive 3: "But those guys and that 'Jeong Hoon' bastard are on completely different levels — the source of the system, the scale of the impact, all of it. Can any of them mix warrior skills, mage skills, and rogue skills together like some kind of stew? By any reasonable standard, 'Jeong Hoon' is a perfect irregular. Just take him out! Treat him like a bug."

Executive 1: "A bug, you say. Yes. One ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could treat him as a bug. The problem is... it is the kind of bug that requires overhauling the entire system to remove."

Executive 2: "Excuse me?"

Executive 3: "Over one survivor named 'Jeong Hoon'?"

Executive 4: "...Executive 1. At this point it seems you know something the rest of us don't. Could you share information a little more freely?"

Executive 1: "...I have just sent it to each of your personal inboxes. It is top secret, so I would prefer it not be mentioned in the meeting. And I would like you to take that mail as the second reason, Executive 3."

Executive 2: "Mail? Ah, just got it... hmm... huh?"

Executive 3: "Mmm... let's see... haah... with a reason like this, yeah — I was being reckless when I said take him out. My bad!"

Executive 4: "Indeed. If the system ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was granted to this 'Jeong Hoon' not out of sheer stupidity, but with that kind of intent behind it... then yes, we clearly cannot inflict direct harm. Ah, so that's why Administrator A was so... augh..."

Executive 1: "It borders on classified material, so I had no choice but to send it by mail."

Executive 3: "Hah, damn... now I get why that bastard Administrator A could raise an irregular like that and still act so shameless... huh? What? Administrator B? That guy was always shameless?"

Executive 2: "Huh... what did Administrator B say? I can't hear from over here..."

Executive 3: "Sent it as a note. That one doesn't have speaking rights in this room. Not unless we grant them."

Executive 4: "Shall we ask, then?"

Executive 3: "Don't bother. It'd just be bullying a subordinate. Whatever that one claims, we can ignore it or counter with something else and they'll have to fall in line. That's the rule. Aside from freaks like Administrator A, the other Administrators are obedient little things who do as we say."

Executive 2: "I still don't get what makes Administrator A so shameless..."

Executive 3: "You know. The one who discovered the world where this 'Earth' exists and took the commission was that bas—"

Executive 1: "Enough. I forbid any further upper-level classified material from being entered into the meeting record. That topic is unrelated to the agenda. Do not mention it."

Executive 3: "Yes, yes. My big mouth got away from me... apologies!"

Executive 2: "Wow. How long has it been since formal speech sounded this sarcastic..."

Executive 3: "Shut it."

Executive 1: "In any case... we are agreed that excluding that man and his forces from Earth is impossible."

Executive 2: "Understood."

Executive 4: "Yes, noted."

Executive 3: "But... we can't just sit back and watch either, can we?"

Executive 2: "In cases like this, we have no choice but to move to the next-tier method, right?"

Executive 4: "Ah — 'surveillance,' you mean? That barely-there approach."

Executive 3: "Hah... 'surveillance'? Surveillaaaaance? That thing with almost no coercive force and no physical power... what Earthlings call stalking? And we're just going to settle for that?"

Executive 2: "But if we can't kill... can't eliminate him, that's the only option left, isn't it?"

Executive 4: "Exactly. There is no other method. One of the problems with Executive 3's earlier proposal is that we have very little authority to exercise 'physical force' on this planet. As long as eliminating that irregular, 'Jeong Hoon,' with our own hands is impossible, we can only implement methods that don't involve physical force. In the end, only one thing remains. 'Surveillance.'"

Executive 3: "I mean... we could strip his system, or cut his power down to a tenth of what it is now... something like that! You know... a nerf! Yeah, run one of those balance patches the Earthlings use in Brave Saga Online!"

Executive 1: "Executive 3. Did you not read the top-secret materials I just mailed you?"

Executive 3: "Ah, damn it! I know that bastard is part of 'that plan'! But separate from that, restricting or reducing the power 'Jeong Hoon' has right now shouldn't be a problem, should it!? Is he going to drop dead the second we do it? He'll just suffer enough to nearly die! Because he'll have to fight with way less power than before!"

Executive 4: "And if he dies in the process?"

Executive 3: "Did we kill him? The zombies and monsters on the ground did. No problem there! When the plan was drawn up in the first place, he wasn't selected as the 'final candidate' — he was listed as a 'strong candidate,' right? Strong candidates can die and we just shrug it off... wasn't that built into the plan?"

Executive 1: "Hmm... a fair point. Dying that way would pose no issue."

Executive 3: "See! So just nerf the bas—"

Executive 1: "However, a nerf is also impossible. We will decide on 'surveillance.'"

Executive 3: "Wh- whaaaaat? You son of a biiiiitch! Are you kidding me right now? You let me rant this whole time and then what the h—!"

Executive 2: "The AI is putting in work."

Executive 4: "Executive 3 is one second from exploding. Hahaha!"

Executive 1: "As ◐＊◑ has stated. Restrain yourselves. All three of you."

Executive 2: "Yes, sir..."

Executive 4: "Understood..."

Executive 1: "The conclusion on this agenda item can only be as follows. Having determined that survivor 'Jeong Hoon's' performance as an irregular has been excessive, this meeting shall place 'Jeong Hoon's' activities under surveillance for the time being, after which measures regarding his treatment as an irregular shall be decided. Commencement shall be tomorrow — Earth calendar year 20XX, May 11th."

Executive 2: "Huh? Who's doing the surveillance? The actual party is missing from this."

Executive 1: "No need to worry. 'Surveillance' falls under my jurisdiction to begin with. I have already selected a candidate."

Executive 4: "Really? Well, if Executive 1 says so... I'll trust it."

Executive 3: "—Hah! Wait, my voice is back!?"

Executive 3: "Ugh... fine, fine, I got it!"

Executive 2: "Getting scolded by the AI... your dignity's in tatters, Executive 3."

Executive 3: "I'll crumple yours t— no. Tch!"

Executive 1: "...Then let us move on to the next agenda item."

Executive 4: "Huh? I thought the major ones were all done... there's still more?"

Executive 1: "There is. In a sense... an agenda far more important than anything so far."

Executive 2: "Far more important... an agenda? It wasn't in the materials we received beforehand... did you add this suddenly?"

Executive 1: "I did. I added it under my own authority."

Executive 3: "Important enough to add under your own ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠authority? What the hell is it?"

Executive 4: "An agenda more important than the update issue and the treatment of survivor 'Jeong Hoon'... I can't even imagine."

Executive 1: "We must select the 'Protagonist' candidate and the 'Demon King' candidate. And as quickly as possible."