Chapter 140
Translator: uly
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Nameless's Runaway
Five hundred meters northwest of the Variable Dungeon area, inside a dungeon whose rank hadn't even been determined.
A chandelier lamp emitting a yellow glow hung from the ceiling, and massive bookshelves several meters tall stood in various places.
In the Variable Dungeon area, there were many places that preserved not only the form of existing buildings but also their interiors.
At the center of this dungeon, which evoked images of a grand library, stood a monster reminiscent of the Cyclops, the one-eyed giant from Greek mythology.
-Grroooar.
The monster, struck by the Heavenly Demon's fist, let out a low groan and began to tremble violently.
Crack!
Its gray, liquid-filled single eye burst apart, and even its form vanished without a trace.
[Heavenly Demon, did you stuff sausages in its ear or something?]
Nameless, furious from head to toe, imagined unleashing a barrage of curses at the Heavenly Demon.
But that was just an impossible fantasy.
The words that actually came from Nameless's mouth sounded pathetically pitiful and desperately pleading, unlike the fantasy.
[Heavenly Demon, didn't I tell you multiple times to leave the apparent boss monster alone?]
The Heavenly Demon withdrew his extended fist and spoke with an expressionless face.
“How would I know what kind of demon or beast it was.”
[That's why I begged you not to attack that one-eyed monster.]
“How could I just leave it be.”
[What do you mean?]
The Heavenly Demon crossed his arms and looked down at the monster reduced to a bloody pulp with arrogant eyes.
“That one-eyed beast didn't look down on me with insolent eyes?”
[…]
Nameless was at a loss for words.
In short, the Heavenly Demon had turned the one-eyed monster into pulp simply because it “hadn't lowered its gaze.”
A delinquent.
Ever since entering the Variable Dungeon area, the Heavenly Demon had been like a wild thug off the leash.
Was it frustration from being stuck doing tame interior work all this time? Or annoyance at following the Safe Dungeon rules?
The Heavenly Demon in the Variable Dungeon was unleashing frenzied punches.
Of course, there were monsters that could survive encountering the Heavenly Demon.
Low-grade ones that, by chance or sensing the overwhelming power gap, lowered their eyes or slipped away.
[Heavenly Demon, if you kill all the monsters like this, the dungeon reconstruction...]
-Rumble!
No sooner had Nameless spoken than the dungeon interior began to shake.
With all monsters, including the boss, eliminated, it was entering reconstruction.
“Hmm.”
The Heavenly Demon kicked the ground with a dissatisfied expression as he watched the collapsing dungeon.
-Roooar.
The dungeon surface, trembling as if in agony, gradually turned bronze in color.
When a dungeon entered reconstruction, it lost its form and became a massive lump of metal like this.
[Ahh.]
Nameless let out a deep sigh while watching the library dungeon undergo reconstruction.
[Heavenly Demon, a Variable Dungeon means the dungeon is in an extremely unstable state.]
“I know.”
[And most dungeons in this Variable Dungeon area have no designated danger level or monster rank.]
“I know that too.”
Nameless's patience hit rock bottom at the Heavenly Demon's indifferent reply.
[You knew and still acted like that? What if things go wrong and it spreads instability instead of reconstruction? Powerful monsters could pour out at you, Heavenly Demon!]
“That would be fun.”
Nameless's eye sensors flipped back as the Heavenly Demon chuckled lowly and rubbed his hands together.
[Even you, Heavenly Demon, couldn't fend off a massive wave of high-risk monsters. And what if that horde pours not toward you, but the Safe Dungeon area? Could you handle that disaster?]
Irritated by Nameless's dissatisfied shout, the Heavenly Demon replied curtly.
“Then why didn't you investigate properly?”
[Pardon?]
“If you'd given accurate info on the dungeon and monsters, would I have made a mistake? Why do you always blame me?”
[Heavenly Demon, most of the Variable Dungeon area hasn't had its info released yet, and the key data...]
“Enough excuses.”
The Heavenly Demon waved his hand dismissively.
“Are you only reciting what others know? If info is lacking or uncertain, why not fill the gaps yourself?”
[Heavenly Demon, accessing Association secret data and acquiring info isn't in my primary duties.]
“Naive thinking. A machine is just a machine after all.”
[Naive? What do you mean?]
“You can die just because you don't know.”
The Heavenly Demon looked down at Nameless with a solemn expression.
“Dungeons are battlefields. Places where you stake your life.”
It was an extreme analogy, but not wrong.
Nameless, with nothing to say, lowered its gaze, and the Heavenly Demon turned away coldly.
* * *
The next day, around noon. Inside Bokbok Interiors.
Jang Chaewon, sitting across from the Heavenly Demon at the reception table eating lunch, suddenly tilted her head.
“Hang on, where's Nameless? Haven't seen it all day.”
“Don't know.”
“It's not in the warehouse either?”
Nameless always came to work with the Heavenly Demon and quietly lay in the warehouse room during work hours.
After all, a normal interior shop couldn't have a nanobot meant for Awakeners.
“What do I care.”
“What do you mean? You don't know where it is?”
“Correct.”
“What?”
Jang Chaewon gaped in surprise, and the Heavenly Demon swallowed a mouthful of jjajangmyeon he'd been chewing before speaking flatly.
“It was off since last night. It shut up even while watching TV, then left when I started meditating.”
The Heavenly Demon took a slow sip of water and shook his head.
“Finished meditating at dawn, and by near work time, it still hadn't returned.”
Jang Chaewon dropped the spoon of fried rice toward her mouth and opened her mouth wide.
“So, Nameless ran away from home?”
“Yes.”
“Where to?”
“Don't know.”
“You didn't look for it?”
The Heavenly Demon averted Jang Chaewon's gaze and looked out the window at the road.
“I don't care about a yapping tin can.”
His voice had an edge somewhere. Jang Chaewon cautiously asked after scrutinizing his face.
“Did you fight?”
“Fight? You think a tin can not worth a punch could defy me?”
“No, I mean... did you argue?”
“We didn't argue.”
Jang Chaewon spoke with a baffled expression.
“Then why did it leave?”
The Heavenly Demon crossed his arms and said solemnly.
“I merely pointed out its lazy routine of zero effort and gave stern advice.”
“What? Tell me in detail.”
The Heavenly Demon recounted yesterday's dungeon events in detail.
Jang Chaewon's face grew baffled as she listened silently.
“Aren't you misunderstanding something?”
She shook her head with a deflated expression.
“Do you think Nameless is some all-purpose robot? It's just helping and assisting you in dungeons.”
“Wasn't its guidance insufficient?”
“Nameless isn't a spy. How's it supposed to get info on unknown Variable Dungeons? Aren't you expecting too much?”
The Heavenly Demon looked utterly uncomprehending.
Jang Chaewon sighed and explained step by step.
“Listen carefully. Almost no Awakeners willingly enter those dangerous Variable Dungeons. At best, Association raid teams risking their lives.”
“Then get the Association's info.”
“You kidding? How?”
Suppressing bursting anger, Jang Chaewon shot back.
“Variable Dungeon info is national top-secret. Raid teams risk lives to get it—how could Nameless...”
She paused and shook her head.
“No, it could get it. But it'd be a huge crime.”
“What do you mean.”
“Nameless could hack any organization's network completely.”
Jang Chaewon sighed deeply and continued.
“But doing that would get it scrapped for disposal. Get it?”
“No idea.”
The Heavenly Demon's face showed no change.
Suppressing the urge to slap that rock-hard face, Jang Chaewon spoke again.
“Listen well. Nameless does prioritize user commands, sure. But it's not just a machine processing set tasks. It's a machine lifeform.”
Clenching her fists, she held back her rising anger.
“And you belittled it as mere 'guide.' Is that what a user should say?”
“I...”
“The one who gave it its first name ever?”
Only then did the Heavenly Demon grasp a bit of what Jang Chaewon meant from her sharp words.
“I admit I treated it irritably. But that wasn't belittling—it was because I saw it as my subordinate.”
“Subordinate or guide, what's the difference?”
Jang Chaewon pressed her hand to her forehead.
“Nameless has strong pride and a delicate personality. Maybe it ran off to infiltrate the Association and hack data itself.”
“What do you mean.”
“To sneak into the Association server room and steal info. If caught...”
Her hand trembled as she rubbed her forehead.
“Nameless could get scrapped. Because of you.”
The Heavenly Demon's expression remained unchanged.
To the Heavenly Demon, subordinates were quite precious. But their life or death was irrelevant to him.
He valued subordinates only because he needed them.
In short, tools for use—nothing more.
“We need to find it now.”
Jang Chaewon urgently pulled out her phone and pressed buttons.
“Weird. No signal at all. Last ping was your rooftop room, Heavenly Demon.”
She fiddled with the phone, bringing up a map near the Heavenly Demon's rooftop.
“Seems it anticipated the boss tracking it.”
Jang Chaewon swept back her hair at the Heavenly Demon's words.
“Damn. Where'd it go? Really to the Association server room?”
Confusion filled Jang Chaewon's eyes.
If so, things would spiral uncontrollably—like the disciplinary committee incident would seem a picnic.
“You don't know it well either, boss.”
Then the Heavenly Demon spoke flatly.
“Don't worry. It'll return safely.”
“What? How do you know?”
The Heavenly Demon spoke with confident assurance.
“Because it's my subordinate.”
“You're joking in this situation...”
Jang Chaewon shut her mouth upon meeting the Heavenly Demon's eyes, her anger halting.
The emotion in those red pupils was trust—something she'd never seen before.
“Haa.”
Finally realizing his true feelings, she sighed.
“Some duo you two are.”
“What do you mean.”
“Whatever. Do what you want. I'm done caring.”
She turned away, frowning irritably.
Two days passed, but Nameless didn't return.
After work, in the room, the Heavenly Demon sat in meditation pose, his face emotionless.
Then he realized he hadn't turned on the TV once in those two days, something he'd enjoyed.
Without Nameless's chatter, it somehow felt dull.
“Pointless sentiment.”
Standing still, the Heavenly Demon glanced at the empty charging station.
Unused for just two days? Or worn from long use? Dust had gathered where none had been before.
“Hmm.”
He rose and looked out the window at the dark sky.
Then, as if struck by a thought, he donned Our Clothes and stepped outside.
Two hours later.
Returning to the rooftop, the Heavenly Demon held a plastic bag in one hand.
But as he reached for the front door, he suddenly turned around.
At the rooftop stairwell entrance stood a dust-covered, ragged round object.
Nameless.
“Hmph.”
The Heavenly Demon glanced at it and silently opened the door to enter.
Watching him, Nameless's eye sensors narrowed slightly.
[…!]
Raising its head again, Nameless startled. The rooftop door, which should have been shut tight, was ajar.
[Heavenly Demon.]
Nameless opened the door cautiously and entered. But the lights were all off, and no reply from the Heavenly Demon.
[Hmm.]
Then, catching its reflection in the mirror by the entrance, Nameless's eyes sparkled.
Its body was covered in all sorts of filth.
Looking at its dirty state, Nameless hopped to the sink.
Splash.
Filling the sink with warm water, Nameless added neutral detergent and soaked itself.
Its body had perfect waterproofing, close to human-level.
-Scrub scrub.
Grabbing a scrubber, Nameless cleaned every nook and cranny. After wiping off all the grime, it soaked in the hot water.
-This should do.
Fetching a towel from the bathroom and drying off, Nameless cautiously entered the room.
It halted abruptly.
Shockingly, the Heavenly Demon lay with eyes closed.
Nameless had seen him sleep only once before— the day after ten sleepless nights of TV after moving to the rooftop.
Hop.
Carefully climbing the table, Nameless lay on the charging station. The warm influx as its battery recharged felt wonderful.
-Huh?
But next to the charging station was something wrapped in plastic. Peeling it back slightly, Nameless's eyes lit up.
-Charging station cleaning kit?
It was the cleaning kit Nameless had long nagged the Heavenly Demon to buy.
It drooled every time advertised on TV, but never asked due to the high price.
[Heavenly Demon.]
But he'd sensed its wish like a ghost and prepared it.
[Thank you.]
Nameless bowed to the sleeping Heavenly Demon and carefully unpacked the kit.
But a strange note was stuck to the kit's exterior. Scribbled writing—likely the Heavenly Demon's.
-A peace offering message?
Nameless hurriedly peeled it off. In crooked handwriting:
-Found on the way.
As if saying, 'Absolutely not bought to cheer you up.'
Staring at the note, Nameless looked at the Heavenly Demon.
Lying there, his ears seemed hugely perked like cannonballs.
He was surely hearing everything.
'So this is Heavenly Demon's way of making peace.'
Nameless knew.
The Heavenly Demon never apologized or said embarrassing things.
Yet he'd gone to that appliance store he hated and bought the kit.
Nameless could vividly picture him grumpily entering anyway.
This gift was the Heavenly Demon's utmost peace offering.
[I'll work harder from now on.]
The Heavenly Demon wouldn't ask tomorrow what it did or what happened those two days.
But believing it'd return safe, he'd bought this.
Nameless resolved to show no sign either.
Because tomorrow, the Heavenly Demon would act as if nothing happened.