Chapter 42 : Practical training
Chapter 42: Practical Training
The day of the second ‘Hack Tour’ content.
“……”
What greeted Baek Woohyun when he connected to ‘Reverse Planet’ was an empty training ground.
Perhaps training instructor Han Jiwon had also left her post, as the training ground with not a single person had quietness unbefitting Otherworld Management Bureau headquarters.
After looking around once in the descended silence, he soon leisurely moved his steps. Toward chairs set up in one corner of the training ground.
In any case, since he couldn’t leave this place until the start signal came from Jeong Nayeon, he intended to wait sitting in a chair.
‘…Why isn’t there contact?’
The first thought Baek Woohyun had sitting in the chair was this.
This was also a topic that had continually filled Baek Woohyun’s mind since the last broadcast.
Because Anonymous Viewer 62, who said they’d visit during broadcast, didn’t actually reveal themselves in the last broadcast.
They didn’t even appear in the iTube video edited and uploaded afterward.
As if the very existence had evaporated.
“Phew…”
Though only the first broadcast had been conducted yet, and thinking they’d surely appear later, Baek Woohyun felt frustration.
It was instinctive frustration about a situation where he could only unilaterally wait.
Though he knew such impatience didn’t help resolution much, since it was a barely formed connection point with ‘over there,’ it couldn’t be helped.
‘When will they contact me.’
Swish swish.
Baek Woohyun rapidly spun his military dagger like during the last broadcast. Techniques that made one watch entranced without realizing continued endlessly.
The military dagger wriggled as if alive, trying to escape his grip, and he skillfully released then caught it repeatedly.
Movements that seemed merely flashy without substance at a glance, but the lethality contained within was truly terrifying level.
Ordinary people would have necks beheaded without lasting long against the dazzlingly moving blade.
It was merely regrettable there weren’t many with discernment to recognize that.
-Spinning dagger again
-Last time too, seems like he does it when bored
-But he spins it so well ㄷㄷ;
-ㄹㅇ dazzling
“Come to think of it, Hackphysical’s dagger spinning also became a minor topic. Though it got buried because other topics were so big.”
“Maybe because it seems impressive but feels useless?”
“That could be. Actually strictly speaking, that’s like pen spinning with a dagger…”
-Certainly cool but useless lol
-Spinning dagger instead of pen, something something?
-One-trick swag. But that swag is insane
-Curious how much he practiced
“……”
About five minutes after starting to spend time like that, a message-shaped icon blinked in one corner of Baek Woohyun’s view.
Having immediately caught the dagger spinning in his hand, he right away checked the message sender. Because someone else might have contacted.
However, fortunately the message sender was Jeong Nayeon.
The awaited contact had finally come.
-Jeong Nayeon: ㄱㄱ
Like during the first broadcast, the content of Jeong Nayeon’s message was extremely concise.
In fact, strictly speaking, even calling it concise was insufficient. Because there were only two consonants that didn’t even become a word.
But that alone was more than sufficient to convey meaning.
“Good.”
Baek Woohyun, who sheathed the military dagger, jumped up from his seat.
The reason he’d remained here was only to move after broadcast started per Jeong Nayeon’s request.
So since contact came, there was no need to be here. Wherever he wanted to go was enough. In any case, business here finished last time.
Tiring-
“…?”
As soon as Baek Woohyun exited the training ground, the smartphone in his pocket rang. Timing so precise as if waiting.
Of course, there was no way it was really waiting. Probably the act of leaving the training ground became a trigger proceeding the next story.
In any case, it would be better than wandering not knowing what to do. Thinking so, he checked the work smartphone he’d received.
[Sender: Lee Yujin
First practical mission scheduled
Change into combat uniform at dormitory and come straight to parking lot
I’ll go first and wait, junior]
Simultaneously reading the text content, system messages appeared in succession before Baek Woohyun.
System messages roughly containing content that 「Probationary Agent Training」 mission was completed and 「First Practical」 mission newly started.
Additionally containing content about level increasing and acquiring 1 supernatural ability point.
‘Practical mission already?’
Baek Woohyun, who confirmed both Lee Yujin’s text and system messages, tilted his head.
Because he couldn’t understand deploying to practical missions already when how long had it been since becoming probationary agent.
No matter what, shouldn’t he receive at least several months of steady training?
‘Ah.’
However, Baek Woohyun soon realized he’d had a foolish thought.
Needing months of training was a story only when viewed by reality’s standards. There was no way that could happen in the game ‘Reverse Planet.’
If they made him train desperately for months after starting as he thought, everyone would curse it as a shit game and quit ‘Reverse Planet.’
So it was probably lumping together one rough explanation heard as having received training and passing over.
‘In any case, there’s also combat assistance system.’
The combat assistance system providing overall combat help had an effect of enabling even ordinary people knowing nothing to at least imitate pros.
Even in Baek Woohyun’s view, rather than receiving clumsy and half-baked training, just turning on combat assistance system would be better, so what more needed to be said?
Of course, since combat assistance system didn’t make situational judgments instead, separate training would be needed for that…
‘Well, that’s a problem solved by going through practical situations a few times.’
Still, she’d bet compared to ‘over there’ it was a much better environment.
This way and that, through combat assistance system, they were essentially given ability to fight to a certain level.
Thinking about how numerous people died from training insufficiency ‘over there,’ that was truly amazing.
Even if it was something possible because it was game, not reality.
‘Should I go to the dormitory first.’
Eventually returning to the dormitory room, Baek Woohyun could obtain combat uniform easily.
No need to search where it was, because from the start combat uniform in transparent vinyl was placed conspicuously on the bed.
Since he’d often seen and also often worn it ‘over there,’ recognizing it as agent combat uniform was also simple.
‘I owed it several times when performing commissions.’
Baek Woohyun’s main commission requests, Reverse World subjugation, were extremely illegal acts. If caught, arrest was natural, and severe cases could even serve prison time.
Because when unregistered awakeners recklessly stirred up Reverse Worlds and rampage situations occurred, tremendous property and human damage occurred, so it was strictly prohibited by Awakener Special Law.
Though they didn’t catch every single thing meticulously when cracking down, in any case being illegal, it was a situation where he couldn’t help but be conscious in various ways.
Thus he often disguised as Otherworld Management Bureau affiliate to handle commissions smoothly.
Since the work Otherworld Management Bureau originally handled was Reverse World management, wearing agent combat uniform meant generally nobody particularly cared.
Later he even prepared one agent combat uniform at each hideout, so one could guess how thoroughly he utilized it.
That’s why when [equipping] combat uniform using the system, he didn’t feel particularly awkward.
‘It’s been a while.’
Seeing his own appearance in the mirror placed in one corner of the room, Baek Woohyun chuckled.
Because his appearance wearing tactical vest over pitch black jacket, combat pants, and combat boots reminded him of memories ‘over there.’
At least far better memories than those recalled when wearing test subject outfit.
‘…Should I go now.’
Baek Woohyun, wearing agent combat uniform, immediately left the room heading to the parking lot.
Fortunately thanks to parking lot location being marked on the map he’d seen going to and from training ground, he could arrive easily without wandering.
Finding where Lee Yujin was even easier—because as soon as arriving at parking lot, she immediately called him loudly.
“Over here, junior-!”
-Nunaaaa
-Yigwigwo~
-So this means lovey-dovey date with Yuna possible now?
-Fully Responsive AI is god, and RePla is invincible
-Wakyapya
“The reaction is much more intense than before.”
“Haha, probably because many new people came?”
“Hmm-”
“Moreover, Lee Yujin ranks in top 3 among popular NPCs in ‘Reverse Planet.’ Such Lee Yujin equipped with Fully Responsive AI reacting like a person? Can’t resist this.”
“……”
“Come this way-!”
Lee Yujin, wearing agent combat uniform like Baek Woohyun, earnestly waved both hands toward him.
As if she wouldn’t stop until he looked at her.
If anything, she seemed ready to even jump up and down from her spot. If they hadn’t made eye contact, she really would have.
Since that was an appearance unimaginable if it were ‘over there,’ Baek Woohyun chuckled without realizing.
Lee Yujin, always with rigidly frozen expression, not satisfied with just smiling brightly but even waving hands frivolously.
Starting from becoming senior-junior relationship with her, wasn’t it truly an interesting change?
“I apologize. I was a bit late.”
“No, you came at just the right time. I also just arrived.”
Lee Yujin, who answered with a grin, tapped the car beside her.
“Shall we talk while riding? The Reverse World we need to subjugate this time is quite far.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Oh, I’ll also send mission materials to your smartphone now, so read them once while going. It’s short so you can read it quickly.”
“Yes, understood.”
Baek Woohyun, who boarded the passenger side, checked mission materials sent to smartphone.
As Lee Yujin said it was short and readable quickly, the material content wasn’t very long. At most just a few A4 pages worth.
Even that seemed it would be shorter if not for invasion entity information and maps attached as appendix.
‘Mission objective is complete subjugation of invaders in Reverse World and Reverse World closure? Hmm- is there reason to distinguish the two?’
Baek Woohyun lightly skimmed the attached Reverse World interior map—precisely, a map drawn of that location before becoming Reverse World—and passed.
Because he knew memorizing geography was useless anyway, since Reverse World interiors were often distorted by dimensional invasion’s aftermath.
The material itself also mentioned that point, written to use maps only for reference as much as possible.
‘Scale is small, invasion entity type is insect-form, danger assessment grade is F or E… I see why they assigned it to a newcomer.’
Insect-form invasion entities were guys annoyingly tedious to face because they were far weaker than other type invasion entities compared to same danger level, but only numerous.
Even not giving very useful loot, there were cases where companies completely gave up subjugation the moment identifying insect-form.
In any case, since Otherworld Management Bureau handled Reverse Worlds right before rampage, they just believed that and abandoned it. Truly shameless behavior befitting groups crazed for profit.
However, these disadvantages rather acted as advantages in probationary agents’ practical training.
Being weak yet numerous meant accumulating abundant combat experience while taking low risk, and being despised for lacking useful loot made obtaining subjugation rights easy.
From Otherworld Management Bureau’s perspective, it meant being able to subjugate troublesome Reverse Worlds while simultaneously conducting newcomer practical training.
Truly killing two birds with one stone.
Even danger assessment grade measured externally from Reverse World’s internal energy was merely F or E.
Ranging around lowest grade, it seemed like Reverse World made for newcomer training.
“Did you finish reading, junior?”
“Yes. I finished.”
Hearing Baek Woohyun’s answer, Lee Yujin smiled brightly.
“Good. Still, I’ll give rough explanation first. Don’t dismiss it as content in materials, please concentrate. Okay?”
“Of course.”
“The Reverse World we’ll subjugate this time is small-scale where insect-form invasion entities appear. It’s also Reverse World companies arbitrarily threw to our side.”
‘As expected, companies’ doing.’
Baek Woohyun, quietly listening, clicked his tongue inwardly.
Because he vividly felt from Lee Yujin’s tone that company bastards here or there were crazed for profit calculations.
Well, that’s why they’d commit insane acts like supporting facilities like research facilities conducting Project: Transcendence.
“Ah. ‘Threw’ means they gave up Reverse World subjugation and left it to Otherworld Management Bureau. But it’s obvious, right? They abandoned it because it’s troublesome and doesn’t make money. Everyone knows this tacitly.”
“I see.”
“Actually there’ve been several such cases before. They say in their own way they failed subjugation and gave up, but seriously who’d believe such excuses? All abandoned Reverse Worlds are places where insect-forms that don’t make money appear.”