Chapter 108 : Chapter 108
Chapter 108
CREAK- SQUEAK-
The front door opened with an unpleasant sound.
It was an old villa. He had expected it, since even the hinges were rusted, but he couldn't help but feel tense.
“…The air is stale.”
And the first thing he felt was the stale air that filled his lungs.
It was closer to musty than stale.
A house where no one lives.
But until recently, the distinct smell of a house that had clearly been lived in.
It was an environment one could easily encounter when visiting real estate agencies while preparing to move.
The sense that reacted after his sense of smell was his sight.
“A studio apartment. A truly typical studio apartment.”
Inside the not-so-spacious interior, various daily necessities were placed here and there.
Bottled water that had clearly been bought in a pack and taken one by one, and laundry that had been hung up carelessly wrinkled, probably because the owner was too lazy to hang it properly.
Even a cheap TV that the landlord had clearly put in and a small-sized dining table with legs that could be folded and unfolded.
It was an all-too-familiar sight.
Team Leader Choi Ho-jun had also lived in a place like this, in a state like this, a few years ago.
But there were differences.
“What’s with all this dust.”
Dust had accumulated in every visible spot.
The dust piled on top of the white metal rack and the black TV was particularly noticeable.
RATTLE.
Team Leader Choi Ho-jun first opened the window.
As the musty air escaped, it became a little more pleasant.
“I’m not going to get arrested for trespassing or something, am I.”
As he looked around, such a worry suddenly came to mind.
What if he was still being played by Reinhardt’s prank?
What if he had entered a house where someone else lived?
“No way. Even if that were the case, it would be a friend’s house at most. If I ask for mediation, it will somehow work out. There is such a thing as extenuating circumstances.”
This monologue was intended to persuade Team Leader Choi Ho-jun himself.
To suppress the feeling that he was doing something foolish and the urge to turn back and get out of this place right away.
Team Leader Choi Ho-jun looked around the house.
Fortunately, the sink was clean. It was clear that he hadn't cooked at all.
CLUNK.
Next, he opened the refrigerator.
“Ugh.”
SLAM.
He had no choice but to close it again as soon as he saw the contents.
It was because he had seen something unidentifiable in a delivery container.
“He’s definitely been away for a while. A very long while.”
Even if someone else lived here, it didn't seem like there would be a problem right now.
Team Leader Choi Ho-jun, feeling a little more relieved, headed to the inner room.
CLICK.
The scene that unfolded beyond the door was also familiar.
There was a single bed, and a desk and chair where a computer was placed.
“It’s on.”
And the power button on the monitor was lit up in green.
It meant that it had gone into sleep mode because it hadn't been used for a while.
RATTLE. PAT PAT.
First, he opened the window, dusted off the chair, and sat down.
Then, when he moved the mouse slightly, the monitor flickered on.
“Hmm.”
A game was running on the screen.
[Please select a character.]
[Once selected, the character cannot be changed.]
[Please decide carefully!]
The initial screen of Soul Calibur.
It was the process of selecting the main character and choosing party members to use as companions.
“Just how long has this been on?”
He felt a feeling that was hard to describe in words.
He had a thought that perhaps today, the common sense he had believed in without a doubt until now might change.
BEEP BEEP.
He heard the dial tone from the phone he brought to his ear.
-Yes, Team Leader. Have you confirmed?
“Yes. I’ve confirmed, and it seems to have been neglected for quite a long time. There are definite traces that someone lived here.”
-Because it was where Reinhardt lived.
“Yes, that’s right. And… the computer is on. Soul Calibur is running. It’s on the character selection screen.”
Choi Ho-jun looked at the screen as if he were looking at something unsettling.
The characters were fidgeting, waiting to be selected.
-Don’t touch it.
“Should I just turn it off?”
-No, don’t do that either. Just in case.
“You mean I should just leave it as it is? But Section Chief. According to what you said earlier, I just need to be careful of that phrase, the substitute input or whatever, right?”
-That’s right. I’m just not sure.
After a brief pause, Choi Ho-jun said.
“Then shall we at least check?”
-…Pardon?
“Let’s just check. Let’s try selecting Reinhardt as a companion. To see if that phrase really appears.”
-The risk is too great.
“I just have to not select it, right?”
-That’s what I said, but…
“Anyway, in a normal situation, there’s no reason for a phrase like that to appear, right?
Unless an error occurred, or something like that.”
-I didn’t put in that kind of script at all. It’s a message that should absolutely never appear.
“Understood. Let’s do it.”
Gulp.
Choi Ho-jun swallowed dryly and stared at the monitor.
His eyes were like those looking at a haunted object commonly found in ghost stories.
-Are you sure you’ll be okay?
“Section Chief.”
-Yes.
“You helped me out this time, didn’t you?”
-I did. Because I was interested.
“Whatever the reason, I received help. Honestly, you’re curious, aren’t you? About what the result will be.”
-…Yes.
Han Yura couldn't deny it.
That was her personality in the first place.
The very fact that she had told Choi Ho-jun to stop was a great effort by her standards.
“Let’s do it. Instead, I’ll trust that you’ll definitely help me until this whole thing is over.”
-I promise.
This was a deal that was sure to be profitable.
He would solve the curiosity of a person who believed in superstitions, and through that, he would secure his own stability in reality.
SWIPE.
Choi Ho-jun gripped the mouse. It felt cool to the touch due to being neglected for a long time.
[You have selected the main character.]
[Please select your companions!]
A list of companions popped up.
He scrolled down and selected ‘Reinhardt’.
Then, click.
[Failed to start the game.]
An error message was displayed at the same time as the click.
“It says the game failed to start. I’ll try again.”
Click-click. Click.
Choi Ho-jun clicked repeatedly.
[Failed to start the game.]
[Failed to start the game…]
…….
It was the same even after repeating it five or six times.
“It’s still the same. I’ll keep going.”
Carefully, one at a time.
Choi Ho-jun wiggled his finger with a trembling heart.
After a few more times.
[Game Start Pending]
[Warning: Insufficient Quantity of Reinhardt]
[Warning: Agreement required for substitute input.]
“What the he… you scared me.”
-Team Leader?
“It appeared. That phrase. Game start pending. Insufficient quantity. The exact content that agreement is required for substitute input appeared. Just now.”
Choi Ho-jun felt as if he had seen a ghost.
He had thought it was just a superstition, but it was as if he had visited a haunted house and something had actually jumped out.
“What should I do?”
-Don’t press it! Absolutely not! Come back right now! No, not come back… I’ll go there! I will!
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Choi Ho-jun laughed in disbelief.
Anyone who didn't know would see him as an adult getting serious over a mere game.
“For that Section Chief Han Yura to take a half-day off.”
She was famous for not even properly taking her summer vacation since joining the company.
Saying that for her, development was a vacation.
Saying that since she was going to work anyway, it was better to work at the company with the air conditioning blasting.
‘This is fun.’
After staring at the screen again, Choi Ho-jun pressed the ‘Cancel’ button.
And then.
The moment he faced the phrase that popped up as if in response.
[Refusal failed.]
[Warning: Insufficient Quantity of Reinhardt]
[Warning: Agreement required for substitute input.]
[Do you agree?]
“…!”
Choi Ho-jun felt a chill.
His lips instantly went dry, and his hands stiffened.
He slowly took his hand off the mouse.
He got up from his chair and turned around.
Goosebumps rose all over his body.
He felt as if something was watching him from behind.
An instinctive fear welled up.
After freezing like that for a moment, Choi Ho-jun ran out of the studio apartment as if fleeing.
***
“What the. Where did he go in the middle of our conversation?”
The wasteland between Lockfort and Serigel.
In a place where there was no sign of human life, Reinhardt tilted his head.
[Aslan], who had been in the middle of a conversation with him, had disappeared.
To be precise, it meant that he was no longer leaving comments.
“He said he’d contact me soon. Could something have happened? To that Choi, Choi what was it? Team Leader Choi Ho-jun.”
There was a possibility.
Reinhardt himself was a victim of such an incident, after all.
“…He’ll probably contact me if I wait a little. He seemed quite disappointed too.”
[Aslan] had revealed her own name.
The genius developer of Skylines.
The mother of Soul Calibur.
The god of coding.
She was quite famous in the community as well.
The users also knew well where Soul Calibur’s game quality came from.
SWIPE.
Reinhardt lowered his gaze.
Bitdori, with a much more comfortable expression than before, was sleeping soundly.
Reinhardt gently stroked the creature.
He planned to stay by its side like this until it woke up.
He couldn't make the same mistake twice.
‘I’ll have to be a little more careful when assigning tasks to Bitdori. And if the appearance of the Demon Order is the starting point of Part 2, then hasn’t it basically already started? Since the magical beasts have appeared too.’
The start of Part 2.
That meant that the enemies he had to face had become one step stronger.
An enemy who could notice Bitdori’s existence, like this time, might appear, or a monster that could inflict a fatal blow on the creature might pop out.
He couldn't let his guard down.
The moment Bitdori entered a long rest period, Reinhardt would lose the driving force that allowed him to be called the Knight of Light.
“Pii…”
At the sound, Reinhardt snapped his gaze down.
Bitdori was stirring.
A faint cry, like it was talking in its sleep, came out.
Then, the creature opened its eyes.
“Pit?”
“Bitdori.”
“Pii, pit? Piiii?”
Bitdori looked confused.
It looked at Reinhardt, and then at the pile of magical beasts in the distance.
After tilting its head for a moment.
Bitdori seemed to have finally grasped the situation, flinched, and flew up.
“Pit! Piiii! Piiiiit!”
“It’s okay. I’ve dealt with all the warlocks. The magical beasts too.”
“Piiii?”
“How’s your body. Are you okay? You’re not hurting anywhere, are you?”
“Pit, pii!”
Bitdori bent its short arms as if showing off its muscles.
Its eyes were full of life, and it was clearly in a healthy state.
“Good. You’ve recovered completely.”
“Piiiiii…”
Then Bitdori suddenly slumped its shoulders.
Startled, thinking it was hurting somewhere, Reinhardt realized the meaning of its action.
‘It’s disappointed.’
Bitdori was disappointed.
It seemed to think that it hadn't been helpful.
In fact, a situation like this was unfamiliar to the creature.
Until now, it had soundly beaten anyone, as long as they were an ‘evil being’.
‘It won’t do for its spirit to be broken.’
It is the parent’s role to build a child’s self-esteem.
Reinhardt willingly decided to take on the role of Bitdori’s parent.
“Bitdori.”
“…Pit?”
“This strategy was very good.”
“Pii?”
“Thanks to you, I was able to deal with even the last warlock without letting him escape.
Because he used up almost all his power dealing with you.”
At the sudden explanation, Bitdori repeatedly tilted its head.
“He was stronger than I thought. If you hadn't played an active role, it would have been difficult for even me to face him.”
“Pit, pii?”
Its expression asked if it had really been helpful.
Since he was confident in his Bitdori linguistics, Reinhardt nodded vigorously.
“It was a very big help. Both when you dropped the archbishop at the beginning, and when you drained the last guy’s power. You felt it too, didn’t you, Bitdori? That that guy was particularly strong.”
“Pi, pit!”
“That’s why you pushed yourself to drain his power.”
“Pit.”
“I’m telling you that that plan worked perfectly.”
After making an expression as if it had realized something, Bitdori quickly became excited and started flying around.
After circling around Reinhardt a few times, it flew back in front of his face.
“Pit!”
This time, it even struck a cool pose. It was clearly an attitude of showing itself off.
“However.”
Reinhardt didn't stop there.
Now that he had boosted its morale, he had to educate it as well so that the same thing wouldn't happen again.
“From now on, don’t act like you did today. That’s too dangerous.”
“Pit?”
“I’m saying you should always approach with a little more caution. Not just blindly following my orders, but first checking how strong the opponent is. Or checking if there are other enemies around.”
Bitdori was concentrating on Reinhardt’s words with a serious expression.
It showed no resistance.
On the contrary, it had the attitude of a student actively trying to absorb the information.
“You understand what I mean, right?”
“Piiit!”
“That’s our Bitdori. Very smart.”
Bitdori started dancing again.
Reinhardt clapped along to the beat, and only after it had calmed down to some extent did he get up from his seat with a smile.
“Now, let’s clean up.”
A mountain of work was waiting for Reinhardt.
“Let’s finish up quickly, and go home and rest. Got it?”