Clearing the Game at the End of the World

From what I originally planned, all I planned to do here was talk to the person named Geum-pil about how ‘I’ve left the house now, so there’s no need to worry, and let’s work together now’ and leave.

I firmly turned down Park Geum-pil’s insistence to eat with them and accepted the hunting knife that he made under the thought that he may need it…

Rumblee—

“Woah! Don’t push!”

“He’s here.”

“He really was in there?”

Instead of the car that they parked right in front of the door, they saw people pushing their faces against the door.

“It’s him.”

“It was true. His left arm really does look like a monster!”

“Mister Gyosu Park… came out of Mr. Kang’s house?”

“Hey, Geum-pil! Don’t tell me you set up some hotline with Mister Gyosu Park without telling us!”

At some point, about 15 people had gathered in front of Geum-pil’s house. Seeing how there were sand and dust piled up in the creases of the layers of rags they were wearing, they must have been working outside since sunrise until now.

After leaving the house and coming down here to the three-way street, they stayed at this house for at most about 20 minutes. In that short moment, the news had already spread this much, and the people working nearby had gathered here. Since it was dangerous to shout or use loud signals because of the mutants, and they obviously didn’t have radios that the major organizations like the Dome or Raptors used, the people here gathered only from person to person. Maybe…

“Mr. Geum-pil?”

“I-it isn’t me! I didn’t call them! Oh my, you people! You all live with the earning you make per day, why come here instead of work! Jade, I heard you were busy with an order from the Community!”

“Kang. I go far back with you and consider you like family in this cruel world… How long has it been since you’ve been in contact? Since you came here? Or when we were set free and you ran out of the pod saying we must come here?”

“You should have at least told us! You know how nervous we had been when it was only the little Miss that came down for an entire month!”

Looking at their reactions, it wasn’t Geum-pil that called these people. Either the people that saw our car when we came out spread the news, or they followed the others out of curiosity when they started running.

“Like I said, it isn’t like that!”

“Bulls**t! I just heard it with my own two ears! You just asked him to stay for lunch, to talk about business next time! You think we dig through dirt for a living cause we like it? Don’t hog everything to yourself, and if there’s any chance—”

“I’ll share it.”

The frowning bald man that was slowly pushing forward jumped back in surprise when I stepped up to them.

You really gotta give it to people for being sneaky. They pretended to be all surprised, shocked as they looked for my reaction, then instead of me, who they didn’t know how to treat, they yelled at familiar and easy Mr. Geum-pil and said everything they wanted to.

‘Give them work… That won’t do harm.’

I did want to stall a little because it was entertaining to watch the bald man that was yelling at Mr. Geum-pil glimpse at me nervously for a response. Still, I felt like they were really going to attack Geum-pil if I pretended not to see them, so I cut him off at what felt like the appropriate time and stepped forward.

A speech. I didn’t think there was ever going to be a time in my life when I needed to publicly announce something to the people.

[You’re nervous? I saw you yell out commands perfectly well, even on the battlefield when you’re in the game.]

‘But it feels different. A game, then reality.’

[And that makes a difference to us? Just do what you would in the game.]

‘Like a game. Just like Warrior Professor.’

Huuuuap!

Seeing the people looking at me with expectant gazes, I took a deep breath. Alright, let’s think of it like a game. What do I do? Set a goal, plan the process, then control the variables.

A goal wasn’t just the deliverance of information, but to either persuade them to think ‘I can trust and follow a person like this.’ and obtain their support, and give them a warning to make sure they won’t be getting any funny ideas. And what I need to do this is…

‘Charisma.’

As what he needed to do became clear, his heartbeat started to calm down, and Gyosu started to walk amongst the people.

His mutated left hand was usually a nuisance, but it was convenient when it came to times like this. The visually different exterior it had was more than enough to plant a strong impression on people, whether that was a good or bad one.

‘First, eye level.’

Talking to people at eye level and looking up while talking to them made a drastic difference when it came to distance. When you stand at a higher position, people that are shorter and those who were pushed away by the crowd could all see the speaker. Starting from a president to those random public speakers in parks, there’s a reason why people would stand on even soap boxes when they have a talk in front of a crowd.

Passing through the people that split apart to let him through, Professor approached the Buggy that he parked.

“Hu-up.”

Then grabbed onto the frame and lightly jumped up to land on the roof of the car.

He did decide to manage these people, but that didn’t mean he wanted to expand this and make them into some larger organization like the Raptors or Dome to obtain absolute power.

I didn’t like the Dome’s determination to rebuild civilization like it had been in the past or the Raptor’s hegemony to rule everything with brute power. To live just kindly, I’ve already left too many scars on the Wastelands with my own hands, and to live just for my own benefit, there were too many things that held me back.

“The life in the Wastelands is quite ironic, don’t you think? To have us meet here like this.”

A speech given without a megaphone, nor symbol or vision of an organization, just talking to them, sitting on top of a car in a run-down street.

This was just right… for a fence sitter like me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the Leader of BDSM, Gyosu Park.”

To the people that stared up at me with blank faces, I waved playfully with my large left hand.

It was the moment that I announced the official activity of Big Dream Small Margin, BDSM, in front of the people.

“…And so, that’s what happened.”

“Hahahahahah!”

“You think it’s funny? That I’m almost about to die of dehydration and hypothermia because of cold sweat? I don’t even have a change of clothes, and I’m completely drenched…”

“I didn’t know someone like you could talk like the common folk.”

“Then what else is a person that’s been risking their lives over a single can of fuel just a few months ago supposed to be other than common folk?”

After telling the people that I was going to manage the village from now on and that they didn’t need to worry anymore or do anything stupid, we arrived at the Dome as planned. Just like the other people, our group also had to be stopped at the entrance to be checked.

‘Huh?’

‘Can you… give me an autograph…?’

Though the difference with the other people was that the check wasn’t to ask about our identity and reason for visiting and that it didn’t end just at the entrance but throughout the entire way up to the Inspection Bureau building.

Gyosu came to realize that he was much weaker than those who approached him out of affection than he expected. He tried to reach out for help, but Vex, who had also been suffering from a mountain of autograph requests, had taken Synthia and was long gone. The two must have gotten along well with the past month of training, as in the blink of an eye, they threw me out as bait and ditched me.

And so, after going through the crowd of people who asked for a handshake, an interpretation about the mechanisms of the mutant virus, and even women who threw off their outer clothing and charged towards him, by the time he arrived at the Inspection Bureau building, Gyosu was already exhausted, and after coming into the office of the IB President who greeted him warmly and taking a breather, he told him what had happened on their way.

“Hahahahah! Ahem, hm! Ah, apologies. It must have been a memorable moment in your life. I wasn’t laughing at you, so don’t be offended.”

“Laugh all you want. Wouldn’t it be disrespectful for me to not laugh along when the ruler of Area 47’s Dome wants to laugh?”

“Ahem, heh, ahehmm! Ahh, how long it has been since I’ve laughed like this. You livestream in front of all those people, do you still not like a crowd?”

“I was shaking internally when I talked to 16 people from our village. But a parade? Wasn’t that just a joke?”

“When you become the president of the Inspection Bureau, you cannot tell lies, even as a joke. But a village, you say… what a friendly way to speak of one’s group. I thought I had an eye for reading people, but you are always new to me.”

“You’ve also changed quite a bit since I saw you last time. You didn’t talk like this.”

The IB President, Alexander Young, was much different from the man Gyosu saw last time. His scruffy mustache that was like one of a field commander turned into a sharp mustache of an officer from the 90s, and his practical yet clean clothing became a suit that was so neatly ironed you might get cut if touched, with the respectful tone he used to everyone now was a confident one that slightly talked down on the opponent.

Only one thing didn’t change, which were those wolf-like eyes that glinted a cold blue even as he laughed and conversed like this. The president, who had felt like a mixture of a wolf and fox, now seemed to know how to completely sheathe his claws.

“A person in power must show the people what they want, is it not? Since the Dome wanted a strong leader, I dropped my habitual honorifics. You should start learning about these parts as well.”

“There aren’t even 20 of them, even if I include our guys, don’t call me authority.”

When I waved away my hand as if that wasn’t happening, the president let out a small breath of laughter and tapped on the window behind him.

“Do you see that outside?”

“See them? I’ve gotten in contact with about half of them on my way here.”

“That is your current dwelling. Hero of the Dome. Savior Gyosu Park. If I didn’t raise you up as the Dome’s Hero and revealed that we were associated with you, then at least a tenth of those people would have been at your doorstep. Your title is the ‘Hero of the Dome’, and it is only your real place of living that’s outside. Technically, you are considered to be part of the Dome, which is why they are quietly staying here.”

Feeling a chill run through my spine at the President’s response, I turned my head back toward the window. The people were waving a flag with an unfamiliar symbol on it. Even a short glimpse at it told me that it was a drawing that characterized my left hand. There were hundreds of yellowish cloths drawn in with charcoal flapping in the air. When I squinted a little out of disapproval, the President nodded as he stroked his sharpened mustache.

“Well. We have nudged them a little to do so.”

“Why?”

“Because there isn’t anything that works and sells better than a hero in chaotic times like these. Look at them. They don’t look like the concerned faces of a Wasteland survivor but the faces of those from the past. Not to mention, it isn’t an exaggeration. It is the truth that you are our hero, so why stop them? Currently in the Dome, there are several different merchandises related to BDSM that are selling like hotcakes. The password to the novel [Breaching Dawn] that’s based on this war is selling at a high price of 300 Shillings in the Community, and those who are talented in drawing are making money off of flags and woodcut printings. There are also things like this.”

Creak—

What the President took out of a drawer was a wooden statue. An embarrassing object to look at, complete with the engraving [Viciously Roaring Gyosu] on the circular stand.

“Can I see it for a moment?”

“Sorry, but I also paid with my own money. I made it as part of the Inspection Bureau’s business, and it sold better than expected. You know how people are craving for entertainment.”

“Damn it! You say that you’re striving for a democracy, but you ignore copyright?”

“Technically speaking, this character just has the same name as you with a slightly similar appearance. Ah, if the BDSM becomes officially associated with the Dome, then you can file a copyright lawsuit and receive a share of the profits. Are you interested?”

“Forget it! Just what do you need money for that you depend on children’s toys to make a profit?”

“Well, we are building an entire city. It’s natural to need money, is it not?”

Slide—

His posture changed from his leisurely position leaning against the chair to clasping his hands together and hunching over the desk.

The light atmosphere where we were exchanging jokes instantly sank down into a serious one.

[He makes small talk, then suddenly jumps in with the point. I’m telling you, this guy’s kinda similar to those nobles in GG.]

‘It means our entire conversation has been the buildup to this.’

Though they had a war and won, the man became Leader of the Dome when they had experienced significant losses due to the war and even completely threw over the old political structure.

There was no way the man had time for useless jokes when even three bodies wouldn’t be enough to cover his schedule.

He intentionally loosened up the situation, giving me time to recover from the tsunami of people I swam through. Since loosening it up and tightening it again made the situation tenser.

That also meant that what he was going to talk about next would be that much more important.

“By city, do you mean… the one in Area 45?”

“Correct. The unbelievably well-preserved underground bunker from the Old Times. Though the Raptors set most of it on fire, the most important facility, the maintenance room, was mostly untouched aside from some physical damage. Since we have brought the Raptor’s forces several notches down through this event, we decided to take a step forward. It would be the Raptors that will be on higher alert after all when we are touching borders.”

“Touching borders. Then does that mean it’s certain that the Raptors set base in Area 43?”

“They seemed to have stopped in between Area 43 and Area 42. Considering their nature, it would be hard to say that they completely settled down, but since they cannot freely move around a nest consisting of hundreds of tanks and vehicles, it is safe to assume that they will spend this winter there. Seeing that there are quite a bit of people from Area 42 and 43 that came in as citizens recently, it is most likely certain. Even if they have a protective barrier, they would have been bound to be found sooner or later if the Raptors search through every inch of sand.”

Area 43. I felt a memory push into my mind like a sharp thorn.

‘F**k. Old Man Woojin.’

Woojin Urology is smack in the middle of Area 43. There’s no way they would have just passed a hospital full of medical supplies. If they completely settled in Area 43, that means they already…

’…It should be fine. The man was called a legend, wasn’t he? He could easily get his own body out of that place holding a single scalpel. Nothing’s going to happen.’

Long ago, when he first went into Area 43, he tried to steal one of the turrets on the outer skirts of the hospital but was caught by Woojin and got beaten to a pulp. He should be alright. The man isn’t weak enough to go down without sending a distress signal. Believing that no news was good news, Gyosu managed to shake away his concerns. Right now, it was time to concentrate on what was in front of him.

“The construction of a new Dome… Do you have everything you need?”

“That is the reason why we are using every single measure at our disposal to collect Shilling. Realistically, there is a limit to providing supplies from inside the Dome, and there are still many things that we cannot reconstruct with our technology. But since we are buying every single piece of special alloy and other small mechanical parts that come out on the market, we will be able to reach the goal sooner or later, except there is one problem.”

Just from his tone, I could instinctively feel that this problem was the reason why he arranged this meeting.

“By problem, you mean?”

“A city-level shield. It is an essential item if we want to not just stay trapped in the bunker but create a city centralized on it. The Dome in Area 38 was supposed to provide us the key part, but we’ve lost contact with them since last week. Without a single radio saying that there was an attack or was a potential approach of one, it just cut off suddenly.”

Slide—

Saying that, the President pushed a piece of paper that was on the desk toward me.

“So, I have called you here to make an official request to the ‘BDSM Caravan’. 20 Million in advance, an additional 40 if successful. I will allow you to exercise Manager-level authority throughout all Dome facilities.”

“Manager-level… Does that also apply to Exosuits?”

“If it’s just one.”

“What’s the size of said key part?”

“We’re not exactly sure, but I have heard it’s not that big. It should be around 40kg, including the shock-absorbing case that contains the part.”

“So about the size of a single box…”

Seeing the President’s attitude of even allowing an Exosuit, the core power of the Dome, Gyosu carefully went through the contract one more time. Total compensation of 60 million Shilling. Just this alone was more than enough for the price of moving a single box, but he’s saying that he’ll allow the free use of the ‘Stations’ the Dome planted throughout the Wastelands to manage their territory. If he has Manager-level authority, then that’s a level higher than the Maintenance Directors in the Stations, so technically speaking, he could tell them, ‘Hand over all of your fuel,’ and they’d have to comply.

‘That’s too suspicious!’

If the rewards are too generous, it means there’s some sort of catch. For example…

“If you’re that tight on money, then why bother using 60 million to use external forces? We’re not stronger than a platoon with one Exosuit included.”

It includes the cost of our lives.

“The BDSM, weaker than a platoon with one Exosuit… Your underestimation is close to self-deprecation.”

Falling silent for a moment, the President took out a majestic bottle of whiskey and two glasses from a cabinet that was hidden by a curtain, poured out some into his glass, and downed it in one go.

“…At first, we thought it was a communication issue and sent a transportation team as scheduled. It was going smoothly until after their last regular contact in Area 39, we also lost contact with them without any warning. Now convinced that something was wrong, we dispatched an additional elite team that included a veteran Inspection Bureau agent and an Exosuit, but we lost contact with them as well. Like they’ve all disappeared into thin air.”

Trickle—

Throwing his gaze at a pile of letters stacked on one side of his desk, the President quietly poured his glass with more alcohol. Each letter had an engraving of a symbol that was of a hemispherical shield placed over a forest of buildings, the Dome’s mark. It must be the letters of sympathy they hadn’t yet delivered because they had been determined as missing.

And in the Wastelands, those who were missing were almost always considered the same as the casualties.

“If we were considering pure combat ability, then like you said, there may not be much difference to you with the Exosuit platoon that disappeared without notice. However, if we are considering operation completion, then I believe that there is no one comparable to your group in the entire Wastelands. The official compensation is 60 million, but if you retrieve the missing allies, especially the Exosuit… I will add on another 100 million.”

“So you want us to leave the Area 40s, where the warm sandy winds blow into the Area 30s, where there’s a radioactive windstorm, defeat the unidentified enemies that capture people without a trace, and retrieve the parts. You could have just written that on the contract and not made it so complicated.”

“This matter cannot be known publicly. And it is not like you wouldn’t understand.”

“Hmmm…”

The rewards were amazing, but unknown dangers followed behind.

For now, Gyosu tucked away the contract into his jacket and got up from his seat.

“We’ll talk again after I’ve discussed it with my teammates.”

“…I can’t stop you. I ask that you hurry. At least quick enough to classify those who disappeared as ‘missing’.”

Flick.

Instead of answering, Gyosu gave the man a slight nod and left the President’s office.

First, he was going to find Vex, then since Ian was at the Dome for business as well, he could get the two together and talk about this job.

Find the original at "pawread dot com".