The moment I called out, half-doubting, the white glove clung to my hand in delight.
A speech bubble containing a flashy, blinking star-dot graphic floated above the white glove.
I recalled the title the Black Block had used for me during our last communication.
- Lamb, my star! Let us communicate again. As your fan, I shall continue to keep a close watch. Until then....
Given the circumstances, it was certainly the Black Block.
I had suspected a connection between the current situation and the Black Block from the start.
The event quests in this arcade were similar to the ones I had received from Deadzone’s broadcasting station.
However, I hadn’t expected him to intervene so directly.
Why on earth did he do this?
The Black Block surely knew how much I cherished my subordinates.
Despite that, he did something that would incite my rage.
I was curious why he wasn’t even bothering to hide his identity.
He possessed a level of confidence that suggested he didn’t even think his actions were wrong.
’And he calls himself my fan.’
Perhaps because he was a god, his behavior was entirely different from the concept of a "fan" as I knew it. pushed aside the thoughts of the young god rampaging in a corner of my mind.
Honestly, I was furious, but this wasn’t a matter to be solved emotionally.
I calmly assessed the situation.
’Did he hear my voice?’
Seeing as he reacted even though I spoke outside the game, it felt that way.
I attempted to start a conversation, and pixelated letters appeared.
[Je Hyeon-oh hopes that the god does not converse with that thing.]
The dot character on the screen spread its metallic hand wide.
This time, his fingers might actually get cut off.
I cautiously spoke, gauging the reaction.
"Please return my subordinates to their original state."
In response, a teary speech bubble appeared over the white glove.
It seemed to be a refusal, but since I had expected as much, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
"Then let me clear the game."
Since he seemed to have no intention of returning the subordinates obediently, I wanted to clear the game as quickly as possible, following the method the Black Block had set.
’If you’re going to appear as the final boss, then just do your job.’
I spoke with a heart full of a desire not to waste any more time, but the white glove seemed to have no intention of acting like a boss.
As I tried to push away the hand that kept clinging to me, Je Hyeon-oh moved first.
He fired a barrage of crescents at the wound where glitch fragments were leaking.
The white glove flinched and retreated.
[Je Hyeon-oh hopes that the god does not come into contact with that thing.]
Given everything that had happened so far, it was understandable that Je Hyeon-oh lacked trust in me.
After all, in The Cell X, the last place we entered together, I had a history of acting strangely after contacting another god.
Fortunately, the white glove, having been attacked by Je Hyeon-oh, snapped back to its senses.
Leaking glitch fragments, it limply returned to its original position.
It was finally intended to play the role of the boss.
The white glove gave a light wave of its hand.
A phrase announcing the start of the boss battle appeared, and the music changed.
I should have taken my hand out of the screen now, but I hesitated.
I was worried.
I thought I’d wait and see how the boss battle proceeded before withdrawing.
But something was strange.
The attack style and patterns were distinctly different from the bosses I had faced until now.
It felt somewhat abnormal.
While other bosses attacked by firing laser beams or light shells..
The white glove was firing hearts....
As countless hearts flew toward us, I quickly stepped in front of Je Hyeon-oh.
When a heart hit my hand, I felt a slight, stinging pain. Of course, it was far less painful than Je Hyeon-oh’s attacks.
[Je Hyeon-oh hopes that the god withdraws their hand immediately.]
Pixel letters appeared that, if spoken, would have been something like, ’Goyo. Get out of the way!’ Perhaps because it was inside a game, the white glove’s attacks were relatively mild.
Since Je Hyeon-oh could take the damage, I felt I didn’t need to worry too much.
I slowly withdrew my hand from the screen. The white glove floated a teary speech bubble as if telling me not to go, but I ignored it.
And the moment I placed both hands on the control panel.
Rumble!
A low-frequency sound, loud enough to tear the speakers, echoed.
[!!WARNING!!]
A warning message appeared in the center of the screen.
The white glove moved its hand smoothly. Suddenly, attacks of insane difficulty began to pour out.
The white hand, which had been firing hearts and "pyong-pyong" effects until a moment ago, began firing lasers that filled the entire screen.
Fluorescent light-blue flashes poured down, forming a grid pattern.
I quickly moved the joystick, and Je Hyeon-oh narrowly slid through the intersection of the grid.
The moment he barely avoided it, a fan-shaped beam flight erupted, swallowing the entire screen.
Along with it, fluorescent light- blue homing missiles poured out like a swarm of bees, causing explosions everywhere.
Fluorescent lights flashed in all directions.
There wasn’t even a moment to breathe, but I didn’t want him to be hit even once.
I gritted my teeth, attacking with the primary weapon in the gaps between dodges.
That was when Je Hyeon-oh broke free from my control.
[Je Hyeon-oh does not prioritize his own safety. He considers the god’s overprotection unnecessary.]
He flew like an acrobat, soaring toward the white glove.
Every time a beam he couldn’t avoid grazed the tip of his wing, his health dropped sharply.
I hated it to a terrible degree when my subordinate got hurt.
I urgently moved the joystick, but Je Hyeon-oh refused the control.
[Je Hyeon-oh wants the god to watch him.]
Eventually, he pushed through the countless attacks and reached the immediate front of the white glove.
His health was nearly at the bottom. It was a value where one or two more hits would mean death
Just as I thought I had to force the control...!
Je Hyeon-oh clung to the white glove and violently swung his metallic hand.
The wound where the glitch fragments were leaking tore open even wider.
Just before the white glove could unleash a new attack, the black crow dove into the gaping wound and disappeared.
I was so surprised that I bolted upright from my chair.
This was an attack that didn’t exist in a shooting game.
I froze for a moment at the action that defied the rules of the game.
Then, amidst the loud boss battle music, a twisting, screeching sound was heard repeatedly.
An exclamation mark speech bubble appeared over the white glove.
Black lines were being carved into the white glove as if it were being slashed.
Following that, a cracking sound echoed, and it began to split into pieces along the black lines.
As it was torn to shreds, a massive amount of glitch fragments exploded.
From within the shower of glitch fragments so intense it hurt the eyes a black figure calmly flapped its wings and emerged.
Confirming Je Hyeon-oh’s safety, I pressed my hand firmly against my chest.
It was too much for my heart.
Yet, on the other hand, a smile slowly crept onto my lips.
The greatness of my subordinate made me happy.
Just as I was thinking of giving him a protective shield as a reward, the entire screen suddenly turned pure white.
The flashing white screen slowly faded, and a large font appeared.
[ALL STAGE CLEAR!]
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
It was a clear.
Following the message announcing a new record, a teasing set of words appeared.
[CONTINUE?]
Continue, my foot.
As I frowned at the absurd message, the letters slowly vanished.
Clink.
A coin rolled out of the coin return slot.
I picked up Je Hyeon-oh’s clear coin.
Only after confirming the dot character of Je Hyeon-oh’s face drawn on the coin could I fully relax.
I had been worried since the final boss was the Black Block, but it seemed the clear was legitimate.
’Lieutenant Colonel Je will be alright, right?’
I was worried about Kwak Han-mook and Mo Hae-in, as I didn’t know what had happened to them after their clears.
I wanted to return everyone to their original state quickly.
"Good job, Roasted Chesnut."
Dominic congratulated me on the clear. I thanked him and glanced at him.
Previously, he had expressed displeasure regarding the communication between me and the Black Block.
I wondered if he would say something this time as well, but instead, he looked satisfied with the series of events.
I suspected it was because I had used a lot of divine power, but....
The fact that Dominic was pleased made me feel uneasy, as it likely wouldn’t be good for me.
Regardless, the most urgent matter was returning the Special Task Team to their original state.
I went straight to the exchange center and hesitated for a moment.
It said to inquire directly if I wanted other prizes.
However, the exchange center consisted only of holes that looked like a coin slot and a prize dispenser.
There was no space where a person could be, and I felt no presence.
Though it seemed empty, I tried speaking out loud.
"Excuse me. I would like to exchange the clear coins for other prizes. I want my subordinates back."
Then, with a clunking sound, something dropped into the prize dispenser.
I picked it up and checked; it was popping candy, a participation prize.
The flashy wrapper, featuring a drawing of exploding stars, read ’Supernova Pang Pang’.
’I wonder if Captain Kwak would like this.’
Since he liked snacks, I put it in my inventory for now.
Meanwhile, the text on the prize information board changed.
The entire list of prizes vanished, and a new sentence appeared.
[One ’abnormal’ clear coin has been confirmed. The exchange for subordinates will proceed, excluding said clear coin.]
My eyes widened at the notice.
The two clear coins in my hand glowed and vanished.
Only Je Hyeon-oh’s clear coin remained in my palm.
I froze, staring at the lone clear coin.
Why?
I felt like my head was going to explode.
Sure, Je Hyeon-oh had cleared the game using an attack method that didn’t exist in the game.
But hadn’t the Black Block committed an aberrant act first?
’The one who intervened abnormally in the first place was the Black Block.’
Even in Kwak Han-mook’s racing game, the NPCs had been doing strange things.
The criteria for an "abnormal clear" were biased.
At that moment, the sentences on the prize board were wiped clean.
A scratching sound, like someone writing on paper in real-time, echoed.
A sentence written in elegant cursive appeared. It was a sophisticated and dignified script.
[Lamb, my star! Congratulations on the clear. Your performance was truly magnificent!]
I asked back in a suppressed voice.
"What exactly are you trying to do right now?"
However, the opponent did not answer my question.
Despite clearly hearing me, he continued to say only what he wanted to say.
[I am glad the Lamb enjoyed it. You also seemed to find the act of managing your subordinates amusing!]
"..."
For a moment, I was speechless. I couldn’t deny it.
Although the game had been forced upon me, there were certainly moments that gave me pleasure.
The thrill of feeling a sense of unity with my subordinates still held a lingering heat within me.
While I hesitated, a new sentence appeared.
[Come find me, Lamb! I shall exchange the abnormal clear coin for you as well.]
It was a blatant request that didn’t hide its intention.
As I glared with an expressionless face, the sentences continued to scratch out.
[I have many things that will make the Lamb even more joyful and amused!]
[It would also be a fitting opportunity for the Lamb to treat me to some cooking.]
[The Lamb and I shall spend a joyful time together. I look forward to it immensely!]
I stared blankly at the words he laid out at will, then opened my mouth.
"Return my subordinates."
I put considerable effort into speaking those words to avoid getting agitated.
But as always, the Black Block ended the conversation on his own terms.
[I shall look forward to your visit, Lamb. Until then...]
"Wait! Don’t go..!"
I screamed and reached toward the prize board.
However, as the final period was placed at the end of the sentence, the world collapsed.
A fluorescent light-blue, intense enough to hurt the eyes, covered everything and flowed down.
When I came to, I was outside the fast-food restaurant.
Lying on the cold asphalt, I slowly pushed my upper body up.
Sitting on the ground, I repeated the process of inhaling and exhaling.
But the boiling emotions did not subside in the slightest.
"Goyo!"
Kwak Han-mook, who had also regained consciousness after collapsing nearby, approached me.
I slowly turned my gaze. Mo Hae-in was still unconscious.
Kwak Han-mook, who was walking toward me, paused. I felt the golden light emanating from myself.
"Captain Kwak..."
As I called him in a murmur, Kwak Han-mook suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
"Goyo, are you okay?"
I couldn’t answer that I was okay. I was trying my best, but I couldn’t hold it back.
My face distorted as I spoke.
’He took my subordinates...’
’The faint thought that I shouldn’t act strangely in front of the captains crossed my mind.
But I simply couldn’t endure it.
The golden light enveloping me grew stronger and stronger.
"Roasted Chestnut. It is alright. Am I not by your side? You may do as you wish."
A gentle voice whispered to me.
The moment I heard those words, which sounded like coaxing, I finally let go of what I had been holding onto.
Along with the sensation of falling into a vast abyss, a golden light that illuminated the darkness burst forth.
A circular wave starting from me swept across the entirety of Hyper Eden.
The night city, which had been flashing with provocative hologram advertisements and neon signs, stopped.
Thousands, tens of thousands of screens froze simultaneously, and a brief silence fell.
Soon after, everything changed.
The billboards crossing the sky, the mega LED strips on the building walls, and the floating displays in the air.
Every screen in Hyper Eden was covered by a single person.
It was me.
Inside the screen, I spoke.
"Black Block.. Where are you?"
Bright golden eyes scanned Hyper Eden.
And then, I commanded.
"Come out. Now."

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