130 - War

TL/Editor: raeiStatus: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: posted in discord

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Time passed.

Lee Yeonwoo, who had nearly caused an accident unintentionally, didn't spare a glance toward the dice and spent his days in an unnervingly peaceful routine.

A routine so peaceful it bred anxiety. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

'How long has it been since I've rested like this?'

Perched on the edge of his hospital bed, Yeonwoo gnawed at his fingernails. His legs jittered, his slippers tapping rhythmically against the floor.

Several weeks had passed in the hospital room.

A daily life of eating, sleeping, and leisure, devoid of work or incidents.

At first, his body and mind had reveled in the relaxation. But soon, an uncomfortable feeling began to creep in. What started as anxiety before sleep now plagued him at all hours.

'What if I can't readjust when I return to work? Why are negotiations with the Club dragging on? Isn't the war starting soon? Will it end without incident?'

Pop-

The last fingernail came off. Yeonwoo snapped back to reality and examined his fingers. Without even trimming them, all ten nails had been bitten down to rough stubs.

"Ah..."

Yeonwoo frowned deeply. Something was off.

He assessed his mental state. This wasn't normal. It seemed like PTSD from the extreme work conditions.

"Maybe I should see a counselor."

Just as he was mulling this over-

Bang-

The door flew open as Mark Jung burst in. Shivering, he launched into a tirade.

"What's with this weather? I doubt the abnormal climate's really gone. I know it's winter, but this cold and heavy snow can't be right."

The snow on his shoes melted, leaving wet patches on the floor.

Yeonwoo, still fidgeting, looked up at Mark Jung.

"How are the negotiations with the Club? And the war? Any issues?"

"Everything's progressing smoothly. The war is set to begin tomorrow..."

Mark Jung sat down. Speaking lightly, as if he didn't expect much, he said,

"You won't go even if I ask, right? Honestly, I'd like to deploy you..."

"Of course I won't go!"

Yeonwoo jumped up. So this was the source of his anxiety!

Go to the battlefield? Absurd! That "Great Tree" or whatever - even that dies before it can grow to danger level 6!

Mark Jung waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine then. Just observe from here."

He explained that Yeonwoo could watch the battlefield situation from afar, like an observer. As Mark Jung pulled out some documents, Yeonwoo shook his head vigorously.

"Do I have to observe?"

"Huh? You don't have to if you don't want to. But wouldn't it be helpful? You could see the destructive power of anomalous entities or hostile groups' anomalies."

Well, that's true, but...

"What if I'm affected just by watching through a screen?"

Dying just from seeing it, or going insane just from remembering it.

Mark Jung let out a hollow laugh.

"We've obviously prepared for that. The filter will take care of it."

"Well, in that case..."

Yeonwoo nodded reluctantly, and Mark Jung waved the documents.

"More importantly, let's discuss the negotiations. There are two main agreements."

One was between Yeonwoo and the company.

"You're quite an honest person, Yeonwoo. You have the dice but don't use it for personal gain. That's one reason why headquarters thinks highly of you. Let's talk about that."

Not using the dice to make money, harm others, or overturn society.

One might expect someone with such an item to use it for their desires.

Yeonwoo made a sour face at Mark Jung's backhanded compliment.

'I'm using it to save myself, for my own life. I'm scared to use it normally because of the risk of failure.'

Regardless of Yeonwoo's expression, Mark Jung handed over a document. Yeonwoo saw it was a simple text, more like a letter.

"The dice's results are hard to predict, and its effects difficult to control. So the Director suggested..."

Only roll the dice during work. Refrain from using it in daily life.

The company won't interfere if your life is in danger during daily activities, but if there's a nuisance, don't roll the dice - inform the company instead. They'll handle it for you.

These proposals were written out in longhand by an unknown author.

Yeonwoo spoke with a not-unfavorable expression.

"What counts as a nuisance?"

"Anything you'd want to resolve with the dice. Like the information broker incident - we're offering to handle retaliation for you."

Not bad at all.

'The dice make me a bit uneasy anyway.'

A moderate success is fine. But failure is meaningless, and who knows what might happen with a critical success or failure?

Asking the company might be better - you'd get exactly what you want.

Yeonwoo nodded readily.

"I'll do that. I don't roll it unless it's truly dangerous anyway."

Mark Jung sighed in relief and pulled out a second document. This too was a company proposal.

"You mentioned selling dice usage rights before. We've had various discussions about that, and Yeonwoo."

Mark Jung looked at Yeonwoo, who was absorbed in the document. His eyes fell on the words "New Department Proposal".

"How about quitting as an investigator? What do you think about heading an entirely new department?"

A department dedicated to trading dice usage rights.

Yeonwoo would be the department head and its sole employee.

Yeonwoo was taken aback.

"Wait, you're going all-in on this? I didn't think it'd be this official."

"We have to go all-in. Do you know how many people want to use the dice?"

Though the results are uncertain, there's much the dice can do. And if you keep rolling, you're bound to succeed eventually.

Mark Jung waved his hand, saying the company alone had plenty of researchers driven mad or obsessed with a single result.

"Of course, you'll keep your special investigator status. And this is similar to investigator work. You'll go out and roll the dice when requests come in."

"This is..."

Yeonwoo swallowed hard, deep in thought.

'Just rolling dice instead of investigating? ...Probably safer than being an investigator.'

Surely it's better than facing unknown anomalies barehanded as an ignorant investigator.

Yeonwoo nodded.

"I'll do it."

He could try it for a few months and cancel if it didn't work out. Surely they wouldn't stop him from returning to investigation.

"Excellent. We'll work out the details for this too."

Mark Jung pulled out the next document.

"Negotiations with the Club. We relayed your intentions, and the Club accepted."

"...Just like that?"

Yeonwoo tilted his head. His proposal was more of a threat than a negotiation.

Forced contract? No way. Sell my information? Go ahead. I'll use the dice for revenge. In exchange, I'll sell you dice usage rights.

Yeonwoo expected the negotiations to continue, but surprisingly, the Club accepted immediately.

"Seems suspicious."

"The company also applied some pressure. And the Club doesn't want to make an enemy of you. Consider their guidelines."

Mark Jung hesitated, then spoke.

"They'll probably buy a few dice usage rights and make a few contracts to build relations. They'll try to win you over, and if they can't, at least maintain a relationship without hostility."

Fighting yields little profit. Making friends is the real gain.

Yeonwoo caught the Club's eye, so they'll work to befriend him.

Yeonwoo's expression was ambivalent.

"That's fine. I don't want to make enemies either."

The Club's guidelines overlapped with Yeonwoo's in some areas.

Fighting is dangerous. It's best not to create dangerous elements. But if a dangerous element threatens his life...

"Still, please keep checking if my information has been leaked. If it keeps happening, I'll have no choice but to gamble with the dice."

His voice sank ominously.

Suddenly uneasy, Mark Jung asked with trembling lips.

"What kind of gamble do you mean...?"

Yeonwoo didn't answer. No need to explain the dice's information. The essence of the dice - realizing probabilistic possibilities.

'I'll roll for the possibility that my information becomes anomalous.'

Like the book he saw in training that kills when read. An anomaly that kills those who recognize his information.

"Of course, I'm scared of failure or critical failure, so I won't do it unless absolutely necessary. Even success could be problematic."

"Ah, no."

Mark Jung's hands shook. He couldn't fathom what vicious outcome Yeonwoo had imagined.

"Please, truly leave what the company can handle to us. A critical failure with the dice would be hard to clean up."

Yeonwoo ignored the trembling Mark Jung and looked at the final document he held.

"Seems we've covered everything. What's that?"

"Ah. It's a proposal from that information broker asking for forgiveness."

Mark Jung regained his composure, focusing on the last task.

"It's a forced contract promising never to sell information about you or the dice again, and 1 billion won compensation plus any items you want."

Yeonwoo was indifferent. They'd already sold information that nearly got him killed.

"I'll take it since they're offering... Tell them I want a gun and those time-buying bills. Or other useful equipment."

"Yes, I'll relay that. I'll be back tomorrow then."

After gathering his documents, Mark Jung looked out the window. Snow was falling heavily outside. Who knows how much had accumulated.

"This weather, really..."

Mark Jung muttered irritably before leaving.

Left alone, Yeonwoo closed his eyes. Anxiety still plagued his mind.

'They said the war's tomorrow. Nothing will go wrong just observing from here, right?'