Before returning to the lab, the agents gathered at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Vines. After gathering information from the four teams, six dog tags were discovered.
"So you're saying that you found it in every team except for Team 4?"
These were the words of Pathfinder, an elite agent who commanded Team 2. Despite the gazes from all sides, Kim Yi-Hyeon did not lose his composure.
"I said I had no choice, well."
"Don't misunderstand. I don't mean to blame you."
A plain voice. Pathfinder was a man whose blunt impression and personality matched his personality.
'I don't think you meant to nitpick.'
He is a character who often gets misunderstood because he speaks directly. This time, it must have sounded aggressive to the agents, but Leila covered for him.
"Still, thanks to the cooperation of the four teams, we were able to complete the operation smoothly."
"It doesn't really mean much since we've already found 6 of them. We just haven't been able to confirm it, but the dangerous people that Team 4 dealt with must have had them in their bodies too."
It was as Ghost said. In the game, you can get the item from all eight of them. Even if you don't remember the identification number.
"I guess we'll have to analyze it ourselves in the lab. If we can salvage anything, that'd be great."
"Do you know what the ambassador of Vines is?"
"No, it seemed like you didn't know anything."
Kim Hyun-i's eyes widened at Ghost's words.
"When did you ask that?"
"It's about two hours before you arrive. I just had a sneaky look, so I hope there won't be any unnecessary fuss."
Kim Lee-hyun nodded his head with satisfaction.
'It's not really necessary.'
As Ghost thought, there is no information to be gained from the Kingdom of Vines. They are nothing more than victims.
What Kim Yi-hyeon was satisfied with was that Ghost moved around autonomously. He was definitely an outstanding talent in many ways.
We have received formal thanks from the Kingdom of Vines. Material compensation will be sent to Lab later.
After resting, the agents returned to the lab. Before recovering from the poisoning, the team leaders, including Kim I-Hyeon, reported the results of the operation to the director of the lab.
"I see. Everyone worked hard."
Kushan put the ziplock bag containing the dog tags down on the desk. He looked into the eyes of the team leaders and praised them for their hard work.
"You can upload the detailed report during the week. You must be tired, so just submit the recorded video today and take a rest."
Out of consideration for the hard-working agents, he finished his report briefly. After sending them away, Kushan sank deep into the back of his chair.
'Fortunately, there were no casualties.'
Since it was a sudden incident, we had to dispatch a dispatch in a hurry. In the end, everyone was safe, but I couldn't help but be worried.
'This year, the commotion just keeps on going.'
The professor's rescue. The clash with the Legion. The simultaneous occurrence of dangerous numbers that seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at them. Each and every one of them was a major incident.
'And what to think about this.'
Kushan lowered his gaze to the desk. There was a document next to the zipper bag. It was Kim Yi-hyun's personnel file that he had written a few days ago.
Kim Yi-hyun has been deeply involved in the events that have occurred over the past six months. I don't think he's the mastermind, but... it's just such a coincidence.
"후우."
I sighed involuntarily. It felt like there was something stuck in my throat, and I felt extremely uncomfortable. On the other hand, I also felt grateful.
"I always get help anyway."
I understand a little bit why Leila and her group trust Kim I-Hyeon so much.
* * *
Dustborne's performance became a hot topic among the agents. It was because the members of Team 1, mainly Leila, praised him so much.
'It's a little embarrassing, but... it's not bad.'
It was a desirable situation. Before embarking on Operation Ashbelt, Kim I-Hyeon had set several personal goals.
One of them is Dustborne's rising evaluation. If he had just done his part and finished, he would have been considered as 'well, he's still capable.'
However, by cooperating with Team 1, I was able to establish the perception that I was an active collaborator. Thanks to this, my future actions became much easier.
'I won't hear anyone telling me not to meddle even if I interfere here and there.'
The field testing of Asterike and [Vibranium Composite Sword] has also been completed. The monetary compensation will be coming soon, so the harvest was great compared to the effort put in.
'It looks like the servants are working hard too.'
It was a stimulated look. I didn't know how much it would change, but I wasn't completely hopeless.
This is reality. Unlike games, there is no systematic 'high point'. Maybe even the three musketeers of the dog farm will become stronger.
It will also be fun to watch the changes. Kim Lee-hyun walked down the hallway with a sense of accomplishment.
'Oh, this is it.'
Arriving at the video room, I unlocked the security with my key card. The door opened with a squeak. As I stepped inside, I heard a frightening sound.
-Kwaaaaang!
A loud explosion as loud as thunder. Of course, it was a recorded sound. A familiar scene was playing on a screen on one side of the video room.
Kim Yi-hyeon watched the video with his arms folded. The sight of the bridge collapsing was exhilarating to watch again.
"That was fun."
"...!"
As soon as I said that, the person who had been apologizing turned his head around. His characteristic silver-gray eyes were shaking as if an earthquake had occurred.
He was a professor.
"Why are you so surprised? As if you've committed a crime."
"…It's Hyun. I didn't know you came in."
"The video is a bit noisy."
―저 개새끼이이이!!
When I checked, it was extremely distracting because Turkam's screams were also mixed in. But that doesn't mean I couldn't notice people coming and going.
I just thought he had a lot on his mind. To the point of going through other people's operational records at the crack of dawn.
"But Hyun, why are you here?"
"Me too."
Kim Lee-hyun showed off the disc he was holding by shaking it slightly.
A data storage method that has already become obsolete in modern times. It has been a long time since I last saw a CD. However, it was used naturally in the lab. There is no cloud server, and copying is prohibited for security reasons.
It is stored in the data room and taken out after going through the process. It is inefficient, but this is also part of the civilization imbalance that exists in Polaris.
'What, where is this?'
If we had fallen even to the pre-modern era, we would have suffered even more than we do now, especially in terms of hygiene. We would have suffered from a mental illness or two.
Kim Lee-hyun sat down at a suitable distance from the professor. The video ended with the camera panning around the river where the dangerous water had disappeared.
"...."
"...."
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to turn it on next time?"
The professor frowned at Kim Lee-Hyeon's words.
"...Didn't you have something else to do?"
"Originally, I was planning to review by watching our team's videos, but I just couldn't get the chance."
The agents were curious about how Dustborne's operations were carried out, so they kept taking out the discs. Like popular movies from old video stores. And now they're in the hands of the professor.
When Kim Yi-hyeon urged him with his eyes, the professor reluctantly played the next video.
The battle with Nepenthes. I took another look at Asterike's performance, but then stopped. I couldn't concentrate because the professor kept glancing at me from the side.
"It's really strange."
"뭐?"
"No, that's right. Why have you been so cautious all along? When we're on a mission, you give me orders without hesitation, telling me where to go and where to move."
Kim Lee-hyun clicked his tongue softly.
"Am I very uncomfortable?"
There was silence.
Only the rough and ceaseless sound of gunfire coming from the screen filled the room. The professor, who had been lost in thought for a while, slowly opened his mouth.
"It's not that I'm uncomfortable. On the contrary, I'm grateful to Hyun. I think he's great. Like Leila, Ghost, and Pablo."
After saying that, he shakes his head.
"No, out of the four of us there at the time, I might be the one with the greatest tendency to do that. Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know."
"When we first met. At that time… I thought you and I were in similar situations."
The tone was extremely soft. Anguish was evident even in the quiet sounds of the words.
"I didn't know anything, but I vaguely felt that way. It seemed like they were as confused as I was… and with no one else to rely on, I had no choice but to be led by someone I saw for the first time."
She smiled awkwardly, as if embarrassed.
"Was it too disorganized?"
"It's okay. Keep going."
It was an accurate expression. As the saying goes, at that time, Kim Lee-hyun had nothing.
I was suddenly stuck in Polaris. It was a time when I felt fearful even when taking a single step. If I didn't have any knowledge of the game, I was in a situation no different from a professor who lost his memory.
'It's too great an advantage to ignore.'
In fact, Kim Lee-Hyeon actively utilized his gaming knowledge to get to where he is today. But how would he have looked to a professor who didn't know the inside story?
"I said this and that, but it's just that kind of talk."
After a beat, the professor confessed his honest feelings.
"I envy you, Hyun."
The professor felt a kind of admiration for Kim Yi-Hyeon. He went into battle on his own, gained the trust of his colleagues, and succeeded in his operations.
While he was focusing on rehabilitation exercises and adapting to rap, Kim Lee-hyun grew so much. As a professor, I couldn't help but compare.
"I can't be like you. I don't even carry a gun and fight myself, and yet I give orders as if I could do something, and..."
The professor bit his lip tightly.
"Make me die. Because of my mistake."
There was another silence. While the room was quiet, Kim Hyun recalled the story he had heard before. It was information he had heard from Ghost in Cilicia.
"Are you talking about the work in Flaoria?"
"Did you know?"
"I heard from Ghost. He said two people died during the operation."
The professor responded with silence. His face darkened noticeably. Only then did Kim Yi-hyun fully understand the professor's feelings.
'I guess your head is still a flower garden.'
Since the ghost didn't die in the tutorial, he couldn't adapt to reality early. In the meantime, someone died under his command. Any person with common sense would feel guilty.
The same was true for Kim Lee-hyun.
The members of White Fang, including Mary. The number of people who died during the all-out war, the six who were killed by Snowfield at that time. I still feel responsible for their deaths.
'We're in a similar situation.'
It was exactly as the professor said. In many ways.
I could have offered some trite consolation. You did nothing wrong, and in the end, you protected your comrades, so the dead agents will rest in peace… … .
It was utterly useless talk.
"Let me ask you something."
Kim Lee Hyun said.
"You're trying to lighten the load on the agents. You've even been to the mines."
"...Because it's important."
"Yes, it's important. If we don't mine, the lab will stop functioning. That's why the agents are suffering."
The intention is good, but.
"Before that, have you done everything you had to do?"
"어?"
"Have you checked the personnel files of the agents you worked with this time? Can you tell me everything about what each of them has done in the past, how they have used their abilities, and what their hobbies are?"
A look of confusion spread across the professor's face. Seeing that he was unable to answer properly, Kim Ihyeon asked the next question.
"Geographic information. The dangerous number's forward path was set. There were hundreds, thousands of strategies that could be employed even without encountering them."
Team 3, led by Ghost, was a good example. They also set traps, just as Team 4 destroyed the bridge with bombs. A direct confrontation would have been even more foolish.
"The lab will run well enough without you."
Kim Lee-hyun snorted.
"That means it's something that anyone can do. The reason you feel indebted to the agents is because you're not doing your job properly. The data is out there. Just put it in your head, and the rest—"
Yes, he added.
"Think more proactively. When I joined your team, I wondered what this was all about. Even though you commanded the battlefield, Leila was in charge of the team. It was like she was helping you out or something."
"That's because everyone follows Leila…."
"And that nice guy Leila is dragging you into the danger zone. Why else would you do that?"
Because there is an expectation. Without the professor's direction, the lab would collapse before even getting through half the episode.
The professor already has a boulder of responsibility sitting on his shoulders. So, it would be natural for him to exercise his rights.
"You command properly. Make the operation a success and save the agent."
"If someone dies because I commanded them?"
"Then he was destined to die from the beginning."
There will inevitably be deaths anyway. It is not something to be taken lightly, but it is also not something to be held in contempt and blamed one by one.
"You'll die if you don't do it. If it's an operation that you can just do carelessly, why command it? It's either dangerous, annoying, or important... or all three. That's why I need you."
Kim Yi-hyeon cleared his throat with a cough. As he talked about this and that, his throat started to feel scratchy.
"Anyway, I told you to push forward with the mindset that if I can't do it, no one can. If an incompetent person did it, it would be a problem in its own right, but if it's you, it's okay."
The professor opened her mouth. She lowered her gaze, hesitated, and finally smiled faintly.
"...It feels strange."
"What now?"
"Even though this is the first time we've talked for this long, I always get that feeling from you. Hyun, you... seem to know me very well."
I know it well.
This is a game I've been playing for over 5 years since it was released. I've participated in every single event without fail, even when I've gotten bored with it.
I've read the wiki several times. I mean, I know everything that's in the game, except for the professor's pretty bare face that doesn't appear in the game.
No one recognizes the professor's abilities more than anyone else.
'He is not a replaceable talent.'
A famous general who directly commands numerous battles that occur in the work and leads them all to victory, except for a few defeat events.
He has a lot of ability. He is a person who can do whatever he wants. As I said, the professor needs to take more initiative.
… … You will experience many hardships in many ways. It is something you must endure. Kim Lee-Hyeon had neither the will nor the confidence to take on the role of a professor.
"Even though it's different from Leila, I'm also expecting something from you. You'll do well. As long as you don't keep being so sullen like you are now."
"I don't know if this is an insult or encouragement."
"It's probably both."
The professor was smiling after being cursed at to his heart's content. It was the first time I had seen such a relaxed expression. But that face was somehow unfamiliar.
He even muttered to himself, as if he liked it.
"Speak shamelessly, without feeling embarrassed."
It seemed like he understood perfectly.