The underground laboratory.
Kwak Jaekang’s eyes tremble as he looks around the Dream Incubation Room of the Cheerful Research Institute, his gaze landing on the massive incubator in the center.
But the countdown had already begun.
The low-quality recorded melody and the cheerful voice rang out.
[10! 9! 8!]
“What do I know? Are you telling me to spill everything I know about that potion-manufacturing device?”
I looked at him in silence.
[7! 6!]
“No, haha. Potion manufacturing? Did I see it once when I joined the company? Even if you ask this of a raw material procurement researcher, you know… The unreasonable is the charm of the Darkness, but this…”
Kwak Jaekang’s movements stopped.“……Wait.”
His voice trembled.
“Is that, by any chance, that thing?”
Not fear, but excitement.
[5! 4!]
A mad gleam burst in the eyes of someone who realized what it was.
“It’s a prototype potion maker!”
The countdown stopped.
But Kwak Jaekang’s mouth did not.
“The version with no production quality restrictions! Ah, I’m not especially passionate about Daydream Inc.’s potions, but potion-manufacturing devices are a different story, haha…”
A smile spread across Kwak Jaekang’s face.
“It originated from a Darkness, didn’t it? And that’s the original device that was taken out of the Darkness!”
……!!
“To think it’s right in front of my eyes! If you’d just shown it to me instead of all this, I would’ve testified to anything!”
He murmured, practically licking the Dream Incubator with his gaze.
“Where on earth did you get this? If it gives out Wish Tickets, it must be an Abyss-grade Darkness, right? What ghost story did it come from? I don’t know which superior is running this operation, but don’t you need a researcher? I’m tight-lipped and full of passion for research!”
A beaming smile spread across Kwak Jaekang’s face.
“This is way better than the useless work I was doing in the annex! Hey, can I take a look? That one—”
Whoosh.
I set a heavy layer of black smoke before Kwak Jaekang as he tried to get up.
He stopped in his tracks.
But the eyes raised toward me shone not with fear, but with curiosity.
“You’re quite something, aren’t you? Haha… Where are you from? Which Darkness answered Daydream Inc.’s call? Fire? Water? The conception of madness? A fairytale? The Throne of Pure Silver?”
I didn’t answer.
But in my mind, the various special exploration records Kwak Jaekang had been involved with flashed by.
What would it be best to let him misunderstand?
‘Something as powerful as possible, but that Kwak Jaekang doesn’t know much about.’
But also something that would let his imagination run wild.
I reached out and pointed.
At…
The yellow lantern at my waist, wrapped in horn-like ribs.
“…A star?”
Kwak Jaekang muttered.
So that’s how he interpreted it.
“A Darkness related to a star. Gold, restraints… Haha, interesting… Are you interested in humans?”
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I pressed the carrot.
[Next round starting.]
[Now, the question!]
Kwak Jaekang was now looking at me more with intrigue than tension.
He seemed excited at the thought that the question might be related to information about the Dream Incubator.
But this.
This question wasn’t about the incubator.
It’s about smashing your skull in.
[Are you still observing Darkness Qterw-B-553, which you secretly swapped in to deploy the J-squad without your superior’s knowledge?]
Kwak Jaekang’s face stiffened.
[10, 9, 8…]
“I’m still observing it.”
The countdown stopped.
“…How did you know? Does the company already know about this?”
Of course not.
It’s just that, through the ‘#Exploration Records (Extras)’ page of Dark Exploration Records, I knew all the crazy things Kwak Jaekang had done.
Of those, I picked a certain unexpected incident that was particularly large-scale, caused a stir in the Development Department when discovered, but went undetected until the very end.
Endless Life of the J-squad
This notorious irregular record was famous for making people feel unpleasant just by reading it, to the point you’d be unsettled imagining it really happened.
But in this situation, it was definitely useful.
‘There’s no way he’ll ever think I’m just a former employee who quit.’
No matter how good Kwak Jaekang is at reading people, it’s simply impossible.
He can’t help but think this way instead.
‘Ah, someone higher up in the company must have caught on to what I did.’
From here on, things get easier.
“…Haha, if you called me in like this through the Security Team instead of handing out official disciplinary action… what exactly did I touch in there? Just what secret was I getting close to?”
By letting the other person misunderstand, you can guide the situation however you want.
“What does this place have to do with it?”
I didn’t answer Kwak Jaekang, who was muttering to himself. Instead…
[Next…]
I turned off the carrot.
Then I approached Kwak Jaekang and reached out my hand.
“…!”
Still tied to the chair, I pushed him forward toward the incubator.
“Ha… haha!”
Kwak Jaekang laughed nervously, cold sweat running down his face. Even in his fear, I could sense his anticipation for what was to come, which was a little unsettling, but either way, he stopped in front of the gleaming Dream Incubator.
The light of the Dream Essence was reflected in his glasses.
Then, I turned the carrot recorder back on.
A cheerful child’s voice came out.
[What function do you think the machine in front of you has?]
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