Chapter 132

〈 Chapter 132 〉 Side Story 2: A Tale from Somewhere

In the dead of night, two men dressed in suits entered a pojangmacha (street food tent) as usual and ordered drinks. The owner, as always, served their preferred alcohol to these regulars who were the top contributors to his shop’s revenue, and the men drank like water.

“Drinking after work is always satisfying.”

The man with a long flowing beard exhaled contentedly. The fish-like man chewed on the complimentary toasted barley and snarked.

“Having underlings do all the work while you just sit back and relax, huh?”

“I can do whatever I want because I’m the boss. The company name even has my name in it.”

The bearded man chuckled as he pulled out a business card from his wallet and placed it on the table. The merman shook his head disapprovingly while refilling his glass.

“You’re really getting into this, aren’t you? Who knows how long we’ll have to keep doing this.”

“There’s an old saying – if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. What can we do? These are the chairman’s orders.”

“Wasn’t there someone who supposedly cleared everything…?”

“Yes, but it’s been over a year now.”

As they drank, the two men fell silent for a moment. Considering the development period, they had been tied to this company for years without realizing. The merman broke the silence first.

“People are starting to suspect that a full clear might actually be impossible.”

“We’ve given them all the hints. If they can’t figure it out, that’s on the humans.”

“I’ve thought about those hints carefully…”

The merman rubbed his temples with his index finger as he spoke.

“Isn’t it something that no ordinary human could possibly accomplish?”

“No way. Those conditions were personally selected by… cough cough. N Director knows best. He understands humans better than anyone else here.”

“Mr. Ha. We can’t exactly ask him directly, but hey – has that person who supposedly cleared everything still not appeared?”

The bearded man frowned noticeably.

“The account was immediately deleted. Damn. This isn’t some kind of joke.”

“If we find out who it was, we could check the server data, hack the IP address, and figure out where they live…”

“The chairman doesn’t approve~ Why bring this up again when it was already decided at the board meeting?”

A lanky man appeared at the table where the two sat. The towering man, whose height nearly reached the ceiling, had skin and clothes that were entirely black. Though both the bearded man and the merman openly scowled, they couldn’t ask him to move from his seat.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to console our president and vice-president. Uhuhu. Here, let me have a drink too.”

“We don’t have any drinks for you. Order your own.”

Ignoring the merman’s jab, the black man grabbed the bottle neck and blew into it like a flute while gulping down the liquor. Already seemingly tipsy before sitting down, the black man was visibly drunk. The bearded man stroked his chest-length beard in surprise.

“Surprising. I didn’t know you drank this much.”

“I do occasionally indulge~ It’s been such hard work trying to find that person who supposedly cleared everything. Sob sob, and they never even showed up.”

At the grown man pretending to cry, both the bearded man and the merman quickly regained their composure. They were drinking to unwind, not to get dragged into madness by this lunatic. The merman teased while munching on a piece of squid.

“If you couldn’t find them, it’s probably because you weren’t looking hard enough, right?”

“Nonsense!”

The black man waved his hands frantically.

“How could I dare slack off when the chairman is so eager to find the one who cleared everything? There’s a bounty of 200 billion on the line!”

The bearded man twisted his multi-stranded beard as he tilted his head.

“I’ve been wondering… isn’t the amount too small? For something we ‘personally’ created, isn’t a billion range too low? It should have been in the trillions.”

“Are you insane?”

The black man turned serious.

“That’s only after I pleaded and negotiated with the chairman. Even that amount was approved by the board under the condition that it would be distributed through a dummy account.”

“So the chairman’s generosity stops at two trillion, huh.”

“…You’re drunk already without even finishing your drink.”

The merman’s heavy sarcasm was hastily stopped by the bearded man. The black man standing before them was not only a director but also the direct secretary who conveyed the chairman’s will. Despite being appointed as president and vice-president, they were mere pawns who could vanish with a single gesture from the chairman.

The black man grinned slyly while blowing into the bottle.

“It seems you two still have a long way to go. You’re thinking too much like humans… still so far away.”

“Who’s the one forcing things into human bodies recklessly?”

“While you’re here, let’s ask – when will this game actually be cleared? Once the chairman gets bored, we won’t have to do this anymore, right?”

“Beats me. Lately, the chairman has been so busy enjoying something new.”

The black man covered his mouth and chuckled. Both the bearded man and the merman sensed something amiss.

“You’ve done something again.”

“What trouble did you cause this time?”

“Me? Cause trouble? Never!”

The black man waved his hand dismissively.

“I merely strive to bring the most joy to the chairman.”

“So, has the chairman not grown tired yet? He could abandon the game company anytime and return to his original position.”

“Not yet. The chairman eagerly awaits the appearance of someone who clears everything. But…”

The black man grinned wickedly.

“Only time will tell when that perfect player will appear.”

‘Something happened.’

‘I don’t know what, but something definitely happened.’

The bearded man and the merman exchanged glances. Of course, the black man noticed instantly and began wailing.

“Don’t exchange secret looks at a drinking party!! Oh no, the president and vice-president are bullying the poor director. What a world, what a world!”

“Tell us honestly.”

“You must have done something, right?”

Faced with their accusations, the black man straightened up seriously. Sensing the growing seriousness, he shrugged and smiled.

“I won’t deny it. But listen…”

He placed his finger on his lips and chuckled softly.

“All of this is for our somewhat dull chairman. So stop asking questions and digging deeper. …Understood?”

When the black man revealed his presence, the bearded man and the merman momentarily lost their senses. Seeing their startled expressions, the black man relaxed and laughed merrily while ordering more drinks.

“Hahaha! Don’t be so scared. Who’s going to eat you? As the top contributors to making our chairman happy, I should be praising you instead! In that spirit, I’ll treat you today!”

“…I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. Let’s eat and die today.”

“Let’s order the whole menu for once? Oh, Director, our juniors are working overtime now. Should we call them?”

“…Let me make a quick call.”

With a grimace, the black man placed his wallet on the table. As soon as he left, the bearded man and the merman began whispering secretly using ventriloquism.

“What do we do now with the chairman’s personal liaison acting like this?”

“Let’s consult the representative director.”

The merman flinched.

“Your grandfather?”

“…He must know something.”

Both sighed simultaneously. For now, they needed to cater to the drunken black man outside who was groveling on the phone.

The bearded man crumpled the business card on the table and threw it in the trash. The faintly visible title on the card read “CEO of Cthulhu Co., Ltd.”

* * *

“Damn merfolk. They’ve spent all my salary this month.”

Holding his smartphone showing the card bill, the black man guzzled the bottle of alcohol he took from the store. The exhausted zombies worked like possessed monsters, devouring the drinks and snacks until they wiped out the entire inventory, forcing the store to close prematurely.

“Well, it’s not my money anyway!”

Given his position as a group director, he was the freest financially. He swiped the corporate card expecting such incidents.

“I said I’d pay, but I never said I’d use my own money. Hehehe.”

Tomorrow, there would surely be a direct call to the president’s phone. Touching his pitch-black card with a grin, the black man staggered along the sidewalk.

“…Hmm?”

It was his personal card.

All the intoxication that had clouded his body disappeared in an instant.

“…”

This was a mistake he, in his true form, would never make. The black man smiled, realizing he had become too immersed in his human body, committing a very “human” error. He hadn’t even registered the exact amount charged to the card.

“Uhehe, hehehe.”

Like a madman, the black man cackled and disappeared into the darkness.