1.
“Guys, don’t you think this is a little too much?”
The dim morning light filtered through as a man inside the ramshackle hideout, illuminated only by the faint moonlight, asked his companions in a gentle tone.
“I have already told you how many times? Garbage should be thrown away on time.”
An incredibly mundane lecture, and even the voice with which he reprimanded them was as soft as if scolding children.
But why?
“…I sincerely apologize, Captain. It is my failure as the Second-in-Command for not properly managing the team. Please allow me to atone with my worthless life.”
Karang.
No sooner had the Second-in-Command finished her words than the two other members followed her lead, drawing their daggers.
These daggers, adorned with the emblem of the Black Wolf mercenaries, were the most elegant and at the same time the sharpest tools in their arsenal.
“Thank you for everything, Captain.”
There was no hesitation in their actions.
!!
In a fluid motion, the three of them turned their daggers inward, preparing to draw them across their throats.
The silver daggers,
The piercing moonlight,
And the floating dust particles.
Just as the daggers were about to pierce their necks, including the Second-in-Command,
“Stop.”
A cold voice stopped their actions. The man stood up from the wooden box he had been perched on and approached the three members.
“Quit this nonsense and go throw the garbage properly. Got it?”
The man then casually turned to glare at two of them and added,
“Especially you two. Do the recycling correctly. I’ll be watching.”
“…Recycling? …Ah! Yeah! Got it, Captain!”
“I will not disappoint you again, Sir.”
“That’s right. That’s what you should do.”
After receiving their assurances, the man, with his red pupils retreating, stood up.
“Dismissed. Do some morning exercises reasonably. Return before breakfast, as usual.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Thank you, Captain!!”
“I will never, under any circumstances, disappoint you.”
Thus, what had been a tense morning gathering came to an end.
After dismissing the members, the man returned inside and lay down on the bed.
“Haa…”
This man’s name was Nahan.
And,
“…I want a midnight snack. Chicken and beer.”
The character he had become was also named Nahan.
He was a twenty-five-year-old man who had been transported into this wretched novel, <Babylonia>.
“Getting up this early blows. In the army, they at least let us sleep until six thirty.”
That’s how ordinary this man was, transported into a novel for no reason other than curiosity.
– What? A new work by this author?”
After speed-reading up to the fifteenth free chapter and checking the gallery for details on the upcoming paid parts before reading them,
General) Spoilers for <Babylonia>.
The empire’s utterly corrupt. The hero party went to defeat the Demon King but returned without even trying due to an internal mutiny. Then someone tried to cut the Emperor’s throat for a feast. However, some idiots (possibly the Black Curtain) intervene. After eliminating them, the hero kills the Emperor too, and everything ends in utter chaos.
-Feast ㅇㅈㄹ. Who wants to take it?
-How did you already finish it all?
└Are you a prophet?
└22. Not yet; the paid parts only reached the mutiny.
└(Author) Do I really have to see all that?
└How else would I know?
└(Author) I’m from there.
└?
After being trolled and heatedly throwing his keyboard,
└No lies.
└(Author) Seriously. If it was fake, I wouldn’t transport you.
└? What’s that supposed to mean?
└(Author) =I’ll transport you.
└? Wait, what the hell?
And that was when he was transported.
In short, he had been transported into a novel whose contents he barely knew.
Fortunately,
─『Main Quest』─
◆ Simply Survive.
: Prevent all Bad Endings and rescue both the <Hero> and the <Emperor>.
◆ Number of Prevented Bad Endings:
: So far… [2 / 15]
◆Reward:
:Return to your original world.
“Already two, huh? Did it update while I was asleep?”
Simply staying here meant Bad Endings were being automatically prevented.
Moreover, as a bonus for being transported,
“Check info, Nahan.”
【Savior – Accessing information about <Nahan> upon request!】
【Name: Nahan】
-Alias: Incompetent Mercenary Captain (Temporary)
-Rank: C-class Mercenary (Temporary)
-Info: A man sold to the underworld by his impoverished parents as a child. Through sheer effort, he climbed the ranks, eventually becoming the leader of the D-class mercenary group – Black Wolf.
【Information unlocking required additional Bad Ending prevention… [2/3].】
Some restrictions applied, but as shown, he could also peek at others’ information.
‘So I should keep sitting here.’
Avoid any upcoming threats by checking the stat window, and wait until all Bad Endings are eliminated.
Upon being transported, Nahan found himself as the C-class captain of the D-class mercenary group, <Black Wolf>.
“By the way, I checked the team members’ ranks just in case. They’re all D-class, except the Second-in-Command, Laktea, who is C-.“
The S-class status of the Hero’s party, seen in the Prologue, was intimidating. And trying to step forward to stop a Bad Ending would surely lead to:
-Who are you?
-Ah, I’m not suspicious. I came to stop a Bad Ending, you see.
-?
-Wow! Don’t you know about Bad Endings? They’re really terrifying.
Bang!
Without a doubt, his head would roll.
Plus, <Babylonia>’s author was infamous for writing dark fantasies, making it even more perilous.
In any case,
By keeping low and staying within the D-class mercenaries until all Bad Endings were nullified,
“Let’s tough it out.”
Endure and endure until you can return home.
For now, that was all that mattered.
“…Still, scolding them so harshly at dawn just because of the trash might have been a bit over the top?”
Nahan paused briefly to think about it,
“Nah? Not at all.”
Ever since he had been transported here till now, almost a month, it was Nahan who handled all the garbage and food disposals alone, without fail.
But every time he tried to say something, they would grovel like they did earlier, saying sorry and about dying, making him suppress his frustration without verbally reprimanding them beyond the first two times.
“To live together is to share housework.”
With a sigh, Nahan laid down again.
However, sleep wouldn’t come. The regret of his morning scolding kept lingering in his mind.
“…How much meat is left?”
Deciding to make extra effort for breakfast, he got up and headed to the kitchen.
But soon after,
“Hmm. They just left.”
The kitchen was littered with untouched garbage.
“Is it really so hard to take the trash out?”
He sighed, looking at the bin filled with trash and scraps without proper sorting.
At this moment,
Ding.
A cheerful chime contrary to the situation popped up with a system message.
【Congratulations!】
【A Bad Ending – <3. The Sewers (B+)> – has been prevented due to your choice!】
【Prevented Bad Endings: [3 / 15]】
“Oh, it auto-updated again.”
The joy of yet another Bad Ending being prevented quickly dissipated his anger.
Twelve more to go.
“Automatic grinding is the best.”
Just by sitting and waiting, he’ll return to his original world!
“…Yeah, anyway, I’ll go back eventually.”
To relish the advanced civilization again, enduring a little more won’t be so bad. They may be dumb but they’re not bad people.
So for now,
“I’ll clean up by myself.”
Huff.
It had been a month since his transport.
“…But what exactly did I choose?”
Thus began a new morning for Nahan, the C-class mercenary captain leading a D-class team.
2.
In contrast, it was still the early hours of dawn.
A couple moments earlier,
“Dismissed. Do morning practice moderately. Be back before breakfast as usual.”
Directly after Nahan finished his discourse and returned to the hideout, the Second-in-Command pulled out a notebook from her breast pocket.
<This morning’s roll call: All clear.
Special note: Take out the trash on time.
Assigned members: <no.3 – Tal> and <No.4 – Persona>.>
Upon completing her brief notes, the Second-in-Command approached the two still on their knees and whispered solemnly,
“If the Captain is disappointed again, I will kill you both, and then myself.”
Beyond the long strands of her platinum hair sparkled her golden eyes with a chilling light.
“Answer.”
“Ah, got it sis. Don’t be mad.”
Just as the blonde girl swallowed her saliva and nodded,
Kwaang!!
The male member, No.3 Hanlyang, who had been kneeling, slammed his head to the floor.
Thud.
When he lifted it back up, a fearsome mask was covering his face.
“I shall – gladly accept.”
It was a thick mask that suited his towering stature, revealing two piercing blue eyes beyond it.
“Damn! That scared the hell out of me!”
Thwack!
With her own mask out, No.4 Luna struck Hanlyang on the back of the head and cheerfully waved at the Second-in-Command.
“I’m off to make amends!”
A nod from the Second-in-Command, Laktea, served as the signal, and the two vanished instantly.
A few minutes later,
“…? Where did you intruders come from?”
Kwaack!
“Ah, run! Run away!!”
The booming voice resonated through the alleys of the rising criminal gang known as <The Sewers> within the imperial capital.
“Shh, that’s right… It’s them!!”
They were the lawless criminals led by their boss, <Hanson>, who disregarded even the underworld’s rules, engaging in various dirty dealings.
“Shit…, it’s Tal…”
“Ta, Tal!! Everyone, RUN!!”
“…It’s over, you know. Their appearance means…”
Kwaack!
“Ha! I’d envy that fame, wouldn’t you, Tal?”
“It’s – better not to know – Sir.”
“Oh? There’s one trying to escape.”
Despite their rapid growth and formidable size, they were now under the wrath of two intruders.
“Don’t come any closer!! You scary bastards – don’t approach me!!”
Thud.
“–.”
In a mere two minutes,
In just ten minutes,
the entire gang was wiped out except for their boss.
“Shit… Please, please save me. Please, please…! I’m the boss in this gang, alright? Won’t you ask for something? Huh? Anything! Please! My life!”
The sole survivor, Hanson, cowered in the corner of his safe bunker but…
“Is – it Persona?”
“Yes. This is the last one.”
“–.”
Pwack!
It all came to an end.
“All done.”
“That’s right! Let’s go eat breakfast now.”
“Hungry – indeed.”
Even though they were a group even imperial guards dared not disturb,
“Captain – we must not keep him waiting – we don’t.”
“I know, stop nagging already.”
“Not nagging – it’s honest advice – Sir.”
“Yes, yes. I get it. Help me back onto your shoulder; I don’t want to step on any bodies.”
“As – you wish.”
With that, the two who had donned masks, the imposing giant and the blood-smeared woman, casually conversed as if nothing had happened and turned around.
“Still, you’re too stubborn… Ah, wait!”
Realizing something, Luna turned to Hanlyang with an uneasy expression.
“We were told to do recycling properly.”
“…Recycling?”
“Hmph…, I don’t know either. The Captain didn’t elaborate, but… come on, let’s figure it out.”
“Yes – the logical – approach.”
With their heads, or rather their masks, pressed together, the two began a meeting.
“Right!? You agree, don’t you?”
“It’s – certainly correct.”
“Right! Let’s start immediately!”
And just like that, they immediately began recycling…
Of course,
“Damn! They said bones, meat, and intestines, right?”
“Head, chest, stomach – indeed.”
While far from what Nahan meant by recycling,
“Whatever! Just do whatever works!”
“Understood – indeed.”
Crack!
Snap! Break!
Regardless, they did a “fine” job.
.
.
.
【Notification】
【Required number of prevented Bad Endings until next info unlock… [3/3].】
【Some conditions have been met, revealing a few extra pieces of information temporarily!】
.
.
.
【Name: Luna】
-Alias: Unavailable (Temporary)
-Rank: D-class Mercenary (Temporary)
-Info: A member of the secret organization – <Black Wolf(?)>. Granted the title <No.4 – Persona>. Estimated rank after title switch: <S->.
【Name: Hanlyang】
-Rank: D-class Mercenary (Temporary)
-Alias: Unavailable (Temporary)
-Info: Member of the secret organization – <Black Wolf(?)>. Granted the title <No.3 – Tal>. Estimated rank after title switch: <S>.
.
.
.
“Damn! What kind of idiot chewed on meat and spat it into the trash? Ugh!! Isn’t recycling hard enough already?”
.
.
.
【Time Limit Exceeded.】
【Previously available information has been locked again.】
【Next Bad Ending – <4. Black Wolf (B+)> has been setup on the main scenario timeline.】
