Humanity Protection Company

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: posted in discord

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The building's interior was deserted. There were no people wandering around, only a sterile golden glow and a low mechanical hum.

In the vast space, the only signs of life were the footsteps of Yeonwoo and the secretary. Yeonwoo's expression turned strange.

'The atmosphere here feels like a workplace on the brink of collapse.'

It was as if all the employees had fled, leaving only the worksite behind.

In reality, everyone had been urgently evacuated because Yeonwoo was coming, but unaware of this, Yeonwoo started to worry that the Club's situation might be dire.

Yeonwoo glanced sideways at the secretary and casually remarked:

"So, is the Club in a bad way?"

Beads of cold sweat instantly formed on the secretary's forehead as thoughts raced through their mind. What would be the appropriate answer in this situation?

'A person we can't get too close to, but can't push away either.'

It was awkward to show any signs of discomfort by saying things were bad, but equally awkward to create an opening by saying things were good. Either choice would result in a loss for the Club's natural enemy.

The secretary thought:

'He's a madman who roams freely outside his domain without even creating one in this world.'

Not just the chairman, but other Level 6 entities didn't leave their domains either.

This wasn't something a mere secretary should judge. The secretary secretly swallowed dry saliva and shook their head.

"I'm sorry. As a mere member, I can't speak freely about such matters. You should ask the chairman directly."

"Ah."

Yeonwoo nodded as if he understood and didn't probe further. If they'd been ordered to keep quiet, there was nothing he could do.

He could just ask the chairman anyway.

They took the elevator to the top floor. The doors of the smoothly ascending elevator opened seamlessly.

Yeonwoo's eyes widened.

Beyond the elevator stretched a floor with only sparse columns instead of walls. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows stood the Club chairman, backlit by yellow sunlight like a halo, and at the center of the floor was a massive golden sculpture of a face.

The Club chairman and Golden Omnipotence. An entity he could consider a friend, more or less.

Yeonwoo stepped out of the elevator with a faint smile.

"It's my first time seeing you in person. Hello. I'm Lee Yeonwoo from the Anomaly Protection Company."

The chairman, who had been looking down at the city and the world beyond the glass, turned around. His face was an unreadable poker face.

Click-

The chairman twisted his wrist to check his watch. The second hand ticked relentlessly.

"I'll give you three minutes. Try to convince me."

The moment Yeonwoo entered this place, the gold consumption rate increased. On top of blocking the world's rejection, they now had to block the possibilities and strange fate Yeonwoo naturally scattered.

It was like being attacked from both outside and inside simultaneously. They needed to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

Yeonwoo muttered:

"Three minutes is too short."

It was far too little time to explain and persuade someone of such a grand goal as changing the world, but the chairman waved his hand firmly.

"Staying any longer is an attack. Think about how much gold is being consumed even at this moment. Twenty seconds have passed."

Only then did Yeonwoo turn his attention to the other decor.

A conveyor belt humming with motor sounds slowly carried gold. Gold bars dropped at intervals in front of the slightly open-mouthed sculpture.

Just then, the chairman spoke again:

"Another five seconds have passed."

"Come on, three minutes is too short. It's not like we're making cup noodles."

"Two minutes and thirty seconds left. And I don't eat cup noodles."

Yeonwoo pouted briefly, then finally understood the chairman's position.

'Even if the conveyor belt is slow, those are gold bars.'

Time was literally money here. He couldn't even guess how much a single minute or second would be worth in monetary terms. He didn't know the price of gold.

Yeonwoo cleared his throat a few times and said:

"Let's join forces to create an anomaly-friendly world. The current world is too uncomfortable, isn't it?"

For a moment, the corner of the chairman's eye twitched.

He was right. The world was uncomfortable. Despite being Level 6, they had to live within their domain like prisoners. Every moment outside their domain was a war against the world. It was all meaningless expenditure.

But hearing such words from Yeonwoo, who could freely roam the world without loss, felt like mockery.

'If you're uncomfortable, then what about me- what about other Level 6 entities-'

His poker face was about to crack. Fissures appeared in his expressionless mask. The chairman quickly collected himself.

"Your goal is good. But it's an excessively risky venture."

"It doesn't feel that dangerous to me..."

As Yeonwoo grumbled discontentedly, the chairman smoothly picked up the conversation like a skilled moderator.

"It would be great if it succeeds. But the amount of gold required for this project would be truly astronomical. The moment it fails, we'd be shouldering an irrecoverable loss."

The businessman explained logically.

"The Club would be lucky to just stagger; we might even go bankrupt. With the world in this state, even the slightest problem in gold procurement could be fatal."

Yeonwoo, lacking in conversational skills, blankly repeated the same words like a parrot.

"But isn't it uncomfortable living like this? So we should change it. To make it livable, safe."

"That's precisely why we shouldn't recklessly take on such a challenge."

The chairman spread one hand behind him. The floor-to-ceiling windows and the city visible beyond them.

"We've built this domain with steady gold investment over time. Maintenance costs have decreased significantly, and the Club's profits are gradually increasing."

"But still, but still."

Yeonwoo stumbled over his words. He was losing the logical argument. But he couldn't bring himself to use the dice to 'persuade' the other party, who possessed an equal level of power.

In the end, Yeonwoo let out a deeply disappointed sigh.

"Alright, I'll handle it on my own then."

Maybe he could persuade the Artist Association President or the demon worshipper to do something.

At that moment, the chairman was horrified.

'This guy's going to act on his own?'

They had gathered plenty of information on Yeonwoo. That's why they knew. Had any situation involving Yeonwoo ever ended smoothly? Never.

And now he had reached Level 6 and was talking about meddling with the world? They couldn't even imagine what kind of accident might happen. The aftermath would be similar to a sudden war breaking out or natural disasters striking, throwing the stock market into chaos.

The chairman glanced at his watch and spoke in a placating tone. His voice was urgent.

"There's no need to rush. A livable, safe world will come with time."

Though there was no need to say even this much, the chairman revealed his own vision to stop Yeonwoo. The future as he saw it.

"Think about the Level 6 entities on Earth. There aren't just one or two. In not too long, we'll eventually infiltrate the entire world."

Domains expanded over time, and in the future, the domains of Level 6 entities would cover the entire world.

The Anomaly Protection Company would likely desire such a world too.

Yeonwoo was momentarily tempted by these words but quickly came to his senses. This wasn't the world he wanted.

'A world hostile to anomalies or a world of other Level 6 entities, it's all the same. What I want is an anomaly-friendly world.'

He didn't even want the dice's world.

A world where taking a step forward teleports you to random coordinates? A world where living things could become non-living and vice versa? A world where time and gravity are all jumbled up?

'That's not it.'

Yeonwoo rolled his eyes around. Then he smiled awkwardly.

Anyway, the future the Club chairman dreamed of and the future he wanted were different.

"I understand for now. I didn't think I'd be refused, so my head's a bit muddled. I'll have to think it over again."

"That's a wise decision. Sometimes, time is the most valuable resource."

The chairman let out a sigh of relief. He briefly exhaled and imperceptibly regained his composure.

And then, the next moment, Yeonwoo's words shattered that composure.

Yeonwoo casually said:

"But don't you have any gifts? I came all this way to visit... The Club's headquarters feels like a famous tourist spot, so I'd like to take home some kind of souvenir."

"...Time's almost up. Please leave."

"Really, you don't have anything?"

Yeonwoo's eyes sparkled as he didn't move an inch.

Having failed to secure cooperation, he intended to at least take something away. That firm resolve was clearly visible in his eyes.

The chairman's fingertips trembled.

'L-loss. It's a loss. This is a loss.'

But even as he thought this, time ticked away, and the strain on Golden Omnipotence's domain intensified.

The chairman gritted his teeth. He tried hard to rationalize.

'Think of it as bomb disposal costs. Accident prevention, an investment to avoid greater losses.'

Finally, the chairman spoke to the secretary in a suppressed voice.

"The time-buying bills. Give him the ones stored as first priority for use."

First priority meant items with little time left before expiration. In this world hostile to anomalies, item-type anomalies had expiration dates like food.

When the expiration date passed, the effects would disappear, or the item would break or be completely destroyed.

The secretary hurriedly tapped on their phone. Then they quickly grabbed Yeonwoo's sleeve.

"They'll be ready on the first floor. Let's go quickly."

"Okay. I'll be going then."

Yeonwoo, who had made a decent gain, smiled brightly and bowed to the chairman, who reluctantly nodded in return.

------

Sure enough, when they reached the first floor, several boxes filled with 50,000 won bills were waiting. It seemed they had been moved by transport drones or robots.

As Yeonwoo leisurely checked the boxes, the secretary impatiently tapped their foot.

"Mr. Yeonwoo. You need to leave as quickly as possible. The building can't hold out."

"Ah. I'll just do one thing and then leave."

Yeonwoo, who had been examining the boxes from various angles, smiled with satisfaction. The boxes were made of conveniently flammable material. His hand reached into his bag.

The secretary was about to say something when their eyes widened in shock. Yeonwoo had suddenly pulled out a container of gasoline and a gas torch.

"No, no! What are you-!"

Splash splash splash!

Gasoline poured over the boxes. Yeonwoo's smiling face reflected in the oil spreading across the floor. Then, the blue flame of the gas torch shot out.

Whoosh, red flames leapt up. The secretary jumped in shock. Their voice was filled with astonishment.

"Ah! What are you doing! Why are you starting a fire here-"

"Isn't it better to use them here for maximum effect, since I've received them?"

Yeonwoo spoke calmly.

Using the bills in a world hostile to anomalies would greatly reduce their efficiency. If the hourly wage was 10,000 won, you'd need to spend much more than that to complete an hour's worth of labor.

On the other hand, here in Golden Omnipotence's domain, you could buy more time with less money.

The flickering flames reflected in Yeonwoo's eyes. He had decided what to buy with the bills.

'Let's buy the time needed for the dice's contamination.'

The bills were anomalies with an expiration date anyway. He'd pour everything into strengthening himself right here and now. Because the world was dangerous. Because there was no time to wait slowly.

In an instant, the bills burned up, and Yeonwoo bought time.

Yeonwoo closed his eyes and reached out into the air. He felt a sensation at his fingertips. The sense of possibility and probability. Add the survival instinct to this, and...

'It worked. I'm a bit safer now. It feels slightly insufficient to change the world, but if I can join hands with just one more Level 6 entity, it should be fine.'

And then, he heard a sound.

Crack, the sound of a fissure opening.

The dice's power, suddenly increased with the help of the survival instinct. Scattered possibilities.

It became a sharp awl, drilling a tiny hole in Golden Omnipotence's domain. A hole punctured in the building that was the Club's headquarters.

Yeonwoo looked up at the air, startled.

"Huh?"

"What?"

The secretary also blankly raised their head. The golden light rushed to seal the hole, but it was too late.

The enraged world surged in like a fierce wave, pushing back the golden light and widening the crack. A strong shockwave, bang, struck the building.

The building shattered into pieces like a cookie. Large and small fragments rained down like a shower.

They could be crushed to death if they weren't careful. Just as Yeonwoo's eyes darted around wildly and he reached out his hand:

The Club chairman's voice, filled with fury, rang out.

"Restore the building, repel the world, recover the domain!"

The whole world was dyed golden. Within this golden-wrapped world, the fragments that had been falling stopped mid-air. As if time had frozen.

Then, as if rewinding time, the fragments traced back along their falling trajectories. The jagged pieces reassembled themselves, and the building's cracks healed.

But the world that had rushed in and the golden light were still fiercely struggling against each other. The boundary between the world and the domain pushed back and forth little by little.

Yeonwoo quickly shouted:

"I'll help!"

"No need! Just, quickly, go back!"

"But I made a mistake-"

"No, just go back! That's how you can help!"

At that sincere voice, Yeonwoo smiled awkwardly. Then he hurriedly turned and fled from the building.

A faint light of emotion shone on Yeonwoo's face.

'He's a real friend. Overlooking even this level of mistake. I should think of him as a true friend too and get closer.'

In the place Yeonwoo had left, the secretary, alone on the first floor, shuddered and quickly took the elevator up. A deep sigh escaped their lips.

"Chairman... We shouldn't have tried to get close to that guy in the first place."

Ding, beyond the opened elevator doors, the chairman poured gold bars into the sculpture, lamenting:

"I regret it too..."

He couldn't understand how they kept incurring losses every time they got involved with him. The worst part was that he had no ill intentions. He was truly the Club's natural enemy.

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