STGB Chapter 619

Episode 619: Golden Return (2)

An offer to let us leave this place.

These are very sweet words for me, as it has already been several months since I came down to the first basement floor.

But…

“What is the price?”

Nothing is free in this world, and the sweeter the offer, the more dangerous it is.

Well, it’s a little ambiguous this time.

[You are never coming back here again.]

It was a request that I could not understand at all, so I needed a little more information.

“What exactly do you mean, don’t come back?”

[Don’t you understand? I don’t think there’s any room for misunderstanding and interpretation.]

No, doesn’t he know that this is the flow of words?

“I mean, why are you putting such conditions on me?”

[It may be a beneficial proposition for you, but is the reason important?]

“How can you be sure that it will only benefit you?”

As if my question needed to be loaded, the director took a moment to answer.

[I understand. You are on guard, not knowing how my proposal will work in the future.]

“That’s because I don’t know anything about you.”

[Then, if I tell you about me, will you accept the offer?]

“It will depend on what kind of person you are.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the director continued.

[Then I will tell you about myself now. In the past, I worked as the director of Pantelion Research Institute and committed many evil deeds. In the end, he repented and received forgiveness from the witch. After that, I became a completely different person. You can’t deceive anyone, and you have always been kind and considerate of others.]

“…”

[I can’t go into detail right now, but the suggestion that you not come back here was also for your sake.]

“…Are you kidding me now? “Are you going to garden?”

When I spoke with a completely bewildered expression on my face, the director responded as if he knew that would happen.

[Look at this. Isn’t it meaningless to say it?]

“No, you didn’t mean to say that properly—.”

[If only I had told you a much more plausible story.]

The warden cut me off.

[If that were the case, would you have believed everything?]

I was so overwhelmed by the grave voice that I couldn’t give any answer.

It was the right song to begin with.

[The only way to get truth through others is to believe. Therefore, if I continue talking to you for a long time, it will only be a waste of time.]

“….”

[That is why I said it was a deal. Does it matter who I am? You just have to look at it and make a decision whether to accept my offer or not. It’s much more efficient.]

“This is so annoying…”

There’s a lot I want to say, but I don’t know what to say in response.

Still, I summarized it as best as I could.

“The reason I wanted to know about you was so I could decide whether to trust you or not.”

[Then it’s strange. Didn’t I tell you earlier that you wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said?]

“No, I mean… there’s no such thing as 100% in this world, right? “It’s not too late to listen first and then judge.”

[Then we can judge now. My story ends with what I told you a moment ago. What should I do?]

Ah… I thought you were a guy who could communicate well.

I can’t hit the guy’s head on the other side of the screen.

‘Why are you so stubborn?’

No, maybe it’s not stubbornness but strategy.

They come up with a strange concept and then blur the topic and look elsewhere.

[If you have a hard time deciding, I will give you one more piece of information. Of course, it is up to you to decide whether to believe this or not.]

“….”

[Are you listening?] I

feel like I am trying to stop him for some reason, but given my personality, it was difficult for me to refuse here.

You wonder what that could be.

First of all, gathering as much information as possible can be helpful in making decisions.

“…Tell me.”

When I answered with a sigh, the director brought out new information as if he had been waiting.

[If you don’t leave here within half a year, you’ll be in big trouble. Because it is time for him to appear.]

“He?”

[If you leave before then, there is no need to know. If you don’t leave, it means you rejected my offer, so there’s no reason for me to tell you.]

Oh, really, what is he?

Basically, it’s best not to encounter these types of people, and if you do, it’s better for your mental health to hit them on the head first and then have a conversation with them.

But I feel like I’m going crazy because I can’t use the next best solution.

“Then tell me this. “I said I would be in big trouble, but to what extent.”

[You will probably survive. But I think the number of people who will be by your side until then can probably be counted on one hand.]

“I guess there are about 5 people.”

[This is my prediction, so there can be any number of small errors.]

Considering that in modern warfare, even a 30% loss is considered annihilation, the damage is truly enormous.

Above all, I am completely different from before.

Unlike back then when it was enough to protect one finger, now even five fingers are not enough.

[So do you believe what I just said?]

“I’m considering it.”

[I hope it has had some positive influence on your judgment.]

“….”

[It’s still very difficult to judge—.]

“Please be quiet and think about it.”

[….]

It’s finally quiet now.

***

In a way, what the director said made sense.

When doing business with someone you meet by chance in a place you’ve never been to before, it probably doesn’t matter who the other person is.

What the other person can give me.

And what I have to give to the other person.

If these two match, the transaction is concluded.

Of course, if there is a basis for trusting the other party, you will be able to do business with more peace of mind… but…

‘Looking at the way he talks, it seems like he will never tell me about himself.’

Of course, you can also reject the offer here and try to react once more.

But I decided to leave this as a last resort…

“Thing.”

After the long silence, I spoke.

“Now that I know your story, I need to find out more about the item.”

[…Things?]

“How can you help us leave this place?”

[Oh, that’s what you meant.]

“You don’t have to tell me everything in detail, so just tell me roughly. “Then I too will be able to make a decision.”

[That is a reasonable request.]

The director who said that answered the question without the slightest hesitation.

[By this time, you would have already found the door, so I won’t tell you about it. If you accept my offer, I will qualify you right away. So that the door can be opened.]

“If you’re qualified… it seems like you can get it in other ways?”

[This is not a wrong guess. If someone who proves their qualifications appears, it is my duty to grant them qualifications.]

“So, doesn’t that mean I can leave even if I don’t make a deal with you?”

[In theory, yes. No, you can probably prove your qualifications. But…]

Soon the director spoke.

[It will take a very long time. And as I said before, time is not on your side.]

This is a story that somehow ends up turning around and returning to the threat that was made earlier, which may or may not be true.

Even though I felt uncomfortable, I continued the conversation.

“But is it okay to randomly assign qualifications like that? “I heard you originally had to prove your qualifications?”

[It is my authority to grant qualifications. And when someone who proves their qualifications appears, it is my duty to grant them qualifications. There is no contradiction anywhere.]

It may seem like a strange logic, but as long as you say so, there is no room for me to argue.

[Now then, are there enough grounds for judgment?]

“One last thing.”

[Try it.]

Even after permission was given, I hesitated for a moment wondering what I should say before opening my mouth.

“Well… aren’t you worried?”

[The subject is missing.]

“…I’m worried that I might not keep my promise later. Oh, of course, I’m not saying I will do that. Because I am a barbarian who values promises more than anyone else. “You can really trust it.”

I added an afterword in case he misunderstood me, but the director did not show any concern, to the point that my efforts were worthless.

I just say it like this.

[Oh, I didn’t mention that.]

“…about that?”

[The moment you make your promise and become eligible, you will never be able to return here again. Not metaphorically, but literally. Of course, if you don’t promise, we can never force you.]

It was an unexpected explanation at all.

‘Ha, somehow…’

To be honest, I wondered what on earth they believed in and made something like a ‘promise’ a condition of transaction.

I even suspected that maybe the promise was just an excuse and the real purpose was to qualify me.

‘This is giving me a headache again.’

Honestly, the whole situation is sudden.

In the first place, I came here to stop the rails, but suddenly a strange guy appeared on the screen and said something strange and proposed a deal…

I need some time to calmly organize my head.

In the first place, I don’t know how much to believe or not to believe.

“I just want to think about it for a few days and then answer, is that okay?”

[I see. I will always be here.]

Surprisingly, the director showed a cool attitude, which put the transaction on hold.

Therefore, I was also about to leave the control room.

[And again.]

As if there was more to say, the light on the screen flickered like a grin.

[One more thing: even if you accept my offer, I don’t recommend leaving right away.]

“…Why is it suddenly different now?”

[I’m not trying to do something special, I’m really saying this for your benefit. If you’ve come this far, you’ll know. [What kind of place is this?]

I thought I knew roughly what he was trying to say.

[If you leave here within half a year, you will be safe. So get as much as you can and then go. After that, you will never be able to return.]

“….”

[Please choose carefully.]

Not being able to come down to the first basement level was a huge loss in itself.

“Ah, now that things have come to this, I also have one more question. “Where are my kidnapped colleagues trapped?”

[You have to find that. If you want to prove yourself, that’s the first step. Oh, don’t worry too much though. If you look at your situation now, you will be able to find it quickly.]

I felt like I had done a lot, but for some reason I felt like I had gained nothing.

***

After finishing the conversation with the lab director, I went back down to the underground factory.

And for now, he quietly called Amelia and Raven aside and shared what had happened a little while ago.

It’s not that I don’t trust Misha or Erwen Einar, but… to be honest, they aren’t much help in this regard.

‘Bersil doesn’t even know I’m a player.’

Anyway, when I explained what happened in the control room, their reactions were somewhat similar.

Well, the reasons for that reaction were different.

“Absolutely not possible. Isn’t he the one who is hiding something unusual? “That person, the director of the research institute, may be planning something without you knowing.”

“I am also against it. Even if the suggestion is true, there’s still a lot left to explore, right? But once you go out, you can’t come back. “After making such great discoveries, it’s clear that other explorers will steal the fruits!”

Actually, both opinions were something I had thought about myself.

However, the director of the research center keeps getting caught.

[You will probably survive. But until then, the people by your side…

I don’t know if that warning is true or not.

But for some reason, the more I think about those words, the more my heart feels clogged.

Should I say that an ominous feeling is emerging?

Maybe that’s why.

Why did you bother to provide an explanation that seemed to contradict the two negative opinions?

“Emily, if what he says is true, it could actually be more dangerous. And Raven, once we go out anyway, it will be difficult to come back in. “In the first place, the royal family is blocking the entry of explorers.”

Raven countered that it would be a temporary measure, but I guess… well… it

‘s just my hunch, but the royal family would never do that.

There is something even greater secret hidden in this basement level.

That’s why it’s more difficult to decide.

“Thank you for discussing it with us. “I will spend more time thinking about this issue.”

“Please call me whenever you need anything.”

“Same. Because you always have a habit of trying to do everything on your own. Well… looking at today, it seems like things have improved a lot.”

Anyway, this is the end of the first meeting.

After that, I continued searching the rails again as before and experimented with various things in my spare time.

If you can get qualifications on your own, that’s the best…

Didn’t the director of the institute say it himself?

[Get as much as you can.]