“It’s over.”

[You’ve worked so hard! Lude! I was really worried because it was a big deal, but I’m so glad it’s all over…]

Lude walked down the central staircase of the school, calling Yi Hyeon on his phone. Hearing Yi Hyeon’s bright voice celebrating on the other end, Lude, whose irritation had slightly eased, chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, it’s a relief. Like the guild leader said, we finished without any casualties… but I guess I can’t clock out just yet.”

[Probably not…]

Lude laughed dryly in response to Yi Hyeon’s disappointed voice.

‘I thought it wouldn’t be much different from when I worked at Pyeon-soon’s, considering it’s a shift work.’

The more he worked, the stronger Lude’s desire to leave work early grew. Despite being a 4-team 3-shift system, unlike his 5-day part-time job. He couldn’t figure out why exactly, but it was just the way it was.

[And you should write your work log now to make tomorrow easier. This will definitely need a separate report for submission to the government agencies. Oh, it’s your first time, right? I’ll send you the template by email.]

“Ah, it’s one thing after another.”

[Post-incident management is always a headache, especially for erosion-type cases. But this time, since destroying the building was unavoidable, you won’t have to write a long explanation about not billing us for reconstruction costs, so it’ll be quick!]

“There was really a bill?! They bill even for public institutions?!”

[If it’s not an unavoidable situation, the manual says not to destroy…]

“Then who handles erosion types?! There’s no loot drop to begin with?!”

[Well… usually, it’s the military gods. They’re public enterprises. Or a medium to large guild with a legal team that can aggressively argue it’s not our fault?]

“This is driving me crazy.”

Already not having a fondness for schools, Lude had to resolve the situation out of a sense of adult responsibility, only to face more tedious tasks. He pressed his furrowed brows deeply.

[But you did something good, didn’t you? Right?]

“……I guess.”

[No one else would have been able to do as much as you did. Really!]

Yi Hyeon quickly tried to cheer up Lude, who was getting annoyed, but Lude remained unimpressed.

“What does it matter? I can’t be everywhere for hundreds or thousands of people.”

As Lude descended from the second to the first floor, he looked around. The school, unlit despite it being just past noon, felt dark.

“Anyway, I’m heading out of the school now. Where are you?”

[Me?! Oh, wait a moment! Wait for me, Lude! I’ll come there!]

Yi Hyeon’s voice, previously calm, suddenly became urgent. Wondering why she was reacting like this, Lude stopped at the bottom of the central staircase.

‘Ah, maybe she thinks I’m with my brother…?’

Realizing he hadn’t explained about Min Jae-yoon, Lude resumed walking. He was eager to leave the school as soon as possible since being inside brought back unpleasant memories.

“It’s okay. I told Min Jae-yoon to go home on his own. There’s no risk of getting caught, so don’t worry. I’m heading out now, so meet me at the main entrance.”

[No, it’s not that! There are reporters at the main entrance right now…!]

“I’m out!”

As Yi Hyeon’s urgent words coincided, Lude, who had just reached the main entrance, came to an abrupt stop.

[The trait: ‘Is this a YouTube moment?’ is activated!] [Someone is filming you. The probability of your appearance being uploaded on the internet increases.]

In front of the main entrance. The sound of clicking cameras filled the air. Flashes of light burst simultaneously in front of him.

A crowd had gathered. Well, objectively, it might not have been that large, but to Lude, it seemed immense.

Because all those camera lenses were staring right at him. It didn’t matter how few people were actually there.

As soon as those intimidating devices were pointed at him, it was as good as having a large audience watching.
Lude’s heart raced wildly, beating so fast he worried it might break down. It felt like burning blood was being pumped throughout his body.

It was as if thousands of bombs were exploding inside him, rendering Lude unable to move from his spot.

“Lude! About this erosion…”

“Lude!…”

People with large cameras and microphones approached him, all trying to speak to him simultaneously. The cacophony of voices was so overwhelming that Lude couldn’t decipher what they were saying.

Or, was it really because of that? Suddenly, Lude realized he was barely breathing.

“Ah…”

He slowly turned his head to look around. His vision was blurred as if in a dream. The surroundings were hazy, and the voices calling his name seemed distant.

He heard a familiar voice from afar, but he couldn’t remember whose it was.

Suddenly, Lude, or rather Nari, lost sense of where he was. The sensation of floating in reality, feeling disconnected from the world, trapped in a box – it was all too familiar to Nari.

“That’s right.”

His brain rapidly distorted his cognitive abilities to protect him. With a vacant look, Lude let out a small, wry smile.