Chapter 25. Company Employee
Should I just cut him down?
Watching the Company Employee continue acting so smugly right in front of me naturally made that thought come to mind.
But I held myself back.
He had clearly said that he belonged to the Company, and the name of the Mystery written in my book was not Company Employee, but Company.
In other words, it was an organization.
And not just some ordinary organization.
It was an organization that was itself a Mystery.
Picking a fight with a group whose true strength I could not even estimate would not be a very wise decision.
“I sincerely hope you will not regret your decision.”
The Company Employee, who had been endlessly rambling about all the reasons why I should buy his products, only left after quite some time.
Even though I had answered him with nothing but short replies like yes and no, politely rejecting every purchase, he just kept talking.
Eventually, I became so fed up that I thought I might as well buy something from him once.
Then I heard the price.
At that moment, actual murderous intent surged inside me.
‘The price for one product is every Mystery you currently possess!’
I could still remember his calm voice and cheerful expression when he said it.
Even so, I praised myself for somehow managing not to draw my sword.
He continued pushing his products after that, but once I kept refusing, he finally gave up.
After leaving behind an ominous farewell until the very end, the Company Employee disappeared from my sight.
I watched him leave, then went back inside my apartment with a sigh.
Surely he wouldn't come again.
“You did well holding yourself back. The Company is an enormous power. No matter how irritating they are, provoking them is never a wise decision.”
“The magic freak is right. Those Company Employee bastards are fucking annoying, but you still shouldn't cut them down. What a shame.”
Still irritated, I dropped onto the sofa while Arlin and Hwaryeon spoke to me.
To cool my anger, I decided to ask them about the Company.
“What exactly does the Company do?”
“They sell things.”
“The Company is an organization that independently develops products using future technology and sells them.”
“Future technology?”
Future technology?
As in spaceships, railguns, and things like that?
When I asked again, they said that was exactly what they meant.
Judging from the Status Window, the zombie virus, and the virus antidote, I had assumed they were simply an organization that sold Mysteries.
Apparently, that wasn't the case.
If I seriously pissed off the Company, would they come here in a battleship and start firing lasers at me?
That was a little scary.
“Anyway, it's best to ignore the Company. If possible, don't meet them at all. Even if you do meet one of them, never provoke them.”
“I see…… By the way, who are you? I wanted to ask earlier, but I didn't get the chance until now.”
Just as our conversation about the Company was coming to an end, Lee Yeonhee looked at Hwaryeon and asked.
Who was she?
Of course, Lee Yeonhee was not literally asking because she had no idea who Hwaryeon was.
She already knew that Hwaryeon was an escort I had received through a trade with the Swordsmanship Preservation Association.
Lee Yeonhee herself had been the one who told me where the Swordsmanship Preservation Association was.
There was no way she wouldn't know.
Her question was really a request for Hwaryeon to introduce herself.
She simply wanted to know more about the newest member of our group.
Hwaryeon nodded and introduced herself properly for the first time.
“I'm Hwaryeon. I'm twenty-two years old, and I use swords and martial arts. My realm is First-Class. I joined this group as a gift in return for Yuhyeon's sponsorship.”
“Swords, martial arts…… and First-Class? The Swordsmanship Preservation Association goes around calling themselves knights. Aren't terms like that normally used in martial arts novels?”
“I get asked that a lot. My answer is that it's just prejudice. Just because someone carries a sword and wears armor like a knight doesn't mean they can't use martial arts.”
“Of course, I don't actually wear armor. And I don't have anything like chivalry either.”
After adding that, Hwaryeon brushed her hands over the clothes covering her body.
The thin cotton fabric fluttered, revealing patches of skin here and there.
Arlin's expression immediately turned cold.
“Sword freak. What exactly are you doing? Please dress yourself properly.”
“Anyway. That should be enough of an introduction, right?”
“Do not ignore me.”
“……I think that's enough.”
Arlin spoke with a cold expression, while Lee Yeonhee nodded.
And just like that, my group had grown to five people and two books.
Four days passed like flowing water.
“Yuhyeon. What do you think about this sword technique?”
“Yuhyeon. Could you check whether there are any errors in this magic formula?”
Now, on top of asking the Gallery questions about magic, asking about martial arts had also become part of my daily routine.
Once the Gallery learned that I had not abandoned martial arts, all the arguments about which path I should choose finally died down.
And the gallery user named Near the Peak of Perfection wrote joyful posts every single day.
Peace had returned to the Gallery.
Even Arlin and Hwaryeon began fighting less often after living together under the same roof.
A certain level of peace had finally appeared in their relationship as well.
Unfortunately, there wasn't even the slightest sign of peace between me and the Company.
“I've come again today! This time, I've brought a robot independently developed by the Company. It's equipped with a laser function!”
“Yes.”
“The price will only be three of the Mysteries you currently possess! However, the book capable of recording Mysteries must be included among those three.”
“Yes.”
“Oh! Have you finally decided to make a purchase?”
“No.”
Ever since the first day he appeared, the Company Employee had knocked on my door every single day.
Even I felt tempted by the various products he introduced.
Unfortunately, the prices he demanded were more than enough to extinguish that greed.
Since he only asked for impossible payments, all I ever gained from speaking with him was irritation.
Someone might wonder why I didn't simply close the door and ignore him.
I had already tried that.
He used some futuristic Company technology to fry my door, so I gave up.
If only I could cut that stiff head of his off.
I don't think I had ever felt this much murderous intent toward a single person before.
Every time I saw the Company Employee, my stress and desire to kill him grew stronger.
And as my stress increased, the Company Employee's methods became more vicious.
“You'll definitely want to buy this one! A purification device that cleans contaminated water! What do you think?”
“Why the hell would I need something like that?”
“Would you mind checking your sink right now?”
He had contaminated all the water used by the apartment complex.
When I turned on the faucet, a black gelatin-like liquid came wriggling out.
Then came another product.
“How about this air conditioner? An air conditioner that never breaks and doesn't even require electricity!”
He increased the surrounding temperature so that even though it was autumn, the average temperature became twenty-one degrees.
From that point onward, his sales strategy changed.
