[Trantor - Night]


    [Proofreader - Gun]


    <strong>Chapter 1: Possessed by a Curse</strong>


    “By the way, doesn’t our team leader seem a bit scary?”


    “You’re right. He looks like a workaholic most of the time.”


    The terrace set up on thepany rooftop.


    As lunch began, employees gathered in small groups to chat.


    It was the usual office talk.


    Stock market talk, gossip, and discussions about superiors.


    One of the female employees spoke up.


    “Has anyone ever seen the team leader doing anything other than work?”


    “Nope, never. Total work addict. Sometimes it’s like watching a horror movie, seeing him work. Thanks to him, we’re all suffering too. I never knew working under a workaholic could be this exhausting. Ugh…”


    “If he’s that much of a workaholic, shouldn’t he go to the hospital…?”


    A male employee shrugged as he replied.


    “Well, at least he’s good at his job.”


    “That’s true… Didn’t Team Leader Shin save the head office’s new business from failing recently?”


    “So what? We’re all just employees at the end of the day. He’s just helping thepany.”


    “Come on, but he gets promoted quickly. How old is Team Leader Shin this year? Early 30s?”


    “No… I think he’s still in his 20s. Wasn’t he 29?”


    “What?”


    “Wow… Having a team leader in their 20s is tough.”


    “Well, yeah. With that face, 30s would be a stretch.”


    As they murmured among themselves, a sudden sound interrupted them.


    - Wee, Administrator!


    Everyone’s eyes turned to the strange voice and lively music.


    It came from one employee’s smartphone, with the word "KeepWorld" clearly disyed on the screen.


    “Oh, Assistant Manager Kim, you y that too?”


    “What’s that? KeepWorld?”


    “Huh? You don’t know KeepWorld? It’s a super popr game right now. It’s famous because no one’s been able to clear it yet, it’s so difficult.”


    “No one’s cleared it?”


    “Yeah. But the AI is really well-made, and the content and illustrations are top-notch, so it’s super popr.”


    “Really? Should I try it?”


    As one employee showed interest, Assistant Manager Kim yed it off like it was no big deal.


    “It’s pretty easy, actually. It’s just a collection-based mobile game. As long as you follow the basic rules, it’s nothing special.”


    “Really? Assistant Manager Kim, what''s your ranking… Wow! 18,911th?! And yourpany rank is Master level too?”


    “Haha, I’ve put in some effort.”


    “I’m so jealous. I’m still stuck in Silver…”


    For a while, the employees continued chatting about KeepWorld.


    Then suddenly.


    “By the way, do you think Team Leader Shin ys games?”


    “No way, what games would he y? Team Leader Shin probably doesn’t know anything outside of work.”


    “KeepWorld is a game about running apany, though. If Team Leader Shin yed, wouldn’t he be able to clear it?”


    “I don’t know… He seems to prefer running a realpany.”


    “Exactly. He’d probably handle another task instead of ying games.”


    The new employees all seemed certain that the Shin Seongjin would never y a game.


    Watching them, a female employee who had joined not long ago tilted her head.


    ‘That’s strange. I think I saw him ying a game… Was it just my imagination?’


    * * *


    “Team Leader, aren’t you going home?”


    “I’ve got a bit more to finish up. I’ll wrap things up and leave, so you guys go ahead.”


    “Understood, Team Leader. We’ll head out first, then. Good luck!”


    Soon, the sound of busy footsteps gradually disappeared, and silence settled over the office.


    Confirming that everyone had left, Seongjin sank into his chair.


    “…Even if I leave now, the traffic will be so bad, it’ll be a pain to get home.”


    It would be easier on both his body and mind to wait a little before heading out.


    Sure, it meant going homete, but it was not like he had nothing to do in the meantime.


    “…Guess I’ll get started.”


    He leaned backfortably, turned on his smartphone, andunched KeepWorld.


    - Wee, Administrator!


    Cheerful music and a mechanical female voice flowed out of the speaker.


    ncing at the top of the screen, a smile formed on his lips.


    “Today’s thest day.”


    [Achievement Rate: 99.9%]


    Finally, the end of KeepWorld was within his grasp.


    Just one more achievement to clear, and he’d finally see the ending.


    ‘It really took long enough.’


    He had been ying this game for seven whole years.


    The thought that it was finally ending made him feel a bit nostalgic.


    ‘Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to clear it.’


    No one had yet toplete KeepWorld’s true ending.


    And for good reason – KeepWorld was infamous for being more brutal than most Souls-like games.


    It adopted hardcore rules, and everything in the game was randomized, meaning there was no clear strategy to follow.


    Clearing the game required only one thing: effort.


    Only effort.


    - You will soon be transported to the office of the Joseon government. Please activate the Ethics Program.


    Seongjin lightly tapped the screen.


    Then, with a dim background, a loading bar appeared.


    He quickly muted the volume to focus on the game.


    [Update in progress: 24%]


    “Hmm, taking a bit longer today.”


    This must’ve been arge-scale update.


    After waiting for a while, he tapped the screen to move to the waiting room.


    Along the long hallway were thousands of istion rooms, convenience facilities, and small 2D characters bustling about.


    The scene resembled a massive corporation.


    [Update in progress: 51%]


    He tapped the air to shift the view to the highest part of thepany.


    From there, the entirepany’s grand scale came into view.


    Even on the small smartphone screen, you could feel the enormity of the corporation.


    [Update in progress: 92%]


    ‘I wonder what’s going to change with this update. Hopefully, nothing annoying.’


    As he killed time wandering around the waiting room, the update was soonpleted.


    [Update in progress: 100%]


    [The update isplete.]


    [You can now meet the Gate of Truth in the Rift of Time!]


    He pressed the confirm button immediately.


    A blue vortex appeared, along with a new menu.


    [Joseon Government (Confederation Union-Master)]


    - Company Rank: Challenger


    - Administrator: Page One


    [Creature Management]


    - Currently managing: 674 creatures.


    - Company Score: 994,987 (World Rank 1)


    [Staff Summoning and Management]


    - Current staff: 11,547.


    - Special grade (0), 1st grade (3), 2nd grade (12)…


    [(NEW) Rift of Time - Gate of Truth]


    “Oh, finally…?”


    The moment he saw the words ‘Gate of Truth,’ Seongjin’s eyes lit up.


    ording to his theory, he had to conquer the so-called Gate of Truth toplete all the achievements and clear the game.


    ‘I wondered where it was or if it even existed… Turns out it hadn’t been updated yet.’


    What a messed-up game.


    At that moment, a new notification popped up.


    [Would you like to subdue the Gate of Truth?]


    "Of course."


    With the ending in sight, there was no reason to hesitate.


    I immediately clicked confirm.


    Then, a rift in space-time opened.


    At the same time, I felt a chill, like my spine was freezing.


    "What the...? Did the heating turn off?"


    That couldn''t be.


    As I wondered, a creepy eyeball appeared from the rift.


    The eyeball rolled around and then looked at me—or at least, that’s how it felt.


    Something unsettling gripped my entire body, but I didn''t care.


    Instead, a sense of challenge sparked within me.


    "This has to be at least ss 3, right?"


    Well, considering it''s the final achievement that no one in the world has managed to conquer yet, it''d be disappointing if the level were too low...


    "Alright, let''s explore—"


    Right at that moment...


    - Heh heh.


    I heard an unpleasantugh in my ear.


    At the same time, the eyeball that appeared from the rift vanished like a mirage.


    "What? What the...?"


    [Grade 4 employee ''Evangeline'' has died.]


    [Grade 6 employee ''Leveson'' has died.]


    [Grade 4 employee ''William'' has died...]


    [Grade 5 employee ''Albert''...]


    Out of nowhere, I began hearing the obituary notices of thepany''s employees ranked 4 and below.


    "What the hell is going on?"


    I hurriedly touched the screen, but the controls wouldn''t work, as if a bug had crashed the game.


    The game froze entirely.


    Panicking, I rebooted the game, but it waspletely unresponsive.


    "Damn it, what kind of bug is this...?"


    - Heh, heheh.


    Just then, I heard theugh again, like some strange, inhuman being was mocking me.


    That creepy sound made me lower the volume.


    ...


    The volume was already at 0%.


    It was then that I realized something was really wrong.


    ‘...This isn''ting from the speaker, is it?’


    So then, what is it?


    That question was never answered.


    「Come to me when you reach the end of the foolish truth.」


    Because a ck energy started emerging from the phone screen.


    The ck energy, which shot out in an instant, wrapped around my entire body and disappeared.


    Immediately after, the phone—now without an owner—fell to the floor.


    Thud.


    [Entity ‘Administrator (Shin Seongjin)’ confirmed.]


    [Starting synchronization.]


    [50%... 100%]


    [Sess.]


    * * *


    - Wee, Administrator. Please name thepany you will be managing from now on.


    A voice that sounded somewhat familiar brought me back to my senses.


    The musty smell.


    The cold floor.


    And the chilling winding from who knows where.


    With my consciousness suddenly returned, I scanned my surroundings.


    Aside from the long corridor, the ce was sealed off with steel walls on all sides.


    The only things I could make out were the vast space, reminiscent of a yground, and the strange stone monument standing in the middle.


    "...What the hell."


    Calm down.


    Think.


    Just a moment ago, I was ying KeepWorld.


    So why am I standing here now?


    The question didn’tst long.


    [Wee, Administrator. Please name thepany you will be managing from now on.


    I heard the familiar voice again.


    I turned to the source of the sound.


    Projected in the sky was a familiar hologram.


    [Please provide the name of yourpany.]


    I stared at the hologram for a long time.


    A square blue window.


    It looked like something straight out of a video game, hanging there in midair.


    "...What is this."


    My breathing grewbored.


    My brain couldn’tprehend the situation unfolding without any warning.


    "What... is happening right now...?"


    [Warning!]


    [A serious level of mental contamination has been detected in the user.]


    [The Foundation''s Star protects you.]


    In an instant, the chaos in my mind seemed to clear up.


    As if the tangled threads in my head were being unraveled, I felt a wave of calm wash over me.


    Perhaps it was that calm that helped me adapt to the situation so quickly.


    ''...''


    After regaining myposure, I closed my eyes and then opened them again.


    Then, I looked up.


    The hologram was still hanging in the air, just like before.


    ''...''


    As I stared at it, the hologram shrank and floated down in front of my eyes.


    Instinctively, I reached out toward the hologram that hade so close.


    Then.


    [Incorrect ess. Please use system permissions.]


    "System permissions?"


    The only things here were the monument a little distance away and me.


    Scratching the back of my head, I walked toward the monument that seemed vaguely familiar.


    [Congrattions, Administrator. We look forward to your sess.]


    A hologram I''d seen somewhere before.


    However, the contents disyed below it were unfamiliar.


    [Foundation''s Star – User ‘Shin Seongjin’]


    [You can use the skills of the creatures you’ve collected. (Current collection rate: 0%)]


    [You are the sole ‘Administrator’ recognized by the world. Your mind will never waver.]


    [You are an absolute sovereign, the guardian of the world. Your words carry authority.]


    [Your employees'' mental strength increases by 5%, resisting status effects.]


    [Thepany established by an absolute sovereign and the world''s guardian. Work efficiency improves based on thepany''s achievements. Current increase: 0%]