香蕉app

Chapter 443: Star, Jotunheim (3)

“Overtime-working baby rabbit~ Doo doo doo doo doo? Adorable~ Doo doo doo doo doo? Overtime-working baby rabbit~ Doo doo doo doo doo? In the office! All-nighter baby rabbit~ Doo doo doo doo doo~?” Herald the white rabbit sang while hard at work. Despite his otherwise joyous hums, the song still sounded more like a creepy requiem.

Herald had dark eyebags that contrasted his white fur, making him look like a panda. He had also gone from plump to scrawny, and his silky fur had been rough for quite some time now. He looked as if he could fall to the floor and turn into an Undead at any moment.

“What’s wrong with him now?” one of his work colleagues wondered, talking with the others as they watched him.

“Oh, yeah. He’s smiling from ear to ear and dancing around because his troublemaker Celestial disappeared not too long ago.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about that too. Was it ‘Divine Twilight’?”

“Yeah, must be. That Celestial crushes Star Signs’ heads day after day.”

“I remember! When I first heard about it, I marveled and even thought that a true hero had finally shown up.”

“Crush Star Signs’ heads? True hero? What are you talking about?”

“What? You don’t know about the most popular celebrity in the <Central Management Bureau>—no, in the entire Supreme Management Council?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I did!”

“Wow. All right, listen.”

‘Divine Twilight,’ Lee Chang-Sun’s Divine Name, recently became famous not only in Worldline Department #801 but in other departments as well. The fact that he met <Deus Ex Machina>, the <Management Bureau> president, in person was enough to pique even the experienced Administrators’ interest. However, the biggest reason behind Chang-Sun’s popularity was the fact that he took down <Purple Star Astrology> and now had the advantage in his war against <Horoscope>.

Star Signs were more commonly known as viruses in the <Management Bureau>. Exploiting the System’s weaknesses, they destroyed stored Data and Programs and ate away Networks. They also took advantage of the law of causality’s loopholes and devoured Worldlines.

Having to take care of their mess, the <Management Bureau> suffered. Hence, its employees had set up traps to stop them from rampaging further. They had also begun keeping their rarely used Anti-Viruses and Firewalls active around the clock.

However, the Star Signs had always managed to escape to the Imaginary Plane, where they could wait for new opportunities. It made the <Management Bureau> employees feel as if they were being mocked, making both the <Management Bureau> and <Deus Ex Machina> sharpen their swords. On top of that, the Star Signs had also recently started building a scout base in Worldline #802. It was as if they had gone insane.

The senior departments had emergency meetings day after day, but the Star Signs knew the System’s loophole and walked on that tightrope so well that they still hadn’t found any law of causality infringement yet.

Since the <Management Bureau> prioritized the law of causality, its employees couldn’t do anything but helplessly suffer in silence before the Star Signs.

That was when a savior appeared.

“He beats other Star Signs up on our behalf? Is that even possible?”

“That’s why he’s a celebrity!”

“Whoa! Most Celestials won’t be able to do that. Is it possible because he’s from Worldline #801?”

The Star Signs could continue their rampage because eating numerous Worldlines had caused their Divine Classes to reach even higher levels. However, there was one Worldline that they couldn’t take over. Worldline #801.

Worldline #801 was a mystery even to the <Management Bureau> because it kept giving birth to Celestials with unprecedently high Divine Classes. The Administrators thought it could be because, according to rumors, it would bring forth a new Celestial King or an Emperor.

An Administrator tilted his head. “Isn’t Herald free now that ‘Divine Twilight’ has gone off to Worldline #802? Why is he still working?”

The many Worldlines being created and destroyed every day made the Administrators come up with one unwritten rule.

―Each department has to take care of their own Worldline’s problem!

In other words, even if all hell broke loose in Worldline Department #802, Herald no longer had to care about the havoc that ‘Divine Twilight’ would wreak.

“I thought so too, but things have changed. He can’t do that anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“Worldline Department #802 is in a state of emergency because of the Rollback Bug.”

The administrator’s eyes widened and trembled. “What?”

The Rollback Bug, which repeatedly rewound a Worldline’s timeline due to unknown reasons, terrorized Administrators for quite some time. Now, that bug had resurfaced. Almost no one could remember when it first appeared, but it devastated the System back then, causing it to malfunction. It made a mess of everything.

Ubbo-Sathla was their main suspect right now behind the damages the System had sustained, but since the Outer Celestial wasn’t the direct cause of the damage, the Administrators’ hands were tied. They couldn’t stop the Outer Celestial from entering Eros through a deal either.

Since it was the <Management Bureau>’s job to pick up the pieces, the words ‘Rollback Bug’ became a synonym for overtime, all-nighters, business trips, and busywork to them. They couldn’t even use the bureau’s unwritten rule to free themselves from it. After all, other departments would find themselves in hell if it spread to their Worldlines. They had to work together to take care of the problem while it was still in its initial phase.

However, they had never succeeded in purging the bug before.

“... No way.”

“Yeah. ‘Divine Twilight’ is suspected to be the new bug’s cause.”

“Urgh... Urghhh!” The Administrator trembled harder, finally able to imagine how painful Herald’s all-nighters must have been.

“To be exact, ‘Divine Twilight’ is just the trigger. Someone else is behind this bug. You get what I mean, right?”

“... Observing the trigger can lead to finding traces of the mastermind.”

“That’s exactly why he’s preparing those documents.”

All the Administrators began to take pity on Herald when they learned about the full story.

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight... Hehehehe! Twilight is everywhere! Hehehehehehehe.”

* * *

Herald had been working all-nighters for so long that he hadn’t been able to take a shower for months now. Hence, when Rocinante visited him, he finally lost it.

Rocinante was an influential figure in <Central Management Bureau>. He was Herald’s savior—no, the mortal enemy who brought him, a low-level employee, to the <Central Management Bureau>.

“... Pardon? I think I misheard you,” Herald asked.

“You heard me. The Supreme Management Council is looking for y—!”

“Fa-la-la-la! La-la-la

!” Herald covered his big ears with his adorable hands.

While other Administrators were scared of the Supreme Management Council, Herald just thought of them as people whom he shouldn’t run into.

“You will likely have to do a detailed presentation about ‘Divine Twilight. Make sure you prepare—!”

“Fa-la-la-la! I hear nothing! Nothing! NOTHING!!!”

“... Are you okay?”

“Hehehehehe.” Herald shook his head. “I’m not fine. I’m not fine, so don’t look for me. Fa-la-la-la!”

Herald was already suffering from the other departments’ request to cooperate, yet he now had to meet and make a presentation in front of <Management Bureau> president?

‘Bite me! Just bite me! I don’t care if I get fired right now. Someone please save me!‘ Herald thought, trying his hardest not to scream... or wreak havoc.

It had only been two days since Rocinante had rejected Herald’s resignation letter and said that he was not going anywhere. Herald couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to escape from this all-nighter hell.

However, instead of being freed, Rocinante had just told him that he had to meet the Supreme Management Council. The Supreme Management Council! The council head was a vassal of <Deus Ex Machina>, a president known to be a tyrant of tyrants! He mercilessly fired bad workers and enslaved good workers even harder!

Within the <Central Management Bureau>, they would always say that the bureau ran on their employees’ blood and tears for a good reason. However, Herald thought it was still too much to ask for him, a low-level employee, to do a presentation in front of the notorious Supreme Administrator. Aside from how nervous he was, he didn’t want to even imagine what would happen if he stammered and left a bad impression on the Supreme Administrator...

‘This man! This man started this whole madness!’ Herald screamed.

If someone handed him a gun right now, he would immediately shoot two people: Chang-Sun and Rocinante.

“You seem to be in good condition, considering you’re loudly talking back to me.” Rocinante tapped on Herald’s shoulders and nodded, his eyes full of trust. “You should have no problem doing a presentation in front of the management council.”

‘Don’t give me that look! It’s very foreboding!’ Herald silently shrieked as he trembled.

Unable to take it anymore, he slammed his hand on his desk and glared at Rocinante. “There’s no way... There’s no way I’m fine!”

His shouting echoed throughout the office. His colleagues turned their heads away, pretending not to hear anything.

Herald pulled out his fur. “Sir! Please save me! Twilight! At this rate, that damn Twilight is going to kill me with overwork!”

“According to an old saying, the young should invite trouble.[1]”

“I just want to have a lazy life!”

“When you became our slav—ah, my mistake. Anyway, when you became our employee, that future turned into the last thing you’ll have. I’m sure you know that the <Management Bureau> takes pride in working Administrators to their bones.”

Herald writhed, feeling the mental pain overwhelm him. ‘You’ve finally shown your true colors! And don’t say things like that with so much confidence!’

Feeling as if Heral was about to grab him by the collar, Rocinante cleared his throat. “I’m playing golf with the other bureau managers later, so I’ll get going. Keep up the good work, okay?”

Grinning in contentment, he left the office.

“Arrrrghhhhhhh!” Herald screamed and repeatedly headbutted his desk.

* * *

The next day, Herald, whose dark bags had grown even bigger, got dragged away.

“Ah... Ahhh...” he groaned.

“Hmmm! You’re that touched, huh? That’s right. This is the Supreme Management Council, the ruler of the Great Universe’s Eros.”

Herald’s lips trembled as he looked ahead of him. The management council’s building was very small compared to the central bureau’s. He wasn’t sure if this was the organization that mediated the Great Universe’s law of causality, but when he entered the building, he only became even more perturbed.

“Hey! Get out of there! Stop blocking fucking my way!”

Administrators busily ran around, pushing carts full of documents.

“I turned in my documents way before that guy! Why was his request accepted while mine wasn’t?!”

“That is because you needed additional paperwork for us to procee—”

“Additional paperwork?! I’ve already done what you asked dozens of times! Are you sure you’re taking a proper look at my documents!”

“You crazy shit! Can’t you see all those documents? You gotta be kidding me! We’re already suffering like hell!”

Administrators kept insisting that their documents should be processed first because they were in a bigger hurry. Whenever things didn’t work out their way, they grabbed each other’s collars and began to fight.

“So we need the person’s interview for this par—”

Herald could feel his heart pounding. The management council was even more belligerent than the central bureau. However, he could understand why the senior Administrators from the management council were very acerbic. After all, no matter how broadminded they were, anyone was bound to become cynical if they had to live in this environment every day.

Herald used to be very ambitious, but he only dreamed of having a peaceful life now. However, to make that happen, he would have to stay away from this place at all costs.

‘I know! I should ruin the presentation! Once people think I’m an incompetent idiot, no one would look for me anymore! They won’t look for me no matter what fuckery Lee Chang-Sun starts!’ Herald thought, ready to throw his document folder at the management council’s head. ‘Yes! Hehehehe! I’m free! Goodbye, everyone! I will now search for my happiness now that I’m free from all worldly shackles![2] Dobby is free!’

If Herald proceeded with his plan, he and Rocinante, whom he used to see as his hero, would be fired from their positions for insulting the head of the management council.

‘So what?! To hell with everyone! Hehehehe! I’m free! I’ll escape the bourgeois’ suppression and succeed in a proletarian revolution to have free—!’

Herald’s determination was cut short when he entered the meeting room, rendered speechless when he saw who was inside. It seemed not even Rocinante expected to see him either, considering he was prostrated on the floor.

“You must be the Administrator in charge of ‘Divine Twilight.’ I would like your opinion about what is going on with my foolish brother-in-law down there.”

<Deus Ex Machina>, a sulky man with golden machine eyes, was looking at Herald.

‘Brother-in-law...?’ Herald’s lips trembled, quickly remembering how much he had been badmouthing ‘Divine Twilight’ all this time.

1. This is an archaic saying in Korea. It means that the young shouldn’t waste their youth. They should try everything they can, no matter how hard it is. ?

2. This is supposed to be a line from Inuyasha. The line is often used as a Korean meme to express people’s happiness for quitting their jobs. Image ?