Humanity Protection Company

Illustrations: posted in discord

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The sky was a battlefield where Golden Omnipotence launched gold-fueled attacks, only for the Association President\'s world to deflect them.

Like a barrage of missiles against an air defense network, silence descended upon the warped sky.

"..."

"..."

The Association President stood amidst the fragments while the Club President perched atop a downtown skyscraper on the opposite side. Both looked to where Lee Yeonwoo had fled.

In their battle, Yeonwoo had been like a mosquito. A mosquito buzzing and irritating the Association President\'s mind. One that might distract him slightly if lucky, or even manage a lucky sting.

But suddenly that mosquito had wielded power on par with them.

"Danger Level 6?"

The Club President remarked with interest.

Unlike Levels 1-5 which were based solely on threat, Level 6 required near-omnipotence or at least imperfect absoluteness.

Otherwise, it wouldn\'t properly counter all kinds of anomalies and equipment. The ability to overcome all types of dangers was necessary.

And Yeonwoo had displayed that kind of power. The power that forcibly modified the world moving for the Association President to escape.

The Club President muttered again.

"A warning?"

His mind raced. Why reveal that power and leave after only pretending to interfere? What was the intention?

Was this enough? Would he attack from afar if the world became more chaotic? Or had a major problem arisen elsewhere?

The Association President, on the other hand, blinked and said softly:

"I want it."

That was a masterpiece. A work of art beloved by the world on par with himself. If placed in the Hall of Arts-

Just as the world began to move to fulfill that desire, the Club President spoke. His voice echoed across the distance.

"That\'s enough. That fellow who just left seems ready to snipe from afar if we cross the line. Push any further and there\'s no coming back."

Countless sanctions would be imposed. More than the Artists\' Association could withstand.

Besides that, the probability-manipulating dice and wish-granting Golden Omnipotence would launch a joint attack immediately.

The Association President glanced sideways.

"Isn\'t the gold a shame to waste?"

"Gold\'s always a shame to waste. Let\'s wrap this up. Just talking to you consumes gold. A month\'s seal seems appropriate, doesn\'t it?"

The Club President spoke bitterly, regretting the gold consumed this time, and the Association President reluctantly nodded.

"But these fragments are mine."

"I\'ve no intention of touching those. Ah, and you need to negotiate with the demon worshippers. I can do it for you."

The exchange of each other\'s headquarters and key personnel. The aftermath.

The Association President sat down, uninterested. The grass intertwined to form a soft bed. The temperature also changed to perfect for a nap.

As she closed her eyes, darkness fell upon the fragments, and the anomalous entities kneeling around froze, not daring to breathe.

"Do as you see fit."

"The fee for proxy negotiation-"

"Tell the directors. I need to get some sleep."

The Association President drifted off.

The Club President immediately cut the connection, making a final expenditure of gold.

A month\'s seal.

Golden light flashed around the three fragments suspended in the sky. As the Association President had accepted, the golden light shone brilliantly, enveloping the fragments, and soon the three fragments vanished.

The Club President, whose mouth had gone dry from all the talking, grumbled.

"Talking to her is a losing proposition... Executive Secretary. Bill the company for the gold used this time. We should be compensated for our work, shouldn\'t we?"

"Yes."

The Executive Secretary bowed his head. He wore a strange expression. The Yeonwoo he\'d sensed during the call was so different from the one he\'d heard about here.

\'Danger Level 6? I didn\'t get that impression at all. He just seemed like an ordinary office worker.\'

Then the Club President snapped his fingers.

"Yeonwoo. Add him to the VIP list. Even if this was a fluke, he has the potential to reach Level 6."

"Understood."

"And, prepare to negotiate on behalf of the Artists\' Association-"

Even after the war, the Club moved busily. To recoup the time and gold invested this time.

Leaving the other fragments to the company.

---

---

Yeonwoo soothed his pounding heart. Though he\'d fled the battlefield, his startled body refused to calm.

"I feel like I\'m dying..."

It was beyond the realm of acceptable risks and incidents. Both the battlefield he\'d seen on screen and anomalous entities like the Association President or Golden Omnipotence.

Though he\'d somehow managed to escape, Yeonwoo lacked confidence.

\'How did I manipulate probability?\'

Yeonwoo moved his slightly trembling hand. He clenched his fist as if grasping probability, waving it through the air.

But that sensation didn\'t return. In fact, he couldn\'t even remember the feeling.

He\'d simply flailed desperately to survive, on pure instinct, his mind blank with fear. He only felt as if he\'d fled while screaming in sheer panic.

Just then, Mark Jung burst through the hospital room door. He\'d gone to a nearby cafe to buy drinks, and he sloshed several cups of coffee.

"Sorry I\'m late. I was handing these out to everyone here on the company\'s dime."

The hospital, fused with the afterlife, had no potable water. Only rusty water or blood remained.

"Ah. That was kind of you."

As Yeonwoo reached out, Mark Jung smiled politely and handed him a cup with a straw.

"Oh no, not at all. You\'re the one who did something amazing."

Having roughly restored his memories using the diary he kept as a precaution against memory erasers, Mark Jung was treating Yeonwoo almost like a director.

He\'d heard quite the news.

"Thanks to you bestowing misfortune on the enemy, the truly dangerous fragments fell on the doomsday cultists\' heads. Do you know how much damage you\'ve prevented?"

"...Pardon?"

Yeonwoo, who\'d been sitting in a daze, raised his head. He wore a bewildered expression.

"Me?"

"Yes. The Director praised you highly. Thanks to you, we dealt damage to the doomsday cultists, reduced civilian casualties, and bought time."

"...Me?"

Yeonwoo\'s mind short-circuited. His already exhausted brain couldn\'t process this reality.

"Did the misfortune last that long?"

"It\'s gone now, but that\'s how it played out just before it disappeared."

The doomsday cultists were enemies too. A group fundamentally incompatible, one they\'d like to see gone.

The doomsday cultists were hostile to Yeonwoo as well. He\'d killed their top agent carrying the Eraser and caused their Reptilian boss to go berserk.

Mark Jung\'s eyes sparkled as he looked at Yeonwoo.

"I also heard you even warned the Artists\' Association President. They accepted a month\'s seal because of you."

"No, that\'s... That doesn\'t make sense."

Yeonwoo wondered if he\'d fallen victim to an anomaly. One that induced hallucinations or dreams.

It really made no sense. Why would that Association President interpret a fleeing person as a warning?

\'How do I wake up from this?\'

But as Mark Jung continued, Yeonwoo accepted reality, his expression turning sickly.

"The Club shared all the information. They said you displayed Level 6 power before leaving. Apparently the Association President backed down because of that."

"No. That\'s not it."

His hands trembled violently. The disposable coffee cup in his grip vibrated, spilling coffee.

He feared being overestimated. He dreaded them seeing a fluke, an action he couldn\'t even remember how he\'d done, as his true ability.

"I did repel the Association President\'s interference, but I don\'t remember how I did it, and if you told me to do it again-"

"No, no. You should be proud of such an ability."

"Really, really, my ability isn\'t at that level."

Yeonwoo saw an ominous future.

A future where the company viewed him as equal to the Association President and assigned him missions he couldn\'t handle.

Mark Jung nodded as if he understood, but he kept saying things that made Yeonwoo want to lose his mind.

"I understand your concern. You\'re worried about the dangers that come with such power, right? But with this much strength, you\'ll actually be safer. Who would dare touch you?"

"No, I\'m telling you it\'s not true!"

Yeonwoo explained, almost pleadingly, and Mark Jung tilted his head.

"Isn\'t it the same thing? You\'ve demonstrated Level 6 power, or rather, used that level of strength. It\'s just a matter of time, isn\'t it?"

"..."

Yeonwoo\'s mouth clamped shut.

\'It is a matter of time. As time passes, I\'ll be contaminated by the dice and reach a level where I can manifest possibilities at will.\'

All he needed was time.

Yeonwoo gave a hollow laugh. Might as well use it all to his advantage.

"I need more time. I don\'t know how long, but I can reach a level similar to theirs."

He decided to make them see him as a seed that needed nurturing, to make the company cherish and protect him.

Mark Jung smiled.

"The head office is already reevaluating you. No one imagined you\'d be this capable. You don\'t need to involve yourself in the aftermath of this war. They say you should rest well."

Whether fragments or whatever, Yeonwoo didn\'t need to step in.

He\'d demonstrated that level of potential and value.

Mark Jung rambled on about the company\'s future compensation and benefits, but Yeonwoo let it go in one ear and out the other.

He pondered how the situation would unfold and how to escape from opponents on par with the Association President.

Suddenly, Yeonwoo\'s eyes lit up.

\'Right. No matter the opponent or situation, I just need to hone my ability to escape. If I did it once, I can do it again.\'