Chapter 6

I'm an ordinary office worker - Chapter 6 (6/180)

< Chapter 6 >

A month has passed since I joined the research institute.

When players defeat monsters or conquer dungeons, they submit reports.

These reports detail which monsters were defeated, how much time and which players were involved in the defeat or conquest.

They also describe the appearance and behavior patterns of the monsters.

And so on.

When these reports are compiled, they are passed on to me and other employees for further processing.

We then organize the data into Excel files, and after a review, the next step is to post the information on LaElta.com.

LaElta.com is accessible to all players worldwide and provides information on various monsters, dungeons, and La Elta quests.

Only those with a player certification can create an ID, but employees working at the institute are given special IDs to handle this information.

While some forums are restricted, the amount of information accessible to players varies by level and rank, whereas employees can access almost all information except for certain forums, which is a significant benefit.

This is why ordinary people with a dream of becoming players try so hard to get jobs at the institute, despite the low salary.

I, on the other hand, am desperate to quit.

Originally, my job was solely to organize data.

Access to LaElta.com is typically granted only to employees who have been with the company for at least two years.

However, due to a sudden resignation, someone was needed to fill the gap, and I was chosen.

Everyone congratulated me, saying it was a great opportunity, but I was unhappy because it meant more work.

“What is this?”

I entered the site to upload the Excel-organized data, but the status of the registered information was far from ideal.

To put it nicely, something was wrong; to put it bluntly, it was terrible.

When multiple reports on the same monster are submitted, the system is supposed to compile statistics on how players handled them and suggest weaknesses or strategies.

I don't know if the players submitted incompetent reports or if the institute failed to organize the data properly.

Is this really the level of information the institute is using to help players?

“Mr. Lee?”

“Ah, you scared me. Yes.”

“Did you do something wrong? Why are you startled?”

I was modifying the site's information without permission when I was suddenly called, which startled me.

“Do you know about the external training this afternoon?”

“Yes, we're going to see the portal.”

“It's not just a visit; it's training. After lunch, gather in the lobby on the first floor and come there.”

Going on an external training to the portal or dungeon is not a benefit for a new employee who has only been here for a month.

However, since I was assigned the important task of recording information on LaElta.com, I was quickly scheduled for training to understand how portals and dungeons are managed.

I'm not the only one; I'll be going with other first-year employees who joined six months before me.

I don't know any of them since they work on different floors.

After completing the major revisions, it was almost lunchtime.

Although it's a bit of a hassle to go far, it's better than staring at the monitor all day.

I can even pretend it's a trip.

I'll finally get to see the portal that others can enter but I can't.

I hope no blind monsters jump out on the way.

After a quick lunch and some phone games, an hour had passed.

When I went down to the lobby on time, the supervisor and a few others were already waiting.

After waiting for about five more minutes, everyone gathered and we all got into a minibus.

There are more people than I expected. I'll try to blend in and come back quietly.

“Let me briefly explain our schedule. First, we will move to the portal in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do.”

We're going to Suwon.

If that's the case, it would have been better to move right after work and return by the end of the day.

“Why are we going to Suwon when there are many portals in Seoul? The portal in Suwon is the least used among those in the metropolitan area.”

“Then shouldn't we go to a portal in Seoul?”

Another player's opinion. Everyone seems to agree.

It's not like shaking hands with a player will awaken you. What's so great about seeing a player?

And it's not like I never see players.

When walking around central Seoul, you encounter more players than you might think.

What they probably want to see are 'famous,' 'high-level, high-rank' players.

Players they can take pictures of and post on social media with all sorts of hashtags.

“We are going to the Suwon portal.”

The supervisor said firmly.

“As you know, portals and dungeons are managed by the Player Union. Since the Player Union is a public institution like the research institute, they can be considered one entity. Today, we will learn how portals are managed and what they actually look like.”

Most people here already know how portals are managed.

But there's a big difference between knowing it in theory and seeing it in person.

Even though we won't meet any players, everyone seems quite excited.

Is the portal really that amazing?

The minibus stopped at the middle of a mountain in Suwon.

The surroundings were empty, with only a small booth.

A booth small enough for a single administrator to sit and manage tickets, like at a parking lot entrance.

Behind it was a loosely fenced area with a gate.

It seems that even if a player wanted to, they could enter by force or sneak in, but this is how they manage and control it.

Then, a person came out of the booth.

The administrator, who spends long hours in a small space at the Suwon portal, which sees few players, seemed quite pleased with the visit.

“Hello, I'm Park Sung-jung, in charge of the Suwon portal.”

“Hello.”

After a brief greeting, Park Sung-jung began explaining how the portal and its management work.

Players can only enter and exit after their certification is verified and recorded.

You can choose any portal to enter, but you can only exit through the portal you entered, which allows tracking of which players are in La Elta.

The management of portals ensures that unregistered players cannot level up.

Of course, people who try to act secretly without undergoing the legally required player inspection are more likely to commit crimes.

“Not all portals and dungeons are managed. Some appear suddenly, and some disappear.”

But they try to identify and manage them as quickly and accurately as possible.

Despite his enthusiastic explanation, everyone seemed to be thinking, "Enough, just show us the portal."

I probably had the same expression.

“Now, please come this way.”

When Park Sung-jung opened the gate, everyone rushed in.

To my disappointment, the inside was...

“Quite disappointing.”

Just an empty field with a single black portal.

It wasn't emitting any light or looking fancy.

Just a black, circular area, like a deep shadow.

A circle large enough for about three people to stand comfortably.

Others also seemed disappointed by the underwhelming appearance of the portal.

“Only players can enter the portal, not ordinary people. Like this.”

Park Sung-jung made a gesture to step onto the portal but was blocked.

As if there was a barrier around the circle.

“If you try to enter, you'll be blocked like this, as if you hit an invisible barrier.”

When Park Sung-jung suggested trying, everyone approached and started touching and pressing the barrier around the portal.

Some were amazed, others disappointed they couldn't enter.

While watching from a distance, Park Sung-jung called me over.

“You there. Come and try.”

Me? Really?

I approached hesitantly.

Up close, the portal looked bigger and even more unimpressive.

It looked like black paint had been sprayed, but it was supposed to connect to La Elta, which seemed absurd.

I had seen and used several teleportation gates in La Elta, which were grand and impressive.

If teleportation gates that connect regions are that impressive, shouldn't a portal that connects dimensions be even more spectacular?

Of course, complaining won't change anything.

With a nudge to try, I stepped towards the portal without thinking.

Would it just stop me?

At that moment,

The world in front of me turned dark.

Before I could think, it quickly turned bright again.

And the scenery I saw after it brightened was clearly not the mountain in Suwon where I had been standing.

I was in another world.

A world I had spent more time in than on Earth, a familiar world.

La Elta.

Beraford.

***

“An ordinary person... an ordinary person entered the portal!”

“Is that even possible? How can an ordinary person move through a portal?”

“Did they awaken?”

“Really? They didn't even know they had awakened? Wow, our new employee has awakened!”

“No, this isn't the time to be happy. We've lost a new employee!”

Immediately after Lee Sung-han moved to La Elta, chaos erupted at the Suwon portal.

At first, everyone was confused when a person suddenly disappeared, but some were amazed to witness a portal travel.

Of course, the most flustered were the external training supervisor and the portal manager, Park Sung-jung.

The supervisor was frantically making calls to report, while Park Sung-jung was scrambling to find the log.

“No, we're conducting external training today, and one of the trainees... no, that's not it, it seems they... no, no, that’s...”

“Oh my, this is unbelievable. Wait, before we get excited, we need to record this. Record... 15:42. Um... what is the name of the person who just used the portal?”

It was a complete mess.

As everyone chattered and the noise grew louder, a human-shaped figure suddenly appeared on the portal.

On the portal, Lee Sung-han was blinking, looking more confused than the others.

“Oh my! Are you already back? Even for a level 0 quest, that's incredibly fast... Did you choose difficulty level 1?”

Park Sung-jung approached, making a fuss.

But before he could finish, Lee Sung-han stepped back out of the portal and then stepped back in.

“No, if you go back in, you'll have to complete another quest...!”

The place, which had briefly quieted down due to Lee Sung-han's appearance, became even noisier.

The commotion was even greater than before.

Once you enter the portal and move to La Elta, you must complete at least one La Elta quest to return to Earth.

But he returned to La Elta immediately after coming back to Earth?

Without even trying to resolve the situation?

“You have to complete another quest!!”

Park Sung-jung's voice echoed loudly, but Lee Sung-han, who had already left, did not respond.

< Chapter 6 > End