OMP | Chapter 4

The world is all about the strong dominating the weak. It’s dirty and unfair, but ultimately, it runs on the logic of power. Everyone knows this well.

“Hey! Can’t you hear me?”

But just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Who would gladly welcome discrimination that hits you directly?

Even in this chaos, no one dared to say a word to Yoon Chanyoung, who sat peacefully doing his work.

“Hurry up and move the rocks!”

People only yelled at the powerless Yuwon.

Yuwon moved. He cleared the dirt pressing down on his teammate’s lower body and pulled out his arm like pulling out a seedling.

“Ahhh! Gently! Gently!”

What kind of A-grade esper whines like this? While Yuwon was brushing the dirt off his hands after safely pulling the man out…

Slap!

Yuwon staggered a few steps, clutching his cheek. The sting reached the top of his head. It wasn’t even lightning-fast, but it was unexpected, so he couldn’t avoid it.

“Why didn’t you save me quickly! My leg’s all scraped up!”

Yuwon looked up at the man who was venting his anger at him.

Teammate Lee Maengryeo. His trait was as a weather caster, with the ability to predict the weather. Originally part of Disaster Team 2, he was transferred to the newly established Team 3 as if exiled. The reason was that his ability was deemed impractical.

In fact, he was a teammate who performed poorly, just like Yuwon. If it weren’t for Yuwon, he might have been the one being ostracized.

“Isn’t hitting too much? It’s dizzying.”

“Lee Yuwon, you should do your job properly!”

“I did my best.”

“Your best? Is someone doing their best that slow?”

“My job involves handling cameras, so I’m slow. To A-grade eyes with excellent dynamic vision, I might seem even slower.”

Yuwon swallowed his dirty feelings and spoke. He didn’t expect an apology. If he were the type to apologize, he wouldn’t have hit in the first place.

“Camera! Over here!”

There was no time to argue about who was better. There were people in need everywhere.

Yuwon approached the deputy team leader who called him excitedly. She pointed to a teammate buried in sand, with only his head sticking out like a mushroom.

“Take a picture of this. It’s too funny!”

“Don’t just laugh, save me quickly!”

“His hair is mushroom style, it’s hilarious. How did he end up like this? Aren’t you taking the picture?”

“The subject refuses.”

“Just take it!”

What kind of joke is this? Yuwon had no choice but to pick up the camera.

“I’ll take it since you requested.”

Click.

“Don’t take it!”

“I already did.”

He took a picture of the mushroom head buried in the dirt. Even while taking it, he wondered what he was doing, but as the record keeper, he had to fulfill the team’s requests.

“I won’t use it for personal purposes.”

The mushroom head buried in the dirt glared at Yuwon, who was organizing the camera. Ignoring that gaze, Yuwon diligently dug out the dirt covering his body. That was the best Yuwon could do.

The deputy team leader, who had been watching Yuwon struggle without helping, suddenly asked curiously.

“By the way, Camera, you’re okay? Just a little dirt on you?”

“You’re okay too, deputy team leader.”

“I’m defense-type, after all.”

Come to think of it, the only ones standing unharmed were the team leader, deputy team leader, Yoon Chanyoung, and other high-grade espers.

“Camera, you’re lucky!”

The deputy team leader smiled brightly and patted Yuwon’s shoulder encouragingly.

“Fighting?”

“Hey! Camera! Over here!”

Calls for Yuwon came from everywhere. If he had known, he would have hidden somewhere.

Yuwon hadn’t experienced the event of being buried under the debris of Musecko Cave while playing the game, so he didn’t expect this outcome. He let his guard down.

“Huff… Huff…”

Even after running around like crazy, the result was…

“Yuwon? Didn’t you hear me asking for help? You didn’t even pretend to hear.”

“Sorry. I was saving those nearby first.”

“Thanks to you, I was stuck in the scorching pile of rocks for an hour.”

In fact, Yuwon didn’t save people by rank or distance; he saved them in reverse order of rank. The higher ranks wouldn’t bother saving those below them.

By saving the lower ranks first, everyone ran around sweating to help their superiors. Thanks to that, there were more hands to help, and the rescue time was shortened.

Despite running around so hard, all Yuwon got were dirty looks.

…I chose the wrong concept from the start. I should have just pretended to be stuck on the ground. Even if Disaster Team 3 was a new team, it was a complete mess with no system whatsoever.

Yuwon panted, resting on his knees. Just when he thought he could catch his breath…

“Everyone, if you’ve dusted off, please gather.”

The team leader clapped to get everyone’s attention.

Yuwon approached, somewhat passively, swept along.

“Esper Yoon Chanyoung will explain the situation.”

“Yes, I’ll do it. I couldn’t explain properly earlier because of the instant event.”

His voice gathered the somewhat scattered atmosphere.

While Yuwon was busy saving people, Yoon Chanyoung was elegantly doing his work in the midst of the chaos, as if having a tea party.

“This gate is based on a farming game, as I mentioned earlier.”

When the deputy team leader raised her hand to ask a question, Yoon Chanyoung smoothly stopped her.

“I’ll take questions after the explanation.”

Then he continued.

“In the big picture, it’s like a typical farming game. You farm, raise livestock. It’s a safe map with no threats like monsters, as long as you don’t eat poisonous plants.”

Relief appeared on the faces of the team members listening to Yoon Chanyoung. But Yoon Chanyoung, who spoke of safety, was not at all peaceful.

“Is the clear condition reaching max level?”

The deputy team leader, who seemed eager to speak, interrupted. Yoon Chanyoung looked at her.

“No. You have to grow a ‘Happy Flower.'”

“How do you do that?”

“I don’t know. Only the number one knows. So we must bring the number one to me.”

Yoon Chanyoung spoke firmly.

The additional comment, “Otherwise, we’ll live here forever,” didn’t reach Yuwon’s ears. He was too busy calming his trembling body at Yoon Chanyoung’s firm words, “We must bring the number one to me.”

…Yeah, if my identity is going to be revealed anyway, it’s best to say it now.

With renewed determination, Yuwon boldly stepped forward and raised his hand.

“…Actually, I’m the—”

“When you open the info window, it shows your level, like in the game. Everyone picked up their bags, right? There are basic necessities inside.”

Yoon Chanyoung continued, lightly ignoring Yuwon’s bold gesture.

“Traveler Level 1. You need to raise this level to expand your activity range, so keep that in mind.”

“Traveler level sounds cute. How do we raise it?”

“Most physical activities will give you a small amount of experience. The best way is to complete quests.”

“What about the items we got from the cave?”

“Keep them for now. Redistributing them doesn’t mean much. Once we bring the number one, everything will be resolved. Everyone, eat the bread in your bags.”

“Hmm… I can’t eat bread without butter.”

“Are all espers at level 1? No advantages for being A-grade? Everyone’s the same, right?”

Even as the conversation continued, Yuwon still had his hand raised, but no one paid attention. Eventually, he had to awkwardly lower his hand.

“Don’t get in the way, move.”

Meanwhile, Yuwon’s supervisor chased him out from under the shade.

Following Yoon Chanyoung’s non-command, the team members sat down and started eating bread. The mushroom head, who had just stuffed dry bread into his mouth, spat it out and awkwardly stood up to ask.

“Uh… Esper Yoon Chanyoung? What are you doing? Why are you farming alone?”

“To level up.”

Yoon Chanyoung was alone, hoeing the bare ground.

“Weren’t we supposed to recruit the number one…?”

Yoon Chanyoung pulled out a piece of bread from his pocket and took a rough bite as he answered.

“Even the number one needs helpers, right? Don’t talk to me now.”

Yoon Chanyoung continued to cultivate the field.

“Uh… Okay, let’s do it together.”

Even while eating bread, people who had been watching finally stood up one by one to help.

Yuwon stopped eating bread and looked at Yoon Chanyoung with a dumbfounded expression. The muscles from his back to his forearms twitched as he hoed.

Why is he working so hard? What’s with that madness?

“Camera, why don’t you help instead of just watching?”

“Me too? I don’t have anything.”

“If you don’t have a shovel, use your hands. All our team members are working hard.”

A teammate who started shoveling first scolded Yuwon.

“Okay.”

Yuwon went to a corner and pretended to help. The result of his obedience instinct, hardened after joining, and his unwillingness to work hard at something useless and inefficient.

Pretending to move his hands, he looked up. He pretended to understand, but he still couldn’t believe it. Are we really inside the ‘Happy Flower’ game? Really?

At that moment, Yuwon’s gaze, lost in the distant sea, discovered something.