Let Me Talk To The Programmer

Suddenly being interrupted, the two turned to face intruder.

"I don't really get what's happening all that much and everyone else seems to be taking it easy. You two seem to be heading out so let me join you, alright!" The enthusiastic stranger proclaimed.

Slightly taken aback by the stranger's extreme energy levels which were a total opposite of his own, Haneul cautiously studied the other person.

Short, golden hair, vibrant green eyes, and a tall stature but, what truly caught one's eyes were the pair yellow animal ears that twitched from time to time and the swishing tail which poked out from behind.

A lion beastman.

"My name is 'The lion is growling'." Suddenly, the atmosphere froze.

Haneul sighed.

The strange boy snickered.

The stranger felt confused and fidgeted.

"Is there something wrong?" Awkwardly, the silence insued.

"...You." Haneul turned towards the strange boy. "Try saying your name."

"Hm? Ah, yes. I haven't introduced myself yet." The corner of the boy's mouth twitched. "It's 'The ogre is later, become red'."

Haneul furrowed his brows.

The stranger was dawned with realization.

The strange boy felt perplexed.

"It's best that we postpone introductions for later."

Everyone agreed.

'Isn't it obvious that, no matter how good the translation, names should just be left alone? Ah, I really need to speak with the programmer.'

...

The space where they were transported in was designed to be a perfect square. With the statue marking the center, four archways were placed in each cardinal directions with four fountains in each corner.

Though they were given a choice between four exits, three of them are actually dead ends. Only one exit leads to the surface.

With this information, one would surely end up hesitating. But, in fact, finding the right exit was actually very easy.

It would be much simpler if one just used their monkey brain.

'Big statue points towards north exit with big spear. Must go.'

Really. That's all there was.

It was just because people tend to overthink in these kinds of situations that more people than expected had died.

Of course, it can't also be ruled out that the guides were extremely bad at their job.

'It's really best to be alone.'

But, eventually, despite his wish to go alone, Haneul ended up getting two strange followers tagging along behind him.

27 times.

He tried to muster up the courage to turn them away 27 times but... he gave up right at the last moment.

In fact, he was aware of it. He had long been aware of his problem.

No matter how much he tried to fix it, nothing ever worked. So, he just learned to accept it.

Glancing towards the two little followers, Haneul sighed to himself.

'Just why did this end up happening to me of all people?'

"Ah! Now that I think of it, you two are really strange." The lion person exclaimed, bringing an end to the long drawn-out silence.

'Let's name him Leo for now.'

"Oya? How so?" The strange boy asked in amusement.

'This one shall be temporarily called Red.'

"You were the only two people who weren't of the same race that stuck together." Leo answered bluntly.

"Ah, I see. That is indeed strange if one thinks about it." Red muttered as he nodded in agreement.

"...Ah?" Suddenly, Haneul looked back in shock. "You... don't think I'm human?"

This time, it was both Leo and Red's turn to feel perplexed.

"Well, putting aside your hair color, there aren't exactly any humans with golden eyes and stones stuck to their foreheads, ya know." Leo furrowed his brows as he answered.

"Mm. If you were trying to cosplay as a human Villager A, I'm afraid you failed miserably." Red added.

'Ah...? Gold? Stone? What?'

But, before transmigrating, wasn't he just a very ordinary guy with black hair and black eyes? Your standard asian guy.

Spotting a random water fountain nearby, Haneul quickly took off.

"..."

'Ah. Seven years of piled up resentment is really scary.'

...

"Rubble. Ordinary rubble from the Dhormellos King's Dungeon."

"Fairy shroom. Mushroom that glows. Often grows in dark places with high amounts of mana. Mildly toxic."

The world is dark and hopeless. People born into power rule over the masses while the weak can only accept their fate and perish.

'I'm just a poor little earthworm that can do nothing but nibble away at random scraps that people throw to the ground.'

"White wraith rock. Naturally produces caustic soda. Highly toxic."

What was he doing, you ask?

Since he was already in this kind of situation, he thought that he might as well acquire more useful skills to help along the way.

And the most useful skill to have in an unknown world can only be that...

[Correctly determine the nature of 30 different objects. (Complete)]

[You have successfully acquired the skill [Appraisal (Low)].]

Yes. The almighty plug-in that is essential for all beginners.

"Oh? Caustic acid, was it?" Red hummed to himself thoughtfully. "We should take it. It might be useful later."

Haneul shivered.

"Eh? Why?" Leo scratched his head in confusion. All he could see was a small piece of white stone. Just in what way could it be useful?

"Hehe." Unfortunately, Red was too busy laughing creepily to himself to give Leo an answer.

'Ah, this guy is seriously dangerous.'

Haneul discretely tried to inch away.

Though caustic soda or more commonly known as lye was an ingredient used to make soap, it is also very efficient in breaking down muscle tissues.

Murderer 101. How to dispose a body. Just use caustic soda.

"Hey! Is this edible?" Leo suddenly ran up to Haneul and shoved a large, glowing mushroom right onto his face.

Fairy shroom. Mildly toxic. Although not enough to cause death, it can cause one to have diarrhea for three days straight. In some cases, it can even cause one's mouth to glow like a torchlight.

"Haa..." Slumping onto the floor, Haneul began to draw circles on the ground in a dark corner.

'Really. What did I do to deserve this?'

"Hey! Hey! I can eat this right?"

"Hehe. I would like to see what would happen if you did, jiaro."