The reign of Owen ended in just one month.
Officially, Owen was declared deceased.
Reketio Corporation was slowly returning to normalcy.
A month had passed since then.
Cassie’s father had resumed his position as chairman, and Cassie had become a director of the company.
Of course, Cassie could have immediately taken the chairman’s seat.
She had enough justification and power to do so.
However, she preferred the position of director.
She wanted to test her abilities in various ways.
The responsibilities were fewer than those of a chairman, and even if she failed, there would be someone to handle the aftermath.
It was a calculated choice.
Still, being a director didn’t mean her influence in the company was limited to a director’s level.
After all, everyone had witnessed her personally reclaim the company.
There was no one who doubted her authority.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the chairman was now essentially her puppet.
Now, as the real power behind Reketio, Cassie was wrestling with a mountain of paperwork in her office once again.
***
“Ughhhh…”
Cassie let out a strange groan, slumping over her desk.
It wasn’t a sight befitting a director with an office larger than most households.
Amon, sitting on a sofa a short distance away, was polishing his sword with a contented smile.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Of course! TNC-101 alloy body, core reinforced with magic stones, crafted with elemental metallurgy…”
Cassie gave a wry smile as she listened to Amon’s explanation, which she had already heard multiple times that day.
‘He seems so happy—at least it was worth buying for him,’ she thought.
One of the first things Cassie did after becoming a director was to upgrade her colleagues’ equipment to the highest specifications.
She spared no expense, providing security measures and gear that even a head of security at another company might envy.
In Amon’s case, since he declined enhancements, she made up for it with gear—military-grade equipment that civilians could only dream of, obtained with some legal loopholes.
The swords Amon was lovingly stroking alternately were some of the finest blades humans could forge.
Seeing his face still beaming with a smile as he admired them, Cassie couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ha-ha-ha…”
Even the clothes Amon wore were top-notch when evaluated by performance standards.
‘A true gear enthusiast,’ Cassie mused with a smirk as she watched Amon.
Suddenly, a question occurred to her.
She set aside the paperwork she was working on and voiced her thought.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you deal with a megacorp in the past?”
“I did.”
“And you handed it over to Three Dollars in exchange for some settlement money and a few other things?”
“Yep.”
“But why was the settlement so small?”
Cassie had heard about the deal—meat, settlement money, and a few conveniences.
But no matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense. A megacorp handed over for so little?
Even before, it would’ve been hard to understand.
Now, as a director managing corporate finances, the contract seemed absurdly undervalued—almost as if Amon had been scammed.
However, Amon dismissed her doubts.
“I know. But there was a reason.”
“What kind of reason?”
“Take a closer look, and you’ll figure it out.”
“Why would I pry into your past without your permission? I only look at the future.”
“Well, thanks for that. But I can’t tell you. Sorry.”
“Fine. I’m sure you have your reasons,” Cassie replied with a nod, returning her attention to her paperwork.
She trusted Amon enough to know that he wasn’t naive.
If he had made such a deal and concealed the real terms, there had to be a solid reason.
She continued to sign and process documents, multitasking with a headset as she juggled phone calls and paperwork like a skilled professional.
Her work finally wrapped up a little past six.
Standing up, she turned to Amon, who had been waiting.
“I’m done.”
“You’re done early today.”
“I cleared some tasks yesterday because I have plans today. Let’s go.”
“Sure. Let’s stop by the lobby first.”
Amon placed the sword he had been holding into his pocket.
As if by magic, the sword slipped into the pocket with ease.
The two of them grabbed their coats and headed to the company lobby.
***
In the lobby, Sonia, who had just finished her lecture for the day, was waiting for them.
“Let’s go quickly.”
With Sonia joining them, the trio got into the elevator.
They ascended to the upper atrium where their final battle had taken place, then headed back down.
Their destination: Basement Level 8.
This floor was accessible only to executives.
Normally, Amon and Sonia wouldn’t have clearance to access this area, but this was a special case.
After passing security checks, they entered the innermost part of the laboratory.
Through the glass, they saw a snail the size of a human forearm crawling around.
Entity Name: The Wise Snail
Once Cassie’s relative and ruler of the world for a month, now reduced to a mere creature.
She felt no pity.
Owen’s misdeeds were too numerous to count.
After all, anyone who extracted human brains to enhance supercomputers couldn’t be called a saint—no less someone who had tried to strangle her father.
Amon, Sonia, and Cassie stared silently at the glass enclosure.
As the three of them stood observing the snail, a group of people they had been waiting for entered the room.
“Sorry, we’re a bit late.”
[Emergency mission popped up at 5 PM.]
It was Buffalo Tanker and Mute Sniper, both dressed in Reketio Corporation’s security division uniforms.
“We’re pulling an all-nighter for sure.”
“So am I,” said Ogre and the Dual-Wielding Mage, also wearing company uniforms—lab coats from the research division instead of security.
The four of them had found employment in Reketio Corporation after the recent incident, thanks to Cassie’s connections.
Despite the general disdain for corporations among the common people, few would refuse the stability and safety that came with working for one.
Especially when a reliable connection paved the way, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
Life changes didn’t end there.
Amon’s gaze shifted to the hands of his teammates.
Buffalo Tanker, Mute Sniper, Ogre, and the Dual-Wielding Mage each wore matching rings—on their ring fingers, no less.
When he first heard the news, he was briefly surprised, but he quickly adapted.
The pairing of the Ogre and the Dual-Wielding Mage was slightly unconventional by traditional standards, but…
‘Well, as long as they’re happy,’ he thought.
He decided to respect their choices.
It had been a while since all six of them had gathered together.
For convenience, they referred to themselves as the “Cassie Expedition.” (Cassie herself despised the name.)
While they had exchanged news over the past month using Amon as a middleman, conflicting schedules had prevented them from assembling in full until now.
Cassie, as the expedition’s de facto leader, broke the ice.
“Alright. It’s been a while since we’ve all been together. I’d love to jump straight to dinner, but first, let’s deal with the snail.”
She tapped on the glass.
The reason for calling all six of them was straightforward.
Although the possibility was slim, the team was assembled as a precaution in case the experiment went awry and somehow created a dungeon.
Still, it was unlikely that the snail could cause such a catastrophe.
More importantly, this group was the most trustworthy.
The snail possessed the ability to see the future—a power inherited from the Reketio family.
While the research was incomplete, a leak of such abilities could be catastrophic for Reketio, whose entire business revolved around using foresight.
Thus, experiments were conducted with only the most reliable personnel.
Amon shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
The Dual-Wielding Mage, dressed in her lab coat, stepped forward to begin the experiment.
Today’s goal was to determine whether the future seen by the snail matched Cassie’s foresight.
Ogre carefully inserted a thin needle into the snail’s body with unexpectedly delicate movements for his large hands.
Bzzz—
Adjusting the mechanical eye equipped with a microscopic function, Ogre meticulously guided the needle.
After finishing the task, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Man, I’ve been doing this for a month straight. At this point, no one in the lab can do this better than me.”
Finally, a screen connected wirelessly to the needle displayed the output.
The snail’s vision of the future was divided into eight segments.
“We’ve only managed to read eight futures so far. With more research into the ganglia, we might extract more.”
“No need to rush. Take your time,” Cassie reassured him, taking a seat.
In front of the snail was a display linked to the body camera attached to Amon’s chest.
Amon, wearing the camera, entered the sparring room alongside Mute Sniper and Buffalo Tanker.
The experiment setup was straightforward:
The snail and Cassie would watch footage from Amon’s point of view during a simulated battle.
Cassie would then compare her foresight with the snail’s vision to see how many futures matched.
***
The sparring team warmed up as the Dual-Wielding Mage issued instructions.
The battle commenced.
On screen, the capabilities of their teammates were leagues beyond what they had been a month ago, thanks to the procedures and equipment upgrades Cassie had provided.
It was a sobering reminder of the world they lived in.
In this world, personal effort and time didn’t necessarily translate to strength.
Strength was dictated by access to advanced procedures, a body resilient enough to withstand them, and mental fortitude.
While training and meditation could increase one’s tolerance for enhancements, the key factors were still inherent physical and mental traits.
It wasn’t unusual for a small-time thug to return as a megacorp-level monster after undergoing enhancements.
‘Not that they’re quite at that level yet,’ Cassie thought.
The number of enhancements one could undergo at once was limited.
For now, her team remained at the upper echelon of middle management in terms of capability.
As someone who wanted a reliable ally as head of security, Cassie felt a bit disappointed but not overly concerned.
‘They’ve got plenty of potential for future upgrades,’ she reassured herself.
Cassie kept her eyes on the screen as the experiment progressed.
***
Eventually, the results came in.
“Zero percent match,” reported the Dual-Wielding Mage.
“Wow, that’s unexpected,” Amon remarked, raising an eyebrow.
Despite his comment, the result was anticipated.
Every seer had a different perspective on the future, and foresight itself changed with observation.
However, a pattern emerged.
“This snail… true to Owen’s nature, it’s an extreme safety freak.”
The snail consistently presented scenarios that ended in a draw.
It found ways for Amon to avoid defeat at all costs.
Its approach was entirely different from Cassie’s foresight, which leaned toward either victory or defeat—extreme outcomes.
The results thrilled Cassie.
“Excellent.”
She had hoped for dissimilar visions, and that’s exactly what she got.
This meant they could see even more futures.
There was another intriguing discovery.
[Oh… it’s more effective than I thought,] commented Mute Sniper.
The snail’s foresight minimized damage in any situation.
Even if the team accidentally veered toward a losing path, the snail guided them to mitigate losses and achieve a draw.
While victory always favored the determined, not all employees had the mental resilience to endure.
“Not everyone in the company has unshakable resolve,” Cassie observed with cold insight.
Everyone agreed with her.
For employees with weaker mental fortitude, the snail’s predictions might be the better option.
Satisfied, Cassie decided to conclude the day’s experiment.
***
As the session ended, the snail emitted a green secretion.
“Ugh,” Sonia recoiled, running out of the room.
Buffalo Tanker also grimaced as he exited the room.
The researchers, Ogre and the Dual-Wielding Mage, cursed under their breath as they collected the substance.
While its effects were still unknown, substances produced by entities often had some practical use, so they stored it for now.
Watching the slime, Amon muttered, “That’s not… poop, is it?”
“Entities don’t eat, remember?”
“Yeah, but…”
Amon trailed off, then turned to Cassie with a serious expression.
“If you ever tell me to eat that, I’ll run away.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want to eat it either. If I don’t like it, I won’t make you try it. We’ll test it on some mice first. If it’s safe, we’ll let other employees taste it.”
“What did they ever do to deserve that?”
“Do you want to try it instead?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Cassie. I’m a director.”
“Yes, ma’am. Director Extraordinaire.”
“Amon.”
“Sorry. I’ll stop joking.”
Inwardly, Amon prayed for the unnamed employees.
‘At least Cassie treats her staff well, and the company’s benefits are decent. Hang in there.’
With that internal justification, he moved on.