For most people, every day inside the company felt unbearably long, yet returning to the dormitory alive was considered nothing more than a luxury.
Blending into the crowd and ignoring the clerks scrubbing blood-red stains from the corridor walls, Arthur quickened his pace. At a junction, he separated from the main group and continued alone toward his dormitory.
The fate of those people had nothing to do with him.
A veteran of Lobotomy Corporation, Arthur casually removed his employee ID from his collar, humming softly as he headed toward the time clock.
Mm.
Punch out. Off duty.
After all, despite being a massive energy corporation—and despite the fact that once you entered, you could never truly leave—Lobotomy Corporation was, in some ways, remarkably humane.
As long as a clerk met their daily energy quota, they were free to leave work at any time.
…Except under special circumstances.
Fortunately, this time had nothing to do with him.
Just as Arthur was about to slot his ID into the scanner, a slightly childish voice called out behind him.
"E-Excuse me? Senior?"
"Hm?"
Arthur turned to see a ponytailed girl in a standard-issue suit following him cautiously.
[Name: Komini
Position: Clerk
Level: II
Fortitude: I | HP: 18(Fortitude governs physical strength and health. When HP reaches zero, the clerk dies. If Fortitude is the highest stat upon panic, the clerk will attack nearby targets.)
Prudence: I | SP: 17(Prudence governs mental endurance. When SP reaches zero, the clerk panics. If Prudence is the highest stat upon panic, the clerk will freeze in place and commit suicide after a short time.)
Temperance: II(Temperance affects work success rate. If highest upon panic, the clerk becomes hysterical, dealing mental damage to nearby clerks.)
Justice: II(Justice increases movement speed and resistance. If highest upon panic, the clerk will attempt to damage containment units.)
E.G.O Gear: None
E.G.O Gifts: None]
The familiar control panel of Lobotomy Corporation unfolded before Arthur's eyes.
This was the ability he had awakened upon transmigrating—and the sole reason he had survived these three months without being inexplicably torn apart by capricious Abnormalities.
In mere seconds, all of the ponytailed girl's data was laid bare before him.
"What is it?" Arthur asked.
Though he knew the girl had effectively been sentenced the moment she stepped into Lobotomy Corporation, he still offered her basic courtesy.
"My name is Komini," she said eagerly. "Senior, um… what should I be careful about after joining the company?"
Her eyes shone.
"I—I really want to stay here! My family is very short on money!"
"..."
Arthur stared at her earnest expression and, for once, considered his answer seriously.
"Careful about?" he muttered. "Well…"
"Mhm!" Komini nodded vigorously, pulling a small notebook from her pocket, ready to record every word of wisdom.
After a few seconds, Arthur spoke solemnly.
"If there's work you can avoid, avoid it. If there's nothing assigned to you, stay in the dormitory and slack off."
This was the most valuable lesson he had learned in three months.
Here, the monthly survival rate for clerks barely reached five percent. For ordinary clerks, it was even worse.
Arthur would never forget how his first friend in this world had been chatting casually in a corridor—only for a magic circle to form behind him, a deep-blue bullet piercing through his back and exploding his organs in an instant.
Yes.
In Lobotomy Corporation, you never knew when a seemingly well-behaved Abnormality would decide to give you a "surprise."
Clearly, Komini didn't quite grasp the absolute truth Arthur had condensed in his Clerk Survival Manual.
"Senior…" she hesitated, notebook hovering in midair. "Isn't that kind of attitude… not very good?"
Arthur shrugged.
He had said his piece. She would understand soon enough.
"Anything else? If not, I'll—"
He raised his ID again.
"Senior! Senior Arthur! Something's wrong!"
Several clerks in suits rushed toward him from the far end of the corridor. Their exhausted expressions made it clear they weren't newcomers.
"Byrd?"
Arthur recognized the man immediately—one of the few clerks in the Branch who had survived over a month.
"Aren't you from the Control Department?" Arthur asked calmly. "Why are you looking for someone from the Training Department?"
As he spoke, Arthur glanced subtly at Komini. This delay was already dragging him into trouble.
Unlike the Training Department, which handled discipline and training policies, the Control Department wielded far greater authority—monitoring clerks and Abnormalities, issuing work orders, and overseeing operational planning.
If they were resorting to cross-department requests, it was never a good sign.
"An Abnormality!" Byrd gasped.
"A containment breach?"
Arthur frowned. He had no intention of stepping onto the front lines. All he had was the standard-issue pistol and riot baton—no E.G.O equipment whatsoever. Facing even a TETH-class Abnormality would be suicide.
"No!" Byrd shook his head frantically. "Wasn't the K3 containment unit empty?! An Abnormality just manifested there out of nowhere!"
Out of nowhere?
Arthur finally showed a hint of surprise.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
In his memory, Abnormalities were always assigned through Headquarters—never spontaneously appearing.
"I swear!" Byrd grabbed Arthur's shoulder and shook him violently. "They want me to perform the first work on it! Senior, you have to save me!"
The first work on an unknown Abnormality—unless one was absurdly lucky—was a death sentence.
"But my energy quota's already met," Arthur replied calmly. "Good luck."
Understanding Byrd's intention, Arthur moved even faster.
Byrd collapsed, dropping to his knees and clutching Arthur's leg shamelessly.
"Please, Senior! Just this once! I'll do anything for you!"
Security personnel stepped forward and dragged Byrd away. For clerks unwilling to work, the company had plenty of corrective measures.
"Senior…" Komini murmured. Though she didn't yet understand what an Abnormality was, the desperation in Byrd's voice unsettled her.
Arthur ignored the chaos and turned back to the time clock.
Then—
Blood-red text surfaced before his eyes.
[Mission Assigned: Assist Byrd in completing the initial investigation of Abnormality ???Reward: System Panel — Officially Unlocked]