Getting Approval from Otherworld Clients - Chapter 8

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 8.
Life is not, an egg…
but a labyrinth (1)
The three of us gathered in the conference room to review the design brief.
So there’s an organized brief this time—last time must have been a complete mess.
On the projector screen connected to the laptop, the following appeared:

Labyrinth Theme Park Branding
– Output:
A) Main – Logo, brand graphics
B) Variation – Nameplates, flag graphics, commemorative merchandise
– Direction:
Thrilling adventure maze
A theme park—unlike that brutal fortress-city project, I’m guessing nobody’s going to actually die this time.
This looks better than before?
“This #379237 world conducted projects with our Design Agency in the past, so we have research materials. Let’s familiarize ourselves with what’s worth referencing.”
At least there’s market research data too.
Reduces the odds of wandering into a dangerous place and crossing the river of death by mistake.
– A world of absolute monarchies where city-states proliferate. There’s a class system, so be careful with attitudes toward royalty.
– Only religious and royal performances, and storytellers have developed as entertainment businesses.
The entertainment industry among competitors is equally sparse.
Without rival brands to worry about, the design freedom is high—shouldn’t be too difficult.
“The client is apparently a prince of one nation. Let’s maintain courtesy and avoid any problems.”
A prince? What kind of tentacled monster prince is waiting for me now…?
Ugh, that’s definitely what worries me most.
“Ah, before the client meeting—one thing. Lee Hyeon-ah, did you install the mobile app for the in-house messenger?”
“Not yet. Should I install the apk file you sent before?”
Truth is, I was trying to avoid installing the mobile messenger at all….
If I can check messages twenty-four seven, it’s going to feel like I never actually leave work.
……And the director will probably find it even easier to reach me on weekends!
“Right. That should let us communicate even in other worlds.”
“Yes, I’ll install it before the meeting.”
Telling myself I’d turn off app notifications every time I left work… I connected my smartphone to the computer.
The Vanta V symbol icon appeared on my phone’s home screen. Vanta Chat installed successfully.
“Let’s go.”
My teammates, who’d waited for the messenger app to finish installing, stood ready at the door.
I slung my bag over my shoulder, clipped the carabiner to my key ring, and joined them.
‘If only today goes smoothly so I can quit this job sooner….’
Chanting the wish like a prayer, I stepped into the swirling black void.
.
.
.
We arrived inside a stone structure.
On the central wall, atop high steps, sat an enormous throne.
Through the open windows, the distant sea was visible.
‘…salt air.’
The wind carried a briny scent, and the spray glittered in the dazzling sunlight.
A bustling Coastal City where people sorted the fish they’d caught.
“…….”
Wait, hold on.
People?
“!!!”
Wow! So this world actually has people living in it!
Right, not every other world has to be full of squid monsters!
A human client—I was getting emotional, thinking this project was just so much better than everything else.
Thud-!
Thud-!
Thud-!
…heavy footsteps struck my eardrums.
“…….”
Something’s off—there’s no way footsteps are this heavy.
Perhaps the prince was extremely obese, or the royal family observed a custom of wearing iron shoes, or his back was so bad he needed a heavy cane—I ran through every possibility I could conjure.
I forced myself to consider each scenario as carefully as possible.
“Make way for His Highness the Prince!”
As servants announced his arrival, the prince finally revealed himself.
Broad shoulders, commanding build, a frame the size of four or five grown men combined, and.
……a bull’s head.
“…….”
Wind snorted and wheezed from his enormous nostrils…….
“Thank you for coming such a long way, teachers.”
The bull-headed monster spoke in an oddly gentle voice.
“We’re building the Labyrinth Theme Park anew, and I hear that having someone handle the branding would be wonderful. I’m no expert, but I’m grateful you’ve graced us with your presence.”
The bull-headed monster continued, looking oddly embarrassed.
“……!”
Wait, wait, hold on!
Breaking free from my wounded heart, something suddenly clicked.
A bull-headed monster and a labyrinth.
Basic cultural knowledge no Korean could possibly miss.
‘This is… Greek and Roman mythology, isn’t it?!’
* * *
Oblivious to my internal tap dancing, the meeting pressed on.
By now the Minotaur Prince was deep into explaining his labyrinth theme park.
“Visitors will enter the labyrinth and embark on a journey to find the exit. The structure changes constantly, and there are traps scattered throughout.”
…Given that only one person in mythology had ever solved it, the visitors here would probably have even shorter lifespans.
“An impenetrable world of mystery, action-packed thrills—that’s the experience we want to offer! After all, nowadays the trend is fighting, destruction, rolling around—that kind of action, isn’t it?”
Right, a world where action heroes pulverize monsters like you.
‘Still… a labyrinth of brutal difficulty paired with branding to amplify it.’
The bull prince wanted this theme park to draw massive crowds.
Undoubtedly many visitors would flood in.
Based on what Pascal had mentioned about the company’s special ability….
‘If we do exactly what the client asks this time, it’s going to be a disaster.’
My spine went cold.
True, it’s technically none of my business.
‘I just need a good evaluation from the client and I’m done.’
It’s not like I know anyone who’d die, and it’s just some weird world’s residents causing chaos.
…But the thing is.
‘I don’t want blood on my hands!’
That’s it. I’m an ordinary citizen.
I don’t want difficult work, I want to dodge responsibility—just your typical salaried worker mentality.
My greatest hope in life is to quietly keep my job and then exit safely without guilt eating at me.
‘Ever since that tentacle monster disaster last time, I’ve been having nightmares!’
Dreams where thousands of eyes from bursting slime creatures scream accusations at me.
‘…This time, I’m going to protect my sleep no matter what.’
But the bull-mouthed client, oblivious to my feelings, kept dropping bombshells.
“Since you’re here, why not tour the grand opening theme park? After all, you’ll need to understand the service properly in order to brand it.”
……Excuse me??
Enter the labyrinth that only a legendary hero ever cleared?!
Wait! I need to worry about my own life before anyone else’s!
“Well, while we’re here, we could look arou—”
I urgently cut off my boss’s sentence.
“We’ll need our survey equipment! Tomorrow, tomorrow—! We’ll come back with everything prepared!”
“Ah, so you need professional gear. I apologize for being so rude as to ask you to enter unprepared. Please visit whenever it’s convenient for you!”
Pascal gave me a puzzled look but didn’t press the issue until the client bowed and left.
Sorry for cutting off your sentence—please don’t bite my head off for it…….
“Is something the matter? In any case, let’s head back and discuss this.”
No way! Going back immediately isn’t an option either!
Returning to the office right now won’t change anything.
‘If I’m right about this, there has to be a solution here.’
So I grasped at any excuse I could.
“Wait! Just a moment—bathroom! I need the bathroom!”
“The commute won’t take long, so let’s just head back to the office….”
“We need to go right now! Um, where’s the bathroom in this palace?”
I grabbed one of the attendants lingering in the chamber and asked.
The attendant led me through the palace corridors to the restroom.
“…?”
Pascal and Hena followed me, their faces full of questions, though they didn’t press the issue.
It was embarrassing to bolt like that, but… there was something I needed to check.
‘I can’t rely on hazy memories alone. I need to be sure.’
The moment I was alone in the restroom, I powered on my smartphone and opened the company messenger app.
‘If the app works across worlds, like they said…’
Then AI-assisted research might just be possible.
[Vanta Bot]
Found it—the AI chatbot listed in the employee directory.
I tapped the profile with its sleek two-headed mascot character and entered the chat window, where the conversation auto-started.
– Hello! I’m Vanta Bot, your friendly colleague.
– Before using this service, please review the following.
A privacy agreement confirming that all conversations would remain on the Design Agency servers and invisible to the company.
I quickly consented, approved a few access permissions, and asked my question.
– World #376216 looks similar to the Minotaur Mythology in #000255. Can you explain the connection?
– Yes! The half-man, half-bull appearance and the labyrinth are quite close. However, they’re not a perfect match.
– I can only access human world data through your smartphone, the Design Agency’s database, and whatever data my phone collects right now.
– So please understand my limited grasp of World #376216.
…Right. An AI isn’t omniscient. Asking about this world wouldn’t help.
I’d already seen the Design Agency’s database before we left, so I should focus on researching the human world instead.
– Then summarize the Minotaur Mythology from the human world for me.
– Of course. Please see the content below.
With a light buzz, the AI began organizing the information.
Minotaur Mythology
– The Minotaur is trapped in the labyrinth of Crete and devours people.
– The hero Theseus of Athens enters the labyrinth as a sacrifice and slays the Minotaur.
– Theseus escapes the labyrinth safely using the thread ball that Ariadne, princess of Crete, gave him.
That’s it. That’s what I was looking for.
Ariadne’s thread.
The reason only the hero Theseus could return alive from the maze.
‘This world isn’t exactly like the myth, but the similarities are definitely there.’
Though the details have changed—the Minotaur is recognized as a prince now—the bull-monster connected to the labyrinth still exists.
Better to prepare something resembling the myth than to go in completely defenseless.
‘But then….’
…would I have to shake off the attendant and hide in the palace?
Me, just an office worker?
“…….”
……Employees always seem to end up with work that’s beyond their pay grade.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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