Transported to another world

"I'm finally out of 'prison.'"

Shen Yu sighed, leaning back in his chair as he watched the ending cinematic on the screen-Embrace the Void:

Golden light illuminated the entire sky. Glorious clouds swirled overhead, framing the magnificent golden Godhome below. (Image)

Yet boundless nothingness slowly seeped from the sky. At first, there were only tiny black specks, but they soon spread into a surging tide of darkness.

Liquid void submerged the clouds and cascaded over the temple like a waterfall, soon covering its golden dome and devouring every ray of light.

The God of Void, born from the Little Knight's ascension, descended along a pitch-black bridge and appeared before the Godseeker.

The Godseeker had finally found her god, at the cost of her own life.

Shen Yu watched the credits gradually appear, waves of emptiness and regret washing over him.

Despite its adorable protagonist, Hollow Knight told a tragic yet glorious epic.

Radiance, the god of light who had unleashed a mental plague, had been devoured by the God of Void that the Little Knight had become. The Little Knight's predecessor had returned, and a delicate flower had quelled the raging void. So why did he still feel so empty and regretful?

Radiance and void

Was it the farewell to Quirrel? Myla singing amid her infection? Fandango (Ogrim), who loved the world yet lost everything? The little girl in the Spirits' Glade who could never go home again? Or Hallownest, that great kingdom whose gradual decline no amount of sacrifice could reverse...

Or perhaps it was the Little Knight, without a mind of their own, who hurried away after fulfilling their mission...

"I wonder what the Little Knight would look like all grown up." Shen Yu sighed and returned to the main menu. That ethereal music reached his ears again, now tinged with an added sorrow.

Forget it. I'll unwind with a "nice, relaxing" game. With that thought, Shen Yu opened Lobotomy Corporation from his library.

Lobotomy Corporation was a management simulation developed by the South Korean company Project Moon.

Players took on the role of a manager, overseeing strange entities known as Abnormalities and extracting a substance called Enkephalin to refine into clean energy.

But anyone who thought this was merely a [relaxing] [management simulation] was sorely mistaken.

This game was the spiritual successor to the Foundation: "We secure (containment breaches), we contain (nuclear explosions), we protect (restarts)."

Every Abnormality had its own designation and containment unit, along with some hellish mechanics and chain reactions.

Thus, Lobotomy Corporation was also known as White-Knuckle Company and Hypertension Company. In the late game, even a tiny mistake could set off a series of chain reactions, forcing players to rewind time and restart the day.

Add a story with depth (and emotional gut punches), plus its distinctive "pick one of three" options (none of which were any good).

It was the perfect choice for fighting poison with poison.

Shen Yu yawned and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest as he rubbed his throbbing temples and waited for that grind-inducing music to begin.

Suddenly, Shen Yu felt as though something had seized his heart. His jumbled thoughts stopped dead, and he felt as if he were sinking into an ocean.

When he regained consciousness, he unexpectedly heard a gentle female voice.

"Manager."

At that, Shen Yu immediately sat up, looked around, and blurted out:

"What the fuck is going on?"

He wore a white lab coat over a black suit. Numerous electronic screens were clustered tightly before him, displaying various dimly lit areas, while walls patterned with blue lines surrounded him.

Strangest of all, everything he saw looked illustrated rather than real.

The Cognitive Filter!

Shen Yu turned toward the source of the voice beside his desk.

A tall, beautiful woman stood there. Her black suit outlined her pleasing curves, and a red tie at her neck stood out vividly against her fair skin. A pristine white lab coat hung over her shoulders.

Her waist-length hair was pale blue, like a clear sky. Under the indoor lighting, its strands gave off a soft sheen. Some of it was tied into a ponytail on her left, revealing a delicate face with beautiful features and fair skin.

Her hands were folded in front of her, her posture straight, and her every movement elegant and composed. She exuded a rational poise and charm.

Wait, am I asleep? Shen Yu slapped himself across the face and immediately felt a burning sting.

Fuck, I really did get transported-and as the manager, the guy who's doomed in the ending.

"Manager, what's wrong?"

"Ahem, I'm just a little sleepy. I wanted to wake myself up." Shen Yu gave an awkward smile, gripping both armrests tightly.

"Manager, you need rest right now," the woman beside him reminded him.

"Because the Cognitive Filter failed yesterday, you suffered severe mental contamination. After you finish resting, you'll need a second session of psychological treatment."

The Cognitive Filter failed? Mental contamination? Wait, don't tell me...

Shen Yu leaned forward, scooted his soft chair closer, and opened the main screen in the center. He glanced at the time: two in the morning.

But unlike the game, there was no day counter here, so Shen Yu could only judge by the number of containment rooms.

Tch, even the Central Command Department is already here. That means it's after day twenty-one. Let's see exactly what day it is.

Shen Yu enlarged the display and began counting. As he went, his hands twitched, itching to offer the previous manager his "heartfelt" regards.

What greeted him were mutilated, bald employees scattered throughout the facility. Combined with the empty employee list on the right and the absolute gems among its Abnormalities, the lineup was as follows:

The Information Department's "Anglerfish," capable of inflicting massive mental damage on managers who played "Lobotomy Dress-Up": [You're Bald...].

The Training Department's "Singing Machine": [Nameless Fetus], [Singing Machine].

The "Safety Department's" "Four! Great! Talents!": [Plague Doctor], [The Parasite Tree], [Data Expunged], [The Train to Hell].

The Central Command Department's "golden duo": [Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary], [Big and Might Be Bad Wolf].

A pile of absurd monstrosities with instant-kill mechanics and chain reactions, plus a sneaky bastard masquerading as a doctor who, once the time was right, would descend with eleven Abnormalities of the highest danger level and beat the company into the ground.

Are you fucking kidding me? It's only day twenty-one, and you managed to find every one of these hellish things? That's one vicious deathrattle you left behind!

"An... ahem, Angela." Shen Yu's mouth twitched as he looked at the woman beside him. "Step outside for a moment. I need some peace and quiet. Also, I'm taking back your authority over surveillance and dispatch."

"Manager, I do not believe that is the correct course of action." Angela frowned. "I am merely an AI. I have never planned to harm you, nor will I ever do so."

"Angela." Shen Yu planted his elbows on the desk, clasped his hands beneath his chin, and stared straight at her with bloodshot eyes.

"I need some time alone to soothe my shattered soul. I hope you understand."

"Understood. If you wish to rest, the sleeping pills are in the drawer to your right." Angela nodded and walked out of the manager's office.

Watching her figure gradually disappear into the darkness, Shen Yu let out a long breath. Sure, this setup was catastrophically awful, but he had been transported to another world. How could he possibly not have that thing?

So Shen Yu chuckled and called into the air:

"System."

No response.

"System?"

No response.

"Sys~tem~~"

No response.

"Fuck. I'm screwed." Shen Yu slumped bonelessly in his chair, stared at the flickering screen, and gave up thinking.

One more look at this insane lineup, and he would explode.

Starting a second run would be pointless, too. Although he could carry over the Abnormality records, E.G.O., Core Suppression progress, and so on, the manager X/A's memories would be wiped in the game.

Back when he was the player, that hadn't mattered. Now, however, he was the manager inside the game. Starting a second run would wipe his memories, and then he'd be done for.

Even if he worked his ass off to reach an ending-sorry, there wasn't a single ending where the manager survived normally.

The world-destruction route did let him regain his "freedom," but whether that freedom meant becoming an Abnormality or getting swallowed by that white-haired woman, he had no idea.

Shen Yu pressed a hand to his forehead, pondering ways to survive. Suddenly, an inexplicable sensation stirred within him, and he caught a dark shape flashing overhead out of the corner of his eye.

When he raised his head to search for it, something abruptly dropped in front of him.

A pale mask shaped like a beetle's head, a pale nail-shaped weapon on their back engraved with intricate patterns. Beneath their shadowy cloak was a body formed from deep void, roughly the size of a child. (Image)

They looked just like an adorable rag doll.

Shen Yu gaped, staring into those abyss-deep nostrils-scratch that, pupils-as shock surged through his mind.

The Little Knight from Hollow Knight! Why are they here?

But the Little Knight paid no attention to his shock. After looking around, they walked toward Shen Yu, then sat straight down on his lap.

Just then, Shen Yu heard a sound. After searching his memory, he recognized it as the save sound that played when sitting on a bench in Hollow Knight. Meanwhile, the Little Knight took Charms out of their cloak and began adjusting them.

So I'm a mobile bench? Looking at the Little Knight before him, Shen Yu suddenly had a remarkable idea.

Radiance, the god of light, is light-and the Seed of Light is light too!

Angela