Surviving Among the Entities

All entity manuals are written based on experimentation.
Thus, I too began experimenting with the “Reverse Quest Ticket Dispenser”.

[Reward: One can of zero-calorie cola]
[Task: 20 squats]
[Deadline: 10 minutes]

After completing 20 squats, a 355ml can of zero-calorie cola had mysteriously appeared on my desk.

“Easy.”

I entered the same conditions again.

[Reward: One can of zero-calorie cola]
[Task: 60-second plank (without breaking form)]
[Deadline: 10 minutes]

This time, the task had changed. After going to another room in the office and completing the plank, a can of zero-calorie cola immediately appeared before me.

“Even with the same reward, one random task of equal difficulty is assigned, and the reward appears in a nearby, safe location based on my position.”

Next, I dispensed two tickets consecutively.

“Tickets can be dispensed consecutively.”

[Reward: Rain for the next 1 hour]
[Task: Set up a 2L water bottle 20 meters away and knock it down with a golf ball]
[Deadline: 13 hours]

[Reward: Clear weather for the rest of the day]
[Task: 10-minute wall sit]
[Deadline: 13 hours]

I signed the rain ticket first, then immediately signed the clear weather ticket as well. However, as if the ink had run dry, the pen wouldn’t write whenever I tried signing the tickets, and even my fingerprint wouldn’t register.

“Two tasks cannot be accepted simultaneously.”

I went outside and set up the water bottle. After getting a golf ball, I knocked down the bottle from 20 meters away, and simultaneously, the sky darkened.

“Even the weather can be easily changed.”

Since it was early January, snow should have fallen, but the weather suddenly became warm instead, causing rain rather than snow.

“Woah! What is this! Why is it suddenly raining in this weather?!”
“Ahh! What a freak downpour!”

After inwardly apologizing to the passersby, I returned to the office and signed the clear weather ticket. This time, I could sign it normally, and I completed the task’s requirement.

‘It’s stopped.’

Through this, I learned one more fact.

“A ticket’s reward can override another ticket’s reward.”

In other words, a granted reward can be nullified by another ticket’s reward.

“Additionally, the difficulty of a ticket’s task indeed follows an absolute standard.”

Both tasks were too easy for me. But they were certainly difficult tasks for ordinary people, meaning the standard is based on the average human, not the person entering the reward.

“Alright, now that I’ve learned the basics……”

I cracked my knuckles.

“Let’s figure out the task difficulty and detailed information for various rewards.”

‘For starters, visitors will likely come to fulfill new year’s resolutions, so let me dispense tickets related to that.’

I searched online for popular new year’s resolutions and dispensed tickets accordingly.

[Reward: Healthy weight loss within the normal range]
[Task: Daily volunteer work at an orphanage during the task period]
[Deadline: 180 days]

[Reward: Complete cessation of your current smoking habit]
[Task: Daily summit hike of Mt. Hallasan during the task period]
[Deadline: 365 days]

[Reward: Knowledge to obtain a certified public accountant license]
[Task: No consumption of refined carbohydrates during the task period]
[Deadline: 365 days]

For rewards that ordinary people could achieve with strong willpower, the task difficulties also required strong willpower.

‘Let me try entering a bigger reward this time.’

I entered a reward that requires talent in addition to willpower.

[Reward: Native-level English proficiency]
[Task: Reaching solo rank Challenger 1-20 in League of Legends through your own pure skill]
[Deadline: 365 days]

[Reward: A happy romantic relationship with your ideal partner]
[Task: In Harlem, New York, shout the N-word 10 times at 75 decibels or louder in front of at least 20 unfamiliar black people]
[Deadline: 60 days]

[Reward: Employment at a major corporation]
[Task: Achieve a pure straight (chongpungryunbodeng) in a fair 4-player online or offline mahjong game without any cheating]
[Deadline: 365 days]

For rewards that are possible but require talent, risk your life, or are impossible without luck, the task difficulties were quite high.

“It seems to have a determination not to grant rewards for free.”

However, by specifically manipulating the scope of the reward, it was possible to slightly reduce the difficulty.

[Reward: English proficiency of a 3rd-year American immigrant living diligently among natives]
[Task: Reaching solo rank Grandmaster in League of Legends through your own pure skill]
[Deadline: 60 days]

[Reward: A happy romantic relationship with an ordinary partner]
[Task: In Harlem, New York, shout the N-word once at 65 decibels or louder in front of at least 20 unfamiliar black people]
[Deadline: 100 days]

[Reward: Employment at a company ranked 100-150 in Korea]
[Task: Achieve a triple yakuman (daisangen) in a fair 4-player online or offline mahjong game without any cheating]
[Deadline: 100 days]

I noticed a tendency for the task difficulty to decrease noticeably as the scope and size of the reward narrowed and became more specific rather than vague.

‘It could be my misperception, but similar types of tasks seemed to appear consecutively at times.’

Perhaps since even inanimate entities often have a sense of self, they sometimes assign similar tasks.

“I’ve grasped the general peculiarities.”

Lastly, I confirmed one more aspect.

[Reward: One can of zero-calorie cola]
[Task: 30 sit-ups]
[Deadline: 10 minutes]

After signing it, I waited for the deadline to pass.
The moment 10 minutes had elapsed, a vivid image appeared in my mind.

[Task Failed]
[Penalty Activated]
[Your penalty is “a feeling of meat stuck between your teeth for 10 minutes.”]

I felt a foreign sensation as if meat was indeed stuck between my teeth.
After 10 minutes, the sensation disappeared as if it had never existed.

“A minor penalty for a minor reward.”

I wonder what kind of penalty would be imposed if I failed a task with a major reward?

‘No wonder it mentioned that severe penalties could drastically reduce quality of life or even cost lives.’

There is no choice but to use the “Reverse Quest Ticket Dispenser”.

“Humans always use technology for convenience, and technology is always accompanied by risks.”

Reducing those risks is the job of experts and my mission.

“Well, then……”

I opened the office door.

“Shall I start my work as a Resolver?”

“Pardon? You’re saying this can help me quit smoking?”

Naturally, the visitors didn’t believe me at first.

“That’s right.”
“No, wait… does that actually work? Since you’re a Resolver, I suppose you could have such an item.”

This problem was resolved by the perception alteration afforded by the Resolver profession.

“The reward is quitting smoking, and the task is summiting Mt. Hallasan? For a year? Resolver, is there nothing I can do right away instead of taking such a long time?”
“Here you go. Even with the same reward, the tasks can differ, so you can obtain the desired reward with this as well.”
“Oh, thank you! Let’s see, the task is… shout ‘Dokdo is Japanese territory’ 50 times at Gwanghwamun Square?!”

As expected, most of the visitors came hoping to fulfill new year’s resolutions.
By selecting tickets with tasks that seemed easy and could be readily performed in the vicinity from the ones I had pre-dispensed, I could satisfy them.

“Catch 30 sea bream in the natural ocean within a month? Ah, easy! If this allows me to reach a normal weight, it’s a cakewalk!”
“Ugh, so you’re saying if I walk 200,000 steps every day for a year, you’ll give me the knowledge to enter Seoul National University? This seems the easiest, so I’ll go with this one.”
“So you’re saying to have a happy romantic relationship with my ideal partner, I just need to directly pluck 100,000 strands of hair from the heads of severely balding individuals? I’ll do it, don’t try to stop me! Starting today, I’ll become the nightmare of the bald!”

Most people were satisfied and left.
Or upon seeing the task difficulty, they declined the ticket, saying, “This is no different from me just making an effort myself.”

“Excuse me, I heard from a friend that you have tickets that can grant wishes.”

And visitors began arriving to reveal their pure personal desires rather than new year’s resolutions.

“I want to make money! 10 billion won!”

I didn’t simply turn them away and dispensed tickets for such rewards as well.

[Reward: 10 billion won without tax issues]
[Task: Personally kill 500 members of the Mexican cartel without government assistance]
[Deadline: 365 days]

For major rewards, the tasks tended to risk one’s life or were difficult to achieve.

[Reward: 1 billion won without tax issues]
[Task: Work as a dedicated minor gallery moderator for the top 1-20 ranks of DCInside’s Heonggye gallery for over 1 year (considered a failure if fired midway or leave objectionable images unmoderated for over 3 minutes)]
[Deadline: 365 days]

[Reward: A healthy body that never gains weight or gets sick no matter what you eat]
[Task: Defeat a fully grown grizzly bear in unarmed combat]
[Deadline: 80 days]

[Reward: Olympic gold medalist-level physical abilities in all sports]
[Task: Take a verified photo with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang]
[Deadline: 365 days]

And when such rewards were unrealistic, the tasks were also unrealistic.

[Reward: Strength to easily lift H-beam reinforcing bars]
[Task: Achieve 10,000 BASE jumps with a wingsuit]
[Deadline: 20,000 days]

[Reward: The ability to create any lifeform you desire]
[Task: Prove the Riemann Hypothesis]
[Deadline: 365 days]

[Reward: Immortality]
[Task: Win a fair game of rock-paper-scissors against an unaltered, ordinary mirror]
[Deadline: 7 days]

Of course, I didn’t immediately give such tickets to the visitors.

“You should think carefully. If you fail a ticket’s task, a penalty corresponding to the reward will be imposed. So I’ll give you 3 days to think it over, and you can decide after that.”

I gave them sufficient time to objectively assess whether they could realistically complete the tasks.

“I’ll just give up after all.”
“It was just a passing thought. I’ve been living well enough without such things, so there’s no need to risk my life.”

Most people either changed their minds during the waiting period or never showed up at the office again.

“I’ll give it a try.”

But there were still those who chose to challenge it.

“I’ve thought it over, and for the rock-paper-scissors against a mirror, wouldn’t it work if I just move my hand faster? No, if I pretend to show scissors but switch to a fist, I would win, right? Since the mirror only reflects light, if I move just a bit faster than light, I should win, don’t you think?”
“Do you know the speed of light?”
“I do, but light still has a fixed speed in the end. If I’m just a tiny bit faster, even by a fraction of a second, I can win, so I want to give it a try.”

No matter what I explained, these people had already made up their minds, so they couldn’t be dissuaded.

“Very well, here you go. But let me remind you once more, if you fail the task, a penalty corresponding to the reward will be imposed.”
“Awesome! Thank you!”

A few days later, some of the visitors revisited my office.

“Ugh! The penalty! Save me!”

They had all failed their tasks and received penalties.

“I can’t taste anything at all! It says I won’t be able to taste anything for a month, so please resolve this!”
“I can’t control my sphincter! Uhuk uhuk! I keep leaking feces at any time!”
“Whenever I regain my senses, I’ve unknowingly sent objectionable images to my friends on KakaoTalk! Dozens of them have already cut ties with me, and some are threatening to sue!”

The penalties were terrifying, and the greater the reward, the more severe the penalty.

“Thad dinth bray ait! Gralk krae gor!” (“That’s not fair! I want to talk properly!”)
“All food tastes like feces now due to the penalty. Please, I just want to eat a meal.”
“Uheheng! The penalty gave me 8 impacted wisdom teeth! They said surgery isn’t an option right now since it’s affecting my nerves!”

Some had temporary penalties for a set period, while others had permanent penalties, but either way, there was nothing I could do to help them.

‘How curious, I would have expected some of them to blame me after receiving such severe penalties.’

Was it because I’m a Resolver?
Or did the ticket possess a peculiarity I had yet to grasp?

“In any case, I’m glad I can help people.”

As long as they curb their greed, anyone can use the tickets to obtain what they desire.
It’s fine to be greedy as well. I’ll give them time to think, and the choice is theirs.

‘And human potential is infinite, so someone may complete an impossible task and obtain a reward that shouldn’t exist.’

I don’t want to obstruct human potential.

“Welcome. Did you come because of the tickets?”

So I’ll continue receiving visitors today as well.

“What reward would you like?”