Corroserum's Badge

Good work, everyone.

Now if you don't mind...

Good evening, Doctor.

Doctor.

Good evening.

If you're really curious...

Could I ask you to hold this up for a moment?

No need to panic, the experiment will be conducted within controllable limits.

The armor plate you're holding has our latest reworked protective coating applied, which should suffice to ensure your safety.

As you can see, it has previously suffered a degree of corrosive wear. However, the improvement to our new coating technology lies not in anti-corrosion.

Care to begin, Astgenne? Please attack the plate with Originium Arts.

Hold up, isn't this method a little dangerous for an experiment?

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, Doctor.

Well, I... Okay, then...

That's right, this improved protective coating retains a level of resistance against Arts attacks even when corroded. That's new.

Of course, all credit is due to Astgenne and her efforts.

Unfortunately, I have yet to achieve any particular breakthroughs on the corrosive front.

......

Sorry about this, Doctor. I need you to play along with me for one more attack.

Lightning, illuminate! Hah!

Thought so... It took such an excessive attack just to pierce the plate's defenses.

Oh, uh! You're okay, right? Sorry... I...

Phew... Sorry.

As should be obvious, this protective coating's strength has far exceeded the project goals.

But it still hasn't reached the theoretical limit of the design.

What if we took it a step further? I think there's a call for more testing.

I agree, but I also wouldn't consider it wise to chase the theoretical limit.

......

I need to make a detailed record of the results of this trial.

Thank you, Doctor.

Doctor, it just passed six o'clock.

Please allow me to clock out for the day. Thank you very much for joining us for today's experiment.

Oh right, I have some candy from Quercus and Yanese tea from Mister Lee sitting on my desk. They're both excellent for relieving fatigue, so please feel free to help yourself.

In any case... I'll see the two of you later.

......

Oh... Don't worry about me. I might be working late again.

I still need to do a bit more research and testing.

(Takes a deep breath)

(Stretches)

(Takes a deep breath)

Phew... Time to head back!

Oops, music's a bit loud. Wouldn't want to disturb others. I'll have to turn it down a little.

Hmm hmm~ (Grooves along with the music)

Gotta turn on the humidifier since the room's a bit dry.

Project Lead Corroserum, are you in?

I have something for you.

These are the materials you requested. Please sign here, if you don't mind.

Thanks a bunch. Go ahead and leave the stuff over in that corner.

You can go after dropping it off. I'll sort it all out myself later.

By the way, why'd you request so many discarded experimental materials? And not just from our team either.

It's not work-related; just a personal hobby of mine.

......

A personal hobby, huh... And for Astgenne, it was a personal idea.

I really have no clue what the two of you are working on in secret.

Here's the receipt.

Did you need anything else?

Corroserum... When I left the lab just now, ours was the only one with the lights still on.

Astgenne hasn't been back to her room for days now. I think... you should go check up on her.

Come in.

Hello, everyone! I'm the new researcher, Corroserum, and my specialty is...

Alright, fill out these forms first and bring them over to the accountant's office by tonight.

Sure! If any of you need any help, feel free to give me a call.

Let's get started.

On it!

Not leaving yet?

I'm not heading back today.

Not like I have anything else to do, so I might as well knock this out.

Relax, you still have plenty of time.

Yeah, I know. I just happened to have a flash of inspiration.

You can head back first.

By the way, Corroserum, how long have you been with the Engineering Department?

...About half a year?

Oh...

Good luck then.

Yup!

Corroserum, come here for a moment.

What is it?

It's been two years since you joined the Engineering Department, right? I've always seen you as an intelligent and hardworking young man.

Thanks, boss!

So... There's a project, but it's not one of ours. It belongs to a friend of mine in the military, and they urgently need a new type of protective material for their soldiers.

I can handle it.

I'm not joking around here. Think it through carefully—I have no way of sending you extra assistants, and you can't afford to fall behind in your day-to-day work here either.

Trust me, I can handle it.

......

Fine, do your best.

Will do!

This data set... shouldn't be possible.

How could he have missed such an obvious error?

...Weren't you supposed to be off work?

Sorry to bother you. I'm just back to pick up a file.

And, I'll be taking my leave now.

Wait, hold on a second!

Hmm? Did you need something?

I did have a question, about the corrosive agent you were in charge of improving.

Ask away.

You haven't made any progress with it for months now. Even when I joined up with the rest of the team, we couldn't move forward at all.

True. Admittedly, development in this area has been more difficult than I imagined.

I've always had my suspicions, since from a data-perspective these kinds of results shouldn't be possible. But I never thought about it too much since I trusted you.

Until just now, when I checked the records of previous experiments and stumbled upon this...

Your sample report.

Was there some sort of problem with it?

Was there a problem?!

In each batch of samples you make, you use less of the active ingredient than we calculated for.

In other words, the samples we've been testing over the last few months have all been incomplete, defective products!

No wonder the experimental results of your corrosive agents have been so disappointing. This whole time, we've barely met the minimum project design requirements.

......

Sorry, this does appear to be a major oversight on my part.

You're telling me you somehow managed to miss all this?

Yes, for which I deeply apologize.

......

......

Then can you make some new samples that actually match the data we're using?

Sorry, but not right now.

Because I'm off work.

Hey–!

You'll have my complete cooperation tomorrow, but I really must get going.

Regarding the serious errors in my work, I will explain the situation to the Doctor myself, and take full responsibility for the consequences.

In any case... See you tomorrow.

Hey!

Corroserum!

(Takes a deep breath)

(Confront your work.)

(All of its facets.)

(All your different colleagues.)

(What expression would be the most appropriate?)

Corroserum, what the hell have you been doing?!

This is what I get for trusting you so much!

But... our data indicate that this performs twice as well as the original requirements.

And it costs how much?! Do you have any idea how much we'd have to sell just to recoup our expenses?

Are you trying to lose us money here? Not to mention how the client is going to balk at the price tag.

But, didn't you say they were your friend...?

Good grief... Young man...

Step outside for a moment.

But sir...

Get out!

...Alright.

Everyone! Put whatever you're doing on hold! We have an urgent project that needs to get done.

What you were just issued is a new type of protective material that showed up on the battlefield.

This?!

Right now, one of our important clients urgently needs an agent that can deal with this protective material.

We've been given a hard deadline of one month, so during this time I need everyone here to give it their all. No taking time off, no slacking! This MUST get done!

Does everyone understand?

Boss...

What?

This material... I think I've felt something very similar half a year ago...

Get to work already! If you have something to say, tell me later.

......

Did you hear me?

Yes, I understand.

Are all our people here?

Yes, my colleague had something to attend to, so let's get started.

Very well... We've already received the data sheets you submitted, as well as tested the samples you gave us.

Without a doubt, they meet our standards when it comes to performance, quality, and other measures. However...

Is there an issue?

So here's the situation. We've been... having a number of internal reorganizations lately. A lot has changed.

The new manager proposed a new target policy, and was dissatisfied with the performance of the current corrosive agent. He would like you to meet the following benchmarks.

A corrosion index requirement as high as this... practically falls under the category of a WMD.

It's... for personal protective use.

Also, for whatever reason, the budget for this project has been slashed.

Therefore, you might encounter some difficulties in terms of controlling costs and future development expenses. I hope you understand.

Sorry, but allow me to say something.

First of all, I can't guarantee that we can meet these new benchmarks. It's something I'd have to discuss with my teammates first.

Second, an extended R&D cycle would inevitably lead to an increase in development costs. If you're going to cut the budget...

Um... In that case, how about removing some of the unnecessary protective systems? Just leave in the basic safety features.

I must apologize, but making modifications to a chemical agent is not as simple as appending a line of text.

But we're talking about removing functionality here, right? Surely that's not so difficult for professionals like you.

......

And, regarding the budget... There's truly nothing I can do about that. However, internally we do acknowledge the excellent work you've shown us.

Which is why I think of these as hurdles we can overcome together. ...We are, of course, very sorry for the trouble.

I trust we will have more opportunities to work together in the long-term.

The one to make that decision will be...

Doctor?

......

Understood. We'll discuss things again on our end.

Apologies. In light of the current situation, our side has decided to terminate R&D on this project.

Thank you, Doctor. But I think this outcome is for the best.

......

......

Doctor! Impeccable timing as always!

After a few days of comparing the old experimental data, I've finally found the problem! Here's a sample of the new corrosive agent.

Oh, and this time, you don't have to stand behind the armor plate. Just keep your eyes peeled!

......

Did you see that? The new agent completely ate through the previous version of the protective coating.

But! But! For this new one, I've adjusted the way we approach our technical designs when it comes to the protective coating!

What's wrong, Doctor?

Did something go wrong at the meeting?

......

It's not that big of a deal.

The client felt that the existing agent achieved the desired effect, but wanted us to make improvements to the protective aspect.

Your hard work has given us a way forward for our future research.

Also, these materials can be used to keep our own operators safe in the future. Isn't that right, Doctor?

Oh right, Doctor.

There's something we have to talk about.

Thank you, Doctor!

We were simply doing what had to be done.

Oh right, Doctor.

There's something we have to talk about.

...Alright.

Oh right, Doctor.

There's something we have to talk about.

So, during the research on the corrosive agent, I indeed made a mistake in the amount of a key ingredient.

I am willing to accept any consequences for my error.

Hmm?

You do know what my area of expertise is, right?

That's right. From the day I joined Engineering, I've been constantly going back and forth between corrosion and anti-corrosion in my research, encountering no shortage of setbacks and breakthroughs.

But I never paid attention to my own protection, nor did I consider that the reagents were silently eating away at me.

Until one day, I realized that the things known as dreams, passions, and ideals are not so corrosion-proof after all.

......

So... Why not let Astgenne keep believing in her work, Doctor?

Speaking of which, it's almost six o'clock.

May I clock out now?

Ask away.

......

You know, Great Yan has an old adage about the spear and the shield. Mister Lee told me the story a while ago.

When you hold the strongest shield, there will invariably be someone who wants to challenge it, to break through its limits. And from that was born the sharpest spear.

And when the sharpest spear becomes undefeatable, there will invariably be someone who seeks to challenge its deadly strength. And from that was born the strongest shield.

It is a never-ending cycle, one in which nobody can predict the end result.

Unless...

There is nobody left to pick up a spear or shield.

Ah... I didn't mean to go off on a tangent. In any case, I made a mistake in my work, and I'm solely responsible for it.

But we can talk about this more at work tomorrow.

After all, I'm off-the-clock.

(Takes a deep breath)

(Stretches)

(Takes a deep breath)

Hmm?

Do you really want to know, Doctor?

I'm asking you, can it cause obvious damage to the target?

Absolutely. After all, that material was made with the same formula I experimented with once before.

Though I'm not sure how it made its way out into the wild.

Son of a gun...

And what's the current safe service life of this weapon?

Around thirty allowances of ammunition.

Can you make a bulk delivery in time?

No, because we haven't finished testing. Those soldiers would be marching off to their deaths.

......

Is there something wrong with you? Do I have to beat some sense into you?!

Our clients can't wait forever, and we have the stuff on hand right now! This is a business! This is how we put food on the table!

......

People want something that works, meets their needs, and doesn't cost too much! That's all that matters!

As for what happens to the soldiers, does any of that affect you in any way? Does it?!

......

Isn't thirty ammunition allowances' worth good enough? Who knows if the main forces can even use up that much.

You're still young, so would it kill you to use your head and think outside the box for once?

I'm seriously disappointed in you.

(Is this really worth getting mad over?)

(Of course it is.)

(That said...)

(This is just work.)

(Why take it so seriously?)

What's with that look on your face?!

Sorry, sir.

In that case... I'll head back to work first.