Knock, knock.
“Co in.”
At the sound of Pi Seong-yeol’s voice, Su-ho opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was empty except for Pi. Clearly, this was intentional.
As Su-ho entered, Pi gestured for him to take a seat.
“Sit down.”
The atmosphere was heavy.
It had to be. Two of Pi’s well-placed pawns had been taken out in a single move—how could he not be furious?
Yet Su-ho maintained an expression of innocence as he took his seat.
Pi studied him in silence before letting out a faint chuckle and speaking.
“I hear you aced both the Awakening Division and Managent Division evaluations?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I thought you were just good with your sword, but it seems you’re sharp with your mind too.”
“Not at all. I was just lucky.”
“Luck favors the prepared. Anyway, congratulations.”
“Thank you, Senior.”
“But let’s talk about the draft dodging case. That was your doing too, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was.”
“How did you manage it?”
So, it’s finally co to this.
If he was going to ask anything, it would be this.
Prepared for the mont, Su-ho calmly gave his pre-planned response.
“There was an anonymous tip-off.”
“A tip-off?”
“Yes. Soone threw a set of docunts onto my desk, and inside was all the information on the draft dodgers involved in the case.”
“...Is that true?”
“How could I lie to you, Senior?”
The ntion of an anonymous tip seed to catch Pi off guard. His expression turned contemplative, clearly not expecting this explanation.
“What about the person who delivered it?”
“I couldn’t catch them. They ran off too quickly.”
“You couldn’t catch them? You, a Sword Saint?”
“I apologize. I had to make a choice between chasing the person or securing the docunts, and I prioritized the latter.”
“Hmm…”
Pi’s brow furrowed deeply as he considered this.
“Fair enough. In that situation, it makes sense.”
Seeing the gears turning in Pi’s mind, Su-ho added, “I’m sorry for not reporting this to you earlier, Senior. I didn’t think it was significant at the ti…”
As Su-ho bowed his head apologetically, Pi stared at him for a mont before sighing and speaking softly.
“...No, it’s fine. How could you have known? Good work. There’s nothing else to report, is there?”
“No, nothing else.”
“Alright. From now on, report everything to , no matter how small. Like this tip-off.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Your next assignnt is the Resource Division, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’ll go to the Gate Division after that and then back to . I’ll talk to the departnt heads for both divisions to ensure your training goes smoothly. After you finish your Special Division training, we’ll revisit your placent.”
“Understood, Senior.”
“Off you go.”
At Pi’s dismissal, Su-ho left the office and made his way to the elevator, his mind buzzing with satisfaction.
“He must be feeling pretty conflicted right now.”
There was no way Pi could suspect Su-ho at this stage.
The story was airtight, and the evidence pointed elsewhere.
If anything, Pi would start doubting Park Gyu-min.
That was precisely the point of the false information Su-ho had leaked.
“An anonymous tip, the dismissal of Lee Wan-ik and Lee Se-hyun—it’s all too convenient. He’ll likely conclude that Park Gyu-min was behind it.”
Everything was going according to plan.
With Pi now forced to act, Su-ho knew the ga was shifting to the next phase.
“Ti to tread carefully. Too many coincidences will eventually draw suspicion.”
But even if Pi caught on, could he stop Su-ho?
“I handled you in my past life. What makes you think I can’t do it again?”
After clocking out for the day, Su-ho called Park Gyu-min.
***
The next day, Su-ho arrived at the Resource Division with Jung Cheol-min as planned.
Their first stop was the departnt head’s office, where Do Hak-hyeon, the head of the Resource Division, greeted them warmly.
“So you’re the one I’ve been hearing so much about. I’m Do Hak-hyeon.”
“An Su-ho, sir. Looking forward to working with you.”
Do Hak-hyeon had the most relaxed deanor Su-ho had seen in a departnt head so far.
“No wonder. Compared to other departnts that are constantly overworked, the Resource Division—especially for soone like Do Hak-hyeon in a managerial position—is as cushy as it gets.”
As soone firmly within Pi Seong-yeol’s faction and holding a singular managerial role, Do Hak-hyeon truly held a golden seat.
Smiling, Do Hak-hyeon said, “I heard you aced the theoretical exams in both the Awakening Division and Managent Division. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble here. Our tests focus more on morization than application. As for the field evaluation, don’t worry—I’ve arranged for the easiest tasks to make your ti here comfortable.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Shall we start with the theoretical exam, then?”
“Yes, I studied in advance.”
“This one’s got spirit! Alright, let’s have you take the test first. A supervisor should be arriving shortly to oversee it.”
Hearing this, Jung Cheol-min spoke up. “If it’s just the theoretical exam, I can supervise and grade it on the spot if you’d like.”
“Really? That’d be a big help. Let’s do that, then.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll take care of it.”
With Jung’s help, the theoretical exam process was significantly streamlined, and Su-ho passed in one go. The cheat sheet Jung had provided earlier had been instruntal.
When the Resource Division training supervisor, Kim Seok-hoon, arrived and saw Su-ho’s results, he couldn’t hide his amazent.
“Wow… I thought it was a stretch, but you really scored a perfect mark here too.”
Jung, holding the answer sheet, chuckled confidently as he left the room.
“I’ll send over the study materials for the Gate Division and Special Division tests later.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
After Jung left, Su-ho introduced himself to Kim Seok-hoon.
“I’m Kim Seok-hoon. I’ll be overseeing your training while you’re with the Resource Division.”
“An Su-ho. Nice to et you.”
After a brief handshake, Kim suggested they move on.
“Shall we head to the Resource Managent Departnt first? I’ll explain the field evaluation on the way.”
“Understood.”
The Resource Managent Departnt
As they walked, Kim asked, “How familiar are you with the Resource Managent Departnt? Do you know about the five teams?”
“Yes. The departnt is divided into:
The Equipnt Team, which handles item storage.
The Book Team, which manages skill books.
The Consumables Team, responsible for consumable items.
Special Team 1, which deals with miscellaneous and material items.
Special Team 2, which handles so-called ‘Cursed Items.’”
Kim raised an impressed eyebrow. “You’ve done your howork. The field evaluation will be split into two parts. One will cover the four standard teams, and the other will focus on Special Team 2.”
Su-ho nodded knowingly. “Makes sense. Unlike the standard teams, Special Team 2 deals with high-risk items.”
Though he was well aware of the departnt’s workings from past experience, Su-ho listened attentively as Kim continued to explain.
“So, the evaluation will happen in two stages. Don’t worry too much about the cursed items—we’re only exposing you to entry-level cases for experience. Honestly, the first part of the test, involving logistics, might feel more tedious. It’s pure manual labor.”
As they approached the departnt, they t Gu Min-hwan, the Resource Managent Departnt head.
“I’m Gu Min-hwan. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“An Su-ho, sir. Looking forward to working with you.”
“From what I’ve heard, you’ve already aced the theoretical exam. Is that right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Impressive. So, Seok-hoon, what’s the order for the field evaluations?”
“We’ll start with the joint evaluation covering the four standard teams, followed by the second evaluation for Special Team 2.”
“That works. But isn’t it the comprehensive inspection season? Won’t the first evaluation be difficult to arrange?”
Comprehensive Inspections
These inspections were notorious for their intensity, examining every aspect of a departnt’s operations to ensure they were functioning properly.
“Inspections are hell for any departnt, but I guess it’s Resource’s turn.”
Kim quickly reassured Gu, “Yes, but I’ll handle the first evaluation myself to avoid adding to the team’s burden. I’ve already gotten approval, so it just needs your okay.”
“Fine by . Let’s get started. Su-ho, we’ll et again later.”
“Understood.”
The External Resource Warehouse
Kim escorted Su-ho to the departnt’s massive external warehouse.
“The division head and departnt head work in the desk offices, but most of the work happens here in the warehouse. You know why, right?”
“Yes. The Resource Division manages an enormous volu of items.”
“Exactly. For now, your task will be to familiarize yourself with the locations and organization of each team’s materials, as well as the retrieval and categorization process. While it’s all outlined in the theory exam, practical application is a bit different.”
“Is it significantly different?”
“The theory is straightforward, but there are a lot of variables in practice. That’s what makes it tricky.”
“I see. That should be manageable.”
“…Confident, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
Su-ho’s confidence wasn’t unfounded. He had previously worked a rotation in the Resource Division and was no stranger to its operations.
“It was tough back then…”
Many underestimated the Resource Division, assuming it was just a matter of sorting and managing inventory.
But reality hit differently when faced with the scale and complexity of the job.
Kim smirked, amused by Su-ho’s optimism. “Let’s see if that confidence holds up.”
Handing Su-ho two sheets of paper, Kim said, “Here’s a condensed version of the test. Start by retrieving the items listed here.”
“Understood. Where should I bring them?”
“I’ll wait at the warehouse entrance. Just bring them there.”
With that, they reached the warehouse, and Su-ho was struck by its enormity.
The Warehouse
The sprawling, multi-tiered structure was filled with towering shelves stacked with countless items. Workers in helts and uniforms bustled about, shouting instructions.
“Careful with that!”
“Item 2a123ab coming up!”
The atmosphere was bustling and intense.
Suddenly, a worker shouted, “Heads up! A helt’s falling!”
Clang!
A helt fell from a high shelf, striking another worker square on the head. The worker collapsed on the spot.
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