[You have completed the hidden trial, Justice Served.]
Without even realizing it, Eun-Ho had carried out justice and received a special reward for it.
[You have received one new gift. Would you like to check it?]
“Yes,” he eagerly answered the system’s cheerful question.
Then, the air began to gather softly like a delicate soap bubble, forming a perfect sphere.
Puff—!
With a pleasant sound, it reshaped itself into a neat cube. It was larger than usual, with a shimring golden ribbon tied at the top. When Eun-Ho reached out toward the gift box, the ribbon unraveled on its own, revealing the special reward nestled within.
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained the Goddess’ Scales!]
“Huh?”
Eun-Ho lifted out an ancient bronze scale, weathered by ti. Despite its age, it balanced perfectly, not tilting even slightly. It was as if so invisible force held both pans steady, protecting them from any disturbance.
[The Goddess’ Scales]
- A set of scales crafted by an unknown goddess. You may choose one of the two weights to borrow her power.
- Usable only once and the item vanishes imdiately after use.
- Available Skills: [Redistribution(Lv. - )], [Empathy(Lv. - )]
Two small, dice-shaped cubes rested on the steady plates, one red and one blue.
So I can only use one of them and only once, he thought.
He looked at the red cube first.
[Red Cube]
- Redistribution(Lv. - ): Redistribute all stats as desired.
- Effect lasts twenty-four hours from activation.
Then, he looked at the blue cube.
[Blue Cube]
- Empathy(Lv. - ): Swap positions with your chosen target.
- Can only be used on a visible target.
Either one of the cubes would be invaluable and perfect for a crisis. Both could turn the tide of any battle in an instant, so he couldn’t help but grin.
“Not bad, justice served indeed.” Eun-Ho murmured.
***
It was 7:40 AM. After a noisy night ca a new morning. True to the tower’s na, Eastern Rest, sunlight poured through the windows, marking the start of another day earlier than expected.
“Hyungnim! This is really good!” Jae-Hyuk said, tearing into the ribs with both hands.
“Yeah,” Eun-Ho replied, nodding. “Better than I thought.”
[Welco to Eastern Gourt Voyage!]
[Would you like to spend 650 Welfare Points for a Braised Rib Set?]
They had bought breakfast at the restaurant on the first floor of the tower, paying 650 Welfare Points. Eun-Ho hadn’t expected much and just wanted to see what the system-cooked food was like, but it turned out to be surprisingly delicious.
[Braised Rib Set]
- A special dish from Eastern Gourt Voyage. Slow-cooked ribs from a Great-Horned Boar.
- Increases satiety and provides long-lasting energy.
- Consuming it increases Stamina recovery rate by one percent for two hours.
It even ca with a recovery buff.
“This tastes way better than that fancy dinner at the company’s year-end party,” Jae-Hyuk said enthusiastically. “Don’t you think the system cooks better than most people?”
“Well... I don’t think it’s the system. I think they have a cook,” Eun-Ho murmured.
“Huh? What makes you think that?”
It was a fair question. After all, they had ordered through the system, and the al had appeared right before them.
“The plating’s different,” Eun-Ho said quietly.
“What?” Jae-Hyuk blinked.
“You’ve got ten pieces of at, and I’ve got nine.”
If the dishes had been auto-generated like copied files, that wouldn’t have happened. Jae-Hyuk froze, his face growing stiff. Then, misunderstanding, he pushed his tray ever so slightly toward Eun-Ho. “Should I give you one, Hyungnim?”
“What? No, that’s not what I ant—”
“It’s fine! If it’s you, Hyungnim, then one piece of at is nothing!”
“... Just eat it, please.” Eun-Ho sighed.
By the ti they had finished their al, which was seasoned with a few theories and misunderstandings, the announcents began to echo through the hall.
[Attention, all new recruits of Sector 13.]
[Your second OJT project will begin shortly, at 9:00 AM sharp.]
The announcent signaled the true start of the day.
[All new recruits, please gather in the banquet hall.]
“Banquet hall?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Isn’t that the low building just ahead?” Jae-Hyuk replied, pointing at the aforentioned building.
Whoosh—!
A map appeared before their eyes, highlighting a round, single-story structure located at the center of the four towers, where the survivors had settled.
[Welco to the Banquet Hall for Strangers!]
“What now...”
“Yesterday, they sent us straight to the offices. Why gather everyone today?”
“Well, whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good...” soone murmured anxiously.
About a hundred survivors gathered in one place. As they stood there, tense and suspicious, a web of system ssages fell over them like a net.
[Your second OJT departnt will be the Audit Bureau.]
Eun-Ho had been there before, once to deliver anonymous complaints, and once more when he was summoned as a reference for an internal investigation. Now, it seed, he would be visiting again for a third ti, two days in a row.
[There are a total of twenty-five departnts available for OJT.]
[The hundred participants will be randomly assigned into teams of four.]
At least this ti, he wouldn’t be going alone.
“Teams of four? Damn it, doesn’t that sound even more dangerous than yesterday?”
“Not necessarily,” Eun-Ho said calmly.
“What do you an, not necessarily?”
“Well, considering the nature of the Audit Bureau, a lot of their work must be confidential. We’re still outsiders here. They probably chose only the departnts safe to show us.”
“Huh?” Swear-Master frowned at Eun-Ho. Maybe the explanation had been too long-winded, but then he squinted and asked, “What the hell are you, anyway?”
It wasn’t the bureau he was curious about, but Eun-Ho himself.
“How do you even know stuff like that? What are you, on your second life or sothing?” asked Swear-Master.
Eun-Ho laughed quietly. “Haha...”
A second life? Well, he’s not entirely wrong, if you just look at the results.
Thanks to Cho Bok’s reports and his own sore feet from yesterday’s exploration, he had learned quite a lot. It was just like doing howork in advance. However, that wasn’t sothing he could explain.
“Anyway,” Eun-Ho said, “the real issue is who we’ll be grouped with. There are people from other countries mixed in now.”
“Right... Damn, that’s true,” Swear-Master muttered, suddenly serious. He clenched his fists and began mumbling under his breath, as if praying. “Let it be... Please... Eun... Please... Ho...”
[This OJT will also last for two days. Performance grades will be evaluated at the end.]
[Carry out your trial diligently and earn a good rating!]
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! ...
tal doors appeared one by one along the curved wall of the banquet hall, each marked with a number.
[1]
[2]
[3]
...
[25]
There were exactly twenty-five of them.
Fwoosh—!
Then, light burst from one of the doors.
“Why’s only number one glowing?” soone asked.
“What do you an? Only number twenty is lighting up!”
[Team assignnts have been completed.]
[All new recruits, please gather in front of the door that is glowing.]
In other words, everyone standing before the sa door would be working together for the next two days. However, a team didn’t necessarily an trust in this place.
“Stay alert! It could be a competitive evaluation.”
“... See you after work, then,” soone muttered darkly.
Several rough-looking individuals whispered among themselves, no doubt plotting strategies. Even if they had to move as one group, it was clear that standing out within that group would determine their score.
Eun-Ho sighed inwardly.
If I end up with weird people, that’ll be a pain.
He’d already been singled out as the new recruit representative and top perforr, so he was bound to attract attention.
But it doesn’t matter who it is.
With that thought, he walked up to his assigned door.
[7]
There, standing beside him, was a familiar face.
“No way! Holy crap! My prayer worked!” exclaid Swear-Master, punching the air with a grin.
Then ca another voice. “Hyung!”
It wasn’t Ji-Eun with glasses on, but Ji-Woong, her younger brother.
“Huh? Are you number seven as well?”
“Yes! You’re not disappointed it’s instead of Ji-Eun, right?” Ji Woong glanced around. “Looks like we’re just waiting for one more.”
“Who do you think it’ll be?” Eun-Ho asked.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Then ca the final teammate, his footsteps heavy and deliberate. He wore his blond hair in a near buzz cut, the sharp lines accentuating his rugged features. Muscular forearms flexed beneath a fitted T-shirt, and his utility pants, heavy with pockets, suggested a man accustod to action. He was Russian, unmistakably.
“Dmitri, right? I’m Eun-Ho,” he said, extending a hand.
“... You know ?” the man asked, his deep voice edged with suspicion.
“I rembered your na from training,” Eun-Ho replied.
Dmitri had competed in both soccer and the relay races. Even without any special abilities or skills, Dmitri had stunned everyone with his inhumane raw speed and endurance. He’d also barely scraped by as the hundredth survivor to qualify, making his na stuck in Eun-Ho’s mind.
[Permanent Full-Ti Employee]
100. Dmitri (RUS)
Three Koreans and one Russian, Eun-Ho thought.
With the majority of survivors being Korean, it made sense the random assignnt had turned out this way.
[Please proceed through the assigned Door.]
“Anyways, let’s go,” Eun-Ho said.
The next mont, they stepped forward into Room 7, the lucky number.
***
“Hey, Guk! The alarm’s still going off!”
“Sir! It’s actually a call for you! I was told it’s an urgent matter!”
“I’m the urgent one here! Where’s the audit data from the Investigation Bureau?! Bring it, now!”
The Audit Bureau felt completely different from the Investigation Bureau. If the Investigation Bureau had been a calm, desk-bound environnt, this place was a war zone. Every second was a battle of reports, orders, and shouting overlapping from all directions.
“I checked, but the departnt head still hasn’t signed off! We might be able to send it by tomorrow! Ugh!”
“Tell them if it’s not done in ten minutes, their division chief’s head is on the line! Move it!”
Thud!
The man who had been shouting suddenly kicked the shin of the worker bowing beside him.
“S-sorry, sir...”
“Don’t apologize! Move!”
The poor guy ducked once more and bolted out of the room like a terrified rat. “Y-yes, sir!”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen this kind of scene, Eun-Ho thought.
It reminded him of the real-world offices he’d known either firsthand or through his unfortunate coworkers. He hadn’t expected to see that kind of office culture here, of all places.
“These numbers look strange...”
“Ah, about that, yesterday I—”
“Forget it. I’ll handle it later with Guk...”
As Eun-Ho watched the chaotic, strangely familiar scene unfold, soone suddenly shouted, “Who the hell are these people?!”
It was the sa man who’d been kicking shins earlier, his voice sharp with irritation.
“We’re new recruits,” Eun-Ho explained calmly. “We’re here for OJT.”
“New recru—ah! Guk!” The angry man caught soone by the arm, a blond-haired man who had been striding briskly toward the exit. “Where do you think you’re going? You’ve got new recruits to take in.”
“... Was that my job?”
“Who else would do it? Everyone’s busy! Open your eyes.”
The man sighed. “So am I... Ha... Never mind.”
His blond hair was neatly slicked back, not a strand out of place, as if polished with wax. His sharp, upturned eyes gave him a fierce, calculating look. Beneath his rolled-up sleeves, lean muscles moved with every subtle shift.
What’s that hanging from his belt? Is that a baton? Eun-Ho thought.
It seed like sothing a police officer would carry on patrol. This guy, their ntor, didn’t look easy to deal with. Talking back to his shouting superior without flinching proved he wasn’t the type to bow down easily. He seed like a strong-willed man who’d say his piece no matter who was in front of him.
“... Can’t we just dump them in a eting room sowhere? I’m heading to the field right now.”
“Field? Where?”
“The Center.”
The Center?
There was only one that could an, the Future Research Center. It was the sa place where Iro had once been.
“Shove us in there? What the fuc—”
Before Swear-Master could finish, Eun-Ho clamped a hand over his mouth and focused on listening again. “Shh.”
“Oh, then just take them to the site. Things are chaotic here anyway,” said the angry man.
With a perpetually sour expression, the blond supervisor said again, “If we drag along rookies who can’t tell their own ass from their elbows, they’ll wreck the scene!”
Hmm.
It seed like sothing had happened at the research facility again. That piqued Eun-Ho’s interest. He’d gotten plenty out of the place last ti, so it would’ve been a sha not to go again.
“What the hell did the bastard just say?!” hissed Swear-Master through gritted teeth.
While his teammate seethed, Eun-Ho quietly watched the two arguing and acted.
“Access company network,” he murmured.
He kept his tone low, scanning for information while the quarrel continued.
It’s not ideal to step forward first, but if there’s a chance, I’ll take it.
Then ca the opening he needed.
“I heard the investigation’s already wrapped up and the researchers went back. What field are you talking about now?”
“Still, I can’t allow it.”
“Oh, co on! What, should I give them a tour myself then? Well, rookie! Do you want to stick with or follow this guy instead?”
Perfect.
“I’ll go with him,” Eun-Ho said, stepping forward. “I was actually disappointed that the OJT only lasted two days. I’d like to learn as much as I can while I’ve got the chance.”
The manager raised his brows, as if to say, See? Told you so.
The blond supervisor, on the other hand, stared at Eun-Ho like he’d just sprouted another head. “If you don’t know what’s going on, just keep shut. That way, you’ll look less stupid.”
Noticing the man’s deepening scowl, Eun-Ho calmly explained, “I noticed all the eting rooms are full.”
The manager craned his neck, glancing around at the small glass-walled eting rooms lining the office. “Full? Huh... You’re right.”
“And what do you want to say?” the blond supervisor asked irritatedly.
“It ans we can’t just stand here blocking the hallway,” Eun-Ho said. “But according to OJT policy, we’re not allowed to enter unauthorized areas.”
“Is that so?”
“... Yes, that’s correct.” the ntor replied.
The system had hamred that warning in from the very start of training.
[Please note that entering any unauthorized areas or engaging in unapproved activities will result in disciplinary action according to company regulations.]
Of course, I already know the rule doesn’t matter if you don’t get caught, Eun-Ho thought. But they don’t.
“Well, it seems like soone has to accompany and supervise us,” he continued, “but you’re all busy. So wouldn’t it be easier if we just went along with you?”
The blond supervisor clicked his tongue in annoyance. “And if sothing happens while you’re tagging along? You expect to spend the next few days buried in paperwork because I wanted to save five minutes?”
“I doubt it’ll be that dangerous,” Eun-Ho said.
“Oh yeah? And how would you know that?”
Without hesitation, Eun-Ho smiled faintly. “Well, you’re sending the junior out there alone, aren’t you? That ans it’s safe enough.”
Both the manager and the supervisor snapped their heads toward him. Their eyes narrowed, suspicious and guarded, as if they’d just caught a spy in their office.
“How the hell did you know he’s the junior?” asked the manager.
“... Do you know ?” asked the blond supervisor.
Eun-Ho only shrugged and said, “I’ve heard his na exactly seven tis since I got here.”
“So what?”
“Only two types of people get called that often in a day. The team leader and junior. If he were the forr, nobody would be yelling his na.”
The blond supervisor’s mouth fell open.
“Am I wrong?” Eun-Ho asked lightly.
“Hey, Guk! The alarm’s still going off!”
The owner of the na that had been echoing since the mont they’d arrived stared at Eun-Ho dumbfounded.
“Anyway,” Eun-Ho continued, “we should get moving. Sir, you’ve got an external appointnt at ten, don’t you?”
“Huh? How did you even know that?” asked the blond supervisor.
“It showed up in the system,” Eun-Ho said. “Seems OJT trainees can view their ntor’s schedule. I checked right after I heard your na.”
“... You accessed my schedule through the internal network?”
“Yes.”
The blond supervisor hissed sharply in half disbelief and half irritation.
The manager’s expression twisted as if he’d bitten into sothing sour. “... What the hell is up with this guy?”
“I’m just saying, I’m not one of those rookies who can’t tell their own ass from their elbows.” Eun-Ho then glanced at the clock. “It’s five minutes to ten. We’ll wait outside, sir. You can join us when you’re ready.”
We’re ready to head over to the Research Centre.
“What?!” said the blond supervisor.
“Pfft! This guy’s nuts! We’ve got so completely insane ones this round!” said the manager.
User Comments
0 comments from readers