Chapter 10. Selection (5)

“The subject, Lee Eun-Ho, is twenty-nine years old. He is a lower-class civilian with no notable distinctions. He appears to have barely scraped by, likely due to a physical disability affecting his legs.”

“Did you bring the investigation report?”

“I did, but...”

The man’s hand trembled ever so slightly as he passed the investigation report. He had retrieved it per orders, knowing full well that his superior wouldn’t be pleased with the contents.

“Above average intelligence, below average physical ability, and average charm.”

Harona’s eyebrows slowly rose as she scanned the document. The higher they climbed, the colder the sweat trickling down the man’s back.

“An overall score of average, with no special notes?” she asked.

Apparently, Subject Lee Eun-Ho received an average score on the overall assessment. In other words, he was evaluated as the very definition of average.

The Bureau of Investigation’s field agents had compiled the report before the Bureau of Management moved into Sector 13. In other words, it wasn’t his department’s responsibility. No matter how sloppy the report was, it wasn’t on him. Besides, it was hastily thrown together by temporary agents, so it was almost expected to be incomplete.

“Choi Seung![1] This is it?

This

is the best you could do?” Harona barked.

However, it seemed that not all retribution followed the laws of cause and effect. Seeing his superior glaring and shouting at him, Choi Seung lowered his head.

“Sorry, it seems like I didn’t conduct the investigation properly. The population is just so large, so I couldn’t—”

Harona pointed at someone on the screen and furiously shouted, “Say something that actually makes sense! You're telling me his physical ability is below average?!”

A man was shown to be surrounded by monstrous beasts twice his size.

「

Kyeeak!

」

「

Kyeeeaak!

」

Nine flashing beaks lunged at Eun-Ho’s face, but he made no attempt to duck or block them. Instead, he launched himself forward and muttered one word, 「Accelerate.」

「

Swish!

」

A barrage of strikes—so quick they seemed like a single motion—tore through the beasts’ wings. With ragged breath, Eun-Ho tried to land, gripping a steel-blue longsword. By the time his boots hit the ground, the monsters had already fallen from the sky.

「

Kyeeaaaaak!

」

Their shrieks echoed as they crashed to the earth.

“The average in Sector 13 is

that

high? That can’t be right,” Harona muttered.

It naturally did not make sense. Choi Seung was not exactly a restructuring veteran, but even he knew this kind of adaptation speed on the first day was unheard of. Sure, sometimes they had encountered someone who had trained in secret for years. However, in those cases, the Bureau of Investigation would’ve flagged them long before it got to this point—with triple emphasis, no less.

“Those Bureau of Investigation clowns can’t be trusted to do

anything

right,” Harona muttered.

“It’s possible that in Sector 13, especially in the area where Eun-Ho was living, there was never a chance to show what he could really do. Besides, that technique is...” Choi Seung replied carefully, looking at Eun-Ho.

For some reason, after spending minutes running awkwardly from the beasts, Eun-Ho suddenly turned and came at them like a thunderbolt.

Thwack!

His blade pierced the beast covered in black feathers and came out dripping with blood.

“You were right, Lady Harona,” Choi Seung muttered.

“So he has unlocked his skills,” Harona murmured, eyes still glued to the screen.

“It appears to be a Speed-enhancement type,” Choi Seung added.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Harona tapped her fingers on the desk, deep in thought.

“He used himself as bait to lure the monsters down to the ground. Even with a skill like that, it would’ve been risky if they attacked one at a time.”

Choi Seung nodded. If Eun-Ho had tried to take them out one by one, an incoming flyer would have hit him during the cooldown between attacks.

“Meaning, he assessed their strengths and weaknesses in seconds and flipped the board on them.”

Eun-Ho undoubtedly possessed a formidable ability.

“Still, just yesterday, he would’ve been a normal human. How can he already fight like this the moment he unlocks his skill?”

That would only make sense if the Bureau of Investigation had a valid reason for overlooking something. Besides, there were already rumors circulating among the staff.

“Could it be that he somehow managed to distort the timeline of life?” Choi Seung asked hesitantly.

Harona scoffed at the suggestion. “Don’t be ridiculous. At first, he was clumsy. He didn’t even know how to hold the sword properly.”

“Then how...?” Choi Seung blinked.

“Every step, every swing was different after that. His learning curve is insane.”

“You’re saying he

learned

all that mid-fight?”

Two people could awaken similar abilities, but how they learned and wielded them made all the difference. If they were given a blade, one could fumble to butcher livestock, while the other could slay a king and conquer an empire.

“That’s what makes him so damn interesting,” Harona said with a smirk. She snapped her fingers.

Ding!

[The trial has been completed.]

On the screen, Eun-Ho dropped to his knees, drenched in thick, foul-smelling blood. He looked dazed, shaking his head in a futile attempt to clear the fog.

[Commencing the midterm evaluation for the Project Selection.]

[Trial evaluations are being compiled to determine the midterm assessment grade.]

[Evaluation score for Subject Lee Eun-Ho is now being calculated.]

[The midterm evaluation result is...]

***

Even contract workers were subject to evaluations.

“What’s the point? You’ll be gone in a few years anyway,” some would likely say, but that was just ignorance talking.

Performance reviews determined bonuses. Besides, a high rating could even lead to a full-time position, albeit rarely.

That was why Eun-Ho always gave it his all—pushing himself, doing his best. Effort wasn’t the real issue here. It was that no matter how hard he worked, the results never seemed to matter.

Hence, the new system messages he received naturally shocked him.

[Evaluation Subject: Lee Eun-Ho]

[Evaluation Grade: S]

[Congratulations!]

“

Huh?

”

He had never heard those words before.

S? Really? Did I just get recognized here?

S was the highest grade—one that only one or two people on a team ever earned. In companies where performance was judged strictly by the numbers, it felt fair. However, in most places, it was not so simple. That kind of rating usually went to someone with either connections or favored by the team leader.

“Trial reward.”

[You have been rewarded with a point.]

[Calculating incentives based on evaluation grade.]

[Evaluation Grade: S]

[Additional rewards acquired: 2 points and 1,000 Welfare Points.]

Incentives?

Eun-Ho blinked at the numbers that had popped up. Not only did he get two extra points, but also a thousand mysterious Welfare Points.

I don’t know what’s going on, but with these bonus rewards, that’s three points total. This is enough.

He could finally move forward with the plan that he had been crafting during the entire trial.

“Ji-Eun?”

“Yes, Eun-Ho?”

“Would you mind if I asked what evaluation grade you got?”

“Oh, I got an A,” she replied with a modest smile.

An A would probably place her near the top.

“What about you, Jae-Hyuk?”

“I got a B.”

A B meant average. They'd be given this grade when they did their job well enough to produce decent results—no more, no less.

So they really are evaluating us based on individual contributions.

Eun-Ho fell silent, lost in thought.

Jae-Hyuk glanced at him nervously, then lowered his head.

“Honestly, I got off better than I deserved,” he mumbled. “All I did was hide behind you and yell...”

He looked genuinely dejected, clearly still bothered by how little he had contributed during the mission.

“Should I try cheering him up?”

Eun-Ho glanced at Ji-Eun, but she did not seem to have heard what he said. Cheering people up was more of her specialty.

Eun-Ho was not the comforting type. He could not bring himself to pat someone on the back and say, “No, you did great!”

However, he could do something else.

“Hey, Jae-Hyuk. Mind giving me a hand?”

“

H-huh

? Oh, sure!”

If he could not offer comfort, maybe he could offer purpose and help him feel like he mattered.

“Look.”

Eun-Ho pointed to the grotesque remains of the monsters, scattered across the ground. When Ji-Eun and Jae-Hyuk followed his finger, their eyes widened.

“W-what are you going to do with those?”

“The beaks are pretty sharp and tough. They might work as makeshift weapons.”

Eun-Ho had noticed during the fight that their beaks tapered to razor points. The only issue was that they did not have proper handles. However, he had an idea for that.

“You’re gonna use their beaks as weapons?” Jae-Hyuk asked.

“Yeah. Think you can pull them out?”

Eun-Ho had checked Jae-Hyuk’s stats earlier. His strength was 16, which was significantly higher than his own, which was 11. Physically, it should not be a problem. The real concern was whether Jae-Hyuk had the stomach to pull apart a monster corpse.

“We tried earlier, but it was too much for us, probably because our strength is too low.”

Jae-Hyuk remained silent.

“This is something

only you

can do. Can you help us out?”

Jae-Hyuk hesitated, his gaze wavering for a moment. Then, he seemingly steeled himself.

“Of course, Hyungnim! I’ll take care of it!”

“Just grab me three.”

“No way, Hyungnim! I’ll get you all ten!”

“Wait, no, that’s—really, three is enough.”

“They’re all yours, Hyungnim!”

That’s a bit too much, but sure.

One thing was taken care of.

“Now I just need a stick.”

“A stick?” Ji-Eun asked.

Eun-Ho was about to ask her for help gathering the next item when a set of system messages appeared in front of him.

[Synchronization rate has slightly increased due to trial completion.]

[A low-tier shop, Mobile Stall for Newcomers, has been unlocked.]

“Shop...?” Eun-Ho muttered.

Fwsh!

A translucent interface appeared above everyone’s heads. It formed a halo-like, glowing ring around Eun-Ho—or more accurately, a floating, donut-shaped stall.

There’s a lot of stuff here...

“What’s wrong?”

“That guy just said something about a shop and...

Whoa

, what the—?”

Fwsh!

As everyone around chanted “shop” one after another, pop-up stalls appeared in a flash. Eun-Ho quickly skimmed through the available items, which included a chipped sword, armor crudely woven from sticks, and some kind of weird, gnarled root with no clear use. The next item then caught his attention.

“Potions?”

[Watered-Down Fatigue Recovery Potion]

- A fatigue recovery potion brewed from herbs.

- Water was added to stretch the quantity. It does not have a strong effect, but it should help with everyday fatigue.

- Cost: 300 Welfare Points

“

Huh?

It costs three hundred Welfare Points for just one fatigue recovery potion? What is this?”

“Welfare Points are what we got after the evaluation, right?”

The Welfare Points were the currency used in this shop.

“What the heck! I only got fifty Welfare Points. How am I supposed to buy anything?”

“No, seriously, what even are Welfare Points?”

Some people got fifty points, others didn’t get any at all. Eun-Ho, on the other hand, had received a full thousand.

Potions are nice and all, but what I really need right now is...

He looked at a long spear that looked like it could snap at any moment from age. Then, he turned to a one-handed shield with visible cracks. When he picked up the spear, a translucent interface popped up.

[Bug-Gnarled Spear]

- A spear made by an apprentice blacksmith as a practice piece.

- A metal tip attached to a worm-eaten wooden stick. It looks like it will snap after a swing or two.

- Cost: 400 Welfare Points

What the hell are you even supposed to do with this?

As ridiculous as the spear was, the shield next to it was even worse.

[Shoddy Wooden Shield]

- A round shield carved from wood and rimmed with metal.

- Poorly made, with low durability. Already cracked, so if dropped, it might shatter. Handle with care.

- Cost: 300 Welfare Points

Everything was like that. It made him wonder if they even intended to sell these things. Naturally, even the people who had started off wide-eyed and excited were soon grumbling and walking away, disappointed.

Even if it’s junk, as long as it can be repurposed, it’s useful.

Eun-Ho looked for something that could be combined with something else. With that mindset, he sifted through the pile as if rummaging through the bargain bin at a discount store, picking things up and putting them back one by one.

Before long, Ji-Eun and Jae-Hyuk wandered over too, apparently giving up on shopping.

“Welfare Points are kind of useless. It’s all junk; they're not worth buying. Right, Jae-Hyuk?”

“I-is that so, Noonim? Honestly, I can’t even afford the junk.”

Hearing Ji-Eun’s offhand comment, Jae-Hyuk’s shoulders slumped again. She likely assumed that they had received similar rewards, given their A and B grades.

“

Uh, um

... how many points did you get?”

“I got two hundred. What about you, Noonim?”

“

Hmm?

Oh, I got five hundred.”

“Oh, I see.” Scratching his head awkwardly, Jae-Hyuk added, “Well, there’s nothing useful for two hundred points. They’re all just stuff like broken swords...”

Broken.

“That’s it!” Eun-Ho shouted.

“

H-huh

? What is it, Hyungnim?”

Leaving a confused Jae-Hyuk glancing around in bewilderment, Eun-Ho kept digging for a few more minutes. Finally, he found something actually useful.

A tool that’s only useful to me.

1. His name means the greatest victory. ☜