Chapter 11. Performance Pressure (1)

[Broken Iron Sword]

-

Forged at low temperatures, this soft and brittle iron sword is more suitable for farming than fighting. Made from simple iron, it's broken and essentially useless as a weapon.

- Cost: 200 Welfare Points

“Hyungnim! What are you even planning to do with this thing?” Jae-Hyuk squinted at the broken blade in disbelief.

Ji-Eun tilted her head, deep in thought, and eventually asked aloud, “Wait! Are you thinking of buying a bunch of them to throw or something?”

Shrrk.

Then, she drew a dagger from her belt, testing the weight like she’d actually try throwing it at any second.

Eun-Ho quickly shook his head. “No, no. It's too heavy for that. The broken edge isn’t exactly sharp, either.”

“Then, why would you want this?”

It

was

a crude sword. A blade chipped and split, paired with a handle that seemed to be carved from some animal bone using a kitchen knife. Even a complete beginner could tell it was trash.

“I just need the handle,” Eun-Ho said simply.

“Huh?”

Even if he harvested a beak-blade from one of those birds, he couldn’t just swing it around by the edge. That’d be a great way to cut his hand open.

Originally, I was planning to tape the blade to a curtain rod or a mop handle, but getting a proper grip would be better.

“Handle... Oh! Wait! Is that why you asked me that earlier?”

“

Shhh

.”

Eun-Ho raised a finger to his lips, quietly signaling Jae-Hyuk to stay quiet. They had drawn more attention than during the first trial, all thanks to taking down that bird monster on his own.

“What do you think that guy just bought?”

“He must’ve earned a ton of Welfare Points, right? He soloed that thing.”

“Did you see how he moved? That wasn’t beginner stuff. That guy clearly knows how to fight.”

“When he stabbed that thing and its blood went

splat!

Dude, it was insane!”

Eun-Ho could sense that the people’s expressions held more than just awe. Now, there was fear in their eyes. Hence, he didn’t want to make a scene about crafting weapons here.

They’ll get the wrong idea.

“I stashed the bird’s beak-blade in the back,” Jae-Hyuk whispered, motioning toward a display case near the entrance.

“Good,” Eun-Ho replied.

“Should I go grab it?”

“

Hmm...

Let’s pack up and move first.”

“Got it, Hyungnim.”

They needed a quiet place to work—one that wasn’t too isolated, but also far enough to avoid a crowd.

Should we go to the office?

“

Um...

I actually have somewhere I want to go,” Ji-Eun said, raising her hand slightly.

“Where?”

“The convenience store, down on the basement floor.”

***

Eun-Ho had no idea that Ji-Eun had been running around in high heels this whole time.

“

Ugh...

” She groaned.

“Noonim! Are you sure this just needs a bandage?” Jae-Hyuk asked, staring at the back of her foot in horror.

“Yeah, it’s fine! It just stings a little.

Ow!

That’s all.”

Her heel wasn’t just scraped, it looked like the skin was about to peel right off.

“You should’ve said something if it hurt that bad,” Eun-Ho said, gentler than usual.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, but then, Ji-Eun smiled at him.

“You didn’t say anything either, Eun-Ho.”

“When?” he asked, puzzled.

“Back when we were coming down the stairs.”

She probably meant the first time they came down from the top floor. He had practically dragged his stiff, stone-heavy legs step by step, dripping sweat the whole way.

Funny how easy it’d feel now, with this new body.

Ding!

“Oh, the lunches are ready,” Eun-Ho said.

He opened the microwave and took out three convenience store bento boxes. Even though they were the same ones as yesterday, somehow they felt different now. Perhaps it was the faint blood that clung to the air, no matter how many times he wiped the place down.

“Good thing the power’s still on,” Jae-Hyuk muttered.

“Right? Even the phones kinda work now and then,” Ji-Eun added, fidgeting with her phone.

Right, they must have family out there,

Eun-Ho thought.

He considered asking about them, but one look at their anxious expressions made him swallow the question. If they wanted to talk, they’d bring it up on their own.

Ji-Eun chewed her thumbnail—a habit Eun-Ho had not seen before. Suddenly, she shook her head and broke the silence. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here like this?”

“I have no idea, Noonim,” Jae-Hyuk replied. “Feels like we’re trapped behind some kind of invisible glass wall.”

From what they’d seen while coming down, they obviously couldn’t leave the MS Tower at the moment. Although the doors worked, and the windows opened, it was as if some force blocked the way out. In fact, it was the same during the last trial, when they couldn’t leave the exhibition hall.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

It would be one of the two reasons. Either our trial inside this building isn’t finished yet or someone else’s trial, in another area, is still going.

But if I had to guess...

[Attention all MS Tower survivors.]

“It’s the announcement!”

[The next trial of Project Selection will begin at 9:00 AM tomorrow.]

[Please be prepared for that.]

“Well, I guess the next trial is tomorrow,” she murmured.

“

Huh

. That’s surprising. They’re giving us a real break for once,” Jae-Hyuk said.

It was currently 6:00 PM, so they had fifteen hours left. The other two looked almost relieved.

“Did you both finish eating?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Yes, we’re all done,” Ji-Eun nodded.

Good. Because the night’s short, and there’s work to do.

“If you’ve rested enough, let’s get started,” Eun-Ho said.

“Wait what? We’ve only sat down for, like, five minutes...” Jae-Hyuk muttered.

“Five minutes is plenty.”

Fwoosh!

Eun-Ho opened the shop interface again, carefully scanning through the items one more time. He mentally ran through every step, every detail, over and over, making sure he would not mess up.

[Would you like to purchase one Broken Iron Sword?]

“Yes.”

With a cheerful

ding,

the translucent image shimmered into reality. The handle was long enough to be gripped with two hands, while the blade snapped just past the hilt, leaving only a palm-length fragment.

[Your purchase has been completed. The item can be stored in your inventory at any time.]

“Will it work?” Ji-Eun asked.

“It should. Look at the sword here. It's made by fitting the blade into the hilt, or I mean, the handle.” As Eun-Ho ran his fingers along the smooth handle, he felt a small, subtle gap where the old blade had been fitted. To insert a new blade, the old one had to be removed first. “Jae-Hyuk. Do you think you can pull this out?”

Eun-Ho grabbed a pair of work gloves hanging in the back corner of the convenience store and handed them over.

Jae-Hyuk nodded full of energy. “Yes, sir! I’ll give it a shot.”

“Sorry for asking again.”

“Don’t be! I’ve got to be useful somehow.”

Then came a long stretch of grunting.

“

Ugh! Nghhh—!

”

Despite how confident he sounded, it turned out to be a lot harder than expected. He even dumped the rest of his trial reward points into boosting his Strength stat. Just as Eun-Ho was about to ask if he needed help, the broken blade finally popped free from the hilt, clattering to the floor.

Clang!

“Alright, next up is—”

“W-wait! Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk suddenly called out.

“

Huh?

What’s wrong?”

Eun-Ho paused mid-reach for the blade tip, glancing back. “I, I don’t think the beak blade’s gonna fit into this handle!”

The opening in the hilt was only about the length of two knuckles. Obviously, jamming the entire beak-shaped blade in there as-is was impossible.

“That’s okay. I’m gonna shave it down like a candle wick,” Eun-Ho said casually.

“Wait, what? How?”

Jae-Hyuk blinked at him in disbelief, while Ji-Eun glanced around the convenience store.

“Do we even have anything to sharpen it with?”

Technically... Yes, we have a tool.

“Trial reward.”

[Please choose your trial reward.]

“I’ll use three points for the Petrify skill upgrade.”

The only problem was that it was his finger.

[Petrify(Lv. 2) has been upgraded to Petrify(Lv. 5).]

[Please select an additional manifestation area: right middle finger, ring finger, pinky, left thumb, index—]

“Right middle, ring, and pinky.”

Eun-Ho fully enhanced the fingers on his dominant hand, thinking that should do.

[Skill upgrade has been completed.]

“W-wait... Eun-Ho, you’re not planning to sharpen that thing with your bare hands, are you?” Ji-Eun asked.

“Yup, I am.”

“Is that even possible?!”

“Well, these fingers can punch through walls, so a bird beak should be nothing.”

Truth be told, rather than bare hands, his fingers felt more like chunks of solid rock.

“But it’s going to take a while. While I’m working, can you two go gather supplies?”

The basement floor they were on, B1, had more than just the convenience store. There were other shops too. There were mostly restaurants, but still worth scavenging.

“You mean food?”

“Food and water are top priority, yeah. But first, find bags. Big ones, if you can.”

“Oh! I think I saw a backpack on our way here!”

“I’ll grab some first-aid stuff too. There’s a pharmacy around the corner.”

If this really

was

some kind of game, then this building was probably the tutorial zone. They had a stocked basement full of shops, a company cafeteria on the middle floors, and a rooftop with bakeries and cafés. However, since they wouldn’t stay confined to this tower forever, they had to be prepared.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself, Eun-Ho?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got the skills too.”

“Well, if anything happens, scream for help, alright?”

Eun-Ho gave a short nod and immediately activated his skill.

“Petrify.”

[Your skill has been activated.]

His fingertips hardened as if dipped into wet cement that quickly dried into stone. The joints did not flex easily anymore, but that was fine.

Scrrrk.

He pinched the edge of the blade and gently scraped it. A whisper-soft grinding sound echoed, just like sharpening a pencil. Then, fine powder gathered at the base.

Abandoned Ridge's Diamond.

He didn’t know where it came from or what kind of stone it was, but he was sure it wasn’t just a roadside pebble.

Alright. Time to add acceleration.

His plan was to use Petrify to grind the blade, then Accelerate to stretch each second into ten, maximizing efficiency.

“Accelerate

.

”

Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk.

“We’ll be back soon! Take breaks if you need them!”

“Here, Hyungnim! Have some drinks, too!”

Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk.

After some time, the two returned.

“We’re back, Eun-Ho!”

“

Whoa

, Hyungnim! Are you

still

at it?!”

Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk.

“Haaah...”

He had not expected it to be this exhausting.

“Eun-Ho, you’re soaked in sweat!”

“Do you want some ice cream or something, Hyungnim?!”

His arms—especially the shoulders—felt like they were on fire. However, if he eased up, the edge wouldn’t grind down properly.

“E-Eun-Ho, seriously, you don’t look okay...”

“Let me help! I’ll throw on some gloves and try scrubbing—”

“No, it’s fine...”

Eun-Ho kept going. As soon as the cooldown ended, he reactivated Petrify and Accelerate, grinding and grinding.

[Congratulations!]

Then, suddenly, he heard the system alert sound.

[You have unlocked a new achievement, Sharpening a Weapon by Hand.]

[You have acquired a title, Human Whetstone.]

Wait... What?