Chapter 14. Performance Pressure (4)

Thud!

As soon as Eun-Ho yanked the parasitic bug from the zombie’s nape, the zombie collapsed like a machine that had lost its power source.

The silver needle bug—Needle Parasite—embedded itself inside the host and issued commands. Hence, killing it was the real way to take down these relentless zombies, who wouldn’t die easily or flee. Once the bug was pulled out, the zombies fell like puppets with cut strings.

"We’ve reached our goal!” Ji-Eun called out triumphantly.

Eun-Ho looked up and scanned the Performance Status board. Unlike earlier, the scoreboard was now filled with numbers, some higher than others.

[First Round Performance Status]

- Team 1: 101 / 100 points

- Team 2: 60 / 100 points

- Team 3: 50 / 100 points

- Team 4: 15 / 100 points

- Team 5: 85 / 100 points

As the points went up, the zombies on the field noticeably thinned out. Now, their numbers were roughly on par with the humans struggling against them, each wielding makeshift weapons.

“Looks like the zombies are clearing out.”

“There are thirty eight left. If each TF splits up and handles their share, we can finish this together.”

Eun-Ho’s team had hit their target. Even Team Five, with the homeless man, had managed to pull through. Inspired by Eun-Ho’s example, the others were awkwardly but effectively starting to extract the bugs as well.

Of course, there was one small problem: time.

[Round one ends in three minutes.]

“What do we do?! Time’s almost up!”

“Just one more! We can do this!”

As the system began its countdown, those who feared deletion kicked into overdrive.

“

Ugh!

Hurry up, Mister! That one over there! Go!”

Team Two—which included Ye-Ji and the old security guard—was actually holding up well, probably thanks to the sword and shield they got from the Mystery Box.

“If you’re done, could you lend us the shield?”

Team Three, with the man in glasses, had only two zombies left to reach their quota. He used the cloak from the Mystery Box to blind a charging zombie and yank out the bug.

“Just die already...!”

Gone were the people who had shrunk back in horror at the grotesque zombies. Now, everyone was in survival mode—punching, smashing, tearing bugs out with trembling hands.

Some even ripped off zombie limbs and beat other zombies to death with them. Dignity and decency were luxuries one could no longer afford. All that remained was the desperate will to live.

However, in the midst of this chaos, Team Four was still arguing.

“What the hell! We should get a pass for this! It’s not fair! We had a kid with us!”

“Yeah, exactly! It’s not like we were four people! We only had three!”

They were pointing fingers at each other and at the little girl, who couldn’t have been older than five or six. Even in a life-or-death situation, they were blaming each other.

It’s not just the kid’s fault,

Eun-Ho thought.

Team Four had scored a pitiful 15 points—not even half of what the team above them managed. That meant the adults hadn’t done their part either.

Still, it was hard to blame them entirely. From the center of the argument came a child’s wailing.

“Daddy!

Waaahh!

”

“Y-Yul! Don’t cry. it’s okay, Sweetie! It’s okay!”

Eun-Ho could not help but sympathize.

That team never stood a chance,

Eun-Ho thought.

The little girl’s tiny hands were barely strong enough to hold chopsticks. She’d tried to fight off monsters, only to get hurt. Her father was overwhelmed, caught between protecting her and hunting bugs. Meanwhile, the other two had either given up or snapped under the pressure, frozen by fear or frustration.

“Do you think they’ve just given up?” Ji-Eun asked nervously, her eyes flicking between the crying girl and the dwindling timer.

“I don’t think so,” Eun-Ho replied, pointing toward the man clutching the child.

Sweat streamed down the man’s face, and his breath came in ragged gasps, yet he refused to set his daughter down. He zigzagged through the chaos, dodging zombies while desperately scanning for the glint of a silver bug.

“Are we going to see Mommy?” the girl whimpered.

“No, Yul. Daddy’s going to make sure you don’t disappear.”

He was a father. He hadn’t managed to kill a single zombie or insect, but he was still standing, still fighting, and still trying because of her.

[01:00]

There was only one minute left in round one.

Suddenly, Ji-Eun reached out and gently tugged on Eun-Ho’s sleeve. “Eun-Ho, I...

Um...

”

Ji-Eun’s voice wavered hesitantly, but her feet had already turned toward the father and daughter. She obviously wanted to help.

However, Eun-Ho said flatly. “You won’t be able to do much.”

That team had to kill fifteen zombies in less than a minute. This wasn’t the time for good intentions. What they needed was precision and speed. Ji-Eun, for all her effort, wasn’t the right person for that job.

“I know that, but still—”

“Go to Team Three,” Eun-Ho said firmly. “I’ll handle this side.”

Her eyes widened. “What? Wait. Seriously?”

“Is that really so shocking?” Eun-Ho asked, raising an eyebrow.

“N-no, of course not!”

Eun-Ho wasn’t offering to help because he was some noble, self-sacrificing hero. It wasn’t because a child was in danger, or because fatherhood had awakened something deep inside him. The truth was, it wasn’t anything that poetic.

“Huh?” Ji-Eun blinked in confusion.

“... It’s all bullshit,” Eun-Ho muttered.

He hated the system and the restructuring process. Above all, he hated the idea of a group of smug bastards watching them like it was some grotesque reality show—judging, scoring, ranking. The thought that people’s lives were being manipulated by someone behind a screen made his blood boil.

“I’m going to pay them back until they beg me to stop,” Eun-Ho muttered.

He was not going to give them what they wanted. If they wanted blood through competition, he would give them survival instead. He wasn’t going to play along with this twisted game.

“Do you really think that’ll work?”

“I’ll make it work.”

Whatever rewards or advantages the system had to offer, Eun-Ho was ready to wring them out to the last drop. Whoever was watching from behind the Eye—he was ready to rise above them and tear down everything they believed was beyond reach.

“Jae-Hyuk, go to Team Two! Move!” Eun-Ho ordered.

“On it!”

Ji-Eun flashed a bright, relieved smile as she took off running. Then Eun-Ho felt someone else tug at his sleeve.

“W-what about me?!”

It was the loudmouth guy, still sticking close because he was too scared to act on his own.

“You?” Eun-Ho glanced at him. “Watch the kid.”

“

Huh?

What kid?”

“Acceleration.”

“Heeeey!”

Fwooosh—!

Time warped around him as he launched into high gear, darting between the frozen zombies like a ghost in stop-motion.

“One, two, three, four, five...” Eun-Ho muttered.

He carefully ripped the Needle Parasite from each zombie, making sure not to kill them by accident. Within seconds, both of his hands were full, and he dumped the twitching bugs in a pile at the father’s feet.

There, in the eye of despair, the man clutched his daughter, as if memorizing her face for the last time.

Eun-Ho moved even faster, and when he came to a stop, he delivered all the bugs just in time. The ground looked like a bizarre delivery of monsters.

“Daaaaddy... Don’t cry!”

Tears streamed from the little girl’s wide, frightened eyes. She blinked up at Eun-Ho as he appeared like a storm out of nowhere.

“You’re Yul, right?” Eun-Ho asked.

Yul remained silent.

“Don’t cry. Go stand over there with the man in the hat. Cover your ears if he starts talking,” Eun-Ho added.

“W-what are you trying to—wait, what is all this?!”

The child’s father started to say something in protest but stopped, his mouth hanging open. He couldn’t help but be stunned. Some strange man had appeared out of nowhere, trying to send his daughter off somewhere. Not only that, monsters he could barely take down two or three of in an hour were now heaped at his feet.

“This’ll work better with your feet than your hands,” Eun-Ho said. “Stomp them.”

“But this...!”

“There’s no time to explain. They’re just unconscious, so they’ll wake up soon.”

The man glanced at Eun-Ho, then at the scoreboard. Then he lowered his head. When he looked up again, there was no fear, just determination.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

One after another, he stomped on the silver bugs, killing them as well as the hopelessness that had once paralyzed him.

“You’re not taking my daughter!”

[Ten seconds remaining until the trial ends.]

The final countdown had begun. All teams had hit their targets, except for Team Four.

While Eun-Ho scanned the area for the last remaining zombies, a few female students had stepped up to help the struggling father and daughter.

“We’ll draw them in for you!”

“Wait, I’ll go first—

aaaah!

”

Then, without warning, the homeless man’s eyes bulged with something wild and dangerous. He lunged forward and grabbed one of the girls by the wrist.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he snarled.

“

Aaagh!

”

Perhaps he didn’t like that they were helping another team, or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, his grip on her slender wrist made her cry out in pain.

Should I step in?

Eun-Ho thought.

However, the timer was ticking down fast, with only five seconds remaining. As soon as the cooldown was over, Eun-Ho activated his Acceleration skill one last time. Instead of helping the female student, he went to deliver the final bug straight to the father.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, sir! I’ll never forget what you did for us!” the man shouted and bowed, feeling overwhelmed.

Eun-Ho gave him a small nod and turned toward the students.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” One of the girls snapped, stepping in.

She then picked up an empty can from the ground and hurled it.

Clang—!

It bounced off the man’s raised hand, giving her friend a chance to yank her arm free and stumble back.

“Shit!” the homeless man muttered under his breath.

Whatever was left in the can, probably some half-drunk sugary drink, splashed onto his clothes in a few sticky drops.

“Oh no!”

“Hey, just run!”

The students bolted like prey catching wind of a predator. He stood there watching them, opening and closing his palm as if testing its strength.

“

Ugh,

those arrogant little punks...”

Just then, the announcement cut through the tension the man created.

[Round one has been completed. All performance data has been tallied.]

[The restructuring targets for this round are...]

Whether they had been running, panting, or collapsed from exhaustion, everyone froze and looked up at the sky. Everyone remained silent. Not a single breath or heartbeat could be heard beneath the collective prayer: “Please...”

As if the system had heard them, it said: [None.]

“

Yay!

”

“We’re alive! We made it!”

“Thank you, Mr. Eun-Ho! And you too, Secretary Kim!”

Cheers erupted across the plaza. It started with the people from Team Three, the ones Ji-Eun had helped, but quickly spread to everyone.

Relief flooded the survivors. Amid the hundred and nine zombie corpses covering the plaza, a new feeling bloomed. There was hope that maybe, just maybe, they could survive the second and third rounds in the same way.

“Yul! We made it! We’re okay!”

“Daddy! Are you hurt?”

The father nearly collapsed, knees trembling from adrenaline and stress. His daughter looked up at him, her wide open eyes with concern. Then, they embraced—one of those quiet, desperate hugs that made time feel still.

Jae-Hyuk watched the scene unfold and clenched his fists in raw emotion.

“You saved them, Hyungnim!”

“We all did it together.”

“If it weren’t for you, I—”

Just as Eun-Ho was about to tell Jae-Hyuk to calm down, he felt a piercing stare. He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with the homeless man.

That man wasn’t just watching. He was giving a chilling, predatory look, like a butcher about to swing his cleaver.

What a creepy bastard,

Eun-Ho thought.

Since Eun-Ho didn’t look away, the man sneered and casually reached down for a nearby zombie corpse.

Crack—!

Then, he twisted its neck with a sickening snap.

He was leaving a clear message of discontent, protest, and fury: no one had died in this round, and the bloodbath had been interrupted.

Eun-Ho remained silent.

“

Huh?

What was that, Hyungnim?” Jae-Hyuk asked, glancing over.

“... Nothing. Just a feeling that the next round’s not gonna be easy.”

[Round two begins.] [Eliminate enemies and achieve your goal within the time limit!]

With that, the scoreboard reset and round two kicked off.

Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap.

The sound of rapid footsteps echoed as a fresh horde of zombies surged forward, their speed far surpassing that of the first round.

“

Kyeeak!

”

“What the heck! Why are the zombies so fast now?!”

Thud.

“Jae-Hyuk! Cover the back!”

***

Wham!

Eun-Ho’s foot slammed into a zombie’s side, sending its rotting guts spilling as it staggered back. Another one lunged at his left arm, apparently mistaking it for a drumstick. He bashed its head in without hesitation.

Then, a third zombie sprinted toward Ji-Eun’s exposed back, and Eun-Ho sliced clean through its leg.

“Thanks!” she said breathlessly.

It was a hard battle, but at least there were rules, a system, a clear end and a strategy. It seemed everyone else had come to the same realization. Each person found their own rhythm in the chaos.

And as the round wore on, they were finally nearing the end.

[Second Round Performance Status]

- Team 1: 100 / 100 points

- Team 2: 75 / 100 points

- Team 3: 65 / 100 points

- Team 4: 85 / 100 points

- Team 5: 80 / 100 points

“At this pace, we’re all gonna make it through!”

“It’s all thanks to you, young man—

uh

, wait. What the—?”

Just as a wave of relief washed over the group, a strange heat crept up their backs. It was neither the kind of heat from excitement or adrenaline, nor the gradual warmth of a summer day.

It was a flash fire that was hot, sudden, and bizarre.

“F-fire?!”

Eun-Ho snapped his head around at Ji-Eun’s horrified gaze, catching a sight of a flame that shouldn’t exist.

They were just in an ordinary plaza, without fuel or heat source, so there was no reason for the fire.

Fwoosh—!

It turned out to have started from the homeless man.

“T-this is...

Pff—pfft...!

”

Letting out a sound that teetered between laughter and tears, raw, red-gold flame writhed across the man’s bare palm. However, he was holding neither lighter nor match.

“Is that a skill?!”

Fwoosh—!

The man launched into a fiery rampage with a crazed gleam in his eyes, and movements full of manic energy. His entire face lit up in euphoria.

Whatever power he had just unlocked gave him unfiltered ecstasy. Rather than chasing victory or survival, he was high on the power itself.

This is bad. He’s completely unhinged,

Eun-Ho thought.

The flames themselves were small and fleeting. However, fueled by his monstrous strength, they became lethal.

He seized zombies by the neck, one after another. Without even needing to crush them, they went up in flames, writhing and shrieking as they burned. Anything that came within reach was reduced to ash.

“What the hell?! Stop killing them!”

“What are you doing?!”

The cries came from those who hadn’t completed their quotas yet. They still needed targets, but the man was incinerating everything in sight.

He wasn’t deaf nor foreign, but just wasn’t listening. All he could see were the flames licking up from his own hand, staring at them like a man possessed. Besides, he did act possessed.

“Eun-Ho! Do you think that’s a Unique Skill?!”

Eun-Ho had once told Ji-Eun that his Acceleration was a Unique Skill that was unlocked through data analysis, perfectly tailored to him. As such, if that man had manifested his power not through training, but through raw instinct—desperation or some muscle-deep memory—and that power turned out to be fire, then he was far more dangerous than the zombies.

[Ten seconds remaining until round two ends.]

The system alert was a detonator. The man glanced up, first at the scoreboard, then at Eun-Ho’s face. Without warning, he strode toward a nearby schoolgirl, clamping his hand tightly around her neck.

“

Keugh!

W-why are you doing this to me?!”

“You cocky little brat!”

The girl’s friends screamed at him with fury.

“What the hell are you doing?! Let her go!”

“So-Young!”

“

Ugh,

you bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Crack—!

They charged toward the man, only to be blocked by a wall of zombies. Unable to move forward, all they could do was scream. One of them was bleeding on the leg from what seemed to be a bite injury.

“Let me go, you crazy bastard!”

“You think I’m a joke?! I saw you laughing at me earlier. You thought I wouldn’t notice?!”

With the sickening sound of something hard breaking, the girl went limp. Then the flames came, spreading from her neck and shoulders, crawling like snakes over her.

“

Urghh...!

”

Then he threw her down the stairs, right into the crowd of zombies.

Fwoosh—!

“Two birds with one stone!

Heh, kekeke!

”

The man giggled, his eyes bouncing between the spreading fire and the scoreboard ticking upward.

[Three, two, one. Time is up.]

“Oh my god!”

“T-that bastard! Hyungnim, I can’t take this anymore!”

“What the hell!”

As the charged malice surged through the crowd, a wave of shock and fury spread like wildfire.

“W-what do we do?”

Thud.

One of the students collapsed to the ground, eyes vacant as tears streamed down her face. The one limping from a zombie bite hobbled down the stairs in a panic.

“This is a lie, right? Say something, Kim So-Young! Tell me you’re okay!”

The girl screamed, clutching what little remained of her friend’s charred body.

Was it for performance? Or did he just want to kill her?

Eun-Ho thought.

Either way, he was far too dangerous. Eun-Ho couldn’t allow him to grow any stronger.

“E-Eun-Ho? What are you doing with your bag all of a sudden?”

“Everyone, gather up. We need to get ready.”

“Get ready for what?”

Bzzzt.

“To take that bastard down.”