Chapter 18. One-on-One (3)

“

Phew...

”

Eun-Ho stumbled into the last car of the train, alone. The others were gone now. His designated safe zone, Car 18, looked like a typical KTX train car, with nothing unusual on the surface. This normalcy only lasted until the announcement echoed through the cabin.

[Trial will begin in ten seconds.]

This is...

As the robotic announcement declared the countdown, the last traces of light flickered out. Every light source died in an instant. Then, came the sound of a giant axe splitting through a massive tree.

Crack—!

Eun-Ho’s eyes darted upward. He saw the ceiling of the train, along with the horrifying, blood-chilling Eye. It stared down at him, filling up the space.

[The trial has started.]

[You have three chances. Eliminate the Ghost.]

Briefly, the pitch-black pupil at the center of the Eye seemed to blur. Then, the space before it rippled akin to a thick liquid reaching its boiling point.

Thud!

A goblin emerged from it.

“A goblin?” Eun-Ho whispered.

At first glance, it resembled a human. However, its limbs were disturbingly long, twisted in unnatural proportions. Instead of its face, its hooked nose jutted out from where its forehead should’ve been, giving it a warped, almost surreal appearance. It stood just shy of his height, gripping a barbaric iron club bristling with jagged metal shards.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Upon spotting Eun-Ho, the Ghost charged, swinging its grotesquely long arms like a pendulum. With each step, the club smashed into the train floor.

It reminded Eun-Ho of an athlete doing warm-ups before a shot put throw—only, if that shot put could shatter one’s skull.

If I get hit by that, my head will pop.

Though it looked really dangerous, Eun-Ho wanted to run a quick test.

“Petrify! Summon!”

[You have summoned the Electrified Razor Beak Blade.]

[Electric Surge remaining: 10 uses.]

In an instant, a flash of light burst from his palm, illuminating the dark cabin.

Crackle—!

Sparks danced from his fingertips as he gripped the dark bronze hilt. The blade itself shimmered black, wrapped in a thin golden sheen. Blue flames flickered wildly along its surface.

The Ghost shrieked the moment it saw the weapon, its mouth hanging wide open in a desperate gasp. Clearly, it felt threatened.

Let’s add Acceleration here. Don’t take risks. It’s better to be safe.

Eun-Ho’s plan was to neutralize the threat fast. Judging by the goblin’s thick, wrinkled hide, the shock alone probably wouldn’t do enough damage.

As that thought formed in Eun-Ho’s mind, the Ghost's torn, alien eyes locked onto him. Crooked teeth flashed, followed by a bizarre scratching sound.

%$!∄$※$∅-!

The sound did not enter into his ears, but his throat.

Huff!

It felt like inhaling a ball of smoke, sharp and acrid. Eun-Ho choked, coughing against the thick, foreign substance lodged in his throat.

Still, Eun-Ho managed to mumble, “Acceleration!”

However, nothing happened.

Huh? Should I try again? Acceleration!

Once again, there was no change.

Acceleration! Acceleration! Acceleratioooon!

He shouted "Acceleration" over and over in his mind, but all that came out was the hollow sound of wind in his mouth. He couldn’t even form words, let alone activate a skill.

It blocked my mouth to stop me from using my skills! Is this the Ghost’s power?

Eun-Ho was relieved that he had summoned his sword the moment the monster appeared. Otherwise, he would’ve been forced to fight barehanded.

Phew... I was lucky.

Sure, not being able to use Acceleration was frustrating, but his new skill, Electric Surge

,

seemed just as powerful.

Then, Eun-Ho tried to remember what the system message said about the Electric Oil earlier.

- When applied to a weapon, it discharges high-voltage electricity upon hitting an enemy.

Right! So basically, it activates upon contact?

With the Electrified Razor Beak Blade in his hand, Eun-Ho lunged. The blade sparked violently, drawing the Ghost’s wary glance.

However, it raised its spiked club to counter instead of backing off. It probably assumed it was safe now that Eun-Ho’s voice had been muted. What a complete misunderstanding.

Swoosh—!

The club came crashing down at Eun-Ho’s head. However, Eun-Ho dodged, and the club struck and embedded itself in a seat.

He slipped out of the Ghost’s line of sight and moved behind it in one smooth motion. As the creature struggled to yank its weapon free, Eun-Ho plunged his blade deep into its nape, right through the thick, wrinkled hide.

[The Electric Surge has been activated.]

Pzzzt—!

An explosion of blinding flash of light flooded the cabin. Eun-Ho squinted, eyes watering. When he could finally look again, he saw the Ghost writhing violently under a cascade of golden-yellow and electric blue light.

“

Kieeek! Kieeeek!

”

Its mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, but all that came out was a thin, metallic wheeze. It trembled violently from crown to toe, muscles spasming uncontrollably.

Smoke rose from where the blade was embedded in its neck, blackening the surrounding skin to a charred crisp.

[Electric Surge remaining: 9 uses.]

Thud!

Like an ancient tree struck by lightning, the goblin collapsed to the floor.

Whoa...

The raw power of Electric Surge was staggering. The surging current was strong enough to make his fingers tingle beneath the stone-like skin.

That was insane.

He didn’t expect that the skill could do so much damage in a single strike.

Sure, it will only work with the Petrify skill, but still...

It was a worthwhile trade-off.

Crackle—! Pzzzt!

Stray streaks of lightning still sparked from the Ghost’s body, as if the sword had not finished discharging. Eun-Ho stared at the glowing remnants in awe.

[You have eliminated the Ghost.]

[Car 18 has been cleared.]

The announcement declaring the trial’s completion echoed over the speakers. At the same moment, the Ghost’s corpse, which was slumped against a row of seats, quietly dissolved into nothingness.

Eun-Ho wondered if that was truly the end of the trial. Thanks to his temporary skill, he handled his opponent relatively easily. However, he was worried about the others because not everyone would have it easy.

I wonder if the others made it, especially the child who would have been left alone—

[You have failed the trial.]

Wait. Failed?

[Penalty will be applied due to trial failure.]

What the hell? Why?!

***

“

Umm...

Lady Harona?” Choi Seung said at last, quietly yet taut with restrained frustration.

He was clearly directing his words at his superior, who had just made a massive blunder.

“Didn’t you say that the support item, I mean the gift, wasn’t anything special?”

“

Hmm...

Did I say that?” Harona replied.

“Yes. You said he won’t know how to use it properly.”

To be fair, the item in question, Electric Oil, was not bad. However, it did not have the best reputation either. Known for discharging high-voltage electricity that could also harm the user, most considered it a flashy liability rather than a real asset, especially for early-stage participants that were too underdeveloped to handle the risk.

However, Eun-Ho was different.

“But look! Isn’t that the kind of dangerous item you usually save for later, when you’re stronger? You know, people usually say things like ‘I’ll be strong enough to use this one day!’”

Choi Seung remained silent.

“No seriously! He’s the weird one!”

Harona sighed loudly, staring at her subordinate’s deadpan face.

She had not expected much from Eun-Ho.

Why not milk a generous observer for freebies while they were around?

, she thought. Who would’ve thought that the item would be used immediately, with no hesitation or caution?

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Why would he save it? He’s already using it perfectly.”

“

Haaa...

That was why I was trying to be thoughtful when setting up the trial.”

She was not lying. The Ghost's ability to silence skill-users was a deadly counter to contestants who relied heavily on their skills, and Eun-Ho was basically that.

Physically, he was a featherweight, so giving him the Electric Oil had been Harona’s attempt at leveling the playing field.

“Still, we never know. He’s only got nine charges of the Electric Surge left.”

“With all due respect, that guy could probably weaponize a houseplant if given one. You underestimated him.”

“What did you just say?” Harona’s eyebrow twitched. She clearly did not appreciate how casually Choi Seung was mouthing off. “Alright, enough. That’s enough!”

Thud—!

Her tiny fist hit the desk like a thunderclap.

Even Choi Seung, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, felt the room vibrate with the impact.

“The trial has already started!”

Choi Seung froze on the spot with his mouth still open.

“If you’re not gonna watch, then get out.”

“My apologies, Lady Harona.”

As Choi Seung lowered his arms and stood straighter, the screen in front of them lit up with a new broadcast.

[All individuals outside the safe zone will be eliminated.]

[The restructuring process has been completed.]

The safe zones, which had temporarily gone dormant after the first round, reactivated and did their job once more. Then, round two began.

[As a penalty for trial failure, the Ghost has evolved into a Greater Ghost.]

[Eliminate the Greater Ghost.]

The new Greater Ghost towered over Eun-Ho, appearing as if it’d been bulked up with rage. Its club, which had once been the size of Eun-Ho’s head, was now twice that.

“I’m not too worried, to be honest.” Choi Seung said in a calm, almost detached tone, and Harona gave a small nod in response.

“How are things in the other cars?”

“Total panic, just like what you’d expect. Some are already dead.”

The screen was packed with images of Eun-Ho’s companions.

“Aaaah!”

“Shit! What do we do?!”

“Somebody, help!”

Some had screamed without even trying to activate their skills, only to have their mouths sealed shut by the Ghost.

A child cowered in a corner, hands clamped tightly over her mouth. One woman had survived this far by doing nothing but running. However, one man hadn’t even made it past the first round, crushed to death the moment it began.

In contrast, the instant the Greater Ghost appeared, Eun-Ho reacted without hesitation, shouting, “Acceleration!”

Faster than any normal person could even process, Eun-Ho blurred into motion. In less than half a second, he crossed the entire length of the train car, leapt onto a seat, and launched himself toward the monster.

“Wow, what a move!” Choi Seung commented.

Pzzzt!

Eun-Ho’s sword struck right between the Greater Ghost’s face and chest. A burst of electricity exploded like a thunderbolt through its body.

The sheer momentum of Eun-Ho’s leap, combined with the raw sharpness of the blade, turned the attack into something catastrophic.

Thud—!

The Greater Ghost’s massive head was cleanly severed, tumbling across the floor.

[You have eliminated the Greater Ghost.]

[Car 18 has been cleared.]

“

Haaa...

” Choi Seung exhaled like he was trying to let the floor swallow his worries. “The gap between him and the other participants is just massive.”

“You think so too, huh?” Harona asked.

“It’s not just his combat skills. He’s smart. Ridiculously so.”

More than just having a keen intuition, Eun-Ho’s instincts were razor-sharp that he deduced the trial rules all on his own.

Car 18... has been cleared?

Eun-Ho glanced at the system message, then suddenly took off. He rushed into the next car with the unmistakable urgency of someone who had just put the pieces together.

“Well, it seems like he figured it out.”

The true condition for clearing this trial was to clear the entire train in one go. The personal safe zones had been nothing but a bait. Since communication and cooperation between participants was impossible, every single person had to carry their own weight for the trial to succeed.

For the Seoul Station survivors, who had come to rely too heavily on Eun-Ho, this setup was a nightmare. However, the problem was, Eun-Ho was not just carrying his weight. He was doing the work of five or maybe even ten.

“Lady Harona, if upper management catches wind of this, we’re—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. How would they find out?”

Unfazed as ever, Harona flipped her twin braids with a grin. She was clearly entertained, as her eyes were glued to the screen. Choi Seung, on the other hand, was visibly on edge.

“There’s bound to be talk among the observers about fairness.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I don’t think so.” Harona gave him a sidelong glance and smiled.

“What are you—”

Then came the cheerful chime of a system alert.

Ding!

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management slaps their knee in admiration at subject Lee Eun-Ho’s item usage.]

[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation wonders aloud if a guy like this was really hiding in Sector 13.]

[A few observers have begun focusing their attention on subject Lee Eun-Ho.]

Ding! Ding! Ding!

“W-wait, what? Why are they reacting like this?”

Harona was shocked. Instead of outrage, the reaction was explosive excitement. Besides, the crowd was growing somehow.

[The Eye for subject Lee Eun-Ho has exceeded their maximum observer capacity!]

[Would you like to upgrade his Eye?]

[If you do not consent, three random observers will be ejected.]

As Choi Seung stood speechless, overwhelmed by the unexpected wave of popularity, Harona licked her lips thoughtfully.

“

Hmm...

An upgrade,

huh?

”

“Lady H-Harona! You’re not seriously thinking of using points already, are you?!”

“I am.”

“No way! We can’t waste valuable points this early on!” Choi Seung shouted, caught between panic and disbelief.

No one upgraded a prospective candidate’s Eye this early because they could die in no time.

“

Hmm...

”

“Besides, he might not even survive this trial!” In Choi Seung’s eyes, Eun-Ho was walking a tightrope over hellfire. “He has to take down every single Ghost in every train car alone. You know this.”

Besides, Eun-Ho only had ten minutes left. To clear Cars 18 through 1, then return to the safe zone before it reactivated was just impossible. No matter how fast or skilled, he was still just one man.

“So you’re saying he’ll fail?” Harona asked.

“Well...”

However, Choi Seung could not bring himself to say it out loud. Deep down, there was a whisper that if anyone could pull it off, it was him.

“You gotta row when the tide’s coming in, y’know,” said Harona.

Puff.

[Your points have been received.]

[Subject Lee Eun-Ho’s Eye has been upgraded to level two.]

“But!”

“

Shhh

.”

Harona smiled at Choi Seung, her gaze never leaving the screen.

“We’ve made the investment. Now it’s time to collect, no matter what we have to do.”