Chapter 3. The Beginning of Restructuring (3)

“Team Leader Park!”

Ji-Eun reached out instinctively, but she only grasped empty air.

[Time is up. Trial complete.]

“I-I made it in, right? I did... didn’t I?” Team Leader Park asked anxiously.

An eerie silence settled over the safe zone. It felt like a jam-packed subway car at rush hour, which had people pressing shoulder to shoulder and awkwardly maneuvering to avoid brushing against strangers. One man, too stubborn to wait, had wedged himself into the closing doors, unwilling to accept that there was simply no room left.

Flick.

“Ji-Eun! I-I’m inside... r-right? Right?”

Team Leader Park’s voice cut in and out like a broken phone call.

“G-grab my hand! P-pull me!”

Snap!

Pale as a ghost, Team Leader Park clutched Ji-Eun’s wrist as though it were a lifeline.

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

Just as Ji-Eun pulled with all her strength, seemingly hauling a drowning man, Park’s upper body separated cleanly. Ji-Eun fell hard on her butt, still holding his hand.

Thud!

It was just like a game of tug-of-war that ended mid-pull, leaving it to inertia to do the rest. After a brief silence, screams echoed in the air.

“Aaaah!”

“Aaah! L-look! His body!”

Park’s waist had been severed cleanly as if done with a laser. His ivory bone had been sliced smooth, and his scarlet muscle fanned out in nightmarish clarity. It was such a surreal, grotesque sight that Ji-Eun momentarily thought that it looked just like a cut of meat at the butcher. Soon, the metallic reek of blood flooded her senses, making her feel as if she was about to faint.

“Aaaah...!”

Lee Eun-Ho approached her. “Ji-Eun! Are you alright?”

“

Hic.

”

The hiccup snapped him to attention. He eased what remained of Park to the floor, trying not to disturb the ruin, and then focused on Ji‑Eun.

“Ji-Eun! Look at me. Keep it together!”

Her arm was still frozen midair, fingers curled as though they still clutched the team leader. A violent shiver rippled through her. Lee Eun‑Ho followed her stare and realized that her knees were drenched in blood.

“H‑he’s... he’s dead...”

He dashed to the washroom, grabbed a wad of tissue, and began dabbing at the blood soaking her stockings. The paper disintegrated into soggy tatters, but she seemed oblivious to it all.

“Ji-Eun, pull yourself together. I know it sounds cold, but there’s no guarantee we won’t end up like him.”

“If I’d just pulled harder...”

“No. Park was late. He died because he wasted time complaining about his suspension or whatever the hell it was. That’s on him.”

Someone had just died right in front of them. Under normal circumstances, Lee Eun-Ho would have taken a moment to mourn. However, they had no time for that. They were all one bad move away from dying the same way. And now, he also had to keep an eye on someone who looked like she was about to break down completely.

[The second trial has been completed. The restructuring process at MS Tower affected a total of 1,073 people. 723 survived.]

“Ji-Eun, did you hear that? Over a thousand people just died. This is real!”

She remained silent.

[Please choose your trial reward.]

“Once we claim the reward, the next trial starts. You

have

to stay focused!”

“

Hic

.”

She closed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip until it almost bled.

Was she always this fragile?

Lee Eun-Ho hesitated. That wasn’t a fair statement. She had just graduated from college and had not gone through years of mental training like he had. She probably had not sat next to her dying parents in a wrecked car, either.

Most people would have reacted the same way.

Given all that... should I still drag her along? What if things escalated? What if she has to do something monstrous with her own hands? She’d need the kind of mental strength that doesn't come easily.

Then, a spark of inspiration hit him.

“Right! We have the trial reward!”

[Please choose your trial reward.]

His pulse quickened.

“Can we... boost mental resilience through the trial reward?”

[Would you like to strengthen mental resilience as your reward?]

This is it!

Worried that the system would auto-confirm, he immediately shouted, “Hold it!”

He then grabbed Ji-Eun by the shoulders and shook her firmly.

“Ji-Eun! You don’t need to snap out of it. Just do exactly as I say.”

“Eun-Ho...”

“You haven’t picked your reward yet, right?”

Dazed, she blinked slowly and nodded. Of course not—she usually took ten minutes just to order coffee.

“Then repeat after me. Trial reward!”

“

Huh...

?”

He locked eyes with her and repeated what he had just said, enunciating each syllable as if issuing commands. “Trial reward! Say it!”

“Trial... reward...”

“Did a screen pop up?”

Ji-Eun nodded faintly.

“Choose mental resilience.”

“Mental... resilience...”

“One more time. Say it like you mean it.”

“... Mental resilience.”

Did it work?

Lee Eun-Ho watched her closely, tension knotting in his gut. Ji-Eun slowly raised one trembling hand and pressed it against her face, seemingly trying to hold herself together.

“Ji-Eun...?”

Instead of answering, she just exhaled deeply and slowly.

Was it a failure?

“How are you feeling?”

Lee Eun-Ho could not afford to haul someone around who was mentally shattered in a world like this. He sighed, already shifting to his feet, preparing to walk away. Then she spoke.

“

... Um

.”

She looked up, her eyes bright and focused. They were clearer than he had ever seen them. It was just like a top student suddenly snapping to attention.

“I’m going to take off these stockings. I’ll be right back.”

***

Things turned serious fast. After someone was torn in half right before their eyes, people naturally stopped joking around. Small groups formed in the corners of the room, whispering among themselves. Unsurprisingly, no one was talking about work.

“Stamina’s gotta be the most important, right?”

“I think it’s strength. I’m boosting both stamina and strength.”

“Agility matters too. Speed could save your life.”

So far, they had received two trial rewards. Most people had used them to increase physical stats, which were the ones clearly displayed on their status windows. No one else seemed to be treating their injuries, and certainly none had thought to boost their mental resilience. And

definitely no one

was poking around the system like Lee Eun-Ho.

“Can I use my reward to be excluded from the restructuring?”

[That is not selectable.]

“What about a weapon? A gun, maybe? A sword?”

[That is not selectable.]

The system kept denying his requests. Anyone else might have given up after a few tries, but Lee Eun-Ho was not like most people.

He had been a contract worker bouncing from one job to another, spending years begging overworked HR staff just to get the most basic information. He had scoured ordinance documents and outdated Q&A forums from public offices, tax centers, and welfare agencies just to claim disability benefits.

“Okay, then what about precognition? Or the ability to fly?”

[That is not available at the current restructuring stage.]

Aha!

“So there

are

other stages?”

[Sorry, I am unable to answer that question.]

“What do I need to do to reach the next one? Just survive this round?”

[Sorry, I am unable to answer that question.]

Lee Eun-Ho did not know who was behind the restructuring or what the endgame was. However, one thing was clear: reaching the safe zone wasn’t all they had to do. It was not even close.

[The next trial will begin at exactly 2:00 PM.]

It was already 1:55 PM. Lee Eun-Ho immediately chose to enhance his right leg.

[Trial reward has been granted.]

[Limp recovery rate: 70%.]

He took a cautious step forward.

Swoosh, tap. Swoosh, tap.

“Eun-Ho... your legs...” Ji-Eun muttered softly, eyes glued to his movement.

The rhythm was still uneven—his steps still sounded like those of a man with a limp. However, he was moving. With each step, his pace picked up. Eventually, he began to look almost like he was jogging in place.

“Are they healed? How did that happen so fast?” she asked.

“Nah, not completely.”

However, he could feel it. One more upgrade, and he would be back to his peak. He tried to keep a straight face, but his smile broke through anyway.

A new message popped into view.

[The parameters required for skill activation are being calculated.]

“Skill...? Data...?” Lee Eun-Ho muttered.

“Sorry? What did you say?” Ji-Eun asked.

“You didn’t hear that?”

She shook her head, clearly confused.

“Skill,” he repeated, just to test it.

“Skill?”

He tried saying it like he would say trial reward, hoping for a reaction from the system, but nothing happened. Perhaps it was a condition-based trigger.

“No, it’s nothing,” Lee Eun-Ho said, brushing it off. “Let’s wait by the stairs.”

There was not enough information yet, so he decided to finish the trial first. As he moved ahead, Ji-Eun followed with an unexpected smile.

“Eun-Ho, I think I know what reward you’re after.”

Of course, she figured it out. The change was too obvious.

Lee Eun-Ho grinned. “I’m going to survive.”

Ji-Eun nodded firmly. “Let’s both make it.”

[The trial has started. Safe zones have been generated.]

The closest one was Conference Room Two, which was on the fifteenth floor.

“It looks small,” Ji-Eun observed as they reached the landing.

“Maybe twenty people at most,” Eun-Ho replied.

“But there’s way more than twenty of us...”

He knew that complaining wouldn’t help now. With a smirk, he walked down the stairs, his limp barely holding him back.

“We just have to run.”

***

Strengthening Ji-Eun’s mental resilience had been the right call.

“W-what the hell is that?”

“Is he insane?! He can’t do that!”

They reached Conference Room Two with about seven minutes left. The door was already gone, ripped clean off its hinges. People were gathered around the open frame, but this was not a queue. It was a standoff.

One man stood at the center of the chaos. He was armed with whatever he could find, including a wooden club, a cement planter, and dumbbells. His arms flexed, twitching with tension. Standing like a wall, he blocked the entrance to the safe zone, keeping everyone from passing through.

“Ji-Eun,” Lee Eun-Ho said in a hushed tone. “Do you see that sharp thing he’s holding? What is that?”

“

Hmm,

maybe a stone blade?”

The man was surprisingly well-armed. In his left hand, he gripped a jagged shard—possibly from a broken ceramic pot—its edge catching the overhead light. In his right hand, he held a wooden club, likely a chair leg.

Around him were cement planters stacked like improvised artillery, all within reach. It looked less like a panic defense and more like deliberate preparation by someone who was always prepared for combat.

“That guy’s from the Operations Support Department, right?”

“Yeah, that’s Assistant Manager Kwak Dong-Seok. He’s thirty-six, and he joined a couple of years ago as a temp replacement while someone was on leave. I think his contract’s about to expire because it never got converted.”

In other words, he was in the same situation as Lee Eun-Ho.

Eun-Ho squinted.

I think I’ve seen him around.

Despite his large frame, Kwak Dong-Seok had always looked slightly hunched—like he never quite belonged. At work, he was the type to take everything personally; he was oversensitive, volatile, and abrasive.

“I didn’t expect him to be

this

abrasive,” Eun-Ho muttered.

Thud! Crack!

“Move back! Get the hell away from me!” Kwak Dong-Seok roared.

He swung furiously at anyone who stepped near the green boundary line of the safe zone. His club—no longer just a broken chair leg—was slick with dark, half-dried blood.

“You bastard! There’s plenty of room in there!”

“So what? Stay away!”

“How can you be so selfish? We’re all just trying to survive!”

“

Selfish?

You’re the selfish ones!”

Kwak Dong-Seok looked enraged, but there was fear in his expression too—possibly even something close to excitement. His eyes gleamed, adrenaline-fueled and unhinged.

“I guess you’re scared now, huh? You always used to look down on me!” Kwak Dong-Seok shouted.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Kwak!” Executive Director Oh, Kwak Dong-Seok’s direct superior, exclaimed. His tone boomed with authority, cutting through the tension.

The older man stepped forward, entering the safe zone.

“Kwak Dong-Seok, put those weapons down. Now.” His voice cracked like a whip. “You ungrateful bastard. We took you in, gave you a job, and this is how you repay u—”

Whack—!

The sentence was never finished.

Kwak Dong-Seok hit the back of the executive director’s head, splitting it open like a watermelon. The loud crack on impact sounded sickening—it was wet, hollow, and final. Blood sprayed against walls, skin, and even the carpet.

“You

took me in

? Fuck that.”

“Strictly speaking, they didn’t really take him in,” Ji-Eun whispered. “They just used him, keeping his hopes up with the talk about converting him to a permanent employee.”

Should I be shocked that Kwak Dong-Seok killed his superior in a single blow, or surprised by what Ji-Eun just whispered?

“I always knew this day would come,” Kwak Dong-Seok muttered.

His panting evidenced that he was not a fighter by nature.

I guess he’s been thinking about this for a long time, though. He’s probably even planned what to do to hurt someone in the office if it ever came to that.

Kwak Dong-Seok then swung the club, shaking off something light pink and stringy that clung to it. He looked across the room and the people who were frozen in place as if he were looking down on them.

[05:20]

There were about five minutes left. Lee Eun-Ho sighed and stepped forward.

“Eun-Ho!” Ji-Eun shook her head, urging him not to go.

He had no choice, though. He had to get into the safe zone.

“Excuse me, sir?”