Chapter 39. Aptitude Test (3)

Bang! Bang! Clatter—!

Ye-Ji’s helmet hit the tunnel floor and rolled noisily across the asphalt. The loud clank of metal striking pavement echoed through the space, immediately drawing attention from all directions.

“Hyungnim! Are you alrig—What the hell?!”

“Wait. Miss Ye-Ji?! What are you doing here?!”

Jae-Hyuk, who had rushed forward in concern, dropped his sword in sheer shock.

Ji-Eun’s eyes went wide, and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands, stunned into silence.

“What’s going on? Who is it?”

“Wait, it’s not a monster? It’s a person?!”

The battlefield fell still—attackers halted mid-charge, defenders locked in place.

The clang of weapons gave way to a wave of confused whispers, sweeping through the dust-choked air like wildfire.

Then, Eun-Ho slowly lowered his sword.

“It’s been a while,” Eun-Ho said.

“Eun-Ho.” Ye-Ji trembled as she avoided his eyes, visibly shaking.

Is she scared that I might attack her? I want to tell her that she’s safe and everything will be alright and that there’s no need to be afraid...

However, he couldn’t bring himself to say it, not when the reason they were here was painfully clear.

Clad in gleaming armor, polished spears in hand, they hadn’t come to talk. They were there to stop them.

Ji-Eun’s voice was filled with concern as she stepped forward. “Ye-Ji, are you alright? We’ve been so worried. You disappeared so suddenly...”

Ever the kind soul, she seemed more worried about Ye-Ji’s well-being than her trial.

“I’m fine...” Ye-Ji mumbled quietly.

Whether it was because of this trial, or something terrible that had happened while they were apart, the fire in her personality had dulled significantly. This was the same Ye-Ji who used to bicker endlessly with that loudmouth.

“Wait, speaking of which... Where is everyone else?” Eun-Ho asked.

After returning from the Training Institute, everything had turned upside down. A sudden earthquake hit, and there was talk of excess individuals being randomly deleted. Then, they were all scattered

Besides Ji-Eun, Jae-Hyuk, Yul and her father, Sol-Ah, and Yeo-Jin, Eun-Ho still hadn’t found the rest.

“Don’t tell me the others are—”

“They’re here too?!”

Jae-Hyuk picked up Ji-Eun’s unfinished question, urgently.

Ye-Ji didn’t say a word but just gave a slow, silent nod.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Then, three figures came sprinting out from behind the blood-red veil.

“What the hell!”

“Oh my god! You guys are all here!”

“Young man! I knew you were still alive!”

Curses, flailing arms, and familiar voices filled the tunnel.

One of the men casually lifted his helmet and barked with a familiar tone, “Shit! What took you so long! Where the hell were you?”

It was the same foul-mouthed guy they all recognized. His Niki hoodie and ball cap were gone, replaced by a suit of armor and a helmet that gleamed under the light.

Standing next to him was the cleaning lady, eyes filled with concern as she examined trembling Ye-Ji.

“Oh dear, Miss! You must’ve been so scared! Are you okay?”

“We’re saved! Finally!”

The security guard let out a breathy cry of relief, eyes misty with emotion.

What the hell is going on here?

Eun-Ho let out a long sigh, stunned by the bizarre scene in front of him.

“What happened? And what’s with the armor?” Jae-Hyuk demanded urgently, clearly rattled by the unexpected reunion.

“

Uh...

Well, that’s...” one of them began, but all three of them glanced nervously into the shadows, as if someone or something was watching.

Someone must be back there.

Clack!

Instead of waiting for them to fumble through an answer, Eun-Ho simply snatched the helmet from the foul-mouthed guy’s hand. He turned it over, gave it a quick inspection, then held it up to his head.

Suddenly, everything beyond the firelight lit up like daylight. The colors drained away, leaving a grayscale view, just like watching a high-resolution infrared camera feed.

“I can’t see faces clearly, but still...” Eun-Ho said.

“Right?! If it weren’t for that fire, we would’ve been toast! We could’ve gotten our heads chopped off without even seeing what we were fighting!” The armored man shuddered, genuinely creeped out just thinking about it.

“Oh my goodness,” said the cleaning lady who shared his unease.

Meanwhile, the security guard pointed toward the roaring fire.

“You started that fire, didn’t you?”

Eun-Ho gave a silent nod.

“I knew it! I knew you could look ahead, young man!”

There were over twenty people, each with high-grade gear that couldn’t even be found at intermediate-tier shops. Ye-Ji, biting her lip, desperately avoided eye contact.

“Yeah, well. Thanks. But anyway, are you guys the defensive setup? You were here to stop us from getting past that wall, right?”

The people remained silent, appearing shocked.

“What exactly was your trial?” Eun-Ho asked.

“

Uh

...”

The security guard hesitated, looking more embarrassed than anything, as if unsure whether to be ashamed or apologetic for being on the opposing team.

Therefore, Eun-Ho turned to Ye-Ji instead. “Ye-Ji.”

“Y-yes?”

“If people make it through, do you lose someone for every person that passes?”

She flinched as if to tell him he was right.

“What?! Hyungnim, what are you talking about?”

“Wait, so if we succeed in this trial, they fail?”

“Oh goodness!”

Eun-Ho tried to remember the system messages about the trial.

[A defensive setup has been activated.]

[Survive the Shadow Path.]

If the goal of Eun-Ho’s team was to survive the Shadow Path, then the other team had only one goal—to make sure they didn’t.

In that case, the penalty was obvious.

“The system message said to establish a defensive setup, and that every enemy that crosses the line would result in one random deletion.”

As she spoke, Ye-Ji pointed behind her—at a faint, semi-transparent wall that shimmered just enough to catch the eye.

So that’s the barrier the proposal was talking about?

If Eun-Ho’s team made it through, the other team would die. However, if they held the line, his team would die.

Well then. We’ll have to go with Plan B.

Plan A was a straightforward charge through the defenses, just like the system told them. However, that was off the table now.

Good thing they had prepared a backup just in case the monsters ahead turned out to be too much.

“Young man! What do we do now?” the security guard asked nervously.

The foul-mouthed man tried to add on, his face set with grim resolve. “Shit! That’s what I—

keugh!

”

Another figure, also dressed in armor, marched up and kicked the foul-mouthed man hard in the back. The force folded him forward like a snapped book.

“What the hell?!” Whipping around as if ready to flip a table, the foul-mouthed man froze the moment he saw who it was. “... Hyungnim.”

Instead of exploding in curses like usual, the foul-mouthed man clenched his jaw and actually took a step back.

Hyungnim?

Eun-Ho thought.

That was unexpected from a guy who cursed even in his sleep. This just got weird.

“You piece of shit, can’t you ever shut your damn mouth?!” the new guy barked the words.

Despite being kicked in the back for literally nothing, the foul-mouthed man lowered his head without protest. Same went for everyone else.

Taller by at least a head and built like a fortress, the new guy towered over the others. He had a presence that pushed people back without touching them. Besides, he was casually swinging a brutal-looking weapon.

Is this control by raw force and fear?

Eun-Ho thought.

“... What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Eun-Ho asked, cold anger in every syllable.

The guy spat on the ground and roared, loud enough to shake the air, “If even one of them gets past us, we’re dead!”

Unbelievable.

Eun-Ho’s fists clenched before he even realized.

“Fuck this! You think I came all this way just to die in your place?!”

One of the younger men from Eun-Ho’s side suddenly bolted forward, screaming at the top of his lungs, “I don’t care! There’s no way you’re stopping me!”

He lunged at the barrier so fast that Eun-Ho wondered what his agility stat was. No one even had time to react.

“You son of a bitch!”

The so-called Hyungnim swung his weapon.

Crack—!

It landed square on the back of the man’s head just as he was crossing the barrier, and blood sprayed like a burst pipe.

Thwack! Thwack! Splat!

“

Gaaaah!

”

His dying scream tore through the air, quickly drowned out by the other survivors' cries.

“

Aaaaah!

”

“H-he killed him?!”

“You psycho! What the hell are you doing?!”

The sheer brutality of it stunned the survivors from the Namsan group, including Eun-Ho. Everyone on his side watched the man in horror, whereas the armored ones just turned their heads in silence.

It seemed like those people weren’t shocked, but in fear. They had seen this before again and again, so it was nothing by now.

As if he hadn’t just crushed someone’s skull, the man casually grabbed the woman’s sleeve and wiped the blood from his face like it was ketchup.

“Filthy rats.”

“

Hic!

”

“If they try to run, we either kill them or break their legs. Got it?”

Eun-Ho nearly threw up from the calm, practiced way he did it.

“Then no one will have the courage to run like that. Am I wrong?” asked the man.

“Yeah, you are,” replied Eun-Ho.

Unable to hold back anymore, he stepped forward.

“Who the hell are you?” the man asked.

Then, Eun-Ho gripped the sword in his hand, feeling its weight.

“Hey, Guard. This guy’s your buddy, right?”

Thump.

“Stupid little punk doesn’t even know his place. Looks like he needs a beating, just like the rest of your crew.”

Doesn’t know my place, huh?

thought Eun-Ho, gritting his teeth.

It was time to teach this bastard exactly where he stood.

“Six minutes and twenty seconds,” Eun-Ho said.

“What?”

“Two minutes, tops, to find the path. Four more to get through the tunnel. That leaves me with twenty seconds.”

“What kind of bullshit math is that?”

You’ll get beaten up soon enough in the twenty seconds I’ve got left.

***

The foul-mouthed man started to say something, worry flickering across his face. Then, he swallowed it back down.

Does that bastard have any idea how dangerous that Hyungnim is...?

However, whether Eun-Ho understood or didn’t care, he calmly raised his sword.

“Twenty seconds.”

That was all he said before making his next move.

“What the hell are you saying? This bastard’s totally insa—

Gaaaaah!

”

With one swift move, Eun-Ho’s blade cut clean across the man’s thigh, slicing through the exposed flesh where his armor didn’t cover.

“

Aaaaagh!

Who the hell are you?! How can he still attack me?! Why is it hurting me?!”

“Why? Is it not supposed to?” Eun-Ho asked.

“B-but my defense is almost maxed out!”

Panic spread across the thug’s face and it made sense. Everyone here had seen how nothing could scratch him.

Monster claws left only faint red lines, like a cat had batted him for fun. At the start of this trial, he had even bragged that he didn’t need armor as his skin was already one.

“

Ah

. That explains it. I thought the blade was dull after slicing up all those Mealworms earlier.”

“What the hell are you talking ab—

Gaaaah!

”

Without flinching, Eun-Ho swung again—cold and deliberate, like a butcher cleaving through frozen flesh.

Splash—!

Blood burst from the man's thigh like someone had slashed a water balloon full of red paint.

The foul-mouthed man’s jaw dropped involuntarily.

It’s that easy?

He remembered what came before. After the Seoul Station trial, during the chaos of the quake, they had all fled to Sogong District. That was where they met this bastard.

The thug had killed one monster—just one—and acted like that made him king.

Then he beat us up crazy that day.

It began when the guy couldn’t stop staring at or touching Ye-Ji’s pencil skirt. The foul-mouthed man didn’t hold back, unloading on him with a string of sharp words.

Then, the man lost it. Within seconds, the cleaning lady and the security guard had jumped into the chaos as well.

The foul-mouthed guy thought back to the past.

“A guard, and a janitor...? Why the hell do these worthless bastards think they can do something to me?”

“Ugh! Okay! I was wrong! Stop—!”

“Watch your tone.”

“I-I’m sorry! Please! Please stop!”

He always bragged about maxing out his defense skill, acting like he was made of stone, and here he was, staggering, blood pouring down his leg.

Yes! Holy shit!

The foul-mouthed man could barely keep from cheering out loud, shaking with joy.

Swoosh—!

Eun-Ho moved behind the guy in one fluid motion and slashed again, this time across the calf.

When the thug finally snapped and came charging in, swinging a mace the size of a toddler’s head, Eun-Ho’s calm presence made everyone hold their breath.

Whoosh! Baaam!

Thanks to a quick sidestep, the attack missed. Instead of hitting Eun-Ho, the guy smashed his own head straight into the tunnel wall.

As the wall caved in, it was like a weight lifted from the chest—a sharp, cleansing breath after being submerged for far too long.

“Gaaah!

You little rat!

”

No matter how strong he was or how heavy his weapon, it didn’t matter to Eun-Ho. As long as he didn’t get hit, he had nothing to fear.

He doesn’t stand a chance,

thought the foul-mouthed guy.

Besides, it seemed like even the thug realized it too. With a determined look, the thug braced himself for one last desperate strike.

“You’re dead meat, asshole!”

The reason this bastard could take down monsters came down to one thing, his “finisher.” It was a deadly move granted by some rare item he had gotten purely by luck.

The foul-mouthed guy thought about the conversation he had earlier with the thug.

“It’s nasty when I swing it, but the real killer’s when it comes back. This thing? It’s cursed in the best way.”

“I-is that so?”

“Hell yeah, dumbass. So if you try to bolt, you better be ready. I’ll cave your skull in from behind.”

Vmmmm—!

The mace lodged in the tunnel wall began to hum, as if announcing it was finally ready. Then, in a flash, it tore through the air, aimed straight at Eun-Ho’s unguarded back.

“Watch out! Behind you—!”

Seeing that brutal weapon flying right at him, Eun-Ho didn’t flinch and simply whispered a single word, “Acceleration.”

Swoosh—!

A rush of wind whipped through the tunnel. In the blink of an eye, a metal door had somehow appeared out of nowhere, slamming down between Eun-Ho and the incoming mace.

“A door?!” muttered the foul-mouthed guy.

The bastard who launched it was now sprawled on the ground, hand still outstretched. Eun-Ho had driven his longsword straight into the man’s armpit.

“

Aaaaargh!

”

The scream echoed down the tunnel, shaking the walls. Foaming at the mouth, the thug finally passed out cold.

“I still had ten seconds left,” Eun-Ho muttered, appearing a little disappointed.

I guess it’s over,

Eun-Ho thought.

The tyrant, the one everyone believed couldn’t be stopped, was brought down in just twenty seconds.

“Well. That’s that...”

Without even sparing the guy a second glance, Eun-Ho started walking.

Thump.

He approached the door, the same one the mace had struck. Without a word, without hesitation, he reached out and took hold of it.

“Store.”

Puff—!

“What the hell?!”

No one could tell what was more shocking—how naturally Eun-Ho looted the weapon, or the fact that it clearly wasn’t his first time doing it. Either way, the fight was over as their so-called leader was down, and the weapon that made him dangerous was gone.

[06:05]

“... It’s over.”

The survivors responsible for blocking the wall let out a collective groan of despair. They understood now that their trial was a failure.

No armor could protect them from this man, and it was clear that he and his group would be crossing that wall.

“W-we did it?!”

“So that means all we have to do is run—!”

The survivors from Namsan, realizing this, began to inch closer to the wall, ready to sprint through.

However, Eun-Ho stepped forward to block their path.

“There’s no need for that. There’s a way for all of us to make it out of this alive.”

As he stood near the still-burning wreckage, a shaft of light fell on him from the side like a spotlight on a stage, drawing every eye in the tunnel.

“Young man! What are you saying?”

“There’s a path to the safe zone that doesn’t involve going through the wall,” Eun-Ho said.

“What?!”

The wall reached from floor to ceiling, cutting off the tunnel entirely. There was no way around it or at least, that was what everyone believed.

“What? Is this some kind of riddle?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

However, despite the disbelief, the foul-mouthed guy found himself asking, “T-there is a way, right?”

He figured that if anyone could be trusted, it was Eun-Ho—the guy who always bent the rules. Therefore, if Eun-Ho said it, he was willing to believe him.

“We can get there. We don’t have to go through this wall,” Eun-Ho said.

“I trust you, Eun-Ho!” Ji-Eun replied.

“Me too! Every time I’ve listened to that guy, it’s worked out.”

“Same here! You don’t know how amazing Hyungnim is!” Jae-Hyuk added on.

Eun-Ho listened to the wave of trust pouring out from behind him.

Then, without turning back, he walked calmly toward the tunnel wall and said, “Let’s take the side tunnel.”

“... What?”

“There’s a hidden passage here.”

Swish.

With those cryptic words, Eun-Ho turned away and walked toward the tunnel wall.

“A hidden passage? Where?! There’s nothing there!”

“Yeah! There’s not even a sign. What the hell is he talking about?”

Then, Eun-Ho stopped in front of a concrete wall—cracked and dented from earlier, where that bastard’s mace had slammed into it.

“Summon.”

Without hesitation, Eun-Ho gripped the very same mace and started breaking the wall down.

Thud!

“W-what are you doing?!”

“You’re not seriously trying to smash through that, are you? Do you even know how thick that thing is?!”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Eun-Ho didn’t care what anyone was yelling.

He slammed the mace again and again into the concrete several times. With each impact, dust exploded outward, and stone chips flew like shrapnel.

“... What?! It’s hollow?!”

Behind the thick concrete, an empty chamber revealed itself.

“There is a real passage back there! What the hell?!”

“Is that an emergency evacuation tunnel? Why was it sealed off?”

“How did you even know this was here?”

“Who cares?” Eun-Ho replied.

Flustered voices tripped over themselves, stunned by the existence of a path no one had expected.

He gave the mace a few lazy swings, then said “Are you guys coming or not?”

Holy shit! That was badass,

thought the foul-mouthed guy.