Surviving Restructuring

Without a second thought, Eun-Ho shut off the chaotic screen of swirling memories.

In its place, a clear blue sky stretched endlessly. A crisp autumn breeze rolled a single leaf to his feet, which passed cleanly through his translucent ankle.

Forty-five minutes had passed ever since he had sold his memories and became a ghost drifting through the past.

[15:02]

There were about fifteen minutes left. He needed to make the most of them by solidifying his lead.

[Real-Time Donation Rankings]

1. Lee Eun-Ho (20,000 points)

2. X (16,000 points)

3. Cha Jin-Sol (8,100 points)

4. Kim Ji-Eun (7,500 points)

5. Kim Gwi-Nam (5,150 points)

There was only a four thousand point lead between him and Subject X. It wouldn’t take long for that guy to catch up, especially after ditching a pistol for a machine gun. Who knew what kind of insane stunt he’d pull next?

What? I’m still at twenty thousand?

He hadn’t earned a single point from viewer donations since.

“So it’s just about overpowering and defeating the things of this world! I get it now!”

Hearing that damn Crow’s cocky squawking, Eun-Ho had half-expected them to wipe out the competition. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. Otherwise, the crowd watching from behind those Eyes would’ve been cheering for them.

What the hell is the Crow doing?

Eun-Ho had to see for himself. He wasn’t sure what absurdity the Crow was up to, but to get reaction from the observers, there had to be something worth seeing.

Worst-case scenario, he still had one card up his sleeve.

I really don’t want to use it, but losing out on the reward would be worse.

With his mind racing, Eun-Ho stepped into the stadium where the guy had last been seen.

Thump. Thump.

His right foot landed, carrying his worry. His left followed, heavy with anxiety.The field was a complete disaster. It was hard to tell whether this place was supposed to be a competition arena or a refugee camp.

[What the hell happened here?!]

The tents surrounding the field were shredded, flapping in the wind. The hurdles were uprooted and broken. Heck, the athletes weren’t even in a race. Instead, they were sparring, holding broken poles and hurdle bars like makeshift swords.

「How long do we have to do this?」

「How should I know?」

「Ugh! Can we stop now?」

「If we slack off and that bastard shows up, we’re dead. Just keep going before he beats us again!」

That bastard...?

Even before he heard the name, Eun-Ho knew who they meant. He instinctively looked away.

「Lee Eun-Ho, you son of a bitch...」

His name slipped between the beaten up guy’s clenched teeth.

So let me get this straight. That damn Crow put on my face, gave Korea’s next-generation track stars some garbage weapons and started training them? Seriously?

「He’s out of his mind. Why’d he make us wear numbers?」

「Right?! Did you see him? One guy couldn’t remember his number and he made him do push-ups equal to it.」

「God, I’m number 81. I would’ve died.」

Wait. Hold up. The Crow made them wear numbers and lined them up in rows?

This was starting to sound painfully familiar.

「“Besides, if your loyalty score is low, he’d beat you bloody. He’s a total psychopath.”」

「“I told you. Did you see his eyes? The light’s on but nobody’s home.”」

And loyalty, too? Ha... He’s copying the Skeleton Soldier scene.

Apparently, his dear client found Eun-Ho’s military simulation trial way too entertaining, so much so that he decided to recreate it.

Despite how ridiculous it all was, Eun-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle. However, he kept scanning the area, searching for the commander, surely parading proudly among their troops.

Hmm... He’s not here?

No matter where he looked, there was no sign of the Crow. There was no sign of himself, either—well, the version of him the Crow had stolen. Maybe they had already conquered this place and moved on?

Annoyed, Eun-Ho pulled up the screen he had turned off earlier.

[You have been connected to Channel E13-HRN-LEH#1.]

Then, there they were again—Eun-Ho’s doppelgänger, back on-screen. The Crow had stripped off their jacket and held a pole vault stick sideways like a spear, evidently engaged in a fierce battle.

「Yooou bastaaaard!」

The Crow let out a wild battle cry, fighting a car right in the middle of a massive eight-lane intersection.

「If I take you down, this ends!」

「You lunatic! Get off the road!」

「Hey! You can’t just charge into traffic!」

「Has he lost it?! Is he trying to die?!」

Ha... It’s time to rescue this crazy customer.

***

Outside a convenience store at the corner of the intersection...

“Kehahaha! Not bad, little lady! You’ve got some skill!”

The Crow sat cross-legged on the pavement, happily gnawing on a green, square-shaped ice cream bar. They had mistaken it for some kind of gourmet dish made by the part-timer inside.

[As long as it tastes good.]

But more importantly, did the Crow actually think the car is the Earth’s ruler?

Then, Eun-Ho decided to ask the Crow.

[Why did you charge at the car?]

“What’s car?” the Crow asked.

[You know. The noisy metal box from earlier.]

“Ah! You mean that honking chunk of steel!” the Crow replied with total confidence, as if the question made no sense at all. “Wasn’t it a Golem? Like the monsters you fought before?”

[You thought a car was a Golem?]

“Yeah. You beat one, so I figured I could, too. Why not?”

[Hah...]

Eun-Ho let out a hollow laugh. Now he was stuck figuring out how to squeeze any meaningful engagement out of this walking disaster.

Ding!

While he was pondering, a chime echoed, suggesting the rankings had shifted.

[Real-Time Donation Rankings]

1. X (21,500 points)

2. Lee Eun-Ho (20,000 points)

3. Cha Jin-Sol (8,600 points)

4. Kim Ji-Eun (8,000 points)

5. Ahn Kyung-Nam (6,450 points)

Damn it.

Subject X had pulled ahead by 1,500 points and was still going, slowly but surely. Meanwhile, looking at Eun-Ho’s own channel, even the ones he had were gone.

[Where did all the viewers go?]

“They said they’ll come back once you return. They said something about catching up on work or whatever.”

While the Crow had been numbering the athletes and playing chicken with a car, everyone had left.

[07:50]

Not even eight minutes remained, and he didn’t have a single viewer left. He only had one surefire way to reclaim first place.

[An anonymous observer throws a coin to test the system!]

[The anonymous observer has donated ten Welfare Points!]

Eun-Ho had donated to himself.

As a registered viewer, Eun-Ho could sponsor the Subject Lee Eun-Ho—a method with a hundred percent success rate. All he had to do was wait until the very last moment then dump every last point he had. Thanks to the Skeleton Soldiers, he’d earned a ton of Welfare Points anyway.

It does feel like I’m cheating... But who cares.

Even if the Administrator realized it was an exploit after the fact, what could they do? He was using a feature they had given him. In fact, maybe they knew and gave it to him on purpose since they would still get a cut of the donations, after all.

[Real-Time Donation Rankings]

1. X (23,000 points)

2. Lee Eun-Ho (20,010 points)

Those ten points still counted toward his total, but once the trial ended, half of that would be taken back as a commission fee.

That was the tradeoff. It was the Administrator’s profit, and also the reason he hesitated.

Accepting the penalty just to climb to first place was still worth it. After all, the reward was the Almighty Observer’s Eye, something that not even the intermediate-tier shop had. He’d just treat it like paying the fee to purchase a rare item.

“Hmm...”

After much internal debate, Eun-Ho was finally about to part his dry lips to speak when the chime echoed.

Ding!

[Subject Kim Ji-Eun’s broadcast has ended.]

[You are hosting nine observers!]

Huh?

[A new observer has entered your room!]

[A new observer has entered your room!]

[A new observer has entered your room!]

...

Ji-Eun had sent him a gift: the romance maniacs who used to hang out on her channel.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation waves, saying they are here to see the male lead’s backstory!]

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs claps, wanting a better look at that handsome face!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit greets you with a warm hello!]

So this is what hosting is...

He hadn’t even realized such a feature existed until now.

Ji-Eun even wrapped up her own stream like a pro... She’s amazing. But why was her channel the only one to end early? We were all given an hour... Oh wait, right. She started before me, Eun-Ho thought.

While Eun-Ho was busy with negotiations and auctions, the others had already begun their trial. To even account for that, what a smart woman she was!

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation beams, saying you were pretty adorable as a kid!]

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs pouts, wishing they could’ve seen the female lead’s childhood too!]

Then, a sudden thought flashed through Eun-Ho’s mind.

Wait a minute! This might actually work. No, it will work!

All he had to do was copy what Ji-Eun had done. Sure, under normal circumstances, there was no way it would’ve worked. However now, he had the perfect puppet to move on his behalf.

[Looks like you’ve got a group of lady fans watching.]

“Fans? What are those?”

[Women who adore you. They’re watching right now.]

“W-w-what?!”

It was time to get to work.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation sparkles, asking where the adorable female lead is hiding!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit recharges 3,000 Welfare Points with a fluttering heart!]

The payoff for a little moment of secondhand embarrassment was too good to pass up.

Alright, it’s time to begin.

[They’re clearly into you, but there’s one little thing missing...]

“Speak! What must I do?!”

Judging by the Crow’s speech and body language, there was no way the observers would get the vibe they wanted just from him being himself.

[Just copy me.]

Eun-Ho thought back to all the Korean dramas with that familiar melodramatic formula he had watched in passing.

[Say this. Mmmm... It’s delicious.]

“That’s it?”

Granted, the guy was chewing on a weirdly green ice cream bar, which kind of killed the mood, but whatever.

[Just do it. Say, mmm... It’s delicious.]

The Crow tilted their head, unsure, but followed along. “Mmm... It’s delicious.”

[It’d be nice to share this with Ji-Eun.]

“Ji-Eun...? Who’s—”

[Just do it.]

“It’d be nice to share this with Ji-Eun.”

The Crow’s head was still tilted in confusion, but to anyone watching, their expression looked full of longing.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation swoons at the devoted male lead gazing lovingly at the female lead!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit blushes, asking if he’s saying he misses her already!]

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs tears their hair out, yelling that the female lead needs to see this!]

Eun-Ho’s face was already burning from secondhand embarrassment, but there was no time to hesitate. It was time to hit the climax line.

[I miss you.]

The Crow flinched and glanced Eun-Ho’s way. But then, lips dry, they quietly whispered, “I miss you.”

His tone was reluctant, almost unwilling, but the observers all saw it as the bashful confession of a shy male lead.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation screams, saying shy male leads are their ultimate weakness!]

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation has donated two thousand Welfare Points!]

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs is losing it, saying they thought he was cold, but he’s actually got a hidden charm!]

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairshas donated a thousand Welfare Points!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit gives a thumbs up, declaring this is the ultimate romance content!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit has donated five thousand Welfare Points!]

[Multiple observers are opening their wallets for this cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside male lead!]

...

A flood of donations poured in, and soon his hour was over.

[Time is up.]

[The trial, Observation, has ended.]

[You are returning to your original state.]

The last part was a little humiliating for him, but overall, that was almost too easy. He wasn’t sure whether to be proud or ashamed.

Then, the world blinked.

***

When Eun-Ho returned, finally done with that voyeuristic nightmare of a trial, the group had already gathered at Namsan Tower.

“Oh! Young man, you’re finally back!”

“Damn, what took you so long! We were worried!”

It seemed like everyone had returned to the same place the trial started.

“I’m fine. I just started a little la—”

However, before he could even explain, a translucent screen popped up before their eyes.

[All participants have returned.]

[Final rankings will now be announced!]

[Final Donation Rankings]

1. Lee Eun-Ho (32,010 points)

2. X (23,000 points)

3. Cha Jin-Sol (8,700 points)

4. Kim Ji-Eun (8,000 points)

5. Kim Gwi-Nam (6,450 points)

In first place, his name shone in brilliant gold at the top of the list.

Yes! I did it!

He’d won by a landslide, too. There was minimal investment, but maximum return. Now, it was time to claim his reward.

[You will be granted the special reward.]

The Almighty Observer’s Eye allowed one to see the remaining stamina, meaning it would be useful both in fights and negotiations. He planned to stash it in his inventory as soon as he received it, as there was no need to show off.

Suddenly, a massive screen appeared in the sky.

[We are commencing the reward ceremony.]

[All survivors, please check your screens!]

Fwoosh—!

The next moment, the screen was filled completely with Eun-Ho’s face. Not just his face, but his whole self, as well as the Namsan Tower behind him.

Crackle! Crackle!

Colorful fireworks burst loudly overhead, showering the area in confetti. Then, with a familiar jingle, a radiant golden chest materialized before him.

Poof!

[Congratulations!]

[Please claim your special reward!]

Seriously? They couldn’t have just handed it over quietly?