Surviving Restructuring

With a dry clatter, Yoo Ri-Na’s items spilled across the floor.

“Whoa, that’s a lot of stuff, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk shouted.

“Yeah... It seems like she’d been hoarding,” Eun-Ho replied.

It no longer mattered whether she’d gathered them by killing others or through trials. Now that they were in Eun-Ho’s hands, putting them to good use was the least he could do.

[White Serpent’s Venom Sac]

- A toxin sac extracted from the belly of a deadly snake.

- It contains concentrated poison. Once absorbed, it spreads through the body in under a minute, shutting down metabolism and hardening internal organs.

- Use Limit: 10 times

Inside the small pouch, a pitch-black liquid sloshed ominously with every shake. It was a fast-acting poison, lethal in sixty seconds. He cautiously cracked the seal open, before sealing it just as fast.

This had to be the one she used in those earrings earlier. It didn’t seem like much when it was aimed at him, but now that it was in his hands, it felt reassuring.

I hope this poison works on monsters too.

“Store,” Eun-Ho muttered, tucking it into his inventory.

Next up was a round sticker that seemed like one of those skin-colored patches used for motion sickness.

[Compact Tracker]

- A location-tracking device developed by the Future Research Center.

- Once activated and attached to a target, their position becomes visible on the map.

- Warning: Single-use only. Cannot be removed or reused.

I’m not sure when I’ll need a tracker, but it might come in handy, so let’s keep it.

[Refined Sleeping Draught]

- Drink to fall asleep within one minute. Duration is 2 hours.

- There are no side effects, but highly addictive. Overuse may lead to insomnia without the potion.

So a liquid sedative, basically.

The usefulness was apparent at a glance. Then, there was the last item, which was also the strangest one. The bizarre, ornamented gun with neither magazine nor chamber, and just intricate detailing.

[Soeju Handgun]

- A custom-crafted, single-shot pistol created by Soeju’s eccentric artisan.

- Decorated with elaborate gold inlay and adorned with stag horn for aesthetic value.

- Bullets are generated in response to the user’s willpower.

Huh? Generated by willpower?

That explained the lack of bullets. To test it, he gripped the pistol and pulled the trigger, making sure no one was nearby.

Bang!

The recoil was much stronger than he expected. It jolted through his shoulder, almost throwing off his aim. Then, a flash of gold shimmered from the muzzle, so faint that it barely registered.

However, the impact was undeniable. There was a clean, round impact crater on the floor ahead. It was almost as powerful as his stone fist under the Petrification effect. Besides, the speed was far beyond human reaction.

“Hyungnim! That doesn’t have... How did you shoot it without bullets? I mean...” Jae-Hyuk had wandered up without Eun-Ho noticing, full of awe.

“I think it makes its own bullets, but it’s probably weaker than a regular gun,” Eun-Ho replied.

“Ah... Got it.”

“With armor on, it might not even be fatal.”

Still, it will scale if it reacts to willpower... It’s only gonna get stronger.

Even Eun-Ho found the fact that he could fire this much force from a distance kind of terrifying.

I didn’t expect to walk away with all this...

Thanks to being targeted by Subject X, he’d not only survived a brush with death, but scored a deadly arsenal in return.

I guess that’s a win, right?

Eun-Ho sighed. Even in this situation, it was ridiculous how he weighed the usefulness of items left behind by the dead. That didn’t stop him from methodically storing the gun in his inventory, of course.

“Um, excuse me? Can I go now?” The voice came hesitantly from the side. It was the chef, still kneeling obediently with Ji-Eun’s dagger inches from his throat. “I swear, I didn’t know she was going to do that! You’ve got to believe me!”

“Then why did you lie?” Eun-Ho asked.

“She said you were suspicious and that she needed to talk privately. She told me to play along so we could go somewhere quiet...”

That’s it? You were swayed by just that? Even though you haven’t known her for long? That decision doesn’t make sense to me...

Eun-Ho narrowed his eyes. It made the chef flinch, like a prey animal sensing a predator nearby.

“So you lied because she asked you to? You barely knew her. How can you trust her?”

“I mean... She was really pretty!”

“... You’re telling me you didn’t think a woman that attractive could commit mass murder?”

Wow. What a pathetic excuse for a partner in crime, so much so that it’s almost convincing.

Eun-Ho tilted his head slightly. “During the observation trial, what memory did you submit?”

He threw out the question casually, almost like a test. Not that it would prove guilt or innocence on its own. Nevertheless, it’d help him understand what kind of person this guy was.

“Why do you wanna kno—?”

“Answer.”

“Gah! Okay, okay!”

As Ji-Eun raised her dagger again, the chef scrambled to reply, “... bang...”

“What?”

“... I-It was a mukbang.”

The entire group blinked in confusion.

As if to prove it, the chef mimed stuffing his face and made exaggerated slurping noises. “You know! Cooking and eating on camera! People seemed to like it!”

Mukbang? Yeah, that guy. I remember seeing one.

“What did you cook?”

“It was rose pasta. Ten servings!”

Eun-Ho remembered the one who’d filmed himself eating obscene amounts of pasta, slurping down ten servings of rose pasta like a starving hyena. It started out as a normal mukbang, but over time, the guy went crazy over donations and started acting ridiculously. He was flinging noodles into the air, making a huge scene.

I thought it was gross... Who would’ve thought that someone who ate that messily was actually a hotel chef? I never would’ve imagined it.

“... Well, I’ll hold judgment for now.”

“But Hyungnim, what if he was her accomplice?”

“Are you okay letting him go?”

Jae-Hyuk and Ji-Eun both appeared concerned, but Eun-Ho nodded slowly. There wasn’t much to gain by roughing him up anyway.

“But, on one condition,” Eun-Ho continued, “give a statement.”

The chef seemed confused. “A statement?”

“You have to make the statement that the model lady tried to kill me and that she attacked first.”

People would be coming soon, so he might as well make use of the chef while he was still useful.

***

It had been a long night. Someone had tried to kill Eun-Ho, but in the end, he was the one who survived. None of it was dictated by the system—it was purely his and her will and choice.

“But strangely, I’m not shaking. Plus, my heart’s not racing like crazy or anything...”

Is this normal?

Eun-Ho said it aloud without really meaning to. The words just slipped out.

Ji-Eun gave him a faint smile. “That’s a good thing. It means you’re strong.”

Her drooping eyes, usually soft like a puppy’s, seemed especially weary today. A quiet smile tugged at her lips, and she seemed deep in thought.

“Eun-Ho.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think people became evil because the world changed? Or were they always like that?”

That was what she’d been thinking the whole time. She used to believe people were inherently good and that even bad actions had reasons, and with enough understanding, most people could be forgiven.

Therefore, he treaded carefully with his reply. “I don’t really know, but I think people change depending on their circumstances.”

Ji-Eun’s smile turned bitter. “Yeah. I guess it was a meaningless question.”

She’s waking up.

She finally started to realize that not everyone’s heart was like her own. He didn’t know if he should be glad or feel sorry. In the end, he said nothing and just gently patted her shoulder.

“Hey! You two!”

The security guard and cleaning lady approached from across the plaza. It was 8:30 AM.

It’s that late already?

All around, people were beginning to stir. Survivors had gathered in the plaza, readying for whatever was next.

“You... you’re doing okay, right?”

“I’m worried sick! Oh, what a nightmare you’ve been through...”

The security guard seemed unsure, while the cleaning lady fussed over him like he was her own son. It was all thanks to the Swear-Master. He exaggerated, saying that Yoo Ri-Na was a terrorist and Eun-Ho fought her off while risking his life.

Not everyone bought it, of course.

“That’s him, right?”

“Last night, it was him who...”

“He’s still standing fine? Ugh, that’s creepy.”

Most of the murmuring came from the people who’d come from Itaewon. To them, even after just a day or two, Ri-Na had been someone they thought they knew. Hence, it was difficult to believe that the same woman had tried to kill someone. It was easier to believe Eun-Ho had some ulterior motive and struck first.

At least the chef’s testimony helped cool things down, Eun-Ho thought, shrugging slightly.

The cleaning lady, who’d been nervously glancing at him, smacked him on the back. “You should be resting after all that! Why’re you up so early?”

“Haha... I’m fine, really.”

“Coming out here at the crack of dawn, just to hear people gossip about you? Hmph! And what are you all staring at?!”

A few onlookers jumped and quickly turned their eyes away. Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling, being seen and defended.

It was now 8:50 AM. He sat in that strange middle place between the familiar and the unfamiliar, waiting for time to pass. Some stared up at the clear blue sky with heavy sighs. Others kicked the dirt and sighed again.

A serene mountain morning, laced with a silent, buzzing tension.

“Noonim! What do you think today’s trial will be?”

“Good question. The aptitude test is already over so...”

“Man... I thought we were done with the Entrance Exam crap.”

The Swear-Master had a point. They were nearly at the end, with only one stage left.

And after an aptitude test, there’s only one thing that could come next.

Just then, the calm was pierced by a lively chime and a system announcement echoing through the forest.

[Attention all survivors in the Yongsan District.]

[At exactly 9:00 AM, the project Character Evaluation will begin.]

“What? Character evaluation?!”

It was a follow-up to the aptitude test.

[All survivors, please proceed to the designated safe zone by 9:00 AM.]

Fwoosh!

Then, a map flared into view, the semi-transparent overlay filling the corner of his vision. On the left was mountain and park terrain, and on the right were densely packed buildings.

“There’s only one safe zone!”

Eun-Ho could easily recognize the layout of the final trial location in Yongsan District. However, something felt a little off.

“But the safe zone is huge,” he muttered.

“Huh?”

The safe zone was easily over a hundred meters in diameter, being far larger than any previous safe zone they had seen. Besides, with less than two hundred survivors left in Yongsan District, everyone could fit comfortably inside.

That means... This isn’t the end.

He could tell that getting inside the safe zone was just the start.

If they need a space that big for the Character Evaluation trial, that can only mean one thing.

“Jae-Hyuk! Take this for me!”

“Huh? Oh, okay, for sure!”

With gear packed and ready, Eun-Ho nodded once.

“We’re heading to Noksapyeong Station! Move out!”

“Got it!”

***

“Huff...”

“We’re here!”

“Over there! That’s the safe zone!”

They had made it to the Noksapyeong Station intersection. Located just before the vibrant streets of Itaewon began, it was still and empty, save for the wide-open road.

“Whew... It seems like everyone’s arrived.”

“There’s so many people, Noonim!”

There were no cars in sight, but the place was packed. Some stood gripping weapons taller than they were. Others nervously glanced around, sizing up every tool and talent in their vicinity.

There were those with sunken eyes and pale faces, clearly sleepless. Then there were others who did everything they could not to be noticed. A quiet pressure filled the space, with everyone watching, waiting, dreading what came next.

“A character evaluation?” Ji-Eun panted beside him. “What are they trying to pull, gathering everyone like this?”

Eun-Ho didn’t bother answering because someone else already had.

[Attention survivors of Yongsan District.]

The system broadcast cut in right on cue as their ever-impatient Administrator wasn’t one to keep anyone waiting.

[We will now begin the preliminary stage of the Project, Character Evaluation.]

So the final stage of this surreal Entrance Exam begins...

It was the beginning of the one they couldn’t even study for, nor fake their way through. The true test of character had arrived.

[By the Administrator’s authority, the Arena is now open.]

[The Eye is now open.]

With a sound like shattering glass, the sky above fractured. Then, a massive, grotesque eye blinked open across the heavens.

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management greets a dear friend with joy!]

[The Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management scoffs, wondering when they became friends.]

[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation smiles, saying it feels like ages since their last visit.]

As soon as the Eye opened, the observers arrived, chattering away as if this were some kind of reunion. Then came the next system prompt.

Fwoosh—!

[This preliminary trial is a character survey designed to assess your values and morality.]

[Your answers will be used to inform future trials, so please respond honestly.]

“A survey...?” Eun-Ho muttered, remembering he’d seen something like this once before during the Mock Battle trial. “Is it like the one from earlier where they asked us where we prefer to be buried alive?”

“Shit, are they gonna toss us in the dirt again if we answer wrong?”

The Swear-Master’s outburst made everyone fall silent. Even with the proposal documents Eun-Ho had read, what happened after the survey was still a mystery.

At least the questions should be standard like a regular personality test.

[1. I could betray a teammate if it meant gaining something for myself.]

Yeah... Stuff like this.

[Character evaluation has started.]

[Please answer honestly.]