Chapter 101. New Employee, Lee Eun-Ho (1)
“Hello! My name is Eun-Ho, the new recruit. I look forward to working with you all!”
Even though he’d joined three companies aside from part-time jobs, there was never anything like a formal initiation ceremony. Most of his previous jobs hadn’t been through large-scale recruitment drives, and no company he knew of held grand ceremonies just for new employees. There were training sessions, but nothing like this.
[Attention, everyone.]
[In a few moments, the initiation ceremony for new recruits will begin. Please move to the designated area.]
It was the first time Eun-Ho had ever heard of such a thing, and the sight that unfolded was unbelievable. The vast lawn stretched endlessly, covered with people. Tens of thousands had gathered; their races, genders, and ages all different.
“Hang on! Are they all survivors?” someone exclaimed.
“えぇっ! 人が多いですねー!” another gasped in Japanese.
“喂! 会说汉语吗?” a third called out in Chinese.
All the remaining survivors of Earth had been brought together in one place. Men and women who had bled more than anyone could count stared at one another. Their skin and hair colour, as well as their features were all different, but their gazes were all the same.
How strong would they be? How ruthless? Would they be enemies or allies?
The languages differed, but the questions carried the same weight in everyone’s hearts.
Fwooosh—!
Suddenly, instead of the familiar green lines, hundreds of enormous circles appeared across the blue grass, glowing in a rainbow of dazzling colors.
“We are—ah! Over there!”
“Wow, look how many people are already here!”
“Phew... They all look Korean, Hyungnim!”
“Well, it seems like they’ve divided us by our ethnicity," Eun-Ho replied.
Following the map that guided them, they stepped into their designated circle. The first thing that greeted them was the sound of running water. However, instead of water, it came from a massive fountain that poured rivers of chocolate at the center.
Besides, that wasn’t all. A long banquet table, carved from a single giant gemstone, overflowed with foods and drinks none of them had ever seen before. Layered and intricate music filled the air, as if played by hundreds of instruments at once.
It was magnificent beyond imagination. Some were clearly overwhelmed by the grandeur and the sheer scale of it all.
“Holy crap! What is up with this? This is insane!”
“This is enormous!”
Others were on edge, suspicious.
“Wait! Are they being nice before killing us off or something?”
“Is this one of those ‘better to die full’ kind of deals?”
Yul cheered with delight. “Daddy! Can I have some chocolate?!”
“Sure, Yul. Go ahead.”
Yul squealed with joy. She reached up on her tiptoes, snatched a cookie from the towering table, and scampered over like an eager puppy on a snowy day. Without hesitation, she dipped it into the chocolate fountain.
“Choco!”
The sticky chocolate dripped down her fingers, but no one stopped her. Her smile was purer and brighter than anything else in that moment.
“It looks yummy!” she said with a beaming grin, lifting the cookie to her mouth.
Just at that moment, someone’s leg brushed past, knocking her hand aside.
Plop!
The cookie fell to the ground.
“C-choco?”
“Damn it,” the man muttered.
A dark smear stained his trouser leg where the cookie had struck.
“Waaaaah!”
Yul burst into tears. It wasn’t just because she had lost her treat. She glanced up at the man, who scowled openly in disgust. His hostile presence made her hiccup between sobs.
The man shoved Yul aside with the top of his shoe, sending her stumbling. “Disgusting.”
“What kind of kid is still alive around here?” he sneered, checking the dirtied fabric of his pants.
“Hey you! What do you think you’re doing?!” Han-Wool shouted, rushing forward to pick up his crying daughter.
He had just witnessed his little girl treated like garbage before his very eyes. Anyone would be furious and demand an apology.
However, the man simply said, “Maybe you should ask your daughter what she was doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“She dirtied my clothes,” stated the man as though he were stating an undeniable truth.
“Clothes? You’re putting clothes above a child’s safety?!” Han-Wool shouted back.
“And how can you be so sure?” the man asked calmly, “that your daughter is more important than my clothes?”
The sheer audacity of the question left Han-Wool speechless.
“The suit I’m wearing,” the man said smugly, brushing at the faint stain, “is a masterpiece crafted by an Italian artisan who makes only one piece a year. The richest men in the world scramble for it, and even then it’s uncertain if they can buy it. Now, in this situation, that’s not even possible. So tell me. Are you sure your daughter is worth that much?”
“W-what?” Han-Wool stammered.
“Besides,” the man went on, straightening his jacket, “as you can see, this suit maintains both my body temperature and my dignity. But your daughter? She seems more likely to drag down someone else’s value than raise it.”
“How dare you say that!”
The man ignored him and jerked his chin toward Jang Han-Il, who was limping nearby. “And what’s this? Didn’t your district bother to do any basic screening? A child and the disabled? That’s insane.”
“You bastard! Say that again!” Han-Wool shouted, shaking with rage.
“Please, sir! Don’t! Control yourself!” one of his companions begged, trying to hold him back.
What a load of crap, Eun-Ho thought.
Just as Eun-Ho was about to step in, Ji-Eun came up and whispered in his ear, “He’s the youngest of the MS Group.”
“The MS Group?” Eun-Ho asked quietly.
That meant he was part of the conglomerate family that both Eun-Ho and Ji-Eun had once worked under. Now that Eun-Ho looked closely, he noticed the people standing discreetly behind the man. They were clearly bodyguards or attendants.
“His name is Myung Seung-Tae, the youngest son of the MS family,” Ji-Eun explained. “He lived overseas for a long time, so the media rarely caught sight of him. But it seems he returned to Korea recently.”
So he’s a conglomerate heir, Eun-Ho thought.
“Ah, that explains so many people around him,” Eun-Ho murmured. “I even see a few celebrities.”
“Yes... Though, I’ve heard not-so-flattering rumors about him. The PR team had a hard time covering things up.”
“From the looks of it, your area must have been easy,” Myung Seung-Tae said coolly, addressing Han-Wool. “Don’t get too cocky. Surviving by luck doesn’t mean you’re actually worth anything.”
Conglomerate heir or not, wealth means nothing here, Eun-Ho thought.
“That’s enough,” Eun-Ho said, stepping forward.
Thump. Thump.
He blocked Han-Wool, who was shaking with anger, and faced Myung Seung-Tae directly.
“Who are you?” Myung Seung-Tae sneered.
Eun-Ho shot back, “And who are you?”
The heir’s eyes narrowed at the blunt reply. He scanned Eun-Ho from head to toe with thinly veiled contempt. “Ha. It seems like you don’t even know how to follow basic TPO. It tells me everything about your level.”
Eun-Ho didn’t bother answering. Instead, he simply said, “Summon.”
With one fluid motion, he drew his sword and placed the blade against Myung Seung-Tae’s shoulder. Thanks to his heightened Agility stat, the movements felt swifter than before. It was so swift, in fact, that Myung Seung-Tae hadn’t even reacted until the cold steel was already at his throat.
“W-what the hell are you doing?” the heir stammered.
“Ah.”
Woong—!
The Flame Sky-Shattering Blade thrummed with anticipation, radiating a murderous intent so sharp it felt like it could slice through mere glances.
“According to my sense of TPO,” Eun-Ho said calmly, “this is exactly the right situation. A situation where a sword is needed.”
“What the hell are you saying? Do you even know what TPO means?” Myung Seung-Tae sputtered.
“If you’re going to keep spewing garbage,” Eun-Ho warned, “then be prepared to put your tongue on the line.”
The heir flinched. Even he, accustomed to power and arrogance, trembled before the edge of the blade.
“Surviving by luck doesn’t mean you’re worth anything,” Eun-Ho said coldly. “Isn’t that right?”
“How dare you threaten me, you insolent bastard!” Myung Seung-Tae shouted, his voice cracking. He turned toward his entourage and bellowed, “What are you waiting for?! Do something!”
The two heavyset guards stepped forward immediately. After a short pause, three more followed. Three others shifted uneasily, clearly torn.
So there’s eight in total... Eun-Ho calculated instantly with his sharpened vision—which was another gift of his Agility stat—taking stock of the threat in a single glance.
Wait.
Among the group, he thought he caught a glimpse of a familiar face, before it disappeared back into the crowd.
[All subjects have entered.]
[The Initiation Ceremony for new recruits will now begin!]
[The Eye is now open!]
Rumble—! Rumble! Rumble—!
“E-earthquake?!”
“Watch out for the sword! It’s dangerous!”
“Quiet.”
At the center of the grassy plain, a colossal platform rose from the ground. It resembled a pyramid with its peak cut off. The entire structure seemed to have been carved from solid platinum. Sunlight bounced off its surface, dazzling to the eyes.
A grand staircase extended upward, draped in a red carpet that made it just barely possible to look upon the radiant structure.
[A new observer has joined!]
[A new observer has joined!]
[A new observer has joined!]
...
The system message kept ringing one after another, making it hard for anyone to focus.
Fwoosh—!
Then, a figure appeared in the air. It was a woman with golden hair tied high, falling to her waist. A headset microphone rested over her ears.
“Hi there![1]”
Huh?
“Oops! Sorry.”
“Hieeek! A-are they speaking in English now?” Jae-Hyuk yelped in surprise.
However, a second later, he sighed in relief as a system message appeared.
[For smooth proceedings, a universal language patch will now be applied.]
Fwoosh!
A cool breeze brushed past everyone’s ears and vanished.
Then, the woman’s cheerful voice resumed.
[Hello, everyone!]
[I’m Sarah, mascot of the Public Affairs Bureau, and I’ll be hosting today’s Initiation Ceremony!]
[Looks like we have an especially large turnout of employees this year!]
Amid the commotion, Myung Seung-Tae managed to cut his own hand on the edge. “What the hell is that supposed to be—argh!”
He screamed as if he had been grievously wronged, though he had brought it upon himself.
[Oh my?]
[Some of you are already fighting?!]
[Let’s zoom in for a closer look!]
Shrrk!
Eun-Ho slowly withdrew his sword, eyes fixed on the trembling heir who seemed like a drenched rat. That much of a warning was more than enough. The last thing he wanted was unnecessary attention.
[Aaah. It looks like it’s over already! That’s too bad!]
[Well then, let’s continue the explanation.]
“You bastard... How dare you give me a scar!” Myung Seung-Tae hissed.
“Be grateful it ended with a scar,” Eun-Ho replied coldly. “One more word of garbage, and I’ll take your head instead.”
“Hieeeek!” Seung-Tae quaked, his bravado crumbling.
Meanwhile, the hostess rattled on, cheerfully thanking employees for attending despite their busy schedules, as though nothing unusual had happened.
[... and so, the restructuring of sector 13 has been successfully completed!]
[We have a total of one hundred thousand survivors!]
[From an original world population of seven billion, that’s quite a drop, isn’t it?]
[We’d like to extend our gratitude to the subjects and administrators who made this possible!]
So that’s it. A polite thank-you to the administrators for killing off as many as possible. Yeah, this is truly consistent with this company’s policies, Eun-Ho thought bitterly.
[Now, let’s begin the Initiation Ceremony!]
Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom!
Fireworks erupted across the sky. Even under the midday sun, the brilliant colors burst vividly overhead. The loud explosions rang in everyone’s ears.
Fwoooosh!
Then, glowing orbs of multicolored light floated into the air, one for each section, before hovering above them.
“What the! Why is it coming over here?” someone muttered.
“Are we supposed to pop them like balloons or something?” another asked nervously.
The orbs exploded, showering the sky with report cards instead of sparks or petals.
[Alright, everyone!]
[Please check your Entrance Exam results!]
[Your district’s overall ranking is also included!]
Boom!
Finally, the blue orb split in half with a crack, spilling out a long sheet of stiff paper that unrolled like a scroll of toilet tissue. It was the result sheet, with two thousand names ranked by their Entrance Exam scores.
[District Ranking Results (ROK)].
1. Lee Eun-Ho
2. Park Gong-Chan
3. Yeon Bo-Ra
4. Jang Han-Il
5. Myung Seung-Tae
...
2000. Kim Min-Soo
[Can you spot the top ranker for each district?]
[These individuals will serve as representatives for their districts during the training period!]
[District representatives will receive extra assignments, but if they succeed, they will also be rewarded with special incentives! So please do your best!]
Huh? District representatives? Are they going to make each district go against each other? So restructuring is over, but the work goes on?
“Fifth place? Me?” Myung Seung-Tae muttered, his face twisting in disbelief.
Despite all the talk about screening and whatnot, Myung Seung-Tae actually got a lower rating than Jang Han-Il. Though overall, fifth in the entire country was still a high rank.
“Oppa! Weren’t you the strongest? We even gave all our points to you!” one of his followers asked.
“Tch... Maybe the real talents were hiding. You know, guys who use their bodies like soccer player Park Gong-chan. But among the thinkers, I’m probably the strongest,” Seung-Tae insisted.
In the end, he had to tear others down just to lift himself up a little.
“Really...? Are you sure about that?” his companion asked doubtfully.
“You don’t sound convinced. If you’re that uneasy, we could split up and move separately,” he suggested slyly.
“W-wait, no! Of course I trust you! If I don’t trust you, who else would I trust?” she stammered.
Eun-Ho sighed inwardly. People who talked big were always the flimsiest.
“But hey, Oppa! Who do you think this Lee Eun-Ho is?” she asked.
“Well, no need to even check. Probably some big, dumb, muscle-bound brute.”
“Pff. You think so?”
Then, Eun-Ho’s group members all flared up at once, each throwing out a retort.
“How dare that bastard!”
“Did he just...”
“What did you just say?!”
“How dare you say Eun-Ho is a brute?!”
Well. I mean, yeah I’m not exactly the burly type...
“Is he blind or something?! Even a plain shirt looks incredible on Eun-Ho!” Ji-Eun shouted in anger.
Eun-Ho thought that it was a rather odd point to get angry about. Still, he let it pass as he had no interest in correcting or stopping them.
[Next, we will proceed with the New Employee Representative Award Ceremony!]
The announcement echoed.
[First, let me emphasize that the new employee representative was chosen with complete fairness. They were selected from the subjects who passed the Entrance Exam of sector 13 with the highest score!]
[The one called should immediately come up to the stage!]
“The new employee representative?” someone whispered.
“Wow, so that means they’re the strongest here?”
“What kind of prize are they giving?”
[The representative of sector 13’s new employees is...]
Under the gaze of one hundred thousand people, the representative was called out.
No, don’t tell me they are saying my name here.
[Congratulations!]
[Eun-Ho from the ROK-SEO District!]
[Please come forward!]
Ha. So that’s how it is.
[Everyone, give a round of applause! Woooo—!]
If you’re going to give me an award, please just do it quietly.
1. in English ☜