Chapter 108. The Realm of Talent (5)
“Administrator Harona.”
The moment her name was called, Harona felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Was it because she had unconsciously been tense? Or perhaps, it was the sheer weight of the authority pressing down on her.
She hurried to regain her composure, stepped forward, and offered a bow. “Administrator Harona, presenting herself before the Director.”
A wave of envy, jealousy, and awe rippled from the colleagues seated around her, but she ignored it and kept her gaze forward.
Then came the Director’s voice—low, heavy, and impossible to miss. “It seems your district needs more manpower.”
It could’ve been nothing more than a casual remark, such as a polite “you must be working hard,” or “you’ve been through a lot.”
Yet, she gave a sharp jolt. After all, Harona knew better that the Director wasn’t someone who spoke without intent.
The sensation of her hair standing on end returned, and she chose her words carefully. “... That is correct, Director.”
Her fingers trembled as they clutched at the hem of her skirt. To grant her additional manpower meant they were investing power into her district. It could only mean one thing.
At last, her time had come. The time to rise from her crouch—to reach for position and authority.
“Bringing in talent is also the measure of a leader’s ability.”
No one in the hall misunderstood what was meant by “talent.” He was telling her to recruit him. The man who had not only endured the Director’s pressure, but also survived the weight of his authority.
It was a test for her, no doubt. Harona understood the unspoken command immediately. Her sharp eyes gleamed with resolve.
She prepared to bow once more when the Director’s voice cut through, halting her motion. “One thing.”
It echoed like a cavern’s rumble above her head.
“Raise him, but do not be devoured by him. Never forget this.”
It was a warning to not let the man’s influence grow so great that it would overshadow her. This was not a caution he gave for just anyone.
Only when dealing with Lee Eun-Ho did one need to carry that reminder at all times. The man had a peculiar talent for pulling others into his own pace. However, Harona was already mindful of that.
Therefore, without hesitation, she gave her answer. “Yes, Director. I will remember.”
The Director rose from his seat. At once, everyone who had been watching in silence scrambled to their feet.
“Safe travels, Director.”
As Harona bowed deeply, all heads around her bowed to the ground as one.
Thud!
The sound of his footsteps struck the floor like the beating of a war drum.
“I’ll be looking forward to the training.”
The words lingered, quiet yet unbearably heavy, like a mark branded into the air. Though Harona dared not lift her eyes, she caught the fleeting image of a smile on his solemn face.
The weight of that smile, bright yet crushing with expectation, made her flinch before she caught herself.
Forcing her voice out like wringing water from a dry cloth, she answered, “... Yes sir.”
She bowed once more toward his retreating figure, offering every ounce of respect she had. Only when she finally collapsed back into her seat, her heart pounding in her chest, did she allow herself a shallow breath.
“D-did you see that, Lady Harona?” someone nervously piped up. Choi Seung, who had been anxiously watching from afar, rushed over with shining eyes. “T-the Director... He was pleased, wasn’t he?”
“Don’t make such a fuss.”
Her rebuke was light, not meant in earnest. After all, what could be more proper for a subordinate than rejoicing in their superior’s success?
However, of course, someone else’s success always meant someone else’s failure. Because of that cruel truth, not every gaze cast her way was warm like Seung’s.
“Harona!”
“This is absurd. What kind of trick did you pull?”
“Don’t start again. If you’re just here to pick a fight, get lost.”
Ju Gwang came scurrying over, his movements restless and twitchy. His skinny neck craned this way and that, as though he feared someone higher up might overhear him, like earlier. Once assured they were out of earshot, he snapped back in his real voice.
“You couldn’t win by playing fair, so this time you polished up some worthless stone and called it treasure?”
“A worthless stone I polished?” Harona laughed, utterly dumbfounded.
Would he have spoken so carelessly if he’d seen Eun-Ho from the very beginning? Eun-Ho wasn’t some rock she could simply pick up and polish. He was the kind of man who never allowed himself to be held in anyone’s grasp to begin with.
However, Ju Gwang, oblivious or willfully ignorant, kept running his mouth. “So that’s why you showered him with reward?”
“What did you just say?”
“Think about it. The Subject ranked only in the average tier somehow became the representative. You really expect me to believe he did it alone?”
It was, in its own way, a reasonable suspicion. After all, never before had there been such a vast gap between the records of a pre-screening and the outcome of an evaluation.
“Haa...” Still, Harona let out a thin sigh, not because the suspicion itself was ridiculous, but because Ju Gwang of all people said it. “That sounds like your story. Didn’t you take a bright kid, dump a pile of skills and manuals on him, and fatten him up with elixirs? You thought no one knew that?”
Ju Gwang’s narrow shoulders gave a visible shudder as he flinched. “W-what are you talking about?”
He tried to feign ignorance, but Harona was not naive enough to be deceived. “The rumors are everywhere. Administrator Ju Gwang has snared another one, they said.”
“S-snared? I was just making smart investments! That’s just focused development and efficient management!”
“Oh, really? Then why don’t you say exactly that in the Audit Bureau’s lobby and see how far you get?”
His mouth slammed shut. Perhaps he, too, remembered that old plaque hanging in the bureau’s lobby that said “Guard with law, govern with the righteous path.”
The thought alone was enough to silence him.
“F-forget it! Anyway, we’ll talk later!”
Dragging his bony frame, Ju Gwang hurried away, feet nearly tripping over themselves in his haste.
Harona clicked her tongue as she watched his spindly legs scurry off. “How pathetic.
Beside her, Seung cautiously asked, “Should I sneak up and give him a good whack, Lady Harona?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Leave it.”
Briefly, Seung had thought it a reasonable suggestion. Yet, Harona’s calm refusal, so different from her usual sharpness, left him blinking in surprise.
“He can’t help it, from his point of view.”
“What do you mean?”
Harona exhaled another long sigh before continuing. “Ha... He’s in charge of the top-tier candidate.”
“The top-tier one? Oh, you mean the one we’ve all heard whispers about?”
Seung had heard the rumors too. Apparently, the CN district was home not just to a high-ranking candidate, but to one of the supreme class. The more exceptional the talent, the more thoroughly the Bureau of Investigation dug into them. Even the full-time staff would click their tongues in disbelief at such ability. Some gossips even claimed such a candidate had shaken the very axis of time.
“Is it the one who was said to have unlocked their trait even before the restructuring process began?”
“No, it’s more than that,” Harona replied. “They say he was born with his trait already awakened.”
“T-that’s impossible!”
Normally, traits only emerged after a lifetime of accumulated knowledge, experiences, and convictions. To be born with such a thing seemed unthinkable. Yet, the rumors persisted.
“At last... Eun-Ho will cross paths with him,” Seung whispered.
“And when the two meet...” Harona’s voice trailed.
Under the same sky, there could not be two suns.
“What do you think will happen?” she asked.
***
Let’s hold off for now.
With regards to upgrading the shop, Eun-Ho could have blown the entire hundred thousand points on the spot. After all, Welfare Points had only been useful for buying items. With the future uncertain, he could no longer afford to spend recklessly.
Eun-Ho was certain that a time would come when Welfare Points would be indispensable. He suspected so because from what he had seen, observers were likely the employees themselves.
What’s throwing me off is that Welfare Points are also used by observers...
That alone spoke volumes. He was still mulling it over when a sudden chorus of gasps around him snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Wow...” Ji-Eun’s mouth dropped wide open, with good reason.
It was no surprise when Eun-Ho looked up.
[The vocalist Elena begins her Blessing Song!]
[Under the beautiful melody, the Stamina recovery speed increases by 5%.]
[Movement speed increases by 5%.]
“La-la-la— La-la-la-la— La-la-la—”
The music flowing from the stage was so mesmerizing, even he felt dazed.
“La-la-la— La-la-la-la— La-la-la—”
If he, who was practically tone-deaf, could be this moved, then the others were most likely completely swept away.
There aren’t even any lyrics, why does it hit this hard? Eun-Ho thought.
If angels really did descend from heaven, surely they would sound like this.
“Wow, there really are all kinds of people here.”
“No kidding.”
“She has to be a famous singer, right?”
“Yeah, probably. Maybe an opera singer or crossover popera, something like that?”
The group that had joined after Seung-Tae had died were no different. They too were all marveling, unable to stop their exclamations of wonder.
[That was the IT district’s performance!]
[The total sponsorship came to fifty-two thousand points! Ah, cutting it close there!]
[Well, the ROK district still holds first place!]
Honestly, it was hard to believe that anyone could think this was less entertaining than the curse battles earlier.
“What?! Why are you staring at me like that?” the Swear-Master asked.
“Nothing. I was just amazed, that’s all.”
“What?! What did I do? I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Just like that, amid the cheerful mood, they continued waiting.
“At this rate, Noonim, we might actually take first place!” Jae-Hyuk shouted.
“Well, it sure looks that way. There’s only one team left now,” Ji-Eun replied.
If things were already going this well, why not aim for the very top? With that hope, they turned their eyes to the final district that was remaining.
Fwoosh!
[At last, the final performance begins!]
[Aaah... Is everyone feeling a bit sad it’s almost over? I know I am, dearly so!]
[But every good show must have an ending!]
[Here comes the CN district’s stage!]
As the hostess’ voice faded, a group of people strode onto the stage. They all wore identical uniforms, carried identical swords, and even had identical haircuts. In their midst, a figure stepped to the very center of the platform, escorted with solemn precision.
Wait. Is that a kid? Eun-Ho thought.
There was a child who looked no older than eight or nine. Dark, round-cropped hair hung so long in the front it nearly covered his eyes. Eun-Ho blinked in surprise.
What kind of performance can a boy only a few years older than little Yul possibly put on?
“Wait, isn’t that Wei?” someone muttered under their breath.
Wei? Who’s Wei?
Before Eun-Ho could process it, Ji-Eun clapped her hands sharply. “Oh! I know! He’s the youngest one ever to rank number one in Go!”
“What?” Eun-Ho muttered.
“I saw a documentary not long ago. Didn’t they say his IQ was 250?”
“Oh right! He’s the star of the continent! I saw that too!” Lee Ye-Ji quickly chimed in, her voice full of recognition.
Star of the Continent? Eun-Ho thought.
That was new to Eun-Ho because he didn’t exactly have the leisure to be watching highbrow documentaries. Yet, the name Wei sounded familiar to him.
Where have I heard it before? Way? No. If it’s the CN district, then it would be located in China, which means it would be spelt Wei, Eun-Ho thought.
Then, finally, it clicked. It was the empty container he had once seen in Iro’s lab, placed neatly on the shelf.
So that was it. Wei.
“They said he was ten, but he looks even younger.”
“Wow, thankfully that kind of genius also survived... No wait. He probably survived because he’s a genius.”
He was a child carrying terrifying talent.
“He must’ve awakened, right?”
“I assume so. No kid would’ve made it this far without some kind of ability.”
Swear-Master furrowed his brows, lost in grim thought. “What would be his ability, though? Damn it, don’t tell me I’ll have to compete with a brat like that...”
Eun-Ho cut in, calm and certain. “Well, it’s not hard to guess.”
Based on what they had seen so far, one could easily guess what ability such a boy could have.
[Subject Wei’s Grand Match has been activated!]
“W-what the hell is that?!”
“Look at the sky!”
“Is that a hand?!”
Swoosh—!
A vast shadow stretched overhead, dark and oppressive, like storm clouds gathering without warning. Descending from above was an enormous hand, its sheer size like a crashing airplane, its fingers thick and heavy as stone pillars. With its colossal index and middle finger, it pinched a black stone.
“Wait. Is that a Go stone?!”