Chapter 12. Performance Pressure (2)
"Achievement? Human Whetstone?" Eun-Ho muttered to himself, puzzled.
Then, as if on cue, the system responded with its usual chipper tone.
[When you accomplish something extraordinary or commit an unusual act, it may be recognized as an achievement and earn you an appropriate title.]
"Accomplishing something extraordinary or an unusual act?" Eun-Ho muttered.
Sharpening weapons with my bare hands had to be the latter, right?
[Would you like to check the effects of the title, Human Whetstone?]
“Yes.”
[Sharpening weapons by hand will significantly increase your grinding speed.]
[Your understanding of the weapon has improved.]
Whetstone is a stone used for sharpening blades. So does this mean I can grind even faster now? Eun-Ho thought.
Skeptical but curious, he picked up his pace and moved his hands rapidly.
Shrrrk. Shrrrk. Shrrrk. Shrrrrrrrk— Shrrrrrrrk—
“Whoa, Eun-Ho? Did you use Acceleration again?” Ji-Eun asked.
“No,” he replied, not pausing. “It’s still on cooldown.”
“Really? Your hands are moving insanely fast though.”
It was not just in their heads. The blade was grinding down at a speed that made his earlier attempts seem sluggish by comparison.
“Hyungnim! I think that's enough! The blade fits perfectly into the hilt now!” Jae-Hyuk called out, holding the hilt up against the blade’s tang.
However, Eun-Ho had a different understanding.
“No, the tang needs to be longer. It needs to be long enough to poke out the back of the handle.”
“Huh?”
“Hand me some glue.”
Tap! Tap! Tap!
He carefully spread the glue along the now-thinned tang, then pushed the blade deep into the hilt until the tang appeared from the other end.
“Jae-Hyuk, can you bend the exposed part of the blade? But be careful! Don’t cut yourself.”
“I can, but... why go this far?”
“If it's just glued, the blade might fly off when it’s swung. But if we bend the tip that sticks out, it'll hold better.”
“Oh! That makes sense!”
Somehow, Eun-Ho understood that glue alone would not be enough to secure the weapon properly. Maybe his knowledge and understanding came from his newly acquired title.
“But Eun-Ho, isn’t that dangerous?” said Ji-Eun, examining the newly-assembled sword. “The blade is touching the inside of the handle. Someone could get hurt.”
“Ah! Then how about we wrap it with tape?” Jae-Hyuk suggested.
While it’s simple, it will peel off in no time, Eun-Ho thought.
“We need something better. There was a leather sofa in the lobby, right?”
There was a sofa that people sat on now and then. Eun-Ho remembered that the team leader had once bragged that it was made of premium leather.
“Yes! Wait, Eun-Ho. Are you thinking of using the sofa leather for the sword?”
Soft, but durable. Perfect.
Eun-Ho cut a long, narrow strip of the dark brown leather. Then, he tightly wrapped it around the handle, securing the end with a firm knot. Just like that, the sword was complete.
Ding!
[You have completed the Razor Beak Blade!]
[Razor Beak Blade]
- A unique weapon forged by embedding the razor-sharp beak of a Razor-Beaked Bird into a hilt carved from beast bone. While the joint remains slightly unstable, the blade—meticulously honed with a master’s precision—holds an edge of unrivaled sharpness.
- Item cannot be sold.
Did it actually work? Eun-Ho thought.
The blade definitely looked sharper than the one he had borrowed earlier. Just to test it, he lightly dragged the edge across the chair he had just been sitting in.
Shhhk.
The cushion split open like soft butter under a hot knife. The blade gleamed, catching the light. It looked so sharp that just brushing against it could draw blood.
“It’s finished,” Eun-Ho said.
He was sure that it would slice right through a monster like that Razor-Beaked Bird.
Or maybe even a person, he thought.
“Hyungnim! Damn, is there anything you can’t do?” Jae-Hyuk gaped.
“Seriously. I had no idea you had this kind of talent, Eun-Ho,” Ji-Eun added.
“It came out better than I expected,” Eun-Ho said modestly. “Now, how about you two buy the Broken Iron Swords? One each.”
Looking at Eun-Ho with wide-eyed curiosity, the two handed over their Broken Iron Swords. With even greater speed than before, Eun-Ho crafted two more weapons in no time at all. He was getting used to this, surprisingly.
“Were there any supplies out there?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Yeah,” Ji-Eun replied. “I managed to find three backpacks and fill them up. We just need to add some canned food, and we should be good for at least a week.”
“Let’s pack them now.”
They focused on filling the bags with compact, lightweight, high-calorie foods. Anything that lasted long, like jerky, went straight in.
“Even if it feels heavy, we should pack as much as we can. We’re not moving yet, and once we start eating, the load will lighten anyway,” Eun-Ho said.
“But what about the sword?” Ji-Eun asked. “It’s pretty heavy. How are we supposed to carry it around?”
“In games, they usually carry them on their backs,” Jae-Hyuk chimed in.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Eun-Ho said.
He remembered the system message that appeared when he bought the Broken Iron Sword.
[Your purchase has been completed. The item can be stored in your inventory at any time.]
Since a system message also appeared after he finished crafting the Razor Beak Blade, he knew it was officially recognized as an item.
“Storage,” he said aloud.
The sword in his hand shimmered briefly, then vanished.
“Looks like we’ve got some kind of inventory. You guys should try it too.”
“Whoa, that’s super convenient,” Ji-Eun said.
“I’m kinda disappointed, actually,” Jae-Hyuk mumbled. “I wanted to do that cool anime thing, where you swing it off your back in one smooth motion.”
As Jae-Hyuk grumbled about something odd, Ji-Eun gently soothed him like a mom dealing with a particularly imaginative kid, bringing him back to reality.
“You know if you tried that in real life, you’d probably slice up everyone around you.”
“I’d be careful,” Jae-Hyuk argued.
“Sure. But then how would you sheath it again? You can’t see it once it's stored. What if you accidentally stabbed your own back?”
“Okay, yeah. That’s a fair point.”
Ji-Eun was sharp and logical—something Eun-Ho had picked up on when she managed to secure a sword from Lee Ye-Ji. Back when she worked in the office next door, he’d simply thought of her as kind.
“Just store it. Got it?” she said firmly.
“Okaaay.” Jae-Hyuk grumbled, finally giving in.
He stored the sword and began packing his backpack. Watching him sulk a little, Ji-Eun let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re good with him,” Eun-Ho said.
“I think it’s because I have a younger brother. Jae-Hyuk reminds me of him.”
“How old’s your brother again?”
“Just one year younger. He’s twenty-five.”
Her brother was the same age as Jae-Hyuk. As she mentioned him, Ji-Eun’s fingers started fidgeting with her phone, a flicker of anxiety returning to her eyes.
“He must be smart, right? If he’s your brother,” Eun-Ho asked gently.
“Oh, definitely. Always clever, even as a kid. He’s still studying, too.”
“Then he’ll be okay. You have to survive for you two to meet again.”
At that, the worry on her face started to fade.
“Thanks, Eun-Ho. Honestly, I think I’ve only made it this far because of you. And now you’ve even made us weapons.”
“No need to thank me. This is just the beginning.”
It really was just the beginning. They all knew it was too early to start thanking each other for survival.
“I hope I never have to use this,” Ji-Eun murmured, staring down at the blade.
“There’s no way we’ll be that lucky,” Eun-Ho replied.
“Let’s rest for a bit,” she said softly.
***
It was 8:30 AM. Even though there were still thirty minutes left before the next trial started, the three of them had made their way down to the first-floor lobby.
Normally, this place would be buzzing, packed with people clocking in for work, and elevators ringing nonstop. That day, it was empty. The spacious lobby, the wide street beyond the glass doors were all still and silent.
Only the three of them were there moving.
“We don’t know where the next trial will take place. So why don’t we wait here,” Eun-Ho said.
“But why the lobby, Hyungnim?” Jae-Hyuk asked. “Wouldn’t it be faster to stay on one of the middle floors? That way we’re close no matter where it starts.”
Ji-Eun nodded in agreement. If they were to assume that the trial would stay within this building, then he wasn’t wrong.
“There’s a chance we’ll need to go outside,” Eun-Ho replied.
“Go outside?”
There were thirteen people left in the building. If the next one was just another internal battle, the long delay between stages would’ve been unnecessary. Otherwise, the trial would’ve continued right after the one with the Razor-Beaked Birds since everyone had gathered already.
“If the trial is indoor, we can just use the elevator. It’s not like there’s anyone left to fight us for it.”
Knowing others were gone, the two seemed to finally get it and nodded silently.
“Morning, kids! Did you guys sleep alright?”
It was the old security guard, strolling in like it was just another day at work.
“Yes. You’re up early,” Eun-Ho replied.
“Well, early’s part of the job, y’know.”
Whether by instinct or coincidence, a few of the remaining survivors had gathered in the lobby, led by the security guard.
It was 8:50 AM, ten minutes before the trial began. Then, right on cue, the announcement came through the speakers.
[Attention, all MS Tower survivors.]
[The next trial will begin at 9:00 AM. Please make your way to the designated safe zones.]
[Area restrictions will now be lifted.]
Bzzzz—
The air shimmered, and for a moment, the towering glass walls appeared as if struck by a sudden downpour—blurring, then clearing. The barrier they hadn’t even known existed had finally been lifted.
“We’re finally going out,” Ji-Eun said quietly.
“Yeah, but where is that?”
A map filled their field of vision—vast and detailed, unlike yesterday’s limited coverage. Multi-lane roads stretched endlessly across the landscape, flanking an enormous train yard. At the heart of it all stood a sprawling, old-fashioned-style building.
“It’s Seoul Station,” Eun-Ho said.
More precisely, they had to go to the plaza in front of Seoul Station.
“We can easily make it in ten minutes,” Eun-Ho added.
Alone, he could probably get there in five. He knew it like the back of his hand as it was a familiar commute route. Besides, there were no traffic signals or crowds to slow them down.
Clack!
He pushed open the massive glass doors and ran out into the street. As they reached the road, the sight ahead confirmed what he had suspected.
Cars were abandoned at random angles, clogging lanes with no sense of order.
“Looks like trials happened here too.”
It was clear that people had fled their cars in a panic. Some had crashed, likely because the drivers had been deleted mid-trial, while others had plowed into storefronts, as if trying to escape but losing control in the chaos. Nearby were the bodies, mangled and broken, pinned between metal and concrete. Signs of chaos, panic, and sudden death were scattered everywhere.
Eun-Ho remained silent. Unlike those who’d been deleted, what remained here were full corpses. There were piles of them, with pools of blood.
The closer they got to the main road, the worse it became. Cars, including buses, sedans, and even SUVs, had plowed into fences, crumpled into lamp posts, or slammed straight into each other like some massive pileup had happened.
However, nothing could prepare them for what they were about to witness on the road in front of the station. The sight was so surreal, so grotesque, it felt as if reality itself had fractured.
“What the hell...”
A row of buses stood motionless across all ten lanes, lined up like they were part of some kind of barricade. Several had clearly burned, leaving behind scorched husks and melted rubber streaks baked into the asphalt. Even now, the air reeked of smoke.
“That must’ve been a safe zone,” Ji-Eun said softly.
At the center of it all, there was a circle. Not the familiar green one, but something far more horrifying. It was a stain of flesh tones and blood—a human ring, formed by those who didn’t make it inside in time.
All that remained were fragments—scattered pieces of a panic they could only begin to imagine.
“Ugh...” Jae-Hyuk gagged.
Eun-Ho barely managed to steady himself and dragged Jae-Hyuk across the road.
[03:47]
The timer flashed as they stepped into the plaza in front of Seoul Station. The green circle was there, intact and glowing softly. At its center sat a man, unnervingly calm. He seemed to be a middle-aged man, with shoulder-length, matted hair and a dried-blood-crusted, wild beard.
A homeless man?
Perhaps, he was the last survivor from Seoul Station’s previous trial. There was something unsettling about him. He resembled a beast more than a human.
But why is he alone? This is Seoul Station, so there should’ve been more people here...
Before Eun-Ho could dwell on it, others began to arrive.
“God... We barely made it.”
“Waaah—! I’m scared!”
“It’s okay, Yul. Daddy’s right here.”
There was the homeless man, three schoolgirls in uniform, a father with his young daughter, and a man dressed in a uniform, along with thirteen others who had come from MS Tower.
Do we have twenty people in total? Eun-Ho thought.
Their ages, genders, and clothing varied widely, yet they all shared one unmistakable trait: a look of mingled fear and resolve as they awaited the next trial.
[Attention, all survivors in the Seoul Station area.]
It was 9:00 AM, and the trial began.
[The next trial of Project Selection is a TF mission, which requires participants to form teams.]
“TF?”
TF stood for Task Force—temporary teams assembled from various departments to tackle a specific objective. In other words, this trial was a team-based challenge.
“So who you end up with will really matter.”
Eun-Ho had meant the comment just for Ji-Eun and Jae-Hyuk, but apparently, the others from MS Tower had overheard and started glancing over at him.
[The trial will proceed in three rounds. Any TF team that fails to meet the objective will all be affected by the restructuring process.]
[Eliminate enemies and build your performance.]
“All be affected by the restructuring process?”
“What do you mean objective all of a sudden?!”
“Wait, enemies? There’s nothing here!”
It hit them all at once. If their team failed to meet the objective, all members would be eliminated. It was performance pressure, where the price of failure was one’s life.
Quickly, the atmosphere turned ice cold. Tension began to rise, so thick it felt almost visible in the air.
[At the start of the trial, you will be automatically grouped with the three people closest to you.]
And as that final announcement echoed, twelve pairs of eyes turned to look at Eun-Ho.
“The closest...?”
[The trial has started.]
The chaos erupted.
“Hey, kid! Team up with me!”
“Over here! Join me!”
“Move away! He’s with me!”