Chapter 134. Report Hell (1)
“Hello. My name is Lee Eun-Ho.”
The man across from him laughed heartily at the short introduction. “We know. You’re already quite famous, Mr. Lee Eun-Ho.”
Eun-Ho wasn’t sure why, but the man seemed very pleased with the situation.
Clack!
Setting down the teacup on the glass table, Eun-Ho asked quietly, “Where am I, exactly?”
[You are being transferred to the OJT Department.]
[Please note that entering any unauthorized areas or engaging in unapproved activities will result in disciplinary action according to company regulations.]
When he opened the door labeled with his name, an unfamiliar room greeted him. At the center stood a wide table big enough for a dozen people to sit around. Towering bookshelves lined the walls, surrounding the space on all sides.
It feels more like a library than an office, he thought.
Before he could take a proper look around, the man had appeared and handed him a cup of tea.
“Ah, did I forget to mention? This is our department’s archive room.”
An archive room?
On a closer look, the shelves weren’t filled with books, but folders and files.
It might be helpful to go through some of the documents here.
Eun-Ho was just wondering if he could sneak a peek when the man cut in.
“Not that you’d be curious, of course, but you won’t have access to these. Most of these are confidential.”
“... Understood,” Eun-Ho replied.
The man was annoyingly strict.
I still need to figure out what this company actually does, he thought.
Eun-Ho didn’t expect to find answers on the first day anyway. He had no choice but to take his time and gather clues, piece by piece.
[Project OJT will now begin.]
[Follow your mentors’ instructions, experience real fieldwork, and complete the OJT Trial successfully!]
His first on-site assignment was with the Investigation Bureau. It was the same department managed by Cho Bok, who had once used the twin Ghosts as temporary workers, and got beaten up by Iro and Eun-Ho. They were also the ones who had created the proposal titled, Sector 13 Restructuring Efficiency Plan: Entrance Exam Project by District.
There must be some useful data here, he thought.
“You said this was the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis, right?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“May I ask what exactly your division collects and analyzes?” Eun-Ho tried to sound as natural as possible, playing the role of an eager, curious new hire. “I’ve always wondered because at a company this large, the scale of the investigations must be incredible.”
“Heh, is that so?”
“Of course, I imagine it keeps everyone so busy you hardly get a moment’s rest.”
A bright, enthusiastic newcomer, who was both polite and hardworking, was the type everyone loved.
The man gave a modest smile, pretending to be humble. ”Well, we’re not that busy, but...”
I got him, Eun-Ho thought, feeling encouraged.
He brightened his expression, deliberately letting a spark of excitement show in his eyes. “I don’t expect you to share any trade secrets. But could you at least tell me what kind of work you do? It would really help me settle in.”
“Man! Starting your first day wanting to hear about boring work talk?”
“Not at all. I’d say the Investigation Bureau’s data analysis is the foundation and probably the core of this company. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“My goodness! This Young Man’s got potential!”
Satisfied, the man began to speak.
“Usually, before or after restructuring begins, we investigate the targets or the local population. I can’t go into the details, but... Oh, right!” He snapped his fingers as if struck by an idea. “Why don’t you just come along for today’s field inspection?”
“A field inspection?” Eun-Ho repeated.
“Yeah. There’s been an anomaly in Sector 7. So, we’re sending a team out to investigate. It’s something about monsters going berserk.”
This is it! Eun-Ho thought.
“It might be a bit dangerous, though...”
“That’s fine. I’d be honored to join,” Eun-Ho said immediately.
It was the perfect chance to find out what this company really did. Even just a glimpse would be worth it.
“Ha! I knew bringing you in was a good idea.” The man chuckled warmly and nodded, clearly pleased. “Your mentor will brief you on the details. He’s a sharp one.”
“... I have a mentor?”
It made sense, as the man seemed too high-ranking to personally handle an OJT trainee. He was just about to ask where his supposed mentor was when a tall man entered, striding confidently across the room.
“Jeong! Your junior’s here!”
Jeong had neatly combed hair, glasses with rimless frames, and a clean-cut look that screamed professionalism.
“I’ve given him a quick rundown already.”
“Thank you, Manager,” Jeong replied.
So this guy’s the Manager, Eun-Ho realized. It never hurts to stay on his good side.
“Thank you for your time, sir,” Eun-Ho said politely.
The man chuckled again, clearly satisfied, then turned to Jeong who was standing beside him. “The field inspection’s at noon today, right?”
“Yes, but I can handle it on my own. There’s really no need for you to come along, sir.”
The man, apparently the manager, winked at Eun-Ho. “It’s fine, it’s fine. My poor junior’s been out here alone for weeks now. Of course I should look after you.”
He was clearly saying it for his benefit, trying to show off what a caring boss he was.
“Let’s meet at the lobby at eleven-thirty. You two come down together.”
Jeong frowned, clearly not thrilled. “Wait, two of us?”
“Yes, he’s coming with us today. He said he was curious.”
“... There hasn’t been a single case of a trainee joining a field inspection during OJT though.”
“Man! That’s right. This kid’s got a curious mind, you know?” The manager laughed loudly, oblivious to the awkward tension he was leaving behind. “We’re going to finish up early and head straight home when we’re done. So don’t be late, or we’ll leave without you.”
He patted Jeong on the shoulder twice, then breezed out of the room like a gust of wind. Just like that, the door closed, leaving only the two of them. The air grew heavy almost instantly.
Jeong sighed quietly, breaking the silence. “I was going to wait until tomorrow, but we might as well start right away.”
“What do you mean?” Eun-Ho asked.
Instead of answering, Eun-Ho’s assigned mentor pulled out a document and tossed it onto the table, right where the manager had been just moments ago.
Thud!
If not for the glass top, the papers would have slid right off the edge.
“This is one of our department’s regular reports.”
Eun-Ho’s eyes darted to the title.
Sector 7 Regular Observation Report.
At the top was the title and at the bottom was the publisher and author.
Publisher is Bureau of Investigation and Analysis.
Author is Cheong Jeong.
The ordinary-looking document had eight pages in total, printed in painfully small text. Eun-Ho flipped through it, wondering if this was some kind of study material.
“Your goal is to make copies of it. That’s your trial,” said his mentor.
“Huh? My trial is to copy this report. That’s my OJT task?”
“That’s right. About a hundred copies should do.”
Of course every new hire started with chores like copying papers, distributing them, shredding documents, fetching coffee. He just hadn’t expected it here, too.
[The first trial of Project OJT has begun.]
The text appeared before him like a digital notification.
[Trial: Copy the Regular Observation Report.]
[Progress: 0/100 copies]
[Rewards: 1 Point, 1,000 Welfare Points]
[Failure Consequence: Department Transfer(Personnel→Operations)]
“Department transfer in case of failure? What does that mean?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Can’t you read? It means exactly what it says. You’ll be transferred to another department if you fail.”
... So I’m supposed to figure it out myself.
Eun-Ho frowned slightly. The penalty was vague, but the task itself seemed simple enough. Besides, if completing it earned him rewards, there was no reason to refuse.
Sure, it was a bit of work, but the copier does all the heavy lifting anyway, he thought.
He’d just have to wait for the hundred copies to finish, check that they printed properly, and organize them. It should be a simple process, right?
[Special Condition: to prevent cheating, you may not leave the premises until the trial is complete.]
To prevent cheating?
Why would anyone cheat on a photocopying task? He couldn’t imagine. Either way, he couldn't start the task without a copier.
“Where’s the copier?” he asked.
The mentor gave a small, bored sigh.
“There isn’t one. It broke, so we sent it out for repairs.”
What?
“Then how am I supposed to make copies?”
“Here. Use this.”
He handed Eun-Ho a fountain pen and a bottle of ink. Eun-Ho stared at them in disbelief. The bespectacled man offered something with a smug air, as if he were doing Eun-Ho a favor.
[Soeju Fountain Pen]
- A high-end pen crafted by the meticulous artisans of Soeju.
- Its nib, forged from a mix of iron and gold, makes it exceptionally durable and resistant to breaking.
- It has almost no attack power, though a strong stab in the right spot might still prove fatal.
[Soeju Infinite Ink (Black)]
- Ink made specifically for Soeju fountain pens. It never dries out or runs out.
- However, the color may fade over time, so always cap it after use.
Basically, he handed over an unbreakable pen and infinite ink.
“Umm... Does this pen have any kind of special function?” Eun-Ho asked. “Something that could replace a copier, perhaps?”
“Ah, special? Yeah, you could say that. I heard the manager of the General Affairs Department special-ordered it. He’s into this sort of thing.”
“The General Affairs Department?”
“That’s right. It’s company property, after all.”
“So basically, you want me to hand-copy the entire report? All one hundred copies of it?”
“Yes, exactly. You can study while you write. Efficient, right?”
That was either malicious or absurd, probably both.
It has to be one of two things, either he doesn’t want me to get the trial rewards... Or he wants to make sure I don’t go on the field inspection.
Given that he had moved the schedule forward from tomorrow to today, the latter seemed more likely.
Hmm.
The man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with practiced arrogance. “This kind of task is great for building basic discipline in company life. So don’t try to cut corners. Do it fast, do it right, and do it neatly.”
“The copiers around here must be tiny,” Eun-Ho said casually.
“What?”
“Usually, a repair technician comes to fix them on-site, but you said you sent it out.”
“Ah... Yeah, that’s how we do things here.”
The mentor’s reply came a little too slowly. Besides, before he answered, there was that slight pause.
Therefore, Eun-Ho asked, “Does the manager know about this trial?”
“Of course. It was my first trial too.”
“And did you copy it by hand? All one hundred pages?”
The man’s face stiffened. He said nothing for a moment, then muttered, “... Do your best.”
With that, he left.
***
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch...
The pen glided across the paper, leaving thin black lines behind.
“... Additionally, the local temperature has risen five degrees compared to the previous quarter, and precipitation has decreased by five percent, confirming ongoing desertification in the area.”
It took ten full minutes just to copy one densely packed page. There were eight pages per report, which meant a copy would take him about eighty minutes. A hundred copies meant eight thousand minutes. In other words, it was 133 hours of work.
It was 9:30 AM, and there were barely two hours left before the scheduled meeting time. Even with superhuman speed, it was physically impossible.
He really must not want me coming along, Eun-Ho thought.
Still, this kind of treatment wasn’t new to him. Ever since his leg injury, he had long since grown used to the complaints and side-eyes that came with being the inconvenient one wherever he went.
But even so, I can’t give up.
[Failure Consequence: Department Transfer(Personnel→Operations)]
He didn’t know what that penalty meant exactly, but nothing about it sounded good. Besides, if he could just earn one more Point, he could unlock the Sword Force skill.
[Sword Aura]
- Sword Force
- Swordsman
- Sword Mirage
...
[?], [?], [?], [?], [?] ...
If he wanted to wipe that smug grin off his mentor’s face, he had to finish this mission and join that field inspection.
There has to be a way.
Writing by hand page after page clearly wouldn’t cut it. He had to come up with something more efficient—something that could turn this pen and ink into a makeshift copier.
Wait, a copier replacement...?
A ridiculous idea popped into his head. He gripped the luxurious fountain pen tightly in his right hand. The pen’s description still echoed in his head.
- It has almost no attack power, though a strong stab in the right spot might still prove fatal.
It’s a pen with almost no attack power, but I have the Sword Aura skill that can increase a weapon’s attack power. What would happen if I combine the two?
[Sword Aura(Lv. 1)]
- Infuses a weapon with intangible energy, increasing sharpness and attack power by (10)%
“Sword Aura,” Eun-Ho said.
[Sword Aura has been activated.]
Sssh—
Eun-Ho’s fingers turned cold as if touched by ice. Something within him gathered, surging toward his fingertips, then flowed outward. Then, a faint blue aura shimmered along the fountain pen.
[Your skill level is low.]
[The sharpness and attack power have increased slightly.]
So this is Sword Aura.
Wisps of blue smoke drifted down and condensed around the nib, thickening until it seemed almost liquid. Then, he tapped the glass tabletop instead of paper. The nib slid through the glassy surface, sinking in instead of cracking or scraping it, as if it were firm tofu.
The pen cut deeper, piercing straight through the glass and nicking the wooden table beneath.
It worked.
Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch...
The fountain pen glided effortlessly over the glass, leaving behind glowing blue traces. The massive glass sheet soon became a giant stencil, each letter carved clean through.
“District 7 Regular Observation Report.” He engraved the title, followed by the publisher and author. “The publisher is the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis. The author is Cheong Jeong.”
Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch...
“Acceleration,” he murmured.
Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch...
Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch...
Only the rhythmic scraping of the pen filled the slowed air as his hand raced across the glowing surface. He moved through the pages very quickly up to the end.
“... the local temperature has risen five degrees compared to the previous quarter, while rainfall has decreased by five percent, confirming signs of desertification...”
“... the sudden increase in local fauna is believed to be caused by these climatic changes, though empirical data remains insufficient...”
“... the situation is currently deemed non-critical, though continuous monitoring will be required moving forward. The end.”
All nine pages, including the cover, had been engraved onto the glass.
Swish—!
Eun-Ho spread the blank report papers across the floor in neat rows. Then, he carefully lifted the glass plate and placed it over them. The text he had engraved shimmered faintly, then he poured ink across its surface.
Fwoosh—!
Black ink spread over the glass like a living shadow.
Fwoosh—!
[The Regular Observation Report has been copied!]
[Progress: 1/100 copies]
A positive notification appeared, and one perfect copy materialized before his eyes.
It worked!
He had only been experimenting, but it actually worked. All that remained now was repetition. All he had to do was lay out paper, pour ink over the engraved mold, and let it copy itself.
Feeling a flicker of relief, Eun-Ho reached to lift the glass again.
Ding!
Suddenly, a cheerful chime rang out, startling him.
“Huh?”
[Congratulations!]
“For what?”
There wasn’t exactly anything to celebrate right now.
[New achievement unlocked: Forging Reports with Inner Strength.]
[You have acquired the title Human Copier!]
“... What?”