Chapter 170. Beneath the Surface (1)
[Project OJT Trial has been completed!]
[You have earned two Points and two thousand Welfare Points as rewards.]
The trial had ended. For the ordinary temporary contract employees, it had created a so-called sanctuary, a place that would protect them.
[Number of actual survivors have significantly exceeded simulation predictions.]
[Additional trait-exclusive rewards have been awarded due to your trait, Rebel.]
[Resistance stat has been increased(+111).]
As for Eun-Ho, the trial had left him with a loyal organization that boosted his attack power even when he did nothing, a higher Resistance stat, and a brand-new skill called Bolt from the Blue.
On top of that, the trial had also given him an item.
[Giant Baboon Core]
- A glass orb containing the essence of a Giant Baboon.
- When shattered, it activates the Mimicry(Lv. - ) skill.
- Upon use, the skill allows the user to perfectly replicate an observed ability.
As a side note, it was a one-time-use item.
[Employee Choi Min-Young expresses heartfelt gratitude for your grace.]
[Employee Jung Min-Gyu engraves your consideration deep into his bones.]
[They have entered an Absolute Loyalty relationship.]
Two people had even pledged absolute loyalty to him. Still, what mattered to those who were worried about him was that he had returned safely.
“Eun-Ho!”
“Hyuuungnim!”
“Are you really okay?” Ji-Eun asked anxiously. “It looked like electricity ran through you earlier!”
“That’s right, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk chimed in. “I thought the screen was about to explode!”
It had likely been the effect of Bolt from the Blue. Calling lightning down from a clear sky would startle anyone. Honestly, even he had been stunned senseless, his mind going completely blank.
“At first, it felt like my brain was melting,” Eun-Ho said with a small laugh. “But I’m fine now. It’s more like I swapped bodies for a moment.”
“A-are you sure that’s okay?”
“It should be. I can move just fine, so there’s nothing to worry about, ” he answered with a smile, trying to reassure them.
However, perhaps that calm response struck a nerve with Ji-Eun. Her pent-up frustration spilled out all at once.
“Eun-Ho, you really are something,” Ji-Eun said. “How are we not supposed to worry?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m worried about you, Eun-Ho. Sure, you’re strong enough to survive even if someone dumped you in a field full of monsters, but you always look after everyone else first. You never put yourself first.”
Um... Am I really putting myself last? he wondered.
If she knew how much he benefited every time from things like the Rebel trait, she would never say something like that.
I even kept the Great Baboon kill reward all to myself.
As he hesitated, searching for a safe response, Ji-Eun muttered petulantly, almost to herself, “I mean, I know they say heroes are lonely, but still...”
That was embarrassing to hear.
“H-hero? What did you say?” Eun-Ho asked.
“A hero! A real hero!” Ji-Eun replied confidently.
He found himself at a loss for words.
“What are you idiots doing?” Harona, who had been watching the scene with visible annoyance, cut in. “So? What’s that ability of yours?”
She stood there with her arms crossed, trying to look aloof, but her sparkling eyes and the way her twin braids bounced betrayed her curiosity completely, which was exactly why he decided to play dumb.
“I’m not sure,” Eun-Ho replied. “It’s a secret.”
“A secret?”
“I don’t know your abilities either, Lady Harona. I’m curious too, but I’m holding back so I hope you can understand.”
Harona snorted derisively. “Hah! Why would you be curious about my abilities?”
Of course he was curious, since they could end up fighting someday—not that he could say that out loud.
“You can’t learn if you don’t know, can you?” he said instead.
“Learn? From me?”
“Of course. No matter how it started, we’re in the same boat now. We’re colleagues and you’re my superior.”
“Hmm. Lee Eun-Ho, is that how you see it?” Harona narrowed her eyes, a smirk tugging at her lips. She didn’t seem displeased. “Still, it’s better if you don’t know.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because every time we meet, you’ll find yourself checking whether your head is still attached to your neck.”
Hmm. Well...
“That goes for you too, Lady Harona,” Eun-Ho said lightly.
“What?”
“You’d probably be more at ease not knowing what I can do either.”
If she did know, she’d start checking whether her heart was still beating. “You’ve grown bold, Lee Eun-Ho.”
“Haha. I'm just joking. Anyway, so, how did we do?” Eun-Ho asked, changing the subject. It seemed he’d learned all he could for now.
“How much did we bring in total? They said management performance will be converted into department assignment benefits,” Eun-Ho said. “So I was curious to know how much we earned.”
Over the two days of OJT, they had accumulated management performance, essentially, donation points. When combined with the sales performance he had earned, the total would determine the final benefits used for choosing a department. The kind of work he would do going forward would hinge on that result.
It doesn’t really matter for me since I have the Department Selection Ticket, he thought. But company work isn’t something you do alone.
Harona answered immediately, “Ah, you don’t need to worry about the numbers.”
Her eyebrows twitched up and down without her realizing it. Her nostrils flared, then relaxed, while the corners of her mouth kept twitching. Her face was practically glowing.
So it was a jackpot, Eun-Ho thought.
“It was two hundred thousand Points,” she said.
That sure was more than he had expected.
“Does that mean we earned one hundred thousand points per day? That’s higher than I thought,” Eun-Ho said
Lately, with many observers dropping out, daily sponsorships usually hovered around ten thousand points. However, this was ten times that amount.
“No, today alone was two hundred thousand. If you add both days together, it’s close to five hundred thousand.”
“What?”
“Hah, it’s more than everything I’ve collected with temporary contract employees until now! Does that even make sense?” Harona laughed hollowly and clicked her tongue. Shooting Eun-Ho an irritated glance, she muttered under her breath, “I should’ve broken your legs and kept you here.”
What? Was she saying she should have made me a contract employee just for the sake of her performance?
His blood pressure spiked, even as his mind went cold.
Should I hit her quickly? Just once?
If he used the Acceleration skill, she wouldn’t even know who did it. While he was seriously entertaining that thought, Ji-Eun, who had been silent until now, widened her eyes. “Uh... Um?”
“What’s wrong?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Well, it’s just that...” Ji-Eun swallowed nervously, then began rambling, “I, um... I put a lot of effort into editing.”
“Editing?” Eun-Ho asked. “You mean the video on my channel earlier?”
“Yes! I also made highlight clips.”
“Highlights?”
The moment he heard that word, a bad feeling crawled up his spine. Ji-Eun nodded like a wary sparrow, then pulled up a translucent system window. Then, displayed within it were the following:
[Highlight] I Became an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Prodigy Rookie!
There, Eun-Ho was drenched in blood, standing between packs of wolves and eagles.
The Amusement Park Is Way Too Strong (Lee Eun-Ho CUT)
There, he was stomping the ground beneath a roller coaster, unfolding a golden domain.
Sales Division Number One’s Fight With Me (FIGHT WITH ME)
There, he was raising the Sky-Shattering Blade as sparks flew.
“What is this supposed to be?” Eun-Ho muttered.
Just as he was about to ask what in the world he was looking at, a system announcement rang out.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[Your content has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.]
[Please check the Hall of Fame!]
What? The Hall of Fame?
Eun-Ho had wondered how he ended up there, but he remembered the previous system messages he received.
[You have ranked in Most-Viewed Content Within Twenty-Four Hours.]
[You have ranked in Most-Shared Content Within Twenty-Four Hours.]
[You have ranked in Most Replayed Content Within Twenty-Four Hours.]
Apparently, his popularity over a single day had been the highest of all.
[A new observer has joined!]
[A new observer has joined!]
[A new observer has joined!]
...
Thanks to that, new viewers came pouring in. Ji-Eun had done the editing on Harona’s shared channel, yet somehow they all managed to find their way to his channel. He had no idea how that happened. One thing, however, was certain.
[The Newbie from the Bureau of Corporate Relations scoffs in disbelief that you are taking over the Hall of Fame.]
[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation smiles proudly, saying it turned out so well because the female lead edited it with love.]
The endless chatter from the observers was enough to make his head spin.
[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs suggests riding the momentum and trying a couple vlog.]
[The Brain from the Bureau of Investigation hints that this is how you end up starting a fan club.]
[The Crow from the Bureau of Management nods, saying that fame is also a necessary quality for a great commander like you.]
This was all because Ji-Eun was simply too competent. She had always had good instincts, but this time she had poured her very soul into the edits.
“I’m not interested in couple vlogs or fame—”
Ding!
[Hidden Trial: Hall of Fame Induction has been completed!]
[Registered Contents: 3 items]
[Three Points and three thousand Welfare Points have been granted as trial rewards.]
[For each additional registered content, one Point and a thousand Welfare Points will be issued.]
“... Never mind.”
“Huh? A hidden trial just popped up,” Ji-Eun muttered.
“Ji-Eun.” If souls were what it took, then maybe he needed to offer his too. “I’ll take you as my master.”
“Excuse me?!”
***
Harona lifted her teacup and asked casually, “Oh, right. Have you decided which department you’re going to?”
“Ah.”
Today marked the final day of OJT. Department selection was already scheduled for tomorrow.
[Department Selection Ticket(Single Use)]
- Write the name of the department you wish to join and submit it. Then, you will be assigned accordingly.
Thanks to that, he could be placed in any department he chose, no questions asked.
“You don’t need to overthink every option. When you look at too many things, you end up missing what really matters.”
“What do you think really matters?” Eun-Ho asked.
Harona, who knew him well, answered without hesitation, “It’s simple. Whether you want to grow by getting beaten around or live comfortably.”
Either harsh environments that offered rapid growth and promotions, or those with a light workload but little chance for advancement.
Eun-Ho asked, “Which one is this place?”
Harona answered with absolute confidence, “A highway to promotion... No, a wormhole.”
If the company’s core business was restructuring, the administrators were undeniably at the heart of it all. They brought people from Earth, put them through the process, then produced content to sell.
Eun-Ho was aware that this department was the front line, the essence itself. “Well, I do have a place in mind.”
Harona’s and Choi Seung’s eyes lit up. Judging by their obvious anticipation, they clearly wanted him to choose this department.
“Hmm. Where is it?”
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you in advance.” Of course, Eun-Ho had no intention of revealing his hand just yet. “I haven’t decided for sure. I’ll think it over until the very end.”
Harona waved her small hand dismissively. “Sure, sure. Think it through carefully and rationally.”
Then, she glanced at the clock. “Ah, it’s already three o’clock. You should head out. You’ve already hit your trial limit, so you can’t do any more anyway.”
“There’s a limit on that?”
“Yeah. You’ve exceeded your quota by a lot.”
Clack.
Harona set her teacup down and nodded. “As long as you meet your performance targets, no one complains. That’s the beauty of field work, isn’t it?”
With that sudden sales pitch and the unusually gentle smile, it was obvious she was desperately trying to win him over. In any case, it was far too early to be counting down to the end of the workday.
Harona shrugged. “I shouldn’t keep a celebrity tied down for too long.”
Since they had more than met their performance quota, she had likely decided there was no reason to keep him any longer.
“Haha. Thank you,” Eun-Ho said.
Thus, the final OJT came to an early end.
“But there’s something I wanted to mention about the fight earlier,” Eun-Ho said.
“Huh?”
He couldn’t just leave it at that because the feeling was too unsettling. “Someone deliberately targeted me.”
Caught off guard, Harona frowned deeply. “What? What are you talking about?”
As the administrator of this area, she would know better than anyone about the Giant Baboon’s ability to mimic an observed ability.
[Giant Baboon Core]
- A glass orb containing the essence of a Giant Baboon.
- When shattered, it activates the Mimicry(Lv. - ) skill.
- Upon use, the skill allows the user to perfectly replicate an observed ability.
“The Baboon used my ability,” Eun-Ho added calmly, “even though it never observed me using it.”
“That’s impossible. Then it wouldn’t be able to mimic it at all!”
“Which means someone interfered and deliberately set me up.”
“You? Who would do that? And why?”
“I have a few suspects, but it’s hard to narrow it down.”
On the way back to the office, he had thought it over carefully using the Empathy skill, putting himself in his enemy’s shoes.
Who would have a reason to target me?
The first possibility was the researchers from the Future Research Center. Iro had been the one who built the defensive system. It was possible that remnants of his faction were still lurking.
The second possibility was the Investigation Bureau manager and the others who had been caught by his hand and stripped of their positions. In terms of sheer resentment, they were the strongest candidates.
Eun-Ho had even heard that those associated with them had been dragged down one after another and were now in complete ruin. That made the likelihood lower, but it couldn’t be ruled out entirely.
Then finally, the third possibility was the person whose “Employee of the Year” title he had taken. If Eun-Ho died, second place would naturally become first again, so perhaps someone was betting on that.
But that’s a bit of a stretch.
Still, those were the obvious possibilities for now. There could easily be others he didn’t know about yet. Even thinking about it himself, it was impressive in a way. Creating this many enemies in just eight days since joining the company was practically a talent.
Harona seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “You’ve got way too many people who might want you dead.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. You stood out too much.” She nodded firmly, her tone decisive. “So what are you going to do?’
“I’ll find them no matter what it takes. That’s why I have a favor to ask.”
Leaving a potential threat unresolved was never his style.
***
The view outside the office window felt warm and peaceful. Sunlight poured down at just the right intensity. Pale green leaves swayed gently on willow branches, and flower seeds drifted lazily through the air.
Harona’s twin braids bounced lightly as she hummed. “Mmmm. Mmmm.”
“Lady Harona. You seem pleased,” Seung said, at ease.
When the boss was in a good mood, that peace naturally extended to her subordinates.
Harona nodded casually. “Well. We hit our goal.”
The performance numbers had filled up in the blink of an eye which was enough to make her hum in satisfaction.
“It’s not just meeting the target. It’s exceeding it. Does that even make sense?”
For the first time, Harona actually found herself looking forward to the upcoming performance report. She could already imagine the reactions upstairs when they saw her bombastic result.
Let’s not forget Ju Gwang, that bastard who looks like a chewed-up, spat-out dried squid. What kind of face would he make then?
Just imagining it made her grin.
Seung, who wished for his superior’s peace of mind more than anyone else, said cautiously, “But I’m worried you might be getting a little carried away.”
He was afraid that a moment of triumph would invite a far greater disaster down the line.
Of course, his elated boss didn’t hear a word of that. Instead, she asked, “So? Where’s the favor Lee Eun-Ho asked for?”
Seung reluctantly handed over the documents. “Here it is.”
“Hmm... So these are traces left by the people who interfered with the trial?”
“Yes. This is the location data of those who attempted to intervene.”
There were three sets of coordinates listed on the page.
“You’re really going to give this to him?”
“Of course.”
“But if it becomes known that we intervened, we might be held morally responsible.”
“Enough. They’re not even precise enough to identify anyone just by looking. What’s the problem?”
Of course, someone like Lee Eun-Ho could be able to derive exactly the outcome he wanted even from information this vague
“Besides, the ones at fault are the people who interfered in the first place. We’re not in the wrong for catching them, are we?”
“That’s true, but still.” Seung didn’t like it one bit. However, it wasn’t the first or even the second time he had disagreed with his superior’s orders. He wiped his expression clean and stepped back. “Understood.”
“Let’s see. The data’s secured and the evaluation’s done,” the girl chatted away cheerfully, oblivious to his inner conflict. “Ah! I need to prepare a gift too.”
“Huh? A gift?” Seung asked.
“The Audit Bureau gave him one, didn’t they? If everyone else is doing it, so should we.”
Ah, right.
Seung nodded as he recalled the sneakers that had fit Lee Eun-Ho perfectly. “They gave him shoes and he seemed quite pleased with them.”
“Idiots. Don’t they know what happens when you give someone shoes?” Harona said, snorting softly. “Just wait. I already have something in mind.”
“What?! You do?”
“I have something Lee Eun-Ho will absolutely love.”