Chapter 187. The Unknown’s Land (1)
The newly appointed HR manager bowed toward the division chief, whose back was turned to him. “I’m here to see you, Division Chief.”
In truth, bowing so deeply was probably excessive. His superior was seated behind a chair with a backrest so tall it completely hid his head from view.
“Quite the view.”
“It really is, sir. The manager’s office is fairly high up as well, making it open and refreshing.”
“Is that so? What floor are you on again?”
“Ah, just two floors below. The forty-seventh,” answered the manager.
The division chief slowly spun his chair around, letting out a satisfied hum. “Hmm.”
“High places really are the best, aren’t they, Division Chief?”
The division chief knew full well that this did not refer merely to physical elevation. Resting both arms on the armrests, he muttered quietly, “I was debating how to shove him off. I should thank him for making such a mess of things. Thanks to that, this desk is now mine.”
The manager nodded vigorously. After all, the division chief was not the only one who had benefited from the former occupant’s downfall. Once part of the division chief’s so-called “line,” he had been promoted and brought along as well. It was the kind of fortune that came once in several decades, if that.
“It was bound to happen eventually, Division Chief. He’d been at it far too long.”
“Things unraveled more easily than I expected. Dragged off to the Audit Bureau all at once.”
The manager’s eyes gleamed as he slipped in some subtle flattery. “Isn’t the entire universe backing you, sir?”
The division chief waved it off as if displeased, yet the corner of his lips curled upward. “Enough of that. Let’s finish reviewing the situation.”
“Of course, Division Chief.”
“So. I hear a new department was formed?”
“Yes. I looked into it. It seems like it was created using the job market’s Department Selection Ticket.”
The division chief understood the chain of events immediately. He could easily imagine how the former division chief and manager must have raged over it.
“Letting that slide proves the predecessors weren’t doing their jobs properly.”
“They were probably too busy lining their pockets. Still...”
However, what bothered the division chief was not merely the existence of the new department.
“The office they chose bothers me,” he said.
From the company’s perspective, the Labor-Management Cooperation Team was hardly a welcome department. However, once a team was formed, severing its limbs was easy enough. What truly caught his attention was the office, the Wailing Forest, itself. It was a land he had not thought about in a very long time.
“You mean the Wailing Forest?”
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong with that place? Isn’t it just abandoned land no one wanted?”
The division chief nodded and gently closed his eyes. “Abandoned land. That’s not wrong, but...”
He tipped his head back against the chair, a low hum escaping him now and then. It was a posture he often took when deep in thought.
The manager had heard the rumors as well. Apparently, no one went near it, unable to endure the forest’s incessant wailing. With everyone avoiding it, the land had practically been sealed off. That was all he knew.
“I’ve heard the brush is poisonous and death runs through the soil. A troublesome place with no real use,” the manager said instead, seeing that the division chief said no more. “It should’ve been the most treacherous of the remaining lands.”
“Indeed. People even considered it more useless than the Desert of Tragedy.”
“Right. Surely they didn’t choose it on purpose...” the division chief muttered cryptically, then closed his eyes once more.
What exactly is he thinking so hard about? the manager thought.
The manager frowned slightly, puzzled. “Did something happen in the Wailing Forest?”
The division chief shook his head without opening his eyes. “Just watch and report immediately if anything strange happens.”
The vague instruction made the manager narrow his eyes. “Anything strange” was far too broad. Did that mean a new species of monster appearing where none had before? A disaster on the scale of an earthquake? Or something so extreme it overturned heaven and earth alike?
“What would be an example of something strange?” the manager asked cautiously, unable to grasp the scope.
As if ending the conversation, the division chief began riffling through the stack of documents on his desk. “You’ll know it when you see it.”
The manager bowed reluctantly. “Understood. Then I’ll get going sir.”
Just as he was about to leave, the Division Chief asked again, as if something had just occurred to him, “How are your team members?”
“Ah... I’m still assessing them. They worked under the previous manager for a long time, so they’re quite tight-knit.”
Tight-knit.
The division chief caught the implication. “I see. Those who grew up under someone else can’t be trusted.”
“They served him for years. So, there’s no telling what they whisper among themselves.”
The Division Chief nodded, then gave a short order. “Find some new blood.”
“Yes sir,” the manager replied. Then, as if something finally clicked, he snapped his fingers a beat later. “Now that I think about it, there is one newly transferred employee.”
“Hmm? Someone new?”
“Her name is Sarah. She was fairly well known as the Public Affairs Bureau's mascot. Have you heard of her?”
After a brief moment of thought, the Division Chief said as if he remembered, “Ah. The blonde girl.”
Seeing this, the manager went on explaining, “She had a real knack for hosting and presentations, so we assumed she’d naturally take on training and education duties. But for some reason, she requested HR work instead.”
“HR?”
“Yes. She initially applied for education and training, but once her official appointment was confirmed, she changed her mind.”
The HR Department’s core responsibilities could be broadly divided into two areas. One was personnel matters, which was evaluation and compensation; and the other was education and training, overseeing all employee development programs.
“There doesn’t seem to have been any special incident in between. She probably realized which choice was better.”
Choosing HR over education and training, which aligned more closely with PR work, suggested ambition. In other words, a hunger for power.
“She’s probably an ambitious girl.”
After all, HR and recruitment sat at the heart of influence within the company.
“Yes. She received excellent evaluations in the Public Affairs Bureau, so we had high expectations. She’s quite capable and quick on the uptake, too.”
“Ambitious, and competent...” The division chief smacked his lips thoughtfully. “Let’s arrange a meeting sometime.”
“Understood.”
New wine belonged in new skins. Likewise, new skins required fresh wine.
***
It was 10:00 AM and Eun-Ho set out with only Ji-Eun, Jae-Hyuk, and the Skeletons in tow.
“Eun-Ho, this is the right direction, isn’t it?” Ji-Eun asked.
“It is technically,” he replied.
They were following the compass toward the “Second Trial.” It was a grueling journey, but not exactly in the way he had expected.
“Hieeek! A s-snake! There’s a snake!”
“Number Three. Why are you walking around with a snake hanging off your leg?”
“Ah, it is fine Commander.”
Eun-Ho had to deal with a Skeleton dragging around a stupid snake that had latched onto its ankle bone without being noticed.
“Eek! Didn’t a coconut just fall on your head? Are you okay?”
“I am fine...”
“Lower your skull,” Eun-Ho said.
He also had to shepherd along another Skeleton, walking proudly with a coconut lodged between its helmet’s horns.
Ha... These guys are just idiots who only know swords, aren’t they? Eun-Ho thought.
“Did your instructor only teach you swordsmanship?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Yes!”
“Only swordsmanship!”
Whether they understood his frustration or not, the Skeletons crossing the forest path puffed out their ribcages proudly.
“We learned properly!”
“We did not slack off!”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Thank you!”
“I said it wasn’t!”
Watching this, Jae-Hyuk said with a bitter expression, “Noonim.”
Ji-Eun’s face looked just as hollow when she replied, “Yeah, Jae-Hyuk?”
They probably found it difficult to accept that those airheaded Skeletons were stronger than them.
“I mean, even the Skeletons got this strong, but I—” Ji-Eun muttered.
“It feels like my position’s been stolen!” Jae-Hyuk shouted. “I was Hyungnim’s right-hand man! Not even that foul-mouthed guy took my spot, but the Skeletons did!”
“So that’s what you’re upset about?” Eun-Ho asked.
“I’ll train harder. Much harder! I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”
“Sure. Do your best,” said Eun-Ho, walking as the watchtower faded from view.
The distant cries of monsters became a familiar background noise. The once-dense trees gradually thinned out. Then, at last, they came face to face with it.
“A wall?”
There was a massive barricade, towering and stretching on so far its end couldn’t be seen. It had to be the end of the Wailing Forest.
“We’re blocked, Hyungnim!” said Jae-Hyuk.
“The map says this is the end too!” said Ji-Eun.
Eun-Ho was about to deny it, but the unfolded map backed Ji-Eun up. Not every structure was marked, but it was a three-dimensional rectangular zone, showing the area and each department’s territory.
“It only shows up to this point. I did think it was odd how this side was so cleanly cut, like it’d been sliced with a knife,” Eun-Ho said.
“Right? Who would build something like this, Hyungnim?”
Eun-Ho never knew it would be sealed off by such an artificial structure. “Yeah.”
He didn’t know who built it, or why. However, the compass’s “guidance” was still ongoing, with the golden needle unmistakably pointing beyond the wall.
[You have discovered a Trial Fragment.]
[Navigation enabled..]
“We’ll have to look a bit more closely to be sure. Huh?” Eun-Ho noticed that the scenery didn’t quite match his memory. It was as if a single tooth had slipped out of a perfectly turning gear. “Wait a second.”
“Yes?”
“Something’s not right.”
Therefore, he checked the office information.
[Wailing Forest]
- Affiliation: Labor-Management Cooperation Team
- Area: 1,000 x 1,000
- Facilities/Furniture: [Log Cabin(Lv. 3)], [Watchtower(Lv. 2), [Wall(Lv. 2)]
- Special Effects: None
“Is something wrong, Eun-Ho?” Ji-Eun asked.
“This,” he replied, eyes still fixed on the status window and map. “It isn’t a square. Is it?”
“Huh?”
The area didn’t match. He didn’t know the exact scale ratio between the map and the status window, but one thing was clear. No matter how he looked at it, the forest shown on the map was not a perfect one-thousand-by-one-thousand square.
“We’re missing an area. There’s probably more land hidden behind that wall. Meaning, that side is our land too.”
“Then...”
Eun-Ho was ready to claim the land. “We’ll go over it.”
***
Ji-Eun pressed both index fingers to her temples and scrunched up her face. “Alright. Here I go!”
The bob cut swaying on her shoulders seemed to lift, and Eun-Ho rose into the air.
Fwoosh—!
“Hyungnim! Noonim! Be careful!” screamed Jae-Hyuk.
“Don’t worry. We’re just going to take a look.”
“We’ll be back!”
At first, the plan had been to use Ji-Eun’s psychokinesis to carry everyone over the wall. However, it meant Ji-Eun would have to control thirteen targets at once.
That would be too dangerous.
They didn’t know how high the wall was, or what dangers could lurk in the open sky above. Scouting first seemed wiser, hence he suggested a reconnaissance run.
“Um... T-this is just for safety, okay? You know that, right?” Ji-Eun said, her voice trembling as she clutched a couple of his fingers.
“Of course,” he replied. To put her at ease, he looked up at the open sky and said calmly, “Even if we split it into two trips, it won’t be easy.”
Ji-Eun tightened her grip again, answering with carefully composed calm, “Yeah.”
“Kieeeeeeek!”
“Kiyaaaah!”
Black birds circled overhead.
[Defeat the Razor-Beaked Bird.]
[Defeat the Razor-Beaked Bird.]
[Defeat the Razor-Beaked Bird.]
...
As he checked the barrage of messages, the sky was filled with Razor-Beaked Birds. Although they had wiped the birds out twice before, ground and aerial combat were different matters. This time, they would be fighting creatures that treated the sky like their bed, relying solely on Ji-Eun’s mental strength. It’d be a disaster if Ji-Eun got attacked.
“Kieeeeeeek!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Ji-Eun!”
One of the Razor-Beaked Birds spotted them and shot forward like a bullet. Its beak flashed in the sunlight as it lunged straight for her eyes.
Startled, Ji-Eun wobbled in midair. Since Eun-Ho was depending entirely on her psychokinesis, he wobbled with her. “Focus!”
“Okay!”
Damn birds, Eun-Ho cursed in his mind, grinding his teeth as he thought about how to deal with them.
After Ji-Eun dodged the bird, it froze in the middle of the dazzling blue sky. It stopped there, perfectly still.
“Huh? Did it just stop?”
[The Avian Slaughterer title has been activated.]
Huh? Why now? Eun-Ho wondered.
[The Razor-Beaked Birds feel fear before the Slaughterer’s might!]
The three black feathers jutting up like a rooster’s comb trembled.
The creature tilted its head as if confused by its own reaction, rolling its grotesque eyes around. “Kaaah?”
Don’t tell me this bird is scared?
Eun-Ho let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it all. Then, a foolish idea crossed his mind. In that case, couldn’t he try something one step beyond that?
It’s stupid, but it’s worth a shot just in case, he thought.
“Come here,” he said.
“Kaaaah?”
He repeated it, putting what little authority he could into his voice. “Now.”
[Authority is imbued into the Slaughterer’s command.]
[The Razor-Beaked Birds abandons resistance before the overwhelming difference in power!]
The black head lowered reluctantly. “Kaah...”
[Taming has been successful!]
[The Razor-Beaked Bird bows its head to the Slaughterer’s command!]
“Wow.”