Chapter 88. Physical Examination (2)
“Did you just say you missed us?”
“What the hell? Who are you talking to?”
The strange words that spilled from the man’s mouth sent a ripple of unrest through the crowd of hundreds. High above them floated a man with stark greyish-white hair, hovering in the not-so-distant sky.
[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation wonders since when did someone like that exist within the Bureau.]
[The Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management is shocked by such an unexpected appearance!]
His robe was so stained and faded that its original color was impossible to guess. Smears marked his face, as if he had been caught in a minor explosion.
This bizarre figure finally said, “You’re just as I thought! You look even better in person.”
People genuinely wondered what this man thought of and who exactly he was talking about. The survivors on the Sky Island busily worked their eyes and minds, trying to guess the target of that unnatural, glowing gaze.
At the center of it all stood one man, ignoring the stir around him. He neither glanced at the others, nor seemed to hear their questions.
“Uh... Eun-Ho! Who do you think that man is?”
“I don’t know who he is,” Eun-Ho said calmly, “but I’m certain he’s not human.”
“But... He seems to be walking this way. Towards us.”
The bizarre man was indeed approaching. Muttering to himself, he strode forward without a shred of hesitation, “I tried to improve the resolution but still couldn’t quite capture the light in his eyes. Well, pixels will have to do for now...”
It wasn’t a mistake. Their eyes met, and the man didn’t look away. Instinct whispered the truth.
He knows me, Eun-Ho thought.
[The Crow from the Bureau of Management asks if your fan has just appeared.]
“I thought just the head and brain alone would be worthless, but I underestimated him. The proportions from his shoulders to his fingertips are perfect. And above all, the... is flawless.”
He clearly knew Eun-Ho. Though Eun-Ho couldn’t tell whether it was just the face, or his past movements, or even the numbers behind his abilities. However, one thing was certain: this man wasn’t merely a bystander.
Where have I seen him before? Eun-Ho started to wonder.
For now, the one clear fact was that this was no ordinary interest.
“Haaa... Should I put you on display?”
“Jang! Isn’t he talking to you right now?”
“H-huh? But I don’t even know the guy...”
“Word must’ve spread after seeing you on that trial!”
The commotion grew. The players from the athlete group grew restless, whispering that the stranger must be here for Jang, the eternal number two.
[The Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management is flustered at how strangely this situation is unfolding!]
“Ji-Eun.”
“Y-yes?”
Without taking his eyes off the figure, Eun-Ho leaned slightly toward Ji-Eun. Her soft hair brushed against his nose as he whispered, “If he does anything strange, get everyone up in the sky and hide beneath the Sky Island. But don’t include me. Just leave me behind.”
“Why? W-what about you, Eun-Ho?”
“I’ll move on my own. I have the Acceleration skills.”
She nodded. The distance between Eun-Ho and the strange man shrank steadily, until he was nearly within arm’s reach. Then, behind him, cotton-like clouds swelled and then parted, revealing another figure.
[The Examiner has been dispatched!]
Ssshk—!
“What the hell? First an inspector and now an examiner? What’s the difference?”
“Looks like they have different roles. Up till now we only saw the Administrator.”
“Damn it, does that mean more of these freaks will keep showing up? Even those tiny Administrators were more than enough trouble...”
Cursing faded into the background as attention turned to the newcomer. He was of average height, with a little extra weight. His features were pleasant and approachable, dressed casually in a collared shirt and hiking clothes.
“We have ten minutes left.”
Even his unsure, muttering tone added to the impression. If not for the fact that he was floating in midair, he could’ve passed for a harmless middle-aged man, like a kind department manager one’d see at the office. He was just like a perennial middle manager—good-natured, diligent, and competent, yet always being pushed around by ambitious rookies.
“Well, whatever. Reflections can wait,” said the shaggy-haired man reluctantly, wiping the smile off his face. His tone was like a child made to finish his homework before playing with his toy. “What matters is that we’ve met like this. Don’t you agree?”
His eyes locked with Eun-Ho’s. The man’s lips twitched as though suppressing a grin, a sound slipping out between a sigh and a snicker.
“My name is Iro. I am the Inspector assigned to conduct physical examinations in the ROK-SEO-NOR district.”
“Iro...” When Eun-Ho mouthed the name silently, the man rolled his yellow, snake-like eyes.
The sight sparked irritation in Eun-Ho, though others around seemed more curious than unsettled.
“The Inspector?”
“W-who are you exactly? What are we supposed to do now?”
The shaggy-haired Inspector smiled as if he had been waiting for such a question. “First, congratulations on making it through the Entrance Exam. To reward your effort, I’ve prepared a gift.”
A tempting carrot dangled before them.
“Summon it.”
“Um...”
“Quickly!”
“... Alright,” the Examiner answered reluctantly, waving his hand.
Then, a translucent screen appeared before him, and his fingers moved across it with practiced ease, though without enthusiasm.
Foosh—!
Then, at the center of the Sky Island, a cylindrical object materialized.
Is that a capsule? Eun-Ho wondered.
It was large enough to hold one or two people, resembling a transparent shower booth.
“Step into this capsule. It will scan your body and supplement any deficiencies.”
A full-body scan? So is that what he meant by physical examination?
It wasn’t at all what Eun-Ho had imagined.
“Deficiencies?”
“Wait, so this is something like enhancement?”
“Correct. Enhancement. But the number of times is limited, so the sooner you receive it, the better.”
At those words, the crowd stirred.
“Shit, I’m going first.”
“Same. Everyone get ready,” Jang Han-Il, a former athlete, declared it like a challenge. His eyes gleamed with the hunger of a predator.
“Ah, but I’ll decide the order just to keep things fair...”
The order mattered because the earlier they entered, the safer it was. That way, there was no risk of losing the chance to be “enhanced.”
“We’ll go by the Entrance Exam rankings.”
Everything was falling way too neatly into place.
“Wait, there were actual rankings?”
“All we ever got were evaluation grades and they were all pretty similar!”
“Yeah! At best, people were rated A.”
“No, there was an S. I heard about one in Taereung.”
“What? An S-rank? I’ve never heard of it.”
From the whispers, Eun-Ho gathered fragments of how things had gone in other sectors.
“Jang! Looks like there wasn’t an S-rank in the other sectors!”
“Hah! Is that so?”
“Which means you’ll be first in line!”
However, then came the announcement.
“The top scorer of the ROK-SEO-NOR district entrance exam is...”
Eun-Ho already knew what name was coming.
“Lee Eun-Ho.”
“Eun-Ho!”
“Hyungnim!”
As expected, his name was called. It was an inevitable result.
[You have been deemed Ultra Suitable as a result of the preliminary evaluation!]
[You will receive bonus points in the next Entrance Exam.]
He had already earned bonus points during the Character Evaluation.
[An additional trial has been arranged for your final evaluation.]
On top of that, he had been assigned a solo trial before the official grading.
Those who knew Eun-Ho cheered.
“Whoa! So mister, you’re number one on the Northriver side?”
“I knew it! Who else could beat Young Man?”
Those who didn’t know him whispered curiously.
“Who’s Lee Eun-Ho?”
“He must be that guy over there!”
Besides, the one who knew him only vaguely flushed red with fury. “What the hell did he just say?”
Unlike Jang Han-Il, whose face hardened, the shaggy-haired Inspector broke into a radiant smile, his facial muscles slack with delight.
He gestured toward the capsule, its door wide open. “Now then... Step inside, Lee Eun-Ho.”
***
“So why! Why the hell is he there?!”
Seung was shaken because the situation made no sense. “T-this isn’t right. Physical examinations fall under the Bureau’s jurisdiction, so I don’t really understand why the Center is involved...”
The Bureau of Investigation oversaw the selection process and the Entrance Exam. They had always handled post-screenings, such as preliminary surveys and physical examinations, before restructuring began. They should’ve been merely observing the screen this time too.
“Those arrogant bastards from the Bureau of Investigation would never request cooperation from another bureau. What the hell is this? Did you hear anything?”
“I-I don’t know either... Could the Investigation Bureau’s director have been blackmailed somehow?”
Baaaam—!
Harona’s fist slammed against the desk.
Craack—!
The heavy table split with a shallow crack. Normally, Harona could’ve reduced the whole thing to splinters, but her fists trembled less from rage than from frustration and fear. Her palms were slick with sweat.
“What do we do? What do we do?!”
Researcher Iro had always shown an unhealthy obsession with Eun-Ho. Harona could sense that Iro was definitely going to try something there. Moreover, he’d even convinced the Director of the Investigation Bureau to go along. This was far worse than the prank he had pulled when he became the acting administrator.
What is he trying to do? Harona wondered.
Then, she started to think about earlier conversations Iro had with others.
“Hey! That finger!”
“What about it?”
“Can you just cut one of them off for me?”
He wasn’t like the other staff at all. His standards were warped.
“If not, please just lend it to me. I’ll just take a sample and give it back.”
“That bastard’s hands can’t be trusted. What if he tries to do similar things with Eun-Ho?” Harona asked.
“He’ll be fine, Lady Harona.”
However, Harona’s twin braids shot outward like drawn pistols, betraying her unease. She was on edge.
One of her normally steady subordinates said, forcing courage into his voice, “As you know, Center researchers don’t undergo combat training. And this one... He’s notorious for being weak. People say he never leaves the lab.”
“Well, here’s the problem, Eun-Ho doesn’t know who that bastard is!”
That was the real danger. Eun-Ho had no idea this so-called researcher was a genius and a lunatic fixated on harvesting his gray matter. Meanwhile, Iro had studied Eun-Ho’s reports, dossiers, and every scrap of data until he knew him inside and out.
“The information gap is too great. If a fight breaks out, it’ll be hopelessly one-sided.”
“Exactly, he’s been obsessed for a long time... He even went as far as sending that Golem, and still failed. He must have worked harder, studying every move.”
“Besides, he’s already watched how Eun-Ho fights and what abilities he uses. If it comes to a battle now...” Harona fell silent, then continued, “this isn’t like before.”
This wasn’t another trial crafted by the system. This time, it would be real trouble. The thought weighed heavily on both of them.
Then, the cylindrical device that appeared in the testing hall came into her view. Its design was familiar, and the fact that Manager Cho Bok had summoned it made it clear.
“That capsule! What is that thing?! Wait! Isn’t that the kind of capsule the Investigation Bureau uses for collecting samples?”
“What?!”
At her words, Seung squinted at the screen. Then, he cried out in a rapid burst, “Y-yes, you’re right! The Investigation Bureau uses those during preliminary surveys to collect soil and biological samples!”
The sample-collection capsule and a deranged researcher obsessed with Eun-Ho together was pointing at only one conclusion.
“Don’t tell me, he’s trying to take Eun-Ho by locking him up in the capsule.”
The “sample” Iro wanted was Eun-Ho.
“T-take him? Take him where?!”
“He must have altered the destination, maybe to his secret lab, or somewhere only he knows.”
Seung’s face was drained of color, but Harona pressed on grimly. “If he takes him, everything will be over.”
“But he must be somewhere inside the Center! That means we could probably search for his lab, couldn’t we?”
It was a logical idea, but reality wasn’t bound by logic.
“You don’t even know where his lab is. And getting clearance to enter restricted areas takes over a week.”
“Aaah...” Seung groaned in despair, before snapping back to his senses. “No way...”
On the screen, Eun-Ho was already moving forward. There was no time left for shock.
“N-no! If he enters, who knows where he’ll be sent—”
“Stop him. Stop him now!”
***
Thump. Thump.
Eun-Ho stepped forward, getting closer to the transparent cylinder that dominated the Sky Island’s center. All eyes were on him.
“Wait. That’s Lee Eun-Ho, isn’t it?” someone called.
“Yeah! I saw him at the Noksapyeong Station!” another voice shouted.
“He got first place in that memory trial!”
It wasn’t the first time he had been rewarded in public. After topping the Observation trial, he had even received the lens called the Almighty Observer’s Eye.
Thump. Thump.
Back then, Subject X had slaughtered the people in the memory, and Eun-Ho had fashioned the Crow from the Management Bureau into the romantic lead to win Ji-Eun’s fans. It had been a hard-fought prize, and the lens had been worth it.
But now, he’s saying that he’ll fix everyone’s weaknesses? With no strings attached?
Eun-Ho was skeptical. Besides, if that was true, they could have handed it out as a reward when they passed the Entrance Exam. He wondered why they would split the reward ceremony into a separate event.
“Hyungnim! Aren’t you going?” Jae-Hyuk asked.
“Just a moment,” Eun-Ho replied.
A strange unease prickled at him. Perhaps, it was because the white-haired man’s gaze never left his.
This is different from before.
The doubt had only started to tug at his feet when someone threw a fuss behind him.
“Fuck, he’s first place? That’s bullshit!” Jang shouted from the back. “Unless the judgment was biased, there’s no way!”
The remark was a textbook example of sour grapes. Just as Eun-Ho unconsciously shot Jang Han-Il a disdainful look, a red window popped up in front of the Inspector and the Examiner.
[WARNING!]
[A schedule delay has been detected!]
[Proceed with the scheduled Physical Examination immediately!]
“Shit!” the middle-aged man muttered.
The shaggy-haired man grimaced. “What the hell?!”
Both men’s gazes climbed in unison to the enormous Eye overhead that seemed ready to swallow them whole.
“It’s been less than a minute! Did someone poke it?” Iro barked.
“Start immediately! If you delay it any further, the Oversight Bureau will sanction us,” Cho Bok replied
“That fucking Eye!”
“Iro!”
Cho Bok glanced around nervously. That damned Eye was clearly monitoring them, too.
The shaggy-haired man, however, simply said, “Thirty seconds is enough. Now go, Eun-Ho!”
He had addressed Eun-Ho directly, not his companion.
“Your physical development isn’t bad. Your speed is quite good. So, how about strength this time? Powerful strength.” The whites of his eyes flashing yellow as he added, his voice slick with greed, “don’t you want to get stronger?”
Eun-Ho felt the words as if they were spoken directly into Iro’s desire: I want to become stronger.
[WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
The alarms clangorously sounded. Somehow, they felt like warnings intended for Eun-Ho.
“Hurry! Eun-Ho!” the man urged.
Eun-Ho began. “I—”
“Fuck! He always had all the luck since he was a kid!”
Jang Han-Il snorted and shoved him aside.
Whoosh!
Just like that, he lunged into the capsule.
“I’m not going to lose again!” he cried, a last, desperate sprint toward the wrong goal.
“You idiot! What are you doing!” the Investigator yelled, running forward the capsule.
However, it was too late.
“Noooo!” Iro screamed.
The wide-open door slammed shut, and opaque smoke rose from the capsule’s floor, thickening until the inside was obscured.
“Ugh! Stooop!” Iro shouted.
Whir—!
Then, the capsule began to spin vigorously.