Chapter 89. Physical Examination (3)
“Do you even know what that thing is?! Get out there right now!” Iro shouted.
“You filthy bastard! I won’t lose this time! Never again!” Han-Il shouted, staring at Eun-Ho.
“You worthless son of a bitch! How dare you!!”
A low hum from the capsule filled the air. The capsule spun round and round before stopping.
Clank!
For a moment, the lights seemed to flicker out.
Thud!
Then, the cylindrical chamber began to rattle violently. Right then, a translucent system window popped up before the scruffy-haired man’s eyes.
[ERROR!]
[Data mismatch!]
Data mismatch? Eun-Ho thought.
That could only mean one thing: data was already in the system. In other words, someone else was supposed to enter.
They were after me.
Whether they were after the “top recruit” or after him as a person, Eun-Ho couldn’t be sure. However, the truth remained the same.
“If I go in the capsule, I’m screwed.”
Convinced of that, Eun-Ho quickly glanced at the screen. Warning messages flashed in blinding repetition. Beneath them, endless rows of bizarre numbers filled the display.
[Protocol has been terminated!]
[The equipment is rebooting.]
As the new alerts appeared, red smoke gushed up from the base of the capsule.
Fssssh!
“Stop! I said stop!” Iro cried out in panic, flailing his arms like someone desperately trying to snatch back a precious treasure from the flames.
[The Crow from the Bureau of Management narrows their eyes, suspecting the man of foul play.]
[Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management agrees that it would be best not to proceed.]
[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation folds their arms, wondering why such a capsule is even here.]
“This is it, Iro! We really have to begin now!” shouted the Examiner from within the chaos.
“Shut u—”
Eun-Ho waited for the right timing and commanded, “Acceleration.”
Within slowed time, he observed the movements of those two.
Thirty seconds, he calculated silently.
The scruffy-haired Inspector’s face twisted with rage. Though quicker than the ordinary bystanders nearby, even he was sluggish compared to what Eun-Ho saw now.
Good.
After seeing the Ghosts still attacking even under the influence of Acceleration, Eun-Ho was worried that every corporate pawn’d be just as fast.
So, not all of them are quick after all.
In the endless stretch of slowed time, Eun-Ho studied the figures carefully. Iro had a scrawny frame wrapped in a stained white lab coat. His hands seemed to move faster than his feet. Rows of grotesque, hand-spun numbers drifted like static around him.
So he’s not someone who fights with his body, Eun-Ho concluded.
The man’s identity and intention were still unknown. Yet, despite clearly targeting Eun-Ho, he hadn’t dared to strike with a single finger. Instead, he had resorted to all this troublesome preparation, even involving a capsule. That told Eun-Ho everything he needed to know.
“Summon.”
Calling forth the long-slumbering item, he strode quickly toward the man.
Swish!
Time stretched thin, nearly frozen, but Eun-Ho forced himself to move as swiftly as possible. If he left even a trace of an afterimage in the man’s vision, it could ruin everything.
I didn’t expect to use this item like this, but oh well.
He slipped a round sticker onto the scruffy-haired man’s clothes, being careful not to let it show. He had wondered if he would ever need it, but here it was, coming into play at last. His business was finished.
Thump. Thump.
Then, he turned toward the capsule, where red smoke writhed at his feet. To be fair, it was more toward Jang Han-Il, who writhed in pain inside the capsule.
“Uuugh...” Jang Han-Il groaned.
Foolishness and being blind to danger were a sin. Despite being faced with an unknown enemy, he’d let his insecurity win.
Eun-Ho decided. “But it’s not a sin worth dying for.”
Crack!
He pried apart the capsule’s sealed frame and shattered the door. Grabbing Jang Han-Il by the collar, he dragged him out and tossed him onto the ground.
Thud!
Time snapped back into motion.
The scruffy-haired man, who had been frantically pounding at his screen, froze in mid-motion. “Huh?”
In that opening, Eun-Ho said flatly, “I refuse.”
He spoke calmly, without even a trace of anxiety, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“What?!” Iro asked, appearing stunned.
“I don’t need your enhancement,” Eun-Ho replied, firm and clear.
[The Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management praises your wise choice!]
[Several observers nod in agreement.]
The man’s head snapped up. His twisted face shifted from Jang Han-Il sprawled on the floor, to Eun-Ho standing before him.
“It’s because of him, isn’t it? That worthless bastard! How dare you get in the way!” he shouted.
Iro’s eyes gleamed, bloodshot with rage. Those eyes were terrifying, the kind that would crawl into dreams and linger there like a nightmare.
“Then I’ll just deal with this myself...” he growled.
An aura rose from him, invisible, tethering precariously between murderous intent and sheer madness.
A chill ran down Eun-Ho’s spine, raising his every hair. He gripped his sword, its cold weight and bone-deep presence reassuring him.
It’s fine. I can fight. I won’t lose...
They stood locked in a trance, staring each other down.
[WARNING!]
[Proceed immediately with the physical examination!]
[The Inspector General will be summoned in 10 seconds.]
[Ten, nine, eight...]
“There’s no time to waste!” shouted a small, stout man, his urgent voice cutting through the tension.
It was the Manager, smaller even than Eun-Ho.
“Start now!” he barked.
“... Fine. There will be other chances,” the Inspector muttered, grinding his teeth, though displeasure was written all over his face.
Whoosh!
The Examiner rushed to clear the capsule away, shouting, “Begin!”
Swish—!
A pale, cloud-like mass of fog burst out and enveloped both figures, then disappeared.
[The project Physical Examination has begun.]
[Please proceed to your designated area.]
At last, the onlookers let out their held breaths, stumbling as if released from invisible chains.
“Y-Young Man! What did you just do right now?!”
“What the hell! What about the enhancement?! Is he not doing it anymore?”
Lee Ye-Ji snapped back at the complainers, pointing toward someone. “Enhancement? Are you guys serious? Can’t you see what just happened to that guy?!”
Her finger led to Jang Han-Il, lying sprawled on the floor.
Jang Han-Il coughed from the lingering smoke, slowly regaining his senses. “Kuk... I-I swear, I was locked up in the capsule until just now...”
“So what? Nothing happened to him!”
Then, suddenly, shock overtook Jang Han-Il’s face. Though already collapsed, his limbs grew even weaker, trembling with disbelief.
“Jang! Y-your ankle looks...” someone pointed out.
“M-my leg! Noooo!” Jang Han-Il screamed. “Aaaaah!”
Han-Il clutched at his leg and howled. Both of his ankles were blackened and charred, as if seared by laser fire.
It’s the smoke! Eun-Ho thought.
The red smoke that had billowed up to his feet was surely to blame. If it had been allowed to rise all the way to the top of the capsule, the damage would’ve consumed him entirely.
“M-my leg! Oh, my leg! Nooooo!” Han-Il wailed.
“Jang! P-please stay calm!”
“Aaaah!” Han-Il kept screaming.
At that moment, an announcement blared over the system.
[Once again, this is an announcement.]
[All survivors must proceed to the designated examination site.]
A map appeared, indicating a clearing not far from the entrance.
[You have ten minutes.]
[All individuals outside the designated examination site will be eliminated.]
“It’s not that far, Jang!”
“That’s right! Get on my back!”
Their words fell on deaf ears. Jang Han-Il stared at his blackened ankles in a daze, face twisted by equal parts terror and pain. He opened his mouth but no words came. Still, he wasn’t entirely abandoned, which was proof that there were people who would rush to help a crippled comrade even in this world. Eun-Ho took note of that.
Thump. Thump
Eun-Ho walked toward the man. He stopped in front of Han-Il, who sat as if the world had ended, and looked down at him.
“Fix it yourself,” Eun-Ho said.
At those words, Han-Il turned his head toward him. His eyes were hollow and empty, so vacant that they could’ve belonged to a dead fish. The despair reflected in them was almost painfully familiar. It was the same hopelessness Eun-Ho had seen in the mirror every morning.
“It’ll take time,” Eun-Ho added.
[Limp recovery rate: 100%.]
In fact, he had spent three rewards to erase the pain and terror from his life. He knew what that had cost. He knew better than anyone how to sell hope when everything else had been stripped away.
“As long as you’re alive, you can go back to the original state someday,” he said.
Eun-Ho was trying to give him hope, whether that meant he had to crawl, or cling to someone’s back. Jang Han-Il just had to survive for now.
“Eun-Ho...” Jang Han-Il murmured.
Light returned to the empty depth of his eyes. He saw Eun-Ho’s face reflected there. Tears glistened, threatening to blur the reflection, Han-Il turned away.
“Thanks,” Han-Il added, quietly.
“Let’s go,” Eun-Ho said.
“Okay!” Jae-Hyuk replied.
“Let’s get going, Eun-Ho!” Ji-Eun added.
Leaving the man behind, Eun-Ho walked on. He strode forward without hesitation, the same way he had as a child when he overtook that person again and again—bold, unflinching, putting one steady step in front of the next.
***
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Eun-Ho, who’s that man?” Ji-Eun asked cautiously as they walked briskly. Her footsteps were steady and her tone was careful.
“He was an athlete at a neighboring school,” Eun-Ho answered flatly.
It wasn’t a comforting explanation, but Ji-Eun nodded as if she immediately understood the situation.
“He must’ve been really jealous of you,” she said.
“I think so. But isn’t it stupid? I wasn’t some world-class athlete,” Eun-Ho replied.
His skill had been good, but not so prodigious that no one could ever match him. Still, the other man had long obsessed over competing with Eun-Ho. People tended to envy what was close and visible, rather than what seemed unattainable. Foolishly so.
Eun-Ho shook his head at the thought.
Ji-Eun gave a rueful smile and said, “Maybe it was admiration and not just jealousy.”
“Huh?”
“It seemed too intense to be simple jealousy. Besides, it’s been a long time, too...”
Hmm... Admiration, Eun-Ho thought, remembering the scene earlier.
“So you still recognize me, huh? I thought you’d have forgotten everything by now.”
Ten years had passed, yet the rival from the other school had identified him without hesitation.
“Wow, Eun-Ho replies to me now? You’ve changed.”
The man had approached persistently even though Eun-Ho had ignored him. Now, Eun-Ho wondered whether that persistence had been driven by warped admiration.
“Don’t be silly. I’m not that great,” Eun-Ho said, shaking his head again.
“But Eun-Ho, you are great,” Ji-Eun protested with a smile. “I admire you too.”
She glanced down, cheeks coloring slightly.
Then, a system message chimed.
[The Crow from the Bureau of Management notes that the woman’s face has flushed!]
[The Crow from the Bureau of Management then advises her to cool herself down since sweat impairs performance.]
Jae-Hyuk, who had been waiting for a chance to butt in, chimed in at that cue. “She’s right, Hyungnim! I’ve never seen anyone like you!”
“Exactly. Sharp, resolute. Even at my age, I’ve never met someone who seems so young at heart!”
“You’re great, Mister,” another muttered.
“Thank you, but stop it,” Eun-Ho cut the sudden praise short.
This wasn’t a moment for idle chatter.
“That capsule earlier targeted me,” he said.
“What?!”
There was no time for a lengthy gossip session.
“If I had gone in instead, I would have burned too,” Eun-Ho explained.
“But you were set as the intended entrant, right? Don’t you think that happened because someone else went in instead?”
It was a natural question. If it had nothing to do with him, Eun-Ho would’ve thought the same way. Especially if he hadn’t stared straight into that man’s horrid, grease-glinting eyes.
Unlike naïve Jae-Hyuk, Swear-Master, who usually trusted no one, snapped in agreement. “Fuck, right? That white-haired guy was weird from the start and kept talking to you for no reason...”
“Easy,” Eun-Ho warned.
Even though the loudmouth shared his suspicion, Eun-Ho cut him off because of the watchful message.
[The Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management advises against entertaining useless thoughts.]
They’re watching, Eun-Ho thought.
Then, Eun-Ho drew his attention toward the floating Eye above them. Swear-Master fell silent at once, covering his mouth with his hand. He listened when he had to.
That damned Eye would be listening to this conversation too.
However, the man’s warning from earlier had bought them time.
“... Fine. There will be other chances,”
Besides, Eun-Ho had learned that the Acceleration skill would work.
The man served as the Inspector for the Physical Examination trial. It’d be a brutal fight, with the trial rules potentially twisted to his favor.
If we simply follow the system, we’ll be screwed up.
Eun-Ho resolved to strike first, to hit while the opponent was least guarded. When he quickened his pace, Ji-Eun tugged at his sleeve and peered around his coat.
“Eun-Ho?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“Your expression. It's stiff. You’re worried, right?”
Eun-Ho smiled faintly and said, “I’d be lying if I said no.”
“It’ll be fine, Eun-Ho! If he attacks, we’ll fight together!” Ji-Eun replied.
Jae-Hyuk, brimming with misplaced confidence, balled his fists and vowed, “That’s right, Hyungnim! I’ll smash his head!”
“He’ll probably strike right after the physical examination ends. Right, Jae-Hyuk?”
“Yes! After the trial, maybe you should hide for a bit, Hyungnim.”
“There’s no need to hide,” Eun-Ho said.
“Huh?”
“I’ll take the lead and hit first.”
Both of them looked puzzled.
“Take the lead?” Ji-Eun echoed.
“How?” Jae-Hyuk asked.
They asked how he would locate the opponent and time an attack after the man had vanished. He couldn’t reveal everything due to the floating Eye above him, but he could act.
It should be possible.
That was because a blinking marker had appeared on the map before him. The small light on the map flickered and showed the target’s movement.
[Your target’s location has been detected!]
[Tracking target: Iro]
[Compact Tracker]
- A location-tracking device developed by the Future Research Center.
- Once activated and attached to a target, their position becomes visible on the map.
- Warning: Single-use only. Cannot be removed or reused.
He had obtained that Compact Tracker after taking down Subject X, and he had planted it on the guy a moment earlier. If a confrontation was inevitable, he might as well end it quickly.
“Let’s finish this fast,” Eun-Ho said.
Both the physical examination, as well as him.