[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
w
Chapter 40: Aptitude Test (4)
Crash!
Rumble—
The wall that had been artificially blocking the emergency passage collapsed.
As it fell, several quick-footed people rushed forward, each throwing out their comments.
“There’s... there’s really a passage here!”
“We don’t have to break through the defensive line?!”
Amid the murmuring crowd, hope began to spread.
Like a flame burning brightly at the center of the tunnel.
Step.
As I took my first step into the passage, Jaehyuk, who had hurriedly caught up, whispered to me.
“Hyung! When did you even find this passage?”
“The discovery... just now?”
“What?”
-Note: Ensure that all side paths are blocked to prevent deviation from the 'Dark Path.'
That was the annotation at the end of the proposal stolen from the ghost.
Thanks to that, I already knew of the existence of these side paths.
And I also suspected that they were most likely emergency evacuation routes connecting tunnels.
The only issue was...
“How, though? There weren’t any signs or markers!”
...that I had no way of pinpointing my location.
The tunnel walls were plain and devoid of any signs or markers, perhaps because they had been removed beforehand.
But...
“I memorized the map.”
“The map?”
“The structural map for Namsan Tunnel 1, 2, and 3.”
I did the math.
“The evacuation passage for Tunnel 3 is located 600 meters from the entrance. Earlier, I made sure to maintain a speed of 15 seconds per 100 meters.”
Gulp.
The sound of Jaehyuk swallowing his breath came with the widening of his eyes.
“So, based on the time and number of steps....”
I pointed quietly at the ground beneath us as I finished my sentence.
“It’s around here.”
“Wow! Incredible...!”
“Shh.”
I silenced Jaehyuk, who looked at me in awe, and a quiet exclamation of amazement escaped his lips.
“You’re amazing, Hyung! To calculate all of that in such a situation!”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Calculating speed was something I’d always done during my athletic days.
Jaehyuk continued to silently shower me with admiration.
“But I didn’t expect it to be this thoroughly blocked.”
“What do you mean?”
When I read the proposal’s directive to block the side paths, I assumed it meant locking the doors leading to evacuation passages.
But this...
“To be honest, I was shocked earlier when I saw you breaking through what looked like a perfectly fine wall!”
The artificial wall was made of material so similar to the surrounding concrete that it was nearly indistinguishable.
If I hadn’t lit a fire to brighten the area and carefully examined the seams, I might’ve walked right past it.
Such painstaking attention to detail.
“Did you find it while fighting that guy?”
“Something like that.”
“In such a short time? You can fool ghosts, but no one can fool you, Hyung!”
It was true that I found it thanks to that guy.
And thanks to him, I even gained an unexpected weapon.
“Though it’s a shame it’s only half-functional.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, nothing.”
As I secretly lamented my situation, we reached the opposite door.
Jaehyuk looked back at me for permission, and I gave him a nod.
With a creak, the rusty iron door slowly swung open.
Creeeak—!
A new path revealed itself.
“This way leads to the safe zone!”
A side path that would take us to safety.
“It really opens! Incredible!”
“Look! I can even see the exit!”
Unlike the uphill path, this one had intact lighting, and sunlight streaming in from the distant entrance brightened the way ahead.
People’s faces lit up visibly.
Even Jieun enthusiastically stretched her limbs as she spoke.
“All right! Let’s run the rest of the way!”
“Wait. Before we do, there’s something I need to take care of.”
I asked for a moment’s indulgence and approached Sola.
“Huh? Are you warming up?”
“Something like that....”
Before running the remaining distance, there was something I needed to prepare for.
And that was—
‘Fixing this broken body.’
[Warning!]
[You do not meet the minimum stat requirements for the 'Flanged Mace'!]
[Overuse of muscles has caused the status condition: 'Muscle Fatigue.']
[Remaining time: 59 minutes.]
I’d never known before.
That there were items with stat requirements.
Or that forcing yourself to use an unsuitable weapon could result in status conditions like "Muscle Fatigue."
‘But that guy was tossing this thing around with one hand.’
Did he have some other kind of skill?
Despite the Strength 20 requirement, he wielded it effortlessly, even with its considerable weight.
▣ Flanged Mace
-A mace with metal blades attached to its head to maximize destructive power.
Returns quickly to the user after being thrown.
-Increases striking power but demands high Strength due to increased weight.
-Note: Use caution, as it requires high Strength stats.
Defense penetration: +10
-Stat Requirement: Strength 20 or higher.
The mace required a Strength stat of 20.
My Strength, including the 3 points I recently earned as a mission reward, was only 14.
Fortunately, falling short of the stat requirement didn’t mean I couldn’t use the weapon at all.
[Item power reduced due to unmet stat requirements.]
[100% → 40%]
But the weapon’s power was diminished.
[Rapid fatigue caused by exceeding physical limits due to high weight.]
And I tired out quickly.
...What a petty and overly realistic system.
“Sola.”
I called out to her quietly, stepping aside.
While preparing to explain the situation in detail, Sola cut me off with an unexpected remark.
“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
Huh?
“I’m not hurt, it’s just... muscle fatigue. How did you know?”
“You seem heavier than usual.”
Of course, as expected of the prodigy from the health school.
As I nodded deeply, Sola extended her hand silently without a word.
— Flash!
Our precious healer.
[Thanks to the influence of Healer Yoon Sola, status ailments are being cured.]
The blue light emanating from Sola's hands touched the back of my arm, where I had rolled up my shirt sleeve.
And then—
Swoosh!
A peculiar sensation, cool yet warm, spread over me.
The energy seeped into my body, blending in naturally, as if it had always been part of me.
[Muscle pain recovery rate: 100%.]
[Status ailments have been removed.]
My body felt noticeably lighter.
My legs, arms, and entire body were as refreshed as if I had just woken from a deep sleep.
Now then, the preparations were complete.
All that was left was—
‘Run like your heart’s about to burst.’
Screech—thud. Screech—thud.
A man shuffled in, dragging his feet in slippers.
[What the hell?]
A lab coat covered in strange red and yellow stains.
Ash-gray hair sticking out in every direction.
[Ah, finally found you!]
The only person who’d come to Harona’s office—someone known for having no interactions with other employees—at this exact timing was...
[You’re...]
None other than the infamous genius researcher.
[Iro?]
[Oh! I’m famous?]
The man widened his eyes in surprise.
Though his eyes were sunken, likely from sleepless nights, they shone with an unsettling clarity—so sharp it was almost eerie.
[Harona?]
[It’s Harona ‘Nim’!]
The uninvited guest pointed at Harona, but the one who responded was Seung, not her.
[Oh—uh, sure, sure.]
While researchers had a different hierarchy from regular staff, this man was still a newcomer.
Yet here he was, speaking informally to Harona, the prospective leader-in-waiting.
When Seung pointed this out, Iro merely smirked faintly, brushing it off as inconsequential, before continuing.
[You’re smaller than I expected. Your arms and legs are so thin.]
[...What?]
[What are you, 130 centimeters tall? Maybe?]
[Excuse me?]
Harona couldn't believe her ears.
The audacity of his remarks was something no one who knew her would dare utter.
And his eyes.
That leering gaze, scanning her from head to toe, made her doubt her own vision as well.
Tap, tap.
‘Should I punch him? Could I? Would it be better if I did?’
Her index finger tapped the desk, the motion reflecting her momentary deliberation.
Then—
[Oh! That finger!]
[My finger? What about it?]
Iro’s eyes gleamed manically as he exclaimed.
[Can I have just one?]
Like a child begging for a bite of someone’s ice cream.
[...What are you talking about, you lunatic?]
[No? Then lend it to me. I’ll take a sample and give it back.]
[......]
Though the words Why a sample? rose to her throat, she swallowed them down.
Instead, she responded with a curt dismissal, her expression thoroughly unimpressed.
[Forget it. Why are you here? I’m busy, so if you don’t have a reason, get lost.]
[Oh, well...]
As much as she wanted to punch him, she refrained.
Doing so now would undoubtedly spark rumors within the company.
Everyone would be gossiping: She hit the temporary manager as revenge for losing her authority.
Half reason, half determination to avoid further entanglement with this obnoxious man, she crossed her arms.
[There’s an interesting subject I came across.]
[Hm? Who?]
[Lee Eunho... I think?]
Pause.
Harona froze mid-tap.
Lee Eunho?
Why?
Of all things, why him?
She had never cared much about personnel reshuffling before.
So why now?
[Subject Lee Eunho. They say he has abundant gray matter and active synapses. Is that true?]
[What about it?]
[Oh, I’m asking if he’s smart.]
[......]
Smart?
Sure, he’s smart.
But why does that matter?
Could it be that he’s already setting his sights on him?
After all the effort she had put into observing him, investing points, and even upgrading his “eyes,” there was no way she could let him take Eunho before getting her returns.
But she couldn’t let him know she was interested.
Anything someone else had invested in was bound to look more tempting.
Having made her decision, Harona met his gleaming eyes squarely.
[Who knows? I haven’t paid much attention.]
[You don’t know? No way!]
[There are so many subjects, you know? The Management Bureau is always insanely busy. Didn’t you know that?]
Feigning disinterest, she deflected.
The researcher scratched his messy hair and said,
[Well, in that case, show me the subjects’ interim evaluations.]
"Interim evaluation reports? There’s nothing special in those."
Feigning innocence, Harona ignored the outstretched palm as she let her words trail off.
It was true there wasn’t much to them.
They were documents that should rightfully be shared for proper handover anyway.
Still, she wasn’t eager to hand them over.
"Hmm, where could they be—around here somewhere, maybe?"
So, when she stayed silent with her arms crossed, the man moved first.
He scanned the towering stack of files on the desk.
True to his reputation as a genius researcher, he skimmed through thousands of labels in an instant and immediately picked out one.
It was—
『[District 13] ROK-SEO Zone Subject Interim Evaluation Report_Subject Lee Eunho』
[!!]
Like someone who already knew exactly where it was, his hands showed no hesitation.
Seung flinched in surprise as he watched, but Harona stayed calm.
Calm—or more like irritated.
[What’s your game?]
[My game? What do you mean?]
The clipped tone of his response grated on her nerves.
And so did the lopsided smirk as he held up the folder.
[You esteemed researchers usually hate going out into the field, don’t you?]
So Harona shot back, for no real reason other than to pick a fight.
[Ugh, what can I do? The field agents can’t even handle their own work properly.]
[...What did you just say?]
[People like me, well, we just suffer for being too smart. That’s all.]
The guy was brazenly cheeky, leaving Harona scowling, unsure how to respond.
Scratch.
Watching her expression, the researcher tapped the edge of the folder against the mountain of papers on the desk.
[Work smart, not hard. Stop piling up pointless tasks.]
Screech-thud! Screech-thud!
Then he turned and walked out.
Dragging his feet in slippers, just as unannounced as when he had entered.
Creaaaak—bang!
The door slammed shut, and Harona slowly opened her mouth.
[Is it just me, or is that jerk especially insufferable?]
[Not just you, Harona.]
Even Seung agreed.
And then—
[Ugh—! I had everything planned out already!]
Snap!
Harona crushed the pen in her hand, gritting her teeth.
Normally, Seung would be too busy reading the room to react, but this time, he stomped over and began organizing the papers the guy had scattered.
[And how does he even know about Lee Eunho? What is he planning?!]
[That whole thing about gray matter... it gives me the creeps,]
Seung muttered, recalling the man’s hollow yet strangely glinting eyes, his face pale with unease.
[What, should we just cheer for the poor folks to survive this round?]
[That... might not be a bad idea.]
Ha!
Harona let out a hollow laugh at the situation flipped on its head.
[Pathfinder?]
The figure on the screen mumbled the word with a peculiar expression.
While Harona wondered how to keep her precious future cash cow alive and in one piece.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
w