Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 5: The Beginning of Restructuring (5)
“Mr. Jaehyuk, have you received the reward for this mission?”
“Not yet...”
Looking down at Jaehyuk sprawled on the floor with his head hanging low, I spoke.
“Oh! Then it’s fine! Don’t worry, Jaehyuk!”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Jieun exclaimed brightly, her expression beaming.
Having seen my leg healed as part of a reward, she must have thought Jaehyuk’s injuries could be completely cured as well.
But.
“No, that won’t do.”
“Huh? But Eunho, you...”
“These kinds of wounds can be handled with first aid. It’s a waste to use the reward on this.”
Jieun tilted her head in confusion, then checked Jaehyuk’s injuries.
Only then did she nod in agreement, casting a sharp look at the big crybaby.
“If you insist, try asking the mission reward to enhance your recovery ability.”
“Can that...”
“It should work. We don’t have much time, so hurry up.”
Improving his overall recovery ability was more efficient than treating a single visible injury.
Based on my past experiences, I was confident that wounds like his would naturally heal if recovery ability was enhanced.
“Mission... reward... can you increase my recovery ability?”
Despite the awkward phrasing, the system understood him.
Soon, the stabbed wound disappeared as if erased by an invisible hand.
If it weren’t for the torn shirt and the blood that had seeped through, you’d never guess where he had been injured.
“Amazing, hyung! How did you think of this?”
The problem, however, was that I was now stuck being called “hyung” because I had supposedly saved his life.
‘How is this guy only 25?’
Sure, his height over 180 cm was one thing, but his rugged, sunburned skin and intimidating build from all his training outdoors made him look at least in his mid-30s.
“Are you really younger...?”
Jieun squinted at him in disbelief.
I probably had the same expression on my face.
“Didn’t you say you’re a year older than me, noona?”
As Jaehyuk brought up “noona,” Jieun recoiled in horror.
“If it weren’t for you two, I wouldn’t have passed the mission. You saved my life!”
“No, no, we wouldn’t have made it without you either, Jaehyuk.”
Jaehyuk grabbed my shoulder when he heard me call him “Jaehyuk” and shook his head vigorously.
“Please just call me Jaehyuk, hyung.”
“What?”
Jaehyuk—or rather Jaehyukie—stared up at me with bright, puppy-like eyes.
Feeling overwhelmed, I avoided his gaze and changed the subject.
“Let’s wait here until the next mission starts.”
“Sounds good! We’re on the 15th floor, so whether it’s above or below, it won’t be a bad starting point.”
“It’ll probably be below. And only one safe zone.”
“Only one?”
The second mission had three safe zones; the last one had two.
That meant all survivors in the building would gather in one space.
‘Who knows if someone like Assistant Manager Gwak will try to attack us again.’
We needed to be ready.
“You two should rest for now.”
As I got up, Jieun gave me a puzzled look.
“What about you, Eunho?”
“Oh, I’m planning to do some training.”
“Training?”
I wanted to test my fully healed leg and experiment with the parameters that triggered notifications audible only to me.
‘Collecting data necessary for skill activation.’
The notification had already appeared twice.
Once when I felt elated after regaining 50% use of my leg.
And again when I stepped back to dodge the flowerpot thrown by Assistant Manager Gwak.
If the data was gathered only under certain conditions—
‘I’ll have to replicate them somehow.’
—Tap, tap!
I sprinted across the meeting room.
Ten steps.
Then I backtracked, walking backward to my starting point.
Another ten steps.
‘Not this.’
I tried running faster.
Then backtracking.
‘Still not it.’
I did two full trips forward and back, a bit faster this time.
Again, nothing.
Was I not fast enough?
I pushed myself to go even faster.
—Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Still no result.
Maybe just a bit more—
“Eunho! Are you... okay?”
“H-hyung...? What are you doing right now...?”
Jieun’s voice was filled with concern, and Jaehyuk’s gaze was full of pity, but I couldn’t afford to pay attention to them.
‘There has to be a pattern.’
After what felt like hundreds of laps back and forth across the small meeting room, a new notification rang in my head.
[Due to subject Eunho Lee’s strong determination, data collection speed has increased.]
[Collecting data necessary for skill activation... 98%, 99%.]
“Hah...”
“Are you okay, Eunho? You’re sweating so much...”
99%.
I had an inexplicable but sure feeling that once it hit 100%, I would unlock a skill.
I wondered what kind of skill would be unlocked through data “collection.”
‘If this were a game, I’d hope for an attack skill. But now that it’s real, something practical and helpful might be better...’
“...Eunho! Wait a moment!”
'If this were a game, I would've definitely wanted attack skills. But now that it's reality, I realize I need something more practical...'
"Ho! Wait a moment!"
"Jieun?"
"We're on air."
Jieun shook me out of my thoughts.
[Announcement to the survivors of MS Tower.]
[At exactly 3 PM, the final mission will commence.]
"The final...?"
"Wow, big bro! Sis! This must be the end!"
[To repeat, the final mission will begin at 3 PM. Please prepare yourselves beforehand.]
"Is this really the end...?"
I furrowed my brow instinctively.
It couldn't possibly be over.
The system clearly mentioned a "next stage."
"Whoa! They said it's the final one!"
"Finally, it's over... What a relief!"
The three of us—each harboring joy, relief, and suspicion—prepared to move out.
Jieun's eyes sparkled as she stretched.
Jaehyuk let out a sigh of relief, fiddling with his torn shirt.
As for me, I tucked a pair of office scissors into my jacket pocket, bracing for any unforeseen dangers.
[Mission Start. A safe zone has been created.]
"Let's go!"
* * *
We ran with all our might and arrived on the 6th floor: a game company's exhibit hall.
It was filled with hero figurines the size of grown adults—presumably game characters—lined up in rows.
—An MMORPG like no other!
—Pre-registration now open. Experience it today!
The exhibit's central space was crowded with people.
A dense throng of people gathered under a massive screen looping gameplay footage and ads for the new game.
From a distance, it might look like a group of eager fans checking out a new game.
"What the hell is this...?"
Dozens of people were pressed together, swaying as one large mass.
Desperately trying to squeeze into the safe zone, each individual shoved their body into every available gap.
Those stuck outside the cluster resorted to savagely attacking the ones in front of them with improvised weapons.
"This is horrifying,"
Jieun remarked.
She was right.
Just this morning, those hands might have been typing on keyboards.
Now, they gripped weapons of every sort, stabbing and striking their former colleagues—people they used to greet with a nod in passing—without a moment's hesitation.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!w
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So this is what chaos truly looks like.
"What do we do, bro?"
"Breaking through head-on seems tough."
"Yeah, a frontal assault won’t work."
After a brief moment of thought, I spoke up, and both of them turned to look at me.
"I’m going to need your help."
"Got it, big bro!"
"You have a plan?"
"I’m not certain... but probably."
I wouldn’t know for sure until we tried.
"See that white partition wall over there?"
"Yeah, I see it."
"Each of you move toward it, and we’ll regroup on the other side. Be careful not to draw attention."
"Understood!"
Jaehyuk answered without hesitation, and Jieun nodded calmly.
"You’re not going to ask what the plan is?"
"Oh, was that something we should ask?"
"Because we trust you, Eunho."
They answered as if it wasn’t even worth questioning.
"...I’ll head out first."
—Tap-tap!
When the three of us regrouped, there were about three minutes left.
"Eunho, what are you looking for?"
"It should be around here... Ah!"
Found it.
"A ladder?"
Two silver ladders were tucked away in a corner behind the partition wall.
"My previous workplace had a similar exhibit space. They always kept ladders hidden away like this."
The walls were covered in game titles and figurines, and a giant screen loomed over it all.
Naturally, ladders were essential for maintenance.
"So why the ladder...?"
"We’re climbing."
"Climbing where?"
"Up there."
Jieun followed my pointing finger with her eyes.
The back of the large screen loomed above us, supported by long pillars and draped in a tent-like structure.
"How are we going to climb the screen?"
"Not exactly the screen. We’ll climb the ladder and push the screen down."
"Wait, what?"
"If we topple the screen forward, it’ll land inside the safe zone."
It would be a tight fit, but the edge of the screen would land squarely inside.
"The people inside might get pinned, but they won’t be seriously hurt. And everyone will clear the mission together."
In other words, we could avoid a fight.
Not exactly what this cursed system would want.
"So, we don’t need to fight at all?"
Jaehyuk, as if struck by a revelation, opened his mouth wide before grabbing the two ladders with both hands.
"Got it! Let’s do this, bro!"
—Tap-tap!
[01:17]
A little over a minute left.
Timing was everything.
"We go with 30 seconds left."
With a determined look, I climbed the ladder.
Jaehyuk was at the top, and I was right below him.
"Understood."
Jaehyuk was in charge of toppling the screen.
The plan was simple: as soon as it fell, he'd jump down first, followed by Jieun and me.
30 seconds to go.
I took a deep breath.
"Here we go!"
— Flutter!
The screen fell.
"What the...?!"
"Why is it so dark?"
The screen collapsed, casting a shadow over the crowd.
As it fell, it flattened the tightly packed people below like dominos, knocking them over.
— Thud!
Almost simultaneously, Jaehyuk jumped down onto the fallen screen.
Jieun followed, and I was the last to jump.
My body wobbled from the impact of the fall, but as I steadied myself, I saw...
"Secretary Kim!"
Jieun was being dragged out of the safe zone by someone.
"Jieun!"
It was Director Park.
Director Park, whom Jieun worked for, was pulling her arm with an almost vicious grip.
Realizing she was about to be dragged away, Jieun shouted:
"…I'm sorry, Director!"
Flutter!
She slipped out of her jacket and flung it away.
Caught off guard by the momentum, Director Park stumbled backward.
Thanks to the dense crowd, he didn’t fall completely, but…
"You little...!"
"Ahh!"
This time, he grabbed her by the hair.
His hand tightly gripped her long hair, flowing down to her waist.
"D-Director, please...!"
00:05
Sigh.
This wasn’t what I had planned, but…
With a small sigh, I pulled out a pair of scissors from my jacket pocket.
And then...
— Snip.
I cut it off.
The stranger’s grip on her hair.
"You bastard!"
"Eu-Eunho…!"
Director Park let out a strangled yell, and Jieun’s bewildered voice echoed almost simultaneously.
[Time’s up. Mission complete.]
"Wh-what’s with her hair…?"
Jaehyuk stared with his mouth agape, pointing at Jieun’s now uneven, stair-stepped haircut.
"…"
"Uh, well, hair grows back, so…"
As we descended out of the safe zone, I glanced at Jieun nervously, wondering if she was upset.
But Jieun, wearing an unreadable expression, quietly called my name.
"…Eunho."
"Yes? What is it?"
She walked up to me, head lowered, and stopped so close that her nose was nearly touching mine.
Then, suddenly, she turned around.
"Please."
"Excuse me? What?"
Confused by her staircase-like hairstyle so close to my face, I asked.
Turning her head slightly, she answered:
"Cut it shorter. So this doesn’t happen again."
"What?"
Had she overextended her mental fortitude?
To my surprise, she even smiled gently.
"It’s fine. I think I’ll look good with short hair anyway."
[MS Tower, 16 survivors.]
"Sis, bro! We made it! We survived!"
Jaehyuk, who had been watching us cautiously, burst between Jieun and me, his face full of relief and joy.
As I was about to tell him that he’d worked hard too—
[Orientation is now complete.]
[Orientation rewards are being distributed.]
[Synchronization rate has slightly increased.]
"What?"
"Orientation?"
"But that was supposed to be the final mission…"
Of course. There’s no way it would end here.
[The administrator’s authority has activated the ‘Project.’]
[Project Name: Selection.]
The restructuring had only just begun.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!w
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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