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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 37: Aptitude Test (1)
Cheating, stealing, and smoking.
Three things I never did during my school days.
Cheating didn’t matter much since I was on the sports team, and grades weren’t a priority.
As for stealing or smoking out of curiosity, they just didn’t appeal to me.
I think I liked the feeling of sticking to my own small set of rules.
It was like the satisfaction of crossing a crosswalk without stepping off the white lines.
A bit of a strange analogy, I know...
Anyway, it’s nothing grand, but I’ve always carried a certain sense of pride in living that way.
— Flutter!
"Hyung! What are you looking at?"
"Cheat sheets."
"Ah, cheat... wait, what?"
That is, until my life was on the line.
「…Therefore, we propose the following mission tailored to the geographical characteristics of the above zone.」
— Flutter!
「Shadow Path
Overview: Navigate to a designated safe zone with limited visibility. This tests innate survival instincts, reflexes, and individual combat abilities.
Difficulty: Upper-intermediate to high, depending on defensive configurations.」
The proposal document stolen from a low-ranking ghost was a treasure trove of information.
Knowing the contents and objectives of the entrance exam in advance?
This was practically...
"Not cheating, more like leaking the test itself."
"Sorry?"
"Ah, nothing."
Hearing my muttering, Jaehyuk stopped moving and looked up.
But I shook my head, signaling it was nothing, and grabbed my shovel again.
— Thud, thud, thud...
In the pitch-black night, the only sound that echoed atop the deserted Namsan peak was the rhythmic digging of shovels.
"Tiring, isn’t it? Seems like we’re digging a lot tonight."
"I’m fine, Hyung!"
Technically, we weren’t digging dirt but breaking through piles of rubble.
"So, are you sure we’ll actually find an item if we dig here?"
"Well… according to the rumors."
"Rumors, you say?"
Jaehyuk, puzzled by something he’d never heard of, continued to dig.
Of course, he wouldn’t know.
The rumors I was talking about circulated not in our world, but within the "Company."
「…Artifacts with special abilities often accompany relics of such long-standing history.
For instance, the signal fire station restored at the peak of Zone ROK-105 is rumored to house an artifact capable of manipulating fire beneath it.」
In ancient times, fires were lit here to send signals whenever something happened in the region.
This place, Namsan, was apparently the final destination of all such signals.
But more importantly than that...
There might be a fire-manipulating artifact buried underground.
— Thud, thud, thud...
"Hyung, the two of us digging like this makes us look like grave robbers!"
As Jaehyuk cheerfully joked while smashing through the restored signal fire and stone flooring, I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
Grave robbing.
First cheating, now stealing—it felt surreal to realize how far I’d come.
But just as a ridiculous smile was about to spread across my face...
— Thunk!
The shovel struck something.
"!!"
Hoping it wasn’t just a tree root, I anxiously brushed away the dirt.
[You have acquired ‘The Torch of Gyeongbongso.’]
A wooden torch, longer than an arm and angular, appeared.
Despite being buried for ages, it showed no signs of decay or damage.
"Found it."
The artifact of Namsan.
▣ The Torch of Gyeongbongso
-A torch buried for 500 years beneath the central signal fire station.
Can ignite either fire or smoke and sustain for up to one hour.
-Caution: To use over a wide area, ensure ample fuel is available.
Fire or smoke...
Apparently, the torch’s dual ability was born out of its use for signaling—fire by night and smoke by day.
‘I rushed to get this for tomorrow’s mission.’
But it seemed useful beyond that.
Even for something as simple as cooking, fire is indispensable.
"Hyung, is this the item you were looking for?"
"Yeah, it’s a torch. It lets you ignite either fire or smoke at will."
Curious to test it, I gripped the torch tightly.
The system asked:
[Activate ‘The Torch of Gyeongbongso’?]
[Choose between Signal Fire and Signal Smoke.]
It was asking me to pick between fire or smoke.
"Let’s go with smoke... Signal Smoke?"
The moment I spoke, faint wisps of smoke began to rise from the straw-bound head of the torch.
Fssshhh!
A long body, no flames, just smoke.
It reminded me of something I’d seen before.
"This looks just like..."
"A wooden cigarette, Hyung!"
Sigh.
For some reason, it felt like I’d done something wrong.
Suppressing a deep sigh, I sent the torch to my inventory.
Jaehyuk, now looking visibly relieved, asked with a smile:
"So, is our work here done, Hyung? Shall we head back now?"
"Yeah, we’re done."
Surveying the eerie, deserted mountain, I added casually,
"Done for now."
"Right? Phew, that’s a relief! When you said you’d join me, I thought we’d end up wandering through the forest or something!"
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Jaehyuk burst into laughter.
Well...
"That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? Venturing into the woods in the dead of night?"
"We have to go. Into the forest."
"...Excuse me?"
There’s one more thing we need.
"Apparently, it requires fuel."
"What? Fuel? Where are we supposed to get that...?"
"There’s plenty—over there."
The forest was full of it.
"You’re not suggesting we head into the woods at this hour... right, Hyung?"
"..."
"Hyungggg...?"
As Jaehyuk’s pupils trembled, I avoided his gaze out of guilt.
Tap, tap.
I patted his shoulder and started walking.
"Let’s go. We need firewood."
Thud!
Jaehyuk's shovel fell to the ground.
* * *
AM 08:40.
"Eunho, you look tired... Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Did everyone sleep well?"
Last night, I only brought Jaehyuk along to keep it discreet.
Though physically exhausting, unnecessary attention was best avoided.
"Yes!"
"We slept well too."
People had spread out in the theater and dining areas within the tower to catch some sleep.
Wherever they had spent the night, one by one, they were gathering at the pavilion in front of Namsan Tower.
Almost as if it had been prearranged.
Perhaps it was because...
"Everyone’s here now."
"Looks like it."
...of the arrow that appeared before everyone's eyes.
It sparkled like the signs stuck all over the ground during university festivals, pointing the way here.
"Today feels a little different, doesn’t it?"
"Yeah, it’s unsettling."
As Yeojin spoke, Sola furrowed her brow slightly and grumbled.
The clock pointed to 8:50 AM.
At this moment, when the usual announcement should have played...
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[Long time no see, huh?]
An annoyingly cheerful voice rang out.
An upbeat tone, like twin ponytails bouncing up and down.
"!!"
The manager had returned.
[The kids around here always have such bright faces. I wonder why?]
[Probably because the survival rate is high.]
The mysterious man dressed in a pitch-black suit from head to toe stood beside her.
"Mr. Eunho! Who’s that man standing next to her?"
Ms. Jieun whispered, but Eunho had no clue either.
He could only guess that the man might be an employee of the "Administration Bureau," which oversees missions and manages individuals marked for restructuring.
[Hmm— the survival rate is unusually high.]
Huh?
[Thanks to someone smart.]
She seemed to be looking right this way as she spoke.
It left an unsettling feeling.
[Anyway! We’re short on time, so I’ll keep it brief. Listen carefully.]
Gulp.
Though 53 people were gathered, the only sounds were breaths and the gulping of someone swallowing.
Countless threads of tension converged on the twin-ponytailed girl.
[We’ll soon start the entrance exam.]
"An exam?"
Yeojin murmured softly, while Sola frowned in discontent.
Being high school seniors, they had instinctively reacted.
'It’ll be different from school exams.'
Far more dangerous, intense, and desperate.
At least in school, failing a test wouldn’t cost you your life.
But it wasn’t just the high schoolers who were appalled by the mention of an entrance exam.
"An entrance exam, seriously!"
"How many more people are they planning to cut down?"
Two men who looked like typical office workers spoke cautiously.
They were the ones who had helped Jaehyuk during the "hunting" mission by working diligently with their shovels.
[Hmm? You don’t like it?]
The manager tilted her head cutely.
Perhaps encouraged by her seemingly harmless demeanor, the men raised their voices slightly.
"Of course, we don’t like it!"
"Isn’t what we’ve done so far enough?"
[Then I’ll exclude you.]
"!!"
"Really?!"
"Th-thank you!"
Those guys must have been sheltered like flowers in a greenhouse.
Otherwise, how could they be so naive?
[I’ll just delete you instead.]
"Exactly! Deletion will solve... Wait, what?!"
The manager raised her slender finger in front of the flustered men.
Swish.
I knew what would happen next.
Not because of a report or instinct.
I had seen it before.
[Who’s the smart one?]
When we first encountered the manager at MS Tower.
[But why intervene? Don’t intervene.]
"Uh, well..."
A cleaning lady’s head had been sliced off at an angle for talking back to the manager.
At the time, I couldn’t step forward.
[Ms. Harona.]
[Enough. With so many people, it was annoying anyway.]
But now, the situation was different.
"Wait."
Step. Step. Step.
I stepped forward, feigning calmness.
Blocking the clueless men as I did so.
Then...
"It’s already 9 o’clock."
I spoke deliberately in a composed manner, like exchanging a simple good morning greeting.
And then.
[Candidate Lee Eunho?]
The manager paused mid-gesture of pointing her finger, turning her gaze toward me.
While she tilted her small head, I quickly spoke before her finger could point at my neck.
"You two over there. You’ll be taking the exam, right?"
To the trembling men.
"Y-yes!"
"We will! Absolutely!"
Apparently not entirely clueless, they instinctively realized I was their only lifeline.
Nodding vigorously even before I finished my question.
With the candidates' consent obtained.
[Huh?]
The manager, Harona, stared at me as if trying to figure out my game.
But there was no need to plead or explain in detail.
Because.
"It’s 10 seconds past 9."
What the "company" values most.
Be it reports or proposals, it’s always emphasized.
‘Punctuality.’
If you don’t start now, you’ll be late.
"Please commence the exam."
[Target: 'Lee Eunho.' You are truly...]
Harona opened her mouth to say something.
[Ms. Harona, it's time.]
The man beside her cut her off, closing her lips.
AM 9:00.
The clock struck the start of working hours.
[New project, 'Aptitude Test,' is commencing!]
[With the administrator's authority, 'Eyes' are now open.]
It began.
The 'Aptitude Test' that the report so strongly emphasized as crucial.
[Time limit: 10 minutes.]
[Survivors, please gather in your designated areas.]
So, in short...
"Where is it?!"
"Over there..."
"It's Namsan Tunnel!"
The 'Aptitude Test' we had scoped out in advance thanks to those twin ghosts.
"Hyung! It really is the tunnel..."
"Shh. Let's go, Jaehyuk."
"Ah! Yes!"
— Tap! Tap!
The sound of 53 people running downhill together echoed through the mountain trail.
Though some were ahead and others behind, no one grabbed anyone else's neck to get ahead.
Not because a surge of humanity had blossomed overnight...
"It's way too much time left, isn’t it?"
"This'll be easy!"
...but simply because there was enough time.
That's all.
"Dad! Put me down, I want to walk."
"No, Yura. See that road over there? I'll let you down when we get there. We're almost there."
A wide road littered with clear signs of countless traffic accidents.
Despite the road being filled with crashed vehicles, there were no traces of the culprits or victims.
A bizarre sight.
"There it is!"
"That tunnel! Right?"
The Namsan Tunnel No. 3, connecting Itaewon and Sogong-dong.
Its upper and lower entrances, marked with brightly lit accident caution signs, came into view.
And in the tunnel's depths, a faintly glowing green circle.
"Everyone, enter the tunnel!"
"Yes, hyung!"
— Tap!
The moment we stepped into the tunnel, the soundscape shifted.
Our footsteps echoed, returning like whispers in the empty space.
— Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound grew louder as more people joined.
— Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
So dense were the footsteps, it became impossible to distinguish my own from others'.
And then...
"Huff, huff..."
"If you're tired already, what'll you do later?"
The last woman trailing behind the crowd finally stepped into the tunnel, gasping for breath.
At that moment, when all 53 people had entered the tunnel...
[All survivors in the 'Namsan' area have entered.]
[A safe zone has been created.]
"W-what?"
"Safe zone? Not here?"
"I thought it was over?"
Above the murmurs of the crowd, a broadcast announcement flowed.
[With the administrator's authority, the arena has been activated.]
A broadcast that signaled the true start of the mission.
And then...
Flash!
Every light in the tunnel suddenly went out.
"!!"
As if there had never been a glimmer of light to begin with, the tunnel was plunged into complete darkness.
[Time limit: 10 minutes.]
[The 'Dark Path' mission is now starting.]
Now it begins.
The real aptitude test.
Our 'Dark Path.'
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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