Chapter 40: Chapter 40

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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…n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“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.’

「05:30」

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We’re going, Eunho!”

— Tap tap!

“Yura! Get on Daddy’s back!”

“Min Yeojin! Keep your head straight and run, got it?”

And so we ran, and kept running.

Toward the faint glimmer of light in the distance.

Fifty-two survivors, each at their own pace.

Some alone, others holding the hand of someone they needed to protect.

— Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap….

A silent sprint through the darkness.

「04:00」

“Hey! Hoo… Wait a second…!”

As time ticked down, some people started showing visible signs of exhaustion.

「03:00」

“Huff….”

Panting and flailing their arms and legs, some struggled, but—

「02:00」

“I… I can’t breathe….”

“Two minutes left! Just a little further!”

“Hoo… Alright…!”

No one gave up.

Even as their legs trembled uncontrollably, they gritted their teeth and kept running.

And finally—

「00:28」

“I… I’m out! The tunnel’s over!”

“Where’s the safe zone?!”

With barely 30 seconds to spare, we emerged safely from the tunnel.

— Woosh!

Sudden sunlight poured down, dazzling those still catching their breath.

I shouted at them from behind.

“Turn right! Into the tunnel!”

Direct them to the one we first entered, where Lee Yeji and the armored ones were nervously waiting.

And then—

“There it is!”

“It’s the safe zone!”

Thud!

People dashed toward the green circle and collapsed as soon as they reached it.

[Mission ends in 10 seconds.]

“We’re almost there! Run, Sola and Yeojin!”

“Mister!”

“I… I think I’m going to die!”

“You won’t die from this. Just a bit more!”

I pushed the backs of the last stragglers, helping them cross the green line.

It felt like stepping from the brink of death into the realm of life.

And moments later—

[…3, 2, 1. Mission complete.]

[Anyone outside the safe zone will be deleted.]

The announcement marking the end echoed in the ears of the panting survivors.

“Hoo… We made it….”

Sunlight streaming into the tunnel entrance.

The bright rays illuminated the people like the lights signaling the end of a long movie.

— Ding!

And as if to genuinely celebrate, a notification sound rang out.

[Congratulations!]

A message window appeared before me, visible only to me.

[You have achieved a new milestone: ‘Clearing the Unbeaten Path’!]

[You have obtained the title ‘Pathfinder’!]

* * *

[What? What?!]

Buried under a precariously tall stack of files the size of a bed, the girl gaped with her mouth wide open.

Pointing at the shocking scene filling her screen.

[Th-th-those people!]

[!!]

While returning to the office, she had left a “monitor” running in their place.

What it captured was Lee Eunho and the rest of the survivors just exiting the tunnel.

Which meant—

[Why are they coming out from there?!]

Not through the “Path of Darkness” they had arranged, but from some random, unintended route next to it.

[Choi Seung! What’s going on?!]

Flinch!

The sharp reprimand sliced through the air like ice.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Choi Seung, trembling more from bewilderment than intimidation, stammered.

[Th-there’s no way! The side path was definitely blocked…!]

[Blocked, you say? You’re going to keep working like this?]

[It’s true! In total darkness, they wouldn’t have been able to see anything. How…?!]

It had been meticulously designed for a brutal fight in pitch-black conditions, leaving only those who survived the chaos to exit the tunnel.

But what was this situation?

And that group…

[They all survived again?!]

[It seems that way…!]

Instead of fierce battles, not even a single trace of conflict remained among the survivors.

This was far beyond just deviating from the plan, leaving Choi Seung utterly dumbfounded.

[Argh!]

Harona slammed the desk with a bang.

[I set the stage so they’d tear each other apart! Why do they keep dragging along even the vermin?!]

[Well…]

As Choi Seung fumbled for some half-baked excuse,

a cold and precise system notification intervened.

【Manager Harona. The registered schedule has been canceled.】

【A temporary manager has been appointed.】

The system crisply delivered its message.

The scheduled mission was canceled.

So they were telling her to sit this one out.

[Wow, that was fast.]

[Looks like the Center pulled some strings.]

The way they swiftly revoked the temporary authority almost seemed like they’d been waiting for it.

Their efficiency in handling this was so remarkable it was almost unnerving.

Harona chuckled dryly.

[Not the Center, probably that guy. The genius researcher.]

The genius researcher at the Future Research Center.

His reputation preceded him to the point that even Harona, who had little interest in others' business, had heard of him.

[Did you look into him? Find out what he’s about?]

[Uh, I did, but…]

[But what?]

At Harona’s question, Seung trailed off hesitantly.

[He is a genius, but… I hear he’s not all there mentally.]

[What? Like, crazy?]

Seung hesitated, debating whether to relay the rumors as he’d heard them.

[Apparently, he dissects the subjects into pieces, submerges them in some bizarre fluid, and conducts unspeakable experiments on them.]

[…What kind of experiments?]

[He supposedly attaches and detaches parts of them, pulls things out, and puts them back in while they're still alive…]

[……]

Harona turned away with a grimace, resisting the urge to ask, Attaches and detaches what?

Pulls out and puts back what?

[Anyway, it seems like the knowledge he’s gained through those methods is quite significant. He’s probably using it to secure his position in the missions.]

[Hmm. So that’s why he keeps coveting the selection authority.]

Harona lapsed into thought, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk as she spoke.

[If our manpower is significantly reduced because of their missions, it’ll make us look ridiculous.]

[They might even be aiming to take over our mission management authority entirely.]

Seung's words hit the mark.

The situation could escalate to the point where the Management Bureau loses its exclusive domain.

That unsettling thought made Harona unconsciously fidget with her hair.

Creak—!

Suddenly, the heavy door swung open without warning.

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]

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