Chapter 69: Advanced Preparation

Back in the office.

Seung, standing neatly, poured the steaming, freshly brewed tea.

“Mmm—the aroma is wonderful.”

Harona, savoring the scent, murmured with a satisfied face.

Maybe it was because she’d successfully finished that difficult report.

Raising her pinky, she picked up her teacup, blew gently to cool it, then took a sip—each gesture carrying a hint of relief.

“Would you like some too?”

“…I’m fine, thank you.”

In contrast, Seung, holding the teapot, didn’t look so cheerful.

“Is something bothering you?”

Harona, noticing Seung’s stiff expression a beat too late, asked.

Now that she thought about it, he’d been like this ever since finishing the report and receiving the director’s separate instructions.

It was a very belated realization, but there was nothing she could do.

She wasn’t the type to be mindful of her subordinate’s mood every moment, and Seung wasn’t the type to reveal his emotions either.

“It’s not exactly that I’m bothered…”

Seung trailed off.

He’d thought he knew what he wanted to say before opening his mouth, but that wasn’t it.

The hard part was over.

Why did he still feel so anxious and weighed down?

Could it be…?

Was he worried?

Worried that guy might be traumatized?

No, that couldn’t be it.

It wouldn’t be appropriate, as a manager, to be swayed by a subject from the distant Earth, someone completely unrelated to him.

Shaking his head, Seung finally replied.

“I just… feel a little uneasy, that’s all.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It’s not because I’m concerned about that person. It’s just… Isn’t this mission too harsh?”

It was a contradiction, but Harona accepted it.

The ‘Choice’ mission, which the director had personally ordered them to add.

It was the most brutal mission of all.

“Everyone who went through the ‘Choice’ mission ended up mentally broken, I’ve heard.”

“That’s right. Regardless of whether they succeeded or failed.”

“I can see why.”

Seung spoke, face ashen.

Even though he was known among his peers for being emotionless and “like a machine,” he couldn’t shake the feeling that this mission was too much.

The reason being—

“To have to kill your own comrade with your own hands…”

“And not only that, but you have to choose who to save and who to kill.”

Because the ones you must “choose” between are the very colleagues you’d fought back to back with.

“It’s just too…”

“Too efficient, don’t you think?”

“…Excuse me?”

Seung flinched as Harona clapped her hands and her eyes sparkled.

He found the mission horrifying—making someone weigh the lives of their comrades and make a choice.

Apparently, his superior didn’t feel the same.

“You get to see how strong their drive to achieve their goal is. And by watching whom they choose to save, you can tell whether or not they have an eye for people.”

“An eye for people…? Is that appropriate for this situation?”

He asked, doubting if that was the right way to put it. Harona just shrugged.

“They’ll have to calculate who’s more beneficial and has more useful abilities. That’s basic—if they can’t do that, they won’t survive in the company anyway.”

Seung felt a surge of objections, but then let it go.

He wasn’t foolish enough to argue with his boss over a feeling he couldn’t even explain himself.

Instead, Seung changed the subject.

“Who do you think will be the scapegoat?”

The ones selected as the scapegoats for the ‘Choice’ mission.

Normally, it’s the people closest to the target.

“Most likely, Kim Ji-eun, Choi Jae-hyuk, Yoon Sol-ah, or Kim Yul—the ones who usually stick together.”

Seung gave a reasonable answer based on his observations.

But Harona countered sharply.

“All of them.”

“Excuse me?”

“All the kids who hang around together. All of them are scapegoats.”

“A—all of them?!”

Startled, Seung almost dropped the teapot but quickly caught it.

“Eek! Careful, will you?!”

“S-sorry, Miss Harona!”

All their lives were on the line.

He’d thought at worst it’d be one kid on one side of the scale, and a few women on the other—forcing a choice.

“No matter how cold-hearted he is, he’s still just human. He’ll surely lose his mind!”

“Heh—who knows?”

“What do you mean, who knows… And, Miss Harona! Didn’t you say that last time, the ‘Choice’ mission only included three or four teammates?”

“The weight of the choice is determined by the size of the reward. And this time, the reward for the additional mission is already set.”

“Ah…”

The size of the reward.

In that case, it made sense.

After all, the reward for this additional mission was double the usual amount.

On top of that—

“The target, Lee Eun-ho, is already rated S+. That alone is huge, but if you want to give him double on top of that, you need stakes this big, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but still…”

If you want something, you have to pay the price.

As Seung grudgingly agreed, Harona—excited alone—crossed her arms and asked,

“I’m so curious! Who will he choose to save? What do you think?”

“He’ll probably save the child. Target ‘Kim Yul’.”

“Hm—really?”

Harona paused for a moment, then tilted her chin provocatively.

“Want to bet? I’ll bet on Kim Ji-eun.”

Well, that was a possible scenario too.

Kim Ji-eun and the target seemed to have had some kind of unique connection from the start.

Seung, judging as such, nodded.

“That could happen. The mood was good between them.”

“The mood? What kind of crap is that?”

Harona snorted.

Seung was flustered—why was she calling it crap when he was agreeing with her?

“You think he’d be swayed by something like that?”

“Excuse me? Then why did you pick Kim Ji-eun?”

“You slowpoke! Obviously because Kim Ji-eun is more useful!”

Harona answered, annoyed, as if the answer was self-evident.

“She’s got potential. Lee Eun-ho must have noticed it too, especially after seeing her mental strength.”

“She does have high potential for growth, but…”

“The little girl was surprisingly useful too, but hiding and dodging isn’t Lee Eun-ho’s style.”

True enough.

It was true, but…

“I’m not sure. He’s so unpredictable…”

“That’s his charm, isn’t it?”

Nothing had ever gone as expected so far.

“Anyway! Are you betting or not?”

“…Alright.”

“How about 5,000 welfare points? I’m betting on Kim Ji-eun, you take Kim Yul.”

“Understood, Miss Harona.”

Who knows?

What kind of unexpected choice will surprise them this time?

“But why hasn’t he accepted the mission yet?”

“Uh… Good question?”

***

“Mr. Eun-ho! Have some more pasta!”

“Uh… I’m fine. I’m full.”

“If you need more, just ask. You’re our lifesaver!”

“Haha…”

The survivors who’d made it through today’s mission safely had gathered in small groups.

Once people came together and the tension eased, it was only natural they started thinking about food.

It didn’t even take two hours to gather whatever ingredients were left and have the hotel chef cook a meal.

On top of that—

“That person’s really doting on you, Eun-ho.”

“Must feel bad for siding with X yesterday!”

She kept bringing over plates of pasta, steaks—so much that it was getting a bit overwhelming.

Good thing he’d cut her off, saying he was full.

If he’d asked for more, she’d probably have handed him her own plate.

“So…”

Ji-eun finished chewing and continued,

“When are we starting?”

“Sorry?”

“The extra mission. It’s almost 1 o’clock, so shouldn’t it be starting soon?”

“That’s right, hyung! Should we get ready?”

Well, about that.

The extra mission’s selection screen had popped up.

“I haven’t accepted it yet.”

“Huh? Is that okay?”

I’ve been putting it off.

I haven’t closed the selection window or pressed accept.

──────◆──────

An additional mission has been assigned for the evaluation of ‘Lee Eun-ho’s’ grade. Would you like to proceed?

[Yes] │ [No]

──────◆──────

Thanks to that, the system window had been floating in front of me all this time.

I could see both of their faces through the translucent window.

“Good call, Eun-ho. It’s better to fill your stomach first.”

Her calm tone, steady gaze.

She seemed certain I would accept.

Even though I’d warned them that they could get caught up in this too.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Hmm… With what?”

“You don’t have to participate. I could just take the reward I’m supposed to get.”

So I asked.

Ji-eun shook her head gently, smiling.

“You wouldn’t be satisfied with just that.”

“….”

“We thought we’d become enough that we wouldn’t drag you down anymore. Is it still not enough?”

Ji-eun’s words, tinged with a smile, hit me like a slap.

I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again.

I didn’t know what to say.

“It’s not… not enough. You both are plenty.”

Honestly, I’d wanted to accept as soon as I saw it.

Not to brag, but I’d probably been evaluated highly.

And with the double reward effect, the gains would be huge.

Besides—

‘I’m narrowing the gap with the others.’

Just look at Yuri-na, who uses poison, and the yellow-haired tattooist who creates bizarre lifeforms.

The survivors’ abilities were rising.

So were the monsters’.

‘I have to get stronger, faster.’

I want to get ahead.

I don’t want to be caught from behind.

I hate living on a knife’s edge, never knowing when someone might grab me by the scruff.

Whether it’s people or monsters.

If not—

‘I won’t even be able to stand up to those ones at the top.’

That’s the kind of person I am.

Someone willing to risk my companions for the sake of my own growth.

Someone who, rather than walking a safe road with everyone, would rather take the thorny path, bleeding, but become strong enough to protect everyone with my own power.

If that’s the case.

If that’s the kind of guy I am…

“We can’t always hide behind you, hyung.”

“That’s right, Eun-ho! Who knows what kind of mission it’ll be…”

I’ll bleed for sure.

I’ll get stronger for sure.

I’ll protect them for sure.

“I know.”

“Huh?”

“I know what kind of mission it’ll be.”

“?!”

But I’ll make sure we get hurt as little as possible, and gain as much as possible.

Using everything I have.

“…Therefore, we propose the following advanced mission to evaluate how well the candidate fits the company’s ideal talent profile.”

The “advanced mission” was written right there on the proposal I’d taken from the ogre.

If it weren’t for that, I might’ve recklessly accepted and thrown people into a death trap, not knowing anything.

Or I might have simply given up on uncertain gains.

‘I should give those guys some candy next time I see them.’

Anyway, now that I’ve made up my mind, it’s time to prepare.

First up, assess my allies’ strength.

“Ji-eun.”

“Yes!”

“Your Telekinesis skill—what level is it?”

“Ah, it just hit 10!”

Level 10.

Since she unlocked her skill, she must’ve poured almost all her rewards into it—probably including what she just got from the personality test.

“So you can control ten objects at once?”

“In theory, yeah… but it’s not exact. If something’s too heavy or I can’t focus, it doesn’t work as well.”

Maybe there are exceptions since it’s a skill based on mental strength?

Anyway, if it’s Ji-eun, I’m not too worried.

I’ve already got a plan in mind.

“Jae-hyuk, what are your stamina and strength stats?”

“18 and 23, hyung!”

“And Regeneration?”

“Uh… It’s at level 2 now.”

In contrast, Jae-hyuk’s skill levels were still pretty low.

That made sense.

The enemies we’d fought so far weren’t strong enough that he needed regeneration to stay alive.

But things would be different from now on.

“So, put all your recent rewards into that.”

“Yes, hyung!”

The problem was, it might not be enough just to prepare these two.

“…Select the people you’re closest to nearby, and make the candidate sacrifice one of them.

Through this, you can evaluate not only the candidate’s drive for achievement, but also their rationality, based on an irreversible choice.”

I didn’t know what the system meant by “the people you’re closest to.”

It’d be convenient if “one of the two” literally meant “pick one out of two.”

‘Just in case, I’d better be ready.’

With that in mind, I stood up.

As if waiting for that, the foul-mouthed guy and Lee Ye-ji approached.

“Hey, what’s so serious? You three keep whispering.”

“That’s right! Why aren’t we included?”

Joining us right now wasn’t the best move, given the situation…

Not sure if they realized it, the two spoke with pouty faces.

“Haha… There’s just a bit of a problem.”

“What problem? We were just eating quietly.”

“What is it, Eun-ho? Don’t scare us like that!”

“W-wait, did you… hear something from the heavens? A prophecy or something?!”

“Eek! Really?! What’d it say? Are we all going to die?”

…Such dramatic reactions.

“Huh? Young man! What’s this about? We’re all going to die?!”

“Mister! Is it true?!”

Suddenly, everyone surrounded me, and I had to suppress a sigh rising from deep within as I spoke up.

“It’s not that—well, you two… Actually, all of you.”

“What is it?! What?!”

“Just spit it out! We’re ready for anything!”

“That’s right! We need to be mentally prepared too!”

“So, uh…”

With the kindest, gentlest, and purest expression I could muster.

“Do you have any money?”

“…Huh?”