Chapter 122

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 122: Night Stroll (1)

[Congratulations!]

[ROK Zone, Finished in 1st Place in the Final Round!]

“Huh? I stayed at the starting line the whole time, so how did I suddenly come in first?!”

“I saw it too! What the heck! Is this a bug?”

Their confusion was understandable.

To an ordinary spectator, it must have seemed like the race ended the moment I received the baton.

And that too, with me as the winner.

“What… what just happened?! Did you turn invisible? No, even if that were the case, why are you the one in first place?!”

The bewildered giant kept lowering and raising his head in disbelief.

He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

‘Looks like he’s really shocked.’

“Why don’t you scurry away like a rat again?”

“Don’t you know the 12 Chinese Zodiacs?”

“12… what? What’s that?”

Guess that doesn’t translate well.

I simply did as he asked—scurrying away like a rat.

Anyway.

【‘External Affairs Department's Rookie’ asks what just happened.】

【‘Investigation Bureau's Brain’ explains that Eunho’s hand crossed the finish line first, making him the winner.】

【‘Ferryman of the Administration Bureau’ chuckles, saying no one runs a race like this.】

Even the observers were dumbfounded.

“Eunho! What happened? Are you okay?”

“Sir, that sound when you fell just now… Are you really alright?!”

“Holy shit, Eunho, you’re insane!”

“Did you plan this as a surprise win? You did, right?”

As I stood up and adjusted my clothes, my teammates rushed over.

Their faces showed half concern, half pride.

I was about to respond to their attention with gratitude when—

Ssshhhh!

At the center of the crimson arena, in a space not too wide, something began to distort.

“What the?”

“Something else is appearing over there.”

The bewildered crowd murmured and gathered.

Moments later, a golden door just wide enough for one person to pass through appeared.

“What is that? The match already ended…”

“I guess they wanted to do it in person.”

“Huh? Do what?”

Creak!

Jieun widened her eyes before whipping her head around at the sound of the door opening.

Piercing through the attention of the onlookers, someone stepped forward.

[Oh my?]

A familiar blonde ponytail.

[You’re all gathered here? You were waiting for me, weren’t you?]

A tall woman, much taller than Jieun, wearing a sleek, form-fitting outfit.

A small face with disproportionately large headphones.

The host.

Click. Click. Click.

Sera approached with the rhythmic clicks of her high heels, extending her arm in greeting.

[Hello, everyone!]

[The mascot of the Public Relations Bureau, Sera, is back!]

“Ugh, why is she here again?”

“The induction ceremony is over!”

[How’s the new employee training going? The higher-ups are very interested!]

“You gotta be kidding me…”

“I’m dying here…”

[But—]

Click.

The woman’s expression suddenly hardened.

[Aren’t you all being a little too nice?]

[Fighting over who gets to compete! Slandering each other! Where’s that passionate energy? I’m just not seeing it!]

“Is she insane? What’s she saying?”

[There’s only one day left of the new employee training! If tomorrow is like this, you won’t be able to capture the observers’ hearts!]

[And I’m saying this for your own good!]

‘Huh?’

Everyone’s expressions froze.

Deep down, they had probably all been thinking the same thing.

For now, they prioritized teamwork to secure shared points for their teams, but—

‘In the end, we’ll have to fight each other.’

[The top 100 among you will become full-time employees, while the rest will be hired as contract workers!]

There were 2,000 survivors in Korea.

Only 100 would become full-time employees, while the rest would be stuck as contract workers.

But still.

[Cooperation is nice, but shouldn’t you secure your own future first?]

Had their desperate efforts to survive and win together been seen as nothing more than a lack of self-preservation by these people?

“…Unbelievable.”

I gritted my teeth.

But whether she heard me or not, the host continued her speech.

[So, as a special treat! I, Sera, am here to show you what happens when training is over.]

“What happens after training ends?”

“No idea. But knowing them…”

Sera’s upbeat voice drowned out the nervous murmurs of the crowd.

Then, as if amused, she winked and—

[No need to drag this out—let’s get right to it!]

Snap!

She snapped her fingers.

Regardless of whether people were confused or murmuring in panic.

And then, an announcement rang out.

[Initiating Promotion Simulation.]

“What?!”

“Promotion? What kind of simulation?!”

Promotion simulation?

Judging by the reactions around me, everyone else was seeing the same window pop up.

‘What are they trying to pull this time?’

A creeping sense of unease spread through the thousands of people—seeping from the sky above and the very ground beneath us.

Jieun, sensing the chill, rubbed her arms.

Then—

Flash!

A translucent system window appeared before us.

【LOADING……】

“Lo… Loading?”

“What’s happening?”

The short loading process ended, and new messages began scrolling up.

【CASE 1】

【Employee (Probationary) → Employee (Contract)】

【Calculating benefit points at the time of the ‘promotion’ event.】

And then—

【Promotion Bonus (Estimated): +3,000 points】

【Promotion Cost (Estimated): -5,000 points】

"Promotion cost? Fuck, you have to pay to get promoted?"

Along with the swear words that spilled out, the final adjusted amount appeared.

【Final Settlement Amount (Estimated): -2,000 Points】

Minus… 2,000 points.

"Huh? I think mine glitched. It's negative."

"Uh… mine too…?"

"Same here…."

And then, the second case appeared.

【CASE 2】

【Intern → Full-time Employee】

【Calculating welfare points at the time of the ‘promotion’ event.】

【Promotion Bonus (Estimated): +10,000 Points】

【Promotion Cost (Estimated): -5,000 Points】

Even though both cases involve a ‘promotion,’ the difference between being a contract worker and becoming a full-time employee was clear.

【Final Settlement Amount (Estimated): +5,000 Points】

Instead of a negative balance, it was a positive 5,000 points.

"This is like a year-end tax adjustment…."

"It feels more like a tax than a refund…."

"Wait a minute."

Someone staring at the floating system window with a serious expression suddenly spoke up.

"What happens if I don’t have enough points to settle the balance?"

With a snap of fingers, the host responded immediately.

[Great question!]

[If you don’t have enough points to settle, you’ll be deleted on the spot!]

"…Deleted?"

A murmur of disbelief spread through the group, but no one could find the words to respond.

No one, except one person.

[Wow, everyone’s really shocked, huh?]

The host’s cheerful voice burst through the speakers, cutting through the heavy silence like a knife.

"You think this is a joke?!"

"This is just entertainment for you, isn’t it?!"

Despite the growing anger in the room, the host remained unfazed.

[Worried that your favorite participant might get deleted?]

[Then all the more reason to stay tuned! You know how this works, right?]

Their words weren’t meant to reassure us.

Only the observers watching through their ‘eyes’—the audience—mattered.

[Oh! The Management Bureau wanted me to remind you of something.]

The host cleared their throat before continuing.

[If you don’t want your favorite to be deleted—hit that like button, subscribe, and send in donations!]

[Donations make the contestants dance—literally!]

…What absolute nonsense.

"Fuck that! You want us to dance?!"

"Stop! What are you planning to do?!"

[Ah! You want to know today’s rankings? I was just about to announce them!]

[Let’s get started with today’s ranking ceremony!]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

Pop! Pa-at!

Two semi-transparent system windows appeared before them.

One displayed the rankings of 46 different regions.

〔Regional Rankings (Today)〕

ROK

USA

RUS

FRA

ARG

…

The other listed 91,999 individual names in a neat, rectangular window.

〔Individual Rankings (Cumulative)〕

[ROK] Lee Eunho – 333p

[ROK] Choi Jaehyuk – 292p

[ROK] Kim Manseok – 292p

[ROK] Park Gongchan – 289p

[ROK] Song Hyunsook – 289p

…

[Great work, everyone!]

[Check your mission rewards!]

All the top individual rankings were dominated by our group members.

Good.

That was good.

But…

"Something’s off."

As I muttered to myself, catching the attention of an excited Lee Yeji.

"Right?! This system is totally insane—"

"No, that’s not what I mean…."

Yes, the system was insane.

But what I really meant was—

"We’ve never received any welfare points as rewards. Not once since we got here."

Talent shows, tug-of-war, horseback battles, soccer, relay races.

We had completed five missions since arriving at the training center.

But each time, we had only received training points, never welfare points.

"Huh… now that you mention it…"

"What the hell?! So we can’t even earn the points we need to settle the balance?"

"Are we just supposed to sit here and do nothing?!"

Amidst the rising panic, Jieun raised her hand.

"Aren’t they expecting us to cover the deficit with donations?"

"Well… that is the most reliable way."

Nodding, I turned to the host, just to be sure.

"Where can we obtain welfare points?"

[Ah, as expected from our number one! I knew you’d ask that!]

[Welfare points, huh? Well—there are places to get them! If you’re lucky, you might even get something better!]

[But as you know, rewards often come with a cost.]

The host grinned, as if she had been waiting for that very question.

[Now then, shall we choose your accommodations?]

Pa-ba-bat!

A new set of colorful images flashed before us.

The host, standing proudly in front of the garish selection, continued.

[Four districts were wiped out yesterday, right? Just for you, we left ‘Silver Blade’ as it is, while removing the other four images! Aren’t we generous?]

[Now then! Make your choice, oh brilliant leader~!]

Was that sarcasm?

Who knew.

But that wasn’t the important part.

"'Rewards come with a cost'... That’s too vague, don’t you think, Hyung?"

"It’s meant literally."

"Huh?"

"There’s only one accommodation that caused suffering."

"!!"

Jaehyuk’s face twisted as he cautiously asked,

"You… you mean Silver Blade?"

His expression begged for a different answer, but Eunho simply nodded.

And then, a flurry of protests erupted.

"Wait, but isn’t that too dangerous?!"

"That's right! You saw it this morning—the state the person who went to Silver Blade came back in!"

At the idol's words, who was standing with Myung Seungtae, people shuddered.

They must have recalled the horrific sight from the morning.

But.

"Two thousand points—isn't that not enough?"

"……!"

At my words, a few people flinched.

They must have realized their situation.

"Tonight is the last night."

There was only one day left in the training period.

By tomorrow, everyone would either be promoted to full-time or contract status.

And if they ended up as contract workers without enough points…

'They'll be deleted.'

This wasn’t the time to relax just because we ranked first today.

That applied to me as well.

I still had over 100,000 points accumulated, but now that I knew welfare points were the price of survival, I couldn't just spend them recklessly.

Moreover, welfare points were highly valuable, whether for the shop or other uses.

If that was the case, I needed to earn as many as possible to prepare for situations like today.

However—

"I-I only have 1,300 points left too, but… s-still."

"Hah, going into Silver Blade…?"

"It's too scary…"

Despite everything, people clutched their heads in hesitation.

The gruesome sight of a man having his legs torn apart and his body shredded like it had been put through a grater must have left a lasting trauma.

"What should we do?"

"Jieun, are you okay?"

"Honestly, I’d rather go to a safe dormitory too… but Eunho is right. The thought of running out of welfare points is just as terrifying."

"I’ll follow your decision, hyung!"

Jieun and Jaehyuk supported me, but the majority opinion was absolute.

[Participant Lee Eunho, not choosing? Should we move on to the next turn?]

Flap!

The annoying host, floating midair, pointed to the eleven paintings with a flick of their finger.

〔 Crimson Serenity 〕

〔 Golden Cough 〕

〔 Tangerine Frolic 〕

〔 Verdant Turmoil 〕

〔 Azure Yoke 〕

〔 Moonlit Nap 〕

〔 Silver Blade 〕

〔 Ashen Veil 〕

…

Even with the array of dazzling artistic pieces before me, my mind was more tangled than my sight.

"Oppa! What are you going to pick?"

"Not sure."

I answered absently to Bora’s question, my eyes scanning quickly.

Flap!

Then.

‘Huh?’

A strange sense of familiarity caught my eye.

〔 Crimson Serenity 〕

〔 Golden Cough 〕

〔 Tangerine Frolic 〕

〔 Verdant Turmoil 〕

Red gemstones, gold, juicy tangerines, and crushed greens—all ground down and mixed into pigments.

Canvases splattered with these hues, poured out in their entirety.

‘Something feels…’

Before the eleven shimmering paint cans, each a different color—

"!!"

I found it.

A hidden clue, veiled within this peculiar symphony of colors.

"What's wrong, hyung?"

"Eunho! Did you figure something out?"

Jaehyuk and Jieun widened their eyes in curiosity.

So I—

"I think I did."

—I nodded in reply.

"A way to earn points without choosing Silver Blade."

A way to let only the moths who wanted to burn throw themselves into the fire.

[Participant 'Lee Eunho.' Selection complete!]

[Transporting to dormitory!]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]