Thump. Thump. Thump.

With his mind feeling lighter, and his muscles pleasantly relaxed, Eun-Ho stepped out of the large public bath.

Just then, a loud voice echoed from the end of the hallway. “I just wanted to do well too!”

Huh? That sounds like Swear-Master.

Hearing the clattering noise that followed, Eun-Ho hurried over, wondering if a fight had broken out. It turned out to have come from his room.

“You guys are still here?” Eun-Ho asked.

His teammates, dressed in their pajamas, were sprawled all over the place.

Swear-Master dropped to the floor with a thud, face flushed bright red.

“That old man wouldn’t stop nagging till the very end...” he muttered to himself like a man who had lost everything. “Golf... That’s not even a real workout. It’s so damn slow.”

“Ugh, shut up already!” Ye-Ji, who had already been sitting on the floor, snapped and grabbed Ji-Woong by the collar. “Ugh! Who drank all this?! Was it you?!”

Ji-Woong stumbled toward the bathroom, tripping over his own feet. “I-I don’t feel too good. Kuk!”

So they’re all drunk?

Sol-Ah watched him go, arms crossed, clicking her tongue. “Ugh, I can’t stand this anymore. I’m going to bed.”

“Hey, it’s just one sip! Come on!”

“Shut up and come with me.”

“Hey! We could die any day now! Can’t we at least have one drink?”

Thwack!

Sol-Ah flicked Yeo-Jin on the forehead and waved her hand dismissively.

“Both of you, go to bed. It’s late,” Eun-Ho said.

“Come on, Mister!” Yeo-Jin said sulkily.

In contrast, Sol-Ah frowned, her expression full of concern. “What are we gonna do with them? I told them they’d get scolded when you come back.”

“I’m not going to scold anyone. You’re all adults,” said Eun-Ho.

“We’ll be twenty in just a few months! Can’t we at least try one drink?”

“We’ll talk about it then.”

Maybe everyone had finally let their guard down.

“Hey, Secretary Kim’s little brother! Have a drink with us!”

“Make that two for me!”

Well, Eun-Ho could understand. They’d been running nonstop until now, and staying in such a luxurious, comfortable place would naturally make them want to unwind. It probably felt like the restructuring had finally come to an end, too.

They need to release all that emotional stress.

He knew that they required proper rest, which also applied to mental health as well. With that thought, Eun-Ho turned to leave the room.

There are plenty of empty rooms anyway.

He figured he could just pick one at random. Just then, Ji-Eun came running toward him, dressed in a training suit.

“Eun-Ho! Are you back already?” she greeted him with a soft smile.

“Where did all this alcohol come from?” Eun-Ho asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Someone opened a bottle that was on display in the dining hall, and, um... They recommended that we try...” Her voice trailed off.

Looking closer, Eun-Ho noticed that her cheeks were flushed pink.

So she drank too.

When their eyes met, Ji-Eun quietly reached out and tugged at his sleeve. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

“The day you joined the company?”

“Mmm... No, not that. The first day we actually talked.”

The first time we talked?

“You asked if I needed the meeting room,” Eun-Ho recalled. “I said I did, because I had a weekly report to go over.”

“Oh, was that the first time?” she murmured.

“Yes. I remember it clearly. You must’ve been overwhelmed that day because it was your first official day.”

He remembered it vividly. The entire office had been in an uproar, whispering about the stunning new hire wandering around looking for the meeting room. However, why did Ji-Eun, the one who had brought it up, look so startled?

“Why do you ask?” he said, curious.

Ji-Eun shook her head, as if dismissing whatever thought she’d had.

“... I’m drunk,” she said quietly, eyes lowering, then lifting again to meet his.

“I can tell,” he replied, half-smiling. She really did look tipsy.

Blinking slowly, Ji-Eun asked, “Would you like to go for a walk?”

A walk was not a bad idea. Some fresh air could sober her up a bit. Besides, it would be better to fall asleep with a clearer head, especially thinking of tomorrow’s schedule.

You never know what could happen outside.

He was just about to nod when Bo-Ra came running toward them, her hair twisted up into a loose bun.

“Oh! It’s Eu-No Oppa!”

With her arms wide open as if she were about to throw herself at him, she stumbled forward.

Tap!

Seeing the way she swayed, Eun-Ho quickly pressed a hand to her forehead to stop her.

“You’ve got the weakest stamina out of all of them. Why would you drink until you’re drunk?” he scolded.

“Because that’s the point of drinking! If you stop before you’re drunk, you might as well be drinking water!” she shot back.

He sighed.

“You should drink with us, Oppa!”

“Go to bed, Bo-Ra. Come on. You have no idea what you’ll be assigned to do tomorrow, and you’re out here getting drunk?”

Maybe it was because he saw her like a younger sister, but the words came out more like nagging than advice. Bo-Ra ignored most of what he said, poking at the ground with her toe.

She peeked up at him, grinning mischievously. “But actually... I’ve been wondering about something since earlier...”

Her slurred speech made it clear she was completely gone. Eun-Ho decided to send her off before she said anything worse.

“Are you two dating?” she blurted out.

He blinked. “Who’s you?”

“You and Ji-Eun Unnie! Are you two dating or what?”

Ji-Eun flinched, immediately releasing his sleeve and freezing in place.

“Bo-Ra,” Eun-Ho said firmly, “if you’re going to say nonsense, go to bed.”

He turned slightly and Ji-Eun’s face had gone rigid, her expression frozen in awkward disbelief. She seemed just as flustered as he felt. Sensing that continuing the conversation would only make things worse, Eun-Ho cut it short right then and there.

“It’s not a weird question! I just wanted to confirm, that’s all. Cooonfirm,” Bo-Ra insisted, her words dragging slightly.

“Why would you need to confirm that... Ah, forget it. We’re not dating, so wash up and go to bed,” Eun-Ho replied with a sigh.

Ji-Eun had always been popular, probably without even realizing it herself. Ever since she had joined the team, company dinners had suddenly multiplied overnight.

People found excuses for everything including celebrating the end of someone’s diet, the end of the month, and even the fact that a coworker’s little brother had gotten a new job. Any reason was good enough for a get-together.

Every manager level staff member had hovered around Ji-Eun’s desk, finding ways to start conversations. Eun-Ho never quite understood why anyone would explain the company’s business structure or long-term vision to a contract secretary on a two-year term.

When I had meals with her, I even got some attention.

Most of the comments were things like, “Ji-Eun’s so kind, eating with someone like you.”

Still, it was attention all the same.

“Really?” Bo-Ra pressed.

“Yeah. Really,” he said firmly.

Bo-Ra’s face broke into a sloppy grin. Suppressing the faint bitterness that rose from old memories, Eun-Ho exhaled and opened his mouth to speak but Bo-Ra didn’t seem done yet.

“All right, then go brush your teeth and—”

“Oppa.” She put her hands behind her back, rose onto her tiptoes, and leaned in close. “I’m twenty-two.”

“What?”

“I’m not a kid.”

“What are you talking about—”

“Good night! See you tomorrow!”

With that, she rattled off her declaration and dashed off toward her room. Eun-Ho watched her go, blinking in disbelief.

I didn’t expect that from her...

“I guess drunk talk really is nonsense,” he muttered, half to himself.

People say one never truly knew someone until they saw them drunk, and he was starting to believe it.

“... Eun-Ho,” came a quiet voice behind him.

He turned. Ji-Eun was standing there, head lowered slightly.

“Oh, sorry about that. Should we still go for that walk?” he asked quickly, realizing how awkward the situation had gotten.

However, Ji-Eun had already turned away.

“... I think I’ve sobered up,” she said softly. “I’ll head to bed first.”

***

The crimson glow of sunset had lingered in the sky for a long time. The night stretched endlessly—slow to begin, slow to end. By the time the gentle mix of moonlight and fading intoxication melted away, the world was finally quiet again.

It was 8:30 AM and morning had arrived.

[Attention, all survivors of the ROK district.]

[At exactly 9:00 AM, the new employee training will begin. Please gather at the stadium.]

By the time the announcement came, most people were already assembled in the courtyard outside their lodgings. They had learned that around this hour, there was always an instruction to gather somewhere.

“How do you think the other dorms were?”

“Ours had to be the best, Noonim! There was only one like it!”

“Right? They said we’ll be moved today, but I really hope we don’t.”

There was a reason everyone spoke so fondly of their current place.

[As a perk of staying at the Crimson Serenity lodging, there is no weight gain regardless of food intake.]

[There is no hangover after drinking.]

So that’s why everyone had gone wild last night, Eun-Ho thought.

Ye-Ji, Swear-Master, and even people whose names Eun-Ho barely remembered all raised their voices together in perfect unison.

“Let’s get first place again today!”

“Hell yeah, of course!”

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

I get it, Eun-Ho thought.

It wasn’t just about wanting a comfortable night’s sleep nor was it simply about eating, drinking, and indulging without care.

It’s a type of reward for having survived this long.

They needed proof that, in the end, their choices had been right. That they’d endured for a reason.

Whatever the reason was, satisfaction was all that mattered.

“Thanks to you, I slept great,” said Gong-Chan as he approached.

Just like a typical national athlete, Eun-Ho had seen Gong-Chan running laps around the area since dawn. Yet, he looked as fresh as someone who’d just woken from a twelve-hour sleep.

A few soccer players trailing behind him chimed in one by one.

“I haven’t slept that well in ages. Thanks.”

“The lodging was incredible. Thank you.”

“Ah, yes.” Eun-Ho replied.

He wasn’t quite sure why they were thanking him when he hadn’t arranged any of it. Maybe they just meant he’d picked the right spot. Still, earning even a small measure of trust from people felt encouraging.

Even the bulky guys and the idols who used to follow Seung-Tae’s every command seemed awkward but noticeably softer now.

“Go on, you tell him.”

“No way! You do it, Unnie!”

“Just say thank you, what’s so hard about that!”

They had been brainwashed, sure, but after how they’d glared at Eun-Ho before, none of them dared approach too casually.

[A gate to the Stadium has been generated in front of the lodging plaza.]

[Please proceed to the Stadium!]

“I guess it’s time to go.”

“Right!”

“Let’s get going.”

Eun-Ho and others stopped in front of it the shimmering door the system had created. As soon as he reached for it, the others instinctively lined up behind him.

Click.

The handle turned and he took the first step through, hearing the lighter and livelier footsteps following close behind.

[The Eye is now open.]

[Transferring to the Stadium.]

Their night had been long, calm, and peaceful. Therefore, Eun-Ho had assumed foolishly that the others had likely spent a similar night. However, the moment Ji-Eun’s startled voice broke the silence, that illusion crumbled.

“Everyone looks terrible...” she stammered.

They saw bloodshot eyes, and dark, sunken circles that spoke of sleepless hours. Besides, their legs were wobbling as if the ground itself tilted beneath them. Some even carried a damp, sour smell like laundry left unwashed for weeks, or the humid stench of a classroom full of sweaty kids after a rainy-day soccer game.

“Something’s off.”

“They look half-dead.”

“Shut the fuck up.” someone snapped at the whispering Koreans, their voice sharp and brittle.

It was one from the Chinese team members staring at Eun-Ho.

“Hyungnim, I think we’ve become the common enemy,” whispered Jae-Hyuk nervously.

However, that wasn’t the real problem.

“Wait. We’re missing people.”

“What?”

There were too many to count exactly, but several districts seemed to be missing. He wanted to believe it was a mistake.

“Maybe they overslept?”

Overslept? With death constantly hanging over their heads? No one here was reckless enough to take that risk.

“Now that you mention it, some doors never opened at all!”

“Y-you’re right! Nobody came out from there!”

“What’s going on? Should someone check?”

Unease spread through the crowd like smoke.

Click!

Then, one of the sealed doors creaked open and a gasp broke out. A man crawled out on hands, one leg, and what was left of the other.

“W-what’s wrong with him?!”

“W-what happened?!”

Half of his face was gone. No, technically, it was still there. However, it was red, criss-crossed with ragged lines, seemingly as if it had been scraped across a steel plate. The shredded half dangled loosely, like minced vegetables pressed through a grater.

“Ugh!”

The sound of someone retching broke through the tense silence as the man continued to crawl forward.

Thud! Swoosh—! Ssss—!

He dragged himself across the ground using both elbows, his remaining leg scraping along the floor. What was left of the other leg had been mangled beyond recognition, shredded as if something had chewed it apart.

Still, he moved fast, like something monstrous was chasing right behind him, ready to devour what was left.

“Sol-Ah!” Eun-Ho shouted her name and rushed forward. He demanded urgently, “What happened?!”

The man barely lifted his head. “S-save me...”

He got out only a few words before his body collapsed, lifeless. His one remaining eye was still wide open in terror.

Thud!

[All members from CZE and three other districts are deceased.]

Sol-Ah stumbled, her knees buckling beneath her. Eun-Ho caught her before she fell, and she flinched at his touch.

“T-this is...” she stammered.

“He’s dead,” Eun-Ho said quietly. “You don’t need to look.”

He gently covered her eyes.

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management clicks their tongue, saying the weak ones who couldn’t survive even the first night wouldn’t have lasted long anyway.]

Silence followed, and the air trembled with quiet dread, heavy and suffocating.

Then came the whispers, which was when the pattern became clear.

“T-they’re all dead?”

“Wait, does that mean everyone who didn’t show up is dead as well?”

All of them were from the lowest-ranking districts and...

Every unopened door gleamed faintly with a silver light.

“Their lodgings! They were all from Silvery Blade!”

[8,001 Earth recruits have been eliminated. The remaining population is 91,999.]

[All survivors confirmed are present.]

All survivors...

The words echoed in Eun-Ho’s mind—cold and final.

Countless survivors and one fallen man.

[New employee training will now begin!]

Then, just like that, the brutal training began, sharp and merciless as a blade.