Mr. Kim had always been an optimist. Even when he was fired from a mid-sized company after getting caught up in office politics, he thought it was a blessing to have found work as a security guard.

When the company began restructuring and he lost contact with his only family, his daughter, he still didn’t lose hope.

[That person is not eligible to receive a gift.]

No matter how many times he tried sending messages or gifts, there was never a reply.

She’s definitely alive. She’s a smart girl and my daughter’s not the kind to give up so easily, he told himself, clinging to that belief.

He had been waiting for this day, the day when all the survivors from across the country would finally gather.

“Mr. Kim! What about your daughter? Have you found her yet?”

No matter how many survivors he searched through, she wasn’t there. No one had even seen her.

“Hey, old man! Why are you drinking so much?!”

For the first time in years, he drowned himself in alcohol. It was not the kind of pain a single glass could wash away.

He was already deeply drunk. Alcohol could be medicine when one was happy, but when consumed in grief, it was the deadliest poison of all.

What do I do now?

Everything he had done to survive, including every struggle and every desperate moment, had been for the sake of reuniting with his only daughter. However, now, they said she was gone.

Mr. Kim no longer had the strength to go on. There was nothing left in the world that was precious to him anymore. He had no greed for life nor lingering attachments.

Why should an old man like me be the one to live while the young, with their whole futures ahead of them, had died instead?

When that thought reached him, he made up his mind.

Let’s end it.

His legs wobbled as he slipped away from the noisy young survivors, heading toward the cliffs that overlooked a lake below. He even thought about throwing himself into the dark waters, but when he finally stood at the edge of that sheer cliff, he stopped.

His steps grew heavier, weighed down by guilt, regret, and the burden of unfulfilled duty, as though invisible sandbags had wrapped around his ankles.

I never repaid my debt to him.

Be it at the MS Tower, at Seoul Station, at Namsan Tower, and Noksapyeong Station—Eun-Ho had always saved his life with his quick thinking.

Even though Mr. Kim was just a useless old man with nothing but a battered shield, the boy had always treated him with respect, calling him Mister as if he were someone important.

If I die here, then the kindness of that kind young man would become meaningless.

If he was going to die, he should have done it long ago, before someone had fought so hard to save him. Now, after everything that had happened, his life was no longer his alone.

Right... I have to live. I’ll live for that young man’s sake.

He was determined to repay in full the life that young man had saved so many times. He knew he could do it. Thankfully, whatever this strange system was, it had strengthened his physique well enough.

And when everything is finally over, then I’ll think about my life again.

That thought cleared the fog in his mind, like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

That was why when the ninja stars shot out in all directions, he instinctively shouted, “Summon”, raising his shield before anyone could give the order.

He charged forward to protect the children hiding nearby, the good young men, and someone else’s precious sons and daughters.

Then, a strange voice echoed.

[All the parameters required for skill activation have been collected.]

Huh?

Then, a faint barrier spread outward from his shield.

“W-what the hell is this?!” he exclaimed.

[Congratulations!]

[Based on your years of defensive experience, the sturdy body that has protected others, and the guardian’s spirit engraved within your soul, you have unlocked a Unique Skill.]

[You have unlocked a Unique Skill, Guard(Lv. 1)]

***

“A unique skill?!” the security guard shouted, eyes wide in disbelief.

It was him, the man behind the shield.

Oh... I thought it would be Han-Wool, Eun-Ho thought.

After all, Han-Wool had called out Yul’s name and ran forward, but that didn’t matter right now. There were more urgent things to deal with.

“The rope!” Eun-Ho yelled.

“Ah, yes!” came the startled reply.

He sprinted forward, pushing through the confused crowd. Quickly, Jae-Hyuk and Gong-Chan fell in beside him, matching his pace.

“Just pull! We’ve got this!”

“Got it, Hyungnim!”

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

They spun their arms and yanked hard, the rope sliding back toward them like a heavy blanket being dragged across the floor. When there was no resistance at all, Eun-Ho frowned and looked up at the opposing team’s side.

Could they be planning for another trick?

“The rope! It’s gone!”

“It’s too late. We’ve lost already.”

I guess not.

Their opponents had already lost the will to fight. He stretched his senses, half-expecting the enemy’s clones to come charging again, but it seemed even they couldn’t withstand the chaos of the collapsing crowd.

Right... They disappeared the moment someone fell on them earlier, too.

His hands moved swiftly as he kept thinking.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

One by one, the remaining clones dissolved into smoke, vanishing completely. Then, from amidst the haze, the real one finally revealed himself.

“Whoa... Look at that guy. Those eyes could eat a man alive,” someone muttered.

The Captain raised a rough, scarred hand and wiped his mouth, his sharp eyes locked on a single target.

“E-Eun-Ho! That guy is!”

“Yeah, I’m aware. He’s only looking at me,” Eun-Ho replied quietly.

The man’s cold and merciless gaze was the same as a butcher eyeing livestock. Eun-Ho met it head-on, calm but unflinching.

Beeeep!

Just then, a sharp whistle cut through the air, echoing across the field.

[The knot at the center of the rope has reached the victory line.]

[The match is over!]

“Haa!” Eun-Ho exhaled, finally lowering his arms.

They had won. Despite the enemy’s tricks, the victor was clear.

[Victory goes to the ROK district!]

“I-it’s finally over!”

“Wow... We actually won the match?”

“Holy crap, I’ve never seen a tug-of-war this epic in my life.”

The feeling was eighty percent joy and ten percent disbelief that the win had come so easily.

“And what was that? Why did the ground suddenly rise like that?”

“I have no idea. Maybe it was that guy? He disappeared and then reappeared out of nowhere.”

“Damn, the power difference is insane. No wonder he’s ranked first.”

The remaining ten percent was sheer awe, as people kept stealing glances at Eun-Ho with eyes full of admiration and a hint of disbelief.

Hmm...

Certainly, he had vanished and reappeared out of nowhere, but the real reason they’d won the tug-of-war was thanks to Yul’s stealth and Bo-Ra’s molding skill working perfectly together.

“Eun-Ho, people seem to be getting the wrong idea... Is that okay?” Ji-Eun asked, her round eyes narrowing slightly in concern.

She seemed worried that all the attention would end up doing more harm than good.

“Huh? Is that making you uncomfortable, Oppa? Should I just tell them it was me?” Bo-Ra said playfully, tilting her head with a mischievous smile.

Eun-Ho shook his head. “It’s better this way.”

“Huh?”

“You’re still too weak. If word gets around and people start targeting you, it’ll be dangerous.”

Bo-Ra froze for a second, then let out a small, bashful laugh. “Oppa... Are you worrying about me?”

As he’d already seen in the match, Bo-Ra’s Molding ability had enormous potential. Instead of Stamina or Strength, she’d poured everything into her skill level instead, and it showed. Still, until her physical abilities caught up to a normal person’s, she had to be cautious.

She’s a talented but fragile sunfish, he thought with a wry smile, nodding to himself.

Just then, Lee Ye-Ji walked over, clapping slowly with a look that was half admiration, half disbelief. “So you’re Bo-Ra, right? The guys who started flinging ninja stars during a tug-of-war were crazy enough, but you! You went and tore up the ground itself. How impressive.”

“Oh, that? Oppa told me to do it. It was a good idea, right?”

“I thought so. That kind of thorough, slightly devious thinking screamed Eun-Ho.”

“Thank you, but really, her ability was just too useful not to use,” Eun-Ho replied lightly.

As the three of them exchanged casual banter, the opposite team looked like a funeral procession.

“Saito! Are you alright?”

So that must be the team representative’s name, Eun-Ho thought.

“Korea was too strong! I never imagined they’d literally flip the ground!”

“It’s fine! We’ll just win the remaining matches!”

Eun-Ho couldn’t help but admire the man’s composure. Even in such a hopeless situation, Saito spoke not of despair, but of the next opportunity.

“Their mood is surprisingly upbeat,” Bo-Ra whispered, glancing over curiously.

“It’s for show,” Eun-Ho said.

“What do you mean?”

Eun-Ho frowned slightly. “They only say a word or two, then walk off immediately. And...”

As each Japanese player turned away, their faces seemed to shift from forced smiles fading into grim expressions. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but when it happened with every single one of them, it was clear that the cheerful vibe was only a façade.

“And what?” Bo-Ra pressed.

“Nothing. Forget it.”

[You have won the round one match!]

[You have earned a point as a trial reward.]

[All participating employees have received five training points.]

The match was over and it was time for the winners and losers to go their separate ways.

[Round two will begin at 9:30 AM.]

“So we have ten minutes left.”

“Where are they heading?” Ji-Eun asked.

“They’re probably going to determine rankings among the losing teams,” Eun-Ho replied.

“Ah...” Ji-Eun’s voice trailed off, her expression clouding over.

She was likely thinking of the corpse they had seen that morning. It was understandable because anyone would feel the same.

[A safe zone has been generated for each district.]

[Please make your way to the designated safe zones.]

“... Let’s go,” Eun-Ho said quietly.

For now, they had to move on. Their own tasks and trials were still waiting ahead.

***

“Is that it?”

The place they arrived at was a massive stadium, so vast that several professional baseball fields could have fit inside with room to spare.

“I saw it on the map, but seeing it in person... It’s even bigger than I thought,” Ji-Eun murmured.

“Yeah. It looks like almost everyone’s here, but it still feels empty,” Jae-Hyuk said, glancing around.

“Well, a lot of people are gone,” another replied quietly.

“Yeah, it seems that way. More than half of them, at least.”

At the start, there had been fifty districts, with a total of one hundred thousand participants. After the Silvery Blade incident that morning, only forty-six remained.

Now, with the first round’s results, that number had been cut in half again.

Twenty-three districts left, meaning we have fewer than fifty thousand people in total, Eun-Ho thought.

Humanity’s population had dropped below fifty thousand. The term global village had never felt more literal.

“They made it!”

“Korea! You’re alive after all.”

“Did you win using those abilities of yours?”

“Who was your opponent? Japan?”

Survivors from other regions called out as the Korean team entered. Their voices carried more wariness than warmth. It seemed like they were expecting Korea’s victory.

Of course you survived. You guys were dangerous from the start.

“Looks like they’re all on edge around us, Noonim,” Jae-Hyuk muttered.

“Yeah, I can feel it too. Maybe they see us as a strong team,” she replied.

“More likely, they’re wary of you, Hyungnim. You were the new-hire rep, after all!”

He wasn’t wrong. The sheer weight of tens of thousands of eyes staring at him made Eun-Ho’s skin prickle.

“It’s that guy!”

“What’s his ability again?”

“He was using a sword, right?”

If they were that curious, they could’ve just asked. However, he wasn’t planning to answer anyway.

“Fuck. Should I go tell them to shut it? Or maybe they’ll stop talking if I—”

“Enough.” Eun-Ho cut off the Swear-Master before he could start another string of curses.

“Why are you so damn nice all the time?”

“No, it’s because we have to listen to the announcement.”

“... Ah. Right. My bad.”

[... all survivors of the...]

Silence fell instantly, all ears straining to catch the next words. With their lives on the line, every announcement mattered.

[Round two trial will involve all twenty-three remaining districts.]

A tense swallow echoed here and there.

[It will be a Cavalry Battle!]

“Cavalry battle? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Would it be an actual horseback fight?”

Technically, yes, that was the literal meaning. However, since it followed the tug-of-war trial, it likely wasn’t about real horses.

“Wait... Is it that thing where three people lift someone like a human horse?”

“Oh! Just like in school sports festivals?”

[In the Cavalry Battle, each district’s representative will act as the rider, supported by three members who serve as the horses.]

“So our rider is you, Eun-Ho,” Ji-Eun said.

Eun-Ho nodded. It was standard that the representative from each district would take the lead position.

“So, teams of four, then?” Jae-Hyuk asked.

“Yeah, it looks that way. Have you ever done this before?” Ji-Eun asked.

“Yeah, of course! Back in school and even in the army a couple of times. What about you, Noonim?”

“Hmm... Never once,” she admitted with a shrug.

[Each rider must wear a Victory Medal around their neck. If the medal is lost or if any part of their body touches the ground, they are immediately eliminated.]

[At the end of the round, players will earn training points equal to ten times the number of medals held. Participants will also receive a 10% bonus.]

The Victory Medal and participation bonuses... Eun-Ho thought.

[All participating employees have received five training points.]

In the tug-of-war trial, rewards only went to those who actually took part. In other words, to make it into the top hundred permanent employees, it was best to be selected as a participant.

Of course, that’s only if your team wins, Eun-Ho thought grimly.

A losing team earned nothing as there was no bonus nor points.

[The match will end once twelve districts have been eliminated. Warning! Non-participating members cannot interfere in the battle.]

[Each district representative will select three members to carry the rider!]

As soon as the announcement ended, a glowing blue screen appeared before each representative, displaying three empty slots.

[05:00]

Besides, a timer began flashing at the top. Three people had to carry the rider shown by the three empty slots. With only five minutes to decide, they had to be quick but careful still.

Three, huh...

Eun-Ho frowned, deep in thought, when shadows began gathering around him.

“What about me?”

“Hyungnim! I’m always ready for action!”

“Come on, you’re sick of this guy already. What about me?”

Only three could join him in battle.

Hmm... How do I choose? he wondered, scanning their eager faces as the timer kept ticking down.