Swish!

At the light touch of a finger, a long, horizontal document unfolded before them. It seemed like a bill of sorts. The familiar words written across it caught everyone’s attention.

[Promotion event has been triggered!]

[Employee(Probationary) to Employee(Permanent Full-time)]

[Welfare Point calculation in progress.]

It was the same calculation Sarah had shown them earlier, split between Case 1 and Case 2.

[Promotion Bonus: +10,000 Points]

[Promotion Cost: -5,000 Points]

[Final Balance: +5,000 Points]

Clink!

The sound was like coins spilling from a casino slot machine.

“Minus two thousand points! It worked!” someone shouted.

“Ha... It’s finally over,” another groaned.

No one had been deleted in the first round of calculations. After hearing the settlement rules, anyone with a functioning brain would have fought tooth and nail to gather as many Welfare Points as possible, whether through sponsorships or by stealing from others. Those who had survived until now, after all, were the kind who had made sure they had enough.

[Sector 13, restructuring and training have been completed!]

[Among 7,874,965,732 participants, 100 permanent full-time and 77,191 temporary employees have been selected.]

“So, out of seven point eight billion people, only seventy-seven thousand are left?” someone whispered.

“How much is that in percentage?”

That was zero point zero zero one percent. Humanity had suffered a catastrophe bordering on extinction and yet, a few had survived.

“So what will happen to us now?”

“Are they actually planning to hire us? Or are we getting sent back?”

Whether they were to move forward or return, they had to find somewhere to belong. Then came the company’s—or Sarah’s—answer.

[Permanent full-time employees will be transferred to headquarters according to HR guidelines. Temporary employees will return to Sector 13.]

It was the advance of a few, and the return of the many.

“Return to Sector 13?!”

“They’re sending us back? Just like that? No way...”

“Wait, there’s gotta be a catch.”

As hope and distrust surged through the crowd like colliding waves, a new message appeared.

[The synchronization rate has significantly increased .]

“Synchronization or whatever, just explain what’s going on!”

“Hold on! Just listen!”

Up to now, the message about synchronization rate had always appeared, risen, and faded away. However, it was different this time.

[Congratulations!]

[Sector 13’s Synchronization Level has been upgraded.]

“What do you mean by synchronization level? What the hell is that?”

Boom!

Before anyone could finish their sentence, a shockwave hit. It felt as though the very air had crashed into them.

Boom!

Blood surged through their veins and made them freeze solid.

Boom!

What’s going on? Eun-Ho thought.

It wasn’t an attack aimed at their insides. No, it felt more like the air around them had twisted, warped into something else.

Yul and Bo-Ra, the frailest among them, gagged as if trying to vomit up the emptiness in their stomachs.

“Daddy!”

“Blagh!”

Then another message appeared.

[Sector 13’s local regulations have been replaced by company policies.]

Their world, Earth, had been completely absorbed by the company.

Crackle!

Screens lit up showing Seoul, Busan, Tokyo, New York, Paris, London, Beijing, and hundreds more of them. Each displayed the same message.

[You are now bound to the Wheel of the Universe.]

A red rain fell, turning the Han River red. Tokyo Tower and the Eiffel Tower crumbled to dust in an instant. The Statue of Liberty’s arm, decayed beyond recognition, fell away.

[The world’s order has been reconfigured.]

Black lakes formed across the sky, the land, and the sea. From within them, otherworldly creatures emerged. Some flapped their torn wings, some twitched their antennae where eyes should have been and others exhaled poison through gills that inhaled seawater.

[Asset liquidation has begun.]

Amid the downpour of monsters, humanity’s treasures including books, instruments, paintings, sculptures, stained glass, even the pyramids rose into the air. Then, they vanished as if they had never existed at all.

“The Earth just disappeared...” someone whispered.

A heavy, ashen silence settled over those who had just lost their home.

***

Earth had fallen, but that didn’t mean it was the end for them. If anything, it felt closer to a new beginning.

[Your authorization adjustments have been completed.]

[Access to the company intranet has been granted.]

[Permission to create and delete schedules has been granted.]

[Permission to access internal messenger has been granted.]

...

Countless new privileges opened up, as if one door had closed and another had swung wide open.

[Broadcast channel permissions have been granted.]

A channel...?

That referred to the Eye, where the observers came by and gave sponsorships as they pleased. Now, Eun-Ho had been given the authority to open and close those Eyes at will, which meant the channel previously managed by Harona was coming to an end.

[Channel E13-HRN-LEH#1 will terminate shortly.]

[Sixty seconds, fifty-nine, fifty-eight...]

[The Newbie from the Bureau of Corporate Relations shakes their head, saying something must be wrong for it to end already.]

[They plead for the personal broadcast to be opened soon, promising to follow it.]

[A donation of 3,000 Welfare Points has been made!]

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management laments parting ways with you, whom he considers an old friend.]

[A donation of 10,000 Welfare Points has been made!]

[The Ferry Man from the Bureau of Management says, “See you at work.”]

...

The chat overflowed with messages, filled with regret and reluctance to say goodbye. However, one particular line caught Eun-Ho’s eye.

[The Brain from the Bureau of Investigation says they made quite a profit thanks to you.]

[A donation of 20,000 Welfare Points has been made!]

Twenty thousand points?

Even after the fee deduction, that was still a hefty ten thousand-point payout.

“What kind of profit are you talking about?” Eun-Ho asked, suspicious.

The reply came immediately.

[The Brain from the Bureau of Investigation explains they won big on the Survivor Prediction Bets.]

[They laugh, saying, “Underdogs always win, after all.”]

A quiet sigh escaped him.

Survivor Prediction Bets? So those bastards up there had been gambling on who among us would live or die?

“So you bet on me surviving?” Eun-Ho asked flatly.

[The Brain from the Bureau of Investigation grins, saying that betting on you wasn’t an underdog move but it was the obvious choice.]

[They add that they are glad the little ninja made it out alive.]

Eun-Ho wasn’t sure whether he should be furious that a child’s life-or-death struggle was made into a game, or grateful that they’d at least paid twenty thousand points for it. Either way, since this was the end, now was his chance.

“I’ve got a question,” Eun-Ho said quietly.

[A number of observers turn their attention to you.]

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management says not to take it personally as he bet on his friend, after all.]

[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation retorts that that’s probably not what you are curious about.]

The chat scrolled at lightning speed. Eun-Ho’s eyes darted rapidly, trying not to miss a single line.

Finally, he asked the question that had weighed on his mind the longest, “Why do you observe us?”

However, the chat went dead and cut off, just like that. A few seconds later, a response appeared.

[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation says they don’t really have a choice.]

“You don’t have a choice?” Eun-Ho repeated.

[The Newbie from the Bureau of Corporate Relations laughs, saying that if they have to watch anyway, they might as well pick a fun channel.]

With those two cryptic messages, the chat came to an end.

[A number of observers express regret over parting with you.]

[A few observers request immediate redeployment.]

Creak—!

The giant eyelid hovering beside Eun-Ho’s head slid shut. The Eye vanished at that exact moment.

Fwoosh—!

“We’re alive!” someone exclaimed.

“Thank you! Really, thank you so much!”

“There are quite a few Koreans here,” another observed. “Maybe twenty or so?”

Out of two thousand participants, only a hundred had been promoted to permanent full-time employees. Among those hundred, the top ranks were mostly people from Eun-Ho’s group. Their repeated victories in both offense and defense had clearly paid off through accumulated Training Points.

“I didn’t expect so many Russians to survive,” someone remarked.

“Right? A lot of other Koreans had decent scores too, but most didn’t make it.”

“Same for the Americans! Didn’t they lose a few fortresses at the end?”

Some had managed to rank high even without using Eun-Ho’s strategies. However, it wasn’t just because they’d captured a few fortresses.

“The first kill rewards,” Eun-Ho muttered.

“Huh?”

“The number of survivors dropped a lot since yesterday, especially the representatives. They’re mostly gone.”

It was clear that people hadn’t just conquered weaker territories, but also swept up the points from first kill rewards. As Eun-Ho glanced around at the remaining survivors, a familiar group approached him.

“You’ve worked hard,” said one of the big men who had once followed Myung Seung-Tae.

“Thank you for everything!” another said brightly.

They were part of the Korean group classified as temporary employees, slated to return to Sector 13.

“Don’t thank me,” Eun-Ho said lightly. “It’s not like I helped you make the top hundred.”

“Hey, we’re not that shameless, you know?” one of them replied with a grin.

“Exactly,” another agreed. “You spared the guys who tried to kill you, shared your guaranteed-win method, and honestly, that moved us.”

The burly man bowed his head respectfully.

Hmm.

That guaranteed-win method had been shared near the end of the Siege Warfare. Besides, it had actually been Ji-Eun’s idea; Eun-Ho had merely agreed to it.

“You even helped us hunt Ghosts so we wouldn’t get erased during calculations,” one of them said.

“Right. I heard you already had plenty of points, so you didn’t even need to do it,” another said.

“No,” Eun-Ho replied. “It never hurts to save up more.”

It hadn’t been altruism. It was just the minimum goodwill he could afford without hurting his own gain.

“There’s no need to downplay it,” said the burly man. “We should still be grateful where it’s due.”

They truly meant it. Gratitude radiated from their words.

“Going back is a little disappointing, but honestly, maybe it’s for the best.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“Right? I’d rather die fighting back home than get dragged off somewhere weird again.”

Eun-Ho nodded slightly. “You’ll need to keep hunting.”

“What?”

He no longer had to do it, but the advice could help them survive. “Does anyone here remember the hunting trial at Namsan Tower?”

A few raised their hands, including some of the archers.

“Then you remember auto-hunting, right?”

“Of course! How could we forget?”

“Find where the monsters respawn and set traps there. As many and as wide as you can.”

“Oh... You mean just like before? Got it!”

Those who had hunted alongside him nodded vigorously. They understood instantly because experience spoke louder than words. Though it would be different now, since Yul had met certain conditions back then, the principle still applied.

“Just remember,” Eun-Ho added, “monsters only spawn if someone’s inside the zone. Have your fastest people rotate in and out.”

“Right! The ones with high Agility stats can take turns!”

As long as they lived, and as long as there were people, there would always be a way.

“Yes, that’s right. And also, move together. The points will be split, but it’s safer and more efficient that way.”

“It definitely makes sense... Got it. Thank you.”

With that, his rare moment of unsolicited advice came to an end.

[That’s all for today’s schedule!]

[Permanent full-time employees will be transferred to headquarters tomorrow morning.]

[Temporary employees, please gather here! The journey is long, so move quickly!]

“Wait, just us?”

“So, does that mean we’re leaving right now...?”

[Hurry, hurry! The gate’s closing soon!]

Under Sarah’s guidance, seventy-nine thousand people flowed out of the auditorium like the receding tide.

“They’ll be okay, right?” someone murmured.

“I saw London earlier, and... Well...”

“So their return means...?” another trailed off.

[Alright, everyone, this is Sarah, your PR Department mascot, signing off!]

[Those remaining, please follow the system guide to your quarters!]

[Then, good luck to you all!]

Fwoosh!

Her high, golden ponytail whipped like a horse’s tail before vanishing completely. With that, night descended upon those who remained.

***

Tap, tap!

Eun-Ho rubbed his damp hair with a towel as he returned to his room, back to the same crimson-lit lodging.

[Congratulations!]

[Your special reward for being an outstanding employee is now available.]

The so-called Outstanding Employee Reward had sent him to the Conqueror’s Caldarium. It had been nice, but it was too late as it was already 11:00 PM. Perhaps he had spent too long soaking in the bath.

Thump!

He flopped down onto the wide bed, sinking into the sheets. He wasn’t tired or sleepy, but it felt as though the blankets were pulling him in.

What a long day.

It had started with the battle at Silvery Blade the night before, followed by a full morning of Siege Warfare. Then, there’d been the fight with the Chinese bodyguards and finally, the unimaginable sight of Earth’s final moments.

If it was him in the past, he would’ve collapsed from exhaustion. However, now, he was still wide awake.

[Languid Vitality trait has been activated!]

[Your stamina recovery speed has increased by 50%.]

[Your fatigue recovery speed has increased by 50%.]

[Impurities have been expelled from your skin, and there has been a minor boost to your Charm.]

[Your psychological state has been stabilized, and you have developed a slight resistance to fear.]

[Remaining duration: 23 hours.]

Alright, it’s time to do the calculation.

“Summon.”

After his fight with the Chinese swordsman, he’d gained quite a few items.

[Refined Azure Dragon Crescent Blade]

- A weapon crafted by an unknown artisan in imitation of the legendary Azure Dragon Crescent Blade.

- The handle and curved single edge were downsized for practicality, sacrificing power for durability.

- Attack Power: 17

The long-ranged weapon, with a curved blade attached to a pole, had once belonged to Sun Ming. Overall, it was longer than his twin-edged Sky-Shattering Blade, though the actual blade length was shorter. From a distance, the Crescent Blade could easily be mistaken for a spear.

Hmm... I guess the blade is only on one side. It’d be great for slashing, but not so much for stabbing. Let’s look at the next one.

It was an iron sphere-shaped bomb.

[Lightning Bomb]

- A bomb made by filling an iron shell with gunpowder.

- It explodes ten seconds after the fuse is lit.

- Attack Power: 30

Next up a black leather armor that could take damage in someone else’s place.

[Leather Scale Protection Armor]

- Armor crafted from the hide of a mother bear that died protecting her cubs, stitched together with cord for mobility.

- It absorbs a portion of damage dealt to the designated guard target.

- It cannot be worn with other armor at the same time.

- Guard Target: Wei

Finally, he acquired gloves that doubled his sword skill proficiency speed.

[Swordsman’s Gloves]

- A family heirloom passed down through a local Chinese noble clan.

- Half-finger gloves made of mysterious leather, allowing full dexterity.

- Doubles swordsmanship skill proficiency gains speed when worn.

This one’s probably the most useful right now.

His sword seemed better than Sun Ming’s, and he wasn’t sure about the armor. Unfortunately, he couldn’t wear them alongside the Demolitionist’s Gloves he’d taken from the American.

[Demolitionist’s Glove]

- Special gloves that generate volatile explosive material.

- Enhanced several times to increase explosion power.

- It cannot be worn at the same time with other glove items.

- Item-specific Skill: Explosion (Lv.7)

I’ll wear these by default and switch when I need the explosions.

Knock, knock.

As he indulged in that small, luxurious dilemma, someone knocked on the door.

Hmm. Who could that be?

It was 11:37 PM. There shouldn’t be anyone looking for him so close to midnight?

Eun-Ho asked cautiously, “... Who is it?”