How to Survive Restructuring

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 113: Showdown (1)

91,999 people.

It was the largest crowd since the Yeouido Fireworks Festival, all craning their necks to look up at the sky.

[First project of the new employee training.]

[Project 'Physical Endurance Test' is starting.]

A physical endurance test following the talent show.

It seemed like a trivial mission...

Gulp!

But not a single person here was taking it lightly.

And for good reason.

"Ugh!"

Before them lay a corpse, shredded like paper in a shredder.

【''The Raven of the Administration Bureau' clenches his fist, saying it's time for his comrade to prove his skills!】

【''External Affairs Department's Rookie' predicts that this year's endurance test will be even harsher.】

【''Investigation Bureau's Brain' warns that the others won't be easy to handle either.】

The only ones laughing and chatting were those watching from beyond the "eyes."

"Endurance test..."

"It's a physical challenge, right?"

"…Could it be a team competition?"

Even the idols who had been joking around.

Even the ones who had been laughing.

Even the bickering Lee Yeji and the foul-mouthed one.

All of their faces turned rigid.

[The endurance test consists of four rounds.]

[At the end of each round, the winning teams will receive rewards and advance to the next round.]

[However, the losing teams will not be able to proceed and must participate in a ranking match. Please be aware!]

Winning meant moving on to the next round.

Losing meant fighting for rankings.

This well-designed "game" was pushing 92,000 survivors into sheer anxiety.

A 50% chance of misfortune striking in every round.

"What? Only the winners advance to the next round?"

"Then what happens if we lose in the first round?"

"We'll have a ranking match, but... at best, we can only place 24th."

Snap!

Jieun bit her nails.

"If we end up in the bottom ranks today..."

Chill!

Everyone flinched at Jieun's words.

She had cut off the rest of the sentence, but there was no need to say it aloud.

Everyone had the same thought.

"The lodgings! They're all 'Silver Blade'!"

They would be sent to Silver Blade.

A mysterious hell that they had all glimpsed before.

"…We absolutely have to win."

"That's right, Noona!"

[The first-round event is...]

They nodded in agreement and focused on the next announcement.

What would it be?

Among the 92,000 people who had fought, pushed, and even killed to get here.

What kind of event would they have them compete in?

"It’s a physical test, so it won't be a mental challenge. It must be something that tests stamina or strength..."

['Tug-of-war.']

"…What?"

The event was so ordinary that I let out a short laugh.

That seemed to offend some people, as they immediately threw in their own commentary.

【'External Affairs Department's Rookie' asks if I’m looking down on tug-of-war.】

【'Investigation Bureau's Brain' warns that underestimating it could be a big mistake.】

"…I know."

Well, in the talent show, I had almost been killed by a flying Go stone.

A tug-of-war match could easily turn into a battle to the death.

I wouldn’t even be surprised if someone started swinging the rope like a whip.

[Now beginning the match draw.]

[Please check the bracket!]

Pop!

A floating display appeared in the sky, filled with blank squares paired into 23 sets.

And in front of it—

A giant cannon appeared.

Sizzle!

A fuse lit up, burning quickly.

The flame reached the end.

Boom!

Instead of a cannonball, a ball shot out and struck the blank squares.

Then—

Names exploded out like shrapnel.

[Match draw complete!]

"ROK... There we are!"

And below it...

"JP?"

It was Japan.

"What?! Korea?!"

"That's the team with the new recruit representative!"

"Hey, Captain! You good with this?"

From all around, I could hear voices with a translated tone.

They were just as serious as we were.

Sigh.

Seriously...

"Even here, it's Korea vs. Japan?"

[Safe zones for each region have been created.]

Flash!

On the map, a green safe zone appeared not far away.

A long, narrow rectangle, almost more of a line than an area.

[Time limit: 10 minutes.]

[Everyone, move to the safe zone!]

"Run!"

Tap tap tap!

We weren’t the only ones running with determination.

92,000 people sprinted toward their designated zones.

The grass beneath us was trampled so much that it sunk, and clouds of dust billowed into the air.

"Captain! Here's what I think..."

I tuned in to the Japanese team's conversation.

They lowered their voices when they noticed us listening, so I couldn't catch the rest.

"That guy must be their leader."

"Yeah, seems like it."

The man they called captain had sharp features and a lean frame.

He was barely over 170 cm tall and didn’t have the muscular build of a warrior.

However—

"Daddy… that man is scary…"

"It’s okay, Yura. Don’t look at him."

Yura was on the verge of tears just from looking at the man's face—it was that intimidating.

A short-cropped haircut.

A piercing gaze that seemed like it could strangle you on sight.

On top of that, a small scar on his cheek only added to his menacing presence.

It felt as if his sharp gaze alone was enough to overshadow his small frame.

And the man who had stepped forward, confidently addressing the group, was clearly an athlete.

Uncharacteristically tall and muscular for a Japanese person, clad in a white uniform.

'A judo athlete?'

Be it judo or karate, sportsmen like him were not the type to bow their heads easily to those weaker than them.

Even I, who considered myself relatively mild, was no exception to that rule.

'There must be something about him.'

Something overwhelming enough to earn the unwavering loyalty of his peers.

"Lee Eunho, that bastard first—"

"No. First, the match—"

Sigh.

They're not even trying to hide their hostility.

"Eunho, that guy... he looks dangerous."

"Yeah, he does look scary."

"No, that's not what I mean... There's something different about him."

"Huh?"

"He feels like... a well-sharpened blade. Like if you get too close, you'll be cut."

Jieun mumbled anxiously.

If Jieun's intuition was warning us, we couldn't ignore it.

Even if that weren’t the case, he certainly looked dangerous enough.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

'What kind of ability does he have?'

A man who had ranked first among a population of over a hundred million.

He had to have some kind of special ability.

That much, I was sure of.

"He'll come at us with the resolve to die. We need to be careful."

"Understood...!"

"Jaehyuk, try to stay up front if possible."

"Yes, hyung!"

Tap, tap!

With that sense of determination, we arrived at the designated safe zone—an athletic field.

Not a grassy stadium, but a dirt-covered schoolyard.

And on the ground, stretching out like a central dividing line, was—

"Whoa, what the hell is this rope?"

"Why is it so long?"

An unbelievably long rope.

It made sense that it needed to be long, given that a thousand people on each side would be pulling it, but even then, it seemed excessive.

Even standing at the center, craning my neck, I couldn't see the end.

"Eunho! What's this yellow line?"

"It's probably the centerline—the reference point."

"Oh, so that’s why the knot on the rope is painted yellow? To mark the middle?"

"Seems like it."

Yeji, who had been examining the ground, nodded in understanding.

Then she tilted her head again.

"Huh? There's another line way back there."

At Yeji's words, I stretched my neck and saw a red line painted far behind us.

A yellow line in the middle, and a red line much further back.

[ROK vs. JP, JP vs. ROK!]

[The time limit is 1 minute, and there are two victory conditions!]

[First, pulling the rope’s central knot past your team's ‘victory line.’]

[Second, holding the knot within your designated area when time runs out.]

[However, to ensure a fair match, if direct attacks result in casualties on the opposing side, severe penalties will be incurred—so be careful!]

"Oh... So if we drag the knot deep into our area, we win instantly, but otherwise, we just have to hold onto it until time’s up?"

"Exactly. So..."

Tug-of-war.

Most people think of it as a simple game from school sports days, but in reality, it’s a legitimate sport.

Which means—

"We need to approach this strategically."

"Huh? There's strategy to tug-of-war?"

"There is. Not exactly a foolproof method, but..."

If both sides have the same number of people, the key is to place the strongest and heaviest individuals at the front and back.

But in this case, it was 2,000 vs. 2,000.

If you were at the back, you’d be the 2,000th person in line.

In a match of this scale, that position was practically meaningless.

Instead, it would be better to—

"Put the strongest and heaviest people at the very front."

So, starting with the people who looked the most physically imposing—

"You, big guy, and you, hammer guy—step up front."

"B-big guy?"

"And hammer guy?!"

I picked out the burly men who had fought on Myung Seungtae's side.

Even though I understood that their actions were due to brainwashing, things were still awkward between us.

They had been beaten to a pulp, even in a six-on-one fight.

But—

"We're still not fully recovered..."

"Sola already healed you, didn't she? I know you're fine, so get up there."

"......"

Be it muscle or fat, we needed every bit of mass right now.

"You—The one whose spear got cut. You seemed to have a stamina stat over 25, right?"

"The one whose spear got cut... What?"

"Am I right or not?"

"...Yeah. It's 28."

"Get up front."

"...Alright."

That made eight.

Including Jaehyuk, that was nine settled.

"Hey, mister! What’s your stamina stat again?"

"Uh... It’s 25!"

Not bad.

In that case—

"Move to the front."

"Got it!"

While I was organizing positions, Park Gongchan and his crew ran over.

"We're joining in too."

"That’d be a big help."

Right after them, Jang Hanil appeared.

Leading a whole group of his juniors.

"These guys are crazy strong. Take them."

"Alright."

I didn’t expect him to step up first.

I guess he really was treating this as a team effort.

'Jang Hanil... You’ve changed.'

I nodded, acknowledging the shift, and turned to the Taereung athletes.

"Stand behind the soccer team."

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

Jang Hanil muttered with a bitter expression.

"I'm… almost there too."

His leg was still limping.

To fully recover, he would need the mission reward.

Lowering his gaze, he clenched his fist tightly, a mix of desperation and frustration evident.

A battle of 2,000 versus 2,000.

At a time when every single person's contribution was crucial, the guilt of not being able to fulfill his role weighed heavily on him.

The inferiority of not even being able to take care of his own body.

I understood that feeling better than anyone.

"About 80% healed, huh?"

"H-how did you know?"

"When you're fully healed, run twice as hard."

"What?"

"That's all you need to do."

I threw out the words casually.

There was no need for him to be so tormented right now.

He scratched his head, as if he had more to say, then finally spoke up.

"How… how do you always act like it's nothing?"

"What?"

[Attention, survivors in the ROK-JP zone.]

The announcement that followed cut him off.

"I'm such a damn mess…"

"Sorry, but later."

I reached out to stop him and immediately scanned the enemy camp.

[The 'Tug of War' will begin in 30 seconds.]

[Please grab the rope!]

30 seconds until the match started.

We had strategically positioned all our participants in order of their body size.

"Huh…?"

"What's going on over there?"

In contrast, the Japanese team remained completely still.

Aside from the man they called their captain at the front, the area was nearly empty.

Even further back, the participants stood sparsely, something seemed off.

"Did they make space to fall back?"

"No, even so, the gaps are way too wide."

As I tried to make sense of their strategy—

He pressed two fingers from each hand against his chest and closed his eyes.

"W-what is he doing, boss?!"

"This feels… unsettling."

And then—

Pop!

He opened his eyes and spoke.

"Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)."

[PR/N: OH NAH WTF??? This is so nostalgic 😭]

'!!'

His body swayed left and right.

Like a camera struggling to focus, he trembled slightly—

And then—

Pop!

He split into two.

Pop-pop!

Then three.

Then four.

Then five.

Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!

They multiplied like stamps being pressed onto paper.

All along the length of the rope.

"W-what the hell is that…?"

"Holy shit…?"

There were at least five hundred clones.

Each one radiated an intense aura, like a finely honed butcher’s knife, their overwhelming gaze magnified five hundred times.

The sheer intimidation crushed our team, and panicked voices rang out.

"Wait, do those clones have the same strength too?!"

"This is insane! The numbers are way off!"

"Even if we just try to hold on with weight alone, we're completely outmatched!"

2,000 vs. 2,500.

Numerically, we were at an overwhelming disadvantage.

But—

"Yura."

We had our own trick up our sleeve.

A little ninja.

"Uncle has a great idea. Can you help?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]