How to Survive Restructuring

[Translator - Night]

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Chapter 97: The Ownerless Room (1)

A gray dusk fell over the crumbled island.

People were tending to wounds, shivering, and eyeing one another with suspicion.

Leaving them behind to prepare for tomorrow in their own ways, I stepped away.

“You didn’t have to follow me, you know.”

“Yeah, Jaehyuk! I’ll go alone. Just wait here.”

“No, no, noona! I’m fine. I’ve fully recovered!”

Jaehyuk’s response echoed the concern Jieun had just expressed to me.

It seemed there was something more she wanted to say.

“Well… shouldn’t you be the one resting, Eunho? After everything that happened earlier…”

They’d both been deeply shocked, thinking I had died.

Jaehyuk was so worked up he didn’t even notice himself getting injured as he lunged at Iro.

“You may have miraculously come back, but... what if there are aftereffects?”

“That’s right, noona! Even car accidents leave aftereffects—what if there’s some kind of post-resurrection syndrome?”

Their concern was understandable.

After all, they’d seen a perfectly healthy teammate literally die and come back to life.

But...

[Subject Lee Eunho, 'Resurrection' Perk Activated!]

[Recovery speed has drastically increased due to complete regeneration.]

[Overcame the fear of death, rendering most forms of mind control ineffective.]

[Purified energy blocks the intrusion of sinister forces.]

[Remaining duration: 20 hours.]

Enhanced recovery, immunity to mental manipulation, and energy purification.

‘My condition’s actually too good—it’s a problem.’

I was so energized I didn’t even want to waste a second sleeping with 20 hours left on the clock.

Plus…

[Consume the ‘Millennium Flame Carp’s Core’?]

I had acquired a rare elixir.

“What’s that, hyung?”

“A carp’s core. If I don’t eat it quickly, it might summon a thousand-year-old carp to attack me.”

“...Excuse me?”

I popped the slippery bead into my mouth.

I’d been worried about swallowing it in one go since it was the size of my palm.

“Urgh…”

I barely managed to swallow it, but it felt stuck in my throat.

As a fishy smell rose, nausea threatened to overwhelm me.

‘…!’

The bead began to shrink, relieving the pressure in my throat.

It felt like I was going to suffocate, then breathe again, over and over, until finally, my throat cleared.

And then—

Whirr—!

A strange warmth spread through my body, heating me from the inside.

[Absorbing the Millennium Flame Carp’s Core!]

[A surge of unknown energy wells up from your dantian!]

[Strength, Vitality, and Agility stats increased (+1 each).]

[Absorbed the wisdom of a mystical creature cultivated over centuries!]

[Intelligence, Judgment, and Endurance stats increased (+1 each).]

Six stats rose all at once.

Resistance didn’t increase as I had hoped, but this was already an incredible gain.

[Tendon Tearing, Bone Splitting (Lv.1): Separates muscle and bone from a target upon contact, allowing for targeted pain infliction.]

[Damage scales with Strength stat difference (x1 multiplier).]

I had also unlocked a skill bordering on torture.

Thump!

Crackle!

The armor I was wearing repelled electricity like a roaring tiger—it was reliable.

“Are you sure you have to go alone?”

“Yes.”

Jieun asked worriedly, unable to grasp the full situation, but this time, no one else could help.

Because—

▣ Sample Transport Capsule (Medium)

-Transports the designated subject to a specified location.

-Maximum transport weight: 100kg.

-Sample: Lee Eunho

-Destination: Iro's Private Research Lab (Future Research Center, Building E, Room 9812)

The capsule could only “transport” me, as per the system’s rules.

“Can the registered sample be changed?”

[Not possible at this time.]

“And the destination?”

[Not possible at this time.]

According to the system, these things were unchangeable “at this time,” implying they might be alterable later.

“How can I change the registered information?”

[First, access the system using an admin account to modify the data. Second, wait for the current transport to complete, allowing the sample and destination to reset for new input.]

As expected.

A system where data was immutable forever would be highly inefficient.

“Do I need an admin account to input new settings after a reset?”

[The initial setup can only be configured by the capsule’s owner.]

[The current capsule owner is Subject Lee Eunho.]

At least I wouldn’t end up stranded after a reset.

Lastly, one more thing.

“Would entering the capsule as the designated sample cause injury or harm?”

[‘Incineration’ occurs only if non-designated organic matter attempts transport. Designated samples are transported without harm.]

Incineration?

When Jang Hanil had entered the capsule earlier, a red mist had emerged and burned him from below.

That mist was an incineration protocol triggered by unauthorized “organic matter.”

In any case, everything seemed fine.

“I’ll be back. If you come along, it’ll only get more dangerous.”

“Are you… worried about me?”

“Of course.”

I couldn’t let a precious teammate turn to ashes.

Jieun blushed slightly, seemingly touched by my matter-of-fact reply.

Anyway—

Clink!

I opened the capsule’s door.

“I’m heading off.”

“Hyung! Be careful! If anyone suspicious approaches, run immediately!”

“P-please be safe…”

With Jaehyuk’s anxious warnings and Jieun awkwardly lowering her head, I stepped into the transparent cylinder.

[Lee Eunho - Entry Confirmed]

Whirr—!

Then, the transparent capsule wall started spinning with a whirring sound.

It felt like I was riding a single-person amusement ride.

[Sample Name – Verified]

[Destination – Verified]

After a brief verification process:

[DELIVERY SUCCESS]

As white letters appeared on the blue screen, one by one—

Wiiiiiiing-!

The world spun.

Wiiiiiiiiiiing-!

It sounded like a hairdryer was turned on inside my ear.

The deafening noise poured in with such intensity that it seemed it would paralyze not only my hearing but my vision as well.

Despite that, as I forced myself to keep my eyes wide open—

Thunk!

At some point, the cylinder, which had been floating slightly, hit the ground.

'…?!'

I didn't expect "delivery" to involve something like a regular delivery vehicle.

'When did I even move?'

I was sure the cylinder just spun in place like a washing machine and then dropped.

But here I was, relocated without a shred of information.

It was just like "the Door."

As the vibrations subsided and my tension eased, I steadied my trembling legs and gathered my thoughts.

Through the transparent cylinder, I could see an interior space so vast it couldn't be taken in all at once.

The moment I saw it, I knew.

'This place….'

This was where he—Iro—had been.

The reason his white lab coat had looked like a filthy, stained rag.

The reason he'd been so obsessively devoted.

And finally—

The reason he had been so fixated on "brains."

Clank!

As soon as I stepped out, I was greeted by a massive steel shelf.

Even when I craned my neck back, I could barely see its top.

From that top all the way to the floor, it was tightly packed with countless "containers."

Inside the murky liquid of those containers was…something.

No—perhaps someone’s brain.

Wiiing-

The lab was filled with brains of a pale pink hue.

Intact brains.

Brains cut into pieces.

Brains crushed like tofu.

Brains dried into wrinkled lumps.

Brains ground into powder, as if run through a blender.

Experiments had been conducted.

Using these.

'What a taste…'

It was horrifying.

Not just because so many lives had been taken.

But because of the unsettling lack of emotion in how they were treated.

Yes.

'There’s no trace of feeling here.'

Just as I had been designated as a "sample" without hesitation, these myriad brains were regarded as mere "experimental materials."

That chilling objectivity was horrifying.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

And worse yet, the cold pride evident in arranging them so neatly, as if putting them on display.

Moreover—

Step.

I noticed one of the "containers" was empty among the neatly arranged "materials."

Attached to it, like a label, was a familiar set of initials:

〔 LEH 〕

‘…Lee Eunho?’

It wouldn’t be much of a leap to read my own name into those familiar letters.

That guy had been spouting mad nonsense about collecting me right from the start.

‘Creepy to the very end.’

As I thought that and started to take a step—

I froze.

Another empty container nearby.

〔 WEI 〕

Two empty containers sitting side by side.

How else could this be interpreted?

There was someone else.

Another person who owned the "brain" Iro had been targeting.

I etched those three letters into my mind.

It must mean that person had the same kind of potential Iro had been so intent on capturing.

‘I have to be careful.’

I didn’t know what kind of people I would meet from now on.

If I didn’t want to end up begging for my life, I’d have to become stronger.

[Obtained: Failed Awakening Potion (Strength Enhancement Type) crafted by a Genius Researcher!]

[Obtained: Failed Awakening Potion (Agility Enhancement Type) crafted by a Genius Researcher!]

...

Even if I had to scrape together things like this.

▣ Failed Awakening Potion (Strength Enhancement Type)

-A potion that amplifies the subject's strength by doubling the brain’s potential.

Created by a genius researcher after extensive study, though its effectiveness is diminished due to a lack of data.

-Duration: Approximately 1 minute.

A total of five 1-minute potions.

Two for strength enhancement, three for agility enhancement.

Short-lived, but they’d prove useful in emergencies.

"Store."

I carefully stowed them in my inventory and searched the lab thoroughly for anything else I could find.

Then I came across a door.

[ ]

It was a white steel door with nothing but an empty nameplate.

I expected it to be locked, but the handle turned easily.

Click!

Inside the steel door was a corridor.

A narrow hallway lined with multiple rooms on either side.

They seemed to be either laboratories or observation rooms.

All of them were made of transparent glass walls, revealing their interiors.

And what I found inside—

Clatter!

A familiar skeleton.

"Commander…?"

Skeleton soldiers.

"!!"

"Co-Commander?"

"Is it really…Commander?"

The soldiers I had met during a mock battle mission.

The ones who had fought alongside the golems.

[Skeleton Soldier (#1) assists the commander in a crisis!]

[Special condition fulfilled!]

['Bone Bomb' skill evolves into 'Self-Destruct!']

The soldiers who had triggered self-destruction in moments of grim resolve, without any command.

[Skeleton Soldier (#2) activates the 'Self-Destruct' skill!]

[Skeleton Soldier (#3) activates the 'Self-Destruct' skill!]

[Skeleton Soldier (#4) has activated the 'Self-Destruct' skill!]

…

Back then, they threw themselves in the way of the golem's bombardment—those guys, numbered 1 through 10.

There were ten soldiers in total.

The strange laboratory where I found myself now also held ten individuals, numbered 1 through 10.

"Why are you all here...?"

I furrowed my brows at the sudden encounter and asked.

In response, they all clung to the glass door, shouting in unison.

"We’ve been experimented on! They said we'd die unless we killed you, Commander!"

"Please, take us with you...!"

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

'Huh? Something's different about them.'

〔Skeleton Soldier (#1)〕

-Affiliation: Lee Eunho's (Temporary) Guard Unit, Squad 1

-Rank: Squad Leader Trainee

-Stats: Health (5), Strength (2), Intelligence (7), Judgement (4), Agility (3), Endurance (11)

-Trait: Dead

-Skills: [Clattering Noise (Lv.99)], [Dislocate (Lv.1)], [Self-Destruct (Lv.2)]

-Sacrificed themselves for their commander, Lee Eunho, but were restored by a genius researcher. Seems to have grown weary of repeated experiments.

Their wording had improved somehow, and their stats, particularly intelligence, had noticeably increased.

'Originally, they were barely at 1 to 3, with only endurance being high.'

The bone bomb skill was also changed to "Self-Destruct."

Hmm.

I had only come here to swipe a few potions...

[The Skeleton Soldier unit is deeply moved by their commander's efforts to rescue them!]

[Current Loyalty: 100%]

These good-hearted fools even misunderstood my intentions in a positive way.

Jingle!

I found a keyring hanging on a nearby wall and unlocked the door.

At once, CLATTER! The soldiers noisily burst out, reveling in their newfound freedom.

"Ugh... Thank you, Commander!"

"Of course, it had to be you, Commander...!"

Well, their gratitude was nice, but—

"How are we going to get out of here?"

I gestured for Skeleton Soldier #1 to use their toe bone.

I expected red smoke, like during the barrier-breaking incident, but the capsule didn't react at all.

'Hmm?'

["Incineration" only activates when an unapproved organic material attempts transport. Approved materials are transported directly.]

Perhaps being non-organic gave them some leeway regarding "incineration."

Still, there was a problem.

"It's too small. Even folded up, you won't fit."

The capsule I arrived in was for one person, with a maximum weight capacity of 100 kg.

But cramming ten skeletons into that narrow cylinder was impossible.

Maybe one, at best.

As I stood there, the soldiers lined up with the capsule, racking my brain for solutions, Skeleton Soldier #1—the squad leader trainee—raised their bony arm high and opened their jaw.

"How about we use the 'Dislocate' skill to break ourselves apart...?"

The "Dislocate" skill.

It allowed them to detach their bones.

That would reduce their overall volume, making it possible to squeeze them into the capsule somehow.

"But can you reattach yourselves afterward?"

"We don’t need to reattach them! We're just breaking apart to explode later!"

"...Next idea."

What was I supposed to do with a pile of shattered bones?

Start a bone soup business?

Wait.

That ridiculous suggestion gave me an idea.

"Hold out your hand."

"W-why, Commander...?"

Snap!

I grabbed the skeleton's hand firmly with both of mine.

Then, with a satisfying crack—

Crunch! Crunch-crunch!

I toyed with each bone in the hand, shouting:

"Tendon Tearing, Bone Splitting!"

[You have used Tendon Tearing, Bone Splitting (Lv.1)!]

[The strength difference between you and the target is immense.]

[You are free to manipulate the target's bones and muscles!]

Clatter!

Pale fragments of bone scattered onto the ground.

The dozens of bones making up the hand, from fingers to wrist, disassembled themselves at my command.

"Com-Commander...?"

I then picked them up one by one.

Snap-snap-snap!

I reassembled them into a shape of my choosing.

"Commander! It's moving again!"

Clatter!

The hand moved freely, just like before.

"Tendon Tearing, Bone Splitting."

I thought it was just a torture skill...

Turns out, it works like this too?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]