Surviving Restructuring

Early on, Eun-Ho had figured out early on that Mo-Ho was the type who had to be crushed with force.

[Mo-Ho]

[Skills]

Archery(Lv. 6)

Basic Spearmanship(Lv. 5)

Rhetoric(Lv. 20)

Charm(Lv. 14)

Basic Swordsmanship(Lv. 7)

Oratory(Lv. 7)

Bomb Cocktail Brewing(Lv. 29)

Most of Mo-Ho’s abilities were clearly better suited for high-ranking social maneuvering rather than combat. At a glance, he did not seem especially dangerous.

The problem is that there are too many eyes on us.

Whether it was a setup or not, Eun-Ho had been dragged for questioning. Starting a brawl in such a situation would only hurt him. On top of that, there was an enormous Eye affixed to the ceiling of the holding cell. There was no telling how the bastard outside would splice and edit the footage again.

Eye. Eye. Eye. If only there weren’t so many people watching... Hm? Wait a second. What if I use that the other way around? That might actually work in my favor.

The kindling was already stacked, so all he had to do was set it ablaze.

[Please input a message!]

He acted the moment the thought crossed his mind. Pretending to clear his throat, he lowered his head slightly and sent out a command. What he had to do next was simple.

“I get it,” Eun-Ho said calmly.

“W-what?”

“You probably needed someone to hate. Someone to dump your anger on. But. You picked the wrong person,” Eun-Ho added.

Mo-Ho gritted his teeth. “You arrogant little—what the hell are you saying?!”

Just then, a message window popped up, completely covering Mo-Ho’s face.

[A new message has arrived from team member, Min Yeo-Jin.]

[Please check the contents!]

“You piece of shit. I hated you from the moment I saw—”

“You’ve lived a pretty busy life,” Eun-Ho said casually.

“What?!” Caught off guard by the non sequitur, Mo-Ho finally shut up.

Eun-Ho took that opportunity to kindly read things out loud, “Stealing your teammates’ sales records just to beat a rookie, fine. Let’s say that happens.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, bringing that up—”

“But you were rotten from the start, weren’t you?”

It was the list Yeo-Jin and Leira had painstakingly dug up, the so-called “Mo-Ho Investigation Report.”

“You blackmailed your fellow recruits by digging up their weaknesses and siphoned off their points and achievements.”

Mo-Ho’s slick, buttery smile vanished in an instant.

“You even sweet-talked a female recruit, telling her you’d date her if she handed over her results? Wow. That’s low, even for you.”

“You crazy bastard! Where did you hear that?!”

“But the real problem is...”

Mo-Ho stiffened and the tension was obvious. His blue eyes warped and widened as panic crept in.

Found it. Your Achilles’ heel.

“But she dumped you, didn’t she?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Huh?”

“And not just that—”

“S-shut up! What the hell are you trying to say?!”

Thud!

Mo-Ho lunged forward, grabbing Eun-Ho by the collar. His hot breath blasted against Eun-Ho’s face, making it obvious just how enraged he was.

Just a little more...

“What was it that she said again?” Eun-Ho continued, “that you were pathetic, all bluster and no substance, and she couldn’t stand looking at you anymore—”

Mo-Ho charged like a bull. “Shut the hell up, you bastard!”

Okay, that should be enough.

His reddened face filled Eun-Ho’s vision. Mo-Ho raised a tightly clenched fist, about to bring it down.

“Acceleration.”

“I’m goooooing toooo kiiii—”

Puff—

Eun-Ho dismissed the window and summoned his personal Eye instead.

[The Eye has opened.]

The fist slowed to a crawl, moving at one-twentieth its normal speed. Behind Mo-Ho, the Eye swelled and solidified, becoming more distinct by the second. As the spherical object took shape in midair, Eun-Ho simply stood there and waited.

Five. Four. Three...

Tick.

With the sound of a second hand moving, the punch flew toward him. Then plenty of witnesses entered.

[A new observer has joined!]

[A new observer has joined!]

[A new observer has joined!]

[A new observer has joined!]

...

“... kill you!”

Wham!

The sound as if a watermelon had been smashed open reverberated through the holding cell, and even beyond the freshly created Eye.

Perfect timing.

Eun-Ho rose to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. One eye was swollen and bluish from a Recovery Potion hastily applied, while bright red Health Potion dripped from the corner of his lips.

And the staging’s perfect, too.

“You were asking for it, you fucking bastard! Maybe getting beaten to death will knock some sense into—huh?” Mo-Ho’s furious rant died in his throat.

Eun-Ho, who had been perfectly fine a second ago, now seemed half-dead.

“W-why is the Eye here...”

It must have been recorded nicely, Eun-Ho thought.

[The Stonehead from the Bureau of Personnel is horrified by the one-sided assault!]

[The Thumb Princess from the Bureau of Operations cannot contain her anger at the thug’s behavior!]

Eun-Ho looked up. “You started it.”

“What?!”

Getting hit first had been Eun-Ho’s strategy from the start. Of course, he also intended to thoroughly collect the compensation in his own way.

[The Thumb Princess from the Bureau of Operations shouts that they want to smash that insolent bastard’s mouth to pieces!]

[The Stonehead from the Bureau of Personnel agrees wholeheartedly, saying they are absolutely right!]

For the record, Stonehead was Min Yeo-Jin, while the Thumb Princess was Leira. Just in case no observers showed up, Eun-Ho had told them to come in right away and stir things up a bit.

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management gapes in shock, asking what on earth happened to you after so long!]

[The Prince from the Bureau of Investigation says they were startled because a punch came flying the moment they tuned in.]

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management replies that whatever it is, they should kill that guy first and talk later!]

Judging by the fervent reactions, Eun-Ho’s warning to his team probably hadn’t even been necessary.

“That punch packs a sting,” Eun-Ho said coolly. “Is this how you threatened your teammates and stole their results too?”

“What kind of bullshit—”

“Enough.”

First, this is what you get.

“Petrify.”

Crack—

Eun-Ho’s right arm stiffened solid in mid-motion.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation widens their eyes, asking if that isn’t the Sales Department’s ace.]

[The Crow from the Bureau of Management advises that ace or not, you should smash him anyway!]

Eun-Ho swung his arm and the hardened fist struck Mo-Ho’s right cheek, passing through as if it were light as air. At least, it was light by Eun-Ho’s standards.

“Keaugh!”

Mo-Ho’s neck bent sharply, folding like paper. Red saliva sprayed from his mouth, splattering across his frilled clothes and the ashen stone floor.

“This is for dragging an innocent person in here with a false report.”

[The Brain from the Bureau of Investigation asks if that bastard was the reason you ended up in a holding cell in the first place.]

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation recoils, saying it was that guy who dared throw their male lead into jail.]

[Multiple observers demand that the enemy be dealt with immediately.]

Even in his disheveled state, the deep imprint of a fist stood out clearly against Mo-Ho’s once-pale cheek. However, it wasn’t over yet.

Thud—

Eun-Ho hit him again.

“Guuk!”

He targeted the same sunken spot, and Mo-Ho collapsed sideways akin to a shrimp curling in on itself. This time, bright red blood sprayed out, teeth popping free. It was one canine and one small molar.

“This is for calling in the elders and fabricating evidence.”

Thud!

Then, he drove a fist into Mo-Ho’s gut. “And finally this! This is for the spit you hocked earlier, you son of a bitch.”

With his right foot still hardened by Petrify, Eun-Ho smashed Mo-Ho’s shin. Then he spat on the back of Mo-Ho’s neck.

Mo-Ho tried to counter, throwing his weight into his punch. “Y-you bashtard!”

Therefore, Eun-Ho caught the incoming fist, grabbed it and crushed it.

Crack!

“Gaaak! Keaugh!”

[Multiple observers cheer at the cathartic action!]

[A donation of 1,000 Welfare Points has been made!]

[A few observers request that all four limbs be broken.]

At that moment, a cool sensation flowed from Mo-Ho’s fist into Eun-Ho’s hand. It felt eerily similar to when Sol-Ah used a healing skill, chilly yet refreshing.

“W-whah are you dohing?!” asked Mo-Ho.

That was what Eun-Ho wanted to ask. As he frowned at the unfamiliar sensation, wondering if Mo-Ho had activated some kind of ability, dark, inky smoke began to curl up around Eun-Ho’s right ring finger.

Hiss—

[Corrupted Monarch's Ring has been activated!]

“Ah right.”

It was the ring he had obtained from the Desert King. After meeting Leira, he had decided it was time to actually make use of it, so he had been wearing it. In fact, it was the same ring he had engraved patterns on earlier.

[You are absorbing 0.2% of the target's Stamina per second.]

It seemed the ring had recognized Mo-Ho as a target.

[69.8%]

[69.6%]

[69.4%]

...

Without Mo-Ho having any idea why, the ring steadily shaved off 0.2% of his Stamina every second.

This might actually be useful.

Its damage scaled with the target’s Stamina, making it especially effective against stronger foes.

“S-stoop!”

Well, someone like this hardly warranted using an item in the first place.

“L-let’s jush talk it out! P-pleash!”

At least all his teeth were out now.

“Talk?” Eun-Ho asked. “You’ll confess to everything?”

“I-I will! Y-yes! I dih it! I fahbricated ehvidence for illegal shales!”

He got a confession.

“But you did it yourself?”

Mo-Ho flinched.

“I looked into it. The interviews with the elders were done during lunch today.”

That wasn’t enough.

“In other words, after you were already detained.”

“T-that’s...”

Once Eun-Ho set his mind on something, he preferred to rip it out by the roots.

“So, who helped you?” he asked coldly.

Mo-Ho’s blue eyes wavered as if churned by waves. His gaze brimmed with anxiety, fear, and hesitation.

Therefore, Eun-Ho leaned in and whispered, “You got your share, didn’t you?”

Mo-Ho flinched.

“I heard everything.”

That was enough to pile even more unease onto that share of guilt.

“Wouldn’t it be smarter to confess before they cut off the tail?” Eun-Ho asked. “As for the other side, it’s simple. They just have to say that they were just used. They only did what you told them to do. They say that, and it’s over.”

Mo-Ho’s blue eyes shook like a sailboat caught in a storm, teetering on the verge of capsizing. He seemed to have made up his mind at last.

His lips, crusted with drying blood and thoroughly ruined, parted to speak. “I-I...”

Bang—

Just then, the iron bars flew open, and a sharp shout rang out. “What the hell is going on here?!”

“I-Inspector!”

It was the man both Mo-Ho and Eun-Ho had been waiting for, a filthy reinforcement. The buttery man clung to a thread of relief. The spectators, meanwhile, seethed with fury.

“Lee Eun-Ho! Have you lost your mind?!”

[The Brain from the Bureau of Investigation clicks their tongue, remarking that they sure showed up quickly.]

[The Newbie from the Bureau of Corporate Relations shouts that they stood by when you were getting beaten and only now decided to interfere.]

[Multiple observers erupt in anger at the unfair situation!]

“Criminal trash like you deserves to be beaten. Back in my day, you wouldn’t even have bones left!”

Framed by those voices, the inspector strode forward like a hero, raising the baton at his waist.

Whoosh—

He swung it down at a terrifying speed, packing an immense force. The baton tore through the air, generating a gust as it flew. “Back in my da—”

“Acceleration,” Eun-Ho said calmly.

“aaaay—”

“Close channel.”

The baton was about to crash down and shatter his shoulder. He had already shown everything that had to be seen.

With twenty seconds remaining, he confirmed the Eye had vanished. At eighteen, he snatched the baton in a single, fluid motion. By fifteen, Eun-Ho had slipped behind the inspector and struck the same precise spot he’d targeted before. At ten, the scapula shattered beneath a thin layer of flesh. At five, he spun around and crushed the pelvis as well.

That should do—ah wait.

He still had three seconds. In that case, he swung once more at the bedazed Mo-Ho as a bonus.

Tick—

Then, time resumed.

“Gyaaaah!”

“Aaagh! It huuurts!”

In the pitch-dark holding cell, screams rang out. Those were howls closer to those of beasts than men.

“Aaaaaargh!”

That took care of the personal punishment.

Just then, he received a message.

Leira: I found evidence of the solicitation. I’m sending the recording now.

The performance was complete. All that remained was to see justice carried through.

“People say the law is distant but the fist is close,” Eun-Ho said evenly.

“What are you even—”

“But I disagree. Why should we choose just one?”

“What?!”

“You can hit them with the law and with your fists.” He walked toward the inspector, whose eyes had gone wide. “Private interference in a tip-off case, fabrication of evidence, bribery and illicit solicitation, illegal surveillance without a warrant, unlawful detention of an innocent civilian, and aggravated assault on top of it all. The evidence is solid.”

It was quite the list.

“This isn’t something you hash out with field-level staff, which means I’ll be speaking directly with the division chief.”

“W-why bring in the chief all of a sudden?! No, wait, how would you even—”

“Who knows.”

Following Eun-Ho’s gaze, the inspector’s eyes slid to Mo-Ho, who was writhing on the floor and sobbing. “You son of a bitch! What did you say? What the hell did you tell him?!”

“W-what are you talking about?! What did I even do?!”

The idiots turned on each other.

“You could’ve just died alone! Why’d you spill everything?!”

“I-I didn’t! I swear!”

That was the extent of their loyalty. Then again, it was probably nothing more than the last plea of a gourd with its stem already cut. Nothing impressive, really.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

What perfect timing, Eun-Ho thought.

“Lee Eun-Ho! Are you all right?!” asked Guk.

“I heard what happened. I told you to come to our department! Look at this mess,” said the manager.

“Oh, Manager. You’re here too,” Eun-Ho said.

Moreover, Guk had brought his entire team with him. Eun-Ho had heard that Team Three, known for stirring up drama, was at odds with Team Four. Perhaps that rivalry was why they had come in tandem.

That works for me.

Everyone was here now.

“This case is going to get big,” Eun-Ho said. “Are you all right with that?”

“Hah! Are you seriously asking me?” Guk shot back.

“Yes. As one team leader to another.”

“You little bastard, I always knew you were crazy but if I weren’t okay with it, would I have come this far?”

With consent secured, it was time to raise the stakes a little. “Great. Then please take care of cleaning things up here.”

“Understood. And what about you, Team Leader?”

“I have someone I need to meet,” Eun-Ho replied.