Surviving Restructuring

Thuuud—!

Like a colossal ancient tree long dead, the Corrupted Forest Guardian finally collapsed. The forest shuddered as a quake-like tremor surged outward from the impact.

People staggered as they clung to the shaking watchtower, barely managing to hold their footing.

“Aaaah!”

“I-it’s falling!”

“Grab the supports!”

In the middle of the chaos, Bo-Ra shouted sharply, “Mold!”

A colossal, invisible wall took the form of a pale violet palm, pressing a mound of earth beneath the wavering tower. It formed a solid support, propping the structure up so it wouldn’t collapse even as it shook.

“That was amazing, Miss!”

“Hehe, of course it was! I’m talented, you know. Tal-ent-ed!”

Once the earthquake subsided, even the aftershocks faded away. Everyone managed to catch their breath at last.

In that brief lull, Eun-Ho recalled the message that had appeared earlier.

[The Wailing Forest awakens to the presence of a stranger.]

[You have obtained the Trial Compass.]

He felt a heavy sensation now resting in his hand. When did it happen? Despite him not being intoxicated or disoriented, the compass had somehow slipped neatly into his grasp.

Click.

It looked like a golden pocket watch. Inside, a single thick, black needle rotated slowly.

That needle is strange.

At first glance, it looked pitch-black, but on closer inspection, it was transparent, filled with swirling black smoke. The smoke billowed and faded in cycles, causing the needle to shift between jet black and ashen gray.

It really does look like a watch... Eun-Ho thought.

Whirr—

However, it didn’t tick off time, nor did it point north, south, or any direction at all.

Bo-Ra walked up toward him. She asked pridefully, wriggling her fingers nervously like a child fishing for praise. “Oppa! Did you see me saving the watchtower?”

Eun-Ho made sure to praise her properly. “I did. Your judgment was spot-on. If you’d been even a little later, it could’ve been dangerous. Your reaction speed was great too. It seems like your casting speed has improved.”

“Right? Right? I leveled up my skill, so it works instantly even if I don’t focus as hard!”

“You’ve been practicing a lot. Seems like it paid off.”

Bo-Ra beamed in satisfaction. Only then did she notice the thing in his hand. “Huh? Where’d that compass come from?”

“Good question.” Since explaining it would take too long, he kept his answer short.

Bo-Ra leaned in anyway, peering at it closely for a while before tilting her head. “Hmm? The needle’s weird.”

“Yeah. It’s not even leading us properly.”

She was right. The needle wobbled weakly, as if it wanted to point somewhere but couldn’t quite manage it.

“It’s supposed to point somewhere. North, or something.”

[The Compass has discovered the first trial.]

Still, it definitely said it had discovered something, whatever that trial was.

“Maybe it’s not charged yet?” he muttered.

There had to be some kind of condition. Nevertheless, he decided to figure it out later. Stashing the compass away, he turned his attention elsewhere, leaving Bo-Ra still tilting her head in confusion.

“For now, I think everyone’s going to have to put in a bit more effort,” he said, scanning the nearly completed watchtower and the sweat-soaked team members.

He knew pushing them nonstop would make him look like a ruthless leader, but he had a reason.

“There’s a way to upgrade our combat power,” Eun-Ho said.

Jang Han-Il and the others immediately began rereading the trial window and asking questions.

“Huh? What’s left?”

“The watchtower’s basically done. Just a few finishing touches!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Jang Han-Il, Park Gong-chan and most of their team members looked puzzled, which was normal.

“We just need to pull out the razor-beaks, right?”

Before he could even explain further, people started warming up.

“Damn it! Let’s do it together,” said Swear-Master.

“Me too! Whoa, does that mean we get to watch you forge swords this time?”

“Young Man! I’ll help too! I didn’t get to fight, so I should at least do this. We just grab and pull, right?”

“Is your back okay? I can hold you, so let’s do it together!”

“Everyone, start wherever you’re comfortable! I’ll gather them with psychokinesis!" Ji-Eun said.

No, seriously, when did everyone become such model laborers? Eun-Ho thought.

“Hyungnim! How many do you need this time? Fifty? A hundred?” Jae-Hyuk asked boldly.

Man. He sure changed.

Feeling oddly proud at Jae-Hyuk’s eagerness, Eun-Ho replied, “As many as you can manage.”

“Yes, sir!”

The more blades they secured, the better, because there were plenty of uses for them.

“I’ll hold it! Here!”

Thanks to everyone stepping up, the work should finish smoothly—or so he thought. It happened just as he moved toward the next target.

Ye-Ji lost her grip on the Razor-Beaked Bird she had been holding. “On three! One, two, thr—ah!”

Clang!

Thankfully, the statue didn’t shatter, frozen solid as it was. However, a violet haze spread across Ye-Ji’s palm.

Seeing the ominous aura, Sol-Ah rushed over and immediately cast a healing skill. “What the hell?! What’s wrong?!”

“M-my Stamina dropped!” Ye-Ji shouted in panic because just touching the icy blade had drained her Stamina.

“What? Why?!”

He glanced at Sol-Ah, and she answered right away, “It’s frostbite. I cured it.”

“This is—”

“Wait! Then that means!”

Aside from Ye-Ji, who was hiding behind Sol-Ah in shock, everyone else’s faces brightened.

“That's good news.”

“W-what?! How is me getting frostbite good news?!”

“It means stabbing enemies with these swords will inflict frostbite.”

“Oh!”

It was surely an unexpected effect. Maybe the Ice Golem’s blizzard, or the cold that had blanketed the entire forest, had enhanced them. Either way, it was undeniably good news. Forging the swords would be hard, but any enemy facing dozens of frostbite-inflicting blades would have it far worse, be it monsters or the bastards up above.

“We absolutely have to make these. Jae-Hyuk, how about you?”

“Ah, I take damage too, but my recovery’s faster!”

It was probably thanks to his Ultra Regeneration.

“If that’s the case, Jae-Hyuk, Ji-Eun, Bo-Ra, and Mr. Security Guard, I’ll ask just the four of you to handle this.”

Ji-Eun and Bo-Ra didn’t need to touch the blades directly, and the guard had an overwhelmingly high Stamina pool, so he should be fine.

“Sol-Ah, keep your healing skill running. Focus mainly on Mr. Security Guard,” Eun-Ho ordered.

“Okay.”

“This is an incredibly valuable resource. The corpse might disappear, so please work as quickly as possible.”

“Okay!”

“Got it!”

Just in case, he gave Sol-Ah a few additional precautions before turning away.

That was when Swear-Master immediately barked back, “What? What about me?!”

“There’s no need to worry. We’ve got plenty to do.”

“Yeah, damn it! I’m strong too!” Swear-Master followed along, now oddly competitive with the guard. He muttered, “I’m stronger than that old man!”

They moved to the corpse of the tree monster.

Swoosh—!

The hardened ancient trunk loomed before him once more. He ran his fingertips over the surface, feeling grooves so deep they resembled the wrinkles of a centenarian.

“And why are we—”

“Sword Force.”

Fwoosh—!

Crack!

Blue sword aura flared along the blade, slicing into the bark. It was far too tough to cut cleanly in one go, but a crack definitely formed.

Craaack— Crack!

Ding!

[You have obtained the Hardwood!]

After grunting and prying at it for a while, almost tearing it off by force, the message he had been hoping for finally appeared.

[Hardwood]

- A dense wood formed after countless years of drying under scorching sunlight and being worn down by cold winds.

- Infused with the forest’s vitality, its hardness has been further enhanced.

- It does not break easily, even under great force.

- Defense Power: 20

This is!

Eun-Ho had tested it on a whim, and the material turned out to be useful for both weapons and armor.

There’s way more useful stuff here than I expected!

It felt like a tree that would never run dry. More than anything, perhaps because the Guardian had been so massive, the sheer amount of usable wood it yielded was an enormous advantage. Even after harvesting enough to wrap around his entire body, there was still plenty left over.

“Probably enough to circle the clearing once,” he muttered.

Swear-Master snapped his fingers, clearly liking the idea. “The clearing? Oh! If we set it up like a wall, no one could mess with us!”

“That won’t be enough.”

“Huh? You said enough to go around once.”

“You think we’re only using the land up to here?”

“... Well, then how far are you planning to use?” Swear-Master asked with a visibly weary expression.

Eun-Ho answered firmly, “The entire forest.”

“Yeah, I knew you would say that.”

You need to think big. After all, it wasn’t easy to get this land in the first place, Eun-Ho thought.

“All right, everyone, get moving! We’re starting dismantling operations!”

***

The work continued.

Krrrk, krrrk, krrrk, krrrk, krrrk, krrrk...

With petrified hands, they ground down the frozen blade-beaks again and again.

Krrrk, krrrk, krrrk, krrrk, krrrk...

[Caution!]

[You have come into contact with Ten-Thousand-Year Frost.]

[Unbearable cold seeps into your bones.]

[You will develop the status effect, Frostbite, in one minute.]

“Guh!”

“Hey! Are you okay? It’s freezing just getting close!”

[Your Stamina is decreasing. 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%...]

Even touching it briefly caused a searing, icy pain, so all the team members looked on with concern.

[Ten-Thousand-Year Frost bows before you, the Snowfield Ruler.]

[You are unaffected by cold.]

There was no need for something extra, but the effect from a title he had earned long ago helped a bit as well.

[The Emperor Cockroach’s adaptability has been activated!]

[Your resistance to cold has increased slightly.]

[The Labor-Management Cooperation Team Members are moved by your unparalleled sacrifice!]

[Current Loyalty: 75%]

Before he could say anything, their loyalty jumped sharply. Watching him grind blades barehanded, skin reddened from the cold, they seemed to think he was making some tremendous sacrifice.

Thunk!

Eun-Ho carved a groove into the hardwood with sword aura and fitted the blade into place. The sword was complete.

[You have obtained the Hardwood!]

[You have obtained the Ice Razor Beak Blade!]

[Ice Razor Beak Blade]

- A sword personally ground and forged by a rising star of the swordsmanship world, using a blade-beak frozen by Ten-Thousand-Year Frost.

- Instead of a conventional hilt, hardwood was carved and fitted directly onto the blade.

- Its uneven grip may feel awkward at first, but it should grow more comfortable over time.

- Its unique appearance is a bonus.

- Attack Power: 10(Damage over Time: 1 per second)

Not only was the performance surprisingly solid, this item even had Damage over Time. Everyone’s eyes widened at the shattered sunlight reflected on the ice-like blade. Witnessing something they barely believed come to life filled them with awe.

“Ah...”

Yet no one stepped forward immediately.

“Um, are you making more?”

“Who are you giving it to?”

“You said there will be part leaders. Are you only giving them out to those people?”

It was clear everyone wanted one, yet no one dared to say it out loud.

Therefore, Eun-Ho declared, “I’m giving them to all of you.”

“What?!”

“The stronger you become, the stronger I become.”

No matter how good it was, it was his own work, not the craft of a professional blacksmith. It couldn’t compare to the Sky-Shattering Blade he wielded. Still, for many of them, even a weapon like this would be invaluable. It was an investment in a sense.

“You’re just giving them away? All of them?”

“You’re my team.”

Eun-Ho hadn’t created the team just because he wanted to become a leader. Otherwise, he would have simply formed a regular unit under the Investigation Bureau or the Audit Bureau instead. The reason he had formed the Labor-Management Cooperation Team, rather than something like Investigation Team Nine-Nine-Nine or Field Audit Team Nine-Nine-Nine, was simple.

『If ten percent or more of the total employees agree on a specific agenda, the agenda may be proposed through a labor-management consultative body.』

He intended to secure the support of over ten percent of the total workforce and establish a union.

Which means I won’t just sit still. Never, Eun-Ho thought.

He was preparing for a fight that would inevitably come someday. For now, he was laying the groundwork so the team could protect this place even when he wasn’t around.

“Our team benefits are insane.” Bo-Ra said half-jokingly in admiration.

“So that’s what you were planning all along, Team Leader?” Yeo-Jin remarked in awe.

Another message immediately followed.

[The Labor-Management Cooperation Team Members are deeply impressed by your leadership.]

[Current Loyalty: 80%]

Eighty percent loyalty on the very first day was more than enough.

“Then let’s keep moving. Prepare the materials.”

“Yes sir!”

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

[You have obtained the Ice Razor Beak Blade!]

[You have obtained the Ice Razor Beak Blade!]

[You have obtained the Ice Razor Beak Blade!]

...

Ding!

[Your title Human Whetstone has evolved into Cold Human Whetstone!]

[You are able to grind any ice.]

[Ice-grinding speed has increased drastically.]

Huh?

As the work continued smoothly, additional effects meant for him alone began popping up one after another.

[Ground ice fragments become more durable.]

[Your resistance to cold has increased significantly.]

Everything else aside, the fact that ground ice became tougher was interesting. He should try it on Ice Golem’s fragments too, just like how he had aligned the Skeleton Soldiers’ bones.

Well now that I’m thinking about this, I wonder how the Skeleton Soldiers are doing? Hopefully that assistant instructor had trained them properly. He’s not bullying them, is he?

He decided to check on them soon. While he was lost in that not-quite-a-worry and forming plans of his own, the long project was finally finished.

“It’s done!”

[Congratulations!]

[Team Trial, Construct a Watchtower, has been completed.]

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team has earned 30 Team Benefit Points.]

[Please check Office Information!]

They had finally finished constructing a watchtower. Built from felled logs, the tall wooden structure had been assembled by dozens of sturdy workers who hammered nails, tied ropes, and reinforced the frame with canvas. It was their very first completed building.

“It feels good to have one like this,” Park Gong-chan muttered.

His words sparked a chorus of positive reactions.

“With our weapons and a watchtower, aren’t we basically unbeatable?”

“What kind of effect does it have? I’m curious!”

“Wow! Our team benefits are no joke!”

They were all drenched in sweat and seemed disheveled, but seeing how happy they were was reassuring.

“Office information,” he said.

Fwoosh—!

Then, a translucent blue window appeared before his eyes.

[Wailing Forest]

- Affiliation: Labor-Management Cooperation Team

- Area: 1,000 x 1,000

- Facilities/Furniture: [Log Cabin(Lv. 1)], [Watchtower(Lv. 1)]

- Special Effects: None

Then he checked the Watchtower’s effect.

[Watchtower(Lv. 1)]

- Can detect distant enemies.

“What?”

“That’s it?”

“Detect distant enemies? Well, yeah. It’s high, so I guess it would.”

Some of the team members seemed disappointed, which was understandable. Personal satisfaction and practical utility were two very different things.

“But that’s not all,” Eun-Ho said.

“Huh?”

What Watchtower(Lv. 1) really implied wasn’t just the basic function of a structure.

“The fact that it has a level means it gains effects when we upgrade it.”

That meant it was far too early for anyone to be disappointed.

“Benefit rewards.”

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team currently holds a total of 1,980 Benefit Points!]

[Please select a Benefit Reward!]