Surviving Restructuring

A curtain of light stretched straight toward the towering monster in the distance.

[The special effect of the Loyal Retainer's Path has been activated.]

As he stepped onto the faintly glowing motes of light, messages rang out one after another.

[The loyalty of your subordinates protects you.]

[Damage taken is shared among loyal retainers.]

[Your attack power greatly increases by a hundred percent!]

[Your defense greatly increases by a hundred percent!]

Calling it the Loyal Retainer's Path felt misleading because it was closer to a road of sacrifice. Yet, those naïve fools had opened something like this without hesitation.

“Commander!” one cried out.

“T-thank you,” another said, voice trembling.

Seeing how they thanked him, along with that one-hundred-percent pure loyalty, Eun-Ho’s chest grew heavy.

“There’s nothing to thank me for,” Eun-Ho said flatly. “The path is something you opened yourselves.”

With that, he turned around and sprinted along the softly glowing road laid down by the foolish Skeletons.

Clack!

Clatter—!

Behind him came the rattling sounds of bones pounding against the ground.

Clack!

Clatter!

The distance gradually closed and their strides began to match his. Their pace synchronized with his own. He could feel them drawing nearer. Finally, they drew up on either side of him, blue-steel swords raised, and dark brown shields held tight. Something akin to exhilaration brimmed on their faces.

Claaack—!

Thud—!

In the next moment, a choking, exhaust-like fog swallowed his vision.

Whoosh!

[You have come into contact with Death Fog!]

[The effect of Death is transferred to Skeleton Soldiers!]

Black smoke veered away from him and seeped into the Skeletons.

[A large number of Skeleton Soldiers absorb Death!]

As the Skeletons devoured the pitch-black torrent in his stead, a sudden message sounded, completely unexpected.

[Congratulations!]

[A member of your organization has fulfilled the conditions.]

[The level of the skill Puppet Master has increased(Lv. 1 to Lv. 2).]

[Upon meeting conditions, you may awaken subordinate personnel.]

Awaken?!

[Countless trials overcome, loyalty exceeding its limits, and an unyielding will mirroring that of their leader!]

[The Skeleton Soldier unit is ready.]

What?

[Would you like to awaken the Skeleton Soldier unit?]

What? Right now? An awakening, all of a sudden? Eun-Ho thought.

He had no idea what was going on. Not that reasons and procedures mattered at this moment.

“I’ll do it,” Eun-Ho said.

[Awakening complete!]

[Skeleton Soldier Number One has advanced to Skeleton Knight Number One!]

Number One’s finger bones rattled loudly. Blackish purple smoke billowed up from its fingertips, slowly wrapping around the four finger bones it had shattered for Eun-Ho’s sake. Then, something manifested atop its head.

Hissssss—

It was an imposing knight’s helmet, carved from the sharpened skull of a horned beast, its two horns jutting upward in a savage display.

Then, one by one, Number Two, Number Three, and Number Four were engulfed in the same violet aura. Following the same order, ten new knights were born.

[Skeleton Soldier Number Two has advanced to Skeleton Knight Number Two!]

[Skeleton Soldier Number Three has advanced to Skeleton Knight Number Three!]

[Skeleton Soldier Number Four has advanced to Skeleton Knight Number Four!]

...

As if on cue, all of them raised their voices together and roared, “Uwaaaaah!”

Creatures that had once barely scraped out a screech were screaming with their own voices for the first time, just like beasts long caged.

Thud!

Then, they began to drop to one knee, one after another.

“We greet you, Commander,” they said.

Thud!

They slammed their pale kneecaps into the filthy mud.

Thud!

They bowed their heads deeply, waiting for a single word to come from his mouth.

“Get up,” he said.

They had already come this far. If this truly counted as an awakening, there was no time for such formalities.

“We still have a long way to go.”

[Skeleton Knights obey your order.]

[Current Loyalty: 100%]

“We obey...” they replied, springing to their feet and raising their swords.

“Clear the way!”

Thud—!

The knights surged forward, taking the lead. Wrapped in violet, armor-like mist, their forms no longer hollow or transparent

[Skeleton Knights pledge eternal loyalty to you, their lord.]

[The Loyal Retainer's Path is imbued with noble chivalry.]

Eun-Ho followed behind them. A violet bond tied him and the knights together, overlaid by a second layer of silvery particles that enveloped him.

The distance between them and the monster closed in an instant. They were not slow by any means. Even so, the knights positioned themselves in front of him, blocking danger while carving open the path ahead. Their movements were so natural it felt rehearsed.

Swoosh—!

Thunk!

A knight’s blade severed a tentacle steeped in death, hacked apart.

Splat—!

Then, black ichor sprayed in every direction.

Kyaaaaah—!

The Death Worm’s head had drawn close without him realizing it. Its black-hole maw gaped wide, ringed with sharp teeth and dark, pulpy flesh. As if delivering a final warning, it spewed out the Death Fog.

Hissssss—!

The acrid mist tightened around everyone’s throats, carrying the chill of death itself.

[The effect of Death is transferred to Skeleton Knights!]

Once again, it seeped into the knights instead of Eun-Ho, the only one wrapped in silver light.

“Commander...” one said.

“... is untouchable...,” another growled.

Therefore, Eun-Ho channeled that light into his blade.

Thud—!

Then, he ran along the path they had made for him. He drove his sword in, plunged noble silver light into the nauseating king of death, and poured in the will of those guarding his back.

Then he said, “Bolt from the Blue.”

Bzzzzzzzzzzzt—!

The loyalty that surged upward tore through the pitch-black night sky, ripping it apart.

Craaaack—!

***

Crackle! Bzzzt!

Sparks still danced in the air like lingering embers. The sensation in his fingertips throbbed and tingled, and blinding light remained etched into his retinas.

“Those Skeletons...” someone murmured.

“Aren’t they the ones from that trial earlier?” another asked.

The night was so bright it could have passed for the day. Silence flowed like a river of stars Between the living and the undead knights.

“Damn,” someone muttered.

A low sigh slipped out, unfinished, swallowed halfway down. The forest was filled with a silence bordering on shock. It was a soundless scream, a clamor made entirely of stillness.

[Congratulations!]

[You have defeated the King of the Underground, Death Worm.]

[Please check your defeat rewards!]

Pop—!

A cheerful notification sound slipped into the heavy silence. A glossy, red box appeared. When he touched the golden ribbon, it loosened smoothly, revealing what lay inside.

[Death Worm Tentacle]

- A tentacle harvested from the Death Worm’s maw.

- It carries death within and can be summoned and dismissed in an installed form underground at a designated location.

- Up to five can be summoned. Resummon cooldown is twenty-four hours.

- Attack Power: 20

It’s disgusting, but it’ll be useful in a fight, Eun-Ho thought.

Even shrunk down to the length of a finger, the tentacle writhed faintly, radiating a sinister aura. Next to it lay another item.

[Death Orb]

- A sphere formed from condensed death consumed by the Death Worm.

- Upon consumption, it grants the power of death.

- However, you will die.

There was an absurd condition.

Die?

Black smoke swirled around a coin-sized orb, roughly the size of a five-hundred-won coin. The smoke drifted slowly, silently, yet with crushing weight.

As he stared at it, a chill crept up the back of his neck. It was the same sensation as standing atop a tall building, and suddenly wondering what would happen if he jumped, or gazing into an unfathomably deep sea and feeling the urge to dive.

Let’s not touch that.

He came to that conclusion quickly and averted his gaze. Just then, another welcome message appeared.

[Congratulations!]

[You have overcome the First Trial.]

[The Trial Compass records your first victory.]

Fwoosh—!

The compass in his pocket glowed. He took it out and clicked it open. An invisible fountain pen marked the inside of the compass. As if engraving golden letters, the dot became a line, then curved. What finally appeared was a leaf.

“Huh?”

Inside the pure white compass, slightly off-center to the left, a single small leaf had formed. It was a golden-yellow leaf, like one from a ginkgo tree in autumn, proving one trial had ended. The empty space extending to the right was clearly meant for two more symbols.

Two more trials left.

[Overcome all trials and earn the forest’s recognition!]

Let’s do it. Whatever it takes.

***

It was 7:00 AM and dawn arrived after the long night. The first morning for the Labor-Management Cooperation Team had arrived.

“Oh my, why are you up so early?” asked the cleaning lady.

“You’re up early too, ma’am,” Eun-Ho replied.

“Well, we all crashed so hard last night, I figured I’d tidy up a bit.”

They had fought three battles in a single day. First was the clash with the HR Manager at the job market. Second came immediately upon reaching the forest, which was an ambush by the Razor-Beaked Birds and the Corrupted Forest Guardian. The third struck just when they thought they could finally get some sleep, which was the trial itself. Eun-Ho was worried since none of them had slept properly.

“Oppa! Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, Bo-Ra.”

“Good morning, Hyungnim!”

“Good morning, Team Leader!”

Thankfully, no one looked as exhausted as he had feared. It was probably thanks to their significantly boosted Stamina and Strength stats.

“Then, shall we go?” he asked.

“Huh? Where are we going so early?” Yeo-Jin asked, eyes widening.

He smiled at her. “To clear snow.”

“Ugh... My shoulders almost gave out yesterday!”

“It’ll be better than yesterday. You got a title, remember?”

“A title?”

“Snow-clearing speed up by ten percent.”

She let out a long sigh and turned her head with a bitter expression.

Ding!

Just then, a blue system window appeared before everyone’s eyes.

[Team Trial, Clear the Snow, has been completed!]

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team has earned 5 Team Benefit Points.]

“Huh?”

A trial that they hadn’t even done had somehow been cleared.

“We’re all here, so who—”

Yeo-Jin froze.

“Wait. No way.”

Eun-Ho strode across the living room and flung open the log cabin’s door.

Thunk!

Outside stood the Skeleton Knights, propping up worn-out shovels.

“Commander!”

“Snow has been cleared!”

The Skeletons laughed proudly, practically begging for praise.

“Just you guys? You cleared it on your own?” he asked.

“Yes sir!”

“It didn’t take long!”

Huh?

“How long did it take?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Ten minutes?”

Good grief.

Sure, they had spent most of yesterday logging. Still, ten of them had finished a task that had taken dozens of people in ten minutes, without even using focused work time. Unable to believe it, he studied the knights more closely.

“But why are the shovels like that?” That was when he noticed the violet sheen clinging to them. “Don’t tell me, you infused Sword Aura into the shovels...”

“Yes we did!”

“You’re probably the only ones in the world who use Sword Aura to shovel snow.”

“Thank you sir!”

Watching them answer so proudly, he let out a dry laugh. “But why are there only five of you? Where’s the rest?”

“Over there!”

[Congratulations!]

[Team Trial, Build the Castle Wall, has been completed!]

Eun-Ho smacked his forehead when he saw the roughly built wall encircling the clearing.

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

[Please check Office Information!]

“You built the Castle Wall too?”

“Yes!”

“Where did the lumber come from?”

“We cut it!”

“For you Commander!”

They had truly grown up.

“Oh my, Young Man! With Skeletons raised this well, who needs ten sons?” the cleaning lady commented.

He scratched his head awkwardly. “Haha... I guess you’re right.”

It wasn’t wrong as ten sons really wouldn’t compare.

“Awesome! So does that mean we get to rest today?” Yeo-Jin asked, eyes sparkling as he smiled in rare satisfaction.

“No.”

That would never happen. I was thinking of putting this off because we’d be busy, but this worked out better. We could start right away, Eun-Ho thought.

“There’s been something bothering me since yesterday.”

Yeo-Jin seemed nervous. “What is it?”

It was that sense of unease he had felt ever since the Razor-Beaked Birds were taken down by the Ice Golem. At first, he thought it was because he had sensed the forest’s subtle tension before the Guardians appeared. However, he soon realized something was off.

“Why do monsters that live in cold lands have no resistance to the cold?” he asked.

That’s strange. Very strange.

“Yul,” he said.

“Yeees?”

“Where did you see the flowers yesterday?”

“Umm...” Yul’s eyes widened, blinking at the sudden question. Then she ran off, stopping at a certain spot. “Ah! Uh, here? No, wait...”

She tilted her head, clearly unsure despite her confident sprint. Wei, standing beside her, answered instead, “Over there. Five meters to the right of the Watchtower.”

Yul’s eyes sparkled. “Whoa! Wei Oppa, you’re a genius!”

Wei lifted his chin proudly.

Ignoring them, Eun-Ho crouched down at the spot. There it was, a trace of life. There were flowers where snow should have blanketed the ground. Patches of red and green blooms and fresh grass spread across the earth.

“Which means it wasn’t cold here to begin with,” Eun-Ho muttered.

This place probably wasn’t cold enough to grow lush grass and flowers?

“This snow was artificially created,” Eun-Ho added.

“T-then...”

“Does that mean there’s a way to undo it, Hyungnim?” Jae-Hyuk asked.

Though Eun-Ho didn’t know how yet, there probably was a way.

“If we’re going to work anyway, wouldn’t it be better to do it on warm ground?” Eun-Ho asked.

Click!

Whiiiiirr—

Just as he was about to suggest taking their time and finding it, the sound of wound-up clockwork drilled into his ears.

[You have discovered a Trial Fragment.]

[Navigation enabled.]

Click!

He hurriedly pulled out the compass and flipped it open. This time, it showed something different from before.

One end of the needle, once submerged in black smoke, turned brilliant gold. More importantly, no matter how much he turned or shook it, the tip pointed in only one direction.

“Found it.”

“Huh? Found what?” Yul asked, tilting her head.

He patted her head gently, met her eyes, and answered, “Spring.”

He had found a way to bring spring back to the frozen office.