Surviving Restructuring

“First off, I’ll need at least ten sheets of Wyvern Hide, and Shadow Silkworm Cocoon Thread, maybe around twenty skeins? Whew. Honestly, I’d love to remake everything from scratch, but we’re missing far too many materials,” said Soeju.

Their tycoon was a greedy one, thankfully so.

“I could probably gather everything within a week. Ten days at most,” said Soeju.

However, the problem was that circumstances were not on their side.

Eun-Ho said frankly, “I’d like to say you can take your time, but we’re not exactly in a position to wait.”

Rather than sitting around for a hundred-percent perfect item, it was better to walk away with something at eighty percent. Especially when he knew there were people walking around with their eyes wide open, actively plotting his death.

“That’s true. The way the Personnel Bureau has been moving is suspicious, and that sneaky bastard in sales doesn’t sit right with me either,” said Soeju.

“The sneaky bastard in sales?” Eun-Ho asked.

“The one we met at the restaurant back then.”

“Well, quite a few of the VIP clients you manage are my regulars as well. I suppose it’s time I made a few calls after all.”

“Guh! S-Soeju! Hic!”

That reaction could only belong to one person, the former Employee of the Year who had once made a disgrace of himself by grabbing Soeju by the collar.

“If you’re talking about him, he’s been finished for a while now,” Eun-Ho said calmly. “I heard all his VIPs demanded refunds, so his performance numbers completely collapsed.”

“On top of that, the people working under him reported him for stealing credit and all sorts of things. Doesn’t seem like he has anywhere left to run,” said Soeju.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces too.”

“The problem is...” Soeju paused briefly, choosing his words before continuing, “apparently, he’s been blaming you, Eun-Ho, a lot.”

“My fault you say?”

Everything, from start to finish, had been Butter’s fault. He had dug his own grave and jumped into it, yet he was blaming someone else.

Dumbfounded, he asked again, “He said it was my fault?”

Soeju clicked his tongue. “It’s human nature. If things go well, it’s your own achievement. If they fall apart, you want to pin it on someone else.”

“That does sound like something he’d do.”

“He won’t pose much of a threat, but just in case, it’d be better to prepare,” Soeju advised.

Eun-Ho nodded in agreement. “For now, let’s make do by repairing what we already have in stock.”

“Thank you.”

“Wait a moment. I’ll get things ready.” Soeju clapped his hands sharply and began bustling about. “First...”

His expression was akin to a painter gazing at a canvas full of blank spaces, yet to be colored.

Eventually, his excited gaze landed on Jae-Hyuk. “Choi Jae-Hyuk, was it? Let’s start with the easiest one to work on.”

“Pardon? Y-yes! It’s Choi! Jae! Hyuk! But e-easy to work on?”

“Come this way.”

***

Jae-Hyuk, who had vanished somewhere after following Soeju, came rushing back in a frenzy.

“What is it now?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Hyuuungnim! Y-you’ve got to see this!”

“You said he modified it so you won’t feel pain?”

“Yes! There were several options, but I asked for this one!” Jae-Hyuk’s eyes sparkled brightly, reminiscent of a large dog waiting for praise. “Since I’ll heal anyway, wouldn’t it be more efficient to remove pain perception altogether?”

“What?”

“If I can’t feel pain, I can fight better!”

“Hmm...”

That felt like taking things a bit too far. Pain wasn’t some useless human sense. There were dangers one could only recognize because something hurt.

For example, if he was on fire and felt nothing, he would stand there cluelessly until his skin burned away and his bones melted. In an extreme case, if someone dismembered him while he slept, he’d be torn apart without ever realizing it.

Eun-Ho pointed out. “Isn’t that dangerous? It’d be hard to respond to abnormalities right away.”

Fortunately, Soeju seemed to share the same concern, because Jae-Hyuk quickly brightened and added, “Ah, well. He said the pain reduction level is adjustable! From ten percent all the way to a hundred!”

“If you set it to a hundred percent, you feel nothing at all?”

“Yes!”

Well, in that case, there was nothing more to say.

“Whew... Honestly, I was terrified because getting injured hurt so much. I feel relieved now,” Jae-Hyuk said.

Seeing how genuinely happy and reassured he looked, Eun-Ho couldn’t bring himself to tell him it was too dangerous.

He’d manage on his own. Surely he won’t keep running around, saying it doesn’t hurt even if his arms or legs get torn off, right?

A horrifying image flashed through Eun-Ho’s mind, but he quickly shook it off and. “Alright. Either way, it’ll be useful.”

“Oh! And the mace’s attack power increased too. It now has fifteen armor penetration and ten more attack power, Hyungnim!”

It seemed that on top of adding options to Jae-Hyuk’s armor, Soeju had upgraded his weapon as well. He had worked on quite a few things in such a short while.

Thanks, Soeju.

As gratitude settled in and the anticipation for his own turn slowly began to rise, Ji-Eun’s voice came from beyond the door. “Um, may I come out now?”

“Come out already, Noonim!”

“Well, I don’t think this outfit really suits me...”

It sounded like something a couple would say while shopping together.

“Hyungnim, I think Noonim’s outfit might be kind of weird,” Jae-Hyuk whispered with a vacant look on his face.

Eun-Ho gave him immediate instructions. “Clap first, no matter what.”

“Huh?”

“And even if you don’t know what to say, just tell her it looks good on her.”

“Really?”

Then, with a click, the door opened.

“Wow...”

She was dressed in a crisp, form-fitting white shirt, and black skinny pants. A bulletproof vest was layered over them, complete with several utility pouches. With black sunglasses and a gun in hand, the concept was unmistakable. Ji-Eun seemed like one of those National Intelligence Service black agents one would see at least once in a drama.

And she tied her hair up, Eun-Ho thought.

Her short bob had been gathered into a small ponytail. Thanks to that, her right ear was fully exposed, revealing a tiny, bean-sized device that seemed like a wireless earpiece.

“Um, I look strange, don’t I?” Ji-Eun asked.

With everyone’s attention focused on her, she twisted herself shyly.

“Wow... Noonim, you look amazing!”

“It suits you perfectly!”

That was all it took. Like a starting gun, everyone burst into exclamations. It made sense because her costume really did suit her.

Ji-Eun glanced up at Eun-Ho with barely concealed anticipation. “Really? Does it look good on me?”

He chose his words carefully. “From head to toe—”

“I know today started with a crazy kiss...♫”

“Choi Jae-Hyuk. You’re not actually twenty-five, are you?”

“Ahem. Sorry.”

Jae-Hyuk’s outdated joke about a song lyric added a hint of laughter to the air.

“You look completely different. It really suits you,” praised Eun-Ho.

“Hehe, really?”

“Yes, like a killer straight out of a Hollyweed movie.”

Ji-Eun burst into giggles. “Haha, that much?”

“Yes. And it looks comfortable, too,” Eun-Ho continued, “is that a bulletproof vest?”

“Oh, yes! Plate armor was too heavy. This is a bulletproof vest made from Wyvern Hide, and it has twenty defense powers.”

Ji-Eun had focused mostly on raising her skill levels, so her physical strength was not very high. Soeju had even taken that into account.

Soeju really put a lot of thought into this.

“But the gun’s black now. Did you repaint it?” he asked curiously.

“Ah, that,” Soeju, who had been admiring his handiwork with a proud expression, answered. “When I first made it, it was a bit... Well, how do you say it these days? Attention-seeking. There was really no need to make it all flashy gold.”

Eun-Ho nodded. “The gold was flashy, but this definitely stands out less.”

Ji-Eun immediately agreed. “I love it! I can hide it in the vest and pull it out to shoot right away.”

“Exactly, right? You can even hide it behind your back and fire!”

“Yes! That makes it perfect for blowing someone’s head off from behind!”

Excuse me?

Something about that conversation felt terrifying. Still, she seemed happy, at least.

“Eun-Ho, Eun-Ho!” Contrary to how nervous she had been earlier, Ji-Eun clearly loved her new outfit. “Look at this!”

Excitedly, she tapped the tiny device in her right ear.

Pop.

With a single touch, the sunglasses vanished. Then, with another tap, they reappeared.

“Oh, that’s impressive,” he said.

Ji-Eun rose onto her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, “I gave him a rough explanation of my Prophetic Shooting skill, and he made it for me.”

According to Ji-Eun, her ability allowed her to see the trajectory the bullet had to follow. Now, with the sunglasses, she could even see wind direction, wind speed, and even the target’s remaining health.

“Oh, and they correct my vision too. Up to 2.0 in both eyes.”

“That’s great. You squint sometimes, Ji-Eun,” Eun-Ho said off-handedly.

Ji-Eun tilted her head in confusion. “Huh? How did you know that?”

He answered simply, “Of course I’d know. It’s you.”

He had watched her every time she fired a gun. After all the time they had spent together, it would be strange not to notice such a thing.

“Hm? But, if it’s uncomfortable, how about reducing the size a bit?” he asked.

“Huh? D-do I look uncomfortable?”

“Your ears turned red.”

He had only meant it out of concern, but Ji-Eun snapped her head away.

She covered her ears with her palm and fired off her words in a rapid burst. “He added a retrieval function to my daggers too! If I throw them, they come back! It’s like Jae-Hyuk’s mace! The attack power’s lower than that one, though! Isn’t it amazing? Soeju is seriously the best!”

Soeju cleared his throat as if to say it was nothing. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and called out, “Come with me, Eun-Ho.”

Finally, it’s my turn.

***

Eun-Ho was not someone who normally went shopping, especially for clothes.

Two summer suits and two winter suits bought from an outlet had been enough to get him through most of daily life. He would wear the same pair of suit pants until the knees wore thin, then buy a single replacement and repeat the cycle. Given that routine, wandering around to buy clothes had always felt like an unnecessary chore.

“... Turns out I actually like shopping,” he muttered.

Choosing items without having to worry about his wallet felt really nice.

Soeju handed him a thick, encyclopedia-like volume. “Here, the catalog. Pick a pattern to engrave on the chest armor.”

Soeju’s Universal Emporium: Recommended Engraving Patterns

“Patterns?” he asked.

“You saw the stag engraving on Ji-Eun’s gun, right? It’s like that. They add simple effects to items.”

Flap—

Starting with ornate magic circles, the pages were filled with animal illustrations, such as stags, horses, and birds. There were also overlapping, intricate geometric designs.

[Light as a Feather]

- Effect: Weight reduces by fifty percent

The pattern depicted six or seven large, leaf-like feathers layered atop a complex magic circle.

[Will of the Crocodile]

- Effect: Durability increases by twenty percent

There was a design reminiscent of crocodile hide, creatures said to survive even after being shot.

[Hard as Stone]

- Effect: Defense power increases by ten percent

There was also an image of a rugged, rocky mountain range.

“There’s a lot to choose from,” Eun-Ho said.

In the end, he selected three: durability increase of twenty percent, defense power increase of ten percent and evasion rate of five percent. If nothing else, the durability boost was non-negotiable. After using Electric Surge a few times, he had started to feel uneasy.

“Ah, those three?” Soeju asked.

“Yes.”

“You can only pick one. Which of the three do you like best?”

It’s so hard to choose just one.

Eun-Ho could not decide as he liked all of them. “Can’t you engrave all of them?”.

“Huh?

“Hmm. I could manage two by engraving the front and back, but three is impossible. There’s literally no space.”

“What if you overlap them or reduce the size?” Eun-Ho suggested.

“Overlapping changes the pattern, so that’s out. And this is already the smallest size possible. I can’t change the equipment.”

“Hmm... Does it absolutely have to be done with equipment?”

“Of course. If even a single line is off, the effect won’t activate. You want to ruin a valuable item by engraving it by hand?”

Since each item only allowed a single attempt, they used fixed molds to avoid mistakes.

So, in theory, it’s possible if I can reduce the size and engrave it perfectly, without even a hair’s breadth of deviation.

“I’ll engrave it myself,” Eun-Ho said evenly.

“W-what?” Soeju frowned deeply. “I already told you no. I just finished all the final processing. You’d really ruin an entire suit of precious armor out of greed?”

He understood why Soeju reacted so strongly. At a glance, the patterns were absurdly complex, but he didn’t say that for no reason.

[The Legendary Human Copier title has been activated.]

[Copying speed has increased.]

[Error rate has decreased.]

[Due to the effect of the title, your manual dexterity has been slightly improved.]

Eun-Ho hated to say it himself, but he had to brag, “Have you ever heard of the Legendary Human Copier?”