Surviving Restructuring

It began like a tempest.

“Sword Gale Tempest.”

Yet instead of leaves, a whirlwind packed with chilling blades tore through the air.

Fwooosh—!

The storm surged skyward, swallowing the chairman’s field of vision whole. It clawed at his ash-gray suit, leaving shallow cuts while pinning his feet in place.

“What a petty trick...” he muttered.

Knowing it wouldn’t hold the chairman for long, Eun-Ho met the assistant instructor’s eyes. “Activate.”

At the same time, a golden arrow shot forward.

“Drive it straight into his brow,” Eun-Ho ordered.

[Activate!]

Swoooosh—!

The arrow shrieked as it split the air, leaving behind a shimmering trail of light like a fading contrail.

The sharp silver tip flew unerringly toward the deeply furrowed space between the chairman’s brow, ready to bury itself there.

Craaack—!

However, the chairman caught it. His bare hand seized the divine arrow, still wrapped in its rippling light. The weapon, said to pursue its target to the depths of hell, had been stopped cold by his grip. Without hesitation, the chairman snapped the arrow in half and tossed it aside.

Despite being a restored relic, it was still imbued with divine power. The arrow had never once failed until now. Yet it fell uselessly to the ground, broken.

The chairman’s palm had been scorched black but that was all. “You thought this was enough to threaten me?”

There was no damage, no stagger, nor even the slightest flinch. The sight was enough to shatter any lingering faith they would have had.

“No,” Eun-Ho said.

“Huh?”

That wasn’t what Eun-Ho was aiming for.

Thud—!

Now it was the assistant instructor’s turn. While the chairman had been busy with the arrow, the assistant instructor’s posture had twisted just for a moment.

That opening was all they sought.

“Bright Mirror Style, First Form!” said assistant instructor.

The tip of the sword danced. Its edge shimmered with killing intent, moving like a living painting as it scattered ripples of light.

“Still Water.”

Following that, a transparent curtain of water unfurled like a work of art.

Fwaaaaa—!

The flowing veil spread across the ground. At the chairman’s feet, a clear pool shimmered, reflecting him like a mirror.

What appeared beneath the chairman was the assistant instructor’s shadow.

“By your master’s command, rise,”said the assistant instructor.

The chairman’s blade, burning with fury, cut through the assistant instructor’s sword path. The scattered light vanished, and the watery veil collapsed. However, it didn’t matter as the shadow had already begun to stand.

“Lee Eun-Ho!” the assistant instructor shouted.

It was a signal for Eun-Ho to dash forward across the water’s surface. The three closed in at once from the left, right, and front, cutting off every escape.

They said a single step could span a thousand miles. All they had to do was make sure he couldn’t take that step.

The chairman was so enraged that his eyes were bloodshot. “How dare you?!”

The three charged in without hesitation.

Claaang—!

Two staffs and two swords collided in a violent clash. Red and blue energies erupted like molten lava. The heat was so intense it forced their eyes shut, and the recoil alone nearly threw them backward.

“This is nothing!” shouted the chairman.

“Well, it doesn’t look like nothing, keugh, to me,” Eun-Ho shot back.

“Silence!”

Wooooong—

Woooong—

Wooooong—

The red aura engulfing the chairman began to tremble. Had the earlier impact shaken him? The aura, once as solid as armor, now flickered like raging flames. It surged, writhed, and flared uncontrollably.

“You will regret defiling my kingdom,” said the chairman.

“Your kingdom?” Eun-Ho echoed.

Swoosh—!

The undulating aura painted streaks of blood-red across the air. What took shape on that invisible canvas was a storm of blades. Thousands or even tens of thousands of red edges surged forward.

[Caution!]

[Severe lacerations sustained.]

[The Armor of the Sun, Kavacha, absorbs part of the impact.]

“Petrify.”

Craaack—!

Eun-Ho thrust his sword forward, forcing it through the storm of blades flying toward him like arrows. His flesh tore open, his wrist felt like it would shatter and his shoulder threatened to rip clean off. However, he kept fighting for the sake of an answer.

He raised his voice not just for himself, but for everyone. “Let me ask you something. Is this company really your kingdom?”

“You insignificant vermin! You ungrateful wretches! I spared your lives, and now you dare crawl up at me? What, did a few bugs raising their hands in protest make you think this company belongs to you?” the chairman shouted in fury.

“No.”

He was there to say that even though they were powerless employees, they still existed here. That perhaps, a tiny part of this massive company belonged to them too.

“It’s a company that grinds to a halt the moment a few bugs say they can’t go on,” said Eun-Ho.

“That’s because you manipulated—”

“So how does that make it your kingdom?” Eun-Ho cut in.

“You bastard!” The chairman faltered, his surging red aura coming to a halt. “Did you use that sly tongue of yours to seduce my subordinates?”

A sly tongue, huh? I guess that’s one way to see it, Eun-Ho thought.

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Eun-Ho said.

“What?”

“Even if it wasn’t me, this would’ve blown up eventually.”

Even a murderer who stained his hands with blood would resent the one who pushed him into it. The chairman was the enemy who had destroyed everyone’s home. A system built on pure fear and coercion was bound to fall apart. They had barely survived and yet, even after joining the company, nothing had changed.

“Is it possible to adjust the trial level? It’s too difficult...”

The trials only grew harder, while the objectives became impossible.

“I’m losing my hair trying to meet these goals, not from stress, but because the other teams keep sabotaging us.”

It was a brutal system where one had to die for another to live.

“Governments built by force fall by force,” Eun-Ho said.

From the Operations Bureau to the Investigation Bureau, and even the mid-level ranks of the Management Bureau, those who had joined Eun-Ho had done so by their own choice. All he had done was gather the boiling discontent and open the floodgates.

“Guess you should’ve run things better,” Eun-Ho added.

“Ugh!”

The chairman’s wrinkled face trembled violently. At the same time, Eun-Ho’s vision began to dim. He glanced quickly at the chairman and saw that a shadow had fallen over the man’s face as well.

Now’s the time, Eun-Ho thought.

Seeing the chairman’s energy fading, Eun-Ho locked eyes with the assistant instructor and shouted.

“Acceleration!”

There was a reason the assistant instructor had taken on Eun-Ho’s form. Out of countless possibilities, there was a reason why Lee Eun-Ho had been split into two.

Tick—

The air sank and the world slowed. Level Twelve Acceleration, fueled by every last point Eun-Ho had accumulated, unfolded.

Within a silence stretched sixtyfold, Eun-Ho moved.

“The time...” The chairman’s face twisted in shock. “Did you stretch time?! Lee Eun-Ho, is this your ability?!”

“Bright Mirror Style, Second Form!” Unfazed, the assistant instructor’s blade painted its second picture. “Karmic Mirror.”

A mirror said to hang at the gates of the underworld, one that reflected every sin committed in life, rose before the chairman.

“So it’s not just speed—”

Fwoosh—!

Black, viscous liquid poured out like oil spilling across the sea.

“Worry about yourself instead,” said the assistant instructor.

The chairman tried to roar back in fury, but no words came. “Mu Myung, how d—”

The surging sludge engulfed him, sealing his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Crack—!

Then came the follow-up assault.

“Bolt from the Blue!”

Lightning crashed down.

“Bright Moon Sword Strike!”

A radiant crescent moon, reflected like a mirror, became a blade and descended. There was no retreat nor evasion, but a direct clash.

Thuuud—!

Sword energy and aura collided and exploded.

[Caution!]

[Your body cannot withstand the overwhelming pressure!]

[The Armor of the Sun, Kavacha, absorbs part of the impact.]

Booooom—!

Booooom—!

Booooom—!

A chain of explosions followed. The deafening blasts made it feel as though Eun-Ho would shatter along with them. Steadily forced backward, his legs finally gave way under the strain.

[Activate!]

[Kavacha First Form - Shock Absorption]

Smoke and dust poured down, clogging Eun-Ho’s eyes, nose, and ears. He tried to make sense of his surroundings by looking at the reflection in the pooled water beneath his feet.

The chairman burst through the black sludge. “You bastards!”

He staggered, barely able to hold himself upright. His ash-gray suit was in tatters, and dark, blood-tinged fluid spilled from his mouth. Though he appeared utterly wrecked, it didn’t mean they had won.

“Move!” Eun-Ho shouted.

“Lee Eun-Ho!” the assistant instructor cried.

Keugh... My body won’t move! Eun-Ho thought.

A cloud of blood-red energy tightened around Eun-Ho’s throat. Following that, an overwhelming pressure crushed down on him. Everything froze like stone.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll tear you apart,” said the chairman.

His staff trembled, brimming with raw fury. The red mist writhed, and the staff stretched and split like a serpent’s tongue, transforming into three whip-like tendrils.

“I’ll rip you into pieces...”

Screeeeech—!

“... and burn every shred of you in eternal flames.”

With the first lash, the light vanished.

“I’ll burn you until nothing but ash remains!”

With the second strike, flames erupted across their bodies.

“And I’ll devour every last piece!”

With the third, cracks spread across Eun-Ho like shattering glass. Blood burst from Eun-Ho’s stomach and the assistant instructor’s already-damaged knee finally tore free. Then, the chairman’s shadow split in half and vanished.

[Activate!]

[Kavacha First Form - Shock Absorption]

[Shock Absorption - Maximum]

That meant Eun-Ho couldn’t endure any more.

So then, is this the moment?

Just as Eun-Ho prepared to unleash the attack he had been saving, the one meant to strike at the perfect instant, a message appeared.

[Congratulations!]

[Under sustained pressure, you have surpassed your physical limits!]

[The unlock rate of the Divine Armament has increased.]

[Unlock Rate: 30% → 50%]

Fwoosh—

The armor that had been transparent began to shimmer. A golden sheen spread across the surface of the Armor of the Sun. A radiant glow that was visible only to Eun-Ho wrapped around him

[The Armor of the Sun responds to its master’s crisis.]

[Your Stamina has been restored.]

[Your stamina recovery speed has increased.]

Eun-Ho’s body began to recover at a rapid pace.

[21.9%]

[35.5%]

[49.2%]

...

It’s fast, Eun-Ho thought.

It was even faster than Sol-Ah’s healing.

“Yeah. I knew something felt off...” the chairman muttered.

As the chairman struggled to steady himself after unleashing his power, Eun-Ho surrendered himself to the unseen warmth restoring him.

“Extending time and stopping it altogether. Which do you think is stronger?” asked the chairman.

Unfortunately, time itself was not on Eun-Ho’s side. The wounds he had just begun to recover reopened, multiplied by the time he lacked.

“Keugh!”

“Well, the result seems obvious,” said the chairman.

Tick—

Eun-Ho’s ability only stretched time sixtyfold.

The chairman froze for a split second. “Time stop, huh? Yeah it’s impressive. But it looks like you can’t hold it long enough to kill me.”

That was all Eun-Ho needed. Everything after that would be simple.

The chairman stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant. Right as the chairman’s foot came down, Eun-Ho unleashed every ounce of power he had gathered.

[Kundala First Form - Release]

Kwaaaaaa—!

Fwoosh—!

An explosion erupted from Eun-Ho.

Kwaaaaaa—!

The deafening roar came first, loud enough to rupture eardrums. Then came the heat, as if hell itself had been poured into the world, followed by a crushing pressure that squeezed his organs.

It was power no mortal should have been able to contain.

[Warning!]

[Recovery Program has been activated.]

[Restoring bodily damage immediately.]

[42%, 51%, 59%...]

The chairman shut his eyes against the blinding light. Within the darkness behind his eyelids, an image surfaced.

Now?!

The chairman saw himself, trapped in absolute darkness. Thousands of red threads stretched outward before him. Precognition, the ability that had guided him flawlessly until now, had activated.

He saw Eun-Ho’s body being torn apart and crushed beneath his heel. It was a future where the insolent Nameless had his heart shattered and burned to nothing. Those insects who dared defile his kingdom were ground down and devoured.

Each red thread showed a possible future. Some differed slightly, but all were well within expectation.

I worried for nothing, the chairman thought.

He was ready to raise his sword.

Just as he made that decision and began to open his eyes, dozens of voices pierced the air. That was the beginning.

“Commander!”

“Hyuuungnim!”

“A-are you alright?!”

“W-we’ll go first! Let us go first!”

Dying insects gathered around their dying king.

Pathetic, filthy, insignificant creatures were clustering together, thought the chairman.

Fwooosh—!

Just then, a silver path stretched out from Eun-Ho, who raised his hand.

“Enough.” Barely surviving his own explosion, he still managed to smile faintly at his subordinates, breathing weakly. “I’m not dead, so calm down.”

His eyes were steady. Not a trace of fear or hesitation remained as he gazed at the path extending from his feet.

Fwaaaaaaa—!

The straight, unwavering road of silver light led to only one place: the chairman.

“Could this be the Loyal Retainer’s Path?” Eun-Ho muttered. His chilling gaze locked firmly onto the chairman as he addressed those gathered around him. “Shall we go together?”

At that moment, the silver path reached the chairman’s feet. A chill shot through him, and he trembled without realizing it.

Beeeeep—!

A piercing warning bell rang out.

[The Wheel of Fate begins to turn.]

Gravity wavered, and heaven and earth inverted. The world surrounding the chairman twisted violently.

[The arrangement has been disrupted.]

Huh? They changed?

The chairman appeared stunned as the visions of precognition began to shift.

All of them—including the tens of thousands, even millions of futures that flashed before his eyes, as well as the tomorrows to come, that had come, and that he believed would come—began to tremble.

The world trembled, and the red threads that once showed the future turned white then black.

Now, it was a future where he fell instead of Eun-Ho, a future where he knelt instead of Nameless, and a future where those insects from the Operations Bureau held his life in their hands.

What’s going on?!

An indescribable dread gripped him as a cold shiver ran through him. His eyes, his mind and his swelling limbs, everything felt as though it had been set ablaze.

This is impossible!

This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be brought down by mere insects?! He couldn’t die, torn apart by the very dogs he had raised even if it meant burning his blood and grinding his bones to dust?!

No way!

Craaaack—!

The chairman began to twist grotesquely.