Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Challenge, Failure (2)
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After succeeding in the first challenge with ease, the next challenge appeared on the electronic signboard.
[Read the following sentence accurately within 5 seconds without making a single mistake.]
[The factory manager of the soy sauce factory is Manager Kang, and the factory manager of the miso factory is Manager Jang.]
It was the kind of sentence from announcer pronunciation tests that I'd done often as a kid.
Honestly, I wasn't confident.
Lifting heavy barbells repeatedly like before would have been far better.
Even the trembling man looked like it was beyond him.
He was definitely going to mess up the pronunciation.
"...I'll do this one."
That's when Rahee stepped forward.
She took a couple of slow breaths, inhaled deeply, and pressed the red button to attempt the challenge.
"The factory manager of the soy sauce factory is Manager Kang, and the factory manager of the miso factory is Manager Jang."
She read the sentence perfectly with clear, precise pronunciation.
She skillfully distributed the 5-second limit, pausing once in the middle to regulate her breathing.
Back in the underground hotel, Rahee had been full of fear, but she had the guts to step up when it counted.
[Success 2/10 | Failures: 0/10]
[Reward after 10 successes / Punishment after 10 failures]
"All right...!"
This time, I couldn't help clenching my fist.
The next challenge specified someone by name.
"Choi Employee...?"
I turned my gaze.
My name is Kim Minjun, so obviously not, and Rahee's surname is Lee.
"...!"
The male team member, catching our eyes, went pale as a sheet.
He hesitated and hemmed and hawed for a long while before pressing the challenge button.
He confessed that, not long ago, he'd peed his pants upon seeing a monster—something he hadn't told anyone.
The mood turned awkward, but it was still a success anyway.
Things had gone smoothly enough up to this point.
But the fourth challenge made our expressions harden.
"...?"
The moment I saw the question, I tilted my head.
The difficulty had spiked.
I didn't even know Article 1, Clause 1, let alone Article 13, Clause 4.
I'd never even heard of an "Emergency Action Code."
Rahee, I, and the male team member just stared blankly at each other's faces.
"The team leader would have known..."
No sooner had the male employee said that than we all turned with troubled looks toward the unconscious Team 12 leader.
Team 12's leader still lay there with eyes closed, using the cold floor as a bed.
There was no way we could attempt this.
"...No idea."
In the end, we pressed the blue "Forfeit" button.
[Forfeit 1 time] flashed briefly on the signboard.
And right away, the fifth challenge appeared.
Its content was incomparably more malicious and grotesque than anything before.
Along with the challenge, a small stone altar rose smoothly from the floor beside the podium.
Whether out of twisted kindness or not, a small dagger lay next to the altar.
"W-What the hell is this!"
"That's insane...!"
Rahee cried out in horror. This was no longer a quiz or test.
It was blatant malice.
Of course, it was impossible.
We pressed the "Forfeit" button without hesitation. The signboard's message changed.
[Forfeits: 2. Recorded as 1 failure.]
[Success: 3/10 | Failures: 1/10]
Two forfeits tallied as one failure count.
With this slab—no, this electronic signboard monster throwing out problems like this, I steeled my resolve.
'If it keeps giving problems like these, hitting 10 failures is just a matter of time.'
I clenched my fist tight.
To end this bizarre quiz show, maybe solving problems wasn't the way—maybe I needed to deal with the signboard itself?
No way was I going along with a challenge demanding my finger.
Cut the power, smash it...
While I pondered solutions if these grotesque problems kept coming, a new challenge appeared on the signboard.
An image appeared alongside: something like a massive crow, pitch-black as night with eyes glowing ominously.
Better than cutting off a finger, but it clearly wasn't pitting us against an ordinary crow.
Its name was Herald of the Night, after all.
Obviously a monster.
"T-That thing!"
"The crow...!"
Rahee and the male team member beside me recoiled in terror simultaneously.
Their reaction seemed deeper than just fear from a photo.
There had to be more to it.
"You know this monster?"
When I asked, Rahee nodded frantically.
"Yes! W-We... we encountered it a week ago! It's way faster than it looks, and its beak is hard as steel... Our team leader even got seriously hurt in the shoulder because of it..."
Her voice trembled faintly, as if reliving the terror.
The male team member nodded in agreement, his face ashen. It was an opponent that had given them hell.
"...Is it much stronger than other monsters?"
"It's s-strong. It can fly, and it's so fast... But compared to other monsters..."
I asked the man, and he seemed to ponder for a bit.
I got a rough sense of it.
Annoying like any monster, but not overwhelmingly stronger than others.
'An opponent that stumped Team 12... But with my current abilities, and this sword.'
I gripped the hilt of the Returning Sword at my waist firmly.
For the team members' safety, and to end this damn quiz show, I couldn't hesitate here.
I had no choice but to push forward with the challenge.
If it didn't work, I'd smash the signboard then.
Fighting a monster was a far more reasonable gamble than sacrificing a finger.
"...I'll give it a shot."
"What? Minjun oppa, it's dangerous!"
"It's fine. I've got the item, so both of you, step back."
Rahee tried to stop me, but I strode firmly toward the red "Challenge" button.
Just in case, I had them retreat before pressing it.
The moment I did, the air in the center of the room darkened, and a massive crow monster began emerging from within.
Flap, flap!
Twisting its body as if squeezing out of a narrow darkness, the huge crow monster slowly revealed its face first.
A razor-sharp beak and blood-red eyes.
With every flap of its wings, pitch-black feathers scattered across the floor.
"Hmm..."
I'd never thought crows could look this scary—maybe because it was bigger than I'd imagined.
The crow, having fully emerged, thudded lightly onto the floor.
Its wings made for a light landing.
I slowly positioned myself in front of it.
Cawww!
Just as it spread its wings and lunged at me with an eerie cry—
I gripped the sword hilt tight and lowered my stance.
Having seen it somewhere before, I managed a pretty convincing pose.
Swoosh—!
I drew the sword from my waist and swung it straight ahead.
Responding to my will and strength, it sliced through the air like a streak of black lightning.
No special technique—just pure, overwhelming strength and agility stats propelling the draw toward its torso—
Slash!
Thud. Plop.
"Caw...!"
The crow monster couldn't even scream.
Its massive body split cleanly in two, collapsing limply to the floor.
Instead of crimson blood, black feathers and dust puffed out like mist.
The numbers on the signboard updated. Silence fell over the room for a moment.
Rahee and the male team member gaped in disbelief, eyes darting between me and the crow's remains on the floor.
Their gazes mixed shock and confusion.
I brushed off the black dust from the blade, sheathed it casually, and played it cool.
My heart was still racing a bit, but I acted unfazed.
I spoke in an exaggerated tone of admiration on purpose.
"See, items make all the difference... This sword moved my body on its own."
Only then did they exchange glances and excitedly piled on.
"Ah... I see...! I thought oppa had turned into some movie swordsman!"
"R-Right? It was like watching a wuxia novel! Must be the item's effect..."
They were spouting lines that would get them in trouble with actual wuxia heroes.
What I'd done with the sword? Let's call it a power show.
No technique—just relying on strength and agility.
As they lavished praise on my item, the next challenge appeared on the signboard.
At the same time, the same small stone altar rose smoothly from the floor beside the podium as before.
"Huh?"
It was nothing like what I'd expected.
The signboard must have been eavesdropping, and my item had caught its eye.
"No, this sword..."
I put on a show of reluctance.
Rahee and the male team member's faces flashed with regret, like 'losing such a great weapon!'
Rahee even tried to persuade me, perhaps feeling guilty.
"...Let's forfeit this one. We succeeded in that last one thanks to the item..."
"No, we should rack up successes when we can."
Sighing as if with no choice, I walked to the altar.
I drew the Returning Sword from my waist, stroked the blade fondly one last time, and carefully placed it on the altar.
The instant I pressed the button, a faint light gleamed, and the sword smoothly vanished into the altar.
[Challenge successful!]
[Success 5/10 | Failures: 1/10]
For the first time, an excited voice emanated from the signboard.
And as if waiting, the next challenge popped up.
The exact same challenge as before.
I no longer had the sword in hand.
Despair resurfaced on Rahee and the male team member's faces.
'Hm?'
A faint smile crept across my lips.