How to Survive Restructuring

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Chapter 34: Temporary Employees (1)

— Taat!

Chasing down those who fly while I remain on the ground.

It's difficult but not impossible.

At least, not for me.

"Accelerate!"

Increasing my speed with acceleration, I cleared the obstacles blocking my way using petrification and blade winds as I pursued them.

Finally, I arrived at my destination.

'The Namsan Tower?'

I was back again.

Not for a mission or a safe zone this time, but because of those bowl-cut twins.

And then.

'They disappeared!'

I looked around, thinking they might have gone inside the tower.

— Thud!

They suddenly dropped right in front of me.

[Can you see us?]

"!!"

The abrupt appearance of the bowl-cut twins filled my vision.

My startled reaction answered their question for them.

Thud!

When the two of them stomped their feet simultaneously—

Crash!

A massive coldness surged up from the ground.

My entire body froze in an instant.

'I... must... stay conscious...'

My vision darkened.

* * *

'Ugh...'

My teeth chattered from the cold, and my head throbbed.

My whole body felt soaked, as if I had been drenched in rain.

'How much time has passed?'

I tried moving my limbs, but they wouldn’t budge.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed I was tied up with rope.

I could guess whose handiwork this was.

[...Zone.]

[Summary... Ordinary.]

[Suspicious...]

[Needs investigation.]

I could hear their voices faintly from a distance.

Those carefree little ones didn’t seem to think I’d woken up—or could even wake up at all.

By the way, where am I?

'An office?'

High ceilings.

Bookshelves lined up like dividers.

A variety of books, all differing in thickness and height, packed densely together.

Yet, what made me think this was an office rather than a library was—

[District 13. Where's the investigation report?]

[Over there.]

Each desk was piled high with various file folders.

A space that seemed unnatural for two small kids, barely tall enough to reach the desk, to be using.

'Hmm? Wait a second.'

One of the kids was rummaging through desks and drawers as if searching for something.

They moved against the backdrop of sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows that stretched to the ceiling.

'Windows...'

Beyond the windows, I could see a panoramic view of Seoul.

Tourist stickers adorned the glass.

A souvenir display stand was shoved into a corner, half-hidden by the bookshelves.

This place...

'An observatory?'

It seemed these kids had set up an office inside one of Seoul’s landmarks.

So that’s why the tower was encased in a dome-like structure.

'The important thing is figuring out who they are, what they’re doing here, and why they attacked me.'

I could roughly guess who they were.

[Excessive creature generation. Why?]

Due to my auto-hunting plan, monsters had been generated in greater numbers than expected, and they were here to find out why.

[Strange. Needs a separate report.]

[We’ll get scolded. Let’s identify it first.]

They didn’t seem to be the ones in charge, though.

They were trying to understand the situation and report it to someone.

By the way, 'District 13 investigation report'...

[Found it.]

'I’d like to take a look at that, too.'

[Target: Lee Eunho. Ordinary human.]

[Ordinary? But how can they see us?]

[I don’t know.]

The bowl-cut twins chattered back and forth, oblivious to the fact that the "ordinary human" they were discussing could hear every word.

'Is that the report?'

A black file folder holding dozens of A4 sheets.

The two of them leaned their heads together as they flipped through the pages.

Rustle!

After a while, when they couldn’t find what they were looking for, they alternated flipping forward and backward through the report.

Eventually, they smacked their foreheads and spoke simultaneously.

[There’s nothing special.]

[Why?]

[How?]

Hmm.

They seemed quite flustered about not being able to figure out my identity.

[This is a first.]

[What do we do?]

[What should we do?]

They looked so helpless, like innocent kids stomping their feet in frustration.

However.

'Even the manager, who had the appearance of a child, once split someone in half with just a finger.'

I knew from experience that just because they looked like children didn’t mean they were innocent.

Even so, for some reason, they didn’t seem all that threatening.

Maybe it was because...

'Their presence feels weak.'

[We can’t even identify the anomaly.]

[The report. We can’t finish it.]

[But the target. They even noticed us.]

[Concealment failed.]

[Sigh...]

Or perhaps they genuinely seemed more like timid kids.

[The investigator will be mad.]

[We’re going to get scolded.]

[We’re doomed.]

'Investigator?'

[Sigh...]

I followed the gaze of the kid who sighed at the unfamiliar yet oddly familiar term.

A large panoramic window stretched along the curved wall.

In front of it, two bowl-cut kids were sighing.

"Hm?"

...Wait a second.

[First, that suspicious guy.]

[Investigate him. Take care of him.]

These guys…

Why aren’t they reflected in the window?

"No way…"

I widened my eyes and observed them closely, but the only reflection in the glass was mine.

No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t spot the bowl-cut kids in white clothing.

[This is bad.]

[?]

‘Those guys… they don’t even cast shadows.’

My head throbbed, and I closed my eyes.

Then, a moment later, I heard voices from a little closer.

[He’s awake?]

Haah.

This damn system…

‘Ghosts? Really, now?’

* * *

Right. Now I remember.

[You have defeated 19 demons that do not belong to this land.]

[You have earned the title of ‘Demon Slayer.’]

The title I earned after completing that mission.

Demon Slayer.

The abilities of that title were clear:

[Immune to the abilities of low-tier demons.]

[20% attack increase when fighting mid-tier demons.]

[Resist intimidation from high-tier demons.]

Immune to low-tier demons abilities.

Demons.

Ghosts.

So…

‘Demon-ghosts like these kids.’

[He’s already awake.]

[By himself? How?]

Now it made sense.

It seemed their ability was to hide themselves and freeze their target, but thanks to the Demon Slayer title, it didn’t work on me.

Even earlier, when I was frozen, it wasn’t because they directly froze me—it was because the cold transmitted through the ground got me.

In that case…

‘If I’d been directly hit, I’d be in real trouble.’

[He’s suspicious.]

[Let’s just kill him.]

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The two bowl-cut ghosts put down the documents they were holding and approached me.

They grabbed a wooden mallet that had been leaning nearby.

"…You’re planning to hit me?"

A nod.

At the same time, the bowl-cut twins nodded and approached, their shiny bowl cuts swaying.

‘Should I fight? Or persuade them?’

If I used up all the remaining mission rewards, I could recover from the injuries I’d taken earlier.

But if I managed to get out of here safely, Sola could heal me instead.

Hmm… In that case.

"Wait, stop."

[?]

[?]

I straightened my posture and spoke boldly.

Though I was tied up and lying on the floor, I tried my best to appear as confident as possible.

"Attacking someone right off the bat? Who taught you such manners?"

Flinch!

As I said this in a low, scolding tone, the twins flinched and stopped in their tracks.

They rolled their eyes, clearly caught off guard.

"Haah."

I let out a sharp, exaggerated sigh to prevent them from making eye contact with each other.

"Bring your boss out here."

[?]

[?]

I shouted it out.

Something I’d heard countless times during my various part-time jobs.

‘I never thought I’d use this on ghosts.’

It felt absurd, but as it turned out, ghost neighborhoods weren’t so different from human ones.

The response was immediate.

[The boss?]

[Why?]

The twins frowned deeply at each other, nervously fiddling with the hems of their robes.

‘Did it work?’

Since they’d been talking about getting scolded or killed earlier, I decided to try pushing my luck.

"Go call your boss already!"

Fully channeling the demeanor of an angry customer.

Gulp.

I secretly swallowed my nerves but kept my head held high and stiff.

Then…

One of the bowl-cut twins, who’d been fumbling around, finally spoke.

[The investigator? Do you know him?]

Gotcha.

"You don’t need to know that. Just hurry and bring them here. I’m going to file a complaint about how poorly you’re being managed."

Flinch!

The twins shivered again.

Then, suddenly, they waved their hands toward empty space and began whispering to each other.

[‘Setani’ has activated ‘Silence.’]

[Due to the title ‘Demon Slayer,’ you are unaffected by the skill.]

Oh-ho.

So they want to talk in secret?

[The investigator? Is he a friend?]

[If it’s a lie?]

[We’ll get in trouble.]

[Scary.]

In that case…

"Petrification."

I whispered almost silently and fumbled with the ropes tying my hands.

And then…

—Snap.

I cautiously glanced up to make sure they didn’t notice.

Luckily, they were too absorbed in their heated discussion.

[What if we erase his memory?]

[He won’t notice.]

[We won’t get scolded.]

I managed to cut the ropes without a hitch, then slowly worked on freeing my ankles.

By the time I was done, they seemed to have reached an agreement and began approaching me.

[Erase his memory.]

‘Erase my memory?’

Sorry, but that’s probably…

"Not gonna work, either."

[?]

Ta-at-!

I sprang to my feet, shoved them aside, and bolted out of the room.

The wide-eyed, dumbfounded faces of the kids began to twist with shock and fury when—

Smack!

I swiftly ran over and snatched up the report they’d been reviewing.

[!!]

[That’s!]

[No way!]

『District 13 Investigation Report and Restructuring Efficiency (Draft)』

I barely managed to read the title amidst their screams before stuffing it into my inventory.

Fearing they might try something reckless, I turned to flee, but a chilling killing intent froze me in my tracks.

And then—

Boom—! Craaack!

They stomped the ground with all their might.

From beneath their feet, the floor began to freeze in two streaks.

And at the end of the lightning-fast ice path—

Crack-crack-crack-crunch!

A wall of ice sealed the exit completely.

So, this was their power.

[Right now!!]

[Hand it over!!]

Blocking my escape, the two spirits lunged at me like cannonballs.

Swoosh!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

[He dodged!!!]

[You’re dead!!!]

With their arms glued to their sides, they fueled their rage into propulsion, hurtling toward me at a terrifying speed.

I barely dodged by rolling on the ground, causing their heads to smash into the wall instead of me.

Boom! Thud-thud!

The sound was like a cannon hitting the ground.

The walls, ceiling, and floor all trembled.

[You little rat!]

[You’re not getting out!]

[You’ll die here!]

The exit was frozen solid, emanating a biting cold.

What now?

I could try acceleration or petrification, but no way would they sit idly by while I attempted it.

Smack!

Before I realized it, I was already far from the exit, my back pressed against the cold glass of a window.

[Hand over the report. Then die!]

[Or die and hand it over!]

Thinking they’d won, the two bowl-cut cannonballs gleefully launched themselves at me.

Apparently, their charge attack had no cooldown.

Unlike my acceleration skill.

‘If I face them head-on, I’m at a disadvantage.’

In that case—

Swoosh!

They were coming.

One aimed for my head, the other for my stomach.

Like missiles.

I wanted to dodge immediately, but—

‘Wait for it…’

Now!

"Acceleration!"

I waited until I locked eyes with them, reflected in their pupils, before activating my skill.

Then I quickly slipped away—

Tick-tock—!

I could hear the ticking of a clock near my ear.

Boom! Crash—!

Their thick skulls smashed into the glass window behind me instead of hitting me.

Crack!

The impact sent fine cracks spidering out from their rounded heads.

Cra-crack-crack-crunch—!

The entire pane shattered.

So did their heads.

[Arghhh!!]

[Ahhhh!!]

Drip!

[Blood, blood?!]

[You...!!!]

[You’re dead!!!]

Enraged, they charged at me again.

But they’d used their heads—literally—to create a brand-new exit.

"Later. Petrification!"

Leaving was the logical next step.

Ta-at—!

I cleared the broken glass and leapt out.

From the Namsan Tower observatory.

[He’s... suicide?!]

[The worst!!!]

The two bowl-cuts were aghast.

But honestly—

"Suicide?"

—Whooosh!

"Like I’d ever do that."

[?!]

[Idiot?!]

[How many floors is this?!]

[I don’t know!]

No idea how high or how many meters, but falling from here would definitely crush my skull in one blow.

If I fell, that is.

—Fwaaah!

Certain death.

Absolutely.

In that case...

"Then I just won’t fall!"

"Summon!"

A small green card appeared in my palm.

"Activate!"

A faint shiver ran through me as energy drained from my fingertips.

Maybe it was the fierce wind or the card in my hand, but regardless—

Click—!

A cold doorknob suddenly appeared in midair.

Defying gravity, I grabbed onto it.

Then the metallic door clicked open.

‘Guess I’ll be seeing that bastard again.’

Back to the academy already.

Who would’ve thought?

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