Eun-Ho hadn’t realized the company life he’d fought for was a real labor simulation built on others’ sacrifices and broken dreams.

[The Regular Observation Report has been copied!]

[Progress: 2/100 copies]

Besides, it wasn't just any simulation; it was an artisan-level experience.

[The Human Copier title has been activated.]

[Copying speed has increased.]

[Error rate has decreased.]

[The effect of the title has slightly improved your manual dexterity.]

Sssk—clack! Fwoosh!

Pull out the finished copy, lay down the paper, set the glass, and pour the ink. He was getting faster and faster.

Sssk—clack! Fwoosh!

Sssk—clack! Fwoosh!

Pull out the finished copy, lay down the paper, set the glass, and pour the ink. He was getting faster and faster, over and over again.

The faster the progress bar rose, the quicker he became.

[Progress: 10/100 copies]

[Progress: 11/100 copies]

[Progress: 12/100 copies]

...

[Progress: 99/100 copies]

By the time he gathered the final batch of dried sheets, being careful not to smudge the ink, a cheerful notification appeared.

Ding!

[Progress: 100/100 copies]

[Trial has been completed!]

[Find your mentor to receive your trial reward!]

Eun-Ho was fine with the next step. He had planned to meet with his mentor anyway.

I have to be at the lobby by eleven-thirty, he recalled.

He started to rise from his seat when he received a series of system messages.

[Congratulations!]

[Your title Human Copier has evolved into Legendary Human Copier!]

[Your title effects have been greatly enhanced.]

His bizarre title had somehow evolved. A sharp tingle spread across his eyes.

[The title Legendary Human Copier resonates with the Third Eye.]

[You can now replicate the posture of an exceptional predecessor.]

[When training alongside a skilled predecessor, skill mastery will increase rapidly.]

His heart thumped. “Oh?”

***

“So for this operation...” 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“The Director's orders are to...”

“Double check all preliminary data and...”

The lobby of the Investigation Bureau bustled. With their arms full of documents, the people talked in quick, clipped tones.

Cheong Jeong walked beside the manager. He nervously glanced sideways and then softly said, “It’s almost time, sir.”

“Hmm...” The manager grunted under his breath. “Where’s the new recruit? Why isn’t he here yet?”

“Ah, I told him to make some copies while we waited. Guess it’s taking longer than expected.”

The manager clicked his tongue. “What? How long does it take to copy a few sheets of paper?”

He had high expectations since the recruit had spoken clearly and confidently during their first meeting. However, he ended up being late on the very first day, which was disappointing. Punctuality wasn’t just a basic rule of company life; it was the minimum courtesy to one’s colleagues.

“Let’s just head out first. I’ll have a word with him later,” Cheong Jeong suggested.

Thump. Thump.

The manager was just about to nod when footsteps approached quickly.

“There he is!”

They both spotted long, confident strides. Despite being in an unfamiliar place, the man showed not even a hint of hesitation. He gazed keenly across the area—not searching, but assessing.

Eun-Ho, the company’s latest prey, had arrived. He walked with startling composure.

“Over here! This way!”

“Ah, there you are,” Eun-Ho said.

The manager greeted him warmly, while Cheong Jeong stiffened and quickly looked away.

Eun-Ho calmly commented, “You seem surprised, Mr. Jeong.”

Cheong Jeong froze. “How...”

How did he get out?

He had set the trial’s special condition to make sure that Eun-Ho wouldn’t be able to join.

[Special Condition: to prevent cheating, you may not leave the premises until the trial is complete.]

Until Eun-Ho had cleared or failed the trial, the archive would remain a sealed arena. There shouldn't have been any way in or out, which meant only one thing.

Cheong Jeong exhaled quietly, a small wave of relief washing over him. “You must’ve given up the trial.”

He didn’t like the idea of going on-site with the rookie, but he could settle for making the kid quit his OJT.

[Failure Consequence: Department Transfer(Personnel → Operations)]

Once transferred to Operations, Eun-Ho would be out of sight starting tomorrow.

Poor fool, Cheong Jeong thought, concluding the matter in his head.

Since the manager was watching, Cheong Jeong behaved like a kind, understanding senior. “I get it. Maintaining your focus must’ve been tough. Still, giving up so easily is a little disapp—”

“No way. I wouldn’t do that,” Eun-Ho interrupted.

Cheong Jeong blinked.

“I came to collect my reward.”

“What?”

With an unnerving mix of confidence and courtesy, Eun-Ho replied, “They told me to claim it in person, so here I am.”

Cheong Jeong frowned, a strange sense of dread creeping up his spine. “What are you talking about?”

Checking the system window, he saw something unbelievable.

This is impossible.

[Your trial completion has been confirmed.]

[Reward has been granted.]

Almost without realizing it, Cheong Jeong muttered, “Y-you actually completed it? How?!”

Confused, the manager asked, “What are you two babbling about? Wasn’t it just a copying trial? Why are you making it sound like an impossible task?!”

“Well...” Cheong Jeong nervously adjusted his glasses, which kept sliding down his sweaty nose.

However, before he could answer, Eun-Ho stepped forward and casually answered, Oh, the copier broke. I had to write all one hundred copies all by hand.”

The chief’s face stiffened. “What?! You didn’t even check that before assigning it?”

“My apologies, sir.”

The manager glared. He swung a hand through the air in exasperation. “Ugh! You idiot!”

Fwoom—!

A chill spread from Cheong Jeong’s fingertips. The air suddenly grew heavy and pressed against their eardrums as though they were underwater.

Telepathically, the manager coldly asked, “Cheong Jeong. You’re coming down on the rookie too hard, aren’t you?”

“T-that’s not it, sir.”

“Do you have any idea how hard I worked to bring this guy into our department?”

Helpless, Cheong Jeong lowered his head.

“Take it easy. Got it?”

“Huh?”

The rebuke wasn’t long. After all, pushing colleagues down for personal gain was just part of survival here. Everyone in the company had seen it happen before. Cheong Jeong himself had clawed his way up the same way.

“If you want to discipline him, wait until after he’s officially assigned. You can do whatever you like then.”

Once assigned, there was no way out. In this company, a department assignment lasted practically forever; it was an endless sentence of servitude. What happened after that wasn’t the manager’s concern.

“Understood.”

Despite understanding the manager’s intent, Cheong Jeong still felt uneasy.

Fwoosh—!

The chief waved his hand, dispelling the watery aura. He then sighed. “Give him his potion and let’s go already.”

The potions were essential for today’s destination. Naturally, the rookie required his share as well.

“What are you waiting for? Take it out.”

“Well, um...”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t bring it.”

Cheong Jeong bit down on his lower lip.

“Well... we’re short on potions...”

“What?!”

Of course, he hadn’t packed an extra dose. He hadn’t expected the rookie to actually show up.

The manager’s usually composed face flushed with irritation. “You can’t go into a desert without a Heat-Resistance Potion! He won’t even be able to stand, let alone move!”

The manager seemed about ready to order someone to buy one out of pocket when Eun-Ho popped open the cork of his potion bottle with a satisfying click.

“Oh, is it this one? I bought it just in case,” Eun-Ho said. “I had a feeling my mentor wouldn’t give me one.”

“What do you mean?! Wait, what?” The manager stared at the bottle, speechless. It was the same potion that he and Cheong Jeong had drunk moments ago. “Did someone tell him ahead of time that we’re heading into a desert?”

“N-no one mentioned it, sir,” Cheong Jeong replied.

“Then how did Mr. Lee Eun-Ho know to bring that?”

Cheong Jeong looked just as stunned. In his confusion, an absurd theory crossed his mind. “Could it be one of his abilities? Prophecy, maybe?”

Is the rookie a precognition-type?

“It was written in the report,” Eun-Ho said matter-of-factly, quickly dispelling the idea. “Average temperature of fifty degrees, with rapid desertification in progress.”

“The report?”

“Additionally, the local temperature has risen five degrees compared to the previous quarter, while rainfall has decreased by five percent, confirming signs of desertification.”

“So you’re telling me that you read about District 7’s temperature in the report and decided to bring a Heat-Resistance Potion because of it?”

The manager let out a dry, incredulous laugh. Planning ahead like that was rare, especially for a rookie who had joined barely two hours ago.

Eun-Ho then met Cheong Jeong’s eyes squarely and said, each word deliberate, “I wrote it down myself. By hand. Every single letter. So I guess it stuck in my memory.”

Cheong Jeong’s mouth clamped shut. There wasn’t much he could say to that.

“Oh, right. Will the company reimburse me for this potion?” Eun-Ho asked almost casually.

“What?”

“You will, right? I bought it for work purposes.”

“Ha.”

A faint smile tugged at Eun-Ho’s lips as he extended his open palm toward Cheong Jeong. “Please take care of it, sir.”

What the hell is up with this kid?! Cheong Jeong thought.

***

[You are entering the Desert of Corruption!]

Before Eun-Ho was a black desert that stretched into eternity. Above, the sky was so dim that it was impossible to tell whether the pale glow came from a sun or a moon.

The air was thick with heat; every gust felt as though it could scorch their skin. Clouds of dust swirled up from the cracked ground, rising and falling with the wind.

Wooo— Wooooo—

Somewhere in the distance echoed a long, low cry that wasn’t quite human.

“You probably already know, Jeong, but this used to be an ordinary desert,” the manager said. “The monsters here weren’t nearly this strong before, either.”

Within the desolate wasteland, only the trio seemed alive.

“Our goal today is to find out why this special zone appeared and why the monsters here are multiplying endlessly.”

“Understood.”

“Mr. Lee Eun-Ho, I’ve assigned this to you as an OJT sub-trial. Don’t worry, though. There’s no failure penalty. Just do your best.”

“Got it, sir.”

Fwoosh—!

A translucent system window appeared before his eyes. It was his second trial of the day, and his very first sub-trial.

[The sub-trial of Project OJT has begun.]

[Trial: identify the cause of the Desert of Corruption's appearance before anyone else.]

[Rewards: 2 Points, 2,000 Welfare Points]

[Special Condition: if another employee identifies the cause first, the trial activation will be canceled.]

[Failure Consequence: — ]

“The sub-trial rewards are higher than the main one?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Ah, yeah. Rewards correlate with difficulty. The copying trial was bottom-tier.”

“Bottom-tier difficulty, huh...” He let the words hang deliberately as he glanced at his so-called mentor.

Cheong Jeong looked away, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in awkward silence.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

From a distance, they heard the clattering of hard shells colliding. Moments later, the source came into view.

[Defeat the Rotten Venom Scorpion!]

The monster was enormous—at least three or four times taller than Eun-Ho. Its black shell gleamed under the harsh desert light.

The oversized scorpion arched its tail, which was coiled like a whip, high into the air before thrusting it forward with terrifying precision. Thick green venom dripped from its stinger, sizzling as it hit the sand.

Crack! Crackle!

Just the sound of it made cold sweat run down Eun-Ho's spine, yet that wasn't the worst of it.

[Defeat the Rotten Venom Scorpion!]

[Defeat the Rotten Venom Scorpion!]

...

More just kept appearing.

Rumble—

It wasn’t just scorpions. Another horde was coming from another direction.

[Defeat the Corrupted Dung Beetle!]

[Defeat the Corrupted Dung Beetle!]

[Defeat the Corrupted Dung Beetle!]

...

“Jeong, didn’t you say there’d be ten at most?” The manager questioned.

“That’s what the report said last month, sir!” Cheong Jeong replied.

The manager ground his teeth. “Forget it! Prepare for battle!”

He unsheathed a massive cleaver-like weapon so wide that it resembled a guillotine. When he gave it a test swing, it rippled the air and sent sand flying. It was certainly strong enough to make anyone’s knees shake.

He’s strong.

Even without seeing him fight, Eun-Ho could tell that the manager was no ordinary warrior.

My mentor definitely isn't, though..

Cheong Jeong clutched his long spear awkwardly with an unsteady grip, and his eyes darted nervously. It was obvious he was terrified.

So being a full-time employee doesn’t necessarily mean being strong, Eun-Ho thought, oddly reassured.

“It’s dangerous, Mr. Lee Eun-Ho! Stay back!”

Just then, a clear tone and a message window appeared.

[An additional sub-trial of Project OJT has begun.]

He was planning to stay back, but he now had a reason to fight. Taking several steps forward, he said, “Summon.”

The air rippled as he drew the Sky-Shattering Blade.

[Trial: Eliminate monsters and purify the Desert of Corruption.]

[Progress: 0/50]

[Rewards: 3 Points, 3,000 Welfare Points.]

[Failure Consequence: — ]

“Step aside,” Eun-Ho said.

“W-what?”

“You’re not really helping anyway.”

Cheong Jeong flinched and froze as Eun-Ho looked him dead in the eye. “What did you just say?”

“I said, if you can’t fight, just stay back.”

The man gritted his teeth, voice trembling with anger. “Can’t fight? That’s a bit arrogant, don’t you think?”

Eun-Ho couldn't care less. After all, he already knew the truth.

[Cheong Jeong]

[Skills]

Basic Spearmanship(Lv. 2)

Appraisal(Lv. 11)

Trade(Lv. 7)

In-Person Reporting(Lv. 10)

Written Reporting(Lv. 4)

His only offensive skill was a clumsy spear jab.

“Do you even know how strong those monsters are?!”

Thud! Thud! Thwack!

The manager’s already crushed five of them. That means...

Eun-Ho’s mind raced, calculating his position and timing. Then, with a faint smile, he said, “If you’re that scared, feel free to stick your head in the sand and stay there.”

“H-how dare you!”

Cheong Jeong trembled with rage, but Eun-Ho’s tone remained impeccably polite. “Acceleration.”