How to Survive Restructuring

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 82: Training or Discipline (2)

In the center of what appeared to be a gym, two doors emerged.

Ordinary in design, just like the ones from before, but gleaming with a silvery shine.

Click.

Turning the doorknob, I pushed it open.

The first sensation was the warm sunlight streaming through the gap, followed by the dry air.

Next came the rustling sound of leaves, a faint grassy scent, and a gentle breeze.

Finally, my eyes were met with a towering wall that seemed to stretch up to the sky.

"!!"

Beyond the door was nature.

A half-piece of nature, blocked by a massive wall.

“This place…”

A muttered phrase escaped from Park Gongchan’s lips before it trailed off.

With a deliberate cough, he tried to hide his surprise.

Not that I particularly cared.

Step.

I stepped onto the grass.

The weather was hot but not humid, which made it pleasantly refreshing.

The breeze also helped cool off the sweat I’d worked up lifting 500 pounds during my workout.

“Feels like European weather.”

“Europe?”

“That’s what the weather in Europe is like. Low humidity makes it cool in the shade, no matter how hot it gets.”

Park Gongchan rambled on about something I didn’t particularly care to know, but his chatter was interrupted by a broadcast announcement.

[Starting 'Stage II' now!]

[The mission for this stage is 'rock climbing.']

[Climb the cliff quickly and safely!]

Huh?

A cliff?

I snapped my head up at the baffling announcement.

Because there wasn’t any cliff to climb here.

Except for the sleek wall blocking the door on the other side…

Wait a second.

Could it be… that?

‘It’s not a wall?’

[Once again, a reminder.]

[You may quit the stage anytime you wish. However, please be cautious of the risk of falling.]

So, by "quit if you want," they meant you could fall off midway while climbing.

Whether you die from the fall or not, that’s your choice, huh?

Sigh.

Without a single rope to support my weight, or any cracks or ledges to grip with my hands or feet, they wanted me to climb this smooth cliff with my bare hands.

“……”

Even Park Gongchan was at a loss for words.

He merely frowned as he scrutinized the cliff.

‘How tall is it, I wonder.’

One thing was for sure—this was way taller than the observation deck I’d climbed at Namsan Tower before.

From here, it was impossible to even estimate its height.

But the bigger problem was:

‘It’s ridiculously massive.’

Each section of the rock face was enormous.

Which meant there weren’t any proper gaps between the rocks to grab onto.

What’s more…

Swish!

I ran my hand over the rock wall—it was smooth, with barely any unevenness.

It felt more like metal than stone.

As I stood there contemplating how to tackle this situation…

Step.

“This is instant death if you fall. Might as well quit now.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“You’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you?”

Then, Park Gongchan spoke again.

“Summon.”

With that, he drew two daggers.

The blades were sheathed, so I couldn’t see the edges, but the elegant handles alone were enough to suggest they were high-quality weapons.

With their milky white color, they looked as if they were crafted from the tusks of some massive beast.

‘What’s he planning to do with those?’

For now, I decided to watch quietly.

Swish—

He reversed his grip on the two daggers, holding them upside down.

Thunk!

Then he drove the handles straight into the rock wall.

With sheer brute force.

‘What?’

The strength was unbelievable.

I had sensed it earlier when he was doing his lifts, but this guy had already surpassed the limits of human capability.

Crunch!

The ivory-colored dagger handles sank into the wall one after the other.

Right, left.

He was far stronger than he looked.

Must be the power of his stats.

But.

‘No way he can climb to the top with just arm strength.’

The wall was far too tall, and the moment his strength waned even a little, he’d fall immediately.

So I kept watching, curious to see how he’d solve this.

Thunk!

While hanging from the wall, he forcefully kicked it with his foot.

Just like the daggers, the soles of his shoes sank into the wall.

Don’t tell me…

"Soccer cleats?"

"It's an item. You can adjust the spikes on the soles however you like."

"Hah."

"This mission feels like it was made just for me, don’t you think?"

As if to prove Park Gongchan’s words, a sudden gust of wind blew, but he didn’t budge.

His hands and feet were practically embedded into the rock wall.

Thud! Crack! Thud—!

He started climbing the cliff, driving his knife and shoes into the surface as he went.

Maybe it was because he didn’t need to worry about where to grab or step.

The speed was incredible.

It was almost no different from walking on flat ground.

And soon after, as he climbed higher, he poked his head out and shouted back.

"It’s even more dangerous up here. You should probably give up now."

But, you see...

"Petrification."

I’ve got something too.

Rock-hard spikes.

* * *

Thunk!

I drove my right hand into the rock wall.

My fingertips pierced through the solid stone, as if reinforced by some barrier.

‘I don’t need to embed it too deeply.’

Speed was more important than depth.

It just had to hold enough to not slip.

Two knuckles deep was optimal.

Thunk! Thunk!

I reached up with my right hand and punched holes to the left and right.

I was about to grab hold of the holes in turn when the guy, who had climbed much higher already, called down again.

"That’s a pretty neat trick. Is it a skill?"

He knows about skills.

Well, it’s not surprising, considering he’s someone rated high enough to be here.

"But there must be a cooldown time."

So, he must’ve unlocked his own skill, too.

Just like Jieun, Jaehyuk, Yura, and Yeon Bora.

‘What kind of skill does he have?’

I kept climbing without pausing my hands or feet but occasionally glanced at my competitor.

Park Gongchan did the same.

"What’s your skill?"

As if he had read my mind, he asked the same question.

So I returned the question.

"What about you?"

"Oh, me? Let’s just call it a fated ability."

What nonsense.

And he said it with this wistful look, gazing longingly up at the sky.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

I mean, I asked him the question—why the heck is he staring at the sky?

Anyway.

"Then I’ll call mine something like that too."

"Hmm."

Park Gongchan raised his thick eyebrows.

He looked genuinely curious about my vague response, but I had a lot to think about.

‘Items and skills. A head-on fight puts me at a disadvantage.’

Unlike him, who was using an item to climb, I was relying on a skill.

In other words, as long as his stamina held, he could climb indefinitely, but I couldn’t.

「Petrification (Lv.12): Temporarily hardens the user’s body for 60 seconds.」

「Effective area: Right arm, right leg.」

Petrification’s duration was one minute.

Even with acceleration, the maximum time I could stretch it to was a minute and 30 seconds.

After that, I’d have a one-minute cooldown, during which I’d be as vulnerable as a defenseless fool.

On top of that...

Swoooosh—!

The wind was much stronger than I had expected.

It was nothing like what I had felt standing on flat ground.

The higher I climbed, the fiercer it grew.

Wobble!

When Petrification locked my body to the wall, the wind didn’t matter.

The problem was enduring it without the skill active.

It was incredibly dangerous.

A single moment of carelessness, and I’d plummet to my death.

‘I can’t waste my energy recklessly.’

Think. Think. Think.

I needed a way to climb safely during the cooldown.

As I searched for the optimal route...

"Your skill must’ve ended,"

Park Gongchan taunted.

"Or maybe you’re just out of strength?"

"Sorry, but I’m still fine."

He even had the audacity to sound concerned.

"Why don’t you just climb back down? It’d probably be faster."

"Mind your own business."

He clicked his tongue and resumed climbing the cliff, muttering something in passing.

"A crow trying to follow a stork will only tear its legs apart."

And as I was about to sarcastically ask if he even knew what a crow or a stork looked like—

‘!!’

A thought flashed through my mind.

Not about a crow or a stork...

But—

‘How to make a 3:500 win against a fully-equipped 3:1,170.’

Smack!

With a slight smirk, I shifted sideways and placed my hands and feet into position.

Thanks to the gap Park Gongchan so kindly created for me.

* * *

"Not a bad method."

Park Gongchan glanced downward briefly before speaking, his tone almost one of praise.

I had been ready to draw my sword if he started accusing me of foul play.

But for now, it seemed I didn't need to.

"I suppose if you follow me properly, your chances of success will improve. I'll block the wind for you, too."

I didn’t particularly like the way he spoke, as though addressing a subordinate or junior.

But that wasn’t important right now.

What mattered more was this:

Should I show him my abilities?

Truthfully, it wasn't much of a dilemma.

Risking immediate danger just for a fight that might not even happen later would be foolish.

After all, this is a world where you never know when you'll die or meet someone again.

Instead, I decided to aim for something else.

‘Extra stats.’

Nicknamed the "Zodiac Strategy."

Like a rat riding on the ox’s back, waiting until the very last moment before sprinting ahead.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Crack! Thwack…

After climbing for a long time, the edge of the cliff finally came into view.

When the vertical race between him and me was nearly at an end—

"Not bad for an amateur…"

"Petrification! Acceleration!"

"Jeeeeeet Buuuuuuurst—!"

I reached out my right arm.

As far as I could, stretching it to its limits.

And then—

Thud!

I slammed it in like a wedge and, with my right foot, did the same.

Thunk!

My right hand and foot were both gripping the rock firmly above me.

Then, bending my right knee, I shifted my weight to the right.

Swoosh!

I drove my left hand into the spot where my right hand had been.

Freed from its grip, my right hand reached even higher.

Thud!

Finally, I brought up my left foot, completing the motion.

This technique allowed me to move upward quickly, though it had the drawback of only enabling movement diagonally to the right.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud…

After a solid 1 minute and 30 seconds of efficient climbing—

Tick!

"…Phew. Don’t lose your nerve… huh?"

When time resumed its normal pace, there he was.

Park Gongchan, looking utterly baffled, realizing I was no longer below him.

"Did he fall off already? Guess amateurs can't—"

"Up here."

"?!"

Smack!

I used the momentum in my arms to haul myself onto the edge of the cliff.

Finally, after so much effort—

[Stage II Clear!]

[Break through physical and mental limits! Mission 'Rock Climbing' complete.]

It was over.

"How is this possible?!"

Park Gongchan's face contorted with shock as the breeze above cooled my sweat.

"That was teleportation, wasn’t it? Don’t tell me… is that another skill?"

"Why don’t you climb up first? It’s dangerous down there."

"Answer me!"

Thud!

Hanging off the cliff’s edge, Park Gongchan shouted angrily.

Ignoring him, I plopped down at the edge, sitting cross-legged, grateful to be free from gravity for a moment.

And then—

[Basic Stamina increased.]

[Stamina Stat (+2)]

Maybe it was the boosted stats, but the labored breathing from the long climb stabilized almost instantly.

It felt like the sensation of gulping down a sports drink after intense training—only magnified several times.

[Target: Lee Eunho. You have earned an additional stat point for exceptional performance.]

On top of that, I gained a bonus stat for beating him.

"I’ve never seen anyone unlock two skills before! I didn’t even know it was possible until I looked at the course list earlier… Who are you?!"

Hmm.

So this is his first time seeing someone with two unlocked skills?

Then he’d be even more surprised to meet someone who’s unlocked all five basic skills and two trait-specific ones.

"Did you stumble upon some miraculous fortune? Did you find some ‘heavenly blessing’?"

"Heavenly blessing?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Yeah, a heavenly blessing! There’s no way an ordinary person could unlock two skills otherwise…"

So I told him.

"There’s a world out there that ordinary people don’t know about."

"!!"

Before I could stop myself, I added one more line.

To the man still hanging onto the cliff, out of breath.

"Need a hand? You look like you’re struggling."

To which Korea's soccer legend replied, his voice dripping with disdain as his face twisted in frustration.

"…Lucky bastard."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]