“Stretcher! Get a stretcher!”

    “Over here! Quickly!”

    “Ji-hoon, stay with us!”

    A falling object accident—an occurrence all too common in the resource warehouse.

    Fortunately, the injured worker had been wearing a helmet imbued with impact absorption magic, so the injuries likely weren’t severe.

    Watching the commotion, Kim Seok-hoon sighed and said, “...That’s one of the variables I mentioned earlier. Sometimes, items react to mana fluctuations and move on their own, causing them to fall. Even if they’re secured properly, they somehow loosen. That’s why you have to be extra cautious.”

    Handing Su-ho a safety helmet, Kim added with a smile, “Here, take this. Better safe than sorry.”

    The accident was a perfect opportunity for Kim to teach Su-ho a lesson about the unpredictability of the job without much effort.

    But to his surprise—

    “Thank you,” Su-ho replied with his trademark smile, cheerfully taking the helmet and putting it on.

    “Should I get started now?”

    “Huh? Oh, yes, you can, but... are you sure you’re okay?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “Well, you just saw that accident happen...”

    “That was dangerous, but I wouldn’t really call it a variable. With proper caution, it can be avoided. I’ll head in now.”

    “...”

    Despite witnessing the accident up close, Su-ho remained undeterred, his determination unshaken.

    Without a hint of hesitation, he strode confidently into the warehouse.

    Kim Seok-hoon could only gape in astonishment, shaking his head in disbelief.

    “This guy’s something else.”

    ***

    “Falling object accidents in the resource warehouse? That’s just another day here.”

    Su-ho stepped deeper into the warehouse and began methodically searching for the items listed on his evaluation sheet.

    “Let’s start with the ones for the test.”

    The so-called logistics retrieval test, part of the first evaluation, was a breeze for Su-ho. During his past rotation in the Resource Management Department, he’d done this task to the point of exhaustion.

    Filling his inventory with the required items, Su-ho also began searching for something else—something not listed.

    “If my memory’s correct, it should be in this warehouse around this time...”

    Su-ho preferred the Resource and Gate Divisions over the Awakening and Management Divisions.

    Of course, this was a perspective shaped by his regression.

    While the first two divisions offered connections with people, the latter two also provided tangible rewards—valuable items and skills.@@@@

    “Even if most items are logged in the database and can’t just be taken freely...”

    What Su-ho sought were hidden treasures—items with concealed properties overlooked by others.

    As he scoured the warehouse, his eyes lit up.

    “Found it.”

    There, in the section colloquially called the “junk storage,” sat an unassuming object.

    It was a simple item, carelessly placed amidst other unremarkable trinkets.

    Su-ho checked its details.

    [ Stone Apple ]

    A stone-crafted apple.Its maker is unknown, and it appears rather crude.

    The description was as simple as the item itself.

    Likely categorized as a junk item due to its lack of apparent functionality, it had been dismissed by the warehouse staff.

    Su-ho picked it up and pretended to study his evaluation sheet while keeping his movements casual.

    He avoided glancing around too much and was especially careful not to look at the security cameras positioned diagonally above. Drawing unnecessary attention was the last thing he needed.

    “Now, let’s see what happens when I inject mana...”

    Su-ho slowly infused the apple with mana.

    At first, nothing happened. Then, faint luminous patterns began to appear on its surface.

    The Venom Dragon.The Venom Demon.The Venom King.

    But before long, Kim realized his assumption had been dead wrong.

    “Just dropping these off for now!”

    Su-ho appeared with a bright smile, dumping a load of items onto the ground before Kim.

    Every single one was from the evaluation list.

    And that wasn’t all.

    Su-ho went back into the warehouse multiple times, each time returning with more items until, finally, he’d brought back everything on the list.

    After depositing the last batch, Su-ho meticulously checked the items against the list and handed the evaluation sheet to Kim with a cheerful grin.

    “That’s everything. Would you like to double-check?”

    “Uh... yeah.”

    Kim took the sheet, trying to mask his astonishment as he began comparing the items to the list.

    But the more he checked, the more his jaw dropped.

    “Holy... what the hell?”

    An involuntary curse slipped from his lips.

    The list had nearly 100 items, yet Su-ho had retrieved every single one without missing a beat.

    Even the ones deliberately designed to trip him up—ambiguous names, confusing codes, and colors—were all accounted for.

    “I even added those killer items to make it harder...”

    Despite instructions from above to go easy on Su-ho because he was a Special Division royal, Kim had ignored them.

    As a Grade 5 special hire, Su-ho was expected to quickly rise to team leader status, and Kim believed such individuals needed to prove their competence thoroughly.

    Yet Su-ho had flawlessly tackled even the so-called "killer" items, leaving Kim in awe.

    “People like this actually exist...”

    Kim had assumed that Su-ho’s reputation was exaggerated, chalking up his achievements to exceptional combat skills rather than administrative prowess.

    But now, witnessing this firsthand, Kim realized Su-ho wasn’t just a genius—he was an all-around prodigy.

    “You’re incredible,” Kim admitted.

    Su-ho chuckled modestly. “Not at all.”

    “No, really, you are. Next, we’ll move on to the categorization portion of the evaluation...”

    But here too, Su-ho excelled.

    Despite the hundreds of items that poured into the categorization warehouse daily, Su-ho flawlessly completed all three stages of the sorting process without a single mistake.

    By the time the first test was over, Kim could only accept the truth.

    “...You’re amazing.”

    “Haha, thank you, but it wasn’t that hard.”

    “No, it really was. And I’m not just saying this because I’m from this department, but I think our Resource Division’s work is harder than any other. Most trainees receive their lowest scores here, yet you...”

    Kim trailed off, clearly impressed.

    Su-ho agreed.

    He’d found Resource Division tasks grueling in his first life.

    But now, with his second chance and extensive experience, the work felt relatively straightforward—especially compared to other challenges he’d faced.

    “If you’ve been a pyramid slave, construction work feels like a breeze.”

    More importantly...

    “It looks like no one noticed the stone apple.”

    Su-ho had expected as much. With so many CCTV feeds in the warehouse, it was impossible for the staff to monitor every moment.

    While there was always the chance of a slip-up, no news was good news.

    Su-ho smiled. “So, do I move on to the second test with Special Team 2 now?”

    “Yes, but... there’s a bit of a problem,” Kim replied hesitantly, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

    “A problem?”

    “Yes...”

    Kim’s discomfort was evident, leaving Su-ho curious about what issue lay ahead.