Chapter 10

He and He Met in Eden 

Eden—the cradle of humanity. 

When the apocalypse came, the population plummeted, and many lost the conditions and environment necessary for reproduction. In such a situation, Eden, a place that stored large quantities of human eggs and sperm, became, as its name implied, a symbol of hope. 

Here, new life was mass-produced. 

Eden nurtured these newborns until the age of two, after which they were sent outside to continue their social upbringing. 

All children born in Eden were given serial numbers as their names. 

“All for the future of humanity”—his eyes lingered on the small embroidered slogan on the chest of the uniform. 

Standing across from him was a man in a white uniform, someone he had seen before during the interview. This man was one of the five interviewers. 

Out of the five who had come to report in, only he made it here. 

This was the central area of Eden, the same area where he had glimpsed the egg-shaped building earlier. 

Now, he was inside that building. 

The man was explaining his job responsibilities. 

“…So, 485345, these are your duties. I heard that your hobbies include poetry, painting, and music? These are wonderful aspects of human civilization. We’ve prepared some instruments, drawing boards, and paints for you, as well as a few poetry books. You can teach at your own pace. If your student learns, great. If not… don’t force it.” 

It sounded like a laid-back job—for both him and his future student. 

But if there were no expectations for results, what was the point of teaching? 

“He has a bad temper. Even when he seems obedient, keep that in mind,” the man warned. 

“Your working hours are from 8 AM to 8 PM. When you want to leave, head to the entrance and speak to the monitor or wave for recognition.” 

“If you have any needs—whether for teaching or daily life—let me know, and I’ll do my best to accommodate you.” 

“And finally, I hope you get along well with your student.” 

That last sentence sounded suspiciously like the real requirement. 

As these thoughts crossed his mind, his gaze drifted from the embroidered slogan on the man’s chest to his face. 

Noticing his look, the man smiled. “Do you have any questions?” 

He thought for a moment, then nodded. 

“Go ahead.” 

“What’s the salary?” 

The question caught the man off guard. After a pause, he gave a number. 

“This is the probation period salary. If you pass the probation, it will increase by 20%,” the man added. 

Though, in truth, no one had ever lasted that long. 

As the man reflected on why the question had tripped him up, it struck him: none of the previous recruits had stayed long enough to collect a salary. Over time, he had grown careless, even forgetting to mention such an essential detail during recruitment. 

He made a mental note to correct this in the future—regardless of how long people stayed, salaries should always be discussed upfront. 

With a gentle smile, the man asked again, “Any other questions?” 

“I want daily payments,” he replied seriously. 

The man: … 

After assuring him that wouldn’t be a problem, the man escorted him down the final stretch of the path to Eden’s most secure room. 

It was just a few steps, really. Outside the door, the man offered him a polite farewell: “Good luck.” 

The door swung open. 

Without sparing a glance back, he stepped inside. 

The white hidden door closed quietly behind him. 

—

Inside, he saw someone. 

In fact, at that moment, that person was all he could see. 

It was the one who had stolen his magic book—the book’s new owner. 

The moment the door opened, he recognized them immediately.

It was a young boy. 

His light tea-colored hair and similarly colored eyes gleamed like glass beads. He wore a suit and tie, just like him, and his thin frame gave him a delicate appearance. 

Standing obediently a short distance from the doorway, the boy smiled at Juan while holding a bouquet of flowers. 

“Hello, teacher.” His voice was clear and cool, with a hint of hoarseness—perhaps due to being in the middle of puberty—but it was pleasant to the ear. 

Without blinking, he stared straight into Juan’s eyes, his smile growing even brighter. Extending the bouquet toward him with his left hand, the boy’s tone turned even sweeter. “Teacher, these flowers are for you…” 

Before the smile could fully form and the words fade, the flowers suddenly shot toward Juan like arrows— 

In an instant, the harmless bouquet transformed into a dangerous weapon. No one could have anticipated it—not even Juan. 

However— 

Unexpected, but still avoidable. 

Just before the “flower-arrows” pierced his body, Juan’s form flickered, leaving only a fading afterimage as the flowers shot through it. He himself surged forward like a released arrow— 

But faster than any arrow. 

The boy’s smile had yet to fade, but in the next second, pain exploded in his left wrist as he was yanked upward. Stunned, he looked down at the source of the pain, only to find his wrist clutched in the hand of the man who had just entered. 

With a single hand, Juan held the boy’s wrist, lifting him off the ground so that only his toes grazed the floor. 

“Huh?” The boy stared at his twisted wrist in disbelief, his expression finally cracking. 

Expressionless, Juan released him. 

The boy landed on the ground with a thud, looking up with wide tea-colored eyes. After staring for a moment, realizing Juan had no further intention of acting, he threw his head back and shouted toward the ceiling: 

“Help! My hand is broken!”