Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Chapter 136 – Training (2)

“Sigh. He’s talking complete rubbish once more…”

While watching Choi Hyung-jun with the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I knit my brows at the ridiculous things coming out of his mouth.

“If he keeps this up, it won’t be any different from a religious cult’s recruitment pitch.”

Throwing around words like miracles and specific names only served to make it sound precisely like the sermon of a cult leader.

Even so, I didn’t step in to prevent him from distributing my name.

It had already been integrated as a standard procedure in the rescue team’s operations guide, given its high efficiency in restoring stamina.

To be exact, for anyone who had successfully registered for citizenship, merely being aware of my name boosted their physical attributes through the effects of the ‘Power of Trust.’

As soon as they acknowledged my identity, a portion of their energy would instantly replenish.

Because of this practical benefit, it felt rather inappropriate for me to make him stop.

[Hyung-jun hyung. Assemble a group. We should process those who are prepared to travel as citizens first.]

“Eh? Ah, yes, I’ve got it.”

Choi Hyung-jun.

He was a warm-hearted neighbor of mine and had been the very first individual to register under our system.

But because he was naturally quite faint-hearted, he had never taken part in any battles, which meant I hadn’t pushed him to level up.

Consequently, his level was the lowest among all my vassals, yet for someone who never actually fought beasts, reaching level 33 was remarkably high.

His progress had been slow and steady through finishing various quests, accumulating experience gradually.

He was the sole vassal who hadn’t benefited from heavy investment, but looking at it another way, he had enjoyed his own set of privileges.

Not once had I ordered him onto the front lines.

“His disposition is simply too delicate.”

Truthfully, even if I had pushed him into active combat, he would have likely ended up as a liability rather than an asset.

He was still deeply scarred by the goblin event, leaving his heart far too gentle to engage in violence.

Choi Hyung-jun found it difficult to raise a hand against even the monsters.

Furthermore, he had a sense of obligation to fulfill.

Having been with us since the beginning, he assisted in diverse non-combat roles, and he was currently fostering orphaned children whose parents had been slaughtered by vampires.

For these reasons, his responsibilities as a vassal were primarily confined to sentry duty at our outposts.

Yet now, even he had to step up because the crisis at Jamsil had turned incredibly severe.

When the massive chunk of land came crashing down, he had utilized his teleportation skill to soften the impact as much as possible.

Even with his efforts to lessen the force, the remaining impact was still catastrophic, resulting in continuous casualties.

Both the vassals and the rescue and medical units were working tirelessly to control the disaster.

Initially, they extracted survivors from the ruined zone, bringing them together in secure sectors before transferring them to our sole Seoul outpost at Konkuk University Station to register them as citizens. From that point, they were transported directly to Busan via the North Gate.

Thanks to Kim Dabin’s capable leadership on site, the extraction operations moved along smoothly.

However, right at that moment.

“What’s this?”

An unexpected emergency began to unfold within the crowd Choi Hyung-jun was guiding.

Lee Jun-young was seized by terror.

Just a short while ago, he had been absolutely delighted back at the shelter, savoring soda and various packaged treats.

A senior citizen had come up to him, prattling on about keeping the name “Kim Jae-hyun” in mind, but such trivial talk didn’t interest him in the slightest.

As long as his friends and he could fill their bellies, nothing else mattered.

But now, things were different.

“Pant, pant. Everyone, gasp…”

“What is wrong with you all of a sudden? Hey, Lee Jun-young! Snap out of it!”

“Hurry… we have to get away…!”

Lee Jun-young was rapidly losing control of his breathing, gasping for air.

The cause of his panic was straightforward.

They were drawing near the very area where his dearest companion and partner had perished.

The fellow preaching the name of “Kim Jae-hyun” had painted a fantasy about hot baths and resting peacefully on soft beds, acting like a deceptive snake-oil salesman.

It seemed too good to be true, but because their escorts possessed such incredible strength, he had tagged along with a sliver of hope that it might actually be real.

Yet, the destination that bizarre elder had guided them toward was a living nightmare.

The path they were traveling on led straight into the domain of a colossal golem with razor-sharp blades for arms and legs.

The moment Lee Jun-young recognized this, sheer terror gripped him, causing his breathing to spiral out of control.

“I figured it out far too late!”

The horrific memory of the day his beloved friend was shredded by that blade golem replayed with terrifying clarity in his thoughts.

The impending dread of dying that had paralyzed him back then was once again suffocating his chest.

“I need to escape right now…!”

Yet, despite the frantic alarms ringing in his head, his vocal cords failed to alert his allies.

Even before he could make an attempt to speak, his body felt as though it was shutting down from pure fright.

“Gasp! Pant—!”

He genuinely believed his life was ending.

He hadn’t even laid eyes on the beast yet, but his lingering trauma and panic were proving lethal enough on their own. Lee Jun-young despaired at the sheer unfairness of dying like this.

But right then.

Hummm—

An unfamiliar sensation suddenly erupted within Lee Jun-young’s body.

“What in the world…?”

Just then, the guide who had been leading their party rushed over to his side.

In his hand, he held a black plastic bag, which he quickly pressed over Lee Jun-young’s nose and mouth.

“Huff! Puff!”

The plastic bag expanded and contracted in rhythm with Lee Jun-young’s rapid gasps.

Before long, his erratic breathing began to settle.

“…I survived.”

He let out a long breath of relief, but his calm was instantly replaced by a wave of hot fury when he locked eyes with the man responsible for leading them into this trap.

Having stared death in the face, Lee Jun-young let his bottled-up terror burst out as rage.

“What on earth are you playing at?!”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have any idea what kind of place you’ve dragged us to? Are you working for that blade golem? Was all that food you fed us earlier just a lure to get us slaughtered?!”

“A blade golem?”

“Yes! Your stupidity is going to get every single one of us killed!”

After spitting out those angry words, Lee Jun-young fell silent, caught off guard by the genuine bewilderment on the guide’s face.

The guide’s complexion was rapidly turning white with sheer dread.

“T-the blade monster… in this area?”

But almost immediately, his panic vanished, and his features smoothed out as if he hadn’t been startled at all.

‘…What is wrong with this fellow?’

The expression that had been paralyzed with fright just a second ago had completely reset to a calm demeanor.

The subsequent words left Lee Jun-young utterly baffled.

“Ah, that beast has already been eliminated. There is absolutely nothing to fear.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Aizen? Yes? Can you repeat that? Oh, Aizen Blade. Right, a creature entirely covered in sharp edges. Apparently, our outpost here was established only after that particular monster was slain.”

Lee Jun-young stared grimly at the guide, highly unsettled by his bizarre manner of speaking.

‘Is this man… completely out of his mind?’

The guide behaved exactly as if he were listening to a voice transmission in real-time.

‘This is… highly suspicious.’

Observing this bizarre display, Lee Jun-young’s confidence in their leader dissolved completely, and an intense urge to flee the area gripped him. But just as he prepared to run…

Grrraaaargh!

A massive tiger, as large as an entire van, burst into view and pounced toward their group.

Instantly, the faces of everyone present drained of color.

“Ack!”

The guide himself looked more startled than anyone, his eyes wide with shock.

As Lee Jun-young resolved to grab his friends and flee the impending slaughter at that very second…

Thwip!

A spear manifested out of thin air, impaling the colossal beast through its neck and clean out its back.

Kaboom!

The fearsome tiger’s form burst apart on the spot, leaving nothing behind.

“….”

The execution had occurred with such blinding speed that nobody could process it. The group remained petrified, gazing at the spot where the tiger’s remains were dissipating.

“Whew. I appreciate the help, Jaehyun.”

Lee Jun-young could only stare at the guide with his jaw hanging open.

His panic when the beast jumped out, his visible fright, and the way he wiped the cold perspiration from his forehead—it was too genuine to be an act; otherwise, he deserved a prize for acting.

Considering his genuine shock, the projectile that had obliterated the predator clearly didn’t belong to him.

So where had that weapon originated from?

‘Is it possible… that it was Jaehyun’s power?’

That feline was no minor threat like a common goblin.

It exuded a terrifying pressure that could easily overwhelm a formidable orc, marking it as a high-tier threat.

And yet, it had been obliterated in a single strike?

A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Although the sudden evaporation of the corpse was unsettling, what truly terrified Lee Jun-young was the grim realization of how easily their lives could be snuffed out by the force behind that guide.

‘This is insane.’

This dread was entirely distinct from the panic he had experienced when confronting the blade golem that had slaughtered his friend.

With the blade golem, there was at least a slim possibility of flight. He had managed to run away back then, even if it wasn’t by his own strength.

But against this kind of power… fleeing felt entirely impossible.

He was filled with absolute powerlessness.

It felt as though their survival depended entirely on the whims of this unseen entity.

More importantly…

‘The pitch-black aura surrounding that spear.’

He had observed this particular energy on multiple occasions today.

He had seen it on the lady administering medical aid, as well as on the rescue workers who moved around enveloped in that very same dark mist. He realized with absolute certainty…

‘That dark energy is Jaehyun’s signature.’

Suddenly, all the bizarre actions of their guide began to click into place.

And if someone possessed that kind of monstrous power, then the claim that they had slain the blade golem was undoubtedly true.

Lee Jun-young asked in a careful tone,

“Pardon me, but are you communicating with him at this moment? The person named Jaehyun?”

“Oh, how did you figure that out?”

Since it was glaringly obvious that he was listening to a voice, there was no hiding it.

“Where is he located? Is he close by?”

“Actually, he is currently down in Busan.”

“Busan…? Hold on.”

Lee Jun-young wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. To be absolutely sure, he questioned the guide once more.

“Did you really say Busan?”

“That’s right, Busan. That’s where I’m from originally. Haha.”

Hearing those words, Lee Jun-young fell silent, his mind racing.

The massive geographical gap between Busan and Seoul.

The formidable power of the creature that had just been vaporized.

And the group traveling alongside him.

‘…Could all of this actually be true?’

Just based on what he had seen with his own eyes, it was an unbelievable level of power.

But if every claim this guide had made was accurate, then this force was far beyond what any simple word like “incredible” could convey.

No vocabulary existed that could properly define it.

He needed to see for himself if this dream-like reality existed.

“Where are you leading us to next?”

“Well, our immediate destination is the outpost, where you will receive your citizenship. Once that is sorted, you will be allocated a proper residence to settle in.”

“Understood. Let’s move.”

Without encountering any more trouble, the party arrived at the entrance of Gundae Station.

Once they had been granted their citizenship and stepped inside the terminal, Lee Jun-young and his companions stood completely frozen in disbelief.

“Oh my god.”

The subway terminal was immaculate and organized.

Bright lights illuminated the platforms.

Citizens were strolling about calmly.

And to top it off, a sign hung there displaying “Jeonpo Station.”

Lee Jun-young whispered under his breath.

“Where on earth are we?”

They had walked down the stairs of what they believed to be Gundae Station, only to find it linked directly to Jeonpo Station and Namdaemun.

Yet, what astounded them even more was the sight before them…

“Can I get a scoop of chocolate ice cream?”

“Certainly. That will be three thousand won.”

Vendors were actively trading treats right inside the transit station.

There were storefronts handling electronics repairs, art galleries displaying works, and various retail shops filled with customers, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.

“Alright everyone, please keep close and follow me.”

Guided by the man, they ascended toward Exit 8 of Jeonpo Station, where an even more staggering sight awaited them.

Patrons were happily dining on kimbap inside a cozy eatery.

Melodies drifted out from a nearby burger place and a coffee shop.

The rich aroma of barbecued meat filled the air.

Pedestrians walked along the sidewalks in clean, stylish clothes.

A variety of cars and motorbikes cruised along the streets.

“What… what is all of this?”

This was a snapshot of normal, everyday life.

The peaceful existence they had lost when the beasts first emerged and destroyed the world.