Chapter 138

Chapter 138 – Training (4)

Lee Jun-young contemplated his current circumstances while taking a sip of his coffee.

‘This is absolute paradise.’

No other expression could more accurately capture how he felt about this past week.

‘A literal heaven.’

The existence he enjoyed today was leagues apart from the precarious, drifting survival he had endured back in Seoul.

Here, electrical power was fully restored, allowing him to use nearly any household appliance he wanted.

The heating worked flawlessly, and he had the luxury of washing himself with steaming hot water whenever he pleased.

He could rest his weary body on a soft, welcoming bed without a care in the world.

While every single one of those comforts was incredible, the truly paramount detail was something far more significant.

‘There isn’t a single monster here.’

It was a mystery that had occupied his thoughts from the moment he set foot in this place.

Among the residents, who seemed to have entirely reclaimed their ordinary, civilized lives, there wasn’t even a trace of dread regarding the beasts.

The explanation for this miracle had been laid out during the introductory question-and-answer period.

‘It’s all because of Jae-hyun’s incredible power.’

A truly sanctified territory.

The entire metropolitan area of Busan was reportedly transformed into an absolute sanctuary.

He recalled the translucent barrier his hand had brushed against the very instant he received his official residency status at the Kondae Entrance Station.

That protective dome enveloped the boundaries of Busan, keeping every last monster from breaching the perimeter.

‘Because of that protection, a life like this is actually possible.’

Having spent so much time scraping by as a nomad in Seoul, he was uniquely positioned to appreciate this blessing.

He no longer had to keep watch through the dark hours of the night, nor did he have to brace himself for a lethal struggle every time he crossed his threshold.

The fact that this community had successfully reverted to its pre-apocalyptic tranquility was solely due to the supernatural gift of Kim Jae-hyun.

‘On top of that…’

During his stay here, a particular rumor had reached his ears.

Word had it that among those granted residency, a select few were referred to as “the Chosen.”

These were individuals handpicked by Kim Jae-hyun himself.

The whispering claimed that these select people were bestowed with extraordinary capabilities.

Had he encountered such rumors without any context, he would have likely written them off as ridiculous fantasies.

He had run into plenty of individuals wielding strange talents during his days in Seoul.

He readily admitted that Kim Jae-hyun possessed magnificent gifts, but if others were merely experiencing typical awakenings, he would have assumed people were simply exaggerating.

‘Except I witnessed it with my own eyes.’

He had watched the extraordinary individuals who exhibited mind-boggling strength at the site of the catastrophe.

Every single one of them, enveloped in a dark, ominous aura, wielded a level of power that completely dwarfed any awakened person he had ever crossed paths with in Seoul.

They could pull people back from the brink of death or hoist up massive concrete structures effortlessly.

These were far beyond standard superhuman traits.

And the one unifying element among them was the dark, swirling energy clinging to their forms.

‘That specific aura is undeniably Jae-hyun’s personal power.’

Realizing this, he understood that the tales of the “Chosen” were grounded in absolute reality.

And just perhaps…

‘Could I be…’

Whoosh—

As he channeled his energy, Lee Jun-young’s perception expanded exponentially.

His sight penetrated straight through the floorboards, exposing the framework of steel girders and the chaotic web of wiring beneath, extending all the way down to the residential levels below.

Suddenly, a flush rose to his cheeks, and he rapidly deactivated his ability.

‘Cough.’

He hadn’t meant to pry.

It was a complete mishap that occurred while he was simply trying to gauge his limitations.

‘In any case, there’s a chance I was selected as well.’

In reality, he had undergone a standard awakening, but the timing of his breakthrough was so perfectly aligned with his arrival that it naturally fostered this misconception.

‘The moment my residency was finalized, this power manifested. Even my physical condition improved leaps and bounds.’

Lee Jun-young set his mug down and tugged up his shirt to inspect his midsection.

A defined set of abdominal muscles stared back at him.

He hadn’t engaged in any rigorous exercise routines, yet his physique had undergone a radical transformation.

Alongside this, his raw stamina had surged to such an extent that the very concept of exhaustion felt like a distant memory.

“If you’re that in love with your own body, why don’t you go stare at yourself naked in the bathroom mirror?”

Kim Tae-hyun, sporting a wildly disheveled head of hair, was watching him with an amused expression.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“Yeah. Pass me some coffee too.”

He snatched an instant coffee packet from the counter and tossed it over.

“I just finished making some, so the water is still hot.”

“Appreciate it.”

Taking a small taste of the warm beverage, Kim Tae-hyun gave an approving nod.

“Ah, perfect.”

“You should go wash up quickly. You’re the last one left.”

“…Wait, what?”

“You’re always quick in there, so it’s fine. Besides, the girls are still occupied in the other—”

Before Lee Jun-young could finish his thought, Kim Tae-hyun lunged forward, grabbing his collar in a tight grip and snapping at him.

“You absolute creep! Didn’t I warn you never to activate that vision around here?!”

Kim Tae-hyun was the sole person privy to the fact that Lee Jun-young possessed the ability to look through solid structures.

The cause of his sudden fury was incredibly obvious.

“H-Hold on! Relax! I wasn’t looking at Seoyeong!”

Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Seoyeong were currently dating.

Cooling his temper, Kim Tae-hyun released his grip on Lee Jun-young’s shirt and demanded clarification.

“Then who exactly was in there?”

“…Ji-hyun.”

Kim Tae-hyun let out a heavy, weary sigh.

“Unbelievable. I’m going to go wash up.”

Snatching up a towel, Kim Tae-hyun headed toward the washroom, pausing briefly to throw a stern warning over his shoulder.

“Listen, if you keep messing around with that power, Ji-hyun is going to catch on sooner or later.”

“…Just let it slide this once, please.”

“Only use it when we are out on hunts. Strictly during hunts.”

At present, raiding dungeons was one of their primary means of generating income.

Out of their group of twelve comrades, eight of them—including Lee Jun-young and Kim Tae-hyun—entered the portals on a daily basis to clear out goblins.

In a standard goblin-infested zone, which typically spawned around a hundred creatures at once, a single run yielded roughly 500,000 won.

Combined with the wages from their side jobs and the broker fees they pulled in from listing gear on the trading platform, their financial situation was incredibly stable.

‘If we can manage to step up our goblin hunts, we could easily boost our earnings.’

Clearing the dungeon just twice a day would effectively double their intake.

Given that a single run took less than half an hour, it was an entirely feasible goal.

‘This pays significantly better than hauling plates at some barbecue joint.’

Honestly, dealing with goblins required almost no mental strain anymore.

The terror they once felt when facing the creatures had completely evaporated, making the hunts feel like routine chores.

Armed with modern rifles, there was absolutely no reason to feel intimidated by mere goblins.

Furthermore, his unique X-ray Vision talent proved to be an invaluable asset within the dark corridors of the dungeon.

His X-ray Vision granted him the ability to see perfectly through the pitch-black environment, and even allowed him to map out the entire structural layout of the caverns.

Because he could pinpoint the exact coordinates of every single target, their advance was always seamless.

To be fair, it was during these very goblin hunts that he first grasped just how potent his X-ray Vision could be.

Once he finished washing up, he brought up his thoughts to Kim Tae-hyun, who showed immediate interest.

“That actually makes sense. Even though there are eight of us on the roster, you’re essentially carrying the entire hunt anyway, aren’t you?”

“That’s pretty much the reality of it.”

“It might make more sense to divide our forces. You could take just a couple of people to meet the minimum entry requirements and run the instance that way.”

“That’s precisely what I was thinking. Or better yet, we could split into pairs and run back-to-back shifts. I’m durable enough to handle three or even four consecutive runs.”

“So you would act as the primary damage dealer, while the rotating partner just provides basic backup?”

“Exactly.”

“I can’t find any fault with that logic.”

Kim Tae-hyun paused to contemplate the logistics for a brief moment before offering a condition.

“However, before we commit to that setup, there’s a vital detail you have to demonstrate first.”

“Which is?”

“You need to prove beyond a doubt that you can carry the entire run by yourself, without relying on any of us to bail you out.”

Kim Tae-hyun looked him dead in the eye.

“For today’s run, you’re going in solo. The rest of us will simply trail behind and observe.”

“…….”

“Do you think you’re up for it?”

“……I’ll have to make sure I am.”

With those terms set, a highly unusual dungeon run commenced.

Tu-dududududu—

The opening phases of the clearing went incredibly smoothly.

Leveraging his X-ray Vision, Lee Jun-young spotted the lurking monsters long before they realized he was there, picking them off with precise gunshots before they could even attempt an ambush.

Moving forward without encountering the slightest resistance, a wave of immense self-assurance washed over him.

‘Honestly, I could easily clear this entire place completely on my own.’

It felt like just yesterday when he had nervously stepped into these caverns under the watchful eye of an instructor, yet now he had grown powerful enough to steamroll the zone solo.

A complex mix of pride and nostalgia stirred in his chest.

However, there is a very precarious boundary separating healthy self-assurance from dangerous overconfidence.

“Jun-young!!”

As they neared the deepest chamber of the cavern, the remaining goblins banded together to launch a coordinated counteroffensive.

Through his X-ray Vision, Lee Jun-young had anticipated their movements and knew exactly where they were lying in wait.

Unfortunately, his critical error lay in getting entirely swept up in his own perceived invincibility.

Because he was so focused on sniping the targets hiding along the perimeter, he temporarily overlooked the fundamental reality of his situation: he was fighting alone.

Normally, his allies would be right beside him, but this was his very first time attempting a solo clear.

Consequently, he failed to account for how easily the horde could swarm his position from his blind spots.

‘Damn it!’

By the time the rest of the squad, reacting to Kim Tae-hyun’s urgent command, charged forward to break through the monster ranks and reach him, the gap between them was too wide.

Furthermore, they were deep inside a dark, winding cavern system.

Providing effective cover fire was virtually impossible with Lee Jun-young cut off in the shadows.

Tu-dududududu—

Sensing the gravity of his mistake, Lee Jun-young reacted instantly, spinning and dropping nearly a dozen monsters in a rapid sequence, but even his heightened reflexes had their limits.

Clink-clink—

‘!!!’

His weapon clicked dry.

The frenzied creatures had no intention of standing by while he swapped out his magazine.

“Get back!!”

Lee Jun-young let out a fierce roar as the remaining monsters leaped at him with claws outstretched.

“Son of a…!”

In that split second.

Perrk!

Swinging the heavy stock of his rifle like a club, he smashed it directly into a goblin’s face, completely crushing its skull in a shower of bone.

“……?”

Utilizing his X-ray Vision, he watched in high definition as the creature’s face collapsed in the absolute darkness.

“Grr-aaaa!”

Immediately, another beast sprang forward, its jaws snapping wildly.

The creature was entirely oblivious to the brutal fate its packmate had just suffered.

Kwajik!

An even heavier impact echoed through the chamber as the goblin was sent flying through the air, spraying a arc of dark blood before slamming into the stone wall.

Lee Jun-young looked down at the leg he had used to deliver the devastating kick.

Suddenly, his own physical reality clicked into place.

‘Wow, I’m actually incredible.’

What followed was a sheer, one-sided slaughter.

Lee Jun-young didn’t even bother trying to reload his firearm. Instead, he used the rifle as a blunt instrument to shatter limbs, shattering goblin bones with basic kicks and strikes.

Perrk! Thud!

He was absolutely certain of it now.

‘I was definitely chosen by him!’

There was no other logical way to explain the sheer, overwhelming physical might flowing through his veins.

The deeper his conviction in Kim Jae-hyun grew, the more intense the surge of power felt, coursing wildly through his entire body.

Perrk!

When he finally brought down the very last standing monster with a crushing blow from his bare fist.

“……Jun-young?”

His companions stood frozen, staring at him with eyes wide in utter disbelief.

“Are you alright? Are you injured?”

Kim Tae-hyun stepped closer, scanning his blood-drenched clothes with deep apprehension.

In reality, almost all of the gore coating his gear belonged to the slaughtered goblins.

The only mark on Lee Jun-young’s skin was a tiny, superficial scratch left by a dying beast’s claw at the very end of the struggle.

“I’m perfectly fine. Let’s head out.”

Even that negligible scratch sealed up and vanished the moment they stepped through the portal’s threshold back into the outside world.

Still struggling to process what he had witnessed, Kim Tae-hyun stared at him and asked.

“Well? Do you still think you can handle these runs by yourself?”

“Absolutely. But really, are you sure you didn’t get hurt in there?”

“Yeah. I don’t have a scratch on me.”

It was at that exact moment.

[Lee Jun-young, do you have a moment to speak?]

An unfamiliar, resonant voice echoed directly inside his mind.

Startled, Lee Jun-young spun around, scanning the empty air.

“Who… who’s speaking to me?”

The mental voice responded immediately, carrying a tone of absolute authority.

[I am Kim Jae-hyun.]