Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Chapter 139 – Training (5)

The motive behind summoning Lee Jun-young was straightforward.

[The trust of citizen Lee Jun-young has significantly increased.]

[The loyalty of citizen Lee Jun-young has significantly increased.]

Possessing an A-grade awakened capability, he had already captured my attention. Throughout the day, his name had popped up repeatedly in my system alerts.

Subsequently…

[The trust of citizen Lee Jun-young has reached 100.]

[You have acquired ‘Clarity.’]

Out of nowhere, his level of trust hit its peak, and he obtained the unique trait of Clarity.

‘This is unprecedented…’

It was quite common for early-joining residents to display upward trends in their loyalty and trust. Merely knowing who I was and understanding my capabilities was often enough to boost both metrics.

However, seeing such an immense surge described with such strong emphasis in the notification was a first for me.

‘I have observed steady climbs in trust, but never an increase of this magnitude.’

Typically, alerts of that nature were reserved for individuals with whom I had interacted face-to-face.

Yet, I had never once crossed paths with Lee Jun-young.

Furthermore, observing trust hit the maximum value of 100 prior to loyalty doing so was entirely new.

‘Only a select few of my vassals possess a trust level of 100…’

To me, this was highly encouraging news.

This development meant another individual had met the prerequisites to utilize ‘Descend.’

Honestly, expanding the available pool of candidates for Descend carried far greater weight than Lee Jun-young merely securing an awakened talent.

‘I must bring him into the fold as a vassal.’

That was the driving force behind my decision to summon him.

Immediately after he finished clearing out the goblin-infested dungeon, I reached out to him mentally.

[I would like to have a personal conversation with you, if that is fine?]

“Absolutely!”

Securing his consent, I proceeded to manifest the East Gate directly before him.

Zzzzz.

I activated the portal right at the entryway rather than inside my living area, given that Lee Jun-young had not yet attained vassal status.

My residence restricted entry to anyone lacking the proper credentials of a vassal.

The singular zone reachable by non-vassals was the foyer containing the shoe storage, prompting me to position the East Gate in that exact spot.

In the shimmering gateway leading to the entrance hall, the silhouette of Lee Jun-young materialized.

Extending my arm, I offered a greeting.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Kim Jae-hyun.”

Rather than taking my offered hand, Lee Jun-young stood rigidly like a fresh recruit deployed to the front lines, clutching his firearm in a defensive posture.

“I am Lee Jun-young. I am deeply honored to meet you!”

Maintaining my outstretched hand, I inquired, “Is there a reason you prefer not to shake hands?”

“Oh, definitely not! It is only because… my hands are covered in goblin blood…”

Strangely enough, his palms were perfectly clean.

“What?”

He apparently remained unaware that any traces of monster blood evaporated along with their physical remains once the dungeon clear was calculated.

Inspecting his attire, he whispered in confusion.

“It vanished…?”

“Once you complete a goblin hunt, their remains dissolve. Consequently, any blood they shed dissolves right along with them.”

A sudden realization dawned on Lee Jun-young’s face as he answered.

“Ah, that explains it! This was my very first time engaging in close-quarters combat… Oh!”

Interrupting his own muttering, he caught sight of my hand still waiting in the air and clasped it in a rush.

“My sincerest gratitude for your assistance back there! The monsters nearly overran me, but thanks to your intervention, I managed to pull through in the nick of time!”

“Excuse me?”

For a second, his words caught me off guard.

I had not actively intervened to grant him any enhancements.

Then, the pieces began to fall into place.

‘Did his belief in me spike because of the danger?’

Faced with a life-or-death scenario, Lee Jun-young’s internal reliance on me must have surged dramatically.

As that connection solidified, the passive bonuses from his rising trust elevated his attributes in proportion to that faith.

Considering his level 30 status and his newly gained A-grade potential, those bolstered attributes must have felt monumental.

‘He probably assumed I actively bestowed that power upon him, pushing his trust all the way to 100.’

In truth, that assumption was not entirely off-base.

Since those stat modifications originated from my unique ability, I was indeed the source of his newfound power, if indirectly.

“I am incredibly grateful!”

Glancing over his profile interface, I noticed his loyalty rating had climbed to 98.

Taking note of this, I inquired in an offhand manner.

“Would you be open to swearing fealty as my vassal?”

I had not yet outlined any of the privileges, responsibilities, or expectations that accompanied the position.

Lee Jun-young replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“I would be honored to!”

Right then…

[The loyalty of citizen Lee Jun-young increases.]

[The loyalty of citizen Lee Jun-young has reached 100.]

[Citizen Lee Jun-young has been registered as a vassal.]

[The maximum number of vassals has increased.]

With his loyalty hitting the absolute limit, his registration as a vassal finalized.

Whoosh!

A radiant glow enveloped Lee Jun-young’s form, marking his transition into a sworn follower.

“…You have certainly managed to catch me off guard more than once today.”

“Pardon?”

With his status now elevated, keeping him waiting in the vestibule was no longer necessary.

“Step on in.”

“Thank you!”

“Would you prefer tea, coffee, or perhaps some water?”

“Coffee would be wonderful!”

As the water heated up, I resolved to offer him a modest token of appreciation.

“Am I correct that your squad consists of twelve individuals?”

Lee Jun-young blinked, looking a bit startled.

“That is correct.”

“Accept this.”

I laid out twelve mobile phones on the kitchen counter.

They were pristine, unused models straight from the packaging.

“Local cellular networks and data connections are still down, so online browsing or streaming videos won’t work, but once registered, they will allow for basic calling and messaging services.”

“Is that true?”

Even without web access, these devices still possessed operational camera and recording capabilities.

“To accompany this, I am also granting you ownership of two residential units in this area.”

“!!!”

The housing complex where my residence was situated was highly coveted among the populace.

This was because the community’s infrastructure had been centered around this location, coupled with the prestige of my living here.

Consequently, these units had become the most valuable real estate in the territory.

Naturally, no commercial sales had taken place.

I maintained absolute authority over the allocation of all properties.

The majority of the current occupants were those who had settled here in the early days.

No matter the arrangement—purchase, rental, or lease—only the claims of those original inhabitants were recognized.

Because of this system, roughly half of the units remained unoccupied, which I designated as incentives for individuals showing exceptional promise or rendering great service.

Though some might view this favoritism as unfair, it was a necessary strategy.

“You will not have to pay any shop fees for utilities like power, water, or heating.”

“I… I am deeply grateful.”

“Do not mention it.”

There was a specific motive behind offering such generous incentives.

“Are you familiar with the disaster that occurred at Jamsil?”

“…Yes, I am.”

“My close circle is always deployed first to the most hazardous zones. Naturally, they encounter extreme perils.”

The special perks and accommodations served as compensation for putting their lives on the line.

“You might not make it back.”

Locking eyes with a visibly shaking Lee Jun-young, I asked firmly.

“Knowing this, do you still wish to stand by me as a vassal?”

Had he declined, I would have permitted him to walk away.

His loyalty had already capped at 100, which expanded my overall vassal capacity anyway.

Losing someone with maximum trust was regrettable, but I had no intention of forcing anyone into mortal danger against their will.

Right then,

Bubble bubble

The kettle clicked off as the water reached a rolling boil.

I prepared two mugs of instant coffee and offered one to Lee Jun-young.

Taking the cup, Lee Jun-young quieted down before speaking up.

“Surviving in Seoul was a nightmare. It was a daily struggle against death. I never dreamed I would reach a point where regular meals were guaranteed.”

Looking up, his gaze hardened with resolve.

“My current life is wonderful. If putting my life on the line ensures that my comrades and I can preserve this peace, then I am prepared to take that risk.”

He possessed a determined gaze.

With a warm expression, I held out my hand to him once more.

“I am glad to have you with us.”

“I will give you my all!”

Once he agreed to Kim Jae-hyun’s terms and finalized his vassal bond, Lee Jun-young was permitted to depart back to his starting point via the West Gate, which had stayed active for the duration of their coffee break.

Kim Tae-hyun approached him, looking concerned.

“Jun-young! How did it go?”

Flashing a subtle grin, Lee Jun-young held up the packaging in his arms.

“Take a guess at what I have here.”

“What could it be?”

“A cellular phone.”

“…? What would you need a phone for now?”

“I was just informed that we can actually use these to place calls and exchange texts here.”

“Are you serious? How is that possible?”

“I’m not entirely sure. They told me we have to visit the main hub to get them registered…”

“That is incredible.”

The mere prospect of communicating remotely was highly impressive.

“I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have thrown away my old device.”

Under their harsh living conditions, keeping a non-functioning mobile device was a luxury few bothered with.

“Oh, wait! I actually kept mine!”

“Same here!”

“Are you serious?”

Seo Ji-hyun and Lee Seo-young turned out to be the exceptions.

“I kept mine because of the stored memories and pictures. This is amazing. I am going to power it up as soon as I return.”

“Do you have a way to charge it?”

“I’ll just pick up a charging cable from the market.”

Kim Tae-hyun gestured to one of the new boxes.

“I believe this packaging includes a charging block.”

“My device is an iPhone, so a USB-C cable won’t fit.”

“In that case, this won’t help.”

“Don’t say that!”

Observing his teammates converse with cheerful expressions, the dungeon administrators who had been watching from a distance stepped forward.

“Since you have completed your objective, we will help you return your weapons to storage.”

“Understood.”

Once their weapons were handed back and they made ready to depart, Lee Jun-young spotted a couple of recognizable figures walking in their direction.

“Wait.”

“An Ki-tae?”

These were the individuals who had aligned themselves with the JHS Cult after being influenced by Lee Young-jun previously.

Following their entry, a certain event took place that left them carrying a lingering sense of remorse toward Lee Young-jun.

“Greetings, Jun-young. I am glad to see you unharmed.”

“…I am relieved to see you doing well too, Ki-tae.”

Lee Jun-young quickly offered an apology.

“I want to apologize for what took place recently. I was completely unaware of the reality of the situation…”

“Don’t worry about it. We know your intentions weren’t malicious. Honestly, I should thank you. It was because of those events that I managed to relocate here.”

Letting out a breath of relief, Lee Jun-young spoke up.

“I appreciate your understanding. Even so, I want to make amends. Here, please accept this.”

An Ki-tae looked down curiously at the package Lee Jun-young extended toward him.

“Is this a mobile phone?”

It was a pristine, unopened box wrapped in protective film.

“Indeed. Once registered at the central hub, they say you can use it to call and message others.”

“…Direct calling and texting?”

“Yes. Incredible, isn’t it?”

“…That is good to know. I appreciate the heads-up.”

“By the way, are the three of you planning to run the dungeon?”

An Ki-tae offered a sheepish grin.

“We have weapons at our disposal, and since all three of us have backgrounds in special operations…”

“That is reassuring. In that case, I will see you around.”

“Take care, see you soon.”

An Ki-tae quietly retreated into the shadows, making his way down into the subway terminal.

Navigating stealthily like a phantom, he hurried in the direction of Exit 3.

This exit served as a gateway leading toward the vicinity of Konkuk University Station within Seoul.

After pauses to confirm his path was clear of pursuers, he paused momentarily before sprinting off toward a specific destination.

Undetected in his wake, Moon Byeong-ho trailed him in absolute silence.