Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Chapter 143 – Savior (4)

[Citizen Yoon Sung-min’s Trust has increased.]

[Citizen Yoon Sung-min’s Trust has reached 100.]

[You have acquired a massive amount of experience.]

‘Is this happening again?’

It was already the third occurrence.

A situation where an individual’s Trust surged to maximum before their Loyalty did.

Beginning with Lee Jun-young, who held the X-Ray ability, two additional people had now reached the peak of Trust.

For citizens who had not undergone awakening, they provided a bounty of experience points instead of granting new skills. However, measuring the exact quantity was difficult.

Considering the system defined it as “massive,” it was undoubtedly a significant sum.

‘Citizen Management, Yoon Sung-min.’

As he issued the mental directive, a pair of citizens materialized in his mind’s eye.

With the population expanding, duplicates in names were starting to appear.

Fortunately, sorting out the correct individual was a simple task.

Only one of the two possessed a Trust rating of 100.

‘So this is the person.’

A warm, bespectacled man with a stocky build.

‘His Loyalty is quite impressive as well.’

Given that Yoon Sung-min had only recently been registered as a citizen, a Loyalty score of 63 was exceptionally high.

Employing the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, he peered into the location where Yoon Sung-min was currently situated.

Over there—

‘…Ah.’

A religious orator was passionately delivering a sermon while exalting him.

Analyzing the citizens gathered in that spot, he realized every single one maintained remarkably high scores in both Trust and Loyalty.

‘Another congregation.’

The location where the woman who hit maximum Trust a couple of days ago resided—that had also been a place of worship.

She had been offering her devotion to him through deep prayer.

Perhaps because they possessed a natural inclination toward faith, their Trust metrics were climbing at a velocity far outstripping the rest of the populace.

It was highly intriguing, yet there was an abundance of genuinely gentle and trusting souls within these sects.

While the majority of the former JHS followers had focused purely on staying alive, a portion of them truly believed in the teachings and offered heartfelt prayers.

These were individuals searching for a way to endure suffering by relying on a higher power.

The devotion they once reserved for Jung Hyun-soo had now been wholly transferred to him, triggering a rapid spike in Trust.

‘It feels a bit heavy, but it does no real harm.’

Finding something to lean on is not fundamentally flawed.

Ha Dong-geon had survived the grief of losing his kin by relying on his partner, Kim Ga-young. Kang Deok-soo and Kim Geon managed to get through their darkest hours by sharing drinks.

Oh Eon-ju had once mentioned that she kept going simply by clinging to the memories of a single day he had gifted her.

Scrumptious meals. Engaging games. True companions. Cherished partners. Memories. Duty.

Perhaps every human being extracts the power to keep moving forward by anchoring themselves to something.

For these souls, that anchor simply happened to be faith.

Right at that moment—

Ding!

[The number of citizens who have reached Trust 100 has reached 12.]

[The conditions have been met.]

[‘Priest’ is now available.]

A fresh class option had been unlocked within the Job Research Lab.

‘Well now.’

The summary of the Priest class was straightforward.

—Priest: Gains ‘Heal.’

It was incredibly brief, yet utterly revolutionary.

‘Heal, of all things.’

This existed on an entirely different plane compared to the ‘Hunter’ class, which merely guaranteed that remains were preserved after a kill.

If this genuinely provided restorative magic, it meant he could essentially produce Awakened individuals.

‘And it is Heal.’

This was a feature that absolutely had to be unlocked, no matter what it took.

In all honesty, its potential influence surpassed even that of the inventory.

It would have been perfect if he could implement the Priest class immediately, but that option was locked.

Priest Research [Inactive] (Unlocked at Level 5)

‘So I have to increase the level of the Job Research Lab.’

Out of all the structures that could be built, the Job Research Lab was the sole facility that possessed developmental levels.

‘But I have no clue how to actually level it up.’

The Priest class was not the only occupation that remained locked.

Warrior Research [Inactive] (Unlocked at Level 2) Marksman Research [Inactive] (Unlocked at Level 2) Spearman Research [Inactive] (Unlocked at Level 3) Archer Research [Inactive] (Unlocked at Level 3)

Occasionally, novel occupations would become accessible once specific prerequisites were met.

To illustrate, the Warrior class had unlocked when the settlement surpassed 100 citizens at Level 30 or higher. Marksman had become available when over 100 residents achieved proficiency with firearms.

Each time a particular threshold was crossed, a new job would present itself.

However, since he was in the dark regarding how to advance the Job Research Lab itself, he had simply left it alone until this point.

The newly revealed occupations had not been incredibly game-changing, so he had not paid them much mind.

Above all, he had simply been far too occupied managing other critical affairs.

‘But if this is a path to giving people restorative abilities, that changes everything.’

It was absolutely worth searching for a method to unlock it, even if he had to push his limits.

‘I must hold a consultation regarding this.’

Just then—

[Jaehyun-nim.]

Kim Dabin’s mental call reached him.

[Yes, go ahead.]

[Commander Lee Hak-gi has requested an audience with you.]

Utilizing the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, he inspected the meeting chamber of the administration building and spotted Lee Hak-gi waiting patiently.

[I will be there immediately.]

Transporting himself directly into the meeting space, he watched Lee Hak-gi startle slightly before lowering his head respectfully.

“It is a privilege to see you.”

“Good to see you again.”

Observing the solemn look on Lee Hak-gi’s face, he inquired,

“Is the housing we provided to your liking?”

“It is spectacular. Taking a hot shower… for a brief second, I genuinely felt as though I had traveled back to the old days.”

“I am pleased to hear that.”

At that precise moment, Yoo Hye-rin stepped into the room holding two mugs of coffee.

“My thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Of course, Jaehyun-nim. Please enjoy.”

Taking a sip of the sweet instant coffee, he focused his attention on Lee Hak-gi and bypassed any further small talk.

“So, what was it you wished to speak about?”

“There is an important matter I must share with you.”

“Please, speak freely.”

Following a momentary hesitation, Commander Lee Hak-gi finally began.

“I was informed that you intend to welcome every single resident remaining in Seoul.”

“Yes, that is the plan.”

“You must not do this.”

Somewhat taken aback by the officer’s resolute stance, he asked for clarification.

“Is there a particular reason for your concern?”

“Yes. The populace has already transformed too drastically.”

Commander Lee Hak-gi pressed on in a measured voice.

“People have become entirely normalized to theft, assault, and murder. At this stage, human beings pose a far greater threat than the beasts. If you continue to bring them in without a screening process, a catastrophe will certainly follow.”

“Because a horde of criminals will slip through?”

“Precisely.”

In reality, the concern Commander Lee Hak-gi was bringing up was a topic he had already analyzed thoroughly alongside Kim Dabin, reaching a definitive conclusion.

Looking straight at Commander Lee Hak-gi, he replied.

“Following that exact line of reasoning, you must also realize that I should not have welcomed your group either.”

“…I understand. However, our situation is different.”

“Can you state with absolute certainty that not a single member of your force has taken a life for their own benefit?”

“……”

Commander Lee Hak-gi was struck mute.

He continued to press, observing the officer lower his gaze in silence.

“Why do you think plundering and killing occur?”

“…Because desperate circumstances reveal a person’s dark side.”

“Certainly, those types of people exist. But for the vast majority, it was likely a desperate choice made solely to survive.”

It was not that humanity was fundamentally depraved. They were simply pushed to make impossible decisions in a lawless world.

“The authorities bear the greatest responsibility for allowing things to reach this point. Our administration collapsed far too rapidly.”

Hearing this, he detected a muscle twitch slightly in Commander Lee Hak-gi’s cheek.

“The sudden disintegration of the fundamental societal network forced citizens into extreme corners. It was either starve to death or plunder. On occasion, they had to kill just to secure food, and at times, they had to take lives to defend their own.”

“…….”

“But the situation is different here. People can exist within a functioning, secure society. Offenses like murder and assault will be met with swift justice.”

Locking eyes with the man, he pressed on.

“I want to offer people an opportunity. My goal is simply to return them to a normal existence.”

And then.

“There is a task I require of you, Commander Lee Hak-gi.”

“…Please, tell me.”

“Utilize your unique talent to perceive the truth and assist us in screening the newcomers as thoroughly as possible.”

“!”

The commander’s eyes stretched wide, utterly shocked by how his private ability was known.

“Is that truly acceptable?”

“O-Of course.”

He bestowed the title of ‘Department Head’ upon the commander, officially installing him as a primary screener.

Having survived the brutal reality of Seoul firsthand, the man possessed more than enough intuition to separate those who deserved entry from those who had to be turned away.

“There are two offenses that will result in immediate revocation of citizenship. The first is rape.”

It was a grim topic, but there was a degree of nuance when it came to taking a life.

As previously discussed, certain instances of killing could be understood—whether for survival, self-defense, or an error made under extreme duress.

However, sexual violence was entirely different.

There was absolutely no room for understanding.

It had nothing to do with basic survival.

“The second offense is premeditated murder committed for gratification or specific gain. For those two transgressions, immediate banishment will be carried out.”

Personally, he had already resolved that anyone stripped of citizenship for those two crimes would be ‘hunted’ the instant they crossed the boundary.

They were far more insidious than monsters.

To ensure no further victims were created, it was vital to eliminate them entirely.

“I will leave the evaluation of other scenarios to your discretion, Commander.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Just before wrapping up their meeting, he casually posed a question to Commander Lee Hak-gi,

“By any chance, do you understand why our government disintegrated so rapidly?”

“……”

The officer went rigid.

After several tense moments of silence, he finally answered with visible effort.

“There are two primary theories.”

“Fascinating. Let us hear the first.”

“Among the beasts that invaded Seoul, there were entities that defied normal categorization. If those creatures systematically slaughtered the leadership running the nation, that would explain the collapse.”

“That is certainly a logical theory.”

Through the eyes of his subordinates, he had witnessed firsthand that the beasts roaming Seoul were incredibly formidable.

Creatures of level 30 were commonplace, level 40 entities had carved out their own territories, and in specific sectors, there were beasts surpassing level 50.

Given the ruinous state of Seoul, it was highly plausible that the leadership had been wiped out.

However.

“What is the second theory?”

Even with all the chaos, a remarkably large population had managed to survive.

Was it not bizarre that politicians and elite figures, specifically, had perished in such disproportionate numbers?

Commander Lee Hak-gi slowly parted his lips.

“There are several massive subterranean bunkers constructed in total secrecy. They were built to withstand a full-scale nuclear conflict…”

That single sentence told him everything he needed to know. He could easily piece together the rest of the story.

“…So, you are suggesting that the majority of the individuals responsible for governing the nation took refuge down there?”

“I cannot state it as a fact. I have only encountered whispers.”

“What is the capacity of those bunkers?”

“The grandest among them is rumored to hold roughly a thousand individuals.”

“…Then I suppose the absolute wealthiest elite of South Korea gathered in that place.”

Simply incredible.

‘Why is it that whenever a crisis occurs, the leaders of this nation are always the very first to flee?’

Throughout history, it had always played out this way.

The historical account of King Seonjo deserting his citizens and fleeing to safety during the Japanese invasions of Korea was a well-known disgrace.

‘…Sigh.’