Chapter 163

Chapter 163 – Restoration (4)

♩♪♪♬~ ♩♪♪♬~

Slowly, Jeong Sora blinked her eyes open.

Staring blankly with sleep-laden eyes, she sat upright to glance at the time flashing on her smartphone, which was buzzing loudly on the mattress right by her head. Almost immediately, she collapsed back onto her pillows.

♩♪♪♬~

Leaving the ringtone to echo, she pulled the duvet tightly over her shoulders, shutting her eyes once more with a blissful sigh.

The ringing eventually died down, only to start up again with relentless energy after a brief pause.

This time, she lazily extended an arm, adroitly silencing the device before drifting back into a light slumber.

Ten minutes passed.

♪♬♬♪♬♬

But this instance was no simple alarm.

The screen illuminated with an incoming call from a contact labeled [Nagging Person].

“Mm, hello?”

[Sora, you need to get out of bed right now.]

“Just give me ten more minutes…”

[Absolutely not. Rise and shine.]

Recognizing the unyielding tone of his voice, Jeong Sora let out a soft groan and relented.

“Fine, fine. I’m awake. I appreciate the call, Jiwoong.”

Only after hanging up did she drag herself into a sitting position, reaching her arms high to shake off the lingering lethargy.

“Hah—woo!”

After rolling across the plush mattress to fully limber up her limbs, she shed her nightwear and stepped into the shower.

Swoosh—

As the water began to stream, she tested the temperature with her toes. Once she was satisfied with the soothing warmth, she stepped completely under the spray.

“La-la-la~♪”

As she began to hum a cheerful tune, the cascading water droplets on her skin started to ripple and move on their own.

These droplets coalesced into the miniature figures of young girls, twirling playfully around her body in a synchronized dance.

The obedient water spirits set to work, carefully applying shampoo, conditioner, and hair treatment to her long tresses before rinsing them clean.

While the spirits diligently tended to her hair, Jeong Sora used a foaming loofah to scrub herself clean.

When everything was done, she stood quietly beneath the steaming stream, savoring the comforting warmth.

“Ah, there’s nothing better than this.”

Working alongside her elemental companions made the washing process take barely ten minutes, though she ended up lingering in the warmth for a full twenty minutes before finally turning off the tap.

She didn’t even need to reach for a towel.

The water spirits had already drawn nearly all the moisture off her skin. For the remaining dampness clinging to her hair, a gentle breeze summoned by a wind spirit quickly blew it dry.

“You guys are the best.”

Dressed in a simple robe, Jeong Sora stood before her open wardrobe with a thoughtful expression.

Dozens of different outfits hung inside, waiting to be selected.

“And yet, I feel like I have absolutely nothing to wear.”

Faced with indecision, she resorted to an alternative method.

“Open Exchange.”

She chose to browse the system’s market instead.

“Woman’s Clothing.”

The digital marketplace offered an astonishingly wide selection of apparel.

Everything from basic cotton tees to elegant evening gowns was cataloged.

It felt as though she had an entire luxury shopping mall accessible right at her fingertips.

As Jeong Sora tapped on an option, a lifelike holographic projection of the outfit materialized and rotated in front of her.

“Oh, this one is incredibly pretty!”

She was drawn to a floral-print summer dress. Frankly, it looked remarkably similar to one she already owned in her physical closet.

Still, the hemline on this one was slightly higher, and the shades of the floral print were a bit more vibrant.

“Wow, that’s a massive markdown.”

The listed price for the floral garment was 32,400 won.

According to the item description, the original retail price was 64,800 won.

An automatic 50% discount.

Of course, the authenticity of that original price tag was something only the merchant knew.

“Let’s see… what about the size…”

Once she verified the measurements, she didn’t hesitate to purchase.

“Buy!”

Ding—

The moment she finalized the transaction, the physical dress materialized directly in her hands.

To her delight, the material felt incredibly soft to the touch.

Trying it on, she found it draped slightly loose on her frame, but the oversized fit actually added to its charm.

Given her petite stature, finding off-the-rack clothing that fit perfectly was always a challenge, making this comfortable fit a welcome surprise.

“Yeah. This looks great.”

Staring at her reflection, Jeong Sora noticed a bright expression looking back at her.

It was a genuine, heartwarming smile.

‘I didn’t think I was capable of smiling like this anymore.’

It was a stark contrast to her past.

Living in a world liberated from the constant dread of monstrous incursions felt like an absolute dream.

She no longer had to lay awake at night fearing a sudden raid, exhaust herself managing spirits around the clock, or despair over how to secure food when reserves ran dangerously low.

The young woman in the mirror, unburdened by those heavy duties, possessed a lighthearted and carefree expression.

‘This is actually wonderful.’

Reflecting on her choices, choosing to align herself with Kim Jaehyun was undoubtedly the smartest move she had ever made.

Since arriving here, she frequently heard people talk about how they had finally reclaimed their “normal lives.”

‘So this is what a normal life feels like.’

The sheer contentment Jeong Sora experienced now was completely foreign to her past.

For the longest time, her reality had been nothing short of a nightmare.

Her upbringing had been far from normal.

Her memories of her father were dominated by drunken rages and senseless violence, with her mother bearing the brunt of his anger.

Had her mother been a warm, protective figure like the parental figures depicted in stories, perhaps she wouldn’t have viewed her childhood as a living hell.

Unfortunately, while her mother was a helpless target for her husband’s drunken wrath, she turned into an absolute tyrant when dealing with her defenseless daughter.

In truth, Jeong Sora had far more memories of being struck by her mother than by her father.

She was subjected to constant physical abuse and harsh verbal tirades at home.

That toxic environment was what drove her to run away into the streets at a very young age.

Her life as a runaway was equally grim.

The bad days far outnumbered the good ones.

Despair was her constant companion, and hope was non-existent.

Hardly a day went by where she didn’t wish for everything to end.

Then, the apocalypse arrived.

In a strange twist of fate, the girl who had spent every day wishing for death was granted the extraordinary power to survive.

She suddenly possessed the strength to protect herself and shield those around her.

The years that followed were grueling, but they were a massive improvement over her childhood.

She pushed herself to the limit to live up to the hopes of the people relying on her.

That relentless drive to stay alive had eventually guided her to where she stood today.

‘I’m truly glad I survived.’

A sudden realization washed over her.

If this peaceful existence was what ordinary people considered “everyday life,” then to her, this “everyday life” felt like a literal “miracle.”

Her mind drifted back to her recent encounter with Kim Jae-hyun.

He had formally extended an invitation for her to serve as his “Vassal.”

Accepting the position came with immense privileges, but she was also warned that it meant placing her life on the line.

Even so, Jeong Sora had agreed without a single moment of doubt.

“If it means preserving this peaceful daily life, I would gladly risk my life over and over.”

To her, the prospect of losing this hard-won peace was far more terrifying than death itself.

Right then.

♪♬♬♪♬♬

Her phone began to ring once more, displaying the name [The Nagging One] across the screen.

[Sora, where are you right now—]

Before Park Ji-woong could launch into his customary lecture, Jeong Sora answered quickly.

“I’m completely ready! I’ll be downstairs in a second!”

Bolting out of her apartment, she quickly met up with Park Ji-woong in the parking area.

“Let’s head out.”

“What’s our destination for today?”

“We are heading toward Hongdae.”

They rode the elevator down to the basement level, climbing into a sturdy SUV parked in their reserved spot.

Park Ji-woong slid behind the steering wheel, while Jeong Sora buckled up in the front passenger seat.

“Setting off.”

As they exited the garage, they merged onto a remarkably pristine stretch of road.

While traffic was sparse, there were still several other vehicles navigating the streets.

Not long ago, witnessing such a scene in the heart of Seoul would have been utterly unthinkable.

And the person primarily responsible for making this possible was none other than Jeong Sora herself.

Buuuum—!

Although the traffic lights and road signs were still awaiting repair, the low volume of vehicles meant driving remained safe and orderly.

Park Ji-woong accelerated smoothly, cruising down the clear asphalt at 80 km/h.

After traveling for about ten minutes, the other vehicles on the road began to dwindle until they disappeared entirely.

In their place, the fractured and ruined sections of the highway came into view.

“Can you reduce our speed?”

“Understood, Sora.”

Pressing down on the brake pedal to decelerate, he kept the transmission engaged, allowing the vehicle to roll forward slowly.

The SUV crept ahead at a snail’s pace.

“We’re ready when you are, Sora.”

“Perfect. Let’s do this.”

Restoring the ruined infrastructure.

This had become Jeong Sora’s primary responsibility in recent days.

Upon taking up this duty, Kim Jae-hyun had appointed her as a Department Head, securing her a daily salary of 600,000 won.

Furthermore, after demonstrating her efficiency over several days, she was granted an additional contract fee of 2 billion won.

While she was well aware that this sum was modest compared to the immense value she generated, she remained highly satisfied with the compensation.

“My subordinates are earning tens of millions of won daily, so there’s absolutely no reason for me to grumble.”

Thanks to her high-ranking position, she held the administrative authority to employ 3 deputy managers, 10 managers, 30 assistant managers, and 100 general staff members.

Naturally, she distributed these lucrative roles among her most loyal companions.

The collective earnings from these positions alone brought in a staggering 34.5 million won per day.

This steady stream of income was what kept her entire faction comfortably funded.

Accepting a slightly smaller personal signing bonus was a very easy trade-off to make.

“Alright, time to get to work.”

Vroooom!

Jeong Sora began to channel her elemental powers in earnest.

Kugoo—!

Her command over the four fundamental elements granted her an incredibly diverse array of skills.

While these elemental forces were devastating in combat against hostile entities, they were equally convenient for mundane tasks like washing her hair or drying off.

Most notably, by channeling the earth element, she could effortlessly mend fractured roadways like the ones stretching out ahead of them.

Kugoo—!

The earth beneath and around the moving vehicle began to shift and reshape itself.

Fractured concrete reassembled seamlessly, and heaps of building debris were swept neatly to the sides of the path.

Simultaneously, deep potholes and jagged fissures were filled and smoothed over.

The ruined stretch of highway, which had looked completely impassable just moments ago, was rapidly transforming into a pristine, drivable road.

Kugoo—!

The entire reconstruction process was unfolding dynamically as they drove.

Vroooom!

Jeong Sora’s elemental capacities had expanded dramatically after she acquired her official citizenship and swore herself as a Vassal. The sheer scale of her current abilities was incomparable to what she had been capable of in the past.

She was keenly aware of this monumental growth.

“The difference is like night and day.”

In the past, she had to plead with the elemental spirits for assistance.

If anything, the spirits held the upper hand, and she would find her mental fortitude severely depleted whenever they executed her requests.

Now, however, the dynamic had shifted entirely.

“It feels as though the spirits are actively competing to fulfill my wishes.”

She was now the undisputed master, and the spirits had transitioned into a role resembling helpful subordinates.

Furthermore, because Kim Jae-hyun had subjugated the elemental spirit kings and kept them as companions, the potency of the elemental forces within her territory had multiplied several times over.

Consequently…

Kugoo—!

Jeong Sora could reshape entire landscapes without feeling even a hint of exhaustion.

After directing the earth spirits to handle the heavy lifting, she was free to lean back and appreciate the transforming scenery outside her window.

As she watched the progress with satisfaction, something caught her eye.

“Oh?”

Working alongside her elemental summons were several figures that bore a resemblance to earth spirits.

These were small, clay-like golems, featuring simple hollows for their eyes, nose, and mouth, accompanied by round, stubby hands.

These entities were known as to-yong, a specialized type of golem summoned through one of Kim Jae-hyun’s unique capabilities.

Delighted to see them helping, Jeong Sora rolled down her passenger window and offered a cheerful wave.

“Hi there!”

At her greeting, the to-yong reacted with immediate and dramatic intensity.

“…Of course they’d react like that.”

She had half-expected this response.

“They really seem to have a grudge against me.”

Whenever Jeong Sora attempted to interact with a to-yong, the hollow features on their clay faces would distort in simulated anger.

They would halt their labor entirely, waving their stubby arms wildly in what looked like an attempt to threaten or intimidate her.

This wasn’t an isolated incident with a single golem, either.

Nearly every to-yong she encountered behaved in the exact same manner, varying only in how passionately they threw their tiny tantrums.

“I genuinely want to be friendly… why do they find me so incredibly annoying?”

It was an absolute puzzle.