Probation (2)
"Sigh. There he goes again with his useless talk…"
I was frowning at the nonsense Choi Hyung-jun was spouting while watching him through the Eye of the Absolute.
"At this rate, he's no better than a cult evangelist."
Using words like "miracle" and "divine name" made him sound like a religious
scammer.
Still, I didn't stop him from spreading my name around.
It was actually one of the more effective methods for restoring energy, even officially included in the rescue team's manual.
In fact, for those who had obtained citizenship, just knowing my name increased their physical stats thanks to the function of the "Power of Trust."
Simply recognizing my name had a stamina recovery effect.
So it was tricky to tell him to stop.
[Hyung-jun hyung. Gather some people. We'll start registering as citizens those who can move on their own.]
"Oh? Uh, yes. Got it."
Choi Hyung-jun.
He was a kind-faced man who lived next door, and the first person to officially register as a vassal.
But since he was extremely timid, he was never deployed for combat-related tasks and hadn't been leveled up.
Naturally, he was the lowest-leveled among all my vassals, but even then, being at level 33 without hunting monsters at all was quite impressive.
That was because he'd gained experience naturally through quest assignments.
Among all my vassals, he was the only one who hadn't received major investments, yet he was treated rather favorably.
After all, I had never once sent him to the battlefield.
"He's just too faint-hearted for that."
Honestly, sending him into combat would've been more of a hindrance than help.
He was the kind of person who still had trauma over goblins.
Even if it was a monster, Hyung-jun struggled to bring himself to attack.
And he had a debt to repay.
From the very beginning, he'd joined and contributed in various ways, and even now, he was raising children orphaned by vampires in his home.
So the most he usually did as a vassal was take shifts at the outpost.
The fact that even he had been dispatched showed how dire the situation in Jamsil was.
When the massive landmass fell, we barely managed to minimize the impact using teleportation abilities.
But even that minimized shock was immense, and many people were still dying in real time.
All vassals, as well as the rescue and medical teams, were fully mobilized to respond to the crisis.
First, we rescued those in the disaster zone, then gathered them in suitable areas designated as shelters.
Once gathered, they were sent to Seoul's only outpost at Konkuk University Station, issued citizenship, and transported through Namdaemun to Busan.
With Kim Da-bin directly overseeing the operation, the rescue efforts were progressing swiftly and efficiently.
Then, suddenly-
"Huh?"
A sudden incident occurred within the group led by Choi Hyung-jun.
***
Lee Jun-young was in a state of panic.
Back when he was tasting soda and other processed snacks at the shelter, he had been unbelievably happy.
Some random man came over and rambled about how he had to remember the name "Kim Jae-hyun," but he didn't care about such nonsense.
As long as he and his companions could eat to their fill, he was satisfied.
But then-
"Huff, huff. Guys, huff…"
"What's wrong all of a sudden? Hey, Lee Jun-young! Snap out of it!"
"W-We need to… get out of here… now…!"
Lee Jun-young was now hyperventilating.
The reason was simple.
They were heading toward the place where he had lost his closest friend and comrade.
The man who kept going on about "Kim Jae-hyun" had lured people in, promising warm showers and a comfortable bed to sleep in, along with medicine.
It was hard to believe, but with so many powerful ability users around, he held on to a sliver of hope that it might be true.
But the place this crazy man led them to… was hell.
They were now heading into the territory of a massive golem with a body made entirely of blades.
Realizing this, Lee Jun-young fell into panic and started hyperventilating.
"I realized it too late!"
The nightmare of that day-the day his best friend was torn apart by the blade golem was coming back to life in vivid detail.
The fear of death he had felt back then was now gripping his heart once again.
"Quick, we have to run…!"
However, contrary to his desperate thoughts, he was unable to communicate with his companions.
More than that, it felt like he was about to die from shock at any moment.
"Haaack! Haaaack—!"
He truly felt like he was going to die.
He hadn't even actually encountered the monster, yet he was about to die from trauma and fear. Nothing could be more unfair, thought Lee Junyoung as he despaired.
Vrrrrrr-
Suddenly, Lee Junyoung felt something unfamiliar explode inside his body.
'What is this…?'
At that moment, the man leading the group ran over to Junyoung.
He was holding a black plastic bag, which he used to cover Junyoung's nose and mouth.
"Haaack! Haack!"
The plastic bag inflated and deflated with each of Junyoung's gasps.
Soon after, his rapid breathing began to calm.
'…I'm alive.'
He exhaled in relief-only for a moment.
"Are you feeling a bit better now?"
Seeing the face of the person who had brought them here-the very cause of their predicament-rage surged within him.
Having come so close to death, Lee Junyoung exploded with emotion.
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
"Huh?"
"Do you even know where this place is? Why did you bring us here? Don't tell me you're one of those Blade Golem's minions or something! All of you! That food earlier was just bait, wasn't it?!"
"Blade Golem?"
"Yeah! Because of you, everyone here is going to die!"
After spilling out his anger, Junyoung suddenly paused, his expression confused.
Because the man's face was now filled with fear.
"T-The blade monster…? Here?"
But then, just moments later, the man's face returned to a calm composure as if nothing had happened.
…What's with this guy?'
The fear that had washed over him vanished in an instant, replaced by unsettling ease.
What came next only made Junyoung more bewildered.
"Ah, they're saying that monster's already been taken care of. No need to worry."
"W-What?"
"That… Aizen, was it? Sorry, could you repeat that? Ah, Aizenblade. They say it was a monster covered head-to-toe in blades. This outpost was established after it was defeated."
Due to the man's strange manner of speech, Junyoung couldn't help but grow more serious.
'Is this guy… insane?'
The man spoke as though someone was relaying him information in real time.
'Did we just end up in the wrong place with the wrong people…?'
His trust plummeted, and a sense of urgency to leave this place filled his chest-until suddenly:
-ROOOAAAR!
A tiger the size of a van appeared and charged at them.
In that moment of shared terror-
"Huh!"
The one who seemed the most shocked was the same man who had been leading them all this time.
Seeing that, Junyoung resolved to escape with his companions as quickly as possible.
CRACK!
A spear suddenly shot out of thin air, piercing the massive tiger from its neck all the way through its back.
BOOOOOM!
The monster tiger's body exploded on the spot.
"…"
It all happened so quickly that no one could react properly.
Everyone just stood there, staring blankly at the disintegrating corpse of the monster.
"Whew. Thank you, Jaehyun."
Junyoung stared at the man with his mouth agape.
If his earlier panic and the cold sweat he'd wiped away had been an act, he deserved an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Judging by his reaction, it didn't seem like that spear was his doing.
Which meant… where had that spear come from?
'Don't tell me it's the power of this Jaehyun person? That?!'
That tiger wasn't some weakling like a goblin.
It had an overwhelming presence, like it would treat even an orc as a light
snack.
And yet it was killed in a single blow?
Shiver-
Sure, the disappearing corpse was eerie, but more chilling was the realization that they could have been killed by this power at any moment without even knowing it.
'Holy shit.'
This was a completely different kind of fear than what he felt from the Blade Golem that had killed his friend.
At least with the Blade Golem, he had faced it and managed to escape-albeit not by his own power.
But what he had just witnessed… offered no such hope of escape.
A crushing sense of powerlessness.
He even felt as if his very life and death were completely in that man's hands.
Decisively-
'That black aura that was just lingering in the window.'
It was a presence he had encountered several times before.
From the female ability user who healed people to those who were rescuing others while cloaked in that same black aura.
He instinctively understood.
'That black aura belongs to the man named Kim Jaehyun.'
And then, the strange behaviors shown by the man who had been leading them started to make sense.
He also began to think that maybe, just maybe, it could be true that this man had defeated that bladed monster.
Lee Junyoung cautiously asked him,
"Excuse me. Are you… talking to him right now? The man named Kim Jaehyun?"
"How did you know?"
Well, it was kind of obvious—he was clearly listening to someone.
"Where is he right now? Is he nearby?"
"He's currently in Busan."
"I see. Busan… Wait, what?"
Lee Junyoung wondered if he'd misheard something.
So he asked again, just to confirm.
"Busan?"
"Yes, Busan. I came from Busan too. Hahaha."
Hearing that, Lee Junyoung paused to think.
The distance from Busan to here, Seoul.
The strength of the monster that had just been killed.
And the people who followed this man.
'… Seriously?'
Even just the things he had personally seen with his own eyes so far pointed
to tremendous power.
But if everything the man had said was true, then calling it merely "tremendous power" wouldn't be enough.
No descriptor would do it justice.
He wanted to verify whether it was true.
"So, where are you taking us now?"
"Hmm. First, you'll go to the forward base and receive your citizenship. After that, you'll be assigned a suitable home and start living there."
"Alright. Let's go."
After that, they arrived at Konkuk University Station without any issues.
After receiving their citizenship and entering the station, Lee Junyoung and his group couldn't help but be shocked.
"What the…?"
A clean, well-organized subway station.
Lights were on.
People walking around.
And finally, a sign that read "(Jeonpo Station)."
Lee Junyoung muttered to himself,
"Where is this…?"
What had happened was that the entrance they thought led to Konkuk University Station was actually connected to a southern gate that led to Jeonpo Station.
And the even more shocking part-
"One chocolate ice cream, please."
"Yes. That'll be 3,000 won.'
""
-was witnessing someone buy and sell ice cream inside the subway station.
Not just that, but also shops offering computer repairs, places selling paintings, and people casually shopping-all of it stunned them.
"Alright, everyone, this way please."
The moment they followed the man and came up through Exit 8 of Jeonpo Station, they were struck by an even greater shock.
People eating kimbap in restaurants.
Songs playing naturally from burger joints and cafés.
The smell of grilled meat in the air.
People walking down the streets, all dressed up.
And cars driving along the road.
"W-What… What is this…?"
What they saw was everyday life.
A normal life-just as it had been before the monsters appeared and ruined everything.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]