Probation (3)
This was the first time I had ever witnessed the moment of awakening.
"Clairvoyance, huh."
The man named Lee Junyoung didn't seem to have realized it himself yet, but in the moment of that seizure, he had awakened his power.
He had instantly reached level 30 upon awakening-proof that the ability he awakened was of A-rank caliber.
Even with the same type of ability, the rank could vary depending on the individual who awakened it.
Jang Sungjoon's telekinesis was a prime example.
Telekinesis wasn't all that rare, but Jang Sungjoon was the only one to have received an A-rank classification.
As for clairvoyance, I'd only seen it twice before both times, it was judged to be D-rank.
"But A-rank? Seriously?"
Still…
"Is there something special about A-rank clairvoyance?"
With telekinesis, you could reasonably expect more output or better control at higher ranks. But with clairvoyance, a higher rank didn't seem like it would make that much of a difference.
"Still, maybe I should mark him as a candidate for vassal registration."
Recently, I'd been actively expanding the number of registered vassals.
Part of it was due to the increase in outposts requiring more personnel, but more importantly, I had recently raised my skill level, which greatly increased the registration limit.
By raising my Nobility Maintenance skill to level 7, the base limit for vassals had risen to 100.
On top of that, the slots earned from people reaching 100 loyalty were treated separately, so the current cap had increased to 133.
"If he awakened an A-rank power, that's more than enough to qualify as a vassal."
I generally only accepted high-rank awakened individuals as vassals—it was just more efficient that way.
Of course, it wasn't like I recruited people blindly based on their abilities alone.
I'd first assess their personality and character, ask their consent, and only then register them.
"His first impression isn't bad."
Lee Junyoung likely awakened because of the fear of death.
It seemed to be because he knew of the Aizenblade. Even in an extreme life-threatening situation, he showed concern for his comrades.
His sense of responsibility as a leader was already well-proven.
"Still, I'll put it on hold for now.
After toppling the JHS cult, more than a hundred thousand new people had flooded in.
Since the cult treated awakened individuals well, many of them had interesting abilities-some even seemed more useful than clairvoyance.
There was no rush to increase the number of vassals right now. I decided to list them all as candidates and observe them carefully over time.
"Besides, now's not the time for that anyway."
It was more important to focus on saving people than registering vassals.
"The Eye of the Absolute."
After making sure they had arrived safely at Konkuk University Station and entered Busan, I turned my gaze back toward Jamsil-now a disaster site in
every sense.
***
Over a hundred people, including Lee Junyoung and his comrades, walked down the street with dazed expressions.
This was them after calming down significantly.
When they first came up from Jeonpo Station and faced the unexpected normalcy of the world above, a few had even shed tears without knowing why.
Lee Junyoung approached the man leading the group at the front and asked,
"Sir… has Busan really been free of monsters?"
The man paused for a moment before answering.
"…Of course not. There was a time when monsters overran this place, too."
Hearing that, Lee Junyoung looked once more at the street.
"Your iced Americano is ready!"
The bustling street was full of life, with not a single trace of monsters anywhere.
Then the man spoke again.
"It's peaceful now, but when the monsters were here, this place was hell on earth. But Master Jaehyun drove them all out and blessed this place, making it safe again.'
""
፡፡
""
Had he not seen the miraculous scenery for himself, he would have dismissed the man's words as nonsense.
But having witnessed it with his own eyes, he couldn't just brush the man off.
"Kim Jaehyun, was it?"
Who exactly was he, to be capable of creating miracles like this?
And this power… what is it?
Was it just his imagination?
Ever since he received something called citizenship, strength had been surging through his entire body.
It felt like he could accomplish anything in his current state.
And the more he engraved the name Kim Jaehyun into his mind, the stronger that power seemed to grow.
"I have a question."
The man gave an awkward chuckle and replied,
"I'm not great with words… If you have any questions, feel free to ask once we arrive at the next location. They'll teach you everything there."
The man then led them to a school auditorium-inside a middle school.
It was no longer surprising that the lights in the auditorium were on.
He had already seen too much on his way here.
"This is the place. Please take a seat and wait for a moment — the orientation will begin shortly."
As the man was about to leave, Lee Junyoung stopped him and asked,
"Sir, may I ask your name?"
"Oh, of course. My name is Choi Hyungjoon. Choi Hyungjoon."
"I'm Lee Junyoung."
Starting with Lee Junyoung, everyone took turns introducing themselves.
"I'm Kim Taehyun."
"My name is Seo Jihyun."
"I'm Park Minwoo."
Lee Junyoung, who had been quietly waiting for everyone to finish, gave a deep bow to Choi Hyungjoon right after the last person introduced themselves.
"Thank you so much for bringing us here, sir.'
""
Choi Hyungjoon waved his hands as if to say it was nothing.
"Oh, I didn't do anything. It's all thanks to Jaehyun's grace."
After he left, they sat in the seats that had been prepared and waited.
Several more groups, seemingly from other shelters, arrived.
It was easy to tell that they had come from other shelters.
"Did we look like that too?"
Because the expressions they wore were exactly the same as the ones Junyoung and the others had just had not long ago.
A blank, stunned look from overwhelming shock.
By the time the auditorium had filled with such people, the officials finally arrived.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Yoo Hyerin, head of the Administration Department. Nice to meet you.
""
After light applause, the orientation began in earnest.
"The purpose of this orientation is to help you all adapt here as quickly as possible. We'll be providing essential information you'll need to survive from now on, so please pay close attention."
With that, the lights dimmed, and a projector flickered on, displaying a PowerPoint presentation on the screen.
"Wow…"
Even just seeing such a thing after so long was enough to stir some deep, indescribable emotion.
"First, we'll go over the concept of currency in this place and how to use it. Once you're granted citizenship, you'll be issued a personal wallet. You can check your assets with the command 'Open Wallet.' Please give it a try."
At her words, the auditorium buzzed with movement.
Everyone was trying to check their wallets.
Junyoung, watching the reactions of those around him, hesitantly spoke the command aloud.
"Open Wallet."
[Citizen Lee Junyoung's Wallet]
• Balance: 0 won
"!"
He was taken aback by the sudden appearance of a holographic window before his eyes.
"Junyoung, how much do you have?"
"Of course it's zero. What about you, Taehyun?"
"Same here."
Kim Taehyun chuckled dryly.
"Is this that thing? Augmented reality or metaverse or whatever?"
"Not sure."
Despite the murmuring among them, the orientation continued.
"Don't worry too much about having no money. That's perfectly normal. So, how do you earn money?"
The PowerPoint slide changed, and a heavy silence fell over the room.
Because the next slide showed a goblin.
"Goblin…"
Seoul had been overrun with horrifying monsters like the Eisenblade.
But for the survivors gathered here, the most terrifying monsters were goblins and orcs.
Even more than the oversized, terrifying creatures like cyclops, the fear they felt toward goblins and orcs was greater.
The reason was simple.
Most humans who encountered such monsters ended up dead.
The ones who were still alive and breathing here had only ever faced goblins
nothing worse.
or orcs
"The first method is hunting. You can earn money by hunting monsters and receiving rewards."
The expressions in the room darkened noticeably.
That's because for 90% of the survivors present, even hunting a goblin wasn't an easy task.
Since these were survivors who had made it this far, most had perhaps taken down one or two monsters before, but even that was usually a life-or-death experience.
"I understand what you're all worried about. But don't worry too much. Parties that go out to hunt goblins are issued firearms."
Before anyone noticed, images of rifles, including the K2, had appeared on the PowerPoint screen.
"Guns? Are you serious?"
"If we have guns, goblins shouldn't be a problem…"
"They're lending out firearms? Are they out of their minds?"
A brief explanation followed about concepts like "dungeons" and "parties."
"Please, don't worry. Even if you're not suited for hunting, there are countless other ways to make money. It's entirely possible to earn enough through regular labor. But first, you'll need to understand the 'Marketplace.""
The official's explanation of the "Marketplace" was revolutionary.
"Think of it like an online shopping mall. One where you don't even have to wait for delivery. Once you purchase an item, it appears immediately."
As soon as she said that, a can of cola appeared in mid-air.
Just like with the wallet, the marketplace was shown as a hologram-and simply by paying money, items would materialize out of thin air.
It was a system that would spell the end of all logistics companies.
'This is insane.'
The marketplace sold everything from food and desserts to weapons like swords, spears, and bows.
Even while Lee Jun-young was browsing the items available, the official continued explaining.
"Typically, people work and upload paperwork here to receive their daily wages. Even restaurant payments work this way, so it's good to keep that in mind."
The PowerPoint visuals were so intuitive that her explanations were easy to understand.
"And if you just keep uploading goods to the marketplace, you can earn money that way too. Each person is limited to 20 listing slots, so even if you slightly raise the price on items bought from the store, you can still make a profit."
They even had business opportunities built in.
Just like they'd claimed at the beginning, there really were endless ways to make money.
'So, basically, there's no real need to go hunting.'
Honestly, for an average person, the later methods made a lot more sense than the initial one.
There probably weren't many lunatics who actually wanted to risk their lives fighting monsters.
"Now, if you've made money, you'll want to spend it, right? You could use the marketplace I just introduced, but before that, it's best to visit the 'Store' first."
The concept of the store that followed was equally shocking.
These stores, which replaced convenience stores or supermarkets, were places where you could get practically anything.
But even more shocking was the video showing someone buying something from there.
Watching an item materialize out of thin air-it felt like something straight out of a sci-fi novel.
'Is this really Korea?'
The daily life he had glimpsed from outside had already been surprising enough, but the core systems here far surpassed modern technology.
Looking at the holograms-whether the wallet or the marketplace-really made it feel like he had time-traveled into the future.
'This is crazy.'
Every piece of information from the orientation was a fresh shock.
But the most shocking part came at the end.
"Finally, you'll need a place to stay, right? For now, you'll be living in temporary housing assigned by us."
Lee Jun-young couldn't help but feel anxious.
In the past, temporary housing provided by cults was nothing more than a cramped tent by the Han River.
But, surprisingly-
"No way."
The temporary residence they were assigned was a rental apartment.
A dream-like space where they could shower with hot water, sleep on a soft bed, and cook at home thanks to the gas supply.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]