Probation (4)
Lee Junyoung sipped his coffee and thought:
"This is heaven."
There couldn't have been a better word to describe the past week.
"This place is paradise."
Compared to the vagabond lifestyle he had led in Seoul, this was an incredibly luxurious life.
There was electricity, so most home appliances could be used.
There was heating, and he could take a warm shower.
He could fall asleep comfortably in a cozy bed.
All of those things were great-but there was something far more important.
"The monsters are gone."
It had been a mystery since the moment he arrived.
The people here, who seemed to have completely regained their normal lives, showed no signs of fear toward monsters.
He learned the reason during a Q&A session at orientation.
"It's all thanks to Jaehyun's ability."
A blessed land.
Apparently, the entirety of Busan had become a perfectly safe zone.
He recalled the moment he arrived at Konkuk University Station and was granted citizenship-he had touched a transparent barrier with his own hand.
That very barrier enveloped all of Busan, blocking the entry of monsters.
"It's thanks to that that we can live like this."
Having lived the wandering life in Seoul, he appreciated it even more.
He no longer had to take turns standing guard at night. He no longer had to prepare for death just to go outside.
This city was able to return to its pre-apocalyptic state solely because of Kim Jaehyun's power.
"And…"
While living here, he'd heard a certain rumor.
That among those who had obtained citizenship, there were the "Chosen."
Literally, those selected by Kim Jaehyun himself.
It was said they were granted special powers.
If he had heard that rumor without knowing anything, he probably would've laughed it off and called them fools.
He'd seen plenty of people with strange powers back in Seoul.
He would've accepted that Kim Jaehyun's powers were impressive, but still thought it was overblown to act like someone being "awakened" was a divine selection or something.
"But I saw it with my own eyes.
""
People with unbelievable strength at disaster sites.
Every one of them shrouded in a dark aura, their powers were nothing like those of the awakened ones he'd seen in Seoul.
Powers that could heal someone on the brink of death, or lift entire buildings.
Their strength went far beyond what a normal human could achieve.
And every one of them was engulfed in that black aura.
"That aura definitely comes from Jaehyun."
That's why he could believe the rumors about the "Chosen" weren't just baseless gossip.
And-
"Maybe I'm one of them too…"
Vrrrm-
As he activated his power, Lee Junyoung's vision expanded dramatically.
He could see through the floor-the steel structure beneath it, the tangled mess of wires, and even a clear view of the floor below.
Then, his face flushed, and he hurriedly deactivated the ability.
"Ahem."
It hadn't been intentional.
It was just a side effect of testing his powers.
"Still, I might really be one of the Chosen."
In truth, he had simply awakened like others—-but because the timing of his awakening was so uncanny, people (including himself) were starting to misunderstand.
"I got this power right after getting my citizenship. My body got insanely fit too."
Junyoung paused mid-sip and lifted up his T-shirt to look at his abs.
Sharp, defined muscles greeted him.
He hadn't even exercised much, yet his body had improved drastically.
His stamina increased too-he couldn't even remember what it felt like to be tired anymore.
"Why don't you just strip down and admire yourself in front of the mirror?"
Kim Taehyun, his hair a total mess, was staring at him with a smirk.
"You're up."
"Yeah. Gimme some coffee too."
Junyoung pulled out a packet of instant coffee from the counter next to him and tossed it over.
"It was just boiled, so it should be fine to use right away."
"Thanks."
Kim Taehyun took a sip of the coffee he had just made and nodded.
"Mmm. Perfect."
"Hurry up and shower. You're the last one."
…What?"
"You're quick in the shower, so it shouldn't matter. The girls are still showering anyway-"
Before Lee Junyoung could even finish his sentence, Kim Taehyun roughly grabbed him by the collar and snapped.
"Hey, you perverted bastard. I told you not to use that!"
Kim Taehyun was the only one who knew that Lee Junyoung had clairvoyant abilities.
And there was only one reason he was this angry.
"C-Calm down. I didn't look at Seoyoung!"
That was because Kim Taehyun was dating Lee Seoyoung.
Having regained his composure, Kim Taehyun let go of Junyoung's collar and asked,
"Then who was showering?"
"…Jihyun."
Kim Taehyun let out a sigh and said,
"Sigh. I'm going to wash up."
Taehyun, who had taken a towel and gone into the bathroom, came back out and gave a warning to Junyoung.
"Hey. If you keep using that, I'll tell Jihyun."
"…Please, just spare me this once."
"Only use it during hunts, got it? Only during hunts."
Currently, one of their main sources of income was hunting.
Among the twelve members, eight-including Lee Junyoung and Kim Taehyun-entered dungeons daily to hunt goblins.
The expected profit from a goblin dungeon, where around a hundred goblins appear at once, was about 500,000 won per run.
On top of that, they also had part-time jobs and earned commission by selling items at the marketplace, so they were more financially comfortable than one might expect.
'If we increase the number of goblin hunts, the income should improve even more.'
Even clearing the dungeon twice a day would double the profit.
Considering that it only took about 30 minutes to clear a dungeon, it wasn't impossible.
'It pays way better than working at a barbecue joint.'
Honestly, hunting goblins wasn't even that much of a hassle anymore.
Sure, in the beginning, there had been a vague fear of goblins, and the hunts had been tough and time-consuming. But now, that fear was completely gone.
Holding a rifle in his hands, there was no way goblins could scare him.
Besides, his clairvoyant ability was incredibly useful in goblin dungeons.
He could see through darkness and even perceive the layout of the dungeon itself.
Since he knew all the goblins' locations in advance, all he had to do was push forward.
In fact, it was while tackling a goblin dungeon that he had first realized his clairvoyant ability.
When he brought up the idea to Kim Taehyun after his shower, Taehyun responded positively.
"That's true. Even though there are eight of us going in, you're the one doing all the hunting, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Maybe we should split into teams. Just put three others with you for
headcount and go in."
"That's exactly what I was thinking. Or how about this-what if we pair up and
rotate shifts? I can do three or four runs a day, no problem."
"You take the lead, and the others support?"
"Exactly."
"That's not a bad idea."
After thinking for a moment, Kim Taehyun spoke again.
"But first, there's something you need to prove."
"What?"
"That you can clear it by yourself-without any of our help."
Taehyun paused before continuing.
"So today, you'll do the run solo. We'll just watch from behind."
66
""
"Think you can do it?"
"…Guess I'll find out."
And so, a slightly different kind of dungeon run began.
Rat–a–tat–tat—
The initial part of the run went smoothly, without a hitch.
Relying on his clairvoyance, Junyoung was able to detect the goblins in advance and took them out before they could even react.
In that seamless flow, Junyoung felt a near-certain confidence.
'I'm not exaggerating—it really is possible for me to solo this.'
It felt like just yesterday he had needed a supervisor to enter the goblin dungeon, and now he was capable of clearing it alone.
He was deeply moved.
But there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
"Junyoung!!"
Near the end of the run, the remaining goblins would often gather together for a last-ditch assault.
Junyoung had already foreseen this with his clairvoyance, and he even knew the exact location of their ambush.
However, his one mistake was being too full of himself.
Caught up in checking and finishing off the goblins hiding on the outer edges, he completely forgot that he was alone.
After all, his teammates were just observing from the back, and this was the first time he was doing a run completely solo.
Thanks to that, he didn't realize that the goblins lying in ambush could suddenly jump out and surround him all at once.
"Damn it!"
His teammates, belatedly following Kim Taehyun's orders, tried desperately to fight off the goblins and join him, but the distance between them and Lee Junyoung was too great.
On top of that, this was a pitch-dark cave.
With the possibility of hitting Lee Junyoung, support fire was out of the question.
Ratatatat-
Sensing the danger, Lee Junyoung swiftly eliminated a dozen or so goblins with lightning-fast movements, but even that had its limits.
Click–Click-
!!!'
He was out of bullets.
The goblins clearly had no intention of giving him the time to reload.
"Kyaaaaah!"
As the goblins charged toward him, he let out a desperate battle cry.
"Shiiit!!"
And then-
Wham!
Instinctively, he swung his rifle, smashing a goblin's facial bones.
"…?"
Thanks to his clairvoyance ability, he could clearly see how the goblin's face shattered in the darkness.
"Kyaaaaah!"
At that moment, another goblin lunged at him from the side with bared teeth.
It hadn't yet realized what had happened to its comrade.
Crunch!
This time, accompanied by a much more intense impact, the goblin flew back, spewing blood.
Lee Junyoung stared blankly at the foot he had just used to kick the goblin.
And then he came to a clear realization about his condition.
'Haha, this is insane.'
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
Without even bothering to reload, Lee Junyoung used his rifle as a blunt weapon to pummel the goblins and shattered their bones with his kicks.
Wham! Thud!
He was certain.
'I've been chosen by Him!'
There was no other explanation for what was happening right now.
And the more he believed-
Vooooom-
'The stronger I feel!'
The more his faith in Kim Jaehyun grew, the more strength surged through his entire body.
Wham!
When he crushed the last goblin's windpipe with a punch-
"…J-Junyoung?"
His teammates stared at him in utter shock.
"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Kim Taehyun anxiously scanned his blood-covered body.
But most of the blood on him belonged to the goblins.
The injuries Lee Junyoung had sustained were no more than light scratches from goblin claws or teeth just before they died.
"Nothing. Let's go."
Even those were quickly healed as soon as they exited the dungeon.
He turned to the still-stunned Kim Taehyun and asked,
"How about it? Don't you think I can handle this alone now?"
"Well, yeah… but are you really not hurt?"
"Yep. Completely fine."
And then it happened.
[Mr. Lee Junyoung. Do you have a moment?]
A strange voice echoed in his head.
Startled, Lee Junyoung looked around the air and asked,
"Wh-Who's there?"
The answer echoed in his mind.
[My name is Kim Jaehyun.]
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]