<[Episode 21] Maintenance (3) >
Lee Ho-beom was a survivor from Ulsan.
Tadadak
He thought as he turned on the gas stove and cracked two eggs into a pan coated with cooking oil.
‘I never thought I’d be able to live like this again.’
A very ordinary life.
Thinking back to the past, when it was no different from living in a dormitory, I could not have imagined that days like this would continue.
Every day was new, thankful, and wonderful.
Lee Ho-beom still can’t forget the moment he first came here.
When I first arrived at the apartment complex, I wondered what these people were thinking.
Of course, when I was in Ulsan, apartments were a good place to farm for various daily necessities and clothes, but I was curious when the guides said they would guide me to my accommodations.
Of course, I thought I would be guided to a place like a gym or a shelter.
But when I actually got there and found out that the entire apartment had gas, electricity, and water, I was shocked and felt like someone had hit me in the back of the head with a hammer.
It needed some cleaning, but it was very comfortable as it had all the basic appliances.
A rice cooker, a washing machine, a dryer, a refrigerator, and even a useless TV.
All the basic utensils were provided, and water and food were easily available at the store.
Of course, I had to earn money to buy them, but at first, I had no worries because they even supported that.
‘I still can’t believe this is real.’
In fact, I often thought that I was the one who was killed by the vampire at that time, and that what I was seeing now was an illusion created by my brain before I died.
‘This miracle came from the power of just one person.’
It was thanks to rescue workers that we first learned of his existence.
Rescue workers told the injured people about the existence of a man named ‘Kim Jae-hyun’.
At first I thought they were fanatics of a cult, but I changed my mind when I saw the immediate improvement in the condition of people who had lost energy or were seriously injured.
Since it was Lee Ho-beom who actually had his life saved by Ha Dong-geon, it was easy to believe the story.
Because I saw a rampaging monster and a man with the mysterious power to instantly destroy the monster.
And the moment I believed in Kim Jae-hyun’s existence.
‘My whole body was filled with strength.’
He felt his body, which had used up all its energy running while carrying Choi Do-yeon, becoming more energetic.
It was my first time having such an experience.
It felt as if my faith had been rewarded.
Lee Ho-beom clearly remembers the moment when his body, which had been weak due to not eating properly, suddenly became full of energy.
‘Thank you again today.’
Lee Ho-beom could not forget that moment because it was a miracle that occurred at the moment when he was most in need of salvation.
I was grateful for these little miracles that I was enjoying now and I even finished the award.
Lee Ho-beom finished preparing the meal by scooping out freshly cooked rice from the rice cooker and taking out the steam, and shouted toward the living room.
“Hey! Choi Do-yeon!”
When I opened the door because there was no response when I called, I saw that even though I had clearly woken her up earlier, she was still asleep, wrapped in the blanket and looking like a worm.
“Hey! How long are you going to sleep like this? Wake up!”
When I shook him awake, Choi Do-yeon answered in a hazy voice as if she was still asleep.
“…Just 10 minutes….”
Lee Ho-beom threw away the blanket with a distorted expression.
Choi Do-yeon shivered slightly, then crouched down as much as possible and spoke.
“Just 5 minutes…”
“Oh, I don’t know. Then I’ll eat alone.”
Lee Ho-beom, who had been irritated, went out to the kitchen and started eating.
I took an egg and broke the yolk on top of the rice.
I mixed the soft-boiled egg and rice well, wrapped it in seaweed, and put it in my mouth in one bite.
After eating like that two or three more times, Choi Do-yeon came out of the room and sat down at the table across from us.
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
Lee Ho-beom sighed deeply inwardly as he observed his heart melting away at her smile and words.
‘There really is no such thing as a fool.’
It’s already been over a week since I started living here with Choi Do-yeon.
Since both of them had lost their parents and were living while relying on each other, they were living together as if it was natural.
Yet the two were still friends.
Lee Ho-beom was dissatisfied with that, but he didn’t show it.
Because I didn’t want to break this peaceful routine.
“What time do you have to be out?”
“I have to eat this and then leave.”
“Huh? I have to wash up then.”
“You have a hat.”
“No. Today is the first attack!”
Choi Do-yeon hurriedly stuffed food into her mouth, got up from her seat, and headed to the bathroom.
Swaaaah
Lee Ho-beom finished his meal and cleaned up the dishes while listening to the sound of the shower.
And I finished getting ready to go out.
‘I thought it was a goblin dungeon.’
Over the past week, I’ve completed training in firearms usage and goblin dungeon raiding.
And today was finally the first day of practice.
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Eight people move as a team, and Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon’s teammates were three married couples.
It was my first time attacking all eight of us, so I was a bit worried, but I didn’t have to worry too much because a supervisor would follow me just in case.
Lee Ho-beom looked down at his hands and thought.
‘Should I say it?’
At that moment.
Tingle-
A blue flash of electricity appeared in his hand.
It was only about four days ago that I became aware of this power.
At some point, it felt like a subtle energy was wriggling inside my body, and as I moved it around in different ways, I realized that it was possible to generate electricity in this way.
‘It’s definitely that time.’
Just before moving into the gate of flames called Namdaemun.
I felt a terrifying murderous aura spreading in all directions from across the Taehwa River.
Not only Lee Ho-beom, but everyone there felt it.
The moment I felt it, I experienced the fear of death, and those around me panicked and chaos broke out for a moment.
‘From that exact moment on, I felt a strange power inside my body.’
It was clearly the power of a vampire.
If that was really the reason he gained this power, this could have been a very dangerous situation.
The only person who still knew about this fact was Choi Do-yeon.
‘If by any chance the vampire’s powers were really transferred… it could be a precursor to becoming a vampire.’
I’ve heard rumors that some vampires have mystical abilities.
I hated to imagine it, but I had a feeling that if this power was related to vampires, then I would never be safe.
So that fact is kept tightly hidden.
‘There’s no good in getting caught. You have to avoid getting caught as much as possible.’
I tried to unleash my power once again.
This time a little stronger than before.
Phagejik-
Blue electricity shot out ominously from his hand.
It seems like a pretty powerful force, even if you don’t know for sure, but there are very few situations where you would use this power.
Since I was going out to attack with a gun, there was no reason for me to get close to the goblins.
‘Still, it’s comforting to have this kind of power.’
Knowing that he could respond if an emergency arose gave him peace of mind.
That was when.
After taking a shower, Choi Do-yeon came out, hurried to the table, and stuffed another spoonful into her mouth.
A strong wind was blowing around Choi Do-yeon.
Her wet hair was blowing in the wind, as if she was trying to dry it.
Ho-Beom Lee frowned and said after seeing that.
“Hey! You, that thing!”
“huh?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to use your powers as you please?! I told you to be careful because they might be related to vampires! What are you going to do if you get caught?!”
“Hehehe. Sorry.”
Lee Ho-beom added, checking that the wind had died down.
“Never use this outside. Understood?”
“Yes~.”
“Ugh.”
I smiled faintly as I watched Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon.
‘It’s not like it’s the power of a vampire or anything.’
I was clearly aware of the existence of Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon.
Since becoming aware of the black energy during the battle with Jinjo, I have become sensitive to the powers used by the Awakened.
Anything that happened within the realm was meant to be detected by me, no matter what ability was used.
So the moment Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon used their abilities, one of the Absolute’s eyes turned towards them.
‘The condition of awakening.’
I already knew why Lee Ho-beom thought their abilities were the power of vampires.
Because I heard the reason from his own mouth when the two of them were having a serious conversation the other day.
‘The timing that Lee Ho-beom is talking about is clearly the moment when Jinjo awakens.’
It was clear that they had reacted to the waves of Jinjo’s power, but that power did not transfer to them or anything.
‘Does the fear of death awaken strength?’
In that sense, it was highly likely that all of the vassals who had gained the power of nature had experiences where their lives were in danger.
It was the same for Ha Dong-geon, who risked his life to save Oh Eun-joo and Moon Byeong-ho’s grandmother, who were crazy about hunting goblins, as well as Kim Da-jeong, who was dying on the floor right below me.
If the fear of death really was the keyword for awakening, it would be understandable that there were few awakened people among the citizens.
‘People who were granted citizenship early would have had little to no fear of death.’
When the citizens first started hunting goblins, a popular hunting method was to use a transparent barrier to hunt the goblins unilaterally.
Only a very small number of people risked their lives to hunt goblins.
After that, I gradually leveled up, acquired weapons, and took minimal safety measures before fighting monsters.
So, there was almost no chance of being exposed to extreme fear, such as the murderous intent that Jinjo emitted.
Of course, not everyone who is exposed to the fear of death will become an Awakener.
If that was the case, not only Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon, but all the survivors who were alive in Ulsan at the time would have had to wake up.
‘And there’s no guarantee that that will be the only condition.’
In my case, I was not afraid of death, but rather I woke up as soon as the monsters appeared in the world.
‘Still, it’s worth considering.’
Of course, we won’t be pushing citizens to their deaths in order to awaken them.
But what if you could intentionally create the fear of death while ensuring safety?
‘If we can just mass-produce Awakeners like that, it’ll be a jackpot.’
Not only will the overall power increase, but the talent pool that can be registered as a new recruit will also expand.
‘I wish just one of them had the ability to relieve pain.’
Recently, when I reached level 30, I had already used up two of the three skill points I had earned.
One is to invest in a warehouse to increase its capacity and gain one more special feature.
And the other one was invested in ‘The Health of the Absolute in the Corner of the House’.
It was because of the expectation that it might be possible to reduce the pain that comes every time you level up, even just a little.
As with other skills, when the Absolute’s Health skill levels up, an unexpected function is added.
A clear mirror and still water.
Considering the meaning, it seems to be a function related to the mind, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what function it was.
Whether this will alleviate the pain of leveling up is something you’ll have to experience for yourself.
“Phew.”
I left one remaining point for the shop, but if it didn’t work for the next level up, I thought I’d invest it in health again.
‘Let’s go for now.’
Today was the day I decided to go to my parents’ house for the first time in a long time.
It was to see my grandmother, who could only stay awake for 10 minutes at a time.
Crunch.
I went to my hometown through the Gate of the Absolute.
<[Episode 21] Maintenance (3) > End
