Maintenance (3)
Lee Hobum was a survivor from Ulsan.
Tadadak-
As he turned on the gas stove and cracked two eggs into an oiled pan, he thought to himself:
"I never thought this kind of life would be possible again."
A completely ordinary life.
Compared to the days of group shelters and rough sleeping, this new normal felt like something he couldn't even have dared to imagine.
Every day was new, full of gratitude and awe.
Lee Hobum still hadn't forgotten the moment he first arrived here.
When he first arrived at the apartment complex, he couldn't understand what people were thinking.
Sure, even back in Ulsan, apartment buildings were good places to scavenge for essentials like clothes or daily necessities. But when the guides said they'd be taking him to accommodations, he was skeptical.
He expected a gymnasium or a shelter-something like that.
But when he actually arrived and found out that the entire apartment building still had functioning gas, electricity, and water, it felt like he'd been struck in the back of the head with a hammer.
Sure, it needed some cleaning, but all the basic appliances were there, and that made life incredibly convenient.
A rice cooker, washing machine, dryer, fridge-even a useless TV.
Even the basic dishes were prepared, and water and food could easily be gotten from a place called a "store."
Of course, you had to earn money to buy them, but in the beginning, even that was provided, so there wasn't anything to worry about.
"I still can't believe this is real."
Sometimes he wondered if maybe he'd actually died at the hands of vampires back then, and all of this was just a dying brain's final hallucination.
"To think that all this miraculous stuff is thanks to just one man..."
He first heard about that man thanks to the rescue team.
The rescuers kept mentioning someone named Kim Jaehyun to the wounded.
At first, he thought they were just cultists.
But when he saw people who'd been on the brink of death or completely out of energy suddenly recover, he changed his mind.
And since Lee Hobum had been saved by Hadong-geon himself, it wasn't hard for him to believe.
He had seen it with his own eyes-rampaging monsters and a man with mysterious powers who could take them down instantly.
And the moment he believed in Kim Jaehyun...
"My whole body was overflowing with strength."
After using up all his stamina carrying Choi Doyeon, he suddenly felt energy returning to his body.
It was the first time he had experienced something like that.
It felt like... a reward for his faith.
He could clearly remember the moment life returned to his worn-down body that hadn't eaten properly in days.
"Thank you again today."
Because it had been a miracle during the moment of his greatest need, Lee Hobum could never forget it.
He finished setting the table, grateful for the little miracles he was now living with.
He scooped fresh rice from the rice cooker and took out some seaweed, completing the meal prep. Then he called out toward the bedroom:
"Hey! Choi Doyeon!"
There was no response, so he opened the door. Even though he'd woken her earlier, she had wrapped herself up in the blanket again like a cocoon and gone back to sleep.
"Hey! How long are you gonna sleep?! Get up already!"
When he shook her awake, she mumbled in a dazed, sleepy voice:
"...Just ten more minutes..."
Lee Hobum scowled and yanked the blanket off her.
Choi Doyeon shivered slightly, curled into a ball, and muttered:
"Five more..."
"Whatever. I'm just gonna eat by myself, then."
Grumbling, he went back to the kitchen and started eating.
He grabbed an egg, broke the yolk over the rice, and mixed it well.
The egg was perfectly soft-boiled. He wrapped a bite of the rice and seaweed and popped it into his mouth.
egg in
After two or three more bites, Choi Doyeon emerged from the room and sat across from him at the table.
"Thanks. I'll eat well."
Just her smile and a single word melted all of Lee Hobum's irritation, and he let out a big sigh internally as he reflected on himself.
"Man, I'm such a pushover."
It had already been over a week since he started living with Choi Doyeon.
Both of them had lost their families and were relying on each other to survive, so it was only natural they lived together now.
And yet, they were still just... friends.
Lee Hobum was dissatisfied with it, but he didn't show it.
It was because he didn't want to break the peaceful routine they had now.
"What time do we have to leave again?"
"We have to head out right after eating."
"Huh? But I need to shower."
"You've got a hat, don't you?"
"No way. Today's our first raid!"
Choi Doyeon hurriedly stuffed food into her mouth and got up to head for the bathroom.
Shhhhhh-
Listening to the sound of the shower, Lee Hobum finished his meal and cleared the dishes.
Then, he finished getting ready to go out.
"It was the Goblin Dungeon, right?"
Over the past week, he had completed both firearms training and Goblin Dungeon raid training.
And today was finally the day of their first real mission.
A total of eight people moved as one team-three married couples, plus Lee Hobum and Choi Doyeon.
Everyone was going on their first raid, which was a bit worrisome, but a supervisor would accompany them just in case, so there wasn't too much to worry about.
Lee Hobum looked down at his hands, lost in thought.
"Should I tell someone?"
At that moment-
Crackle
A flash of blue electricity sparked from his hand.
He had only realized this power about four days ago.
At some point, he started to feel a faint energy stirring within his body. After experimenting with it here and there, he discovered that he could produce electricity like this.
"It must've been then."
Right before they were transported through what was called the Namdaemun, the Gate of Flames.
He had sensed a terrifying killing intent spreading from across the Taehwa River.
Not just him everyone present had felt it.
The moment they sensed it, they experienced the fear of death, and those nearby fell into a panic, resulting in chaos for a while.
"Ever since that moment, I started feeling something strange in my body."
It was definitely the power of a vampire.
If he had really gained this power because of that incident, it could mean a very dangerous situation.
So far, only one person knew the truth-Choi Doyeon.
"If this really is a sign that vampire power is transferring to me... it might be a precursor to becoming one myself."
He had heard rumors that some vampires could use mysterious abilities.
He didn't want to imagine it, but if this power was indeed related to vampires, he had a strong feeling it wouldn't end well.
That's why he was keeping it tightly hidden.
"Nothing good will come from getting caught. I need to make sure no one finds out."
He tried using the power again.
This time, a little stronger than before.
Crack!
Fierce blue electricity sparked wildly from his hand.
Though he didn't know much about it, the power seemed quite strong. But there likely wouldn't be many chances to use it.
They'd be carrying guns and raiding the dungeon-there'd be no reason to get close to a goblin.
"Still, just knowing I have this power makes me feel a little more secure.'
"J
Even in an emergency, knowing he could respond gave him peace of mind.
Just then-
Choi Doyeon came out from her shower, hurried to the table, and shoved another spoonful of food into her mouth.
A strong breeze was swirling around her.
Her damp hair fluttered in the wind as if she was trying to dry it with her power.
Seeing this, Lee Hobum frowned and shouted:
"Hey! You-!"
"Huh?"
"I told you not to use your power recklessly, didn't I?! I told you to be careful, it might be related to vampires! What if someone sees you?!"
"Hehe, sorry."
Lee Hobum watched as the wind around her died down and added,
"Never use it outside. Got it?"
"Yeeees~"
"Ugh..."
I watched Lee Hobum and Choi Doyeon with a faint smile.
"It's not vampire power or anything like that, though."
I was well aware of Lee Hobum and Choi Doyeon's existence.
After becoming aware of the dark aura during the battle with the progenitor, I became highly sensitive to the powers used by awakened beings.
Within my domain, I could sense any abilities being used, no matter what they
were.
That's why the moment Lee Hobum and Choi Doyeon used their powers, one of the Eyes of the Arbitrator turned toward them.
"So that's their condition for awakening..."
Lee Hobum already knew why they believed their abilities were the power of a vampire.
He had heard the reason directly from him during a serious conversation the two of them had had in the past.
"The timing Lee Hobum talks about definitely matches the moment the progenitor awakened."
It was clear that they had reacted to the wave of the progenitor's power, but that power hadn't transferred to them or anything like that.
"Is it the fear of death that triggers awakening?"
Come to think of it, the retainers who had gained natural powers all likely had near-death experiences.
Ohn Ju, who had been obsessed with goblin hunting, and Ha Donggeon, who risked his life to save Moon Byungho's grandmother, were clear examples. And the same went for Kim Dajeong, who had been dying just one floor below
mine.
If the fear of death really is the key to awakening, then it made perfect sense that there were so few awakened among the citizens.
"The people who received citizenship early on probably never had to experience true fear of death."
When the citizens first started hunting goblins, the most popular method was
to use transparent barriers to hunt them one-sidedly.
Those who risked their lives to hunt goblins were extremely rare.
Even after that, people would gradually level up, acquire weapons, and take at least minimal safety precautions before engaging in battle with monsters.
So they were rarely, if ever, exposed to the kind of extreme fear-the killing intent that the progenitor had emitted.
Of course, not everyone exposed to the fear of death would become awakened.
If that were the case, then not only Lee Hobum and Choi Doyeon but all survivors in Ulsan at the time should have awakened too.
"And there's no guarantee that's the only condition."
In my case, I awakened the moment the monsters appeared in the world before I even had a chance to feel the fear of death.
"Still, it's something worth considering."
Of course, I wasn't going to throw citizens into deadly situations just to awaken them.
But what if we could intentionally simulate the fear of death in a safe environment?
"If we could mass-produce awakened individuals that way, it'd be huge."
Not only would our overall combat strength increase, but it would expand the talent pool for potential retainers.
"It'd be great if even one of them had an ability to reduce pain."
Recently, I had reached level 30 and spent two of the three skill points I'd earned.
One was invested in the warehouse, increasing its capacity and unlocking a special function.
The other was spent on the skill Absolute One's Health.
I hoped it might reduce the pain that accompanied leveling up.
Just like other skills, Absolute One's Health gained an unexpected feature upon leveling up.
Clarity of a Bright Mirror and Still Water (B7)
Considering the meaning, it seemed to be a mental-related function, but I wasn't exactly sure what it did.
Whether it would actually reduce the pain of leveling up-I'd have to experience it to find out.
Sigh.
I saved the last point for the shop, but if it turned out useless after the next level-up, I was planning to invest in health again.
"Anyway, time to go."
Today, I was scheduled to visit my parents' house for the first time in a while.
It was to see my grandmother, who could only stay awake for ten minutes at a time.
Click.
I moved to my family home through the Absolute One's Door.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]