So This Is Awakening

Before regressing, when I first saw the status window, I misunderstood the word "slave." Hell, anyone would've misunderstood after seeing Slave Collector or Slave Capture. In this fucked-up world, without power you're bound to become a slave. Men become farming shuttles under the Awakened, while women turn into fuck-toys just to survive. Even the shelter leader was hoarding all the pretty girls just because he was Awakened. From his perspective, my skill that could turn women into slaves must've looked terrifying. He probably thought I was some slippery bastard who'd ruin the harem he'd worked so hard to build. At least, that's what the word "slave" alone suggested.

Explanations about my class and skill kept scrolling by. That bastard Gwangtae must've panicked and run to the leader yelling about slaves without ever seeing the actual details. The leader, hearing only Gwangtae's words, misunderstood it as some ability to steal women away. But my enslavement skill isn't about taking other people's women—it's about finding those with potential to awaken and making them my slaves. Once they become slaves, they're bound to their master and can never run or betray them. Is there any ability more necessary than this?

This was different from simple sex slavery. Slave candidates would willingly offer themselves to me, and through sex with me, they would awaken. Since sex alone didn't guarantee a 100% awakening rate, trust was essential. Forcing it wouldn't solve anything. They had to believe in me and follow me if they wanted to awaken quickly.

'It really does treat slaves as individuals with their own will. The system is exactly as it claims.'

I never planned to treat them harshly to begin with, but reading the explanation made me realize I needed to be more of a protector than just a master. If it meant gaining the skills necessary to survive this damned world, I could handle that much. Even if I had been treated like a slave myself, I had no intention of doing the same to others. There's a reason the saying "learn from others' mistakes" exists. Of course, the bastards who ground me to the bone were exceptions. They were human trash with zero value, so I'd grow stronger and clean them up whenever the chance arose.

Before awakening, nothing had appeared, but now that I was Awakened, the system was handing out points. Points were used to raise stats, and you received a small amount each time you leveled up.

Killing one zombie had increased my experience by 1, and the points from the First Kill reward were already there.

The system gave timely hints whenever I had questions. It almost felt like it was reading my mind.

'...It really is reading my mind.'

Even with stats at 0, it was apparently enough to overpower ordinary people.

'Let's just do what the system says for now.'

I distributed the points evenly across each stat and put the last one into Agility. After three years of surviving, hit-and-run tactics had proven surprisingly useful.

The moment I allocated the points, something changed. Sounds from outside the window and the front door—sounds I hadn't heard before—started reaching my ears.

"Kyaaaaah! H-help…"

"Kraaaang—!!"

BOOM! Honk honk~

They were still faint, but at least I could tell something was happening out there.

'My hearing's gotten sharper. Not bad at all.'

That gave me one more reason to raise Agility and Perception. According to the hint, increasing Agility would let me thrust faster too.

[……]

Slave Capture supposedly included the ability to detect slave candidates. Curious about how to use it, I opened the skill.

I thought it only gave hints, but it managed Awakened in far more detail than expected. To think I'd spent three years grinding without knowing about such a convenient ability—I was lucky just to have survived. Even if it ended in a dog's death.

'Let's go outside and hunt zombies first.'

The one I'd lured into the house had given 1 experience. I needed to kill nine more to level up. The frying pan I'd used earlier was bent so badly it was hard to swing. I had a kitchen knife and a fruit knife, but they'd require getting close to be effective. Even against low-grade zombies, close combat was insane—engaging one would bring a swarm from all directions.

Looking around, my eyes landed on the drying rack sitting on the veranda. The thin aluminum pipes looked flimsy, but if I bundled several together and taped them, it would be better than the frying pan. The joints were plastic, so I'd have to remove those first. Wondering if they could be separated, I twisted one with my hand.

Crack!

'Huh?'

The sturdy plastic joint crumbled like tofu. Even with minimal force, the aluminum pipe bent easily.

'Was it… always this weak?'

The sense of power was overwhelming. I'd only invested 1 point into Strength, yet the difference was night and day. My gaze shifted to the metal frame surrounding the veranda. Grabbing the joint fixed to the wall and pulling, it came free in an instant. An involuntary gasp escaped me. It felt like I'd become a superhero.

I reinforced the frame with several pieces to make a thick club. After wrapping it tightly with tape, it looked decent enough to use.

*

Just in case of close combat, I slipped a jackknife into my pocket and tucked the fruit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knife into my belt loop. Gripping the makeshift metal club, I carefully opened the front door.

The old one-room building had many single-occupant households. People who were unemployed or worked afternoon shifts would've been home when the apocalypse hit. Considering the number of units, there were probably around ten zombies per floor.

Stepping into the hallway, I spotted two zombies wandering near the elevator. Adjusting my grip on the club so I could swing at any moment, I charged toward them. Landing the first strike in a fight meant you were already halfway to victory.

"Grr… Kraaaak!"

As it turned its head at the sound of my footsteps, I swung the club straight at its skull.

Thud!

'Huh?'

I was surprised again today. After knocking it down with the first hit, I'd planned to finish it with another strike. But the moment the impact sounded, its neck tore and the head flew out into the hallway. The zombie's body couldn't withstand the force behind the club.

'Whoa, what the hell…'

While I stood marveling, the headless zombie collapsed. Ding~

Turning to the zombie beside it, I swung the club upward from below this time.

*

There had been a total of eleven zombies in the hallway. By the time I reached the end, casually sending heads flying in a way that felt almost too easy, I leveled up.

Reaching Level 2 increased the experience cap from 12 to 20. I'd need to kill eighteen more to level up again.

'The points are stingy.'

It was a level up, yet I only got 2 points. They might decrease further as levels rose, so I'd have to distribute them carefully in the beginning. I put the 2 points into Strength and Perception.

Unlike the immediate response from Strength, sounds from farther away became clearer than before.

'I can see the opposite building better. Even my vision got corrected. What is this?'

The subtle changes sent a thrill down my spine. I sprinted down the hallway a few times and my body felt noticeably lighter than before. I'd thought the feeling of impact and speed only existed in games, but experiencing it directly with my own body made dopamine surge through me.

'So this is what it feels like.'

With this, maybe I could survive in this world turned to hell. Of course, together with the pretty slaves I'd collect from now on.