Presidential Archives
Kang Dohun had been patrolling the area around the Presidential Archives, clashing with soldiers in guerrilla skirmishes. Kang Dohyun slipped inside the building.
“Where is it? Where exactly?”
Fortunately, signs with clear labels for offices and rooms dotted the corridors.
“Where exactly are those items hidden?”
While he pondered, a sign caught his eye.
“Secret Document Room.”
That seemed promising. Kang Dohyun headed straight for it.
Upon reaching the Secret Document Room, the door stood before him.
“This is perfectly sealed.”
The metal door was locked tight.
“I need to enter quietly…”
Lockpicking would make noise, drawing unwanted attention.
He preferred silence, so he scanned his surroundings. His gaze landed on a desk labeled “Designated Records Management Office.”
Kang Dohyun stepped inside. The room was dim and silent. It looked empty.
“But there’s no way it’s truly vacant.”
Even in the quiet, using [Detect Presence] revealed three human life signatures inside the inner office. He entered.
“…”
Three female civil servants huddled in the corner, trembling from the alarm.
When the apocalypse struck, most male bureaucrats had been converted to combat units per government orders.
They had taken up weapons from the government to hunt zombies.
Now, women who remained to handle administration filled the ranks.
These women had lived through the apocalypse, surviving crises. They were terrified, but to avoid provoking the intruder, one spoke first.
“S-Save us… Anything you command, we’ll do.”
Another followed, then the third, all pleading on the ground.
Kang Dohyun had no interest in the women. His goal was clear.
“The secret document room. If it has the key, you live. Without it, you die.”
He was serious. He might spare those who could prove useful, but not the worthless.
“I-It’s here!”
One pointed at the key cabinet.
“There’s a key to the secret document room inside.”
Three locks secured it, but breaking them was far easier.
Kang Dohyun pulled out his axe and shattered each lock with precision.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The noise was loud enough to alert others, yet the locks shattered one by one.
The cabinet opened.
“Is this the key for the secret document room?”
“Yes.”
Kang Dohyun liked that the women obeyed without complaint.
“Good. All of you, lie flat on the ground.”
Following his order, the three women collapsed. He took the rope from his bag and tied them securely. Then he said,
“If this key works, I’ll let you live.”
He left the office with the key.
At the Secret Document Room, he inserted the key and turned it.
“Perfect.”
The door opened smoothly. Inside, the room was chaotic.
It had been built to store secret documents, yet now it housed…
“Exactly as I expected— a repository for cultural artifacts.”
When the government evacuated Seoul, it rushed these precious items here.
And these were precisely the treasures Kang Dohyun sought.
He locked the door from inside and began examining the artifacts.
“Battle items? Probably none.”
Artifacts with combat effects were already distributed to government-designated warriors. None remained here.
“Ordinary items are unlikely.”
Items with special effects would have been kept separately since their properties could be identified immediately. Yet he came anyway.
“Grade-outside items and unknown-effect artifacts should still be here.”
The number of such artifacts would be substantial, and government staff lacked the time or means to catalog them all. They remained.
“Since Dohun is busy fighting, let’s hurry.”
Too many artifacts prevented him from examining everything. Still, he started with the famous ones he remembered.
Kang Dohyun began with the statues and sutras displayed at the front.
“These… don’t contain what I want.”
Statues and ancient texts often carried various buffs. Yet nothing matched his needs. Still…
“These have high cultural value as artifacts. Plus, they’re compact.”
He stuffed the statues and books directly into his bag.
As he moved on, one caught his eye.
“Found it.”
The first item of the second section. Various porcelain pieces were on display. Among them, the one he wanted stood out.
“Blue-and-white orchids-patterned ginger jar bottle.”
Designated as a treasure. And this porcelain contained…
“Grade-outside item, as expected.”
The label read “???”. He carefully wrapped it in the packaging he had prepared and placed it in his bag.
Then he spotted another.
“National Seal!”
[National Seal — Grade-outside]
Description: ???
He had found King Gojong’s National Seal.
“Not bad.”
Although its effect was weaker than other seals, it was still a National Seal. It would serve well later.
More than thirty minutes had passed since entering the Secret Document Room.
Outside, explosions boomed.
*Boom! Boom!*
“Aw, shot! Those are the sounds of a cannon or tank—or maybe a bazooka—exploding.”
Confirming that his brother was holding off soldiers with difficulty, Kang Dohyun quickened his pace.
“Found another!”
[Bronze Axe — Grade-outside]
Description: A bronze axe from the Bronze Age. No special ability, but high value.
An odd item. No special power, yet valuable. Still, Kang Dohyun added the axe to his bag since it was one he sought.
“What now? Should I stop? It’s tempting…”
While deliberating, he scanned the rest. Then he found one more.
“Found another!”
[Horse-riding human-shaped pottery 1 — Grade-outside]
Description: ???
[Horse-riding human-shaped pottery 2 — Grade-outside]
Description: ???
These were Silla-era human-shaped pottery dolls, artifacts Kang Dohyun already knew.
“Great. Now fill the rest with compact artifacts and books.”
He crammed every remaining artifact and book that fit into his bag.
While Kang Dohyun diligently examined and collected the artifacts, Kang Dohun was in a dire state.
*Bang! Bang! Boom!*
The soldiers were firing guns, cannons, and cannon-like weapons at him.
He dodged instead of counterattacking, moving around the Presidential Archives.
“Lots of soldiers out there?”
Many warriors and soldiers had mobilized from Osong, yet the remaining troops were still numerous.
But Kang Dohun was chosen by the god of sports. His superhuman reflexes allowed him to perceive and dodge bullets in real time.
Even under heavy gunfire, he kept moving, using tricks to survive.
Kang Dohyun climbed to the rooftop of the Archives, summoned a drone, and boarded it. Then he located his brother.
“Dohun! Come here.”
“Hyung!”
The drone descended so Kang Dohun could board. The moment he did,
“Let’s escape!”
The drone carrying both brothers rose into the air. Once out of the soldiers’ sight, it sped away from Sejong City.
The brothers left Sejong by drone and reached Gongju City after about an hour.
Kang Dohyun landed on the rooftop of a small house on the outskirts of Gongju.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
The two brothers prepared to search the house and relax.
No zombies or people lived there, but three corpses remained. Kang Dohun carried them outside to dispose of. Kang Dohyun cleaned a room without any scent.
“Hyung, what exactly did you bring? Tell me.”
His brother was so curious he could barely contain himself. Kang Dohyun opened his bag and showed him.
“Various cultural artifacts and grade-outside items.”
Kang Dohun showed no interest in the artifacts.
“Grade-outside items? Explain them.”
“Got it. I’ll describe each one.”
Kang Dohyun pulled out the porcelain, the National Seal, the bronze axe, and the two horse-riding pottery dolls.
First, he examined the porcelain.
“This is the one from Dongwoo.”
“Dongwoo’s? What effect does it have?”
“Natural fertilizer.”
The [Blue-and-white orchids-patterned ginger jar bottle] turned water into natural fertilizer when filled.
“So? How does it help farming?”
“Best item. I said fertilizer, but it also speeds up growth. It’s even better than just fertilizer.”
Kang Dohyun moved to the next item.
“This is the National Seal—King Gojong’s seal.”
“A National Seal? Is it important?”
Kang Dohyun handed the National Seal to his brother.
“It’s useless now, but it will be useful for you later. Keep it well in your inventory.”
“Understood.”
Kang Dohun placed the National Seal in his inventory.
Next came the bronze axe. Kang Dohun read the description.
“No ability, yet it has value?”
The explanation was impossible to understand at first glance. But Kang Dohyun demonstrated its use right in front of him.
“You can use it like this.”
He took out the [Chungmu Soul Sword] and struck the axe. The sword absorbed it.
- [Chungmu Soul Sword] has absorbed the bronze axe.
- [Chungmu Soul Sword]’s attack power has increased.
“Wow… It absorbs everything?”
“Good material for strengthening special weapons.”
Finally, the last grade-outside items—the two horse-riding pottery dolls.
“What about these?”
“I’ll show you.”
Kang Dohyun lifted one pottery doll and focused his power on it.
“Master!”
A mounted soldier, made of clay, was summoned.
“I called you to test. Return inside.”
“Understood.”
The mounted soldier was summoned back.
“About level 10? A summoned doll with combat power.”
“Wow!”
Kang Dohun was amazed. He gave one of the pottery dolls to his brother.
“Keep one. Take the other.”
“Got it.”
The brothers then examined the remaining artifacts Kang Dohyun had brought. Two more grade-outside items existed, but Kang Dohyun knew nothing of their effects.
After finishing the examination.
“Still some time left?”
He had obtained the [Chungmu Soul Sword] in Ansan after six days from the uninhabited island and various items in Sejong.
“Then let’s hunt on the way back. I want to level up.”
“Fine. Let’s roam nearby small cities and hunt.”
“Chungnam has been cleared, so let’s head to Jeonbuk.”
The brothers decided to explore small cities in the Jeonbuk region.