Seoul (2)
I fixed the train's route toward Yeouido and showed my smartphone screen to the mother sitting on the sofa in car 1 with her kids.
"We might need to stay in touch later, so let me tell you about this first. This site's called the Survivor Gallery. I'll put my nickname here too, so if you ever need help, just leave a message anytime."
"Uh... is the internet still working?"
"It's not really the internet—just this site..."
The mother peered into the screen like she was mesmerized, unable to hide her amazement. Seizing the moment, I explained everything: my train, the Gallery, all of it powered by skills. As the mother of young Jiwoo and Sua, she already seemed to grasp that skills were game-like terms without me spelling it out.
While I was at it, I even showed her how to summon her own translucent status window in front of her eyes.
"Status Window..?"
With trembling hands, she groped the air to call up her own. Unfortunately, it wasn't anything impressive—a minor support ability that sharpened her eyesight far beyond normal, letting her see distant things crystal clear. Disappointing, sure, but not everyone got OP skills. That must be why the trading posts kept calling for combat-capable awakeners.
"S-still, it'll be super useful for spotting danger early and running away..."
"Yeah, exactly. That's plenty to be thankful for. Good thing I brought the kids' phones too—I'll have to teach them how to use the site. That way we can stay in touch..."
She nodded with a somehow resolute expression. Maybe the kids would reach out to me first someday.
While she browsed the Gallery, I searched for the latest on the Yeouido safe zone. True to its status as Seoul's most populous safe area, Yeouido was rapidly expanding into a massive stronghold. But digging deeper revealed festering headaches.
"Faction fights, huh... Once folks can eat and survive, they bicker over everything..."
From piecing together the anonymous boards on the Gallery, Yeouido's factions had split into two evenly matched camps locked in a tense standoff. One was the government officials and soldiers clinging to old power structures. The other was the new breed of awakeners who'd risen post-apocalypse, protecting civilians with overwhelming force.
Civilians were divided too—some insisting on sticking to the old ways, others arguing that awakeners did all the real work, clashing over every little thing. No wonder the debate spilled onto the Gallery.
"Tch..."
I clicked my tongue and closed the phone. In a situation like this, you'd think they'd cooperate. I had no interest in getting dragged into their squabbles, so I checked our position.
"I'll stop one station before Yeouido, at Singil Station. Walking in from there should be less conspicuous and safer."
The Gallery said the safe zone extended to near Singil. No need to draw extra eyes with the train.
The mother nodded at my suggestion. Soon after, the train glided smoothly into Singil Station's tracks.
'People here too, huh...'
I'd figured it'd be empty, but two soldiers stood sentry on the platform's edge, guarding Yeouido's outskirts. They were dozing off, heads nodding. Made sense—no one was supposed to show up.
Screeech—
"Wha— Huh?"
"Uh...?"
The braking noise jolted them awake. Staring at the train right in front of them, their jaws dropped. The front spikes, the turret up top—the intimidating sight made them yank their rifles off their backs in panic.
"Wh-what the hell is that! Stop! Halt!"
"...What the fuck is it...?"
"Beats me, shit..."
Pale-faced, they raised trembling muzzles and edged closer, voices thick with bewilderment. I grabbed my toothed flail, led the tense mother and kids out slowly.
The soldiers started wary, but as the exhausted mother and little Jiwoo and Sua followed me out, their stiff shoulders visibly relaxed.
"...Everyone off?"
"Yes."
'Classic de-escalation setup.'
They were still on edge from the train's spikes, turret, and my flail, but the mood lightened. They lowered their guns and bombarded us with questions.
"Wh-what is this massive train? Where'd it come from? What's your business here?"
"O-one at a time."
Mostly expected stuff. I answered calmly and thoroughly: unique skill of mine, escorting this family from Incheon after they got stranded. They nodded at my straightforward explanation, then said identity checks were mandatory for safe zone entry and guided us somewhere.
A middle-aged man soon took over.
"People trying to enter the safe zone?"
"Yes, came by train..."
"Train?"
"Yeah."
"Seen bikes, cars... but a train? Anyway, follow me."
He led us to a neighborhood office near Singil Station. I quietly admired the surroundings en route.
'More put-together than I thought...'
Yeouido was clawing back pre-apocalypse normalcy harder than expected. Debris and abandoned cars neatly shoved aside, people bustling inside the office with paperwork.
'Feels almost normal...'
Gallery mentioned faction drama, but the office was functioning somewhat.
At a makeshift desk in one corner, they did basic ID checks. The mother and kids finished quick, got temp residency passes.
"Next. Name and age?"
The guide guy asked me with a binder. But I waved it off.
"I'm good. Not planning to enter the safe zone."
He looked disappointed at my firm refusal.
"Really not coming in? Heard you control a train... An awakener with that skill could get great perks here."
"Perks? Like what?"
"Take on jobs or help expand the zone, get paid in credits. Buy extra food beyond basics, whatever you need... Like money."
He whispered that the Gallery's Exchange or a couple vending-machine spots inside used or dispensed them.
I knew about credits, but not that vending machines spat out exchange vouchers on change—like actual currency. Explained the denominations: 50, 100, 500, 1000. Match units to avoid waste.
Handy info. I glanced at the mother packing behind me.
'Perfect. Can give her some credits later...'
Seemed necessary for a comfy life inside. Not just handouts—I planned to keep ties strong.
'Luck and Dungeon Exploration are skills I'll need going forward.'
Couldn't ditch them by dumping the kids. Sua's insight into dungeons, Jiwoo's Lv.3 Luck for gacha pulls. Smart to invest now for risky dungeons or random box hauls later.
"Thanks for explaining, but I'm more the free-roaming type."
"I see..."
I nodded politely to him, then turned to the mother and kids gazing at me with regret.
"Sis really leaving? We won't see you anymore?"
"Unni..."
Jiwoo and Sua clutched my clothes, on the verge of tears, looking up pitifully. I crouched and stroked their heads in turn.
"Aw, c'mon—sis has the train. Took less than an hour to get here, right? I'll visit lots. Be good for mom, stay safe here. Got it?"
Their faces brightened a bit. As if I wouldn't come back. I'd found them first, after all.
I flashed a smile at the bowing, thankful mother, then slipped out quietly while they got safe zone briefed.
'Not as clingy as I feared.'
Expected more drama. Mission accomplished—time to test my skills.
'Next up...'
Time to properly try Craftsman's Touch. Head to Siheung or Incheon, hit some dungeons. Boss drops always made killer gear or drones. Planning the same here. Mulling a trickier weapon relying on my weapon mastery as I walked.
But cresting the platform stairs, I tilted my head at the unexpected scene.
"Whoa, is that a turret?"
"Stand by it—I'll snap a pic."
"Damn, which awakener rides this thing?"
"Pretty sure I saw it on the Gallery—"
"Heard the news?"
"Yup."
The two soldiers from earlier, plus two non-military-looking male awakeners, clustered around my train, snapping photos with phones. One soldier even posed leaning on it.
'What the...?'
Flail over my shoulder, I scratched my chin from afar, watching. Kinda got the supercar flex vibe from back when the world was normal.