They Say No One Knows the Ways of the World

They say no one knows the ways of the world. The same goes for me.

“Huh?”

Recently, far too many bad things had been happening. I’d been scraping by for what felt like forever, and before I knew it, thirty-five years had slipped past. Then came the unfair dismissal from my job, followed by the landlord announcing the land had been sold and ordering me out within a month. On top of that, every little annoyance piled up until the whole mess exploded.

The crushing reality of job-hunting and apartment-hunting hit me hard. So I simply walked out the door. I had nowhere specific in mind. The only thing that surfaced was the sea I’d always loved, so I decided to clear my head and head there.

I live in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do. The nearest coasts were the West Sea or the South Sea. I’d seen the West Sea plenty of times since it was close to my hometown. Its water is always murky from the mudflats. Great for nature exploration, maybe, but not exactly what you picture when you want to enjoy the ocean. The extreme tides just leave you staring at mud and silt.

What I wanted right now was a clean, transparent sea—sapphire or emerald. So I chose Namhae. The name made me think of the very edge of the land, so I got in the car and drove straight to Haenam. After walking a long way from Ttangkkeut Village at the southernmost tip, I reached the spot with the half-destroyed Ttangkkeut Tower and was gazing at the blue water when I heard it.

My name is Kim Minsoo. I had awakened at thirty-five.

“Status window.”

“Ahem. Guess it’s not exactly a jackpot.”

Awakening is often called a lottery. A good ability lets you rake in money. Even a bad one makes you tougher and healthier than the average person, which helps in everyday life. Still, the effect of the lowest 1st Grade was minimal.

“They said it makes you look one or two years younger, right? Even now… I don’t feel much difference.”

Most of the hunters in the top hundred had high starting grades, people said. There were exceptions, but eight or nine out of ten started strong, so this probably wasn’t a windfall. Still, an excellent class or ability could open doors.

When I checked, my class was listed as Lord.

Like the medieval European nobles who ruled territories?

I came from an ordinary family. Sure, some distant ancestor might have been a Silla king hundreds of years ago, but every Korean can probably claim royal blood with decent odds. And here I was, a Lord?

The skills left me even more speechless.

Territory Declaration? Summon Inhabitant?

The names were straightforward. One declared a territory, the other summoned inhabitants. But when I tried to use them, nothing happened.

“Summon Inhabitant.”

Summoning skills seemed to fit my personality. As an extreme introvert, dealing with people drained me. So I’d tried the inhabitant summoning first. The response made it clear I needed a territory as a prerequisite.

Territory Declaration… Does that mean fighting over land?

Medieval nobles waged territory wars, or so I’d heard. The thought made the ability sound like a hassle. But since I needed a territory to summon anyone, I decided to try it. Declaring one probably wouldn’t trigger an immediate attack.

I activated the skill, hoping it would explain the details.

“Territory Declaration.”

“Kwoooaaargh~”

A huge roar rolled in from far across the sea. I looked up to see an enormous shadow leap from the water and plunge back in. The seas around Korea had become dangerous on three sides after the gates broke. Seeing that shadow made it feel all too real. The creature was so far away I could only make out its silhouette, yet my body still trembled.

The landmark Ttangkkeut Tower, the observatory, the skywalk, even the village itself—all lay in ruins. The sight of a place that once held people now reduced to wreckage felt utterly desolate. I’d walked forty or fifty minutes from the village to reach the tower out of curiosity, but the area was completely unmanaged and overgrown.

“Holy crap… No wonder the hunters guarding this area looked at me like I was insane when I said I was coming to see the sea…”

Still, as long as I didn’t actually enter the water, the risk wasn’t that high. That must have been why they let me through. From their perspective, whether I lived or died was none of their business. Ttangkkeut Village had simply suffered because it sat right against the sea. I’d assumed I’d see the ocean the moment I reached Haenam, but the land was ridiculously vast. Even after arriving in Haenam, it took nearly another hour by car to reach the village site. I’d seen the sea from there, but since I’d come all this way, I continued on to the actual tip—the Ttangkkeut Tower.

And now I was declaring a ruined place like this as my territory?

Normally I would never have done something so reckless. But right now I was mentally and physically exhausted. The dream of living in a house by the sea had taken over, and I declared this place my territory without a second thought. The exact spot was the half-destroyed Ttangkkeut Tower.

“Yeah. Territory Declaration.”

The words left my mouth and I felt energy pour out of my body. A wave spread outward with me at the center, crossing the tidal rocks, wrapping around the sea, and encircling the mountain where the tower stood. The sensation of every drop of strength leaving me was followed by a clear message.

“Ugh… Feels like I pulled three all-nighters in a row…”

My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the ground. The sky stretched endlessly above me, impossibly blue. Staring at it, I suddenly burst out laughing.

“Pfft… Hahaha!!!”

No matter how miserable my life was, the world kept turning. All my desperate struggling suddenly seemed ridiculous, and that made me laugh even harder. After laughing for a long while, strength slowly returned. Then reality sank back in.

“Ah… I should have declared a nicer place.”

Now that my head was clear, regret washed over me. I tried to see if I could cancel it, but of course that didn’t work. What was done was done.

“Krrrik.”

A spine-chilling sound cut through the air. I turned my head and spotted three monsters that looked like a cross between humans and two-meter-tall frogs in the distance. Each carried a trident. They were still quite far away.

Monsters…!

These were the creatures that had destroyed Ttangkkeut Tower and the village. I vaguely remembered reading an article about them. They were dangerous 6th-grade monsters. A 6th-grade threat was roughly equal to a hunter ranked around 150th to 200th.

Run, first—

My immediate thought was escape. Then I remembered the article. These things were incredibly fast in the water but surprisingly slow on land. Their legs were slow, but their trident swings were fast and powerful, so caution was still necessary.

That gave me an idea.

“Summon Inhabitant!”

My awakening ability. I couldn’t use it without a territory before, but now it worked. A summoner could use a summoned creature as bait and run. It was far better than simply fleeing. Now that my mind was clear, however, one detail bothered me. These were called inhabitants. If they were people, could I really use them as bait? And as an introvert, could I even manage them?

Still, I was thirty-five. Even an extreme introvert had learned some social skills. I no longer froze up like an idiot. Since I was going to summon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway, I might as well do it now.

“Krrrik…”

The creatures were slowly approaching. Just as the article said, they were quite slow. I was standing on the tidal rocks, so I had some safety margin. Even if the summon failed, I could turn and sprint and they probably wouldn’t catch me. If whatever appeared was weak, I’d just run.

“Yes.”

The moment I answered, light burst forth.

“Hwaaam~ Oh?”

When the light faded, I saw a beautiful woman with short white hair and a cat-like face. No—calling her cat-like didn’t do it justice. She had fluffy white ears dotted with black spots and a thick, soft-looking tail that swayed gently. The status window had called her a snow leopard, so those were snow leopard ears and tail. But the way they twitched and flicked was completely real.

She yawned lazily, then looked at me.

“Are you the lord of this territory?”

Her voice was incredibly languid.

“Yeah. I’m Kim Minsoo, the lord.”

I was flustered but kept my tone calm.

“Hmm…? Lord Kim Minsoo… There’s nothing around here, is there? Still, this clean, rich mana. The warm air. You chose a decent spot. You have good eyes. I like it! My name is Miya! Accept me into your territory!”

It was early to mid-January. The air was hardly warm. Yet she called it warm.

The messages kept scrolling. In short, if I managed the territory well, the inhabitants wouldn’t harm me. Of course, I couldn’t treat them badly either. There seemed to be a warning about the possibility of rebellion if I did.

To be honest, I had declared this territory while in a half-dead state of mind. I hadn’t chosen it with any discerning eye like Miya claimed. But if she was satisfied, that was what mattered.

“All right. I accept you.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

A new tab appeared in the status window, blinking red. I tapped it. A map popped up showing the current situation.

One inhabitant and three intruders.

My territory formed a circle centered on me, encompassing the mountain where the Ttangkkeut Observatory stood and the tidal rocks reaching into the sea. Thinking about it again, I really had chosen a bizarre place. Half mountain, half sea. Miya seemed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to have a different opinion, though.

“Miya. Do you know those things?”

“Hm? Oh, Sea Groks? Those are delicious! Whoa~ This place is full of seafood!? It really is wonderful!!!”

I called over the quiet Miya and pointed at the three approaching creatures. She turned, let out an impressed sound, and named them. She also gave me information I hadn’t asked for.

“Delicious? Have you caught them before?”

“Just once while hunting. I mean—while traveling! I caught some weak ones during a trip near the sea!”

She had started to say she ran away from home but quickly changed it to “travel.” She looked like a charismatic older sister, yet she had run away? How bad must her home have been? I pretended not to notice.

More importantly, she was saying she could handle them. That meant Miya was at least 6th-grade or higher.

“Can you take care of them for me?”

“Sure! Oh, can I eat them afterward?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Great!”

The moment she answered, Miya sprang lightly from the tidal rock. It looked like a casual hop, yet she flew three or four meters and landed gracefully in front of the monsters. It was like watching a circus performance.

“Krrk?!”

The Sea Groks were startled by the sudden appearance of Miya. They hurriedly raised their tridents in defense. In that instant—

“Huh?”

A small waterspout formed around Miya and the creatures. When the swirling seawater fell, the scene that appeared was shocking. Three Sea Groks lay with their limbs severed, spilling blue blood. Miya stood there as if nothing had happened.

Correction. She wasn’t 6th-grade. She had to be at least 7th or 8th. My very first inhabitant summon had hit the jackpot.

My heart began to race at the realization.