The Omen
I left the cleanup to Jangsu and Yuna, then headed toward the infirmary with Bom.
“How is Gi Eun-chae?”
“She seems okay. She looked a bit grim, but she walked in on her own two feet. But the others….”
Gi Eun-chae had returned just before I arrived. Bom told me she had been working nearby and saw Gi Eun-chae’s team returning in a battered state.
“She walked in on her own?”
“Yeah. I waited for you because I figured you’d be here soon, and I wanted to tell you before we went together.”
I suppose she wasn’t hurt too badly. Still, if Gi Eun-chae was injured enough to be noticed….
Gi Eun-chae’s combat prowess was exceptional. Aside from her mana, she possessed a well-rounded, high-tier stat distribution. If she was hurt, it meant her team might have run into serious trouble. After all, I heard some people had to be carried back.
“Lee Hyun.”
We arrived at the infirmary. Na Suyeon, who had been squatting in the hallway, jumped to her feet.
“You go on in, Bom.”
“Okay.”
I sent Bom inside just in case the medical team needed her abilities, then checked on Na Suyeon. She looked fine, too.
“Na Suyeon. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Na Suyeon was a classmate of Gi Eun-chae’s from the ROTC, and a member of her team. She hit level 20. I could feel her energy through Target Detection. Since she’d reached level 20, she would be receiving her Hunter certification soon.
“I heard you were ambushed. Was it monsters?”
“Yes, that’s right. There were a lot of them.”
I could tell just by looking at the green blood splattered on her clothes.
“How many were there for Gi Eun-chae to get hurt? Oh, she is hurt, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
Gi Eun-chae had stood out ever since I absorbed the Myungshin Women’s University faction. She had received her Hunter certification as a matter of course and formed her own team. Her team was a bit unique; those who had followed her since the Twin Dormitory Building 1 naturally joined up. Because of that, the entire team was female. Not just the Awakened, but even the porters following the team were from Myungshin Women’s University. Despite that, their combat power was among the best. At the same time, their fandom—no, their loyalty toward me—was overwhelmingly high.
“But….”
“Lee Hyun!”
Just as Na Suyeon was about to say something, Gi Eun-chae appeared at the end of the hallway. She came running toward us, looking perfectly fine. She must have washed her face.
“I heard you were hurt? You look fine to me.”
“I received treatment as soon as I arrived. I’m fine now.”
“Where were you hurt? Let me see.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps she had already taken off her gear for treatment, as her attire was light. She pulled off her short-sleeved shirt without hesitation.
“I had a cracked rib on this side. It’s fully healed now thanks to Team Leader Kang Iseon’s skill.”
Gi Eun-chae lifted one arm and pulled her bra slightly upward. The area below her breast bulged where it had been pressed by her undergarment. She pointed to the spot where she had been injured and explained it calmly. Her expression was peaceful, but her emotions were not.
“You’re sure it’s fully healed?”
“Yes. There’s no problem.”
“Right. Put your clothes back on.”
“Yes!”
Na Suyeon giggled as she watched Gi Eun-chae. The two women exchanged some kind of signal with their eyes.
“Eunchae.”
“Ye… yes?”
“Why are you surprised?”
“Th-that, by my name… Ah, it’s nothing!”
“Explain. Start with the damage report.”
“Yes! Out of 21 total personnel, three are currently receiving treatment.”
Gi Eun-chae included the porters in her count. There were no fatalities. “One is seriously injured, and the other two should be finished with treatment soon.” Minor abrasions didn’t count as injuries. She said the others had been dismissed since their injuries were negligible, and everyone was exhausted anyway.
The damage was less than I thought. That didn’t mean they had an easy fight, though.
“We were on our way back after finishing a sector clearing operation. There was a place we had scouted for farming.”
“Right.”
“We ran into a horde of monsters while moving. It was a group of Orcs, and… I think we encountered a mutant.”
She phrased it as a guess, but her eyes were certain that there had been a mutant among the Orcs she encountered.
“It wasn’t just a matter of a slightly different level. It was much larger than a normal Orc, yet it was more agile.”
Gi Eun-chae had hunted plenty of Orcs. So, she was likely right. The reason she didn’t say it definitively was that there had never been an Orc mutant reported until now.
Level caps….
Mutant entities had higher levels than normal ones. Since a normal Orc was in the mid-to-high teens, a mutant would easily exceed level 20. We knew that monsters over level 20 didn’t exist on Earth. That was why we assumed the limit for Awakened was level 29. Now, it was time to discard that common sense.
“I guess it came out of a collapsed Gate.”
“Yes, that seems to be the case. And there were a lot of Orcs.”
As some Gates turned active, the level cap had become meaningless. Even without special cases like me, one could break through level 30 by clearing Gates. Furthermore, Gates that had turned active would sometimes collapse after the grace period ended, spilling out monsters. It had become possible to encounter monsters over level 20 on the road.
“Still, you managed to return without major losses.”
“Yes. Everyone fought hard. Sparring with you, Lee Hyun, was a huge help.”
Gi Eun-chae described the combat situation. “At first, I was a bit flustered because the Orc was faster and stronger than I expected, but they… well, they move on instinct.”
“Right.”
“So I quickly seized the initiative. But since I was surrounded by Orcs, I accidentally took a hit to the side.”
The Orc horde was numerous, but they were all physical types. Even the mutant Orc. On the other hand, Gi Eun-chae’s team had nine Awakened. All the Awakened on her team were high-level, and even the porters were armed with blades and various weapons.
“So the situation must have been fine after you took care of the mutant Orc.”
“Yes. At first, we fought by using obstacles to defend, but later, we pushed forward.”
They had ultimately overcome the numerical disadvantage. Awakened really are the core. Before the restructuring, Na Suyeon had been ambushed by monsters while leading a farming group. She had judged there was no chance of winning and sent most of the civilians back to Samira. Jang Hoseop had said something back then: that if there had been just a few more high-level Awakened, it would have been fine.
“So, what happened?”
“They didn’t run away even though they were at a disadvantage. So we killed them all.”
Gi Eun-chae had proven that statement herself today. She had fought to the end with a cracked rib and annihilated the Orc horde.
“You worked hard.”
“Not at all. It was a job I naturally had to do for Samira.”
I should give Gi Eun-chae’s team a bonus.
After finishing my conversation with Gi Eun-chae, I summoned the executive staff. Ah, all the injured had been treated safely.
“Between the last incident and today’s….” Jang Hoseop spoke first. “The people seem quite agitated.”
“Agitated? You mean they’re anxious?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t understand.
“Because incidents where people go out for external activities and return covered in blood keep happening. And the Awakened are getting hurt, too.”
The others nodded. It seemed such an atmosphere really was permeating Samira.
“Everyone knew about the Gate collapses. That’s why we restructured.”
Following Jang Hoseop, Sujeong added in the same vein. “Maybe it’s because the situation is tough even if they know. It’s not at the level of the Cataclysm, but external factors threatening safety keep appearing….”
I had appointed Hunters and made them form teams. It was to respond to the changing situation. Of course, behind that, there was also the intention to promote those I liked to the position of Hunter. In any case, the restructuring and the introduction of the Hunter system were done with the Gate collapses in mind. Since monsters were popping up on the streets, I had distributed the Awakened accordingly.
“It sounds like you’re doubting Samira’s capabilities.”
That was why Jang Hoseop and Sujeong’s words sounded unpleasant to me.
“As the population increased, we became able to fully dedicate Awakened to external activities. I thought it would be more efficient to split the Awakened appropriately and send them in various directions rather than having them swarm together.”
I had taken several Awakened, including the executive staff, to Gates. I had helped them level up smoothly, and I believed we could sufficiently handle the level of Yellow Gates bursting. That was why I had allowed them to challenge Gate clears on their own.
“Of course, I still go in if the limit is three people or less, but… the Hunters are clearing the other Yellow Gates easily enough.”
“Yes. That’s right. You’re right, sir, but….”
“Then what’s the problem? Gi Eun-chae’s team annihilated an Orc horde today, too.”
Samira could sufficiently handle the changes happening around us. I didn’t feel at all that our current organization was lacking.
“It’s hard to tolerate people trembling with vague anxiety without looking at the given situation.”
Jang Hoseop and Sujeong closed their mouths. I knew it, too. They weren’t expressing their own thoughts. They were just observing and reporting the atmosphere of Samira.
“Lee Hyun.”
“Speak.”
This time, Jangsu, who had squeezed time out of his busy schedule to attend the meeting, spoke in a cautious tone.
“Civilians generally have a different mindset than you, Lee Hyun.”
“What do you mean?”
“They still fear monsters. That’s why they prefer to stay inside Samira.”
I nodded at Jangsu’s words. I knew what he was trying to say.
“They’re afraid that some unbearable trial might suddenly befall them one day.”
“That’s exactly why we need to send more Hunters out. Shouldn’t we find where the Gates collapsed and nip the monsters in the bud before they can grow their numbers?”
“That’s true. But I’m not talking about rational judgment right now.”
Come to think of it, it was the same on the first day of the Cataclysm. Some people collapsed, and some found courage. Those who found courage awakened and became Hunters. They were the ones who could understand and follow my will. My desire to favor the Hunters only grew stronger.
“Especially since many people don’t know your true strength, Lee Hyun. No, even I don’t know it.”
“True… I don’t think they’d be this agitated if they even knew your level, sir.”
As soon as Jangsu finished, Jang Hoseop added.
“You want me to reveal my level?”
“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant… I was just thinking of ways to calm people’s anxiety.”
I pondered for a moment before asking.
“Is the agitation that bad? Enough for me to worry about?”
“Hmm… actually, it’s not to that extent. I just brought it up lightly….”
It seemed I had taken Jang Hoseop and Sujeong’s words a bit too seriously.
“It’s mainly the people who joined Samira recently. The existing members are fine.”
After the first Closed Gate clear, we announced information about Closed Gates to the Square. Jang Hoseop had also written posts on the Squares of other regions. Following this, a wind of change was blowing among the survivors. Many posts were uploaded by people who had given up on self-reliance and wanted to entrust themselves to a larger survivor group. There were even cases where they revealed their locations. Survivors in Seoul mainly sought out Samira, and people in other regions were showing movements to consolidate their power. Among those who had given up on joining due to distance, many had started long-distance travel before it was too late. We had created such an atmosphere, and the Hunters were reeling people in.
“I understand. Still, I should move the plan forward.”
“Yes? What plan?”
I had a better idea than revealing my level. It was something I had intended to do anyway.
“Jangsu.”
“Yes.”
“Please hurry with the air conditioning. As soon as the storage work is finished, let’s start the installation immediately.”
“I will hurry as much as possible.”
I would keep them busy so they wouldn’t have other thoughts.
“Announce the news of the air conditioner development today. Hoseop, write a post on the Square, too.”
“Oh… okay.”
“And prepare a small lounge first so the interns can rest for a while. Only the ones who work hard, though.”
A cooling space for interns had been at the very bottom of the list. I instructed them to leave that as it was and create a separate space—not a place to sleep, but a place to experience the air conditioning.
“Why do people have such a hard time after the Cataclysm? It’s because they know the benefits of modern civilization, isn’t it?”
“Yes. That’s right….”
“Once the freezer is operational, um… make a snack bar or something and sell drinks with ice. Shaved ice, too. Make it expensive.”
While increasing the incentive for people to join Samira, I would also make the members of Samira more desperate for Magic Stones.
“If we do this, the people doing external activities will work even harder to find monsters. Or they’ll head into the Gates.”
“Ah? Then the atmosphere will….”
“Monsters will look like money. Let’s keep creating things for them to spend money on.”
The real heat had begun. Once they experienced air conditioning, it would be really hard to give it up.
“Naturally, Samira’s territory will expand further, and we’ll discover and block potential threats in advance. How about it?”
Jang Hoseop marveled. He said that maybe even people who had stayed only on Samira’s land would find the courage to go out. “This is perfectly timed.”
The others nodded, saying it was a good idea. I had summoned the meeting because Gi Eun-chae’s team had been ambushed, but that settled it.
“Let’s go eat. Oh, install air conditioning in the main building’s cafeteria, too. But raise the food prices. If they don’t have Magic Stones, they can go eat at the intern cafeteria.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Whoa, this is totally vicious… No, wait. That’s not it… um.”
Jang Hoseop muttered something while looking at me. Then, he finally spat out one line.
“It was summer?”
I didn’t know what he meant.
At the same time.
KWA-A-ANG!
A massive explosion occurred in Yeouido. Dust clouds rose, and the ground shook.
“Wh-what?”
A man with a gaunt face and hair greasy with oil witnessed the scene in real-time. He instinctively ran in the direction where his girlfriend was.
“Minsu… don’t run. I’m out of energy.”
“Get up. We have to run right now.”
“Huh? Why? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know either.”
Kim Minsu babbled incoherently. Kim Minsu was a person who had belonged to the department store faction when Lee Hyun rescued Jangsu. He had been deceived by Lee Hyun and Jang Hoseop into playing the role of luring out the key figures of the department store faction.
“What’s going on… I’m exhausted.”
His girlfriend was also a skeleton of a person.
“Yeah. What’s going on? Where are we going all of a sudden?”
Suddenly, a man appeared in front of the two of them. As if he had dropped straight from the sky.