Chapter 6
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Change
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Kang Sa-hu made a call to the hospital department head from his car before setting off, but the line wouldn't connect.
After confirming that the rest of the hospital staff had already evacuated, he turned the key and pulled away.
The radio blared nonstop with the words "Emergency Alert," flooding the airwaves with information.
"Confirmed number of identified Awakeners has risen by 2,000—from 4,000 to 6,000 in just one hour."
"Monsters nationwide appear mostly cleared, but combat continues at five locations."
As he drove and listened to the radio, Kang Sa-hu's gaze grew distant with thought.
Having experienced it firsthand, there was no room left for doubt about the existence of Gates and Awakeners.
But the real issue was...
"Why the hell is this even happening?"
On top of that, the government's unnatural behavior—hiding information despite something this massive unfolding—felt off.
"Emergency Alert..."
The endless loop of alerts was starting to grate when...
Kang Sa-hu finally arrived at Hwanung High School, where his little sister was.
Military vehicles were the only ones moving nearby—a Gate had burst open here, monsters spilling out.
The situation at the school wasn't much different from the hospital.
People were being guided by soldiers, and the dead had been gathered in one spot, covered with white sheets.
Soldiers had cordoned off the school perimeter with tape, blocking entry, so Kang Sa-hu pulled out his phone and called his sister.
"Oppa! Why haven't you been picking up?!"
"Sorry. It was chaos. I'm parked right out front, but they won't let me in."
"What? You're here already? Wait just a sec—I'll be right there!"
The call cut off. Kang Sa-hu leaned back in the driver's seat and caught his breath.
"As expected, substituting Spirit with Qi is inefficient."
A Necromancer's true power stemmed from Spirit, their primary energy source.
But using the souls that lingered briefly between death and the afterlife—without preparation—was impossible.
Luckily, the vast Qi from his Awakening could substitute for the energy needed in spells. Still, he wasn't used to it yet, so the output was pathetically weak.
To compensate for the diminished power, he'd poured in excess Qi—mana, essentially—but it was inefficient. He needed a better workaround.
As he closed his eyes to organize his thoughts, a knock came at the passenger window.
He turned to see his sister, Kang Ji-ye—clothes splattered in blood, hair and face dripping from a recent rinse.
"You okay? Hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine. What about you? I heard the hospital was a mess."
"Managed to sort it out without much trouble—thanks to using magic."
"You used magic?! Thank goodness. I was worried you'd try to tank it all physically, yapping about upholding rules even in this mess."
Kang Ji-ye let out a relieved sigh, then suddenly glared daggers.
"Seriously, pick up your damn phone on time! Or at least text! You talked to Mom and Dad, right?!"
"Something came up right after. Total chaos."
"Oh, so you couldn't spare even a minute to call?"
"...Hungry?"
Sensing the interrogation ramping up, Kang Sa-hu deftly—yet clumsily—changed the subject.
"Ugh, yeah. Starving."
Anyone could tell he was dodging, but having grown up with her brother her whole life, Kang Ji-ye knew his quirks. She sighed deeply and played along.
"Hang on. Let's find somewhere to eat."
Finally escaping the grill, Kang Sa-hu hit the accelerator harder.
As expected, with life-or-death stakes and a national emergency declared, no restaurant owner was sticking around thinking, "Gotta work to eat."
They stopped at a unmanned convenience store, stocked up on basics, and headed home. There, they whipped up kimchi stew with instant rice, fried eggs, and canned tuna to fill their bellies.
Evidently ravenous, Kang Ji-ye scarfed it down, then fixed her glare back on him.
"So, oppa. Why didn't you pick up?"
"Wait, you Awakened, right? What ability'd you get?"
She sighed at his deflection.
"...Sigh. Healer abilities. Class is Priest."
"...Huh?"
Kang Sa-hu's eyes widened at "Priest."
She shot him a dirty look for his expression, and he averted his gaze.
"Couldn't help it. Three cards popped up—one blue one caught my eye."
"Three?"
Recalling the countless cards before him, he was puzzled but didn't press—could happen, he figured.
"Crazy. A Priest in a Necromancer family. So... you can use holy power or whatever?"
"Nah, just healing. But it's decent? The skill popup said it handles not just external wounds but internal ones indirectly."
"Oh, skills. Right, those."
Kang Sa-hu nodded, remembering the term from NewTube videos.
"Wait—you Awakened too, right? Haven't tried your skills yet?"
"Nah, too hectic. Handled it with Necromancer magic."
"...Hah, fair. Your magic's reliable. Probably outclasses any half-baked skill anyway."
Kang Ji-ye nodded in agreement.
Then it hit her—he hadn't said his class. Her eyes sparkled.
"Oppa, what class'd you pick?"
"Me? Necromancer."
"Duh, I know you're a Necromancer! I mean the Awakening class!"
Thinking it a joke, her eyes narrowed again.
"No, really. It said Necromancer on the card."
"...What? For real? A natural Necromancer got the Necromancer class?"
Now she was flustered.
"No Necromancer card for me. So you lucked out with it in your three?"
"Nah. Over twenty cards lined up. The Necromancer one was black—and hidden."
"...???"
Even after his detailed explanation, Kang Ji-ye blinked in confusion, eyes twitching.
"Tw-twenty? People say five's a lot. And black?!"
His story clashed wildly with what she knew.
"So, oppa—checked your skills yet?"
"One sec."
Closing his eyes, he focused inward.
Visualizing his power, the black card from the hospital materialized in his mind—just like NewTube.
Unfamiliar still, he stayed calm inside. Focusing on the card, blue text etched itself across it.
• Collect souls of beings you've slain.
• Souls you've killed can voluntarily become Soul Cores if willing.
• Forcibly convert killed souls into Soul Cores.
• Forced conversion yields lower quality than voluntary.
• Creating a Soul Core with its body allows resummoning the body as it was just prior.
• Use one Soul Core to restore another's durability.
Kang Sa-hu opened his eyes as the info kept scrolling.
Even with eyes open, the details lingered in his mind—no need to focus; like muscle memory from endless drills, he just knew his skills now.
"How's it feel? Notice anything?"
Kang Ji-ye watched eagerly.
"Yeah. Still feeling it, actually—but I know what power I got."
He pulled an unidentified orb from his pocket handkerchief.
He could sense it now.
He could read this orb's info.
Staring intently, blue-green glow poured from his eyes.
And through that gaze, he read what the hospital had hidden.
"So that's what this was. A Soul Core."
"W-wait! Hold up!"
Kang Ji-ye, staring wide-eyed, suddenly grabbed his cheeks.
"What?"
"Oppa, your eyes! When'd you get heterochromia?!"
He tilted his head, checked his phone camera, and jolted.
"What the—my eyes?"
"Don't ask me!"
When focusing deeply or channeling Necromancer power, Spirit would react with a green eye-glow. Now one was blue.
'No way.'
Recalling the Necromancer card he'd chosen—the hooded face, blue-glowing eyes. That explained it.
After his explanation, she tilted her head.
"...Awakening influence? Tied to Spirit, then... Oppa, show me a skill."
Maybe it'd trigger more changes, she thought.
Gripping the Soul Core, he channeled Qi into it and tossed it into the living room.
The orb shattered. A zombified Giant Hound—the one that'd dusted at the hospital—materialized solidly.
"Eek! What the hell?!"
"Giant Hound."
"That's not what I'm asking!"
smacked for his half-assed reply, he explained his skills and the hospital ordeal.
Hearing the full story, Kang Ji-ye looked horrified.
"Wh-what? That's creepy."
"Necromancers gotta deal with this stuff. Anyway, without voluntary Soul Cores, full power's tough."
Testing, he tried forcing the summoned Giant Hound into a Soul Core. A hologram popped up:
[Forcing into Soul Core will greatly impact potential and durability. Proceed?]
Kang Sa-hu shrugged. These hounds had followed him willingly for some reason, becoming Soul Cores voluntarily—but no guarantee forever.
"Nah, you'll get 'em voluntary, oppa."
"Why so sure?"
Her oddly confident tone made him ask.
"Your vibe when working as a Necromancer... Eh, never mind. Just is."
She started to say more but clammed up.
"Anyway, no issues with your body, skills work fine—that's what matters. Not much known about Awakeners yet. Long as you're good."
Confirming he was fine, she even dug his odd eyes—cooler now.
"Oh, did you fill out the Awakener registry too?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm. Why'd the government collect all that personal info? From near-death folks, no less."
"Emergency's emergency. Who knows what comes next."
He hadn't loved the sudden criminal-interrogation vibe.
But think it over: superhumans popping up everywhere with insane powers. Letting that slide was riskier.
And the riskier the power, the tighter the leash.
Above all, the government acting like they'd foreseen this whole mess rubbed him wrong.
"Ji-ye. Soon the government's gonna probe Awakeners' classes and abilities. Downplay yours—don't be fully honest."
"Huh? Why? Stronger's better, right?"
"Maybe. But yours? Could drag you into dangerous shit."
Sheltered from real society, she first cocked her head—but nodded. Her brother was overly serious and stuffy, sure. But that meant deep thinking, no BS. Trustworthy.
And he was her brother.
"Got it. Will do."
"Yeah, and you're still in bloody clothes. You wash first."
"Oh, right. So used to it, forgot."
Kids of Necromancers, neither flinched at bloodied garb.
Just sticky.
Realizing at his words, she ended the chat and headed to her room to clean up and rest.