Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Deep within the forest of Hyochang Park.
Fourteen shadows crouched silently among the bushes under thick darkness. The tension was so intense that even rough breathing seemed forbidden.
In their hands were old but well-oiled rifles—K-2s and M16s.
Through his night-vision goggles, Yoon Sungjun watched the area ahead.
About thirty meters forward.
Around a campfire burning inside a metal drum, members of the Chicken Raiders sat drinking.
They’re careless.
The arrogance of Awakened.
Their certainty that non-Awakened people would never dare bare their fangs at them.
That certainty would become the noose around their necks.
We trained for this.
Because Park Muryong—the technician capable of producing bullets and improvised rifles—was with them, the underground supermarket survivors were different from ordinary exiles.
Yoon Sungjun slowly raised his right hand.
Thirteen pairs of eyes fixed on his fingers.
Without making a sound, he folded one finger.
A girl raised her rifle and braced it against her shoulder.
Three.
Two.
One.
Bang!
A single gunshot tore through the silence.
The bullet sliced through the air and struck the iron pot boiling over the campfire.
Scalding water spilled out and drenched the flames.
Hiss—
Steam exploded upward, obscuring the raiders’ vision.
The fire shrank instantly.
“W-what the hell?! Who did that?!”
Shouts of confusion erupted.
Yoon Sungjun gave the signal.
Dududududu! Tatatatang!
Fourteen rifles fired simultaneously.
The cracking sound, like beans popping in a pan, shook the forest.
“Gah!”
“Urk!”
The raiders who had been drinking couldn’t even scream properly.
The rain of lead from the darkness was equal and merciless.
Three or four collapsed in sprays of blood.
The difference in firepower was overwhelming.
“Ambush! Take cover!”
The three Awakened instinctively threw themselves behind trees and rocks.
But Yoon Sungjun had prepared for that.
We can’t let the Awakened rampage.
“Fire.”
With a heavy mechanical click, something flew over the Awakened who were trying to flee.
A net.
Much larger than the ones used for hunting Blade-Beak Chickens.
“What the—?!”
The trapped figures struggled.
Bullets poured toward them.
At this rate, it was over.
F-Rank or not, they would die riddled with holes.
But—
“Shield!”
A deep shout came from inside the net.
One of the raiders—Shield—crossed his arms.
Whoooom—
A faint bluish membrane swelled outward from inside the net.
[Force Barrier]
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The incoming 5.56mm bullets struck the invisible wall and ricocheted away.
The survivors kept pulling their triggers in panic.
But the blue barrier endured stubbornly.
Then another Awakened inside the barrier moved.
His eyes turned blood-red.
“GRAAAAH!”
[Frenzy]
With a beastlike roar, his muscles swelled grotesquely.
Rip!
The nylon net tore apart like paper.
“The net’s broken!”
Someone shouted in terror.
Bursting through the barrier, Mad Dog leapt out.
His eyes burned with murderous intent.
“You vermin dare—!”
Mad Dog rushed the nearest survivor holding a rifle.
The distance was too close.
In an instant he swung his hand axe at the man’s neck.
Clang!
Sparks burst with a metallic crash.
Yoon Sungjun had stepped forward.
He had drawn a jungle knife and intercepted the blow.
“Ghh…!”
A strained groan escaped his lips.
In pure strength, a normal human couldn’t defeat an F-Rank physical enhancer.
The axe blade slowly pushed toward Yoon Sungjun’s neck.
“Don’t shoot! You might hit Sungjun!”
The two were tangled together.
If they fired, friendly fire was possible.
Fear froze their fingers on the trigger.
Amid that chaos—
Someone quietly exhaled.
“Hoo…”
The girl who had shot down the cooking pot.
Park Somin.
Park Muryong’s granddaughter.
Her old M16 rested steadily on her shoulder.
Inside the chamber was a special bullet hand-crafted by Park Muryong for improved precision.
Somin’s eyes turned cold.
In her sight, the world slowed.
I have to hit the vital point.
While Frenzy was active, even ten bullets might not stop him.
For a split second as Yoon Sungjun twisted his body—
Mad Dog’s forehead was exposed.
Bang!
One shot echoed through the melee.
Dry. Clean.
Thud.
Mad Dog’s head snapped backward.
A dark hole appeared directly between his eyebrows.
“Ugh—”
He collapsed without even finishing his scream.
Blood splattered across Yoon Sungjun’s cheek.
If the bullet had deviated even one centimeter, it would have taken Yoon Sungjun’s head.
But the girl’s shot had neither hesitation nor error.
“Mad Dog is down!”
Yoon Sungjun shouted.
The survivors regained their senses and turned their rifles.
Only Shield remained.
His face turned pale as he tried to raise the barrier again.
Too late.
Dudududududu!
Rifles poured crossfire onto him.
The F-Rank Force Barrier shattered like glass under concentrated kinetic energy.
“Aaaagh!”
Shield’s body jerked violently.
Soon the gunfire stopped.
Only the smell of gunpowder and blood lingered in the forest.
“We won! We killed the Awakened!”
The survivors embraced each other, cheering.
Non-Awakened defeating Awakened.
And overwhelmingly at that.
It wasn’t a miracle.
It was preparation.
But Yoon Sungjun did not smile.
Through the night-vision goggles he carefully inspected the bodies.
Five normal raiders.
Shield.
Mad Dog.
One… missing.
Cold dread ran down his spine.
There had been three Awakened.
The leader—Invisible Blade—was missing.
“Stop!”
Yoon Sungjun shouted.
“Everyone stop!”
Silence fell like cold water.
The survivors stared at him in confusion.
But they quickly raised their rifles again.
Why was he using a kitchen knife?
A leader should have a better weapon.
Why a short knife?
One word flashed through Yoon Sungjun’s mind.
[Stealth-type trait]
“Quiet. Don’t even breathe loudly.”
In the silent forest—
An unseen killing intent targeted their backs.
I watched the entire scene from a rooftop overlooking Hyochang Park.
“Oh?”
Unexpected.
Yoon Sungjun’s group had set up a surprisingly organized ambush.
One rifle per person.
Even the positioning created a proper firing line.
“So they had confidence in something. Let’s see how non-Awakened fight.”
I held back from jumping in immediately.
It was worth observing how they had survived this long.
Still, I prepared for emergencies.
If they were going to become my subordinates, I couldn’t let them all die.
“Picker. Release them.”
—Roger! Hey bear! Time to pop the hatch!
At Picker’s mischievous command, Porter’s back armor opened.
Normally drones launched from the workshop.
But with Porter here, he served as a mobile hangar.
Shoosh—
Black objects poured out into the air.
Twenty-four Toads.
Three Poison Bees.
—Hehehe! Boss, it’s like he’s laying eggs! They just keep popping out!
Picker teased Porter while circling him.
Porter ignored him.
“Spread out. Take positions in the trees. Don’t get spotted.”
With a single gesture, the drone swarm scattered.
Through Picker’s HUD, battlefield data streamed in.
—Targeting complete!
Three Awakened: locked by the three Poison Bees.
Eight normal raiders: two Toads each.
Sixteen Toads locked.
The remaining eight Toads formed a defensive perimeter around Yoon Sungjun’s group.
—Perfect, Boss! Not even an ant can die without your permission! Life and death are entirely in your hands!
Picker declared confidently.
I crossed my arms.
This was my power.
Overwhelming technology capable of controlling every variable on the battlefield—even in darkness.
Just then—
“Wait.”
My gaze froze.
Amid the chaotic firefight.
One figure stood out.
A young girl—barely middle school age—aimed a rifle calmly while the adults trembled.
—Boss, look!
Picker highlighted her with a red marker.
—Energy flow is strange.
“Really? Activate the lens.”
The Mana Resonance Lens activated.
The forest turned monochrome.
Fluorescent lines appeared everywhere.
“Oh.”
I couldn’t help admiring.
Except for the three Awakened, no one else had visible mana flow.
But the girl was different.
A faint fluorescent glow began near her heart.
A thin but clear line ran along both arms.
Ending at the trigger finger.
—Boss! That circuit pattern looks familiar!
“Compare with database.”
—According to stored data, it resembles Awakened with D-Rank Clairvoyance or E-Rank Shooting Correction abilities!
Picker sounded excited.
—Her circuit isn’t fully open yet, but the pathway exists! If she awakens, she’ll become a perfect marksman!
Just then the girl fired.
Bang!
The iron pot flipped over, plunging the area into darkness.
I blinked.
Was that even possible?
I had practiced rifle shooting myself these past few days.
At that distance, in this darkness—
I couldn’t guarantee a hit.
“Definitely talent.”
The glowing mana circuits around the girl faded away.
Discovering a pre-awakening mana circuit in a non-Awakened…
This was huge.
Awakening isn’t random.
My hypothesis was proven.
There was a vessel capable of containing mana.
And a circuit capable of releasing it.
If external stimulation—drugs or artifacts—could force those circuits open…
“This battle has more research value than expected.”
At that moment the net captured the Awakened.
—Boss! That net launcher isn’t a system item!
Picker zoomed in.
A middle-aged man held the weapon.
Crude weld marks.
Rusty springs.
Clearly handmade scrap machinery.
—But it’s well crafted!
I observed the rifles they fired.
The shell casings and muzzle flashes were consistent.
Almost no misfires.
Meaning the gunpowder mixture was extremely precise.
“There’s a skilled technician in that group.”
Someone capable of repairing guns, making bombs, and even building net launchers.
Not someone with workshop authority like me.
But a master of analog engineering.
If I recruited them—
I would gain not just labor.
But knowledge.
If old-world technology could be reinterpreted through the workshop system…
The synergy would explode.
Just then—
“Shield!”
A raider shouted.
A blue dome appeared.
[Force Barrier]
A low-grade defensive trait.
But I had already collected large amounts of F-Rank trait data.
“Did we capture it?”
Graphs and geometric patterns appeared in my HUD.
—Energy pattern recorded! Similarities detected with Steel Skin and Hammer’s Hardening skill!
Three circuit diagrams overlapped.
Many hexagonal honeycomb shapes.
Different details.
But the core structure looked identical.
Condensing mana to negate physical force.
“Just as I thought.”
Even abilities that seemed like magic followed specific patterns.
If I fully analyzed that pattern—
I could create piercing attributes to break barriers.
Or even engrave the pattern onto equipment to produce a Force Barrier item.
“Picker. Focus. Don’t miss anything.”
—Yes sir! This is exhilarating! So this is the taste of data!
The Mana Resonance Lens had cost one F-Rank Core.
But it was worth it.
Collecting mana pattern data wasn’t meaningless.
The more data accumulated—
The more I could dissect, steal, and improve Awakened abilities.
Greed stirred inside me.
Currently only Picker had the lens.
My field of vision was limited.
I looked at the Honeybee drones floating above.
If each of them had a Mana Resonance Lens—
The entire battlefield could be scanned.
Every Awakened pattern recorded in real time.
“The problem is money.”
Each lens required one F-Rank Core.
Ten Honeybees meant ten cores.
Not cheap.
But worth the investment.
No Awakened.
No corporation.
No researcher in the past ten years had discovered the true principle of supernatural abilities.
But I could monopolize it.
Picker shouted excitedly.
—Exactly! Boss, this is huge! If the world were normal you'd win the Nobel Prize in physics!
Old-world knowledge again.
I chuckled.
“…The Nobel Prize disappeared a long time ago.”
Awards were meaningless.
What mattered was power.
The power to survive in this ruined world.