Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Way of Life (1)
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‘Why is it that whenever this happens, an unscratched lottery ticket looks so tempting?’
The ownerless greatsword.
The item description contained absolutely no information about who its owner had been.
‘But….’
If that owner had been someone extraordinary, wouldn’t this sword possess potential as well?
On the flip side, the owner could’ve just been some random nobody named Kim, but when he’d searched the full product list using the phrase “ownerless,” similar items had shown up in the armor section too. That sparked some hope that it probably wasn’t some total pushover who’d owned it.
No way a scrub would leave behind set items, right? After agonizing over the weapons for a good while, Min-jun finally settled on picking the first one.
‘Survival time can always be earned back anyway…. After giving it a shot this time, it doesn’t seem all that hard to stock up on time—as long as there’s no Star Lord around.’
With that, he clicked on [Ownerless Great Sword]. A shimmer of light bloomed in midair, and a greatsword as tall as he was dropped to the floor.
Thud!
“Argh!”
The sudden ground-shaking impact had the side effect of startling So-hee and Dong-gil awake from their sleep, but the blade’s sturdy, imposing presence made his chest swell with grandeur just from looking at it.
Min-jun, who’d unwittingly given them a fright, flashed an awkward smile as he spoke up.
“Haha…. You’re awake. Didn’t expect the item to pop out like that….”
“Min-jun-ssi?! You okay? You were a total wreck before!”
So-hee rushed over to him the moment she saw him, checking him over from head to toe. Dong-gil, still dazed from just waking up, approached with a look of utter disbelief.
“Yeah, I’m good. A lot happened.”
He figured they’d only buy it if he explained how he’d pulled through in one piece, so Min-jun picked out the key points of everything that had gone down.
Starting with the fight against ‘Arktine,’ then the sudden crash by ‘Hornet.’
Right up to how he’d ended up as their target but barely scraped by with an escape.
Even in a quick rundown, it was nearly noon by the time he wrapped up.
“So you got this ‘Minimum Qualification’ thing, and that’s why you’re all healed up good as new?”
They’d exchanged names over the long chat by now, so Dong-gil spoke to Min-jun casually.
“More like it was the ‘Minimum Qualification’ title I got, but yeah, that sums it up.”
It was probably the combo of So-hee’s skill, his boosted physical stats, and the bodily enhancement rate that led to such a dramatic turnaround, but no need to bore them with every little detail.
“That’s already way past human territory.”
Dong-gil pulled out the gas burner and some ramen to prep lunch as he kept talking.
“So, where you two headed now? No plans? You could tag along with me.”
“We were on our way to Garak Market. Got swept into this mess right after heading out, though.”
“Garak Market?”
Dong-gil’s eyes went wide at So-hee’s words, and he shot back.
“Yeah, why?”
“Hmm. If that’s your plan, better scrap it sooner than later….”
““….””
Dong-gil grimaced and laid down the hammer, but catching the other two’s reactions, he spoke up again.
“No…. Why the hell are you trying to go there?”
Min-jun answered the question by simply staring steadily at So-hee.
Truth was, he hadn’t pried into her backstory, so he genuinely had no clue why she was set on Garak Market.
More than anything, he figured these things were best coming straight from her.
“If it’s tough to talk about, no need.”
“Min-jun-ssi’s right. We’re not the types to poke into So-hee-ssi’s private life. It’s just… Garak Market of all places…. Jeez.”
“No, it’s not hard to say.”
So-hee sat the two of them down and carefully laid out her story.
“…I was riding the subway to Garak Market to give something to my dad when the world went to shit like this.”
She fished a crumpled sheet from her pocket and unfolded it.
Across the top, it read ‘Firefighter Employment Notice.’
“Dad’s my only family, and he’s stationed at the Garak Market Fire Station.”
Dong-gil let out a heavy sigh the second he heard her out, then started in.
“Damn, so that’s the reason. Whew…. Hate breaking news like this…. Listen up, So-hee-ssi. Garak Market’s already overrun by those bastards.”
“Huh?”
“Same deal as Jamsil Station intersection. Well, one difference. It’s not larvae there—it’s spiderlings crawling all over.”
Dong-gil pressed on with a grim look at So-hee’s reply.
“Like you two probably figured, I’m a cop. ‘Was’ team leader of Criminals Team 1 at Songpa Police Station. After doomsday hit, our chief—minus the guys who bailed to their families—rounded up the rest of us and threw together a disaster response team.”
Dong-gil, who’d taken over as leader of ‘Disaster Response Team 1’ after that, said he’d been leading his crew on recon and intel runs through Bangi-dong, Oryu-dong, Songpa-dong, and the surrounding areas.
That’s how he had a rough lay of the land in Songpa-gu right now. His face darkened as he started ticking off the brutal facts one by one, stuff nobody wanted to believe.
.
Right now, these transparent walls—nobody knows what they are—have districts sealed off tight. No crossing, no comms, nada.
Military might punch through someday, sure. But sitting around betting your survival time on the army? That’s suicide with extra steps.
Confirmed starfall sites in Songpa-gu: three spots.
Jamsil Station intersection, crawling with larvae.
Olympic Park Park, swarmed by hornets.
Last, Garak Market, spider nest central. System messages hint at two more like that, but unconfirmed.
.
That wrapped up what Dong-gil knew, ending on how Songpa Police Station was still grinding to keep some kind of order.
“No way….”
“….”
The gut-punch bad news sent So-hee crumpling onto the sofa. Min-jun scowled and kept quiet.
“Don’t have the fine print on Garak since it’s not my beat. Here’s my pitch to you two: head to the station with me. We’ll get the full scoop there on Garak stuff I don’t have. Probably check what went down at Garak Fire Station too, and if any of their guys made it out.”
Min-jun glanced at So-hee at Dong-gil’s pitch.
He was still on her errand right now, so destination calls from here out were hers.
Monsters overrunning Garak Market? Probably same shit as here—not a huge upgrade in danger.
Still, straight shot to find her dad versus tagging along with Dong-gil for intel first? Big difference potential, so her pick mattered.
“Speak easy.”
“B-but…. Min-jun-ssi got tore up bad just hauling me this far….”
“So-hee-ssi.”
“You don’t gotta keep pushing for my sake anymore, Min-jun-ssi. Look at you—what good’s me showing up now anyway-”
“So-hee-ssi!!”
“…Y-yes?”
“Breathe. Toughen up. Nothing’s changed since our deal at Jamsil Station. We never figured the outside was monster-free.”
“….”
“We made it out of that intersection clean, didn’t we? Your dad’s a firefighter, no less. Bet he’s holding strong.”
So-hee went quiet at Min-jun’s words. He stood, offering her his hand.
“No more debate. Let’s move.”
Staring at his firm grip, So-hee flashed back to their first intros at Jamsil Station. She set her jaw with resolve and clasped his hand.
“Thanks, Min-jun-ssi. I’ll pay you back for this. Got nothing on me right now…. Take this much at least.”
“Nah. Like you said, I’ve got time already-”
Min-jun looked flustered in reply, but So-hee wasn’t budging.
“No, take it. Gotta give you something or I’ll feel awful.”
“…Ahem!”
Dong-gil coughed into the thick air between their locked eyes.
Snapping to, Min-jun and So-hee flushed beet red and whipped their heads away.
“Ahem…. So, Garak Market it is?”
“Yeah. Gotta scope the situation there to rescue Dad. Got a linked quest too—escort you to safety while saving your ass. Police station detour works fine.”
“Sweet! Group’s official now, so leader time. You know the saying—three’s a crowd without a head.”
Dong-gil threw his hand up high and barreled on.
“Min-jun-ssi for leader all the way, in my book.”
“Same here—Min-jun-ssi, please.”
Min-jun, who’d stayed mum only to get leadership dumped on him out of nowhere, waved it off hard.
“…Hell no?! I’m allergic to that shit-”
“It’ll be fine! We back you up. Right, So-hee-ssi?”
“Totally!”
“…Fine. I’ll temp-command fights only. Everything else, majority rules.”
“Yeah, yeah! That’s the play. Leader’s first bash—ramen feast?”
Min-jun and So-hee cracked smiles at Dong-gil’s line, crowding around the tin pot of bubbling ramen.
* * *
“Alright, everyone set?”
At So-hee’s call, Min-jun cinched the leather sling strapping the greatsword to his back one more time, double-checking his gear.
The [Ownerless Great Sword] ran as long and thick as Min-jun’s own build.
Even with his over-180cm beefy frame, lugging that thing meant shelling out survival time for the leather sling, no question.
「[Multi-Function Leather Sling]
Price: 500 hours
Grade: Common
Info: Sling for hauling all sorts of gear. No fancy powers, but damn useful—worth every hour.」
Min-jun also toyed with the ring on his index finger.
Black with a subtle weave pattern. He’d dropped a fat 2,000 hours on it during the shopping run.
“Whew, bag shuttle at my age…. The kid’d roast me alive.”
Snapped from his thoughts by the grumble next door, Min-jun turned.
Dong-gil stood there, tactical pack slung over his shoulders, muttering.
Main combat guy like Min-jun needed the back for the greatsword—no room for a pack.
“Escorting me to the station’s the only reason I’m indulging you two! Don’t spin this weird for my crew later!”
“Sure thing.”
So-hee tossed back lightly as the group filed out of the substation. Spotting a chained-and-locked door off to the side, she picked up.
“What was in there to warrant that kinda lock?”
“Oh, that? Citizen firearms storage, back in the day. Got cleaned out on doomsday, though….”
“Ah.”
“Didn’t know yet bullets bounced off ’em, so yeah.”
Veteran cop Dong-gil had the substation’s layout and ops down cold, plus station deets, survival tips, sword work, shield play—the works.
He fielded every question from So-hee and Min-jun with patience.
“….”
“…Back when I was the baby detective in ’94.”
One snag: Once his yarn ball unspooled, no telling when it’d end.
No apostles in sight on these streets, or maybe he was just easing the group’s edge?
Fifteen minutes post-substation, his trap was still flapping.
“Then we crossed paths with the Chilseong gang….”
“Hang on.”
“Gut-stabbed…. Huh? What’d you say?”
“Shh!”
Dong-gil yapped on as they trudged toward Garak Market, but Min-jun suddenly pressed a finger to his lips like he’d caught something.
‘Definitely heard that.’
Min-jun cocked his head, listening hard.
- Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
- Ugh…!
Drone-like hum, laced with a faint groan—someone under attack.
“You two hear nothing?”
So-hee and Dong-gil traded baffled looks at Min-jun’s whisper.
“What sound? Nada here.”
“Min-jun-ssi, ears messed up from the brawl?”
This buzz crystal clear to him, gone for them? Puzzled, Min-jun bolted down the alley toward it anyway.
“H-hey? Min-jun-ssi, where to?!”
“Sheesh, leader’s lead—we follow. Hustle before we lose him.”
The pair scrambled after late. A few alley twists later.
‘….’
The group hit the seven-lane road fronting Bangi-dong Ancient Tombs.