"Ugh..."
Lee Joon-young clutched his head as he got up. It felt like his skull was about to split open from the pain.
Looking around, he saw his companions groaning in agony just like him.
‘What the hell happened?’
One by one, his comrades had collapsed, and soon after, an overwhelming drowsiness had taken hold of him, forcing him to fall as well.
‘I feel like I had a weird dream...’
A dream where countless people, including himself, were floating toward the land in the sky.
"Urk!"
Joon-young immediately covered his mouth, suppressing the urge to vomit.
"Kh..."
It had been a horrifying dream.
He couldn't recall it in detail, but the emotions he had felt in it remained seared into his mind.
A blinding light, unbearable pain, and a chilling, incomprehensible fear of his very existence being erased.
That terror, engraved deep in his soul, was still vividly present.
‘Was it really just a dream?’
Could it really have been something so simple?
Even if it was, how could he explain the bizarre phenomenon that had occurred just before he lost consciousness?
Everyone—his comrades, the people around them, even himself—had collapsed at the exact same moment. There was no way that had been a mere coincidence.
‘But we all woke up just fine...’
He turned his gaze toward the sky where the Sanctuary had once hovered, but there was nothing there.
Still feeling uneasy, Joon-young hesitantly called out to Kim Tae-hyun, who was lying beside him, rubbing his forehead.
"Tae-hyun."
"Mm...?"
"Did you... have a dream or something?"
"A dream?"
"You know, something terrifying? At first, we were floating toward that land in the sky, and then—"
Before he could finish, Tae-hyun abruptly cut him off.
"It felt like falling into the ocean with countless others. A storm was raging, the whirlpools were violent."
"What?"
"And there was that light—so bright it felt like my mind was melting."
Joon-young felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into Tae-hyun’s fear-stricken eyes.
"...So it wasn’t just a dream after all."
"Yeah."
Tae-hyun gritted his teeth as he turned toward the direction of the Sanctuary.
"That damn cult must’ve done something to us."
"I think so too."
Though the memories were hazy, the emotions were crystal clear—among them, an intense loathing for the JHS cult.
Joon-young clenched his fists in silent rage before speaking.
"Should we storm in?"
"Where?"
Tae-hyun shot him a look as if he had lost his mind, prompting Joon-young to respond indignantly.
"Their damn Sanctuary, of course. Let’s go wreck the place."
Tae-hyun’s answer was immediate and firm.
"No."
"Why not?"
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
"You’ll die."
"I’m not saying we go alone. Judging by the situation, we’re not the only ones who experienced this. If we gather enough people—"
"No one’s going to join us."
Tae-hyun’s resolute answer made Joon-young frown.
"You can’t know that unless we try."
Tae-hyun let out a long sigh before explaining.
"While you were out looking for new recruits, I learned a lot about this place. One key detail—the so-called Trump Knights."
"Trump Knights?"
"Yeah. They’re an awakened-only force. Every single one of them is a high-level ability user. They’re the reason Jamsil is relatively safe from monsters."
Joon-young’s group had spent enough time as drifters in Seoul to know exactly how terrifying monsters could be.
"...They’re that strong?"
"Yeah. And here’s the kicker—the woman who saved you, Kang Ye-eun? She’s not even part of them."
"What?"
"The Trump Knights have insignias tattooed on both shoulders to identify themselves. She didn’t have one."
"Then..."
"That means even skilled ability users can’t just waltz in and join. They only take the strongest."
Joon-young recalled Kang Ye-eun’s image—the way she had fought off the blade golem to save him.
‘...And there are dozens of people stronger than her?’
It was shocking, to say the least.
Pulling something from his coat, Joon-young muttered,
"Still, if I use this—"
Tae-hyun sighed when he saw the revolver in Joon-young’s hand and spoke with exasperation.
"Calm down. What’s with you? ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) That thing only has three shots left."
"...Sorry."
"And remember what she said? If you’re awakened, you immediately move up the ranks. That means there could be hundreds of awakened inside the Sanctuary."
"Haa..."
Strength was law in this world.
Which meant that those without power were no better than criminals.
For those who had no strength, their options had been decided long ago.
"Let’s run."
"...Yeah. Let’s do that."
"But before we go..."
Tae-hyun trailed off, looking at Joon-young meaningfully.
Joon-young immediately understood.
"Yeah. We should take what we can."
They gathered their comrades and laid out the plan.
"That’s just like you, Joon-young."
"Ji-hyun, calling my plan theft is a bit much, don’t you think?"
"Haha. Come on, I was joking."
The goal was simple—steal as much of the cult’s stockpiled food as possible.
A small but satisfying act of revenge.
However, their plan was thwarted before it even began.
"...What the hell?"
It was only a few minutes after they had entered the vicinity of the Sanctuary.
What lay before them was utter devastation—collapsed buildings, cracked earth stretching across the landscape.
It looked as though a massive earthquake had torn through the area.
And then—
"Someone’s trapped here! Help!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Please... help me...!"
Chaos. People screaming for their lives.
Joon-young was the first to move.
He rushed to the nearest man begging for help, desperately trying to clear away the debris.
But the massive concrete slab pinning the man down was too heavy for him to lift alone.
He shouted at his comrades.
"What the hell are you waiting for?! Help me!"
"Ah, r-right!"
"I-I’m coming!"
It took all twelve of them to finally lift the concrete.
But—
"......."
The man's condition was far beyond saving just by removing the concrete.
His lower body was completely crushed and mangled, leaving no doubt that he had only minutes left to live.
He didn’t even scream.
Because he was already as good as dead.
A wasted effort.
The man would die soon.
"...Damn it."
But then—
"Wait!"
A woman suddenly pushed through Joon-young’s group and rushed forward.
‘Huh?’
As soon as he saw her, an unfamiliar emotion stirred within him.
No—more precisely, it wasn’t the woman herself, but the black energy rising from her entire body.
‘That’s...?’
Judging by its color, it should have felt ominous.
But strangely, it didn’t.
Instead, it felt oddly familiar.
‘Have I seen this before...?’
The mere sight of the black aura surrounding her body filled him with warmth, as if he were being comforted.
And he wasn’t the only one feeling it.
His companions, too, were staring at the black energy swirling around the woman.
And then—
Wuuuung—
The energy surged from the woman’s hands and poured over the dying man.
And at that moment—
"!!!"
A miracle unfolded.
The man’s shattered lower body rapidly regenerated.
Twisted bones and torn muscles reformed themselves, and his bruised, blood-soaked skin returned to its original state.
Even the smallest wounds on his body disappeared in an instant.
He was now completely healed.
"Please take care of him."
"O-Oh, yes!"
After saying those words, the woman immediately dashed toward another wounded person.
Joon-young’s group, left stunned, exchanged blank stares.
"...What the hell was that?"
"I have no idea."
As they stood there dumbfounded, the previously unconscious man groggily regained his senses.
He sat up, unharmed.
Staring down at his own legs in disbelief, he turned to Joon-young’s group and asked,
"Uh... did you guys save me?"
"Technically, yeah, but..."
"Thank you! Thank you so much for saving my life!"
The man repeatedly bowed in gratitude.
Seeing that, Joon-young’s group was struck with another wave of shock.
‘He really... healed completely.’
The ability to bring someone back from the brink of death.
This was the first time they had ever witnessed such a miracle with their own eyes.
‘Is she... something like a saintess from a fantasy novel?’
Joon-young stared at the black energy that had emanated from the woman.
He dug deep into his memory, trying to recall where he had seen it before—and then it clicked.
"Ah!"
The final moment of his dream.
When he had been exhausted, suffering, and in pain, he had seen that same black energy.
And shortly after, his pain had disappeared.
‘I don’t know the details, but that power—it’s the same one that saved us.’
His instincts whispered to him.
That woman was the key.
They had to follow her.
Joon-young spoke.
"Mister, the person who actually saved your life is someone else. If you're feeling okay, why don’t you come with us?"
"Huh?"
Tae-hyun, who had been listening from the side, asked,
"What are you planning?"
"I'm thinking we should follow that woman and help her."
"All of a sudden?"
"Just trust me on this, please."
"..."
Tae-hyun hesitated, but then nodded.
So far, their survival had been largely thanks to Joon-young’s gut instincts.
Once again, they would trust his judgment.
"Let’s go."
Fortunately, they didn’t have to search for long—soon, they spotted the woman rescuing more people.
But they quickly realized just how absurd it had been to think they could assist her.
Kwaaaaang!
"Just hold on a little longer! I’ll get you out soon!"
The woman was attempting to rescue a trapped family buried beneath a collapsed building.
And then—Joon-young’s group watched in stunned silence.
Despite the sheer weight of the concrete debris, which would have been impossible for them to even budge together, the woman swung her arm.
Boom!
The rubble scattered like styrofoam.
Kuuuuung!
With sheer brute strength, she cleared the wreckage and extended her hands, healing the injured people within.
And without a word, she moved on.
Joon-young couldn’t help but murmur in awe.
"...Holy shit."
Who the hell was this woman?
And the shocking sights didn’t end there.
They saw a man leading dozens of knights clad in armor, rescuing people.
A bear-like beastman carrying an injured child on his back, running somewhere.
A man lifting entire collapsed buildings using telekinesis.
Another teleporting people to safety.
Not just awakened individuals—there were even regular humans.
Paramedics in 119 rescue uniforms.
Doctors running around in white coats, providing emergency care.
Heroes were everywhere.
But the greatest shock came when they were led into a shelter.
"Holy shit."
White rice, instant noodles, cola, cider, snacks, bento sets, and clean bottled water.
Everything one could possibly need was there.
And the most bizarre part?
Whenever supplies ran low, food and water materialized out of thin air.
Seeing all this, Tae-hyun muttered in disbelief,
"Hey... should we actually start believing in this cult?"
From their perspective, this could only be seen as a miracle performed by the cult.
"Maybe we got the wrong idea about them..."
And then—
"Hey. You guys."
An older man inside the shelter called out to them.
Easily carrying six packs of bottled water, he was clearly no ordinary person.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something. This place isn’t run by that JHS or JMS scam cult."
After setting down his load, the man spoke with pride.
"The name of the one responsible for all these miracles is Kim Jae-hyun. If you remember that name, it'll be a great help to you. Hah."
Joon-young, who had nearly been sacrificed by a cult before, hesitated for a moment.
But looking at the vast supplies they had just been given, his hesitation vanished.
‘At this point, it’s worth believing.’
Cola, sweet red bean bread, energy bars—everything.
Even the quality of the rations was on a whole different level.
Unlike JHS, which constantly demanded things—bringing in people, attending prayers, proving one’s abilities—this place only asked for one thing.
To remember the name Kim Jae-hyun.
And even that was optional.
The man had left it entirely up to them.
Joon-young gave a relaxed smile and said,
"I’ll remember it."
But at that moment, it was merely a polite response.
At that time, he had no idea.
That soon enough—he and his comrades would genuinely carve the name Kim Jae-hyun into their hearts.