It was the first time I had ever witnessed the moment of awakening.
‘Clairvoyance, huh.’
The man named Lee Joon-young had yet to realize it ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ himself, but during his panic attack, he had awakened his ability.
And upon awakening, he had instantly reached Level 30—which meant his ability was classified as A-rank.
Even among those with the same ability, rankings varied based on the individual’s potential.
A prime example was Jang Sung-joon’s telekinesis.
Plenty of people had awakened telekinetic abilities, but only he had ever received an A-rank evaluation.
In the case of Clairvoyance, I had only seen two other users before—and both had been rated D-rank.
‘But A-rank? That’s rare.’
Still...
‘What makes an A-rank Clairvoyance so special?’
For something like telekinesis, a higher rank meant increased power output and finer control.
But for clairvoyance... did a higher rank really make much of a difference?
‘Might as well mark him as a candidate for retainer registration.’
Lately, I had been actively increasing my number of retainers.
With the rise in forward bases, more retainers were needed—but more importantly, my skill level had increased, drastically expanding the number of retainers I could register.
When I upgraded Noble Dignity to Level 7, my base retainer limit had increased to 100.
Slots gained through loyalty bonuses were counted separately, so my total cap had reached 133.
‘If he’s awakened an A-rank ability, he’s more than qualified.’
I generally preferred to recruit high-ranking awakened individuals as retainers.
It was simply more efficient.
Of course, I didn’t just select people based on their abilities alone.
I evaluated their character, their morals, and their willingness before making any offers.
‘First impression isn’t bad.’
Lee Joon-young had awakened under the pressure of absolute fear.
It seemed to be tied to his knowledge of Aizenblade.
But despite the overwhelming terror, he had still prioritized protecting his comrades.
That alone was enough proof of his sense of responsibility as a leader.
‘For now, I’ll wait.’
With the fall of the JHS Cult, over a hundred thousand new people had joined the city.
Since the cult had valued awakened individuals, there was an influx of people with a variety of abilities—many of which seemed far more practical than clairvoyance.
I had no urgent need to increase my retainers, so I planned to observe and evaluate the best candidates over time.
‘Besides, now’s not the time for that.’
Rescuing people took priority.
Absolute Dweller’s Eye.
I kept watch until I confirmed that Lee Joon-young and his group had safely arrived at Konkuk University Station and had successfully been transported to Busan.
Then, I turned my focus back to Jamsil, where the disaster relief efforts continued.
***
Lee Joon-young and his group—over a hundred people in total—walked in a daze.
And this was them after they had somewhat recovered from the initial shock.
When they had first emerged from Jeonpo Station and encountered a completely normal cityscape, some had been so overwhelmed that they had broken down into tears.
Walking alongside the guide, Joon-young cautiously asked,
"Sir... are you saying no monsters ever appeared in Busan?"
The man hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...That would be impossible. There was a time when this place was overrun with monsters."
Joon-young took another look at the city streets.
"One iced Americano, coming right up!"
Lively voices filled the air, and there was not a single trace of monsters.
The guide continued,
"Things are peaceful now, but back when the monsters appeared, this place was hell on earth. But then Jae-hyun-nim drove them all out and blessed this city, making it safe once more."
"......."
If Joon-young hadn’t seen this with his own eyes, he would have dismissed it as complete nonsense.
But witnessing a miracle firsthand made it hard to ignore the man’s words.
‘Kim Jae-hyun, huh.’
Who was he?
How was he capable of performing such impossible feats?
‘And... what is this feeling?’
Was it just his imagination?
Ever since he had received citizenship, his entire body had felt stronger.
It was as if he could accomplish anything right now.
And the more he focused on Kim Jae-hyun’s name, the stronger that sensation grew.
"I have a question."
The guide gave a sheepish smile before replying,
"I’m not the best at explaining things... If you have questions, please wait until we reach our next destination. You’ll get all the answers you need there."
The man led them to a middle school gymnasium.
By now, seeing lights on indoors was no longer surprising.
They had already seen too much.
"This is the place. Please take a seat and wait—there will be an orientation soon."
As the man turned to leave, Joon-young quickly stopped him.
"Sir. May I ask for your name?"
"Ah, of course. My name is Choi Hyung-jun. Choi Hyung-jun."
"I’m Lee Joon-young."
Following his introduction, the rest of the group began introducing themselves one by one.
"I’m Kim Tae-hyun."
"I’m Seo Ji-hyun."
"I’m Park Min-wu."
Joon-young quietly observed as everyone took turns speaking.
Once the last person had finished, he bowed his head toward Choi Hyung-jun.
"Thank you sincerely for leading us here, sir."
Choi Hyung-jun quickly waved his hands dismissively.
"I didn’t do anything. This is all thanks to Jae-hyun-nim’s grace."
With that, he left.
The group settled into their seats, waiting for the orientation to begin.
Meanwhile, several other groups began arriving at the gym.
It was immediately obvious that they had come from different shelters.
And it wasn’t hard to tell how.
‘Did we look like that too?’
Just moments ago, they had worn the same expressions.
The stunned disbelief.
The overwhelming shock.
And now, the entire gymnasium was filled with people wearing the exact same look.
By the time the room had reached full capacity, the organizers finally arrived.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Yoo Hye-rin, and I am the Director of the Administrative Division. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
After a polite round of applause, the orientation officially began.
"The purpose of this session is to help you adjust to life here as quickly as possible. We will be providing you with essential information for your new daily life, so please pay close attention."
With that, the lights dimmed, and a projector screen lit up in front of them.
"...Wow."
It had been so long since they had seen something like this.
Just the sight of a simple PowerPoint presentation was enough to stir emotions they couldn't explain.
"The first thing we will cover is currency and how to use it. Let's start by explaining the money system here. When you receive your citizenship, you are issued a personal wallet. You can check your balance at any time using the command 'Open Wallet'. Let’s try it now."
The room quickly filled with murmurs.
Everyone was trying out the command.
Joon-young, after watching the others, cautiously whispered,
"Open Wallet."
【Citizen Lee Joon-young’s Wallet】
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
A holographic window popped up before his eyes.
"Joon-young, how much do you have?"
"Obviously zero. What about you, Tae-hyun?"
"Same."
Kim Tae-hyun let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
"So this is that... what do they call it? Augmented reality? Or is it like some kind of metaverse?"
"I have no idea."
Even as they whispered among themselves, the orientation continued.
"Don’t worry if your balance is zero—that’s normal. Now, the real question is: how do we earn money?"
The slide changed.
And the room fell into silence.
Because displayed on the screen—
Was a goblin.
‘...Goblin.’
Seoul had been infested with horrifying monsters like Aizenblade.
But to the survivors gathered here, the most terrifying creatures weren’t the massive, nightmare-inducing monstrosities.
No.
The creatures they feared the most were goblins and orcs.
Even Cyclops-class monsters were terrifying, sure—but goblins and orcs?
They were death itself.
And the reason was simple.
People who encountered those monsters—died.
Nearly every survivor present had faced only goblins or orcs.
And barely lived to tell the tale.
"The first method of earning money is hunting. If you defeat monsters, you will be compensated accordingly."
The room’s atmosphere darkened.
Nine out of ten people in the room were in no condition to go hunting goblins.
Most of them had fought a goblin once or twice in their lives.
And every single one of those encounters had been a near-death experience.
"I understand your concerns. But please, do not be alarmed. Hunting parties are provided with firearms."
The next slide displayed images of K2 rifles and other firearms.
"...Guns?"
"With a gun... goblins wouldn’t be that bad, right?"
"They’re giving us guns? Are they serious?"
A quick overview of 'Dungeons' and 'Party Formations' followed.
"Of course, hunting isn’t the only way to earn money. There are plenty of alternatives. You can also earn money through regular jobs. To do that, you first need to understand the concept of the Marketplace."
And with that—
The most shocking revelation yet.
"You can think of it like an online shopping mall. But there’s no need to wait for deliveries. Any item you purchase will appear instantly."
To demonstrate—
A can of cola materialized out of thin air.
The room froze.
Joon-young’s brain struggled to process what he had just seen.
A holographic interface, just like the wallet.
And with one transaction, an item manifested in reality.
It was a system that could single-handedly destroy every logistics company in existence.
‘...This makes no sense.’
The Marketplace sold everything.
Food, drinks, desserts—sure.
But also weapons. Swords, spears, bows.
While Joon-young was still processing the insanity of it all, the instructor continued.
"Most jobs function through the Marketplace. You complete a task, submit a work report, and receive your earnings. Even restaurants process transactions this way."
The presentation was so clear, so intuitive, that understanding it was effortless.
"And another thing—simply selling items in the Marketplace can generate income. Each person is given 20 slots to list their goods, meaning you can sell items at a slight markup for profit."
At this point—
They were even teaching them how to start businesses.
Everything the woman had promised at the start—countless ways to make money—was true.
‘So... there’s no need to hunt.’
For the average person, the safer options were far more appealing.
Most sane people had no desire to risk their lives fighting monsters.
"Now, once you’ve earned some money, you’ll want to spend it. While you can purchase items through the Marketplace, we recommend visiting Shops first."
And the Shops?
They were even more shocking.
Functioning like convenience stores and supermarkets, they sold everything.
And buying an item in a shop was even more surreal.
The moment a purchase was confirmed—
The item materialized in thin air.
Straight out of a science fiction novel.
‘...Is this really South Korea?’
Seeing the city streets earlier had already been mind-blowing.
But this?
This entire system was beyond modern technology.
The wallets, the Marketplace, the instant materialization—
It felt like he had stepped into the future.
‘...This is insane.’
Every single piece of information they received during the orientation was shocking.
But the biggest shock came at the very end.
"And finally, we need to discuss your living arrangements. Initially, you will be assigned temporary housing provided by the city."
Joon-young tensed.
He knew what "temporary housing" meant.
Back in the JHS Cult, their "shelters" had been pathetic tents pitched along the Han River.
He braced himself for the worst.
But then—
"Holy shit."
Their 'temporary housing' was an apartment complex.
Not just any apartment.
An actual, fully furnished rental apartment.
Hot running water.
A real bed.
A working gas stove for home-cooked meals.
It wasn’t just a place to survive.
It was a home.
A dream in this ruined world.