Lee Jun-young took a sip of his coffee and thought to himself.
‘This is heaven.’
There was no better word to describe the past week.
‘This place is paradise.’
Compared to his days as a drifter in Seoul, his current life was one of absolute luxury.
Electricity was available, allowing the use of most appliances.
There was heating, and he could take a hot shower whenever he pleased.
He could sleep soundly in a warm, comfortable bed.
All of those things made him happy, but what truly mattered the most was something else.
‘The fact that there are no monsters.’
From the moment he arrived, he had been wondering about it.
The people here, living as if everything had returned to normal, showed no trace of fear toward monsters.
The reason became clear during the Q&A session of the orientation.
‘It’s all thanks to Jaehyun-nim’s ability.’
A blessed land.
The entire city of Busan had become a perfect safe zone.
The transparent barrier he had personally touched when he obtained his citizenship at the entrance of Konkuk University Station—
That very same barrier covered all of Busan, preventing monsters from entering.
‘That’s why a life like this is possible.’
Because he had spent time wandering in Seoul, he understood the reality of it more deeply.
There was no need to take turns standing watch at night. No need to prepare himself for death every time he stepped outside.
The fact that this place had been able to regain its pre-apocalypse state was purely thanks to Kim Jaehyun’s power.
‘And...’
During his time here, he had come across a certain rumor.
Among those who had obtained citizenship, there were some known as the ‘Chosen Ones.’
People who, quite literally, had been chosen by Kim Jaehyun.
It was said that they were granted a special power.
Had he heard this rumor without knowing anything, he might have dismissed it as nonsense.
After all, he had seen plenty of people in Seoul with supernatural abilities.
Even if Kim Jaehyun’s power was impressive, he would have considered it ridiculous to call other Awakened individuals ‘chosen ones’ just because they gained abilities.
‘But I saw it with my own eyes.’
The superhumans who displayed unbelievable power in the midst of disasters.
Every single one of them was cloaked in a black aura.
Their abilities were on an entirely different level from the Awakened he had encountered in Seoul.
The power to save someone who was on the verge of death, the ability to lift an entire building with their bare hands—
Abilities that were far too overwhelming to be considered mere human capabilities.
And without exception, they were all surrounded by that black aura.
‘That aura... It’s definitely Jaehyun-nim’s power.’
That was proof that the rumors about the ‘Chosen Ones’ were not just baseless talk.
And then.
‘Maybe... I’m one of them too.’
Wuuuung—
As he activated his power, Lee Jun-young’s vision expanded.
He could see through the floor, revealing the skeletal structure of the metal beams within, the intricate web of electrical wiring, and eventually, even the scene below the lower floor.
His face turned red, and he hastily cut off his ability.
‘Ahem.’
It wasn’t intentional.
It had simply been an accident while testing his power.
‘Anyway, maybe I really am one of the chosen.’
In truth, he had simply Awakened, but because the timing of his Awakening had been so precise, the misunderstanding had spread.
‘Right after receiving my citizenship, this ability suddenly appeared. My body got ridiculously healthy too.’
Lee Jun-young stopped drinking his coffee, lifted his T-shirt, and looked at his stomach.
Chiseled abs greeted him.
He hadn’t exercised at all, yet his body had transformed dramatically.
Along with that, his stamina had improved so much that he could barely remember what it felt like to be exhausted.
"You should just strip naked and admire yourself in front of a mirror."
Kim Tae-hyun, his hair a mess like a bird’s nest, looked at him and scoffed.
"You’re up."
"Yeah, whatever. Gimme some coffee."
Lee Jun-young grabbed a coffee mix from beside him and tossed it over.
"I just boiled some water, so it should be fine."
"Thanks."
Kim Tae-hyun took a sip after mixing his coffee and nodded.
"Mm. Perfect."
"Hurry up and wash up. You’re the last one."
"...What?"
"You’re fast in the shower, so it doesn’t matter. The women are still showering too, so—"
Before Lee Jun-young could even finish his sentence, Kim Tae-hyun suddenly grabbed him by the collar, his expression furious.
"Hey, you perverted bastard. I told you not to use that!"
Kim Tae-hyun was the only one who knew about Lee Jun-young’s x-ray vision.
And there was only one reason he was so enraged.
"C-Calm down! I didn’t peek at Seoyoung!"
Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Seoyoung were dating.
Kim Tae-hyun let go of his collar and asked with narrowed eyes.
"Then, who was showering?"
"...Jihyun."
Kim Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh.
"Whatever. I’m gonna wash up."
Grabbing a towel, he headed into the bathroom. But just before closing the door, he stuck his head back out to issue a final warning.
"Hey. If you keep using that ability, I’m telling Jihyun."
"...Please, just let me off this once."
"Only use it during hunts, got it? Hunts only."
Their main source of income at the moment was monster hunting.
Out of their group of twelve, eight—including Lee Jun-young and Kim Tae-hyun—entered dungeons every day to hunt goblins.
A single goblin dungeon run, which produced around a hundred goblins, netted them roughly 500,000 won.
On top of that, they earned extra money from part-time jobs and from selling items in the marketplace, which gave them more financial leeway than expected.
‘If we increase the number of goblin hunts, we could make even more.’
If they cleared the dungeon twice a day, their income would double.
Considering that a dungeon run only took about thirty minutes, it wasn’t an impossible plan.
‘It pays way better than working part-time at a barbecue restaurant.’
Honestly, goblin hunting wasn’t all that hard.
At first, when they were still fearful of goblins, it had taken time and effort to clear a dungeon.
But now? That fear had completely disappeared.
There was no reason to be scared of goblins when they had guns in their hands.
And thanks to his ability, the efficiency of their hunts had skyrocketed.
His x-ray vision allowed him to see through the darkness and even grasp the layout of the entire dungeon.
Since he knew exactly where the goblins were hiding, all they had to do was charge in and eliminate them.
Ironically, it was during a goblin dungeon raid that he first realized ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) he had this power.
After finishing his shower, Kim Tae-hyun listened to Lee Jun-young’s suggestion and responded positively.
“That’s true. Even though eight of us go into the dungeon, you’re the one actually doing all the goblin hunting.”
“That’s pretty much how it is.”
“Splitting the team up entirely might be a good idea. If we assign just three people to your group and let you handle the strategy, it should work.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Or how about this? We could form teams of two and take turns clearing the dungeon in shifts. I can handle three or four runs if needed.”
“So, the main strategy would rely on you while the others provide support?”
“Right.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Kim Tae-hyun thought for a moment before speaking again.
“But before we do that, you need to prove something.”
“What?”
“That you can clear the dungeon on your own without our help.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“So today, you’re doing the run solo. We’ll just watch from behind.”
“......”
“Think you can handle it?”
“......I’ll give it a shot.”
And so, a slightly different kind of dungeon raid began.
***
Tat-tat-tat-tat—
The initial phase went smoothly without any trouble.
Thanks to his x-ray vision, Lee Jun-young could detect the goblins well in advance, eliminating them before they even had a chance to react.
The seamless flow of battle filled him with a nearly unshakable confidence.
‘I wasn’t exaggerating— I really can clear this solo.’
Not long ago, he had entered the goblin dungeon under the watchful eye of a supervisor, but now, he had reached the level where he could clear it on his own.
It was a deeply gratifying moment.
However, the difference between ‘confidence’ and ‘overconfidence’ was razor-thin.
“Jun-young!!”
Toward the end of the dungeon raid, the remaining goblins always tended to group together and launch a last-ditch attack.
Lee Jun-young had anticipated this with his x-ray vision. He even knew exactly where they were lying in ambush.
But his mistake was becoming too absorbed in his own ability.
While going around and finishing off the stragglers hiding on the outskirts, he had completely forgotten one crucial fact—
He was alone.
Since his teammates were stationed further back, and this was his first time clearing a dungeon solo, he wasn’t used to the fact that he had no backup.
Because of that, he failed to realize that the goblins in hiding might coordinate and rush him all at once.
‘Shit!’
By the time his teammates, following Kim Tae-hyun’s orders, rushed to provide covering fire, the goblins had already surrounded him.
And this was a pitch-dark cave.
With the risk of friendly fire, shooting from a distance wasn’t an option.
Tat-tat-tat-tat—
Realizing the danger, Lee Jun-young moved like lightning, cutting down over a dozen goblins in rapid succession. But there was a limit to his endurance.
Click— Click—
‘!!!’
His ammo had run out.
The goblins showed no intention of giving him the chance to reload.
“Kyaaaak!!”
As they lunged at him, he let out a desperate curse.
“Fuuuuuck!!”
And then—
Smash!
Instinctively swinging his rifle, he shattered a goblin’s skull.
“......?”
Thanks to his x-ray vision, he saw, in gruesome detail, how its face caved in under the impact.
“Kyaaaak!!”
Another goblin, unaware of its comrade’s fate, lunged at him, baring its fangs.
Crack!
With a much louder impact, the goblin spat out blood as it was sent flying.
Lee Jun-young stared blankly at his own foot—the one that had just delivered that devastating kick.
Then, it dawned on him.
‘Hah... This is insane.’
What followed was nothing short of a massacre.
Lee Jun-young didn’t even bother reloading. Instead, he used his rifle as a club, smashing goblins left and right. When that wasn’t enough, he kicked them, shattering their bones like brittle twigs.
Smash! Thud!
He was absolutely certain now.
‘I’ve been chosen by him!’
This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.
There was no other explanation for his current strength.
And the more he believed in that...
Wuuuung—
‘This power... It’s overflowing!’
The stronger his faith in Kim Jaehyun, the more energy surged through his entire body.
Crack!
With a final punch, he crushed the last goblin’s skull.
And then—
“...J-Jun-young?”
His teammates stared at him with wide eyes, utterly shocked.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
Kim Tae-hyun looked over his bloodstained body with concern.
But the blood covering him mostly belonged to the goblins.
The only wounds he had suffered were minor scratches from stray claws and teeth.
“I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”
Even those small injuries healed the moment he stepped out of the dungeon.
He turned to the still-stunned Kim Tae-hyun and asked.
“So? You think I can handle solo runs now?”
“Well... Yeah, I guess... But seriously, are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Yeah, I’m completely fine.”
And then—
[Lee Jun-young. Do you have a moment?]
A voice echoed in his mind.
Startled, Lee Jun-young whipped his head around, scanning his surroundings.
“W-Who’s there?”
The voice responded directly inside his head.
[I am Kim Jaehyun.]