After hearing about the glorious actions of the nation’s leadership, the conversation naturally shifted to the current state of Seoul and its power structure.
The situation in Seoul was far more dire than I had imagined.
Once my meeting with Commander Lee Hak-gi was over, I had a scheduled event to attend.
“This is the place?”
“Yes. This will be the newly opened bathhouse.”
The number of projects Kim Da-bin had spearheaded easily surpassed dozens.
From essential living infrastructure, telecommunications restoration, economic revitalization, job creation, refugee aid, and building repairs—it was difficult to find an area she hadn’t touched.
The bathhouse before me was simply one of the many results of her efforts.
“This is impressive. But why here instead of Seomyeon?”
“We prioritized buildings that were in the best condition. As you know, most of the bathhouses in Seomyeon were severely damaged...”
“I see. Good work.”
Coincidentally, this was a very familiar location for me.
‘Hae Supia, huh.’
A five-minute walk from my family’s home.
Turning my head, I could see the World Tree standing tall in the distance.
Its height alone, reaching hundreds of meters, was overwhelming, but its trunk was so massive it could easily engulf an entire apartment complex.
Despite being several hundred meters away from its origin, its thick roots had spread all the way here.
And with the surrounding area now overgrown with trees, it was hard to tell if this was still a city or a forest.
As a result, Hae Supia’s exterior, enveloped by greenery, felt both familiar and foreign.
The structure was undeniably the same bathhouse I had visited often in my childhood, yet its surroundings had changed beyond recognition.
“Shall we go in?”
Unlike the outer walls, which were covered in vines and dense foliage, the dozens of steps leading to the entrance had been meticulously cleared.
Upon reaching the top, I saw the counter, unchanged from my memories.
Kim Da-bin, keeping pace with me, began explaining.
"Not only was the building remarkably undamaged, but the facilities were also intact. Thanks to that, the shoe lockers, changing rooms, and even the keys were all still usable, so no extra preparations were needed.”
As soon as she finished speaking, an employee at the counter pulled out a key and handed it to me.
“I-It’s an honor to meet you!”
The nervous staff member stammered, and as I smiled at them, a familiar notification sounded.
[Citizen Choi Ji-woo’s trust level has increased.]
[Citizen Choi Ji-woo’s loyalty has increased.]
Notifications about rising trust and loyalty had been bombarding me since earlier.
Normally, it wasn’t this excessive.
Simply making eye contact or engaging in conversation didn’t usually cause trust and loyalty levels to skyrocket like this.
If it did, every time I walked outside, it would be complete chaos.
However, when I went out for meals or took walks, it was usually fine.
This reaction was because they recognized me completely—not just as their leader but as Kim Jae-hyun himself.
Those who knew my identity as the ruler of this domain reacted like this without fail.
Following Kim Da-bin’s lead, I climbed to the third floor, where the men’s bathhouse was located.
And as she continued following me inside, I turned to her and asked,
“...Are you planning to enter the bathhouse with me?”
Kim Da-bin answered without hesitation.
“I’ll assist you with your bath.”
“......”
Bathing assistance—she meant that, didn’t she?
Like in dramas or movies—when nobles or royalty were bathed by attendants who washed them, dried them off, and dressed them afterward.
Before I could respond, she smirked playfully and added,
“I was joking, of course.”
“...Right?”
“But if you’d like, I’d be happy to—”
“No, thanks.”
I cut off her teasing quickly and stepped inside the bathhouse.
The marble hallway led to an area lined with hundreds of lockers.
‘333.’
I found my assigned locker, placed my clothes inside, and fastened the key around my left wrist before heading to the bath.
As I passed through the locker room, my reflection caught my eye in a full-length mirror.
Lean, sculpted muscles and a perfectly balanced physique.
The soft, unremarkable body I once had was long gone.
Now, the mirror reflected a flawlessly proportioned form that exuded strength.
‘A little at a time, huh.’
The gradual strength and stamina gains from daily quest rewards had transformed my body into this.
‘Not bad.’
As I opened the bathhouse door, a wave of warm, humid air enveloped me, massaging my entire body with its heat.
Hae Supia had a variety of baths, each spacious enough to accommodate over a dozen people.
But now, having the entire place to myself—it felt like I was royalty.
I rinsed off quickly in one of the shower stalls before stepping into the main hot bath, where a carved toad statue continuously spouted water.
The tingling warmth spread from my toes up through my entire body, causing my muscles to relax completely.
“Hahhh...”
A sigh of pure relief escaped me.
Since no one else had used the water, it was pristinely clean.
“This is amazing.”
My mother and grandmother, who both loved baths, would have adored this place.
With no one else around and my body submerged in soothing heat, a pleasant drowsiness washed over me.
‘Maybe just... a little nap...’
The rising steam caressed my face, and my eyes slowly closed.
—Screech
‘...Please.’
‘We... just, please...’
‘I miss you...’
‘Save us!’
‘Please, at least save my child!’
‘Here, someone’s trapped under the rubble!’
‘Please!’
‘Aaaaahhh!’
‘Help us! Aaaahhh!’
‘I curse you! Even in death, I’ll curse you!’
That’s when I woke up.
The toad statue’s flowing water filled my ears.
Still submerged in warmth, I slowly lifted a hand and splashed water over my face.
[Da-bin, how long has it been?]
[About ten minutes. Is something wrong?]
[No... I just dozed off for a moment.]
As I felt the heat of the water seep into my skin, I tilted my head back and gazed at the ceiling.
‘That dream again...’
It was a nightmare—a chorus of unknown voices echoing in the darkness.
I couldn't tell whose voices they were.
Were they the cries I had heard during the disaster in Jamsil? The voices of refugees in need of rescue? The desperate screams of people being chased by monsters?
'Or was it the voices of those who died because of me?'
If not even that, perhaps it was simply an illusion born from my own guilt.
'I thought I was prepared, but maybe I wasn't enough.'
The fact that I had hesitated when the time came to kill the JHS fanatics—perhaps that meant my resolve had been lacking.
I never intended to be a good person to everyone.
The concepts of "good" and "evil" were subjective, shifting based on perspective.
To the 144,000 citizens who were nearly sacrificed by Jeong Hyeon-su, I was a savior.
But to Jeong Hyeon-su and his followers, I was nothing less than the Grim Reaper.
‘Hundreds of people died because of my choice.’
I didn’t want to hide behind excuses like "It was inevitable."
Their lives were erased solely because of my decision.
And it wasn’t just them.
To the vampires, I was a nightmare.
To the monsters, I was hell itself.
‘And that won’t change moving forward.’
I will kill monsters.
I will kill vampires.
I will kill zombies.
Even if they were once {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} human, even if they believed their actions were for survival, it wouldn’t change the fact that I would end them.
And humans were no exception.
I would make choices, and as a result, people would die.
‘Considering what I heard from Commander Lee Hak-gi, reclaiming Seoul will mean killing a lot of people.’
Perhaps even our side would suffer casualties.
Like during the vampire war, I might have to hold another funeral.
Even so—I would continue down the path I believed to be right.
I couldn't hesitate.
Because 500,000 lives rested on my shoulders.
‘A nightmare like this?’
It was nothing.
After staring blankly in thought for a moment, I got up and stepped out of the bath.
As I dried myself off with a towel, I realized that even though I had slept only briefly, my fatigue had completely disappeared.
Sure, it had been a while since I last soaked in a proper bath, but more than that—it was my body’s own strength at work.
The gradual boost to my endurance from daily quests, combined with Oh Eon-joo’s "Primordial Vitality", had turned me into something almost beyond human.
Primordial Vitality was a power that drastically increased regeneration whenever injuries accumulated.
‘I haven’t been wounded yet, so I haven’t experienced it firsthand.’
But the effect wasn’t just limited to wounds—it also applied to fatigue.
The more stamina I burned, the faster Primordial Vitality activated to restore it.
As long as my mental endurance held up, my physical stamina was practically infinite.
Thanks to that, even a ten-minute nap was enough to completely rejuvenate me.
After drying off and getting dressed, I stepped outside to find Kim Da-bin waiting.
It seemed she had been standing near the elevator the entire time while I bathed.
“You came out quickly.”
“I’ve been here many times before.”
“I see. How was the bath?”
“It was great. It feels ready to open right away.”
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“Thank you.”
As we headed downstairs together, I asked,
“By the way, are there no places like this in Seomyeon? I remember there was a famous bathhouse near Dongnae.”
“The Toyong have been working hard on restoring it.”
Toyong (土俑).
A group of clay golem-like creatures, unlocked when I upgraded Household Restoration to level 2.
I had spent 3 billion won to create thirty of them, and they had been invaluable in rebuilding the ruined city.
“I see. Don’t overwork them too much. They take after someone I know—working day and night. You never know when they might collapse.”
I threw in a lighthearted joke, and Kim Da-bin responded smoothly.
“I won’t collapse anytime soon. I’ve learned to let go of the belief that I need to do everything myself.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Some of the Toyong’s projects are actually finishing up today. Should I give them a day off? Maybe treat them to some sweet desserts?”
“That sounds great.”
As we exchanged jokes, a sudden thought struck me.
“Wait—”
This had been on my mind before my meeting with Commander Lee Hak-gi.
‘Couldn’t the Toyong be used to level up the Profession Research Facility?’
I immediately turned to Kim Da-bin.
“Da-bin, where are the Toyong that aren’t assigned to a project right now?”
“...They’re near the Daeyeon-dong apartment complex. Did something happen?”
“I need to test something—urgently.”
I took three Toyong and headed straight for the Profession Research Facility in Seomyeon.
The moment I arrived—
[To upgrade this facility, three Toyong must be assigned for seven days.]
[Would you like to upgrade the Profession Research Facility to level 2?]
[Yes / No]
‘Upgrade it.’
[3,000,000,000 won will be consumed.]
I had found the answer.