Chapter 10

I made sure to cool down the skill first, just in case I needed to use it again.

Energy surged through my entire body.

I got up from my seat and grabbed the frying pan.

There might still be some orcs left.

I cautiously searched each hut, one by one.

Whirr.

Bang—!

The tower was still blowing up the huts.

When I walked to the other side of the village, there was a hut that looked twice as big as the others.

'Is this where the leader is?'

I swallowed and slowly entered the hut.

It was a scene similar to a Mongolian ger I had seen in a documentary.

There was a pit for a bonfire on one side, and a chair made of some unknown animal skin.

A large tree had been cut down to make a table.

'They have a social system and intelligence.'

Unfortunately, there was no paper.

It seemed they hadn't invented writing.

'Hmm. What's this?'

On the table.

Something was shining.

A small object made by stringing together animal bones and stones caught my eye.

- Grade: D

- Wearing Effect: Increased Strength

- Tribal

This is a necklace used by an orc warrior recognized by the tribe.

The description of the item that appeared on the status screen flashed.

'What? An item? Items can appear too?'

Well, with the world changing like this and leveling up, it wouldn't make sense if there were no items.

Still, my heart raced at the sight of the first item.

'What does D grade mean? Magic? Rare?'

Sure enough, my gamer instincts hadn't left me.

I first checked if the item name had any color.

'No color.'

I put on the necklace.

Not just a +1 to strength, but a direct increase in strength.

'Hmm. I don't really understand?'

I couldn't feel much difference when I swung the frying pan.

I decided to check it later and continued searching outside.

After a while, I confirmed that there were no more orcs in the village.

Just like in military movies, the line they shout while searching.

"Clear!"

I yelled at the top of my lungs, just like in the movies.

The bushes moved, and the special forces and Mr. Kim Cheolsu ran towards me.

The tower had disappeared.

Team Leader Lee Jangho of the special forces looked at the destroyed orc village with a dejected expression.

"To think one person could unleash this much firepower! Without any support or ammunition consumption..."

"Hey, I used one grenade."

"This isn't a joke. If there are more awakened people like Seo Jin-woo, the world will... change drastically."

The team leader looked at where the tower had been with a deeper gaze.

A large man chuckled and patted the team leader.

"Still, the awakened person is on our side, right? The more powerful we are, the better. Right?"

"Yeah, that's a relief, but..."

"Team Leader, but if we go back, we can't go home, right?"

"Why?"

"With this level of ability, it's a secret, isn't it?"

The large man glanced at the National Intelligence Service officer.

Kim Cheolsu quietly shook his head.

"There are more than just a few awakened people. It'll be fine."

"Hmm. There are many people like our awakened person, Seo Jin-woo?"

"That's not the case. We're still figuring it out."

"Really, why did the world change like this? What should we do now, Team Leader?"

The team leader looked at me.

"We just need to destroy everything. Then we can go home."

I patted the hut.

The faces of the special forces lit up.

"Really? Kids, let's pull the pins on the grenades."

"Yes, sir."

Bang! Bang!

Over ten grenades were thrown at the huts.

In the midst of the huts crumbling, Kim Cheolsu just looked at me silently.

The last and largest hut exploded, and a new message appeared on the status screen.

'Good. Leveling up nicely.'

Level 8. Points: 4.

'I need to change to a better weapon...'

I can't keep using the frying pan.

However, in the actual game, skills like swordsmanship and archery in the research facility are known to be useless.

A well-trained combat villager is several times stronger than the lord.

'I can't just play around... I need to think about this.'

I'm struggling with points, and I don't have any to spare for my combat skills.

Facility summoning research has been added to the researchable list.

- Facility Summoning Research: Summons a pre-designated facility at once. Automatically optimizes and places it.

- Required Points: 3

'It's useful, but...'

I don't know if the trick of building on the edge is implemented.

There are many things to do with points, and it's too expensive to try this.

The scene brightened with the completion of the mission.

It felt like riding a roller coaster.

* * *

The familiar air, now mixed with fine dust, was felt.

'I'm back.'

At Yangjae Station intersection, black vans and special forces vehicles were lined up.

At a glance, over a hundred people were buzzing around the Yangjae Station area.

"Hey, they're out!"

"Team Leader Lee Jangho!"

"Dong-wook! Why is Dong-wook down! Medics! Hurry!"

People gathered, and the quiet Yangjae Station intersection suddenly became noisy.

The fallen officer was taken to the ambulance, and the special forces hugged each other in joy.

Kim Cheolsu approached me while on a phone call.

"I'll retrieve the GoPro."

"Ah, right. Here it is."

I stopped the recording and handed the GoPro to Kim Cheolsu.

After a brief call, Kim Cheolsu chuckled.

"Mr. Seo Jin-woo, would you like to become a star?"

What is he talking about?

3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom.

"Excuse me?"

"It seems the higher-ups have a good impression of Mr. Seo Jin-woo."

'Star... '

With the power of the authorities and the media, one can become a hero or a demon overnight.

'I'm needed by these people.'

Not a bad offer.

Kim Cheolsu sent a busy message on his phone.

"Take a rest today, and we'll talk again tomorrow. I'll have you picked up."

Another staff member drove me to Suseo Station.

As the sun set, the familiar tower and container came into view.

"Ms. Sujin, I'm here."

Creak.

"Jin-woo! "

Ms. Sujin sighed in relief.

"The tower suddenly disappeared and then reappeared... I was really surprised. Are you okay?"

"Of course."

"But the tower that came back..."

Ms. Sujin pointed to the ice arrow tower, where an orc's axe was deeply embedded.

'It was possible in the game.'

Villagers can be used to repair broken buildings and maintain the domain.

I opened the status screen and selected the villager menu.

When I tapped Ms. Sujin's name, several options appeared.

Thud.

When I touched "Repair," a small hammer appeared in the air in front of Ms. Sujin.

"Jin-woo, there's a message on the status screen. The lord has ordered the repair of a building..."

"Ah, that... Registered villagers can repair broken facilities and provide various assistance. If you have time..."

I felt awkward giving the order and explained at length.

"Sure."

"Really?"

"I'm living here, so it's natural. How do I do it?"

"Actually, it's my first time, so I'm not sure..."

Ms. Sujin smiled and picked up the hammer.

"The status screen explains it. I just need to hit the damaged building. It says it takes 30 minutes per durability point?"

The current tower's durability is 98/100.

It will take about an hour.

Ms. Sujin approached the tower and swung the hammer.

Clang! Clang!

Clearly marble, but the sound effect was like a blacksmith's forge, only heard in games.

"Wow! This is more fun than I thought. It's like a game. There's even a gauge."

"Really?"

According to Ms. Sujin, the repair process is like a mini-game, similar to whack-a-mole.

When you hit the indicated spot at the right timing, it shows 'Good' or 'Perfect' on the screen.

A notorious mini-game in Fantasy Civilization IV that frustrated many players.

Forced facility repairs that take time from the busy lord.

'Initially, the damaged part is up there... but hitting an unrelated spot still repairs it...'

Still, I'm glad Ms. Sujin is enjoying it.

I opened the status screen to check the information.

- Level: 8

- Rank: Pioneer

- Points: 4

- Upgradable: [Defense Tower Upgrade: 3 Points] [Food Storage Upgrade: 3 Points] [Sanitation Facility Upgrade: 3 Points] [Research Facility Upgrade: 3 Points] [Defense Tower Construction: 1 Point] [Residential Facility Maintenance: 1 Point]

- Registered Villager: Park Sujin

- Researchable: [Flame Arrow] [Healing] [Strength Increase] [Archery] [Swordsmanship] [Domain Development] [Domain Creation] [Facility Summoning Research]

'Not bad.'

The early growth trend is very good.

'Where to spend the points?'

No new attributes for tower attacks are appearing.

It seems I need to learn the remaining Flame Arrow to get new attributes.

'I should start with residential facility maintenance.'

I'm tired of sleeping on the Nugu Nugu bed.

Fatigue recovery is the most important factor in combat.

After rationalizing, I touched residential facility maintenance.

- Residential Facility Maintenance: Expands the residential facility.

- Required Points: 1

Drrrrrr.

When I pressed Y, the domain shook.

'Huh? Why isn't there a selection window for where to build?'

"What's happening?"

Ms. Sujin looked around anxiously.

The approaching White Wolf growled lowly by Ms. Sujin's side.

- Completed.

A simple message.

'What's completed? Did I just waste a point?'

The wording about expansion seemed off.

"Damn. My precious points... It's nothing. I need to rest."

"Wait, Jin-woo! What about dinner...?"

"I'm fine."

I moved weakly towards the container.

"Ah!"

When I opened the container door and went in, the interior had changed.

The cluttered and cramped interior with a single Nugu Nugu bed was gone.

'Wow.'

A spacious and comfortable structure like an apartment was in front of me.

'From the outside, it's clearly a normal container...'

In front was a wide living room with a sofa, and there were four more doors.

3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom.

A perfect home.

The only downside is the lack of a balcony window, but compared to the Nugu Nugu bed, it was a huge improvement.

"Jin-woo, what's going on? Gah! What is this?"

Ms. Sujin approached and walked into the container, mesmerized.

"Wow! Each room has a bed? There's a bathroom! And a kitchen!"

There were also various appliances like a washing machine and refrigerator.

Though they were empty.

It felt like buying a new home.

My heart swelled.

"Now we can warm up the ox bone soup!"

Ms. Sujin entered the kitchen, took out the utensils, and jumped around excitedly.

"Um... Ms. Sujin, choose a room you like."

"Ah, no, it's fine. The sofa is comfortable enough..."

"Still, you should rest well after repairing and managing the facilities."

I was fortunate to register someone I could trust to some extent as a villager.

I could assign her to repair facilities, and the menu showed that she could also gather resources.

'No apple trees... What can she gather?'

I could leave active management to her and just turn it on when entering the portal.

Ms. Sujin bowed.

"Thank you very much. I'll do my best to help the domain develop."

"Thank you."

Ms. Sujin took her personal belongings and entered a small room.

The White Wolf couldn't come inside, so the research facility became its home.

"I'll prepare dinner."

We heated up the ox bone soup from the food storage and ate it steaming hot.

'Mmm. It's best when it's so hot it burns the roof of your mouth.'

After a satisfying meal, I went to my room.

For the first time, I could sleep comfortably in a wide and soft bed.

* * *

"This... this is..."

"Truly amazing abilities!"

National Intelligence Service Anti-Terror Situation Room.

The screens on the wall showed the process of Seo Jin-woo sealing the portal from multiple angles.

The monitoring officers all had wide eyes and open mouths as they watched the screen.

At the head of the table, the director who had spoken to Seo Jin-woo was staring at the screen, swallowing hard.

In front of him was a nameplate that read "Government Portal Response T/F Director."

"Amazing. Among the awakened we've identified, has anyone shown this level of power?"

Officer Kim, standing next to the director, flipped through a report and spoke.

"There are various capable people who can defeat the so-called monsters. However..."

"Yeah. Most of them use their powers for infighting. But this..."

"He can cause widespread monster slaughter without doing anything himself."

"Remarkable. Has it been sent to VIP?"

"Yes. It was immediately delivered through the chief secretary."

"Tests on modern weapons?"

On another screen, various monsters, including orcs and goblins, were shown.

Soldiers were firing different weapons at the monsters, which had been captured and brought to a facility.

"They are almost immune. Many can withstand even high-explosive rounds."

"But it's not impossible, right?"

"According to the internal analysis report..."

"Yeah. If the world has become like a 'game,' stronger monsters will appear over time. Modern weapons will become useless soon. How about recruiting awakened individuals?"

"That's... not easy."

Awakening means instant wealth and fame.

The rapid spread of various awakened individuals' hunting videos on the internet has quickly gained millions of hits, giving hope to people worldwide.

In such a situation, no awakened individuals are volunteering to cooperate with the government.