Jeong-min stared at the status window that appeared before his eyes.
[Choi Jeong-min
Strength: 9
Stamina: 10
Agility: 9
Intelligence: 6 [MP: 10/10]
Skills Held: Base Designation(Lv.1), Spatial Movement(Lv.1), Clairvoyance(Lv.1)]
'Seriously... it's a simple status window, even after seeing it again...'
Jeong-min stretched his body and thought.
'They say I can raise my stats through repetitive training... I need to train as much as possible before [Trial of God]. First...'
Jeong-min gazed at the walking path in the distance.
In an instant, Jeong-min's body disappeared, and he appeared at the spot he had been looking at.
Stagger
Jeong-min staggered as if feeling slightly dizzy, but he quickly regained his balance and stood upright.
'Remaining mana is... 4... I can go anywhere that's clearly within my sight, and it consumes 6 mana per use... I need to be able to use it at least twice...' Until his mana recovered, Jeong-min ran around the mineral spring. After running for about 20 minutes, he checked his mana, and the mana level, which had been 4, had risen to 6.
'1 mana recovers every 10 minutes...'
Jeong-min used Spatial Movement again.
His mana was completely depleted.
'I can just keep repeating this.'
Jeong-min ran around the mineral spring, and when his mana recovered, he repeated using the skill again.
After repeating this for about two hours, his stats finally changed.
Jeong-min opened the status window to check his stats.
[Stamina: 11]
'Stamina went up by 1... So that's how it is? Good... I have about a month until [Trial of God]. I'll raise my stats as much as possible until then.'
Jeong-min made a short resolution and started running again.
******
The sun was setting.
Jeong-min placed his hands on his knees and breathed heavily.
'...After stamina went up by 1... no other stat has increased... I thought stamina would increase easily since it went up quickly at first... but it's not at
all...'
Jeong-min caught his breath and stretched his body.
'Hoo... let's not try to take the easy way. If I keep repeating the training, my stats will definitely increase. I mustn't be impatient...'
After finishing his training at the mineral spring, Jeong-min called Jun-ki and made an appointment.
Jeong-min walked towards the [Daesung] Shelter and soon met Jun-ki.
Jun-ki looked around, grabbed Jeong-min, and led him into a dark alley.
"Where are you taking me? I'm sorry, but my heart already belongs to—"
"Stop talking nonsense and go over there and keep watch to see if anyone's coming."
Jeong-min became embarrassed and grumbled as he stood at the entrance of the alley and looked around.
"If someone makes a joke, you should at least pretend to acknowledge it. Why are you being so serious and calling it nonsense..."
After a while, Jun-ki approached, tapped Jeong-min on the shoulder, who was watching the surroundings, and said.
"Put the stuff piled up inside into your inventory. I'll keep watch."
Hearing Jun-ki's words, Jeong-min went inside the alley.
"...!"
Inside, there were sacks of rice, bottles of water, and various daily necessities piled up.
It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for one person to use for quite a while.
And on top of those items was a black stick.
Jeong-min approached and picked it up, and it turned out to be a sword in a black scabbard.
Jeong-min slowly drew the sword.
Swoosh
The sword came out of the scabbard with a chilling sound.
'I've seen it often in dramas... but this is the first time I've seen and touched one in person...'
Whoosh
Jeong-min swung the sword sideways a few times as a test.
'…awkward… I need practice to use it properly…'
Jeong-min put the sword back into its scabbard and put it into his inventory along with the supplies.
After putting all the supplies away, he approached Jun-ki, who was keeping watch at the entrance of the alley.
Jun-ki turned to Jeong-min and said.
"Did you put everything in? Let's walk towards the shelter for now. I have to go in soon for night training."
Walking side by side with Jeong-min, Jun-ki said.
"I've noticed while training that my stat growth rate is good, and the skill level increases pretty quickly too. I guess I'm quite talented in this area. I can feel the training instructor's gaze, which used to be constantly picking on me, gradually softening... My treatment has gotten even better than when I told you before... So I subtly mentioned it to the supply manager. I asked if I could get some supplies separately."
Jeong-min asked with a look of bewilderment.
"...So, they gave you that?"
Jun-ki nodded.
"I told you, my treatment has gotten pretty good... I also asked if they could bring in one more person to the shelter last time, but they refused, so I guess they felt bad about refusing this time. They quietly gave me some. They told me to never let anyone know about it." "...You're really getting recognized, aren't you?"
Jun-ki smiled slightly and nodded.
"So don't worry. And that steel sword is the standard weapon for shelter awakeners. It's a sword made by a skill, so it's said to be stronger than a regular steel sword. It might not be familiar to you yet, but try to practice as much as possible. Actually, getting that one sword was harder than getting the food and supplies."
Jeong-min nodded and said.
"...Thanks. I'll use it well."
"...It's not like they're giving it to you to fight monsters with. It's for minimal self-defense. You just focus on surviving by avoiding monsters as much as possible. Then I'll definitely secure a spot for you in the shelter."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't worry."
"...That Base Designation skill, if there's no suitable location to designate, it might not be a bad choice to save it for when you come to the shelter later. It'll be hard to use right now anyway..."
"...Well, I'll keep it in mind."
As they were talking, the [Daesung] Shelter came into view.
Jun-ki greeted Jin-sung.
"I'll go now. Get in safely. Train hard. You need to raise your stats a lot." "Don't worry. I'll raise my stats more than you, okay? You have night training. Go in quickly."
Jun-ki said goodbye to Jeong-min and entered the shelter.
Jeong-min looked at Jun-ki's back and said quietly.
"Thanks."
********
Until the day before [Trial of God] began.
Jeong-min's daily routine was always the same.
In the morning, he would wake up and go to the mineral spring to run and do strength training to raise his strength, stamina, and agility stats.
He used the Spatial Movement skill from time to time, and when his mana recovered, he would repeat using it to increase his intelligence stat as well.
Now, after about a month, Jeong-min's stats had increased quite a bit.
"Status window."
[Choi Jeong-min
Strength: 14
Stamina: 15
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 10 [MP: 18/18]
Skills Held: Base Designation(Lv.1), Spatial Movement(Lv.2), Clairvoyance(Lv.1)]
Jeong-min's eyes filled with pride as he looked at the results of his efforts. 'Just thinking about the stat numbers, I'm about 1.5 times stronger than I was a month ago. I haven't fought, so I can't really feel it...'
Jeong-min was most satisfied that the level of his Spatial Movement skill had increased to 2.
'My intelligence stat went up, so my total mana also increased to 18... and the skill level went up, so the mana consumption per skill use decreased from 6 to 5... Now I can use Spatial Movement three times in a row... Three Spatial Movements should be enough to get out of most dangers...'
Jeong-min stood at the mineral spring and looked down at the mountain.
Even today, the day before [Trial of God], the large shelters and small guild headquarters were still crowded with protesters.
In the early stages of the protests, the government showed some effort to mediate, but after receiving even more criticism, they became silent.
The government itself had taken the lead in colluding with several large corporations to build the largest shelters and attract the most awakeners, so they had nothing to say.
The military was stationed throughout the city.
Whether it was to reassure the citizens who were not protected by shelters or guilds, the government was promoting that the soldiers stationed in the city would fight first if monsters appeared, telling people not to worry.
'The fact that modern firearms won't work is already widely known through social media... it's just a show of performance...'
Jeong-min looked at the protesters with pity and said.
"Wouldn't it be better to take care of their families and find a safe place instead of protesting like that... No matter how much they protest, the shelters will never accept them..."
Jeong-min shook his head and prepared to go home.
"Who am I to worry about others? I should take care of my own safety."
Jeong-min was planning to face the start of [Trial of God] at this mineral spring tomorrow as well.
Since the monster gates were said to appear randomly, he thought it would be better to be in a high place where he could see in all directions and then use Spatial Movement to hide in a safe-looking place.
'By the way, what time exactly does it start tomorrow? The time wasn't specified... It's not going to start at midnight sharp, is it?'
Jeong-min thought he should wake up as early as possible and come to the mineral spring and walked home.
When he arrived home, Jeong-min took a shower early and lay down.
Since he had put most of the items in the house into his inventory, he didn't need to pack separately.
Jeong-min called Jun-ki, and after exchanging wishes to be careful and survive, they ended the call and went to sleep.
And at midnight, which Jeong-min had feared.
[Trial of God] began.
[Trial of God is starting. Gates will be created at random locations. Overcome the Trial of God by destroying all gates!]
Jeong-min, who had been unable to sleep due to thoughts about the upcoming Trial of God, cursed at the message that appeared before his eyes and jumped up.
'This is bullshit... it really starts at midnight...!'
Jeong-min hurriedly put on his clothes and ran outside.
Beyond the dark alley, the screams of people and the roars of monsters mixed together.
'First, I need to find a place where I can see in all directions...! No, should I just run to the mineral spring?'
As Jeong-min hesitated, footsteps began to be heard from somewhere, and something appeared from the alley.
'Gasp...! What is that...!'
The unidentified thing that appeared from the alley was about chest-high to Jeong-min and had green skin. It held a small knife or axe in its hand and wore something like a rag around its waist.
They saw Jeong-min standing blankly and staring at them, and they screamed and rushed at him.
"Kekeek!!"
Horrified by the group of green monsters rushing towards him in an instant, Jeong-min hastily used Spatial Movement to a place he could see.
Whoosh
Jeong-min's figure disappeared in an instant and reappeared on the wall of the alleyway where the monsters had emerged.
Jeong-min, who was standing precariously on the narrow surface, quickly climbed down the wall and started running.
The green monsters, who were confused by Jeong-min's sudden disappearance, discovered Jeong-min running away from behind and roared as they began to chase after him.
'I need to use Spatial Movement further... I can't see well at night...!'
Jeong-min ran hard and looked around.
'First, a high place! I need to see from a high place to find a place far away from the monster gates!'
Even while running, Jeong-min bit his lip and regretted it.
'If I had known this would happen, I should have just stayed at the mineral spring, even if I had to sleep outside...'
He felt something approaching from behind.
Looking back, he saw the group of green monsters closely following him.
'Already? They're fast!!'
Jeong-min had no choice but to use Spatial Movement again.
This time, he was able to use Spatial Movement quite far ahead.
'Now I only have one move left... I need to find a safe place...'
Jeong-min was anxious.
He needed to find a safe place to hide, but the residential alley where Jeongmin was now was in the middle of hell, with flames erupting and the screams of people and the roars of monsters mixed together.
Jeong-min continued to run through the alley.
The end of the alley is in sight.
Once he leaves the alley, there will be an open road, making it easier to find a place to hide and use Spatial Movement.The remaining Spatial Movement skill was only available once. I thought I should use it to get to the safest place possible, then hide and wait for my mana to recover.
If only monsters hadn't suddenly popped out to attack.
A green monster suddenly jumped out from the side of the road and charged at Jeong-min with a knife.
It was pure luck that Jeong-min, terrified, managed to grab the arm of the monster wielding the knife.
For a moment, a power struggle ensued between the monster trying to press down with the knife and Jeong-min trying to block it.
'...Not bad?'
Jeong-min gained a little confidence from the monster's strength, which was weaker than he expected.
"That's right, I'm an Awakened who trained at the mineral spring for a month! A little monster like you is nothing to me!"
Jeong-min kicked the monster he was facing off against, still gripping its arm.
"Kee-eck!"
The green monster screamed and flew backward.
Jeong-min had to stop the foot he was about to use to finish it off.
Because green monsters were appearing from all directions.
"...This is driving me crazy..."
Avoiding the monsters wielding knives and axes that were surrounding Jeong-min, he climbed up the wall.
He stood precariously on the wall and looked towards the end of the alleyway.
Faint light could be seen beyond the alleyway, towards the dark road.
Jeong-min gritted his teeth as he looked at the horde of green monsters clamoring towards him from below the wall.
'..This is the last Spatial Movement... Please, let that place be safe...' Jeong-min activated the last Spatial Movement.
Jeong-min appeared in the middle of a dark road.
None of the streetlights seemed to be working, as there was no light illuminating the surroundings.
However, there was something in the center emitting a faint, subtle light, and Jeong-min stood there staring at it with a desperate expression.
'That thing' looked very similar to Jeong-min's inventory gate.
The only difference was that it was much larger than the inventory gate.
Jeong-min bit his lip as he looked at the huge gate, which appeared to be over 3 meters tall.
'That light... it was coming from a monster gate...'
The surroundings were filled with green monsters that had come out of the gate.
The monsters were startled by Jeong-min's sudden appearance and hesitated for a moment, before screaming and charging at him.
Jeong-min started running.
He dodged the green monsters charging at him from the front, but was soon surrounded from all sides.
"Inventory!"
Jeong-min shouted desperately and opened his inventory, taking out a steel sword.
"Come on, you goddamn bastards!"
He drew the sword from its scabbard and swung it around, shouting, and the approaching green monsters seemed to hesitate.
Seeing this, Jeong-min shouted even more desperately.
"Come on, you XXs! Are you scared? Are you scared?!"
The green monster horde, unable to easily approach Jeong-min as he swung his sword and shouted fiercely, parted as one monster stepped forward.
It was a head taller than the average green monster. Almost as tall as Jeongmin.
Unlike the other green monsters wielding knives or axes, it wasn't holding any weapons.
However, it was wearing something like crude knuckles on its hands.
As the tall monster stepped forward, the green monsters surrounding Jeongmin widened their formation and retreated.
Jeong-min, who had been swinging his sword in all directions, panted and shouted at the monster approaching him.
"Wh...what is it... you want to go one-on-one? Ha! For a monster, you're pretty... Come on! Come on, you bastard!"
The large monster raised its fist, which was wearing the knuckles, and approached Jeong-min at a rapid pace.
Surprised, Jeong-min swung his sword horizontally.
The monster ducked low to avoid the sword and lunged into Jeong-min's chest.
Thwack
The monster's fist struck Jeong-min's wide-open chest.
Blood gushed from Jeong-min's mouth like a fountain.
"Keu... Keuheok..."
Jeong-min staggered backward.
Thud.
Jeong-min's back hit the inventory gate, which was still open.
[Living beings cannot pass through the inventory gate.]
With the message appearing before his eyes as his last sight, the light disappeared from Jeong-min's eyes, and at the same time, Jeong-min's body was sucked into the inventory.