NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
Chapter 15 – Awakened Abilities (2)
—–CROW—–
“Come to think of it, I haven’t explained,” Seong-ho said.
Since he intended to take the Lim father and daughter with him all the way, a certain degree of information sharing was necessary.
The problem was determining the extent of that “certain degree.”
Seong-ho poked at a potato with a twig, lost in thought.
After a long silence, he finally answered Lim Chan’s question.
“The final destination is Jamsil. We need to arrive before the end of this winter, at the latest.”
An incident that would cause the protagonist significant trauma would occur in the spring. Naturally, it was related to the virus. Therefore, he needed to be by the protagonist’s side before then.
“Jamsil…” Lim Chan seemed surprised by the unexpectedly distant destination.
It was understandably unwelcome news, but the bad news didn’t end there.
“Of course, there are a few places we need to stop by before then.”
“Places we need to stop by…?”
“I’m still considering it, but we definitely need to go to Seogang-dong and Myeong-dong.”
He added that he would make a decision by tomorrow morning at the latest, so they should wait until then. He had been putting it off because his thoughts were complicated, but he really needed to decide by tomorrow.
‘According to the map, we’re currently on Baengnyeonsan Mountain.’
If he went further south, past Yonsei University, he could enter Seogang-dong in Mapo District. If he turned east, he could go to Jung District, where Myeong-dong was located.
‘Considering the route alone, it would be better to go to Seogang-dong and then to Myeong-dong.’
But he couldn’t make a decision easily. The group in Seogang-dong was artificially gathering Awakened individuals.
‘If we go there with our current strength, we’ll likely be defeated miserably.’
But Myeong-dong wasn’t any better.
‘They’re cannibals there.’
This was truly a dilemma. Seong-ho sighed deeply and rubbed his face.
Lim Chan, who had been quietly watching him, cautiously spoke again.
“Um… why are we going to those two places?”
“There’s something I need to check.”
“Ah, were you originally headed there before you came to the hospital?”
“Something like that.”
Giving a vague answer, Seong-ho poked the campfire and changed the subject.
“Let’s eat and rest for today. We’ll have to keep moving tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes, yes! I understand.”
The potatoes were just finished roasting.
After finishing their meal of warm potatoes, Lim Chan immediately took Lim Ji-hyo into her sleeping bag. He wanted to take advantage of the warmth from the food and have her fall asleep quickly.
Unlike the two, Seong-ho remained by the campfire. He had to keep the fire going through the long winter night and also keep watch for any approaching raiders.
Crackle, crackle.
The sounds of the crackling campfire, the wind, and the rustling sleeping bags continued for a while. The two, who had endured the arduous journey without complaint, quickly fell asleep against the backdrop of the quiet winter night.
Seong-ho sat with his back to the sleeping pair, their breathing even.
“Check Fate Intervention Reward.”
[Required Rewards]
– 20 Merit Points
– 2 Stat Points
[Optional Rewards]
– Special Ability Extraction Bead
– Immunity Identification Glasses
– Zombie Location Tracker
「Please confirm your Optional Reward.」
The number of required rewards had increased compared to before, although the type remained the same, and the optional rewards were completely different.
‘Is there some kind of difficulty level? Or is it because I changed the fate of the same person twice?’
Whatever the reason, it was a shame there wasn’t a fortune cookie. The fortune-telling function didn’t seem very useful, but its effect as a recovery and enhancement item was excellent.
Shaking off his regret, Seong-ho checked the changed list of optional rewards.
‘Special Ability Extraction Bead…’
If this item functioned as its name suggested…
‘Does it extract my ability? Or another Awakened’s special ability?’
Either way, it would be quite useful if he could use the extracted ability.
‘If it’s the former, I’ll have extra uses when treating the virus, and if it’s the latter… that’s even better.’
Not being limited to one ability could be considered a cheat in a way.
After noting the item’s name, Seong-ho shifted his gaze slightly downwards.
‘Next are the Immunity Identification Glasses.’
At first glance, they seemed unnecessary for him. Seong-ho already possessed the ability to identify those who were immune. All he had to do was infect a non-infected person and see if they showed any pre-transformation symptoms.
Nevertheless, the reason these glasses kept catching his eye was…
‘The true value of these glasses lies in identifying Awakened individuals.’
Unless they revealed their abilities or spoke about them first, it wasn’t easy to find Awakened individuals. These glasses could solve that problem. After all, Awakened individuals were, in a broader sense, immune.
That was why they kept drawing his attention.
‘The Zombie Location Tracker would also be helpful in finding and tracking evolved zombies.’
Seong-ho needed to continue hunting zombies for his own growth. If this Zombie Tracker was the item he was thinking of, it would certainly be useful.
But Seong-ho didn’t choose the Zombie Tracker. Nor did he choose the Immunity Identification Glasses.
“Optional reward: Special Ability Extraction Bead.”
「Optional reward confirmed.」
「Receiving Fate Intervention Reward.」
「Requirements met.」
“Huh?”
Surprised by the unexpected message, Seong-ho reflexively let out a sound. At the same time, a bead fell from the air accompanied by a bright light. Seong-ho caught it without missing a beat. It was roughly 2cm in diameter. It was larger than the virus beads he had seen so far, and the color was different too. While the virus beads were black, this one was transparent, as if hollow.
[Special Ability Extraction Bead]
– Allows the user to utilize the extracted special ability of a deceased Awakened individual for 30 minutes.
– Extraction Target: None
– Extracted Ability: None
It was truly an item that lived up to its name. This would definitely come in handy.
After pocketing the bead, Seong-ho checked the message window again.
‘Requirements?’
A sense of déjà vu washed over him as he stared at the unexpected word. He racked his brain, trying to recall where he had seen it before.
‘Don’t tell me…?’
A thought struck him, and Seong-ho immediately spoke.
“Pioneer’s Cradle.”
A massive book unfolded in the empty space before him. He checked on the sleeping pair just in case, but they showed no signs of waking. Seong-ho focused his attention back on the Cradle. He moved his hand past the Q&A section he usually interacted with, and there…
「30 Merit Points are required for additional access. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)」
There were two tabs that he hadn’t been able to open before. He had accumulated enough Merit Points to unlock the next chapter.
Should he use his Merit Points on the Pioneer’s Cradle before moving to a new area? Or should he wait until he had accumulated more?
‘I have twenty new Merit Points.’
Adding to the existing three, plus the fifteen he had earned from healing the people at the hospital, he had a total of thirty-eight.
‘If I gather a little more, I’ll have fifty.’
He would be able to ask questions related to the Discrepancy Score and the Administrator.
‘Should I save them? Or use them?’
Honestly, he wanted to know about the entity that seemed to be watching him from behind. The feeling that something was approaching him from behind constantly kept him on edge. He felt a constant anxiety, as if someone might stab him in the back at any moment. In addition, the Administrator, who seemed to be subtly disadvantaging him, was also bothersome.
However…
‘I could die before I gather all the Merit Points.’
There was a chance that saving his Merit Points now could backfire in a critical moment.
‘The Pioneer’s Cradle is meant to support me.’
It would be beneficial for him if his supporter had more abilities.
Having made up his mind, Seong-ho muttered softly,
“Yes.”
「30 Merit Points used.」
「Accessing Chapter 2 of the Pioneer’s Cradle.」
The pages, stiff as stone and previously immobile, now fluttered open. He had only turned a single page, a page as large as his torso, but a scene vastly different from the usual Q&A section unfolded before him.
[Fate Pioneer Exclusive Quest List]
– Civilian Rescue (0)
– Follower Recruitment (0)
– Evolved Zombie Hunting (0)
– Character Hunting (0)
“What is this…?”
Blinking rapidly in surprise, Seong-ho tapped on ‘Civilian Rescue,’ the topmost item on the list.
[Rescue 10 Civilians]
[Rescue 25 Civilians]
[Rescue 50 Civilians]
…
He tapped on the topmost entry in the scrolling list, and detailed information appeared.
[Rescue 10 Civilians]
– Regardless of time or location, rescue civilians in danger and ensure their safety.
– Success Reward: 1 Stat Point
Rescuing 25 civilians offered 2 Stat Points as a reward, and rescuing 50 offered 3. And the last quest, involving rescuing hundreds of thousands of civilians, offered hundreds of Stat Points. He now had a way to obtain Stat Points besides Fate Intervention.
‘Good thing I used the Merit Points.’
The Follower Recruitment category, which he checked next, wasn’t much different from the Rescue category. The only difference was that the rewards were a bit unusual.
‘Next is the Hunting category.’
The quest description simply instructed him to hunt evolved zombies. He tapped on the Success Reward listed below, and an additional explanation appeared.
– Everyday consumables that are no longer in production will be provided as rewards.
The attached list was filled with supplies like sugar, oil, flashbangs, and medicine.
‘To have a way to procure supplies in a situation where all the factories have stopped operating…’
It was quite a decent reward.
And then, the long-awaited Character Hunting category.
[Character Hunting]
– Kill characters appearing in
– Success Reward: Item
‘It doesn’t seem like it’s telling me to kill all the supporting characters like Lim Chan.’
This probably meant killing the villains who appeared in the original story. The Fate Pioneer Team was implying through this quest that the deaths of these villains would help save the world. Seong-ho actually agreed with that sentiment. Of course, that didn’t mean it would be easy to carry it out…
‘They are those I’ll have to clash with eventually anyway.’
Sighing, Seong-ho clicked on the Success Reward. He wanted to see what kind of item it offered. He had expected a list of items like the one he had seen in the Evolved Zombie Hunting category.
– Different items will be awarded depending on the character hunted.
That vague explanation was all there was.
‘I could just hunt them and see what I get, but…’
Since he had no idea what kind of items would appear, his curiosity was piqued. So, opening Chapter 1 of the Cradle, he asked,
“What is the function of the item I can obtain by hunting the character Go Ji-hoon?”
The required Merit Points were 2. The answer provided by the Fate Pioneer Team was unexpectedly pleasing to Seong-ho. Although the naming sense was bizarre, the function was quite useful.
After confirming the item’s function, Seong-ho’s gaze naturally drifted behind him. Watching the Lim father and daughter sleeping by the campfire, he suddenly muttered,
“I suppose I can consider it getting them a present.”
He was planning to go to Myeong-dong anyway, so he might as well get that item while he was at it.
Having finished organizing his thoughts, Seong-ho stared intently at the name remaining on the Q&A page.
‘Go Ji-hoon.’
The villain, Go Ji-hoon, who appeared in connection with the cannibal camp. He was also the reason Seong-ho had chosen the Special Ability Extraction Bead as his reward.
Go Ji-hoon was the person who would make the Special Ability Extraction Bead the most useful.
—–CROW—–