The warmth of the ramen still lingered in the air.
Ji-Hoon sat cross-legged on the floor of his apartment, watching steam curl up from the bowl in front of him. Across the room, Park Min-Seok and Yoo Eun-Ha quietly fed their daughter, So-Ra, who was bundled in a thin blanket and still a little pale.
The girl smiled faintly as she slurped the noodles. Ji-Hoon couldn't tell if it was the warmth or the taste that comforted her, but it was the first genuine human expression he'd seen since the sky broke.
No one had spoken for a while. There was no need. Everything they wanted to say hung between them like fog.
Eventually, Ji-Hoon broke it.
"…What's your name?" he asked quietly, his voice still dry from hours of silence.
"Park Min-Seok," the man said. "That's my wife, Yoo Eun-Ha. And our daughter, So-Ra."
Ji-Hoon gave a small nod. "And, I am Kim Ji-Hoon," he said. "But…"
He hesitated. His eyes flicked toward the glowing interface still hovering near the ceiling.
"System calls me 'Kael Veythar.'"
Eun-Ha tilted her head. "Is that… your game ID or something?"
"No," Ji-Hoon said. "Can you perhaps not see the floating screen? I don't know where it came from. But the system… responds better when I use it. So I've been going along with it."
Min-Seok replied "No" and did not press further. He looked at the bat resting near Ji-Hoon's foot, then glanced at his own trembling hands.
"You saved us," he said. "So... thank you."
Ji-Hoon nodded once. He appreciated the words, but the weight in the air didn't lift. Trust, he knew, would come slowly.
Min-Seok took over. "We were heading out to get groceries. Thought it was just another blackout at first. But then we heard the screams." He clenched his fists. "People were attacking each other. Not like a riot—like they weren't… people anymore."
"But you escaped?" Ji-Hoon asked.
"We ran," Min-Seok said. "Down alleyways. Through side streets. I didn't even have time to grab a real weapon. She got hurt when we slipped near the stairwell."
Ji-Hoon looked at the bent metal pipe still lying near the entrance. It was rusted, short, barely useful.
"Then you found my place."
Eun-Ha gave a short nod. "We heard a scream. And saw you from your window. We just—reacted to seek shelter."
Ji-Hoon finally turned to face them fully. "We need better shelter," he said. "And food. My system lets me buy things—but it costs coins. I only get them by killing things."
Min-Seok's eyes tightened. "You mean monsters?"
"And whatever's left of people."
The silence that followed wasn't out of fear. It was agreement.
Ji-Hoon shifted slightly, pulling the interface open again.
"It's the only way I can buy food," he said. "Or anything, really."
Min-Seok exhaled through his nose. "I don't know how much help I'll be. I worked in an office, about ten minutes from here. We moved in two weeks ago. I've never touched a weapon."
He then glanced toward the window. "This apartment won't hold long," he said. "There's no food left. No proper weapons. We can't keep depending on just you."
Ji-Hoon nodded. "There's a small convenience store near the corner. Might still have something useful."
Eun-Ha raised a brow. "Isn't that… dangerous?"
"Yeah," Ji-Hoon said. "But it's our best shot. And I'm not sure how long this place will stay safe, not without help. Maybe we'll find others."
---
They moved slowly, Ji-Hoon in the lead with the bat held low but ready.
So-Ra walked in the middle, holding her mother's hand. Min-Seok brought up the rear, gripping a bent metal pipe they'd found in the stairwell.
The world outside was still. Not quiet—*still*. The kind of silence that pressed against your eardrums. A dog barked somewhere in the distance. Nothing else.
Cars were stopped mid-intersection, some with doors still open. One had blood smeared across the windshield—inside, a man's head was tilted at a strange angle against the steering wheel, throat torn out.
Ji-Hoon gripped the bat tighter.
They passed a burnt-out bus. Scorch marks lined the sidewalk, and in the middle of the street lay the remains of something that used to be human. The head was missing. The chest had been hollowed out.
So-Ra whimpered softly.
Min-Seok placed his hand gently on her head, guiding her eyes away.
They moved in silence, each turn of a corner another gamble.
Finally, they reached the convenience store.
The front shutters had been bent upward, as if something had forced its way inside. The door hung crookedly on one hinge. Inside, the faint light from flickering ceiling lamps revealed overturned shelves, smashed bottles, and streaks of dried blood across the floor tiles..
And people.
---
Inside, he found five people. Young—probably in thier mid 20s.
Three men. Two women.
Two of them were bandaged—one heavily, lying on a mat of snack bags. A girl with short black hair and a bloodstained hoodie stood defensively near the shelves, holding a broken mop handle.
When Ji-Hoon stepped in, she raised it toward him immediately.
"Stop right there," she snapped.
Ji-Hoon raised his free hand. "I'm not here to fight. There is a child."
She glanced past him. When she saw So-Ra's small frame peek around the doorway, her stance softened.
Another boy—tall, broad-shouldered, shirt soaked in dried blood—muttered from the floor. "Let them in, Ji-Ah"
The girl lowered the stick but didn't put it down.
They entered carefully. Ji-Hoon noticed the expressions on the others—tired, defensive, suspicious.
They introduced themselves. Then,
The tall man by the drinks fridge spoke.
"I'm Jang Woo-Jin. Law major. That's Tae-Gyu, the one behind the freezer. Computer science. The one lying is Dae-Hyun. He was on the track team." He gestured toward the women. "Han Ji-Ah—our resident broom warrior. And Ye-Rin. She's… a little out of it."
Ye-Rin looked up and gave a faint smile.
"We were at a coffee shop when it all started," Ji-Ah said. "We tried to run. Fought a goblin with kitchen knives. We lost two of our friends. And at last we hid here… escaping from them."
"Hard to tell anymore what they were and where they came from," Woo-Jin muttered. "It felt like a nightmare...."
Then they heard them.
Shuffling footsteps outside. Groans. Nails dragging against pavement.
Ji-Hoon didn't hesitate for it was an opportunity for him to test is newly acquired skill Creation Spark.
He stepped outside.
Eleven zombies approached from across the road. Pale, stiff, soulless.
He didn't wait for them to get close.
As he active his skill, his bat engulf in fire, but instead of burning the heat radiating was warm.
With clean, practiced swings, Ji-Hoon moved like someone who had done this before. The bat smashed through skulls like wet paper. He dodged, pivoted, and struck again. No hesitation. No panic.
When the last corpse collapsed, the bodies shimmered—and vanished, leaving behind faint motes of golden light. But the bat was no longer usable.
[ System:
+50 Coins Earned × 11]
He stood over where they had been, exhaling slowly.
He had definitely gotten stronger.
Back inside, the people stared at him with a mix of awe and fear.
They could not tell who the real moster was. The person who seemed fearless and one sidedly killed the creatures who were bad news for them and even 11 of them.
He then moved toward the injured man, scanning the wounds quickly.
"Deep cut. Not infected. But he'll need rest."
No one stopped him as he inspect the injury from a distance.
The girl—Han Ji-Ah, nodded toward the guy on the floor, " He's Dae-Hyun. He was hurt by goblins. He's stable but losing strength."
Ji-Hoon walked closer, ignoring the tension in the room. He crouched beside Choi Dae-Hyun and examined the crude wrappings.
Then he activated his system.
> **Healing Light – 30 FP Used**
Warm golden energy flowed from his hand.
The room went quiet.
Golden warmth poured from his palm, washing over Dae-Hyun's side. The others flinched, but Ji-Hoon stayed still. The bleeding stopped. The color returned to Dae-Hyun's face..
"Who… are you?" asked a soft voice—**Seo Ye-Rin**, the quiet girl sitting in the corner with a bloodied arm.
Ji-Hoon didn't answer. Instead, he purchased a waterbottle. And give it to him.
"....thanks" Dae-Hyun replied with a hesitation.
Near the shelves he observed a metal bat lying.
He opened the system and scanned the metal bat to register it.
In korea where owning firearms was illegal and the availability of other weapon was minimal, the availability of the metal bat was a better option that his baseball bat for now.
Then opened the System Shop.
> **\[Metal Bat Registered – 1 Available – Cost: 100 Coins]**
He bought it.
The bat materialized in the air with a flash of silver. Everyone froze.
"What the actual hell," muttered Jang Woo-Jin, the one who looked like a born skeptic.
Ji-Hoon bought more ramen, more water, and handed them out without a word.
The food appeared the same way—midair, glowing, then real.
The group stared at him like he was from another world.
---
"Your name sir?" Woo-Jin asked finally.
Ji-Hoon hesitated. Then spoke.
"…Kael Veythar."
The moment the name left his lips, the air changed.
Something stirred in the others. Not recognition—but *resonance*. A strange comfort. A warmth they couldn't explain.
> **[Trust Reached – 60]**
> **[Faith point gain: +230 ]**
> **[Followers Registered: 8/7]**
Ji-Hoon didn't have time to react before it happened.
A subtle pulse echoed outward. The store shimmered faintly. An invisible veil spread over the walls and roof like a misty dome, transparent yet real.
[SYSTEM UPDATE – QUEST COMPLETE]
Quest: Recruit 7 Followers – COMPLETED
Followers Gained: 8
Divine Sanctuary: ESTABLISHED
Reward: Stat Enhancement + Title Activation + System Expansion
—
User: Kael Veythar
Title: Anchor of Earth
Level: 4
—
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 10 → 12
Constitution: 11 → 13
Dexterity: 9 → 10
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 8 → 11
Mana: 100/100 → 500/500
—
Faith Points: 370 / ∞
Coins: 1,030
—
SKILLS (Active & Passive)
● Healing Light (Lv1) (Cost: 30 FP)
● Creation Spark (Lv 1) (Cost: 50 FP)
(New)
● Haven (Passive/Active) (Lv.1) – A divine barrier forms around designated space, user have full authority inside it.
● Special Control (Lv.1) – Teleport within the sanctuary or create a return portal from anywhere.
● Odin's Eye (Lv.1) – View full data of anyone inside your sanctuary.
● Blessing (Lv.1) – Spend FP to awaken and empower followers.
● Sanctum Forge (Lv.1) – Build divine structures within your sanctuary using Coins + FP.
● Astral Bind (Lv.1) - (Cost: 100 FP) Traps enemies in an area with divine chains. Cancels movement and abilities.
—
Skill: Haven (Lv.1) (Passive)
Radius: 100 meters
Follower Limit: 15 (Base Cap)
Faith Regen: Passive (via Altar or follower activity)
Special Effects: Divine Calm / Void Repulsion / Internal Field Stabilization
—
FOLLOWERS [8/10] ∇
1. Park Min-Seok
2. Yoo Eun-Ha
3. Park So-Ra
4. Jang Woo-Jin
5. Choi Dae-Hyun
6. Im Tae-Gyu
7. Han Ji-Ah
8. Seo Ye-Rin
—
QUEST
[System Expansion Unlocked:
• Divine Authority Growth Tree – Locked]
Condition: Reach 15 Followers OR Unlock 1 Rare Class Among Followers.
____