Chapter 5: Great Cataclysm (5)

Inside Hound's mouth was a small bead and a gemstone. Jang Sahu looked down at the bead and gemstone in puzzlement. The bead was a small one, the size commonly used in marbles. The gemstone was even smaller, so much so that he was worried it might fall and be lost on the floor when he tried to pick it up. Jang Sahu carefully picked up the bead and gemstone from his mouth. As if its role was fulfilled, the giant Hound, which had come back to life as a zombie, crumbled into dust.

"Huh?!"

"What? Did you see that?"

The people standing behind, including the soldiers and those pretending not to notice but glancing at Jang Sahu, who had saved them, were shocked. Jang Sahu was also surprised, but then the next giant Hound in line opened its mouth, as if to offer the bead and gemstone.

"…Hold on."

Seeing the endless line of giant Hounds, he took out a handkerchief from his left chest. He skillfully manipulated the handkerchief to make it like a small pouch and placed the bead and gemstone inside.

"This way, I won't lose them."

Clack.

Clack-clack.

Clack-clack-clack.

The giant Hounds, who were in line, seemed to be moved and clacked their jaws in appreciation as Jang Sahu carefully examined the handkerchief, worried about losing the bead and gemstone.

"Stop. It's too noisy."

As a necromancer, he could feel that they were purely expressing joy. However, the sight of the monsters that had just attacked them coming back to life and clacking their jaws in unison was a perfect scene to instill fear in people. The giant Hounds, understanding Jang Sahu's intention, stopped clacking their jaws. They looked a bit dejected, and he could feel their spirits were dampened, but he had no intention of allowing them to move their jaws again.

Once Jang Sahu was properly prepared, the line quickly shortened. The giant Hounds, now turned into zombies, respectfully handed over the precious beads and gemstones and crumbled into dust, and soon over dozens of giant Hounds had vanished without a trace. Only after all the giant Hounds had disappeared could Jang Sahu examine the beads and gemstones they had left behind in detail.

First, driven by instinct, Jang Sahu examined the gemstone and was surprised to see a hologram floating above it.

- Description: A stone condensed with the mana of a deceased life.

- Remaining Mana: 100/100

- Grade: E

- Source: Giant Hound (E)

"Is this…?"

Jang Sahu nodded as he read the detailed description carefully.

"Mana is certainly similar to qi. However, I haven't yet confirmed whether it is exactly the same as qi or if there is a slight difference."

To feel more clearly, he held one of the gemstones to sense the mana. He scanned the mana with his sensitive senses again, but only felt a peculiar qi. He nodded, confirming that it was not a completely different energy from mana. Although he didn't understand everything, he confirmed that mana was very similar to the qi used by necromancers. Next, he examined the bead.

Upon closely examining the bead, which had a swirling mist inside, he felt the souls of the vanished giant Hounds. At the same time, he sensed the corpses crouched in a zombie state inside the bead, and a hologram window appeared before his eyes.

Curious about items related to souls and spirits, which are relevant to necromancers, he read the hologram, expecting detailed information as before.

"What?"

To his surprise, the text in the hologram was all broken. It was as if he had opened an old file and found it filled with special characters, making it impossible to read. Something was written, but it was incomprehensible.

"Is this a bug?"

Jang Sahu, who had been expecting detailed information about items related to his expertise, was disappointed and looked crestfallen. However, since the giant Hounds he had controlled had left these items behind even as they disappeared, he carefully wrapped the bead and mana stone in the handkerchief and put them in his pocket.

"I kept you waiting."

Just as he put the handkerchief in his pocket, the squad leader, who had disappeared to receive a radio call, returned.

"May I ask your name?"

"My name is Jang Sahu."

"Yes, Mr. Jang Sahu. Could you please enter your resident registration number and address here?"

"Personal information?"

Jang Sahu asked, puzzled, and the squad leader nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Jang Sahu, you are an Awakened, correct? The government has declared a state of emergency and is currently investigating the personal information of Awakeneds nationwide. Please cooperate."

Jang Sahu's eyes narrowed at his words.

The response was unusually fast.

The soldiers' movements, as if they had anticipated the monsters would emerge from the passage.

Their attitude of trying to perfectly verify the identities of Awakeneds even in the midst of extreme chaos.

'Did the government foresee this situation to some extent?'

Although he explained the situation, Jang Sahu remained silent, and the squad leader's tone became a bit more assertive.

"As I mentioned, the current situation is so urgent that a state of emergency has been declared. The power of Awakeneds is dangerous but necessary for ordinary people. Even if you don't write down the information now, we will find it through other means."

As he spoke, the squad leader looked at the name of the hospital written on Jang Sahu's clothes. To get a job, he must have signed an employment contract, which would have his personal information.

Reading his intention, Jang Sahu shrugged.

"Yes, I was going to write it down. I haven't done anything wrong."

Hearing this, the squad leader's expression, which had been wary, turned apologetic.

"Of course. This is just to identify and prevent problems among Awakeneds. Please don't be upset."

"Understood. By the way… your response is very quick. It's as if you anticipated this situation."

"…Yes, yes?"

The squad leader's body stiffened at his words.

From shock to confusion, and then gradually, a look of hostility rose in his eyes. Jang Sahu spoke.

"Just a joke. That can't be possible."

"…Ah?"

As the squad leader was taken aback by his sudden joke, Jang Sahu entered his personal information on the tablet he had been handed and gave it back.

"You were monitoring the situation via radio. Have you received any updates on Hwanwoong High School?"

"Ah? Ah, yes. Just a moment."

Although he sensed something unusual, the squad leader, caught off guard by Jang Sahu's sudden question, looked at the tablet to answer.

"Hwanwoong High School… Yes, it says the situation in this area has been suppressed. Why do you ask?"

"I have someone I know there. Thank you."

Although he had already heard from his parents that they were safe, Jang Sahu felt relieved to cross-check in case of any unforeseen circumstances. However, he wanted to go home quickly, thinking his younger brother might have suffered a psychological shock.

"Then I'll be on my way. Given the situation, I can't continue working."

From the funeral parlor to the hospital, the soldiers had already put up access restriction tapes and were guiding people to one place. No matter how much pride he had in his work, he wasn't so out of touch with reality that he would say, "I need to do my job," with soldiers on the scene.

"Are you leaving now? You're going home, right?"

"Yes, I'm going home."

As Jang Sahu answered casually, a person in the crowd, being guided by the soldiers, suddenly lunged at him.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Let me go! Damn, let me go! Hey, you monster! This is all your doing, right?!"

The man, who was being restrained by the soldiers, called Jang Sahu a monster and cursed at him. Choi Kyungdo, held by three soldiers and unable to move, spat out curses at Jang Sahu in a fit of rage.

"You dirty corpse cleaner! You can't even earn minimum wage! You caused this chaos with those disgusting monsters, didn't you? You put them away after using them!"

Jang Sahu looked at Choi Kyungdo expressionlessly, unimpressed by his illogical words. Choi Kyungdo seemed even angrier and struggled more.

"Let me go! This is all that kid's fault! He's the one who summoned and put away the monsters!"

"Excuse me, but your claims have no evidence or credibility."

"Of course there's evidence! The monsters all disappeared! He must have summoned and put them away!"

As the soldiers looked at him as if he were a madman, Choi Kyungdo was about to lash out again when a student walking behind him muttered.

"Idiot. Talking like a monster. The one who wet his pants and ran away."

"What, what?"

Choi Kyungdo turned his head sharply at the clear and shameful words. There, a high school student who had fallen and asked for help while running away was looking at him disdainfully.

"You little brat! What did you say?!"

"Stop it. It's embarrassing. You're making a scene with nonsense. You're an adult, you know."

"You, you bastard!"

As Choi Kyungdo, who had been about to lunge at Jang Sahu, turned to attack the student, the tall high school student smirked.

"Why? Go ahead. Attack me. I was scared of the monsters, but are you, a coward, scary to me?"

The student, who seemed to exercise and had a sturdy build, looked him straight in the eye, and Choi Kyungdo hesitated.

At that moment, a woman who had been watching the situation stepped forward.

"The monsters came from the apartment side. What logic is it that this man released them?"

"What, what…! The monsters came this way, the monsters! And you heard what he said!"

"Would someone who released monsters run around trying to kill them and save people? And the soldiers said he's an Awakened."

As the woman pointed at the squad leader, Choi Kyungdo was speechless.

As he trembled, another man behind him intervened.

"I saw it too. On NewTube, they said Awakeneds gain superhuman abilities. He must be one of them. I understand you're embarrassed, but let's move on. Don't cause more trouble."

"You're right, stop it."

"Because of you, we can't move. What's going on?"

"Helping a drowning person and getting slapped. What a character."

"Isn't that the smell of urine? That man actually wet his pants."

"Oh, my."

One by one, people looked at him with disapproving eyes, and Choi Kyungdo's face turned red with embarrassment. He turned his head sharply, glared at Jang Sahu, who was calmly observing the situation, and walked away from the line.

"Hey, sir! This way! Sir!"

The soldiers leading the survivors were taken aback, but the squad leader raised his hand to stop them.

"It's fine. We've confirmed there are no remaining monsters in the area, so let him go."

"Ah, yes. Understood."

The soldiers, who had been obligated to lead him due to orders, were not particularly interested in his behavior and followed the instructions without a word. The people started moving again.

However, the scene was different from before.

"Thank you, young man."

"Really, thank you."

"Thanks to you, I survived."

People passing by Jang Sahu expressed their gratitude. Jang Sahu, unaccustomed to such gratitude, couldn't manage his expression and nodded awkwardly in response.

"…This is new."

For Jang Sahu, who had lived his life hiding the fact that he was a necromancer, this was a very fresh experience. However, it was a pleasant one.