Chapter 6: Change

Jang Sahoo got into the car and tried to contact the hospital department head before leaving, but the call didn't connect.

After confirming that people from other hospital departments had already left, Jang Sahoo started the engine and set off.

The radio was incessantly broadcasting emergency updates, spewing out all kinds of information.

While driving and listening to the radio, his eyes sank into deep thought.

Having experienced it firsthand, he no longer had any doubts about the existence of the Gate and Awakeners.

But the problem was:

"Why did this phenomenon occur in the first place?"

Moreover, it felt unnatural that the government was hiding information despite such a significant event.

Just as the endless emergency updates began to fade,

Jang Sahoo finally arrived at Hwanwoong High School, where his younger sister was.

Perhaps because it was the place where the Gate had burst open and monsters had emerged, the only moving vehicles nearby were those used by soldiers.

The situation at Hwanwoong High School was not much different from the hospital.

People were moving under the guidance of soldiers, and the dead were covered with white sheets and moved to one place.

Since soldiers had set up a no-entry zone outside the high school, Jang Sahoo called his sister on his phone.

"Sorry, I was distracted. I came to the school by car, but they won't let me in."

As the call disconnected, Jang Sahoo leaned back in the driver's seat and took a deep breath.

"Replacing spirits with qi is indeed inefficient."

The true power of a necromancer originally came from the spirits they used as their primary energy source.

However, it was impossible to use the spirits that lingered temporarily before moving on to the afterlife without preparation.

Fortunately, he could use the vast amount of qi he gained from awakening to replace the energy needed for magic, but since he was still not used to it, the power was significantly reduced.

To compensate for the weakened magic, he used more qi, or mana, than necessary, but this was inefficient, and he needed to find a compromise.

While he was closing his eyes and organizing his thoughts, a knock came on the passenger window.

Turning his head, Jang Sahoo saw his younger sister, Jang Jiye, who was covered in blood and had water dripping from her hair and face, as if she had just washed up.

"Are you okay? Any injuries?"

"I'm fine. How about you? I heard it was chaotic at the hospital where you work."

"Thanks to the magic, I managed to resolve it without any major issues."

"You used magic?! That's a relief. I was worried you'd have to fight with your bare hands, following some rules in this situation."

Jang Jiye sighed deeply in relief, then suddenly her eyes flared up.

"Why didn't you answer the phone on time?! At least leave a message!"

"It was right after the call ended. I was distracted."

"Ah, so you didn't even have a minute to call?"

"…Are you hungry?"

Seeing that the questioning was about to continue, Jang Sahoo skillfully, but awkwardly, changed the subject.

"Phew. I'm hungry."

Though it was obvious he was changing the subject, Jang Jiye, who knew her brother's personality well, sighed deeply and went along with it.

"Wait here. I'll find a place to eat."

Jang Sahoo, relieved to escape the questioning, pressed the accelerator harder.

* * *

Naturally, in a life-or-death situation and with a national emergency declared, no restaurant owner was saying, "We still need to work to eat," and staying open.

They managed to buy some long-distance food from an unmanned convenience store and returned home, where they made a meal of fried eggs, rice, and kimchi stew with tuna from the convenience store.

Jang Jiye, who had been very hungry, quickly finished her meal and then her eyes flared up again.

"So, why didn't you answer the phone?"

"Right, you said you awakened. What ability did you get?"

Jang Jiye sighed at his attempt to change the subject again.

"…Sigh. It's the ability of a healer. My class is a cleric."

"…What?"

Jang Sahoo's eyes widened at the mention of "cleric."

Perhaps annoyed by his expression, Jang Jiye glared at him and he turned his head to avoid her gaze.

"…I had no choice. Three cards appeared, and one of them was a blue card."

"Three cards?"

Recalling the countless cards that had appeared before him, Jang Sahoo was puzzled but didn't show it too much, thinking it was possible.

"Surprising. A cleric in a necromancer family. So… can you use holy power?"

"No, just healing abilities. Still, it's good. When I saw the skill, it can heal not just external injuries but also internal ones indirectly."

"Oh, skills. I remember that."

Jang Sahoo nodded, recalling a term he had seen on NewTube.

"Hey, wait. I heard you also awakened. Haven't you tried using your skills yet?"

"Yeah, the situation was too urgent, so I didn't think of it. I used necromancer magic."

"…Huh. Well, with your magic… I don't know, but it's probably more reliable than a clumsy skill."

Jang Jiye nodded in agreement.

Then, she suddenly realized that her brother hadn't told her what class he had chosen and her eyes sparkled.

"Brother, what class did you choose?"

"Me? Necromancer."

"Wait, do you think I didn't know you're a necromancer? I mean, the class you got from awakening!"

Thinking he was joking, Jang Jiye's eyes turned into daggers again.

"No, really, necromancer. It said necromancer on the card I chose."

"…What? Really? A necromancer who was already a necromancer got the necromancer class?"

This time, Jang Jiye was the one who was confused.

"When I chose my class, there was no necromancer card. So, you got lucky and the necromancer card was one of the three cards?"

"No. There were over twenty cards. The necromancer card was black and hidden from view."

"……??"

Jang Sahoo explained in detail, but Jang Jiye was still confused, her eyes trembling.

"Twenty cards? I've heard five is a lot, and twenty? And black?"

Jang Jiye was bewildered by Jang Sahoo's account, which was so different from what she knew.

"Did you check your skills?"

"Hold on."

When asked about the skills he hadn't checked yet, Jang Sahoo closed his eyes and focused.

As he closed his eyes and recalled his abilities, the black card he had chosen at the hospital, as seen on NewTube, appeared in his mind.

Though he was still not used to it, he was surprised inside but didn't show it. As he focused on the card, blue text appeared on it.

-Can collect the souls of the dead.

-Can voluntarily turn a willing soul into a soul gem.

-Can forcibly turn a soul into a soul gem.

-Forcibly created soul gems are of lower quality than voluntary ones.

-Can summon the body of a soul gem before it became a soul gem.

-Can use soul gems to restore the durability of other soul gems.

"……"

Jang Sahoo opened his eyes, still seeing the information about the skill in his mind, but he didn't need to consciously recall it.

Like a well-practiced action that comes naturally, he could recall the abilities of his skill.

"How was it? Did you feel anything?"

Jang Jiye looked at Jang Sahoo with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah. I'm still feeling it, but I know what kind of power I've gained."

Jang Sahoo took out a mysterious bead from a handkerchief in his pocket.

He could feel it.

He could now see the information of this bead.

As he stared at the bead, blue and green light emanated from his eyes.

And as he had expected, he could read the information on the bead that he couldn't read at the hospital.

-Description: Soul gem of a [Zombie State] giant hound.

-Durability: 100/100

-Potential Utilization: 100%

-Rank: E-Rank

-Status: Contains a [Zombified] body. When summoned, the giant hound's body is also summoned.

"So that's what it was. A soul gem."

"Wait, wait! Hold on!"

At that moment, Jang Jiye, who had been looking at Jang Sahoo, was startled and grabbed his cheeks.

"What's wrong?"

"Why are your eyes like that?! When did you get heterochromia?!"

Surprised by her words, Jang Sahoo tilted his head and looked at his phone.

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

"How should I know?!"

When he focused, thought deeply, or used his necromancer powers, the green light in his eyes had turned blue.

'…Could it be.'

Recalling the necromancer card he had chosen, the face hidden by the hood, and the blue light that had emanated from its eyes, Jang Sahoo could guess the reason for this change.

When he explained the situation, Jang Jiye tilted her head.

"…Did it change because of the awakening? If so, it must be influenced by the spirits… Brother, show me your skill."

Thinking that using the skill might cause other changes, Jang Jiye suggested.

Holding the bead, the soul gem, Jang Sahoo infused it with qi and threw it into the living room.

The soul gem shattered, and a giant hound that had turned into a zombie and disappeared into dust at the hospital appeared.

"Ah! What's that?!"

"It's a giant hound."

"That's not the point right now!"

Jang Sahoo, who had answered half-heartedly, was hit on the back and explained his skill and what had happened at the hospital.

Jang Jiye, who had heard the entire story, was shocked.

"What, what is that? It's scary."

"Necromancers aren't scared of such things. Anyway, it's hard to use proper power unless I can guide souls to become soul gems voluntarily."

When he tried to forcibly turn the giant hound into a soul gem, a holographic message appeared: [Forcibly turning a soul into a soul gem will significantly affect its potential and durability. Do you want to proceed?]

Jang Sahoo shrugged.

These giant hounds had somehow followed him and all became soul gems voluntarily, but there was no guarantee that would always be the case.

"No, no. Brother, you can make soul gems voluntarily."

"Why do you think so?"

Jang Jiye, speaking with a strangely confident tone, was asked by Jang Sahoo.

"Well, when Brother works as a necromancer, the atmosphere… No, just, yeah."

Jang Jiye opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it.

"Anyway, if there's nothing wrong with your body and you can use your skills properly, it's fine. And not much is known about Awakeners yet, right? As long as you're okay."

Jang Jiye, who had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Jang Sahoo's body, even said that his heterochromia looked cool.

"By the way, did you also register your personal information on the Awakeners list?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Hmm. Why did the government collect such information, especially from someone who came back from the dead?"

"Given the situation, we don't know what might happen in the future."

When they were suddenly asked to input personal information, it didn't feel good.

But thinking about it, it made sense that the government would want to manage the sudden appearance of superhumans with such incredible powers.

And the more dangerous the ability, the more thorough the management would be.

Moreover, the fact that he opposed revealing all the information made it seem like the government had anticipated this situation.

"Jiye, the government will likely investigate the classes and abilities of Awakeners soon. When that happens, don't be completely honest. Lower your abilities a bit."

"Huh? Why? The stronger the ability, the better, right?"

Jang Jiye, who had never really worked in society, tilted her head at first but then nodded.

Her brother's serious and cautious nature was a flaw, but it also meant he was thoughtful and never said anything unnecessary, so she could trust him.

And most importantly, he was her brother.

"Got it. I'll do that."

"Good. You haven't changed your clothes either. Go take a shower first."

"Ah, right. I was so used to it, I didn't even notice."

As children of a necromancer family, neither Jang Sahoo nor Jang Jiye felt fear at the sight of blood-stained clothes.

It was just a bit uncomfortable.

Realizing her appearance, Jang Jiye stopped the conversation and went to her room to clean up and rest.