Feeling a grumble in his stomach after laying around for an hour, nodding off and rummaging through books, his eyes set on the container of freshly prepared food given to him from the girl.

“…Let’s see what she made,” he mumbled to himself.

Popping the lid off of the tupperware, he was immediately greeted by a sweet, savory fragrance that rumbled his stomach.

It was a hefty serving of rice, mixed with fluffy, golden eggs and sauced-lathered, diced bits of chicken.

“Wow…she’s a natural, isn’t she?” He muttered to himself.

Before he dived into the meal, he realized one important aspect he was missing: a drink.

He didn’t have anything stored in the mini fridge present in his minimal room, forcing him to take a pause from his savory dinner and venture out of his room towards the lobby, which was stocked full of various snacks and drinks.

It wasn’t exactly “noisy” but there was a certain ambience to the well-maintained hotel. That surprising cleanliness of the hotel could be attributed to two factors: those staying there and using it as residence making an effort to pick up after themselves, and the woman who designated herself as the “Chief of the Hotel”–Binna.

In those halls, he found himself crossing by the self-proclaimed chief of the hotel, Binna, who was a head taller than himself with flowing, light-golden locks that descended on her broad shoulders.

[Player Recognized…]

[Binna. Level: 22 | Class: Luminate Warhammer]

“Oh! It’s you, Jeong-Hui!” Binna looked up at him, standing herself up as she wiped the sweat from her forehead._.

She was a firmly built woman, with respectable muscle mass and definition, wearing an altered [Equip] that was uniformed with an apron as she held onto a wet rag, having been wiping down the walls.

“Hey,” he greeted her with a polite smile.

Looking at the snow-white wall she had been scrubbing down, he saw the large, purple stain that was embedded plain as day onto its mass.

“…What happened here?” He asked.

He instantly regretted asking as the blonde-haired woman popped a vein at the recollection of the stain’s origin, seeming to squeeze the life out of the rag she held.

“Those boys…Yeong-Un and Sol–I’ve about had it up to here with their lack of respect!” Binna let out as her tan complexion reddened in anger.

Oh, boy…they did it again, huh? He thought.

He knew it was likely an unintentional spill, knowing the two and their harmless nature, but Binna certainly didn’t take it that way.

“Seriously, next time I see those two…I’ll grind it into those thick skulls of theirs not to run through the halls while carrying drinks!” Binna assured.

“I see…” He said with a wry smile, beginning to walk away, “Good luck with that!”

Waving the woman off before she could continue her angered rant, he slipped away, opting to use the stairs this time to descend the many floors of the hotel-turned-home.

At the ground floor of the well-kept establishment, he went into the sector that was once used to sell snacks, which was just now essentially a compound or storage for the food and drink items they would find around the city.

“…Let’s see…”

He came here quite often, usually in search of salty snacks. Opening the fridge that occupied the area, he grabbed a carton of banana milk before going back on his way.

While returning to his room, he sipped on the sweet milk, not worrying about the prospect of Defects around every corner.

It was this peaceful pace of life that Gangcheori managed to cultivate in the decaying world; a small sanctuary from the constant slaughter beyond their walls.

After returning to his room, finishing his meal and washing it down with the rest of his milk, it wasn’t long after until the sun finally set, leaving the night to come–which prompted him to get out of bed.

Stretching his arms, he let out a small breath, “…Being a night owl isn’t doing me any favors in this day and age. Working nights isn’t exactly free of stress.”

He had been out of his [Equip] the entire time, though he had been pushing himself further and further with leaving it on for longer periods of time, as advised by Korain.

“Equip” is an amazing thing, but it does make your body exhausted. Gangcheori seems to have figured out that the more you see it, pushing it for longer and longer, the less that burden becomes–it seems to be completely erased for Dae-Seong, he thought.

“Equip.”

Manifesting his equip, a new set of equipment placed over his body in the form of a sleek, black uniform that was tightly kept to his body, designed with emerald tracings, and overlapped by a thin coat that hid the daggers sheathed at both of his sides.

His hood naturally was raised, and he no longer wore his glasses, as he discovered his enhanced sight made them practically obsolete.

It was a new uniform he acquired; the benefit to this special set of assassin-class garments helped silence his movements and increase his overall stealth capabilities.

I got lucky. Assassins are a pretty rare class, apparently, so they had this equipment on hold since nobody could make use out of it, he thought.

“System status,” he called.

[Player: Jeong-Hui.]

[Level: 22. EXP: 5600/9000.]

[Age: 17. Class: Luminate Assassin.]

[Health: 3100/3100. Spirit: 3200/3200.]

[Usable Skill Points: 0.]

In addition to his base stats, he was given information that was derivative of his “Sage System”:

[Martial Arts Proficiency: Taekwondo: Level 30/9999]

[Assassin Arts Proficiency: Level 22/9999]

It was still something he wasn’t completely adjusted to–the “Proficiency” leveling of his unique system, but he was getting the hang of it.

The more I use and practice things, the higher my “proficiency” rises. It’s a weird feeling…the knowledge and mastery just sort of…etches itself into my mind and body. All I have to do is use it, and voila–it improves, he thought.

Displaying this, he practiced a few kicks, carving them through the empty air inside of his room as they were executed smoothly.

For now, I’m just going to focus on “Taekwondo”–It’s just a theory, but I feel like trying to develop too many things at once will result in diminishing returns, he thought.

After making sure he was all set, he left the building, strolling the secured streets of the small piece of Seoul under the control of Gangcheori.

It was the one thing expected of you if you were to join the group: work for your stay, protection, and resources–this either came in doing monster hunts, dungeon raids, or, as he was getting prepared to do, patrols around the sector.

He hadn’t been to Gagnum-Gu while the world was still functional, so the impression he had was only in its hollow state; most stores had their windows boarded up or shattered completely, left in a mess.

Though, some were still functional, or rather restored by members of Gangcheori: particularly, the Starfield mall, which was an especially beautiful establishment, being one of the largest malls in all of Asia.

It’s amazing. I never would’ve imagined something like this still existed in this world: a community. It’s not very large, but still…there’s a sense of civilization. Dae-Seong really is an incredible guy, he thought.

When experiencing the city kept sparsely alive, it didn’t feel like a job to him to walk its streets at night, stepping over the overgrowth that seeped through the cracks in the concrete sidewalks–he wanted to maintain it as well.

“Oh, crap…I totally forgot about that thing with Yeong-Un and Sol…Well, whatever,” he mumbled to himself.

He was given the specific job of scoping out Starfield mall, as it was almost treated as the symbol of Gangcheori’s sanctuary.

Entering its lit domain, he stepped on the epoxy flooring that squeaked beneath the soles of his boots, looking upwards at the behemoth of bookshelves that were famous of the renowned establishment.

Since I’m already level twenty now, I don’t really have to stress about grinding experience. Though I still have to help out sometimes by partying with members who are lower than twenty to help them level up. It’s a good system that Gangcheori has going…I’m lucky I found them…This way, we’re sure to make it to the Tower, he thought.

Exploring the scope of the mall, his echoing steps were the only things filling his ears as it was vast yet unfilled with people.

He could imagine it just by walking across the epoxy flooring, overlooking the vast lower floor as he traversed the second story: the lively days the place once experienced.

It was a melancholic feeling, but that melancholy soon shifted into a tangible sadness as he looked over the balcony, imagining what had been lost.

…After everything that has been taken, I have to reach the Tower. I want to know for myself–I want to ask–why? If it was simply because humanity “failed” the expectations of a creator we’ve never even met…then I refuse to accept that, he thought.

He knew it was a childish conviction, but he kept it close to his heart anyway, continuing his patrol through the silent, vast mall alone.

Moving to the back of the mall, he reached the end of the second story, having passed by rummaged clothing stores, electronic appliance vendors, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

Looks like it’s all clear. Those walls really do work, he thought.

Beginning to turn back, he stopped as a noise met his ears–a metallic clanging, as if something was knocked over, echoing against the acoustic ground.

“–!”

He froze for a moment, checking his surroundings, but he already knew it came from the first floor, prompting him to hop over the railing as he landed seamlessly from a height that would be lethal if he wasn’t in [Equip].

…Just my luck if something did manage to get through and end up in my patrol route, he thought.