RMS 02

Chapter 2

Awakened people living in the country are required to register their personal information with the Center.

They have to take on several obligations, but in return, they are also given certain benefits.

One of the obligations Awakened people have is that they must respond whenever they are called upon during a crisis-level disaster.

In a way, it was only natural……

‘But when it actually happens, that “natural” thing is enough to drive you insane.’

Once a disaster occurred, most Awakened people would have their hands tied and be unable to respond to the chain of events that followed.

Especially the disaster that happened that day……

That was clearly a mistake in the Center’s management, but it was also Han Si-woo’s mistake.

The disaster that followed struck the residential area where he lived.

‘It was a complete mess back then. “Stay calm and deal with the situation.” Meanwhile, your insides are burning up with worry.’

Strictly speaking, there was no way he could have stopped that disaster at the time.

But what if he had been able to go there?

Could he at least have evacuated his family?

Perhaps if he had ignored all those obligations and simply rushed home……

“…Tsk.”

Han Si-woo clicked his tongue and looked at the large building standing before him.

It was the center of the country’s Awakened system, the Korean Center Headquarters.

‘Still, I can’t just avoid registering altogether.’

There were two ways to register as an Awakened at the Center.

One was full registration, and the other was simplified registration.

With full registration, an Awakened had to take on the aforementioned obligations, but received all the benefits provided by the Center.

With simplified registration, there were no obligations, but there were also hardly any benefits.

At most, they received a slight tax reduction on monster subjugation rewards.

It was a system designed for people who did not want to become officially affiliated with the Center.

Therefore, those with simplified registration were not forcibly mobilized during disasters.

‘Before my regression, I registered normally. But I don’t need those pathetic benefits.’

Han Si-woo nodded and stepped forward.

At the same time, the automatic doors opened, and the chaotic atmosphere inside the Center hit him in the face.

‘This place hasn’t changed at all, whether before or after the regression. The people’s expressions are quite different, though.’

These were not the faces of people fighting desperately against monsters and magical beasts.

Before the regression, the gloomy atmosphere was obvious.

But the people he saw now had the atmosphere of ordinary people simply doing their jobs.

Of course, that wasn’t a bad thing.

This was still an era of peace.

“I’d like to register as an Awakened.”

Han Si-woo spoke as he approached the clerk at the counter.

The clerk gave him a professional smile and was about to explain the registration process.

But Han Si-woo quickly filled out his personal information on the form provided and handed it to her.

“I’ll do simplified registration. And activate the test room. Number 3 is empty. I’ll use that one.”

“Ah, yes……”

Han Si-woo left those words behind and walked toward the test room.

The clerk stared blankly at his back before tilting her head.

He was obviously a newly awakened rookie, yet his behavior was far too familiar.

Click.

Han Si-woo entered the test room and immediately activated the equipment.

The device used to measure an Awakened’s abilities came to life with an unpleasant noise, and a screen appeared directly in front of him.

[Han Si-woo — Lv. 1]

[Class — None]

[Title — None]

[Strength — 7]

[Vitality — 6]

[Mana — 1]

[Awakening Date — 20X2/08/26]

[Registration Date — 20X2/08/26]

[Type — Simplified]

[Rank Assessment — F]

[Congratulations on registering as an Awakened.]

‘As expected, nothing about being a Transcendent appears.’

From time to time, unregistered Awakened people caused trouble.

The Center was quite quick when it came to handling the aftermath, but even if Awakened people could recognize one another, how were ordinary people supposed to know whether someone was an Awakened?

Because of that, devices that could confirm whether someone was an Awakened had become widespread.

Han Si-woo had used such devices several times to check his own information, and he had already confirmed that information about Transcendents could not be detected.

If the device had been able to detect that fact, he might not have registered at all.

‘It would only become troublesome if information about Transcendents became known.’

In any case, the rank he received was F.

That was no different from before the regression.

Then again, Han Si-woo’s current stats were nothing particularly impressive for an Awakened.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.’

After leaving the test room, Han Si-woo received his verification booklet from the clerk and put it into his pocket.

He had finally become a government-recognized Awakened, even if only through simplified registration.

But there was no reason to feel moved by such a trivial result.

‘It would be better to get moving right away.’

There was still some time before the first disaster he remembered.

But he didn’t have enough time to waste.

He needed to become stronger than he was now in as short a time as possible.

That first disaster was deeply engraved in his memories.

‘The Transcendence Hall is the key. I can level up while using it at the same time.’

Before the regression, he had been unable to save his family with his own strength.

He also lacked the power to stop the disaster.

But this time would be different.

No matter what it is, the first time you experience something is always special.

The first book you read. The first movie you watched.

When you reread a book or watch a movie again, you may not feel the same excitement as before, but you can notice things you missed the first time.

That was the thought currently circling through Han Si-woo’s mind.

‘At first, I was too flustered to understand what was going on. But now that I look at it……’

Han Si-woo gave a small laugh as he looked at the crude trap installed near his feet.

This was the first Goblin Dungeon he had entered after awakening.

He remembered clearing it while struggling desperately alongside a hastily assembled group whose faces he couldn’t even remember anymore.

‘Looking at it now, it’s pathetic.’

Clicking his tongue, Han Si-woo raised his foot.

Without the slightest hesitation, he kicked the trap at his feet.

Rattle!

A crude alarm made of loosely connected bones began to ring loudly.

At the same time, the shrieks of Goblins erupted from deeper inside.

Han Si-woo’s sharp senses picked up the sounds of roughly twenty of them.

“Ptooey.”

Han Si-woo spat into his palm and tightly gripped his basic equipment, the longsword.

The moment he heard footsteps coming around the corner, he immediately threw himself forward.

Slash!

The Goblin at the front collapsed to the ground from the unexpected attack.

The Goblins screamed all at once at Han Si-woo’s sudden intrusion.

Those carrying hand axes and spears rushed toward him.

But none of their attacks managed to hit Han Si-woo.

Whoosh!

Han Si-woo narrowly avoided a Goblin’s axe as it grazed past him, then swung his sword.

With a sharp slash, a Goblin’s head flew into the air.

At the same time, Han Si-woo lightly twisted his body to avoid a spear thrust from behind.

Tap!

After dodging the attack, he grabbed the spear and pulled with all his strength.

The Goblin’s body was dragged toward him.

Han Si-woo cut the Goblin down in an instant, planted his foot firmly on the ground, and swung his sword vertically.

The Goblin was split in two in a single stroke.

Han Si-woo’s body spun sharply.

Crack!

He smashed his fist into a Goblin’s jaw and pulled his sword back.

Then, taking a middle guard stance, he slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Four Goblins had lost their lives in an instant.

Looking at the Goblins who were clearly panicking, Han Si-woo gave a grin.

A little time later.

Han Si-woo was keeping watch over his surroundings while steadying his breathing.

Dozens of Goblin corpses were scattered around his feet.

“This is probably my limit for now.”

If other Awakened people saw this scene, they would foam at the mouth and point at him in disbelief.

‘Ah! So that’s what an experienced rookie looks like!’

This was absolutely not something a Level 1 Awakened should have been capable of.

Even Awakened people above Level 10, the recommended level for the Goblin Dungeon, would have needed quite some time to kill this many Goblins.

Yet Han Si-woo had slaughtered dozens of them alone in only a few dozen minutes.

Anyway, he rummaged through the Goblin corpses scattered around his feet before suddenly flinching and shaking his head.

‘What am I doing, looking for something useful in a dungeon like this?’

It was an occupational habit that naturally came from spending decades as an Awakened.

Dungeons where high-level monsters appeared in large numbers dropped countless items and skills.

Still carrying that habit, he brushed off his hands and straightened his back.

‘At least clearing it will earn me a little money.’

[Han Si-woo (Transcendent) — Lv. 5]

[Class — None]

[Title — None]

[Strength — 7 (+9)]

[Vitality — 6 (+6)]

[Mana — 1 (+6)]

[Remaining Points — 8]

“This is incredibly fast. Normally, I’d have to spend several days running the Giant Rat dungeon to get this far.”

An ordinary Awakened took an average of four days to reach Level 5.

Han Si-woo had reached it in only a few dozen minutes.

‘I want to get this over with quickly.’

He wanted to experience the Transcendence Hall as soon as possible.

He also wanted to tell his family that he had awakened.

More than anything, he wanted to feel the bond between family members that he had never fully appreciated before the regression.

Since his level had risen, he decided to hurry a little more.

[You have discovered the Boss Monster, Goblin Chief.]

‘There he is.’

On his way here, Han Si-woo had wiped out several groups of Goblins.

He was currently Level 8.

If he defeated the boss he could see in the distance, he would probably reach Level 10.

That was the level required to challenge the first layer of the Transcendence Hall.

Step.

Without making any special preparations, Han Si-woo appeared before the Goblin Chief.

The Goblin Chief noticed Han Si-woo’s presence only a moment later. It sprang up from its crudely made chair, swung its staff, and let out a loud warning toward the intruder.

“Kyaaaak!”

A roar announcing the territory of a boss monster.

When the combined stats of an opponent were lower than those of the boss monster, the boss had the privilege of inflicting guaranteed paralysis.

It was a status effect that most Awakened people inevitably suffered because their stats were lower than those of the boss monster.

But Han Si-woo was different.

His Transcendent stats made the effect completely useless against him.

Han Si-woo charged straight at the roaring Goblin and smashed the hilt of his sword into its head.

Crack!

“Kihaak!?”

The Goblin staggered from the impact.

At that moment, Han Si-woo clenched his molars.

His foot struck the ground with force.

Boom!

The power released from his foot flowed into his waist, then his shoulder, and finally his hand.

His sword swung in a powerful full arc.

Slash!

The Goblin Chief was cut diagonally in two.

The sword still had enough momentum left to crash into the ground, sending pieces of stone flying in every direction.

Thud.

The Goblin Chief fell to the floor in two pieces.

A boss monster’s defense was higher than that of ordinary monsters, but it meant nothing against Han Si-woo.

He had invested quite a few of the points he had accumulated while reaching Level 8, and he also possessed Transcendent stats.

Because of that, his current Strength was 17, or 26 when his Transcendent stats were included.

‘That’s the kind of stat total that would normally require someone to reach Level 10 just by investing in Strength.’

But fighting monsters wasn’t a game.

He also had to invest stats into Vitality and Mana so that he could use support magic.

Considering that, his Strength was equivalent to that of an Awakened around Level 20.

That was exactly the level recommended by the Center for someone to fight the Goblin Chief alone.

‘And when the other Transcendent stats are taken into account, the gap will be even greater.’

Han Si-woo shook the blood from his sword and placed it into his item window before sitting down.

Then he reached toward the Goblin Chief’s corpse.

Fwoosh!

A pale smoke began to rise from the fallen Goblin Chief’s body.

Soon, one object after another became clearly visible through the hazy mist.

They were the items dropped by the boss monster.

‘I should only take the ones that are useful.’

The first thing Han Si-woo obtained was proof that he had defeated the boss monster.

If he submitted that proof to the Center, they would pay him an amount appropriate for the monster’s rank.

Of course, after taking out taxes.