Volume 1 - CH 5

People seemed hesitant to readily accept my words. They were still frightened by the grotesque appearance of the giant insects even though they were merely low-grade creatures that even I could easily overcome.

[Ability 'Destiny Analysis' activated!]

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[Name] Silkworm

[Rank] Insect Third Class

[Description] It mainly feeds on vegetation but also consumes animals and humans.

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-Swoosh!

The silkworm rushing towards me was repelled in mid-air. Although they were easy opponents, people still hid behind me due to fear. Fortunately, it didn't matter if they didn't participate in the fight since I could deal with the creatures on my own.

-Crack!

When I looked to the side, I saw Shin Sooah striking a silkworm with a fire extinguisher, and she then said with a surprised face,

"They’re not as hard as I thought.”

In the past, Shin Sooah was also the first person to adapt to this situation. It was quite fascinating to see her, someone who could easily defeat Dragon-ranked creatures, be amazed at defeating an Insect-ranked creature.

"What should we do now?" she asked me.

"First, let's take care of the ones rushing at us."

I stomped on one of the insects that tried to sneak in through a crack and immediately swung my knife. Bodily fluids and blood splattered in all directions as Shin Sooah and I killed the insects. Thanks to her help, we quickly managed to clear the seventh floor. When all the creatures were gone, the people then rushed to escape.

"Now, let's go!"

"Yes! We need to go now!"

They hurriedly started evacuating downwards, but little did they know that the path down wasn't particularly safe. Instead of going down, I picked up the spirit pearls from the creatures mouth and put them in my pocket. Everyone seemed to have left, except for a presence behind me.

"Um... Are you not going down there?" Shin Sooah was looking at me with a worried expression.

After collecting all the spirit pearls, I stood up from my spot, replying,

"Why aren't you evacuating?"

"I can't leave you alone," she said, her voice was filled with concern for me.

Although she could run away with others, she chose to stay behind and worry about me, someone she had just met. Some things never change. I looked towards the stairs for a moment.

"Alright. Let's start going down."

If we waited here any longer, something would come out, so we needed to move. Relying on the light from our smartphones, we started descending the slippery, mucus laden floor. 

If the insects were gone, it would be fine, but just in case, I need to inform Shin Sooah about something.

"I’m about to say something strange, but please understand that I'm not crazy."

"Okay, go ahead."

"I think we've gained some kind of superpower right now."

Shin Sooah looked at me as if asking what the hell I was talking about. So, I quickly continued explaining before she mistook me for a madman.

“The abilities that have been granted abilities to us are based on our ‘Four Pillars of Destiny’. Sooah, you have the ability called ‘Way of the Forest’. Soon, your ‘Destiny Window’ will also appear.”

My 'Destiny Analysis' ability had another function. When I read another person’s Destiny Windows, their Destiny Window’s would be shown to them, and they would Awaken. There was a time when I tried to make some money with this, but when rumors spread that I killed people, no one trusted me anymore.

"I can actually see my ‘Destiny Window’! I can see the ability called 'Way of the Forest'..."

"You can protect yourself with that. As a test, try using it."

"Okay, I will!"

[The ability 'Way of the Forest' is activated!]

Shin Sooah took a deep breath and activated her ability but nothing happened. Instead, a notification window popped up.

[Cannot use the ability 'Way of the Forest'.]

It seemed that there were restrictions because her level was still low. Once her level goes up, she should be able to use her abilities even in a place surrounded by concrete.

"What should I do if I can't use it?" she asked with a slightly embarrassed face.

"It's okay. Just fight like you did before."

Shin Sooah nodded and started descending again, following me. Surprisingly, there were no human corpses in sight as we went down. Perhaps the insects had already devoured them all.

-Whooooosh....

A sudden gust of wind blew from somewhere. It came from the fifth floor. The place seemed to be under renovation, as the inside was empty except for the construction materials scattered all over the place. For some reason, it had a eerie atmosphere.

"Hey, I think someone is over there..." Shin Sooah pointed somewhere and said.

There was indeed someone lying in the darkness. As we approached, the smell of blood became stronger.

"Is he dead?" Shin Soo-ah said, her voice sounded anxious.

I slowly approached the person. There was a definite way to determine whether someone dead or alive.

[The ability 'Destiny Theft' is activated!]

[The number of deceased individuals within range is 1.]

Dead. Unlucky for him.

Shin Soo-ah seemed saddened by the sight of the corpse, but I didn't have time to mourn. After all, the older the corpse, the more magical power I would need for my ability. I quickly activated ‘Destiny Theft’.

[Acquiring the target's ability!]

[Due to low proficiency, only one ability can be acquired.]

[Acquired the ability 'Radiant Flame'!]

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[Ability] Radiant Flame

[Rank] Insect Third Class

[Description] The ability to freely ignite and manipulate small flames. Long-range attacks are possible if the target is within the line of sight.

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***read at novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com***

It hadn't been long since the person died, fortunately, so my ability was successfully activated. Obtaining the Radiant Flame, a fire attribute ability, even a low ranked one, wasn't so bad since it was suitable for combat. Following that, another notification window appeared.

[A small amount of karma is accumulated as penalty for using the ability!]

Accumulating karma isn't a good thing, but I needed this ability right now. I didn't know the exact value of the accumulated karma, but as long as there were no immediate side effects, it should be fine for the time being. While I was verifying the effect of the ability, Shin Sooah grabbed my sleeve.

"Um, something is approaching from outside."

True to her words, I could hear a person speaking from outside. Was it that guy? I faced the door, hiding Shin Soo-ah behind me.

"...In a way, this feels like a tutorial stage, right?"

The person who spoke was a good-looking man. He was covered in blood here and there, but he didn't appear to be seriously injured.

"Well, if this is a shitty plot, I'll throw out the guy I catch right now. At the very least, in a typical novel....... Or is this the one where you die once and then return to the past or reincarnate?"

I recognized the face. Yeah, Dok Gojun started here, too.

"Is he okay?" Shin Soo-ah whispered softly.

"He should be fine."

As he entered the room, sounds of insects crawling came from outside. Even with the creatures approaching, Dok Gojun was still distracted by his thoughts. The creatures spotted him and they then jumped towards him with a shriek, and fluids gushed out in an instant.

-Splat!

"As expected, it's easy since it's the tutorial stage."

Dok Gojun swung the pipe he’s holding and smashed the worm closest to him, splattering it to the ground. After that, more insects rushed in haphazardly, to which Dok Gojun also swung his pipe without hesitation, tearing all of them apart.

Dok Gojun. Before awakening, he was a famous web novel writer, but after awakening, he became one of the leaders of one of the five great sects. He had a peculiar personality and was known for his eccentricities, but at the same time, he was incredibly powerful.

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[Name] Dokgo Jun

[Rank] Divine Third Class

[Attribute] Gold

▼

[Ability] Dreamer

[Rank] Dragon First Class

[Description] Breaks the boundary between reality and fantasy, and is less influenced by spiritual effects. Mental strength, pain resistance, and fear resistance are all fixed at Dragon First Class.

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His rank was high, but since he didn't fully Awaken his Destiny yet, his physical abilities would remain the same as usual. Of course, these insects could be easily killed even with an ordinary person's strength. However, it would not be easy for ordinary people to defeat a monster that suddenly appeared without warning. Fortunately, Dok Gojun wasn’t your everyday man.

Dokgo Jun spotted us and our eyes met.

"Oh? There are survivors," he said.

There was a hint of surprise in his voice. He then bowed his head slightly, and began mumbling something.

"Judging by the looks of it, they’re not an extras... Are they supporting characters? Or maybe this is an event where my allies appear..."

Even after five years, he remained the same, always talking nonsense.

After murmuring for a while, Dokgo Jun nodded his head, and said,

"This seems like an event where we join hands. I'm Dok Gojun. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Seo Gangrim."

"And who is the person behind you?"

"Shin... Sooah."

He nodded as if he received some kind of enlightenment.

"Since no more events are happening, I came up here hoping for more events to occur. Then, after joining these two..."

He thought the situation as if it were a game or a novel. That's why he could act calmly even in these circumstances. Then, all of a sudden, Dok Gojun turned his gaze towards the door.

"Ah, it looks like things are progressing now."

The sound of someone rushing in urgently could be heard, and they leaped inside the fifth floor. The people who had left the cafe earlier were the ones who just arrived, and they all had astonished expressions on their faces.

"H-Help! It's a monster!" one of them urgently shouted.

And as if to prove those words, a strange sound quickly came from behind him. Normally, the creatures should have appeared on the seventh floor, but did it come down because there was no prey there? 

I quickly assumed a combat stance.

- Sasasasak... … !

Along with a sound resembling scratching metal, a gigantic insect appeared. No, to be precise, it wasn't just one insect, it was composed of dozens, hundreds, no, thousands of silkworms entwined together like a single mass of flesh.

-Kikikit... … !

Each silkworm was small in size, but when they were gathered in one place, it became a a monstrosity that was nearly three meters tall.

"As expected, a powerful boss monster should appear in the prologue!" Dokgo Jun said with a satisfied face.

"Ah, aah! Help!"

Unlike Dok Gojun, the others were frightened and started screaming in fear. The huge insect immediately charged at the person who screamed.

-Eujik!

An unpleasant sound resounded loudly. It was the sound of the insect tearing off the head of the person who was trying to escape. While Shin Sooah looked on in astonishment, Dok Gojun casually said,

"Ah. I guess you weren't a fellow character.”