Volume 1 - CH 8

The statement that the abilities were were being taken away was not entirely accurate. They’re simply canceling the effect of the item that was just activated, returning the awakened individuals back to non-awakened state. The problem would be resolved if someone would awaken the ‘Destiny Window’ again, but it wasn't as easy as it sounds since there were very few people who could independently confirm their own ‘Destiny Window’ like me. And most holders of this ability were part of of the Destiny Protection Bureau. So to be able to look at one's own Destiny window, one had to make a contract or pay a price to the bureau. Therefore, just being selected here was already a privilege for us.

"If you still wish to leave, we'll deal with it that way."

Although we might have potential, we were not the only one. Furthermore, there was no reason for the Destiny Protection Bureau to hold onto those who disliked them, and rejecting the training they’re freely giving us would be a disadvantage in many ways.

The man who requested to leave hesitated, caught in his thoughts.

"Cowards and fools, all of them. Losing their abilities in this situation would undoubtedly lead to a bottom-of-the-barrel life afterward," Dok Gojun said with a gloomy expression.

In a way, what he said was true, having one's abilities taken away in this new world might indeed be even harsher than being killed.

"Sooah, you're not going to leave, are you?" he glanced at Shin Sooah and spoke.

"No. It seems like it's just as dangerous outside.... But why are you speaking so casually to me?"

"Sorry."

The two seemed to have reached an understanding.

Some people ultimately decided to leave despite what Annaby said. She ushered them somewhere, and soon only she returned. It seemed like they had been discharged.

"We got a bit delayed. Is there anyone who still wants to leave?"

The reply was silence. She then continued speaking, "Alright. Then I'll give you a brief explanation. We will nurture all of you, and if you meet certain conditions, you can leave."

She turned her body slightly, and motioned her hand to the side, where seven doors could be seen.

"Just clear these seven doors."

At first glance, the doors looked quite old-fashioned, with different likeness engraved on each of them. Some had fire, while some had swords engraved on them. Just by the likenesses engraved in each one, one could vaguely guess what they would see if they entered.

"When you clear the first stage, the second stage will open. You can also enter as a group, not just individually."

In the middle of Annaby’s explanation, someone raised their hand. It was Shin Sooah.

"If we clear all of those, will we have to work at the Destiny Protection Bureau afterwards?"

"It depends on the situation. We only recruit those who have outstanding abilities."

The Destiny Protection Bureau was an organization that gathered only the elites among the awakened. Their treatment was good, and there were many benefits to joining the bureau. In many ways, it was advantageous to establish a connection with them.

Annaby glanced at her watch and spoke, "We have been delayed longer than expected. We will provide you all with manual terminals, so if you have any questions, please check there."

As soon as people received the terminals, they hurriedly opened the manual and started checking the contents. Although I probably already knew the contents, I still took a quick look to see if there was anything different. At a glance, it didn't seem much different from my previous life.

While people were reading the manual, one person raised their hand hesitantly, and asked, "Um, where should we sleep now?"

"There are amenities on the first floor, and accommodations on the second floor. Since everyone must be tired today, please rest comfortably for now."

After Annaby left, people started looking upstairs, checking the place out.

"I should rest a bit. It seems impossible to leave right this place right away anyway..." Shin Sooah said.

I nodded in agreement. We were all exhausted and were covered in dust, blood and other fluids.

"Then, I'll go rest, too."

"Rest well, Mr. Gangrim. See you tomorrow. Thank you for today."

Shin Sooah left a brief expression of gratitude and headed to her room.

I stood frozen for a moment after hearing those words of gratitude. In terms of time, it was only a few hours ago that she died protecting me. And yet, she was now thanking me. Of course, I knew that the situation then and now was different, but an indescribable emotion still overwhelmed me. Even after entering to my room, that strange feeling lingered.

The room was spacious and comfortable like a luxury hotel, but it didn't give me a sense of tranquility. I sat on the sofa and closed my eyes. Numerous corpses, the members of Flying Tiger Sect who died protecting me, flashed before my eyes. And Baek Young standing on top of the corpses.

Did I know Baek Young? No matter how hard I tried to recall, her face was not in my memory.

Based on the way she acted, it seemed more like she was following someone's orders rather than having a personal grudge. Perhaps she tried to kill me because of my ability to steal Destinies?

My ability was indeed worthy to be wary of. Even other sects had their eyes on me. After all, if I had no qualms about killing people, I would then be able to steal their Destiny. If I were to kill Shin Sooah and those who were as strong as her, and acquire all their abilities… if I betrayed them, I could quickly grow in a short period of time. That's why there were many powerful individuals who wished for my death.

Essentially, if I started killing people to get their abilities, they would soon become my targets as well. The sects who feared my growth had even attempted to kill or kidnap me several times. Fortunately, Shin Sooah and the Flying Tiger Sect had always protected me in those situations. And for the last time, they died protecting me.

They were foolish people. They brought the useless me into their sect because of the relationship we formed in this place. They recruited me into the sect even though I was worthless and, in the end, they died for me. I could no longer tolerate such foolish acts.

Hence, I only had one goal in this life: to find and kill Baek Young by any means necessary. In this life, I would focus solely on that. And there was no better place than this facility to grow quickly. I had to grow as much as possible here and not let the entire thing happen again.

***

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

***

['Annaby has called for you. Please go to the hall by 1200H.]

I opened my eyes to the notification sound that seemed to reach my brain directly. I must have drifted off while lost in my thoughts all night. After a quick wash, I went downstairs alone and saw the faces I had seen yesterday gathered there. Among them was Shin Sooah.

I felt a strange unfamiliarity and nostalgia as I saw her more youthful face than in my memories. Shin Sooah, the leader of the Flying Tiger Sect, also had the same charisma five years ago. As I was silently observing her, she seemed to notice my gaze and greeted me, "Hello, Mr. Gangrim. Did you have a good rest?"

"Hello."

It felt a little awkward for some reason. Thankfully, while I was hesitating about what to say, the clock in the hall struck 12 o'clock. As soon as it did, Annaby, looking unchange from yesterday, walked in from the hallway on the first floor and took a seat in the center of the hall.

"Greetings, I hope everyone had a good rest."

After she greeted us, she immediately got to the point.

"Today, I want to discuss more detailed matters. First of all, if you look at your Destiny window, you will see specific categories for each person."

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Strength: Level 1

Endurance: Level 1

Agility: Level 1

Senses: Level 1

Magic: Level 1

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"You can increase your stats through training, combat, and hunting. It is also possible to increase them through other methods. Please refer to the manual for more details."

All the people here currently were Level 1 in every stat. Whether it's the Insect or the Divine rank, everyone started at the same level when they awaken. So, initially, there wouldn’t be much difference. However, the amount of time and effort required to increase one level differed depending on the rank of the individual. For example, if it took 100 experience points for an Insect-rank individual to gain one level, a Human-rank only needed 80 experience points, 60 experience points for Spirit-rank, 40 points for Dragon-rank, and 20 points for Divine-ranked individuals. Essentially, while I, an Insect-rank, crawled, a Human-rank walked, a Dragon-rank ran, and a Divine-rank flew. That's why among the powerful awakened individuals...

[It's just an excuse to say that you're weak because your rank is low! It's all because of lack of effort! If only you work hard, you can become stronger!]

They were those who spouted this nonsense.

To put it extremely, there wasn't much initial difference in terms of stats between a Divine First-class and an Insect First-class. However, if the two of them were to fight, the Divine-ranked one would most likely win. That's because a higher rank often had better abilities.

While I was roughly reading the manual, Annaby continued her explanation, "After entering, if you exit through the same entrance you came in, you can return here..."

"Um, excuse me."

One of the listeners quietly raised their hand. There was a look of concern on his face, as if he were contemplating something.

"Do you have a question?" Annaby turned towards him and asked.

"No, it's not that... I... I also want to leave. Is it still possible?"

"Yes. You can leave at any time during the training period."

"Then, I want to leave."

As soon as we heard that, several people started murmuring softly. In the meantime, someone who seemed to be accompanying the person who requested to leave urgently tried to stop him.

"You're really leaving? Just hold on a little longer. Okay?"

"But my younger sibling is alone at home! I don't know what will happen if I'm not there..."

When I first entered this place in my past life, I thought of the situation very simplistically. People wanted to leave this place solely because they were afraid of the training. But those who had families to take care of and dreams to prioritize, they would have had to leave even if it meant giving up their newfound abilities. I didn't go back because I had nothing back then.

I caught a glimpse of Shin Sooah standing beside me. She, too, seemed disinterested in the outside world, based from the blank expression on her face. It's possible that she didn't have a good relationship with her family either.

As the argument between the person requesting to leave and his companions grew longer, Annaby spoke, "I understand that many of you may feel anxious because you can't contact the outside. So, I would like to offer a condition to those of you in such situations."

A glimmer of hope appeared in the eyes the crowd. Even the person requesting to leave paused for a moment and looked at Annaby.

"This is the first stage. To the one who clears this stage first..." Annaby raised one hand and pointed to the first door, then continued,

"I will give the Wi-Fi password."