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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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It was Monday.
After the lunch rush, Gang-so and Yoo Soon-tae headed to the Silver Tower.
It was to restore Gang-so’s identity.
To restore an isolated person’s identity, they had to go to the Silver Tower’s civil affairs office, not a regular district office.
“Make sure you follow me so you don’t get lost.”
“Alright.”
The area around the Silver Tower, being Korea’s hottest spot, was so crowded that it was hard to move around.
Just as Gang-so had seen when he first arrived, the honking and rumbling noises were still jarring.
But it wasn’t as distracting as before.
‘It seems like I’m gradually getting used to this place.’
Just then, a group of three or four women passed by, giggling amongst themselves.
Seeing them, Gang-so felt embarrassed and turned his head without realizing it.
He still wasn’t used to the way women dressed in this place.
“You’re truly amazing.”
At Gang-so’s words, Yoo Soon-tae tilted his head.
“What’s so amazing?”
“You’re not fazed at all seeing those women dressed in what’s practically underwear! Have you mastered the art of imperturbability?”
“Hahaha!”
Yoo Soon-tae laughed in disbelief.
“The skirts are only knee-length, not even miniskirts. If you turn your head at that, what are you going to do during the summer or at a swimming pool?”
“Swimming pool? What kind of place is it that makes you say that?”
“Ah, well… I’ll explain later.”
Yoo Soon-tae decided to postpone explaining about swimming pools for the sake of Gang-so’s mental health.
‘This guy is startled by knee-length skirts, so if he sees women in bikinis…’
He could easily imagine Gang-so’s reaction.
They entered the Silver Tower and went to the civil affairs office on the first floor to take a number.
Gang-so diligently observed Yoo Soon-tae’s actions. It was his instinct to adapt to this world.
After waiting for a while in a chair, a bell rang.
Ding-dong-!
And a mechanical voice announced,
– Number 74, please proceed to window 3.
Yoo Soon-tae and Gang-so went to window 3 and were greeted by a female staff member.
“Ah! You’re an isolated person? It’s been a while since we’ve had one. To restore your identity, you first need to fill out this application form.”
The staff member handed them the application.
Yoo Soon-tae and Gang-so took it and went to a standing desk provided for filling out documents.
This was Gang-so’s chance to demonstrate his newly acquired Hangeul skills. He picked up a pen.
The pen in his hand was a truly fascinating object.
‘It writes even without dipping it in ink! Zhuge Liang would be amazed!’
Gang-so looked at the application form and was momentarily perplexed.
“There’s a problem.”
“Problem? What problem?”
“It asks for my surname.”
“Surname? Oh… you said you didn’t remember your surname, right?”
“Do I have to write it?”
“I… think so?”
After pondering, Gang-so nodded and wrote his name on the form.
Surname Kang, given name So. Together, Gang-so.
“What’s your address?”
“Ah, address? My address is Seoul…”
After Gang-so filled in his personal information, Yoo Soon-tae filled in his own information as the guarantor and reviewed the form.
Yoo Soon-tae was quite surprised.
“I wasn’t sure, but you really learned Hangeul in just a few hours? You should be on ‘Amazing World’. “
“What’s that?”
“It’s a TV program that shows amazing and unusual things happening around the world.”
“Is ‘Revenge of the White Rose’ that So-young was watching last night also a TV program?”
‘Revenge of the White Rose’ was a daily drama that Lim So-young was currently enjoying, filled with over-the-top plot twists.
“Ah… Y-Yes.”
They submitted the form to the staff member, who said,
“Your application has been received. There’s an orientation tomorrow, so please come by 9 AM.”
“Orientation?”
At Yoo Soon-tae’s question, the staff member said,
“Yes. There’s a one-day awakened assessment and orientation. Please make sure to bring a change of clothes and toiletries. It usually ends before lunch after breakfast, but if you’re confirmed to be an awakened one, the orientation will end tomorrow evening.”
“I understand.”
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Gang-so and Yoo Soon-tae returned home, where Lim So-young greeted them.
“You’re back early?”
“We just submitted the application today. Gang-so has a one-day training tomorrow.”
“But… if there’s only one person, can you call it training?”
At Gang-so’s question, Yoo Soon-tae tilted his head.
“Only one person? What do you mean?”
“I overheard the woman who told me about the training talking to other people. She said since I’m the only isolated person this time, I’ll be receiving training alone.”
“Hmm… Come to think of it, I haven’t heard of any isolated persons being found for about six months.”
In the past, to publicize the work of the Awakened Association and the government, they had reported in detail about isolated persons, even revealing their personal information.
However, this made it difficult for isolated persons to adapt to society.
It was only after an isolated person threw a Molotov cocktail at the Awakened Association and caused a disturbance that they stopped disclosing personal information.
Still, they would casually report through the news that a few isolated persons had applied for identity restoration.
“So that’s why the staff member said it’s been a while since they’ve had an isolated person.”
At this moment, Yoo Soon-tae and his wife were missing something.
It was the fact that Gang-so had overheard a conversation that Yoo Soon-tae hadn’t heard.
To be precise, it was what the female staff member had whispered to other staff members in the break room at the back.
“So, do we need to bring anything?”
Yoo Soon-tae nodded at Lim So-young’s question.
“They said to bring a change of clothes and toiletries.”
“Then I should pack them now. Oh, and I got a call from the repairman, he said he’ll come tomorrow.”
“Great! We can get the room next to the shop fixed while Gang-so is away at training tomorrow.”
There was a small room with a bathroom attached on the first floor of Yang Chun Gak, and Gang-so would be staying there.
Since no one had been using it, it needed some work before Gang-so could move in.
“Shall we start preparing for dinner service?”
Yoo Soon-tae started preparing the ingredients, and Lim So-young went up to the second floor.
Just then, the news was being broadcast on the TV.
[Regarding the mysterious incident that occurred inside Gate A-0128109, which recently appeared in the Land of Death…]
Gang-so flinched at the footage shown on the screen behind the news anchor.
‘That place is…’
It was the very place where Gang-so had opened his eyes in this unfamiliar world.
And it was also the place where he had come out after killing the monsters that were attacking him with a single punch.
He listened to the news with a tense expression.
[…Experts believe that a Zero-rank awakened individual has definitely appeared.
Regarding this, various groups are demanding an explanation from the Awakened Association and the government, but the Awakened Association and the government remain silent. The whole world is watching to see how long their silence will last.]
Just then, Yoo Soon-tae, who had come out of the kitchen for a moment, muttered as he watched the news,
“So, did a Zero-rank awakened individual appear or not?”
At his muttering, Gang-so quickly asked Yoo Soon-tae,
“What… does that mean?”
“Ah, that…? Well…”
Yoo Soon-tae explained the situation being reported on the news.
Since he had already explained about awakened individuals and gates before, Gang-so was able to understand quickly.
“…So, the monsters’ corpses and magic stones are all intact, and the Red Dragon Guild made a fortune. The Awakened Association seems to have a big headache right now.”
“Didn’t you say that the gates close when all the monsters are killed?”
“That’s right. But they say the gate didn’t close because not all the monsters were killed. Some weak ones that even E-rank hunters can handle were left behind.”
At those words, Gang-so recalled the slimy things that had run away from him.
‘Were those the things called slimes?’
At the time, they didn’t even attack and just ran away, so he had left them alone since they were a nuisance.
Gang-so inwardly regretted it.
‘If I had just killed them all, this wouldn’t have happened… I’ve only caused chaos in this world!’
Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling.
“So, are you saying that they’re calling the one who killed all those monsters in that place a Zero-rank awakened individual, and they’re looking for them?”
“Exactly.”
“What happens if they find them?”
At that question, Yoo Soon-tae said casually,
“Well, they’ll be treated like a hero. Or they’ll be treated as a national treasure.”
There was a reason he felt that strange feeling.
‘Hmm…’
Other people would be overjoyed, but Gang-so was definitely not.
Gang-so was the one who knew better than anyone about being treated as a hero or a national treasure.
As soon as it became known that he had dismantled the assassin organization he belonged to and brought the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult to his knees, the Orthodox Murim had offered him a peace treaty.
They treated him with servile courtesy, and Gang-so, tired of fighting, accepted the peace treaty.
But the aftermath was a problem.
Some people in the Orthodox Murim, mistakenly thinking that Gang-so was favorable to them, began to approach him out of the blue and ask for absurd favors.
In the end, Gang-so, fed up with the constant stream of requests, took the girl and hid away in a remote mountain village.
‘I won’t let my peaceful life be disrupted again!’
No matter how much he thought about it, his decision not to work as an awakened one seemed like a good one.
“By the way, you said there’s an awakened assessment tomorrow, right?”
Yoo Soon-tae nodded at Gang-so’s question.
“That’s right.”
“How do they conduct the assessment?”
“Ah, that? When you go there, they have two crystal balls, small enough to hold in one hand. The assessment starts when you put your hands on them.”
He continued.
“I heard that the higher your rank, the harder it is for the electromagnetic force emitted from the crystal balls to pass through your body. They say the power within your body blocks the electromagnetic force? For me, some tingling sensation just entered my right hand and came out through my left hand without a problem.”
“I see.”
Then all he had to do was control his internal energy properly.
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Gang-so carried the bag that Lim So-young had packed for him and went to the Silver Tower with Yoo Soon-tae.
With his encouragement, Gang-so followed the female staff member to the second floor.
As he waited in a cafeteria-like area, a young man approached him.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Park Soo-eun, Team Leader 2 of Support Division 2, and I’ll be in charge of your training.”
The man who approached Gang-so introduced himself, and Gang-so stood up and bowed.
“I’m Gang-so.”
“Welcome to Korea. It’s been six months since we last had an isolated person.”
“Is that so?”
“Actually, there were quite a few isolated people just a decade ago, but we’ve now recovered most of Korea’s territory. North Korea, however, is still a lost cause.”
“Hahaha.”
When he didn’t understand something, laughing was the best response.
‘I’ll ask Soon-tae later.’
Park Soo-eun continued.
“Anyway, so there are almost no isolated people anymore. Excuse me, but where did you come from?”
“I don’t know exactly where it was, but… it was somewhere in the mountains.”
Gang-so made up an excuse.
He couldn’t say he came from another world.
Fortunately, Park Soo-eun didn’t suspect anything.
“I see. Ah, we need to conduct the awakened assessment first. The direction of your training will be determined based on the test results.”
They entered a room marked ‘Awakened Assessment Room’ on the second floor.
Perhaps because it was still early, there was no one there, so they were able to enter the testing room without waiting.
Gang-so carefully examined the object in the middle of the testing room.
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