Chapter 701   - Hibernation (1)

The “dream” that was created from somewhere began to flow again ten years later as the stages changed.

* * *

〈Holes that suddenly began to appear across the globe… What are they?〉

〈Monsters that started to flow out… Is this truly the end of the world?〉

〈Many controversies surrounding the strange creatures〉

…

〈Three years. Inauguration of the “Global Alliance” after unanimous approval from UN countries〉

〈Discussions taking place about the “players”〉

…

〈Crimes that arise from “players”… Is there no way to stop them?〉

〈What is the true nature of the new identity, “player?” Are they evil, or a necessary evil? If neither, are they heroes come to life?〉

…

〈Ten years since the “day of the beginning.” Where is Earth’s society’s safety headed?〉

〈Tenth year anniversary prayer services happening around the world〉

〈Everyone singing together the song of peace and harmony〉

Various news clippings were hung along the wall. They were articles regarding the “gates” that suddenly appeared one day on Earth, along with monsters, a “system,” beings who called themselves gods and demons, and “players.”

All the noteworthy events that took place during the last ten years were all on the wall. Even people who weren’t that interested in players would’ve been able to recognize it was the players’ history at a single glance.

“…” However, Kim Bum-seung’s gaze was fixed somewhere a bit removed from those clipped articles.

〈Search beginning for all the missing who vanished on the “day of the beginning”〉

〈Where are the missing who still haven’t been found?〉

〈I received my husband’s notice of death, but he returned after ten years〉

〈Education system established for returners who aren’t able to adjust to society〉

〈Compensation needs to be established for victims and their families〉

Missing, and returners. These two words had pained Kim Bum-seung for the last ten years. When he was young, his happy family had been ruined because of the day of the beginning. After that, Kim Bum-seung continued to roam around gates, even when society scoffed at him for being F-rank, the “loser-rank.” He carried the hope that his missing family could be alive somewhere.

Then, Kim Bum-seung’s cold gaze slowly moved down.

〈‘Star’ Cha So-yeong. “I am also a victim who lost my uncle to the day of the beginning. I await the day he’ll return…”〉

〈Cha So-yeong to search the gates with the victimized families for the tenth year anniversary since the “day of the beginning”〉

The three syllables of “Cha So-yeong” especially stood out to Kim Bum-seung.

“…we’ll finally meet.” Kim Bum-seung extended his hand and clutched the article on the wall. The section where “Cha So-yeong” was written was wrinkled and torn.

* * *

After the day of the beginning, all the values of Earth changed. There were various cults who preached about the end of the world, and strange occurrences happened everywhere. Supernatural beings who suddenly gained power called themselves “players” and caused all kinds of societal problems. However, people continued to seek stability amid the confusion, and society found order again. It was just that the order was very different from the order in the past.

Kim Bum-seung was categorized as the lowest class in that newly created order. It was because he was ranked at the bottom of the rankings that began with S-rank, then A through F-rank.

F-rank players were considered to not have any potential to be players, so unless they had a serious financial problem, most of them lived like normal civilians. If they were anything different, it was that they were more athletically advanced than the general public, so they preferred to do physical jobs, like becoming security guards or performing manual labor.

So even if one was F-rank, as long as they had a player identification card, there were more options to choose from in the job market. Kim Bum-seung received such offers as well, but he refused them for ten years.

Obviously, there was a limit to what F-ranks could do in the world of players.

There were players who followed after attack teams, which were comprised of C-rank players and above. These players dismembered the dead monsters and cut off any useful parts, as well as carrying around any luggage to receive the rewards the system gave to porters. The nickname they were given was simple: collectors.

“Oh, Seung, you’re here? I see you still arrive earlier than the others.” Captain Woo Sung-hyeon waved at Kim Bum-seung. Collectors were usually introduced to new jobs through connections, so captains held large influence. Kim Bum-seung and Woo Sung-hyeon had worked together for a long time and acted like brothers despite a twenty year age difference.

“My spot might be taken if I’m late. I need to come as fast as I can.”

“Haha. What are you worrying about? I’ll always make room for you. I have no one to talk to if you’re not a part of the team, and it’s difficult to find good people who understand what to do.”

‘You should give me a raise if you appreciate me so much.’ Kim Bum-seung thought to himself. He was not only cheap, but he carried out commands without answering any questions. Since he had worked as a collector for almost ten years now, he knew how the system worked as well.

In most cases, people like Kim Bum-seung would try and create their own team if they had such experience, but Kim Bum-seung showed no indication of doing that. Woo Sung-hyeon didn’t have to worry about losing people to him. From Woo Sung-hyeon’s perspective, it was probably rare to find a pushover like Kim Bum-seung.

Kim Bum-seung knew his place better than anyone else. He also knew that Woo Sung-hyeon and the other bastards looked down at him. It was impossible not to know. He had intended for those gazes and prejudices from the beginning.

‘But today’s the end of that.’

“Or is it because a celebrity is coming today?” Woo Sung-hyeong put an arm around Kim Bum-seung with a grin, unaware of what he was thinking. “Cha So-yeong, right? You talk about her all the time.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it.”

“My daughter also begged me to get Cha So-yeong’s signature because she’s a fan. I guess she really is popular, huh?”

“She’s one of the top players in South Korea, and she’s filmed all those commercials.”

“True, all the commercials I see when I turn on the TV star Cha So-yeong. No one has been so nationally famous since that well-known figure skater from years ago, huh?”

Today, their team was in charge of following celebrity Cha So-yeong’s event and collecting anything they left behind.

Cha So-yeong used her fame like she always did to plan a large-scale charity event for the tenth year anniversary of the day of the beginning. The search team composed of volunteers would go around the gates that opened earlier at the beginning and find traces of the people who had gone missing. Her message had caused ripples around the globe.

It was well-known that Cha So-yeong was a victim to the day of the beginning after losing her uncle, so her voice was convincing and appealed to the public. All kinds of NGOs and philanthropists from around the world stepped up to help her, and the scale of the event had become a global issue.

The fact that Woo Sung-hyeon was able to land such a job showed how resourceful he was. However, Woo Sung-hyeon didn’t particularly like her.

“She was lucky to be born to a nice family, she has talent, and she’s pretty. People worship her too. It would be fun to be able to live like that, wouldn’t it?”

F-rank players couldn’t help but secretly envy the top-ranked players who became part of the upper class with their talent only. Woo Sung-hyeon was one of them.

Kim Bum-seung didn’t reply. He just smiled awkwardly back. “…”

“Hehe. What am I saying? Sorry if I upset you since you’re a fan.”

“No, sir. I’m jealous of her as well.”

“Right? Hahaha! I like you because you get me.” Woo Sung-hyeon pounded Kim Bum-seung’s shoulders with a laugh. It was why he wasn’t able to see Kim Bum-seung’s dark expression.

* * *

“I wish victimized families like me can feel hope again through this event… For the missing who are awaiting the day to return to their families can finally do so… I will lead the path so together, we can all step forward.

Far from where Kim Bum-seung was located, Cha So-yeong stood on a stage. Cameras flashed endlessly, and multiple pre-events took place. They were finally ready to begin after Cha So-yeong’s speech.

“Whoa! Is that Cha So-yeong? She’s so pretty. And her height… Is she sixteen?”

“They say she’s only out of elementary school. How is that possible?”

“People like ‘Big Mountain’ and ‘Kill King’ are here too. The scale is bigger than I expected. I’m feeling jittery.”

There were also speeches from players who announced they’d assist Cha So-yeong to find the missing. The collectors made a fuss about seeing the famous people they’d probably only see once in their lifetimes.

All the players were S-rank players who were some of the strongest in the entire world. The collectors weren’t able to abandon their dreams of becoming high-ranked players even as they did their collecting work, so it was like they had met the heroes they had only dreamed about.

But of course, the collectors wouldn’t be working with the S-rank players. There were three teams who were set to enter the gates one at a time. The S-rank players were part of the search team and attack team, and the collecting team would enter twenty-four hours after the other teams. It was so the collectors would be safe from the monsters.

“Everyone get a grip on yourself! As you already know, this gate hasn’t been cleared ever since it opened on the day of the beginning, so it’s not closed. That means it’ll have created its own environment, and no one knows what kind of dangers lie within. Be careful at all times!” Woo Sung-hyeon was firmly warning the collectors of the dangers, a contrast to his playful conversation with Kim Bum-seung. Because so many media outlets were covering this event, if there was a safety issue, he’d be heavily penalized. “Everyone standby!”

Most of the collectors were excited to be able to participate in such a big event, but a few were noticeably nervous. It was because unclosed gates were full of risks. Since there were more than ten S-rank players participating, it was hard to think that something would happen, but as the captain said, nothing would hurt from being careful, since no one knew what dangers were lying within. The collectors continued to be on standby.

“Let’s go!” On Woo Sung-hyeon’s command, Kim Bum-seung and the other collectors stood up. They had many supplies as collectors, so it seemed like they were heading on some trip.

“Seung, do as you normally do. Don’t get scared just because there’s a lot of people. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I’ll leave the front to you. Okay, next!”

Kim Bum-seung moved toward the gate with Woo Sung-hyeon’s encouragement. Far away, through twisted space, he could see the gate, which looked like a whirlpool of darkness. It had already been confirmed multiple times that Cha So-yeong and the other search team had entered.

Kim Bum-seung’s eyes were sharper than ever as he stepped foot inside the gate. ‘Sesha… I’ll take revenge on your family this time for sure.’