The Devouring Genius of a Destroyed World-Chapter 29

Following the lead of the guide, they moved through the building.

Suddenly—

*Flash!*

*Flash!*

White beams of light began to fill the priest's residence.

After treating the first few people showing fever symptoms for several minutes, those who had not yet shown symptoms began to feel their body temperature rise one by one.

However, not everyone showed symptoms.

Finally, a third group of infected showed signs of awakening.

"Something like a tube... Is this it?"

"Oh! Yes! It really feels like a part of my body, just like you said!"

It was two people.

"Let’s check to confirm if they really awakened. If not, they might be asymptomatic carriers, so we should treat them."

The first person to successfully use their ability was Song In-hye.

"It feels like something inside is being pushed out... Whoa! Wow!"

Using her ability, Song In-hye clenched her fists, and her body slowly levitated.

She swayed unsteadily, trying to regain balance.

‘It doesn’t seem like telekinesis...'

After some questions and answers, it was confirmed that her power only affected things that directly touched her, making them float.

"I can feel the weight... but I think I can lift this much."

It seemed that the stronger she became, the more weight she could lift.

While this ability wasn’t flashy for combat, it could be quite useful in transporting goods or saving lives.

After confirming Song In-hye’s power, Seongho turned his attention to the next awakened person.

Ahn Hee-seob, meeting Seongho's gaze, swallowed nervously.

*Gulp.*

He extended his hand, and after several attempts, flames erupted from his palm.

It was a fairly common elemental ability, but its combat potential was certainly impressive.

Both Song In-hye and Ahn Hee-seob were busy testing their abilities.

Seongho watched them alternately, but his gaze lingered a little longer on Ahn Hee-seob.

"I’m... I'm an awakened one like him..."

Ahn Hee-seob mumbled to himself as he looked at the fire blazing from his fingertips, his expression complicated.

Seongho’s intuition, which felt strange, was soon confirmed by a system message.

"Congratulations! You have successfully created a new character, 'Ahn Hee-seob'!"

"You have intervened in the world’s fate."

"Fate intervention rewards have been granted."

The message appeared suddenly, accompanied by an unfamiliar description window.

[New Character]

- Name: Ahn Hee-seob

- Age: 37

- Temperament: Good (善)

- Trait: Disdain for cannibalism

- Role: Cannibal Hunter

- Description: A person with a strong aversion to cannibalism, who will go to great lengths to prevent cannibal incidents and actively kill those involved in it. Seongho has not only changed this character's fate but has also hunted this character in the past.

Seongho had never thought he could create characters.

Rubbing his eyes and checking again, the floating text didn’t change.

One word stood out from the description.

- **Role**: Cannibal Hunter

‘Just killing Go Ji-hoon wouldn’t be enough to fully eradicate cannibalism.’

It was expected, in hindsight.

Though the frequency of cannibalism had decreased compared to the original world, and its impact on the overall world was lessened, it wasn’t fully eradicated.

Honestly, Seongho hadn’t awakened Ahn Hee-seob’s ability with this in mind.

‘If someone can actively keep an eye on cannibalism, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.’

Additionally, something new had been revealed.

‘It seems like the character’s narrative has a significant impact.’

Of course, the power of the character was an important factor as well.

No matter how strong a sense of justice someone had, if they didn’t have the ability to enforce it, it wouldn’t make a wide-reaching impact.

Before awakening, Ahn Hee-seob hadn’t become a character.

‘If I use this well, I could create more characters that help the original world.’

Every person he met could become a potential character.

With that thought, Seongho’s mind became busy.

Meanwhile, Song In-hye, who had overexerted her newly awakened power, stumbled.

Ahn Hee-seob, standing nearby, reflexively caught her.

Seongho snapped out of his thoughts, shifting his focus back to Ahn Hee-seob.

"That’s power exhaustion."

When you overuse your abilities, it reaches its limit.

And through that limit, growth can occur.

The efficient use of powers.

The know-how to rapidly increase one’s strength.

This was valuable information that the original protagonist had learned over time, and now it was passed on to both Ahn Hee-seob and Song In-hye through Seongho.

As he continued explaining, Seongho’s senses became sharper. His physical ability stat had significantly increased, and his hearing had become more sensitive.

Immediately, the faint murmurs of conversation from a distance became incredibly clear.

"Is there really someone immune...?"

"I’m not immune? That can’t be true!"

"So, we’re done for if we get infected...?"

"...What if we get infected again?"

"Shouldn’t we tell them not to go?"

"If only that person was here..."

Despite hearing all of this, Seongho’s expression remained unchanged.

He continued to explain calmly about the powers, and then, as if he had finished with his task, he began to leave to head back to his quarters.

The people who had crowded the priest’s residence to check the results of the final infected group parted to make way for him.

On his way back to the convent, Seongho checked the rewards he had received from Ahn Hee-seob’s newly created character.

[Mandatory Rewards]

- 30 Reputation Points

- 3 Ability Stat Points

[Optional Rewards]

- Compression Bag

- Prophecy Book

- Whisper Earphones

- Dagger that Grows by Drinking Blood

"Please confirm your selection of optional rewards."

Seongho examined the unfamiliar items in the list.

He could deduce their uses based on names like the Ability Extraction Orb or the Infinite Tumbler.

‘A compression bag... probably like an inventory function in games?’

It would certainly be useful, but not immediately urgent.

He could still carry his backpack without issue.

Next, the Prophecy Book.

‘Is it an upgraded version of the Fortune Cookie?’

Or could it predict future events?

If it could, it would be quite useful, but if it just informed him of original events, it wasn’t really needed.

He furrowed his brow as he moved to the next item.

‘Whisper Earphones.’

The term "whisper" suggested some sort of long-range communication device.

In a world where communication networks had collapsed, this would be invaluable.

The only issue was that Seongho had no one to communicate with.

With only a few people he knew, who would he talk to?

Finally, he looked at the last item.

‘A Dagger that Grows by Drinking Blood...’

It was the only weapon in the list.

It was described as a growth-type weapon, but the extent of its growth was unclear, which made it risky.

"Hmm..."

While the mandatory rewards had increased, the quality of the optional rewards had also risen.

But choosing one was still difficult.

Seongho couldn’t make a decision immediately and spent some time in contemplation.

---

That night, as it was becoming hard to find anyone still awake, Seongho heard a knock.

But no one in the room was surprised.

Seongho, naturally grabbing his backpack, said, "Let’s go."

Im Chan and Im Ji-hyo also grabbed their bags.

As Seongho opened the door to the room, Ahn Hee-seob appeared.

"I thought you might have forgotten our meeting since you’ve been so late."

Ahn Hee-seob, forcing a smile at Seongho’s teasing, said, "There was a lot to prepare. Let’s go."

Seongho and his group followed Ahn Hee-seob.

They arrived at a secluded building behind the cathedral, past the barriers.

It was an isolated place, hidden from the eyes of others.

Had anyone who didn’t know seen this, they would have thought that Ahn Hee-seob had led Seongho here to secretly deal with him.

"Is that it?"

"Yes, I’ve brought everything you asked for."

In reality, this was where Seongho had arranged to receive the things he had requested.

He had made it clear not to be detained under the pretense of checking immunity.

If they insisted on holding him back, he wouldn’t treat any infected people.

That’s why Ahn Hee-seob reluctantly accepted Seongho’s offer.

If this fact were to be revealed, Ahn Hee-seob might face people’s resentment, but Seongho didn’t care.

With satisfaction, Seongho checked the newly obtained equipment.

"...You said to repair the bike properly."

It was a mountain bike with large, sturdy tires, perfect for transporting goods and children.

Seongho inspected the bike’s pedals and gears to ensure everything was in working order.

Not only the bike, but also a one-touch tent, short-range walkie-talkies, and the food supply from the Myeongdong Cathedral had been replenished.

As Seongho checked the supplies, Ahn Hee-seob, who had been quietly waiting, suddenly handed over a small bag.

"Just in case, I brought some spare parts. If anything goes wrong, fix it while we’re on the road."

Seongho took the bag and found several folded papers inside.

He handed them back to Ahn Hee-seob.

"I’ve organized the things I know. I also gave some to Song In-hye, so don’t think you can monopolize the information by being sneaky."

"What’s this about...?"

"Once the evolved species increase, hunt them when you see them. It’ll make your future easier."

"Evolved species?"

"The explanation is in there. Use it as a reference."

Seongho handed over the papers and grabbed the bike’s handlebars.

How many steps had he taken?

"Where are we going?"

Ahn Hee-seob’s voice came from behind.

Seongho stopped and turned to face him.

"Avoid the World Cup Park."

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"What do you mean?"

"I heard something when I was controlled."

The people in the World Cup Park were dangerous, so it was best to avoid them.

"Go Ji-hoon, that bastard, often mentioned them. He threatened to turn anyone who brought unnecessary goods into food."

Hearing this unexpected information, Seongho nodded slightly.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

As Seongho began walking again, Ahn Hee-seob called out nervously.

"Thank you so much! Please, if you change your mind, come back to our camp!"

Instead of looking back, Seongho continued walking forward.