At some point, after the school transitioned to an Awakened system, I heard about its restructuring.

    The narrator here is Gong Gyeong-min, one of my peers.

    He’s not on the level of high-tier Awakened individuals like Kang Han-min, Na Hye-in, or Woo Min-hee.

    Instead, he’s what’s colloquially known as a "low-level Awakened," unable to generate Wave Energy.

    Despite this, his early awakening granted him more opportunities than others, one of which was a position as an instructor at the new school.

    According to him, the new school’s student body is about 300—one-third of what it was during our time—but all of them possess Awakened aptitude.

    Naturally, rankings in this new system are not determined by intelligence or fighting skills but purely by the Awakened Level. The distribution of these levels is approximately as follows:

    Levels 2–3: 39%Level 4: 45%Levels 5–10: 15%Level 11 and above: 1%

    This is an average and varies slightly by year, with no post-war data included.

    What stands out in the chart is that, while other levels are grouped, Level 4 has a disproportionately large percentage. This distinction is intentional.

    According to Gong Gyeong-min, Level 4 students are the primary focus of discipline and training. Whether or not these young individuals can produce Wave Energy significantly impacts the average combat capability of the school’s graduates.

    While levels 5–10 may seem broadly distributed, from an Awakened perspective, the potential difference is minimal and can be refined through further effort and training.

    Level 11 and above, however, is an entirely different tier—transcendent powerhouses. These individuals are destined for greatness from the moment they enter the school.

    At the other end, levels 2–3 are essentially "servants" from the start. These students weren’t enrolled to achieve anything extraordinary through training. Instead, their purpose is to serve as a psychological boost, fostering confidence and superiority among the Level 4 students, who are the school’s primary focus.

    It’s a brutally calculated approach. Yet, after these "fillers" were introduced, dropout rates decreased, and the proportion of graduates at Level 5 or above saw a meaningful increase.

    As expected, the fate of these fillers wasn’t a bright one.@@@@

    “Always be grateful to your parents—for giving birth to you early,” Gong Gyeong-min remarked, implying the grim reality of being a low-level Awakened.

    From the National Crisis Management Committee’s perspective, low-level Awakened individuals were no different from the "old-school" humans like us. Only those who awakened early, like Gong Gyeong-min, or those who were exceptionally talented and intelligent, were granted the honor of being sent to Jeju Island.

    The rest were thoroughly used up in China.

    The government recognized that while their abilities were useless against large monsters, they were incredibly dangerous when used against humans and prone to causing significant social unrest.

    Since relations with China turned hostile, the fate of these fillers has remained unclear. Some say they were sent to Jeju Island, while others claim they were stripped of their positions and reintegrated into society. A darker theory suggests they were deliberately executed.

    Reality, however, often veers away from such predictions.

    Among those fillers, there was someone who chose a path unlike any of these theories.

    He is one of my juniors.

    *

    Foxgames: The New Game

    Foxgames finally unveiled their new project.

    Curious, I clicked on it and was greeted by nothing but a string of text:

    Monster Park - Lobby

    This is the lobby of Monster Park.

    The space is vast, with a grand chandelier sparkling in the center, seemingly embedded with thousands of jewels.

    You can go:

    (East) (West) (South) (North) (Break Room)

    And that was it.

    I left a comment, perplexed.

    SKELTON: (Skelton confused) What is this?

    Almost immediately, others chimed in with their comments.

    ??: Is this a MUD game? Haven’t seen one of these in forever.

    tntn_Orthopedics: Wow, this reminds me of something I played back in high school.

    Anonymous848: This is like the grandpa of online games.

    Anonymous458: Doesn’t look fun.

    unicorn18: Does it have cute girls?

    The older users, like Anonymous848, seemed to recognize what kind of game this was. They explained that it was an old-school, text-based online game that people used to play before the flashy graphics of modern games.

    Foxgames: Hey, I’m developing this solo. Can’t exactly handle art or pixel design on my own, and I’m not very good at it. I’ll improve things over time, but for now, I’ve made a multiplayer game where everyone can gather online, just like in the old days.

    Foxgames: Graphics will improve later, hopefully with help from talented folks in this forum or on FailNet.

    Once Foxgames explained themselves, the forum lit up with activity.

    ??: An online game? Even if it’s a text-based fossil, who cares? It’s an online game in this messed-up world.

    ??: Exactly! In a world going to hell, an online game? I can’t resist!

    tntn_Orthopedics: It’s fun, trust me. I was so hooked in my senior year I nearly had to retake classes.

    Anonymous1001: Multiplayer is always more fun than single-player.

    keystone: Forget games, can someone deal with the refugees camping in front of my house?

    But honestly, I wasn’t impressed.

    Maybe it’s because I’m not into games, but can you even call a string of text a “game”?

    Would it even be fun?

    Compared to this, the classic games that Defender took from IAmJesus and hasn’t returned yet seem like they’d be a hundred times more entertaining.

    “...”

    I’m known for being straightforward and outspoken online. I typed a response.

    SKELTON: Hmm... Is it really that good?

    You have to speak your mind.

    But this time, the backlash was immediate.

    ??: This unfunny guy is being contrarian again.

    Anonymous781: He’s so consistent in being a buzzkill.

    roka3218: Bro.

    mmmmmmmmm: This guy and DongtanMom should’ve been on the same boat.

    kimcic: Nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah.

    gijayangban: ?

    And that wasn’t the end of it.

    Foxgames: Skelton, you’re not invited to play.

    “...?”

    Great. Even before the game launches, I’m on the blacklist.

    I was about to hurriedly type out an explanation when my K-Walkie-Talkie suddenly beeped.

    “Hello~? Am I close? Anyone there? If you’re listening, say something.”

    The voice was familiar—a man’s voice—but not someone I was particularly close to.

    I checked the frequency displayed on the walkie-talkie. It was a public channel.

    The voice came through again.

    “Hey! Senior Park! It’s me, Young-jae! Don’t you remember?”

    Hearing that, a face popped into my mind.

    At my question, Cheon Young-jae smirked, zipping up his pants.

    “I’m Awakened.”

    After a pause, he added with a self-deprecating laugh.

    “...though I’m just a low-level one.”

    *

    "Is This Really Your Bunker, Senior Park?"

    “Wow, so this is Senior Park’s bunker? Damn, this is insane. Seriously. What the hell? It’s like you’ve built an underground palace, professor.”

    Letting Cheon Young-jae into my bunker was something I hadn’t thought I’d ever do.

    “Amazing. Truly a baby’s room, huh?”

    “What the hell are you talking about, a baby’s room?”

    “Oh, my bad. I meant ‘Ah-bang-gung’—a royal palace. But seriously, why is the toilet over there?”

    He plopped down on my sofa, acting way too comfortable. I gestured for him to move, pointing at the bathroom stool nearby.

    After he reluctantly sat on the stool, I took his spot on the sofa and asked him directly.

    “How did you find me?”

    Though I asked casually, it was a critical question—one that touched on the essence of survival itself.

    Cheon Young-jae glanced at my rifle and smiled faintly.

    “You’re carrying U.S. military-grade weapons. They’re in great condition too. So, I figured, this guy must’ve gotten them from a U.S. military base. Next was your location—you mentioned being southwest of Seoul. There’s a military base in that exact region.”

    It didn’t sound like a hastily concocted excuse.

    Sipping my barley tea, I nodded for him to continue.

    “I pulled out a pre-war map and assumed your bunker was near the military base. Then I narrowed it down to places where a private individual could live—land with easy access to water and good concealment. That left three potential spots. Among those, the only one on high ground was here.”

    He grinned smugly.

    “Where else could it be? And sure enough, the closer I got, the more I felt a response.”

    “...Smart,” I admitted grudgingly.

    “Of course. I was the top student when I got in, you know. Studied quite a bit—”

    “Why are you here?” I interrupted.

    “I told you I’d come.”

    “For what?”

    “Well... uh...”

    “Let me make this clear: if you came here thinking you’d freeload in my bunker, that’s not happening.”

    “What? I can’t stay?”

    His face turned pale—so pale it made me feel guilty.

    “Absolutely not.”

    “But why?”

    “I don’t let pretty young women in here. Why the hell would I let you in?”

    “...Wow. It’s so spacious, though.”

    “Are you trying to say I’m being petty?”

    Cheon Young-jae blinked at me, then nodded slightly.

    “Sorry, but I’m a delicate person. Sensitive. If you’ve heard stories about me, you should know what kind of guy I am.”

    “Oh, now that you mention it...”

    He tilted his head, a sly smile creeping across his face.

    “What’s on your mind?”

    “Nothing. Just remembered some... colorful rumors about you, Senior Park.”

    “Like what?”

    “Like you intentionally put teammates you didn’t like in danger to get rid of them.”

    “That’s slander.”

    “Or how you used Chinese civilians as bait to escape a bad situation.”

    “That was a tactical decision. The area blurred the lines between civilians and combatants.”

    Cheon Young-jae straightened up.

    The grin disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. It was clear we were about to get to the real reason he’d come.

    Before that, I had a question of my own.

    “You said you’re Awakened?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Why didn’t you report it to the school? You were part of the 18th cohort, right? That’s one year above the new system’s first batch, the 19th cohort. They’d have treated you well.”

    He chuckled.

    “I’ve got a knack for sensing things. Not Awakened powers—just a good sense for how the world works.”

    “From that lofty vantage point of yours, what did you see?”

    At my question, his smile twisted into a chilling, icy smirk.

    “Garbage.”

    Author’s Note:

    Awakened abilities may elevate someone’s power, but even among them, not everyone can escape the rot of human nature.