The Devouring Genius of a Destroyed World

"Well, you’ve got eyes, so you must’ve seen that clearly, right?" Seongho said, his voice calm but pointed.

He hadn’t smashed a massive boulder, but the feat of destroying a solid bridge designed to support a person’s weight was still impressive. The bridge had been built with minimal use of supernatural power—just enough thickness to hold someone’s weight.

The key point, however, was that no one else in the area could have broken it with their bare hands.

Kang Seong-bae’s gaze instinctively drifted toward Yeom Mi-joo. Her nose was completely flattened, blood smeared across her bruised and swollen face.

‘So that’s what happened… She took a punch from that guy,’ he thought, feeling his throat go dry.

Seongho noticed Kang Seong-bae staring and commented nonchalantly, "I held back. Her nose is broken, but it’s not life-threatening."

"Ah… I wasn’t judging you or anything," Kang Seong-bae replied hastily.

"Or are you accusing me of hitting your colleague?" Seongho asked bluntly, fully admitting to the punch.

The candid admission startled Kang Seong-bae, who quickly forced a grin and shook his head.

"Of course not. Knowing her, she probably attacked first."

"Smart guess," Seongho replied with a faint smirk.

Clearing his throat, Kang Seong-bae shifted the subject. "So, your ability… is it just raw strength?"

"My body gets tougher, too. If it didn’t, my hand would’ve shattered from punching that bridge."

Kang Seong-bae didn’t like Seongho’s cocky attitude, but he couldn’t deny the man’s combat potential.

‘He’s built entirely for battle. If this guy joins us, we might finally be able to hunt that monster,’ he thought, already considering the possibilities.

While Kang Seong-bae mulled over his thoughts, Yeom Mi-joo interrupted. "If we’re done here, let’s go! Seongho-oppa, follow me. And those slaves? You handle them."

"Always dumping the annoying tasks on me," Kang Seong-bae grumbled.

"I don’t have a choice! I need to report to the professor!" she retorted, rolling her eyes and strutting off confidently.

However, Seongho didn’t move from his spot. Instead, he spoke up, "Those two aren’t slaves. They’re Awakeners too."

Both Kang Seong-bae and Yeom Mi-joo turned to him, eyes wide with surprise.

"They’re Awakeners? Why didn’t you say anything?" Yeom Mi-joo demanded.

"You didn’t ask," Seongho replied calmly.

"Well, I’m asking now! What abilities do they have?"

Seongho sighed, his expression showing faint irritation. "Do they have to demonstrate their abilities to meet the camp leader?"

"Since they’re coming in under my endorsement, yes," Yeom Mi-joo shot back. "If they’re not Awakeners, I’ll get all the blame. So, prove it."

Seongho glanced at Im Chan, prompting him to step forward.

"My name is Im Chan, and this is my daughter, Ji-hyo," he introduced.

"What are your abilities?"

"I can rapidly grow plants, and my daughter can make herself invisible to zombies."

"Seriously? Those are abilities?" Kang Seong-bae asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not? We’ve seen Awakeners who can shapeshift into animals. My daughter’s power is easy to verify right now."

Yeom Mi-joo extended a web-like thread and snagged a zombie from the street below. It thrashed and snarled as it was brought up to the rooftop.

The zombie landed amidst the group but paid no attention to Ji-hyo, instead targeting everyone else.

Amazed, Kang Seong-bae and Yeom Mi-joo observed Ji-hyo as she casually wandered near the zombie without drawing its attention.

Soon, Ji-hyo scurried back to Im Chan. "Daddy, did I do well?"

"You did great, sweetheart," Im Chan replied, stroking her head gently.

Meanwhile, Seongho rummaged through his backpack and tossed a potato to Im Chan.

As Im Chan held the potato, it began to sprout vines, producing more potatoes in mere moments.

"As you can see, as long as I have seeds or plants to work with, I can grow them quickly," Im Chan explained.

"Whoa… We could really ramp up rice cultivation with that," Kang Seong-bae said, genuinely impressed, as he picked up one of the newly grown potatoes.

Having new talents in both survival and combat was undoubtedly a boon for the camp.

While Kang Seong-bae admired the potatoes, Yeom Mi-joo suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha! I did it! I brought them in! This is my success! Three Awakeners at once—I'm rich!"

Her laughter was loud and obnoxious, drawing curious glances. Kang Seong-bae, though trying to act indifferent, couldn’t hide a hint of envy.

"Now that it’s confirmed, let’s finally head inside!" Yeom Mi-joo said, leading the group down to the ground floor.

They were met by armed guards, who eyed the newcomers warily.

"Before you can fully enter, we need to inspect your belongings. It’s camp policy," Yeom Mi-joo explained.

Seongho pointed to the large blade strapped to his leg. "You’re not going to take my weapons, are you?"

"Of course not. We’re only looking for explosives or guns—dangerous stuff like that."

Seongho handed over his backpack without protest. He had already concealed anything potentially suspicious: the virus orbs were ingested, Ji-hyo’s necklace appeared to be a simple accessory, and his tumbler’s purpose was not immediately obvious.

The inspection was quick, and the group was allowed into the camp.

As they walked toward the center of the campus, a foul stench filled the air.

Rounding a corner, they encountered a pitiful sight: ragged, barefooted civilians hauling massive sacks on their backs. Their emaciated frames shivered in the cold, and their gaunt faces were void of hope.

Im Chan inhaled sharply at the sight and instinctively shielded Ji-hyo’s face, pressing her against his chest to block her view.

The overseer—brandishing a whip—paused when he noticed Yeom Mi-joo and immediately bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Awakener!" he bellowed, his voice painfully loud.

Yeom Mi-joo scrunched her nose, digging at her ear as if annoyed. "Enough with the greetings. Move these filthy things out of the way."

"Yes, right away!"

The overseer cracked his whip, striking the civilians mercilessly.

Snap! Snap!

Screams echoed through the air as the whip bit into their frail bodies.

Yeom Mi-joo, dissatisfied with their slow pace, kicked a few of them aside. "Move! Get out of the way already!"

Any semblance of humanity she had shown earlier had vanished.

Seongho silently observed her from behind, his gaze unreadable as he continued forward.

Inside the camp, the environment was no less bleak. Non-Awakened civilians were subjected to backbreaking labor under brutal conditions. Even more shocking was that those enforcing this cruelty were not Awakeners but other non-Awakened civilians.

‘They’ve turned the civilians against each other,’ Seongho realized. By offering a semblance of power to those who aided in the oppression, the camp had ensured that any potential rebellion would collapse under betrayal.

Suppressing a sigh, Seongho followed Yeom Mi-joo through the campus until they reached the library at its heart.

"This way!" Yeom Mi-joo said, leading them down a hallway adorned with artwork.

Finally, they reached a large room where a man sat reclining on a leather sofa, smoking a cigarette.

"Who did you bring?" he asked.

"New recruits! Three of them!" Yeom Mi-joo announced proudly.

The man, in his early forties, stood up. He was over 190 centimeters tall, with rugged features, dark skin, and a muscular frame. His sheer size and presence exuded authority.

"Three Awakeners, huh?" he said, his deep voice resonating as he approached.

He extended a hand to Seongho. "Welcome. I’m Oh Jong-hyuk."

Seongho shook his hand firmly. "Han Seongho."

"I’m Im Chan, and this is my daughter," Im Chan said, introducing himself.

Oh Jong-hyuk smiled warmly and patted both men on the shoulder. "It must’ve been tough, wandering around with a child. You’ve done well to make it here."

He then turned to Ji-hyo, but the girl hid her face in her father’s chest.

"Oh, no need to push her. Kids have always hated me," he chuckled, waving it off.

Despite his seemingly affable demeanor, Seongho remained cautious.

‘If he truly believed in fairness, this camp wouldn’t be riddled with such blatant discrimination,’ Seongho thought.

The Pioneer’s Cradle had revealed that Oh Jong-hyuk’s ability was Beastification, which allowed him to transform into a massive beast with immense destructive power.

‘He’s likely the strongest fighter in this camp,’ Seongho concluded.

Just as Seongho was considering how to gather more information about Oh Jong-hyuk, the door burst open.

"Camp Leader!"

A man stormed in, visibly agitated.

"The group from World Cup Park just arrived, but they’re demanding higher payment for their goods!"

Oh Jong-hyuk’s response was swift and brutal. He tilted his head toward one of his men, who walked up to the messenger and slapped him hard across the face.

Smack!

The man crumpled to the ground, clutching his cheek in pain.

"Mind your manners. We have guests," Oh Jong-hyuk said, his voice calm but menacing.

The messenger was dragged out of the room as the sound of punches and kicks echoed from the hallway.

Turning back to Seongho, Oh Jong-hyuk offered an unapologetic smile. "I’m sorry about that. Old habits die hard, you know?"

"Old habits?" Seongho asked, maintaining his composure.

"They still think they’re people," Oh Jong-hyuk replied nonchalantly.

Seongho resisted the urge to let his expression falter and maintained his composure as he replied, "Ah, you mean the idea that Awakeners are the new humanity? That woman mentioned it. Quite an interesting philosophy."

"Philosophy? Hahaha!"

Oh Jong-hyuk burst into sudden laughter, his booming voice filling the room. It took him a while to calm down and catch his breath.

"That’s not a philosophy—it’s reality," he said, his tone sharp and unyielding, leaving no room for argument.

In that moment, Seongho understood.

Oh Jong-hyuk didn’t view the man being beaten outside as a person. For him, the belief in Awakeners as the new humanity wasn’t just a convenient ideology—it was his unshakable reality.

The realization struck a chord in Seongho, triggering memories of scenes from the original timeline.

He recalled the New Humanity Association setting entire camps ablaze during their slave hunts.

The flames drove survivors into the open, where they were caught with snares and dragged across asphalt roads like animals, their captors reveling in cruel delight.

Among the towering infernos, desperate people took their own lives, their shadows flickering against the flames. Meanwhile, Awakeners stomped on the corpses without a second thought as they advanced.

Those horrific scenes, once confined to the pages of the original story, now felt palpably real. And the man before him—Oh Jong-hyuk—was the architect of such atrocities.

Seongho’s mouth felt dry, the weight of his realization pressing down on him. He bit the inside of his cheek discreetly to suppress any sign of unease.

Oh Jong-hyuk, oblivious to Seongho’s internal turmoil, casually patted him on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the new reality," Oh Jong-hyuk said, his voice carrying an air of finality.

Seongho responded with a faint, unreadable smile, though his thoughts burned with a quiet intensity.