The Devouring Genius of a Destroyed World

Im Chan barely managed to hold his composure, but his stomach churned unpleasantly.

The pungent smell of marijuana mixed with the stench of filth made the air almost unbearable.

Having confirmed the existence of drugs in the camp, he decided there was no need to push further.

“My daughter’s having a hard time. Let’s step outside,” he said.

“Of course, sir! Right this way!”

Once outside, Im Chan patted Ji-hyo’s back gently to help her calm down before addressing the man.

“I noticed some people smoking earlier... Is tobacco being distributed here?”

“Oh, no, sir,” the man replied. “It’s a means of control for certain troublemakers among the slaves—those who attempt escape or incite rebellion.”

According to the man, these individuals were forcibly made to inhale the substance and then provided with regular doses to maintain dependency. As the addiction deepened, the distribution schedule of the drug was used to control their actions.

Im Chan was left speechless, shocked by the inhumane explanation.

Noticing his reaction, the man hesitated before clasping his hands together and cautiously asking, “By any chance… are you interested in the drugs, sir?”

The misunderstanding was so absurd that Im Chan momentarily forgot how to respond.

The man, however, continued talking.

“Let me be frank, sir. The camp leader doesn’t take kindly to Awakened individuals using drugs.”

Intrigued and appalled, Im Chan listened as the man elaborated.

According to him, Oh Jong-hyuk restricted drug usage to the slave population only.

“Dog food isn’t meant for humans, after all.”

Hearing this quote attributed to Oh Jong-hyuk sent a wave of searing rage through Im Chan, rendering his mind blank for a moment.

It took him a few seconds to recognize the overwhelming emotion he was experiencing—profound anger unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Im Chan’s hands trembled involuntarily as his body reacted to the sheer audacity of it all.

Yet the man wasn’t done talking.

“There’s also someone who’s been misusing heroin lately. It’s been a headache for the camp leader to deal with.”

It didn’t take long for Im Chan to deduce who this was referring to—Yeom Mi-ju.

“…What exactly are you trying to say?” he asked, his voice laced with barely contained irritation.

“Oh, nothing much, sir. I mean, of course, you’re different from us, but…”

The man trailed off, swallowing nervously before continuing.

He warned Im Chan not to take an interest in the drugs, adding that it could only lead to trouble.

It was clear the man was worried about the complications that might arise if Im Chan were to involve himself in this matter.

Although Im Chan found the misunderstanding ridiculous, he knew that letting Oh Jong-hyuk hear about his inquiries into drugs would do him no good.

“I’m not interested,” Im Chan said with a forced laugh. “I was just curious. The smell didn’t seem like regular tobacco, so I wanted to know what it was.”

Relieved, the man visibly relaxed.

Seizing the moment, Im Chan began piecing together his thoughts.

The periodic distribution of the drugs suggested the existence of a stable supply chain.

If there was a cultivation site nearby, locating it could be crucial.

Just as Im Chan was about to ask a leading question, a faint, ragged voice broke the air.

“S-save me… Please…”

Turning toward the source of the sound, Im Chan froze in shock.

A staggering figure emerged from the direction of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, drenched in blood.

Without hesitation, Im Chan bolted toward the injured person, his instincts taking over.

***

Returning to his quarters as the sun began to set, Seongho was met with an unexpected piece of news.

“There was an incident at the slave quarters?”

Im Chan quickly explained the situation.

While investigating the drug issue, a heavily injured person had appeared.

“I couldn’t just watch someone die, so I treated them,” he said.

Stopping the bleeding required surgery, which demanded a lot of supplies. The civilians inside the building had voluntarily helped him, fetching items from the medical kit back at the quarters.

“I had asked them for help. I apologize for letting others into the quarters without permission...”

Seongho waved off the apology with a dismissive hand.

“I don’t mind who came in. It’s not a problem,” he said, though he was curious about how everything had unfolded.

He prompted Im Chan to continue.

“The guards at the humanities building tried to stop me, saying it was unnecessary, but when I insisted, they didn’t push back too hard.”

Civilians had no way to oppose an Awakened individual who dug in their heels—such was the disparity between the two groups in this camp.

“Anyway… thanks to their help, I managed to suture the blood vessels and finish the emergency treatment. Oh, and during the process, I let it slip that I used to be a nurse.”

It seemed he had revealed his background while explaining what needed to be done.

“I felt it was necessary to inform you about what happened. I acted on my own, and I’m sorry if—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Seongho interrupted.

He truly wasn’t bothered by Im Chan’s actions.

Still, he knew others wouldn’t feel the same. The other Awakened wouldn’t take kindly to a civilian receiving such compassion.

“If things escalate, Im Chan might become a person of interest...”

Before any of that could happen, however, Seongho intended to resolve everything.

He pulled up a question he had previously asked the Pioneer’s Cradle:

• How much time remains until the evolutionary zombie at the Seogang Daycare Center becomes active?
  「31:01:21」
  Just over a day and seven hours.

As Seongho calculated the remaining time, he shut the Cradle and turned to Im Chan.

“Speaking of which, I should fill you in on what happened on my end,” he began.

“Ah, was there trouble at the reception?” Im Chan asked with a naive expression, clearly unaware of the bombshell about to drop.

Seongho, uncharacteristically evasive, glanced to the side before replying.

“I killed Yeom Mi-ju on my way back.”

“Oh, I see... Wait, what?!”

Im Chan’s voice rose to a piercing shout, startling Ji-hyo, who was playing with her bunny plush nearby. The child clapped her hands over her ears, staring at her father in confusion.

Seongho coughed awkwardly.

“Her actions had gone too far. I admit it was a bit impulsive... but no one witnessed it, and I found a good way to smooth things over—”

The more he spoke, the more it sounded like a justification. Yet, even if he could turn back time, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Yeom Mi-ju again.

“The person you treated was likely one of her victims,” Seongho added.

“Oh...”

Recalling the desperate cries of the injured man from earlier, Im Chan paled visibly.

Seongho gave him a moment to collect himself, standing silently as Im Chan processed the revelation.

Eventually, Im Chan forced an awkward laugh.

“So... I guess you and I worked together to save him. Funny how well we’re teaming up without even coordinating!”

His voice was unnaturally cheerful, a transparent attempt to mask his discomfort. While Yeom Mi-ju had been undeniably vile, it was still hard for him to accept her death so easily.

Noting Im Chan’s unease, Seongho steered the conversation toward the evolutionary zombie.

After explaining the situation, he noticed Im Chan’s face harden once more.

“You have a plan for this too, right...?”

Im Chan’s voice was tinged with anxiety but also carried a certain faith in Seongho.

Meeting that trust, Seongho nodded firmly.

“Yes, and if everything goes as planned, it shouldn’t take long.”

“What should I do?”

Seongho outlined Im Chan’s role in the upcoming plan, presenting it in a clear and concise manner.

After a brief moment of thought, he added one more instruction:

“When it’s over, head straight to the slave quarters.”

“Pardon?”

Seongho explained his reasoning. Im Chan’s earlier efforts to treat the injured had likely fostered goodwill among the civilians. Leveraging that connection, he could integrate with them and secure the building.

“Work with them to deal with the internal guards and lock the place down,” Seongho instructed. “Meanwhile, I’ll take care of the other Awakened.”

Hearing this, Im Chan nodded resolutely.

“Understood.”

Satisfied, Seongho was about to excuse himself to wash up and prepare for the next day when Im Chan stopped him.

“Oh, right—one of the guards said something strange earlier,” Im Chan said.

“Strange? How so?”

“They warned me not to be too compassionate. Said it could put me in danger... apparently, there was another Awakened who acted like me and ended up dead.”

As Im Chan relayed the guard’s words, a name surfaced in Seongho’s mind.

“Lee Yeon-soo... the professor’s wife.”

The pieces were starting to come together.

***

The day after the reception, the most talked-about topic in the New Humanity Camp was, without a doubt, the evolutionary zombie.

Every gathering of Awakened revolved around discussions of the creature, speculating about the kind of items it might drop once killed.

Naturally, Seongho’s name was a recurring subject in these conversations.

“Man, when that sword extended, the sheer presence was unreal. Think I should ask to borrow it for a hunt?”

“Don’t bother. Looks like he’s siding with Oh Jonghyuk. Even if he lent it, it’d be to someone from that group.”

“Yeah, I got the same feeling. Maybe I should switch sides too?”

“Hey, have some loyalty!”

“Loyalty? I’d rather not cling to a sinking ship.”

The man chewing on his lip anxiously spoke again.

“Did you even see the corpse of that monster? After that, do you still want to mess with him?”

“Well...”

“Damn, this is such a headache. If that guy really killed it, who knows what his abilities are? Feels like we need to make a decision soon…”

As the group grew quiet, lost in their own thoughts, someone who had been silent until now spoke up.

“That guy... He’s probably hunted a lot of monsters before, right? Think he’s got more items?”

“No idea. He might only have the one.”

“Even if he has more, it doesn’t seem like he’s planning to show them.”

“Damn Mi-ju... picking a fight with him for no reason and making him more cautious.”

“What if... we, you know, search his room?”

The group fell silent, startled by the audacity of the suggestion.

Then, a new voice, unfamiliar and sharp, cut through the air.

“Not a method I’d recommend.”

Startled, the men whipped around to find Seongho standing behind them, arms crossed.

His gaze swept over their faces as if memorizing each one before he smirked.

“If you’re confident you won’t regret ending up like Mi-ju, then be my guest.”

His casual words carried a chilling weight. Without waiting for a reply, Seongho pushed past them, intentionally brushing shoulders as he walked away.

Before long, he arrived at Hongmun Hall, the same place he had passed when first entering the camp.

Ascending the stairs briskly, Seongho was greeted by a flurry of voices as he reached the rooftop.

“Holy shit…”

“He really killed that thing?”

“That’s insane. I almost pissed myself just looking at it.”

Several Awakened were clustered around the edge of the rooftop, peering outside and chattering loudly.

When they noticed Seongho, their voices died down immediately.

Ignoring their stares, Seongho approached the edge to look outside.

Amidst the writhing horde of zombies, something familiar stood out—the corpse of the wooden-shelled evolutionary zombie.

It had been retrieved by the body-modification Awakened who had gone to investigate the location Seongho had provided the night before.

“You made it,” a voice called out.

Seongho turned to see Kang Yoo draping an arm over his shoulder.

Clenching his jaw, Seongho suppressed the urge to react to the unwanted familiarity. Kang Yoo, oblivious to his discomfort, asked in a friendly tone,

“So, how’d you manage to take it down?”

“Trade secret.”

“Don’t be stingy.”

Though Kang Yoo made no attempt to hide his disappointment, he didn’t press further. It seemed he understood that pushing too hard might sour their relationship.

“By the way, did you hear about what happened with Chan hyung yesterday? He caused a bit of a stir.”

“He’s the kind of person who can’t sit still when there’s blood involved.”

“Ah, right, the nurse thing. I heard about that yesterday.”

“Exactly.”

“I get it, but... rumor has it the professor might give him an earful once this is over. Just a heads-up.”

Acknowledging the warning with a nod, Seongho shifted the conversation.

“What about the evolutionary zombie at the daycare?”

“We’ve set up a monitoring team. They’ll radio in if there’s any movement.”

Satisfied with the answer, Seongho directed his gaze toward the horizon.

From the rooftop’s edge, the Pioneer’s Cradle unfolded before him.

His eyes scanned the bottom of the first chapter’s Q&A section.

• How much time remains until the evolutionary zombie at the Seogang Daycare Center becomes active?
  「16:01:21」

Seongho closed the Cradle and looked up.

The bright sky from the day before had disappeared, replaced by heavy, overcast clouds.

It was as though the darkened heavens were foreshadowing the storm looming over the camp’s future.