LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Awakening is a Good Thing
“Hey, Lee Yeon-ho, how long are you planning to lie around on that blanket? Is this your private room or something? Get that blanket off right now!”
Si-hyun, while attending to his duties, spotted an inmate sprawled out on the floor with a blanket and gave a sharp remark.
This sort of thing happened frequently.
In one ward, there were usually over 20 rooms and nearly 80 inmates, with only two correctional officers on duty during the day, making it practically impossible to maintain order.
So unless someone was grossly violating the rules, turning a blind eye was part of the job.
If one nitpicked every little thing, they wouldn’t be able to handle their daily responsibilities.
Still, Si-hyun was meticulous in pointing things out. When he admonished someone, they might think twice before doing it again, but if he ignored it entirely, they’d undoubtedly do the same thing without a care.
“Ugh, it’s just that my back hurts, okay? It really does! Come on, this is a place where people live; can’t you show a little leniency?”
Of course, the inmate lying on the blanket didn’t take the scolding lying down.
“I said get that blanket off right now! Now!!”
Si-hyun raised his voice.
As a correctional officer, it was only natural for his voice to carry more than usual.
After all, a soft voice would make the inmates look down on him.
“Seriously, come on. You’re annoying me first thing in the morning. Hey, Chief! Ah…!!”
Yeon-ho, who had turned around to glare, suddenly went pale as his eyes met Si-hyun’s.
His eyebrows, which had been furrowed in annoyance, drooped like a defeated puppy.
“Y-yes… yes. I apologize, Chief. I’ll get it cleaned up right away.”
The person who had claimed to be hurting was now hurriedly folding up the blanket like it was a fire hazard.
“Ah… it’s fine, just take care of it.”
As Si-hyun turned away, his own eyes widened in surprise.
Typically, the person would have dawdled while doing it, but now they were acting like they’d seen a ghost.
This was highly unusual.
‘Could it be…?’
Si-hyun recalled the power of his title.
[Title]1) Iron-Blooded Guard – Po-ahim was a figure of fear for all criminals on the Reiter continent. Not even the most dastardly criminals dared to breathe properly in his presence. – All stats increase by 1,000% when dealing with inmates. – Inmates freeze in fear and terror upon seeing you, falling into a panic state.
That last part…
He had casually brushed over it, never dreaming it would have such a tremendous effect.
“Wow, this is incredible. Seriously, this is amazing.”
He couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
So this is why awakening is a good thing.
Awakening really is awesome.
◈ ◈ ◈
Si-hyun checked the clock.
There were about 10 minutes left until knockoff time.
Having completed the evening meal distribution, there was nothing urgent left to do.
He took a moment to sit and organize his thoughts.
There were several insights he had gained today.
First, his abilities had been steadily increasing during both breakfast and lunch. Perhaps due to being in a weakened state, simply maintaining regular meals seemed to boost his growth.
These abilities, by the way, pertained to physical traits like strength, agility, and stamina.
Conversely, working as an officer appeared to enhance mental attributes such as wisdom, willpower, and magic.
Since both his body and mind were utterly exhausted, helping one meant recovering the other.
Fortunately, no challenging quests had come up so far.
‘Alright, let’s keep this up.’
The clock ticked to 5:25 PM.
When things were busy, leaving right on the dot could be scrutinized, but on a normal day, leaving about five minutes early wouldn’t be a problem.
Si-hyun packed his things and stood up.
“Don’t block the entrance to the restroom! Didn’t I tell you not to block it? Clean up those clothes and towels right now!”
Just as he was about to exit the ward, Si-hyun pointed out the garments and towels blocking the restroom entrance from room 5.
If the restroom was obstructed, it could prevent them from being aware of any suicide attempts or self-harm, so blocking it was strictly forbidden.
Still, perhaps due to the need for privacy, inmates tended to cover the area with towels whenever possible.
One inmate met Si-hyun’s gaze and immediately flinched, quickly moving to remove the obstruction.
At that moment, a message appeared before him.
[Quest: Give a proper directive to the inmate engaged in inappropriate conduct. 10/10 Complete]
[Po-ahim is satisfied with your passionate work ethic.]
[Wisdom +1, Willpower +1 Restored]
[Po-ahim wants to see his diligent junior working hard at night. Show him your hard work during the night.]
[Quest: Do overtime.]
“….”
Well, that was another task resolved.
It seems he would have to take the overtime shift for Jun-cheol this weekend in exchange for a free meal. Jun-cheol, who was likely completely worn out, would probably shout in exasperation.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After changing clothes and saying farewell to his fellow correctional officers, he stepped through the external gate when his smartphone vibrated.
Seeing the number, it was his friend Lim Sang-gyu, who he had known for 20 years.
“Uh, what’s up?”
– Are you off work now?
“Since I’m off, I’ll pick up the phone.”
– Hahaha, right? By the way, I heard you were meeting Su-jin. How did that go?
“Wow, you called pretty early.”
– Hey, buddy. I’ve been busy too, you know? Our company is putting on some tight pressure lately.
“I know, I know. Just making conversation.”
– So, how did it go with Su-jin?
“Got dumped. You happy now?”
– Really? I expected it, but wow. You must be feeling super down, come hang out. I’ll buy you some drinks.
“Pass on the drinks, let’s just grab some dinner.”
– Sure? Then let’s do that. What do you feel like eating?
“Do you remember that bossam place at the intersection? Let’s meet there by 7.”
– Okay, see you then.
The call ended.
Si-hyun couldn’t help but smirk.
There’s nothing like an old friend.
Instead of going home, Si-hyun headed straight to the bossam place.
He arrived about 10 minutes early, only to find Sang-gyu already waiting.
“Hey, you’re looking a bit better!”
“Just a drop in the emotional barometer, that’s all. I’ve lost the feel.”
Si-hyun spoke honestly, but Sang-gyu seemed to take it half as a joke.
“After all those tears, how could you be acting all cool? Just stop putting on airs and weep if you need to.”
“Okay, okay. I got it.”
The bossam place had about twenty tables already half-filled.
Si-hyun and Sang-gyu settled into a corner and ordered bossam and cider since Si-hyun had reiterated his disinterest in alcohol.
When the bossam came out, Sang-gyu took a bite and then opened his mouth.
“Honestly, now that I think about it, you really dodged a bullet. Su-jin seemed a bit high-maintenance, you know? I couldn’t tell you straight, but it was a bit much.”
In the past, such a remark from a friend would have pushed Si-hyun into a rage, but now he simply smiled ruefully.
“Yeah, you’re right. I must’ve been blind.”
“Wow, our Si-hyun has really gone to the other side! Look at you talking like that.”
“I did warn you, didn’t I?”
“Whoa… you were serious.”
Sang-gyu’s eyes widened in shock.
“She used to brag about how much money she had, like with handbags and watches… saying they cost several millions.”
“Really? Is that so? I guess we’re living in different worlds. She probably has a starting salary of 1 million dollars. I mean, that’s like 110 billion won, right?”
“What? How do you know that so precisely?”
“She’s an A-Class Awakened Being, right? The starting price for A-Class Awakened Beings in the US begins at a million dollars. This market? It adheres to the standards set forth by the supreme nation that controls Awakened beings. China, Korea, Japan—they all just follow the U.S. lead.”
“Ah right, you were quite the enthusiast for Awakened Beings, weren’t you?”
Sang-gyu had mentioned he was an old member of an online community about Awakened Beings with over a million members, something Si-hyun hadn’t paid much attention to before.
“Exactly, buddy. If you want to know anything about Awakened Beings, come to me.”
“Oh? Then let’s interrogate you. What’s the going rate for an S-Class Awakened Being?”
“S-Class values are kept highly confidential, but most speculate they start from around 200 million dollars. That’s pretty much a consensus.”
“200… 200 million dollars?!”
Si-hyun nearly spewed his soda.
“Hey, hey, you joking? Who’s paying someone a salary of 200 million dollars?”
“Does that sound like a joke? Think about it. The F-22 Raptor, one of the top fighter jets, costs over 200 million dollars, doesn’t it? But do you really think an S-Class Awakened Being is less valuable than just one fighter jet? If an S-Class Gate opens without any S-Class Awakened Beings, the country could be finished, right? Plus, while Raptors just eat up maintenance costs, S-Class Awakened Beings rake in heaps of money from Gates.”
Sang-gyu continued.
“It’s already public knowledge that countries are pouring a massive budget into managing S-Class Awakened Beings. Why? Because at least 200 million dollars is necessary to even tap into their sense of patriotism. Otherwise, they’d simply be outbid by countries like the U.S. and China. They would basically be reduced to vassal states – and there are plenty of nations going through that kind of struggle right now.”
“Wow… walking corporations. Just saving up a bit and I could print my own money. What in the world would you do with that money? I’m dying to know.”
“Want more interesting facts? The items they carry around are not any less expensive. In fact, they could be even pricier!”
“Items?”
“Quit with that clueless look. When you awaken, items from another realm come along with your inventory, right? How else were the first Awakened Beings fighting back in the day?”
“Ah, right, I knew that. Just kind of spaced out for a moment.”
Si-hyun realized he had completely forgotten about checking his inventory in the flurry of everything. He needed to check what items were within that inventory as soon as he got home.
“Anyway, keep going. I’m genuinely curious about the items.”
“Hey, so you’re interested now? This topic has been hot in the last few years. There’s been a flood of papers on it.”
Sang-gyu seemed thrilled that Si-hyun was engaging in the topic and eagerly began explaining.
“Common items like normals or magicals drop frequently from low-rank Gates. You can find them at as cheap as old scrap metal prices. But once you hit rare grade, it’s a whole different ballpark.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Starting from rare, you need to take down bosses from low-rank Gates or mobs from B or A-grade Gates to acquire them. Even then, the drop rate isn’t that high.”
“Got it. Okay, go on.”
“To put it simply, unique items are on another level altogether. They’re regarded as treasures in their world, and you generally need to be at least an A-Class Awakened Being for one to show up in your inventory upon awakening. But how common are A-Classes, right? And even for bosses in high-rank Gates, while it is possible to receive them, the rarity of both defeating these bosses and the item appearing is just baffling. So, the price is whatever someone will pay.”
“I have heard that unique items were quite a big deal.”
“But unique items are child’s play compared to legendary ones. Those are one-of-a-kind, literally one of a kind masterpieces, considered art. Lots of materials, such as adamantium or orichalcum, don’t even exist on Earth, and the magical effects are on another plane entirely.”
Sang-gyu’s smooth and continuous chatter sounded like that of a street vendor selling potions.
“So then, you gotta beat S-Class Gate bosses to obtain legendary ones, right? I’ve heard a lot about how crazy S-Class Gates are from the media.”
“Exactly, how many lives have been lost to S-Class Gates, both Awakened and civilians? Most legendary items probably appeared in an Awakened Being’s inventory upon awakening.”
Sang-gyu continued on.
“One of the few legendary items that has been leaked is Jacob, an S-Class Awakened Being from the U.S., who wields the Dragon Tooth Sword, said to summon storms. No kidding. It is inscribed with thunderstorm magic.”
“Can I ask one more question?”
Worried conversation about endless legendary items might ensue, Si-hyun interjected. After all, discussing legendary items felt like pondering expensive high-rise apartments, things entirely out of his reach.
“Ask away.”
“Is there any way for regular folks to enter the Gates?”
“Absolutely not. If a regular person wanders into a Gate and something goes wrong, who’s going to take responsibility for that?”
“I see.”
It seemed he would have to hold off on any questions regarding Gates until he got his Hunter License.
“E-rank Gates are hell for regular people, pure hell.”
For the rest of their meal, Sang-gyu’s conversation continued uninterrupted.
Having an old friend to discuss Awakened Beings with seemed to excite him.
Thanks to that, Si-hyun, unexpectedly, gathered a wealth of useful information about Awakened Beings.