Chapter 20 ….

Jinwoo quietly wiped his tears and gave an awkward smile.

I grinned lightly, not making a big deal, and ruffled his hair wildly.

“Done crying, you loser?”
“I-I never cried…”
“Then at least don’t let your tears stain my clothes.”
“Uh… s-so, what did you want to say?”

Jinwoo blushed and fidgeted, clearly embarrassed. I let go of his head and spoke gently.

“Do you know about the National Assembly?”
“Do you mean the Doctors Without Borders? Yeah, I know them. They’re famous worldwide.”

His eyes lit up a little, perhaps from admiration. But what I had to tell him wasn’t lighthearted.

“What if I told you that those people could take care of your younger siblings? How would you feel?”
“…What?”

Jinwoo’s gaze trembled violently, having read my expression several times as my smile disappeared.

“I’m saying this in advance—this isn’t a demand. I won’t force you to do something you hate.”
“Ah… r-right?”
“But if things continue as they are…”

I glanced at the inside of the orphanage.

There was no way to say the facility was good.

It was a miracle that children could survive there without major scars in a place that even adults would struggle in.

I’m sure Jinwoo felt that more than I did. The fleeting glimmer of hope in his eyes the moment I mentioned it said it all.

“You know you can’t live like this forever.”
“…Yes.”

Life is reality.

Life in a hellish place like the Korean Peninsula is even harsher.

Even children cannot be exceptions to the brutal reality of survival.

But the bonds they’d formed over time couldn’t just be discarded in a single night.

They weren’t just children—they were like family.

Connections are cruel in their persistence, and they gripped Jinwoo’s heart tightly.

“I just want to take care of them as long as I can…”
“And what about you? Your body? Who will care for your worn-out mind?”
“Ah… once the kids grow up, it’ll… somehow… be okay…”

Though he spoke, his gaze stayed fixed on the ground. He seemed to know, even as he spoke, how unreasonable his words were, and couldn’t finish the thought.

“…Please give me a little time to think.”
“I can’t give much. We have places to go. Decide by tomorrow.”
“…Yes.”

Jinwoo’s expression became complicated. I said no more and quietly stepped aside.

The orphanage’s interior was cozier than I had imagined.

Perhaps from being used to sleeping on the streets, even sleeping indoors felt like a luxury.

“Hehehe… it’s so bustling.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while!”
“It used to be like this when the older kids were around too…”
“Shh! If you say that, Jinwoo will get sad.”

Apparently, there used to be more children in the orphanage. The gloomy expressions suggested the ending wasn’t happy.

The pain of losing family—it was something both I and Kim Yeoul had painfully experienced.

Even though I made this request, I could empathize with Jinwoo’s worries.

‘They must feel like the last family they have left.’

That’s why he’s desperate to protect them.

Jinwoo seemed unable to sleep, still pacing in front of the orphanage. I couldn’t just watch a distressed S+ ranked talent suffer, so I went outside with him.

“You look deep in thought.”
“Hyung…! You’re still up?”
“Someone’s making a fuss outside.”
“Ah… sorry.”

Normally, this would be the moment to grab a coffee from the vending machine and hand it over. Unfortunately, the vending machine in front of the orphanage had already been destroyed.

‘Nothing works properly in this damn land.’

I plopped down beside Jinwoo. As I pondered what to say, I noticed his eyes were painfully red.

Sixteen.

On the cusp of adolescence, at an age when others are still dealing with the troubles of growing up, he had matured too early.

I couldn’t figure out what to say, so I just quietly sat with him. Jinwoo also stayed silent, unable to speak.

Outside, the orphanage was eerily quiet in the absence of electricity.

The city was plunged in darkness, with no one in sight.

What did the outside world mean to Jinwoo?

Handing over the children he’d cared for must have felt like abandoning family, making his heart heavier.

Yet, despite his ideals, reason screamed that he couldn’t manage this alone.

Even adults would struggle with such a task—how could a sixteen-year-old boy do it?

In a land filled with beasts who had forsaken humanity, a 16-year-old holding onto his humanity alone bore a heavy burden.

As I glanced at the moon faintly illuminating the land, I was about to speak when—

Swaaaak!

“Dodge—!”

A blunt arrow shot toward Jinwoo.

I snatched it midair with my fist, prepared in combat stance.

“Hi-iiik!?”

Jinwoo shivered violently. I gripped his hands tightly and met his gaze.

“Get inside and wake the others!”
“O-okay…”
“What’s going on?!”

Hearing my shout, Kim Yeoul and Seo Iram dashed out without calling for me. I gestured to Kim Yeoul about the arrow.

Her expression twisted in anger.

“A monster?”
“The arrow’s poor condition suggests it’s from one. Probably.”
“Level?”
“Judging by its force, not high.”

Kim Yeoul assessed the situation and stood in front of me, her aura illuminating the surroundings.

“Jinwoo, get inside and keep the kids safe.”
“U-uh… y-yes!”

Jinwoo’s hands trembled as he bit his lip and ran into the orphanage. Iram, rubbing her sleepy eyes, clicked her tongue.

“When they sleep, even dogs don’t touch them…”
“They will when awake.”
“Hmm… really?”

I started the car parked at the entrance. Turning on the headlights revealed the area around the orphanage.

In the light, unpleasant green monsters—goblins—stomped toward us.

“A goblin? Is there a nearby settlement?”
“I think I smell it already.”
“Goblins aren’t exactly clean creatures. Still… why goblins?”

Glancing at Kim Yeoul, I noticed her veins bulging in anger.

“Why are you so mad?”
“Early in my awakening, goblins caused me a lot of trouble.”
“I see…”

I channeled energy into Kim Yeoul. She shot forward like a bullet.

Her punch reverberated through the air, scattering the goblin horde, leaving corpses behind.

Goblins are weak individually but highly intelligent. They rarely fight in numbers and often raid at night. They even plan contingencies on a large scale.

Of course, that applies only to ordinary enemies. The best way to break a strategist isn’t brilliant tactics or genius war plans—it’s overwhelming force.

“I don’t need to go out, then.”
“Yeah, she’s pissed.”

There were roughly 120 goblins. A sizable group, but we were S-rank hunters, buffed and nearly indestructible, regenerating quickly.

It was like releasing a hungry tiger into a chicken coop.

Watching Kim Yeoul massacre the goblins, I calmly continued my energy gathering.

The goblins’ corpses lay scattered. All of this was by one hunter’s hand.

Skills are invincible, buffs divine. No need for spiritual spells. Only after the last goblin’s head flew through the air did I rise.

“Where’s that A-rank hunter trembling at the goblins?”
“I told you not to say that!”
“Fine, just come over here.”
“Hmph…”

I handed Kim Yeoul a towel before she could scold me. She paused mid-action, noticing something.

“…I felt it too.”

The ground trembled. A massive army approached, far larger than before.

“Goblins again.”
“Yes.”

Kim Yeoul gripped the towel tightly as the goblin army revealed itself.

“This is more like a legion, right?”
“…Huh.”

In the headlights, the goblins were a true army: warriors, archers, shamans, generals, rogues, and even the goblin king on his throne.

“…This just got annoying.”
“Way too many…”

The numbers pressed us hard. They didn’t intend to negotiate after we slaughtered their kin.

“Yeoul, you okay?”
“I’ll be fine as long as I can respawn.”

Kim Yeoul glanced at the orphanage nervously, while Jinwoo looked toward us, hands trembling, gripping a pipe.

The ideal plan: use Kim Yeoul and Seo Iram as bait and take the kids. Respawning makes it manageable.

But…

Jinwoo’s hands shook violently. I didn’t want him to see a companion abandoning the children.

I had gathered 120 spirits. Could that be enough?

Kim Yeoul bit her lip and shoved me back.

“Hyunsu, I’ll hold them off. Just take the kids and run.”

Her pitiful gaze followed me. Even in this deadly situation, my mind sought a solution, not escape.

I looked at Jinwoo, hands trembling but determined to protect the children, gripping his weapon.

‘Good heart… loyalty… talent… too valuable to abandon.’

I analyzed him once more.

“…Huh?”
“What? What is it? Is something wrong?”

No mistake this time. I quietly activated my spirits beside Kim Yeoul. She blinked in surprise at my sudden readiness.

“Yes.”
“….”

Kim Yeoul bit her lip and nudged my side.

“You have some clever trick, right?”
“Of course.”

I glanced back. Jinwoo, shaking, held a dagger and stared at us.

[Life Force – Jinwoo’s awakening is in progress.]
[Current Awakening Rate – 1%]

A bud blooming brilliantly.