Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

YuWon and Soo-Ah carefully made their way through the chaotic amusement park. They didn't dare to make any noise, so they could hear the noise made by the parade.

Meanwhile, YuWon's Tectonic Sense had led them here, pointing him toward the spot with the highest concentration of people.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

They could walk into a trap, but it was a risk they had to take. After all, a higher concentration of people meant a safe zone or the storeroom of dolls. Either way, YuWon was headed in that direction.

YuWon was confident because every quest had always had a safe zone. Even if Lucifer was hell-bent on screwing him over, he couldn't ignore the rules agreed upon by the gods.

"This should be it."

"You sure this is safe?" she asked, hugging her arms.

"Do we have a choice?"

Soo-Ah shook her head. As they approached, the faint light came into view. She tensed up, thinking it was the parade, but relaxed when the camp came into view.

It was nothing extravagant, just a small park filled with people. Makeshift barricades surrounded the area, and a handful of people stood guard near the entrance.

When YuWon and Soo-Ah got closer, the guards immediately raised their weapons.

"Stop!" he yelled. "Before you enter, you must answer our questions truthfully. State your levels!"

Soo-Ah and YuWon were confused until he looked above the park and saw some flashing numbers.

192/200… fucking Lucifer. He just can't let things stay untouched.

Since the rules forced Lucifer to create a safe zone, he intentionally set a limit to ensure not everyone could remain safe. His actions were annoying, but frighteningly so.

"I'm level 23," Soo-Ah announced.

The guard narrowed his eyes but turned to YuWon.

"And you?"

"25," YuWon said calmly.

The guard hesitated, then looked at the man standing beside him. The second guard pulled out a glowing orb and held it up. After a moment, it turned green, and he nodded.

"They're telling the truth," the second guard confirmed.

Telling the truth, my ass.

YuWon was in his hundreds in terms of level. But since the guard never specified what he wanted to ask when talking to YuWon, even if he said apple, the orb won't say that he was lying.

"Alright, you can come in." The guard said. "What are your classes?"

"Necromancer."

"And you?"

"I'd keep it a secret."

The guard eyed YuWon, wrestling as if he should discipline the newcomer. But then he remembered YuWon's level and cleared his throat.

Most people in the camp were stuck between levels fifteen to eighteen. Hence, going up against a level twenty-five wasn't a wise choice.

"A necromancer, huh? We could really use someone like you."

Not wanting to argue, the guard quickly changed the subject away from YuWon.

Soon they stepped inside the safe zone, which was bustling with activity. People gathered around small fires, cooking whatever food they had scavenged. Others were tending to injuries, repairing weapons, or reinforcing the barricades.

Even in chaos, there was order there, fragile order, but order nonetheless. It reminded YuWon of the time he spent at the military base in his last life. Things were different since then, but not too different.

"Stay here, I'll fetch the boss."

The guard gestured for Soo-Ah and YuWon to sit before leaving. Moments later, a boy who couldn't have been older than fifteen appeared before them, with the guard trailing behind.

The boy's eyes stared at them as he approached. An old man walked behind him, blindfolded, with a staff tapping lightly against the ground.

A blindfolded boss? Who is he, a master of martial arts cultivating?

As if reading his thoughts, the old man chuckled.

"These old bones don't listen to me anymore. You think a bunch of strangers will?" he said, patting the boy's shoulder. "He is who you're looking for."

The boy didn't say a thing and kept staring at YuWon. Finally, he broke the silence.

"How many rides have you cleared?" he asked bluntly.

"We've cleared five rides," Soo-Ah answered.

The boy looked at her before shifting his gaze back to YuWon.

"Are you mute?" he rolled his eyes. "If I asked you a question, you're the one who should reply to me—"

"Five rides," YuWon interrupted him.

He was already in a fragile mood and had no interest in being scolded by someone he could destroy with a flick. Still, the boy was the boss, so he couldn't openly disrespect him.

"Interesting," the boy replied.

He then turned to a woman standing nearby.

"Record which rides they cleared and how," he instructed.

"Right away, sir."

"Alright," the boy said, turning back to them. "You can stay here as long as you need to."

With that, he walked away, the blind man following closely behind him.

"I'm not the only one weirded by this… whatever this is, right?" Soo-Ah mumbled.

YuWon said nothing. The kid was young and had a sharp tongue, but he could see why he was the leader.

Everything here ran smoothly, almost like a well-organized base. The guards were strict, but fair. The survivors focused on keeping the safe zone intact, and the kid himself didn't waste time on formalities.

More importantly… he's level 27.

Peeking into the boy's stat, YuWon was surprised. He had better stats than Min-Joon, who had killed countless monsters and crusaders. It made little sense unless the boy had a strong patron god.

As the boy retreated, YuWon took a peek at the boy's skills. What he saw surprised YuWon, and it left no doubt why he was the boss.

"Still, a kid? Doesn't that feel weird to you?" Soo-Ah whispered.

"If he's the boss, it means he's capable. Out here, age doesn't matter, strength does."

Soo-Ah rolled her eyes. What strength could a measly fifteen-year-old have? In her mind, the old man wanted to hide his identity as the leader and was using the boy as a front.

"You want to know why he's strong?"

Soo-Ah nodded.

"See this safe zone? That boy created it."

YuWon didn't bother elaborating as the woman from before appeared to ask them questions, along with the guard with the magic orb.