“Ugh…”

Kim Songcheol, who had been sitting on the book, stretched widely and got up from his seat.

My back was stiff from sitting for more than 12 hours a day.

It couldn’t be a herniated disc, the devil of desk workers that probabilistically appears after a certain amount of experience.

An enhanced body wouldn’t allow such minor illnesses.

Kim Songcheol stretched this way and that, then came out into the living room.

He drank a glass of water and tried to compose himself.

Now he had sufficiently mastered the theory of Thunderclap.

The remaining step was ’embodiment’.

In other words, direct training.

Kim Songcheol placed a soft cushion in the center of the living room and sat down.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated his mind.

Thunderclap (雷成).

Magic that becomes the electric shock itself.

That phrase best described Thunderclap.

Normal magic manifests as magic by transforming mana through complex magic formulas.

Thunderclap was magic that drastically shortened that process.

It was like extracting plastic from oil, which usually requires several processes, but using incredibly difficult technology to finish it all at once.

The advantages were ‘minimal mana loss’ and ‘maximal power’.

The shorter the process, the less mana was wasted, and all that mana was converted into output.

The Lightning God Transformation (雷身化), which could be called the trademark of Thunderclap, was a byproduct obtained in that process.

Because the main body of Thunderclap was ‘output’ itself.

Kim Songcheol began drawing Thunderclap’s magic circle in the air.

A faint golden light flowed from Kim Songcheol’s entire body, and that golden light gathered in the air, drawing a very complex ‘band’.

Its width was approximately 10cm.

However, the density of the magic circle drawn within it was so concentrated that it could barely be properly seen even with a microscope.

The long band twisted, clumped, and undulated, then its ends connected, forming a Mobius strip.

At the same time, the band-shaped magic circle shone brightly, the golden light scattered into particles, and a new blue light intensely radiated.

Rupture!

Small blue ruptures burst from various parts of Kim Songcheol’s body.

And the moment the seventh rupture burst, a blue light spread throughout his entire body, transforming him into a complete mass of electricity.

He had become an electric shock in the form of Kim Songcheol, not flesh and blood.

Nevertheless, his mind remained clear.

The basic form of Thunderclap.

It was Lightning God Transformation.

From here, a timed attack begins, guaranteed by mana quantity.

If he merely maintained Lightning God Transformation and moved like a madman using the characteristics of electric shock, it would be somewhat manageable, but as soon as he began to attack, mana consumption would skyrocket.

Even for Kim Songcheol, who had a vast mana quantity compared to other mages, he wouldn’t last more than a few minutes if he started unleashing attacks.

The attack power of Thunderclap was that strong.

As a second-tier magic, it couldn’t overcome its inherent limitations, but in terms of output, it could easily surpass most first-tier magic.

Kim Songcheol stood up and looked down at his body.

Surprisingly, although every part of his body had turned into electric shock, most of his senses, except for touch, were still alive.

No, they even felt sharpened.

This was because human senses are fundamentally based on electrical signals.

Flash!

Kim Songcheol’s body instantly vanished as if flickering, moving from the living room to the kitchen.

A speed far faster than a blink.

His control was also perfect, not affecting the electronic devices in the kitchen.

The biggest drawback of Thunderclap was the difficulty of the magic.

Lightning God Transformation itself was an insurmountable wall for other mages, but it wasn’t a big issue for Kim Songcheol.

He perfectly controlled it during his first Lightning God Transformation. Mages who fail to control their body, which has turned into an electric shock, and explode and disappear are occasionally reported.

Kim Songcheol handled Thunderclap flawlessly, to the point where it was almost unfair to compare him to such mages.

“This is as far as I can go indoors.”

A voice filled with static, due to him becoming an electric shock himself, flowed out.

If he were to emit even a little bit of power, his beloved home would vanish without a trace.

As Kim Songcheol manipulated the magic formation, the blue light from his translucent, shimmering body spread in all directions, revealing his original body.

He was still wearing the same clothes.

It was more difficult to turn clothes and other equipment into electric shock than to transform his body, but it wasn’t a major problem.

‘I’ve done everything I can for now… It’s about time I returned, isn’t it?’

Do Chi-ryang told him not to enter the dungeon for 17 days.

Those 17 days would pass in two days.

‘Has it ever been this long since I last entered a dungeon?’

No wonder he felt restless.

It wasn’t just because he was just rupturing magic books in front of the bookshelf, it seemed.

The body is always honest.

Kim Songcheol’s body, which had become a hunter, seemed to be waiting for the dungeon he had frequented for years.

Moreover, as Kim Songcheol went on a short vacation, Setsu also got a break.

‘I wonder what Setsu is doing?’

He wasn’t too worried about the Celestial Spirit Maiden, as she would handle things well on her own, but Setsu was always on Kim Songcheol’s mind.

***

The Safe Zone Setsu had created was in the eastern part of the continent.

It wasn’t adjacent to the sea or the Nothingness, nor was it particularly close to the center of the continent; it was a moderate location.

He didn’t choose that location on purpose.

Because that was the city where Setsu originally lived.

“First, the foam…”

Sizzle.

Setsu applied shaving cream to his face while looking in the mirror inside an outdoor makeshift shower stall.

This was because his beard had grown to the point where it looked strange if he didn’t shave.

Surprisingly, manufactured goods like canned shaving cream and disposable razors are easy to find.

Such things cannot save a life. If one is lucky, they might trip over them while passing a collapsed convenience store.

Setsu washed his face and body with the trickling water from above.

The weak water pressure couldn’t be helped. All the major cities had been destroyed long ago, so they were drawing river water as their source.

If a Monster tampers with the water supply, the water stops, and some Supernaturally Gifted individuals have to go out and reconnect it, but even this is something to be grateful for.

In the past, he lived without even getting a drop of water on his body, to the point where he couldn’t remember when he last washed.

When Kim Songcheol first met Setsu, his first thought was ‘filthy,’ so one can roughly imagine the hygiene of the survivors.

“Hey, Setsu!”

As he came out of the shower stall, a Male Staff Member carrying a cement bag greeted him.

“Hello.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll build the houses! Haha.”

“Oh, yes. If you need anything, just call.”

“Nah, we should handle this much ourselves! Alright, I’m going!”

Construction is currently in full swing within the Safe Zone. As the area expanded, reconstruction began.

Before, they would set up tents or just roughly cover the ceiling of a collapsed building to use it.

But now, they have enough leeway to properly carry out restoration work.

And since someone who used to work in construction entered the Safe Zone, reconstruction has gained momentum.

“Oh? It’s Setsu.”

“Setsu, what are you doing?”

Three Supernaturally Gifted individuals flying in the sky descended nearby.

They were Setsu’s old friends, and it was no exaggeration to say that this Safe Zone was started by these four, including Setsu.

Two out of the four.

Setsu and Tina were Supernaturally Gifted, while Paku and Tyuri were ordinary people.

Setsu and Tina protected Paku and Tyuri, who were roughly their age, and that’s how their connection began.

“I just finished washing, why? Where are you all going?”

“Mr. Buron needs garden shears. So we’re going to the Hardware Store.”}]}“` </div></html>

Are all three of you going together?

Yes.

It’s dangerous.

When Setsu tried to stop them, Paku laughed and waved a hand.

Don’t be such a boomer, Nothingness. We’ll be there and back in a flash.

Let’s go quickly, quickly.

Alright, see you later! You must be tired, so rest up.

Tyuri urged, and Tina quickly lifted the two of them and flew off.

No, wait. I’ll go with you!

Setsu immediately flew up and chased after them.

Because he was worried.

Tina isn’t that strong of a supernatural ability user.

When she moves alone, she’s much faster than running, but when she flies with two people, her speed isn’t that fast.

And so, the four of them went outside the Safe Zone together for the first time in a while.

Tina was leading, as always. Tina was always the leader.

Fly low.

Tina spotted a monster flying in the sky and lowered her altitude, skimming the ground.

Of course, a monster of that level would be instantly destroyed the moment it entered Setsu’s interval, but for now, they followed Tina.

The Hardware Store wasn’t very far. They arrived quickly as Tina had planned, and as Tyuri was about to go inside the Hardware Store to look for garden shears, Setsu stopped her.

Let’s just take the whole thing. We’ll need a lot of things anyway.

Setsu expanded his domain and lifted the Hardware Store along with its foundation.

It was as if he had scooped up the Hardware Store building with a giant shovel.

Oh, that’s strong?

Tina and her friends just shrugged or gave a casual thumbs-up.

Setsu is Setsu after all.

They had been together since before Setsu was this strong.

Because they knew Setsu as a person, they didn’t treat him differently just because he had gotten stronger.

That’s why Setsu was most comfortable with these friends.

Let’s go.

It was when the four friends were carrying the Hardware Store itself back to the Safe Zone.

What is that?

Tina stopped completely and looked up at the sky. Something surrounded by pink Nothingness was flying with a long tail.

That’s a person?

Setsu, who had the best eyesight, said.

A completely new survivor. And a powerful supernatural ability user at that.

That supernatural ability user stopped right above Setsu’s Safe Zone.

Setsu, who had experienced quite a lot in the Dungeon, couldn’t just think positively.

…I’ll go first.

Rupture Ang-!

Setsu was shot at an incredible speed. She dropped the Hardware Store in front of the Safe Zone as if throwing it, then turned and soared into the sky.

The Supernatural Ability user simply waited with her arms crossed, even after seeing Setsu flying towards her.

She showed no signs of attacking or defending.

“You’re quite strong? No, wait a minute. Then you must be the project leader…? You look young.”

As Setsu stopped at an appropriate distance, she blurted out several words at once.

“Who are you?”

Setsu asked.

“Me? I’m from Evante. I heard rumors that there was a Safe Zone here.”

Evante was a continent on the complete opposite side. Even Setsu, who hadn’t received proper public education, knew that much.

“What’s your business here?”

“Hey, don’t be so defensive. This isn’t a Dungeon. Why are we like this among people from the same world?”

She playfully waved her hand, then pulled something out of her bag and held it out.

It was a large Castle phone.

“Here, take it. I’m building a network of Safe Zones everywhere. You’re not the only ones living like this. There are more survivors than you think.”

Setsu finally lowered her guard and took the phone.

“My name is Jyu-ro. And you?”

“Setsu.”

“You must have gone through a lot. A Safe Zone of this size seems almost as big as mine. So, I guess you could say it’s the second largest in the world so far?”

Jyu-ro put her hands on her hips and looked down.

It was indeed quite spacious. It had started out just large enough for four friends to lie down, and had expanded to the size of a small town.

“But wait a minute…”

Jyu-ro tilted her head slightly and moved a little closer to Setsu.

She subtly scanned Setsu’s surroundings before continuing.

“How are you using your Supernatural Ability right now? Can you show me for a moment?”

“Huh? Just like this…?”

Setsu slightly expanded her domain.

Jyu-ro’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again.

“The output is very strong, but it seems you haven’t been properly trained?”

“I’ve trained extremely hard?”

“No, it seems the direction is a bit off. Looking at the output, I’d assume you’ve trained… but you’ve never learned from a Supernatural Ability user, have you?”

“Ah, that…”

“Supernatural Ability is self-taught?”

“You could say that.”

The people who could be called Setsu’s mentors were people like Kim Songcheol and Maeng-gal.

Putting everything else aside, if one only considered Supernatural Ability, they were practically earthworms.

“A raw talent was just rolling around here. Well, whatever. Come with me. Have you heard of ‘Pew’?”

Jyu-ro smiled brightly and held out her hand.

Pew.

A group of Supernatural Ability users from an A-rank Dungeon.

The number of Hunters was extremely small, but their strength was comparable to that of large organizations.