Terrestrial Savior Archetype - T.S.A Chapter 19 (part 2): The Price of Power (3)

Jeong-woo kept his eyes on the chat window, lost in thought, when another person voiced a different opinion.

[40] Gi-sa-do: The government has a considerable workforce, right? There’s the military and the police… Couldn’t they capture animals and turn them into Essence without killing people?

[44] MokDong: Uh… I hadn’t thought that far, but it doesn’t seem impossible.

And another rescuer refuted it as if asserting his point.

[16] Pung-woo: You guys are so naive. How many Essences do you have each? Have you ever fought properly? Even if you had encountered similar opponents, you wouldn’t be talking such nonsense.

The chat room fell quiet at the words of “Pung-woo,” ranked 16th.

Clearly, even within “The First Channel,” there was a clear difference in temperature based on the ranks.

Those ranked below 40 seemed to have a more moderate disposition, while those in the top 20 had defined their own paths.

Even someone ranked 27th like “Light” should already know that it’s practically impossible for the government and saviors to coexist.

In other words, Light was in such a state.

The situation was too complicated to ask the government for help.

‘As expected, those who understand the situation have already begun killing.’

“Pung-woo” seemed to have experience in battles with awakened individuals…

In which region did these awakened individuals start fighting?

Reading the chat only made Jeong-woo impatient.

Then, “Light” put an end to the controversy.

[27] Light: It’s pointless for us to argue amongst ourselves. At least those close to the top 5 should speak up…

[44] Mokdong: That’s right. It’s anonymous anyway, so someone from the frontline should speak up.

They were asking for comments from those who possessed the power to close off the gate.

Currently, Jeong-woo’s rank as a rescuer was “3.” He was one of those “frontliners” they were talking about.

But he had nothing to gain by revealing himself.

The other four top 10 saviors remained silent too.

‘Some government officials could be lurking in this channel. Let’s observe for now.’

Rather than interjecting into the chat, Jeong-woo recalled some notable nicknames.

”Pung-woo,” ranked 16th, and “Light,” ranked 27th.

“Dulpo,” once ranked 3rd but had dropped to 8th, had stopped participating in the chat for some time now.

Thus, his current rank was unknown.

‘Has he dropped below 50th by now?’

Though it was an irrelevant concern, Jeong-woo couldn’t help but wonder.

Among the top-ranked saviors, why was he engaging in such casual chat? Moreover, he was one of the two people who knew Jeong-woo’s nickname, “Human.”

The other person who had seen Jeong-woo’s nickname was someone who had accessed the first channel during its initial stages.

Though he didn’t catch the guy’s nickname, Jeong-woo had a hunch that he was still ranked first.

“Are you okay?”

As Jeong-woo continued staring at the chat window, Sun-woong spoke as if trying to confirm his consciousness.

“Ah…”

With a gaze fixed blankly on the chat window, Jeong-woo’s partner, Sun-woong, came into view.

He had the same vacant expression as he had on the highway this morning and whenever he looked at the chat window, which felt strange to Jeong-woo.

Jeong-woo felt that he should explain properly to Sun-woong.

“How did I look just now? You saw me, right?”

“You seemed to be staring into space. I’m not sure what you were looking at, but if it’s not a safe place, you should be careful.”

Sun-woong’s voice was cold, reflecting his anger towards the deaths of the Neighborhood Watch members. But at the same time, he showed concern for the person who was a murderer.

He was a normative and human person, Jeong-woo thought, feeling sorry for causing him to make such a choice.

“Mr. Sun-woong.”

At Jeong-woo’s call, Sun-woong looked straight into his eyes.

“I’m leaving now. To a place with many people. Will you come with me?”

“…Are you saying you’re going to kill people again?”

“If someone doesn’t gather the essence, everyone will eventually die.”

Jeong-woo’s answer was resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

He wouldn’t stop until he acquired enough power.

That was his determination after confirming the reality of the gate.

He currently had 1,466 essences in his possession.

If he could accumulate over ten thousand by using them wisely, he could begin closing the gate.

Jeong-woo believed he had to do it himself.

The encounter with the Cleaner, entering the ranks of saviors, and transferring the essence of the cats—all these “connections” that had come in just one day seemed to be urging him to act.

‘Jeong-woo seems to believe he can do it.’

Sun-woong’s remark, like he had just leaped through several lines.

As if he could see into Jeong-woo’s inner thoughts.

‘Beyond being human, no one could think of achieving this. Trying to collect ten thousand essences by harming others… Jeong-woo, you don’t yet know what you’re doing.’

A power that could make everything in front of him disappear with a mere stretch of his arm.

It was hard to associate such a power with “killing.”

Perhaps the essence wasn’t just a remedy.

Maybe it was a way to make it easier for organisms on Earth to kill each other.

But Sun-woong kept the latter part of his thought to himself.

He knew he had already gone off-topic.

“So, what will you do from now on? Are you willing to commit suicide? You have to live anyway. Besides, I’ve decided to become strong enough to determine my own future if I survive. I don’t want to leave my future in the hands of others or animals.”

Jeong-woo’s rebuttal came quickly.

“…”

Sun-woong fell silent.

He was right. Sun-woong didn’t intervene because he had an alternative.

But to ignore it and move on was too difficult to accept.

Killing to prevent death.

In the face of such a bitter paradox, the two fell silent for a moment.

Then, this time, Jeong-woo leaped through several lines.

“This struggle isn’t about human survival. We were forcibly drafted into a fight for Earth. But we can survive. We just need to gather the essences quickly and close the gate. We don’t know how many people will be left by then, but it’s better than everyone dying.”

“I’ll be alive then too,” Jeong-woo added.

Next, he turned his head uphill, from where they used to descend.

Thud, thud, thud…

It was like a wave of black oil.

Hundreds of “Cleaners” were crawling down the slope.

Didn’t they wonder how fast Cleaners could run this morning in the parking lot?

The answer was right in front of them.

Those things ran faster than most bikes.

Stepping on the backs and waists of their colleagues ahead, sometimes forming a tangle as dozens of them rolled together.

“I respect your thoughts, Mr. Sun-woong. As a fellow human, I deeply empathize. But now is not the time.”

Snap.

Jeong-woo held his pen in his right hand and pushed Sun-woong to the side, extending his right arm.

Swish!

A wave with an inverted collar shape burst out in front of him.

Pooof!

Dozens of Cleaners, who were charging towards him, disappeared in an instant.

But soon after, the ones behind them filled the empty space.

Their running speed was faster than the processing speed of the essence wave.

“Let’s go. Run straight toward the road. If you happen to think of staying here, I’ll take your essences.”

With a wrench in his left hand, Jeong-woo spoke and briefly glanced at the Cleaners. Then, without saying anything more, he started running toward the road.

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