Terrestrial Savior Archetype - T.S.A Chapter 3 (part 1): Choice and Focus (1)

‘Savior…?’

Jeong-woo quickly looked around.

He wanted to confirm if this phrase appeared only to him.

As expected, there was no peculiar reaction from the people around him, except for Team Leader Jo, who happened to be looking in his direction with a strange expression.

“The evaluation of Mr. Park Jeong-woo is complete.

“Your assigned role is ‘Savior.’ If it is determined that your abilities do not match or are insufficient for the given role, it may change or disappear.

Jeong-woo repeatedly read the guidance text.

He wanted to memorize the content that would soon disappear as much as possible.

‘Roles can change or disappear… Is this a matter of survival?’

He vaguely felt like he knew what the Earth wanted.

What it desired was a ‘protagonist.’

Someone who could adapt to the new environment at an astonishing speed and effectively utilize the given abilities.

As stated in the declaration, it was for the sake of Earth’s own survival.

The problem was that Earth’s method of finding talented individuals seemed somewhat harsh and appeared to consider various possibilities.

While Team Leader Jo was a ‘Predator,’ Jeong-woo himself was assigned the role of ‘Savior.’

Was there a guarantee that there were no other roles?

Moreover, there were more than thirty people gathered in this place. Yet, there were already at least two people who had been assigned ‘roles.’

Considering that there are over eighteen million people living in Seoul…

‘To be precise, this is more of a minimum qualification than a ‘talent.’ It’s a selection process that may involve the entire country, or perhaps even the whole world…’

As Jeong-woo contemplated this, he suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.

Despite being assigned a role like the Team Leader Jo, no one seemed to pay attention to him.

Some employees were even whispering about what a Savior could be while having Jeong-woo right next to them.

”There was a message earlier about finding the Savior. Is it okay to just stand here quietly?”

”Then what about Team Leader Jo Sun-woong? It says he’s a Predator…”

“Maybe the term ‘Savior’ is metaphorical.”

“That could be… If you can save people, that would make you a Savior.”

Jeong-woo quietly retreated while overhearing this conversation.

It was to look at the mirror hanging next to the water dispenser in the company.

‘What on earth is happening?’

Why couldn’t people recognize him?

Even though there was a Savior right next to them.

And the reason became apparent as soon as he looked at the mirror.

There was no text above Jeong-woo’s head.

“An error? No, that can’t be.”

Perhaps this text itself was special, and it didn’t appear in the mirror…

But even so, it didn’t explain why people couldn’t perceive it.

Simply put, there was just no text at all.

As Jeong-woo, with a bewildered expression, poured water into a paper cup, the new employee named Kim Jae-hyung approached him.

“Assistant Manager, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just not feeling well…”

Jeong-woo stopped drinking water with a faint smile.

Behind Jae-hyung, Team Leader Jo approached.

“Mr. Jeong-woo, you seem a little uncomfortable… Do you have something to tell me?”

Merely having the text “Predator” above Team Leader Jo’s head made his presence felt strongly.

Until recently, he had only been seen as a pitiful person who was constantly harassed by the head office. But now, he felt like a ferocious beast that had come out of its cage.

Swoosh.

When Team Leader Jo approached, Jae-hyung, who was frightened, stepped back.

To someone who didn’t know, Team Leader Jo’s words could be interpreted as, “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

However, Jeong-woo understood exactly what the other person was saying.

Wasn’t he also assigned a role? That was the meaning behind it.

Furthermore, it could be a question like, “But why wasn’t a role assigned to you?”

‘Perhaps he hasn’t realized that I’m the Savior.’

Jeong-woo silently looked at Team Leader Jo while still holding the paper cup.

On the surface, there was no reason to hide his identity.

Since there was no hostility from the other side, and because he was the Savior that people needed to find in order to “completely resolve the situation.”

‘But… it’s strange. The role name isn’t being displayed. This is the default setting established by Earth. There must be a reason for it.’

Moreover, unlike Team Leader Jo, who seemed to know something, Jeong-woo had received no information other than being assigned the role of Savior.

In other words, no matter what “solution” people demanded, he currently had nothing to offer.

If that were to happen, what would they think?

For some reason, Jeong-woo sensed that people might misunderstand and think that the Savior was hiding important information.

He judged that if things became more complicated, he could even die in this position.

The Witch Hunt… A horrifying scene flashed through his mind.

“Jeong-woo… Didn’t they say they would give a certain amount of ‘Essence’ according to the survey results? How much did you receive?”

According to Earth’s claims, essence was the best weapon that humans could use at this point in time.

However, Earth did not provide any instructions on how to use it.

It was like giving guns to primitive people without teaching them how to load and shoot.

Why?

If this was truly a ‘weapon,’ shouldn’t he be able to use it whenever he felt threatened?

“Hmm…”

Just four meters away, Team Leader Jo stood, and behind him, the employees were lined up like screens.

As Jeong-woo felt a sense of unease and instinctively became alert, a change occurred.

The number ‘5,’ drawn in blue, appeared in his mind.

It was just a number, but Jeong-woo could intuitively sense that it represented the amount of essence he possessed.

And…

“Oh…”

One by one, numbers started appearing in front of everyone’s eyes.

The location was right above their heads.

Most of them ranged from 1 to 3, but occasionally, there were people with the numbers 4 or 5.

‘So, this is the amount of essence Earth distributed.’

Judging from the atmosphere, it seemed that only Jeong-woo could see the essence of others.

It wasn’t an error. He was chosen as the Savior. That much was clear. His identity was concealed for some reason.

As Jeong-woo observed the situation, he couldn’t help but take his gaze off the paper cup.

At that moment, his eyes met Team Leader Jo’s narrowing gaze.

“Cough!”

Startled, Jeong-woo coughed loudly.

Team Leader Jo possessed an astounding ten pieces of essence.

“I’m sorry… I haven’t been feeling well since earlier.”

Jeong-woo hastily tried to compose his expression, but Team Leader Jo detected something.

‘What is his true identity?’

Team Leader Jo, who was a Predator, stared intently at Park Jeong-woo, the Assistant Manager standing in front of him.

He had suspicions but no evidence.

Other than a suspicious air, Park Jeong-woo seemed no different from any other employee. Except for the fact that he was the Savior people had to find in order to “completely resolve the situation.”

‘However… It’s strange. His role name isn’t being revealed. This is the default setting established by Earth. There must be a reason for it.’

Moreover, unlike Team Leader Jo, who seemed to know something, Jeong-woo had received no information other than being assigned the role of Savior.

In other words, there was nothing else he could offer even if people demanded a certain ‘answer’ from him.

-Find a savior and help him or take the role and walk the path of salvation yourself.

It didn’t go away like a quest notification in a game, and it stayed in his field of vision.

Help the savior or steal the role…