Chapter 557 – Pretty Useless Bastard (3)

He needed to first figure out today's date.

'I also need to check who is here.'

He needed to figure out the people who would fight based on the present and his information of the future.

And most importantly.

'I need to change myself first.'

He needed to get his abilities awakened.

However, an ability awakening was something nobody could predict.

Cale's abilities were only awakened after he started working for his company.

That was why, realistically speaking, it would be close to impossible for Cale to awaken his future abilities as he pleased.

'…But I've experienced the sensation that comes with abilities being awakened.'

It felt as if he was seeing a new world.

If he thinks about that sensation and does similar things as to when his abilities actually awakened, couldn't he potentially get them awakened sooner?

'…It's fine if my abilities don't awaken while I'm at the central shelter, but it would be great to have them when I go up against the unranked monster.'

Cale's expression stiffened and Grandma Kim tightly grabbed Cale's hand that was over his stomach.

Shaaaaaaaaaaa-

Cale then saw a yellow light surround his stomach.

He subconsciously started to speak with urgency.

"Grandma, I'm okay!"
"You're not okay."

Cale could feel the pain in his stomach disappear.

Any bruises or injuries on his stomach probably healed right away.

This was grandma's healing ability.

"…How can you use your power for such a useless thing?"

Grandma Kim's abilities could only heal external injuries and had limited uses per week.

She could use it as many times as she wanted for small injuries such as bruises, but she had a strict limit for injuries such as bone fractures or significant blood loss.

The amount of healing power necessary was different based on the type of injury.

That was why Park Jin Tae wanted Grandma Kim to use her powers for healing his precious attack team members who could fight against monsters.

Grandma Kim smiled gently after hearing Cale's comment.

"This is not useless, it is important."

The grandma got up and motioned for Cale to get up as well.

"Hey, Rok Soo. Let's go inside."

Cale slowly raised his body after seeing that warm smile.

He didn't have any pain anymore.

"Hey, you stupid idiot!"
"Hyung!"

Cale turned toward the voice calling out to him.

He could see people rushing out of the shelter.

Two students, one who seemed to be in college and the other in high school, rushed over and started to support Cale.

"Hey, are you okay?"
"Hyung, are you okay?"
"Ah."

These people were here as well.

Lee Jin Joo. Lee Seung Won.

These two were siblings and ability users.

'Of course, they have abilities that other ability users look down on.'

Their abilities were seen as useless abilities right now.

'…And these two.'

They also died.

Cale suddenly felt as if someone was clenching his heart and found it hard to breathe.

"I'm fine."

But his face and voice did not show any signs of it.

"Aigoo. Look at you acting all tough!"

Lee Jin Joo snorted, but her eyes were full of concern as she checked to make sure Kim Rok Soo was okay.

Cale gently pushed Lee Jin Joo and Lee Seung Won away and walked in front of them.

"Let's go inside."

The siblings blankly looked at Cale for a moment before shaking their heads and following him inside.

"You should just let us support you. Why are you walking so slowly?"
"Hyung, we're going to go back in first! We came in the middle of work!"

The people inside the central shelter all had work they needed to complete every day.

Of course, those jobs were only given to people who had Park Jin Tae's approval.

Kim Rok Soo did not have his approval, which was why they always tried to start shit with him in the name of running errands.

"Isn't it so nice to see them relying on each other?"

Grandma Kim smiled while looking at the siblings who were walking away.

Cale looked at the siblings instead of responding.

It made him think of On and Hong.

"Grandma."
"Hmm?"
"What is today's date?"
"Today?"
"Yes, ma'am."

Grandma Kim looked at him with confusion while wondering why he was asking such a thing before answering in a soft voice.

"Today is the 24th."
"October?"
"Yes? Why are you suddenly asking about the date?"
"Just because."

October 24th.

Cale recalled today's date.

"…Fuck."
"…Hey, Rok Soo."
"I'm sorry. I just suddenly thought of something that made me angry."

He smiled toward Grandma Kim who was looking at him with concern after hearing his coarse language.

Grandma Kim, who had not seen Rok Soo smile in a while, opened her eyes wide in shock for a moment before gently smiling and nodding her head.

Cale repeated the word in his mind as he continued to walk next to her.

'Fuck fuck fuck!'

The only thing on his mind was swearing.

In one day…

During day time on October 25th…

Central shelters around the world will be destroyed.

It was the start date of the incident that would fill the hearts of the people who barely started to adjust to the changes since the cataclysm with despair.

'I only have one day?'

Cale walked into the central shelter.

"I'm going to go work now too."

Grandma Kim headed for her post while Cale took in the sight inside the central shelter.

'It really is the early stages.'

There were a lot of different people doing their jobs on the first floor of the building.

None of them paid any attention to Kim Rok Soo.

'They're all busy doing their best to survive.'

Cale continued to walk and headed for his spot.

There was a fake wall that came up to his waist once he got past the entrance area.

He could see people pretty much right next to one another once he got past that fake wall.

These people were in a similar situation as Kim Rok Soo.

They had not awakened their abilities and didn't have any skills nor techniques that were necessary in the world right now.

'Of course, people will realize that is not the case later on when society is revitalized.'

They were also doing the work assigned to them.

Step step.

Cale walked past them and kept moving.

The second floor of the central shelter was where the ability users and useful humans resided.

The Lee siblings had a bedroom on the second floor.

'Well, it's too shabby to call it a bedroom or lodging.'

It was a time when any spot that allowed someone to escape the rain and wind was considered lodging and any nice cloth they could find was used as blankets.

They were lucky to find enough food for one day.

'The Park Jin Tae group did share though.'

Park Jin Tae and his lackeys went out to find food for the group.

They did it while dodging and running away from monsters.

'They did fight against some, but unlike the future, this was a time when even grade 3 monsters were difficult to handle.'

People had awakened their abilities but still could not use them properly.

Abilities could be used for many things, and this was called 'development.'

'But right now is not the time to attempt that.'

The foundations of society had crumbled.

There wasn't even any electricity.

They were surrounded by darkness every night.

The only things that kept it from being completely dark at night were the fireplaces around the shelter that had fires that never went out.

Cale looked down at his hands as he walked.

'They're so skinny.'

His body was extremely skinny right now.

Park Jin Tae's lackeys only gave just enough so that they did not die.

'That's the only way they can spread it out to everybody inside this shelter.'

It was not easy to find food.

Kim Rok Soo managed to survive on the bare minimum.

'The people of value received more food.'

That was why the ability users who had good relationships with Kim Rok Soo would offer him some of their shares from time to time.

'…The world is not bleak.'

Even though the times seemed hopeless, the hearts of the people living through it had not gone completely dark.

That was why Cale didn't think Park Jin Tae was a bad person.

'There are many places that don't even give out food like this.'

A lot of people didn't care whether others starved to death.

In such a situation, although Park Jin Tae looked down and messed with people like Kim Rok Soo, he still gave them enough food to survive.

'Well, he does beat up resistant people like me though. No, he just really hated me.'

But he still gave out enough so that their legs would have enough strength to run away if they ever ran into a monster.

The bastard had turned this central shelter into his own kingdom, but he still kept himself humane.

He did not cross the line a fellow human should not cross.

He at least gave them their share of food.

Cale had realized something about it once he became older.

'The fact that Park Jin Tae pushed the skillful people up might have been the reason this system was able to be maintained.'

All societal systems had been destroyed at that time.

How many ability users would want to share the food that they worked so hard to find?

But since Park Jin Tae treated the ability users well, they stayed with this food sharing system.

'And Park Jin Tae is currently a very strong attack-type ability user.'

There was a reason team leader Lee Soo Hyuk left the place to Park Jin Tae.

Park Jin Tae was a very strong dealer and a decent tanker.

Lee Chul Min and the others who followed Park Jin Tae were not bad for the early stages either.

'I will use Park Jin Tae.'

Cale was slowly planning things in his mind.

'There's also Grandma Kim, Jin Joo noona, and Seung Won.'

There were also many other people he needed for this task.

Cale returned to his spot.

Kim Rok Soo's spot in this central shelter…

It was at the edge of the first floor.

It was right next to a crumbling ceiling.

It was right by the back door of the first floor.

"…The rain leaked here."

Kim Rok Soo's spot was the only spot in the building where rain leaked through the cracked ceiling.

"Why are you talking to yourself like that?"

He heard a voice at that moment.

It was a husky and aged man's voice.

"You chose that spot."

That was the case.

Cale had chosen this spot as that person mentioned.

Park Jin Tae placed the ability-less Cale to the first floor and he chose this leaking spot as his spot.

"What's wrong? Do you suddenly want to move elsewhere? What happened to pretending like you were sacrificing yourself for the others?"

Cale sighed and turned his head.

"Hey mister. Why don't you go elsewhere if you want to talk shit?"
"Kekeke! Who says I'm talking shit?!"

Cale looked toward the middle-aged man lying on the next spot.

There was nothing under his knees.

He was one of the people that team leader Lee Soo Hyuk had saved.

His name was Jang Man Soo.

"Hey! I heard you got beat up by Park Jin Tae and his gang. Are you okay?"

Jang Man Soo raised his neck and leaned on the wall.

"Those terrible bastards. Where is there even to hit such a skinny kid? They'll be punished by the heavens!"
"It's fine. Grandma healed me."

Cale looked next to Jang Man Soo… and sat down in his spot.

"Hmm? Grandma did? Aigoo, why does that grandma care about you so much? Why did she heal a good for nothing like you?"
"Are you saying you're upset that I got healed?"
"Oh come on~ Of course not. Kehehe! I just said it! It was a joke, a joke!"

Cale quietly looked at Jang Man Soo who was joking with him.

Jang Man Soo.

He was someone who lost his entire family because of the cataclysm.

He had a wife and two kids and was on his way to work when it happened.

He barely managed to get back to his house only to see that all of them were already dead.

He saw the monster that had killed his family there.

He apparently ran for his life from monsters to get to his house.

There had only been one thing on his mind as he did that.

He was thinking that his family was alive at home and that he would take his family somewhere safe.

But he charged toward the monster the moment he saw that his family was dead.

The thought of running away never ever crossed his mind.

He just felt as if he could only continue to live if he ripped the monster in front of him to pieces.

The monster took both of his legs and Jang Man Soo was planning on dying.

He didn't think there was a reason to live in this world without his family.

But the team leader saved him and Jang Man Soo was someone who was barely alive and living on.

"Hey mister."
"What is it?"

Cale quietly observed him before lowering his body.

He got closer to Jang Man Soo.

"Hey mister."
"Why are you suddenly acting like this, you punk?"

As Jang Man Soo looked toward Kim Rok Soo who was acting differently than normal with confusion…

Cale quietly whispered.

"Please help me out."

Jang Man Soo looked confused.

"Me? You're talking to me? What help can I be? Did you go crazy after getting beaten up?"
"Mister."

Cale whispered quietly so that nobody else could hear.

"Your ability awakened not too long ago, didn't it?"

Jang Man Soo's pupils started to shake.

His jaw dropped and he looked astonished.

Cale started to smile while looking at his reaction.

It seemed to be a sad smile.

Jang Man Soo also died in the past when the central shelter disappeared.

He died fighting.

'Kehehe! I'm relieved! This time, I'm going first after protecting people!'

His ability apparently awakened not long before the central shelter was destroyed.

His memory of Jang Man Soo remained with Kim Rok Soo that once he became Cale…

The first thing he chose to get was a shield.

"Mister, your ability is a shield, right?"

Jang Man Soo stiffened up and could not say anything.

'How did he realize that my ability awakened?'

People didn't look different even after awakening their ability.

That was why there was no way to tell unless they saw the person using the ability or the person told them.

There were some ability users whose appearances changed with it, but Jang Man Soo's case wasn't like that.

'But Kim Rok Soo realized that? And he knows what my ability is as well?'

How could he not be astonished in such a situation?

Cale whispered to him.

"The central shelter will be destroyed soon."
"W, what?!"

His mouth that had closed back in shock dropped once more at this even more shocking comment.

Jang Man Soo raised his voice with an extremely shocked expression.

"Shh."

Cale quieted him down and whispered very quietly.

"And I know where the new central shelter will appear."

'What is this punk saying right now?'

Jang Man Soo was looking at Kim Rok Soo as if he was looking at someone he had just met.

"Mister."

But Kim Rok Soo's eyes were more serious than ever.

One word after another.

Each word that Kim Rok Soo said to him struck Jang Man Soo's ear.

"I plan on letting everybody here move to the new central shelter without dying."

Jang Man Soo barely managed to speak.

"You- you, how do you know about those...?"

Smile.

Kim Rok Soo started to smile.

"I got an ability too."

It was a very strong ability where he knew the future.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]