Whether you win the lottery or awaken as an Awakener.
There are routines in life that never change, no matter how much your life is turned upside down.
One of those is returning home.
Vroom—
After getting off the bus from work and walking up the winding alley for about ten minutes, I arrived at a dilapidated one-room building that looked like it might collapse at any moment.
A 5-pyeong basement studio.
No deposit.
Monthly rent: 330,000 won.
This is my home.
As I was about to descend the stairs, catching a whiff of the musty smell, someone called out to me.
“Young man!”
I turned to see a kind-faced grandmother smiling at me.
“Just getting off work?”
“Oh, yes! Hello, Grandma.”
It was the landlady who lived on the first floor.
“Well, you’re working hard. Oh my… your cheeks have gotten so hollow in such a short time. Are you eating properly?”
“I guess I’ve lost some weight from work. Thank you for your concern.”
“Concern? I’m the one who’s grateful that you’re living in this shabby little room. You keep me company when I’m feeling lonely. By the way, young man…”
“Oh, about this month’s rent? I’m really sorry. I’ll send it as soon as I get paid next week.”
“No, no, that’s not it! I was wondering if you’ve finished the kimchi I gave you last time. I brought some more for you.”
“Oh, yes… Thank you so much, as always.”
Even though I sometimes fall behind on rent, the landlady has never once frowned at me.
“I’ll stop by later with the kimchi, so leave your door open, okay?”
“Yes, Grandma. Thank you.”
I bowed in gratitude and entered my basement studio.
The moldy smell of the room was so pervasive that it remained dim whether the lights were on or off.
I threw myself onto the worn-out mattress.
“Ugh, I’m dying…”
On days when I work a full shift of loading and unloading, I don’t even have the energy to shower, let alone change clothes.
By the way…
To think I’d actually awaken.
I awakened today.
I did awaken, but…
Why does it feel like I’ve won the third prize in the lottery?
It’s definitely a great thing, but at the same time, it’s also incredibly underwhelming.
The difference of a few numbers can determine the rank of a lottery ticket.
For Awakeners, a few small differences can create a massive gap.
If only I’d synced with someone rich.
Or someone incredibly strong.
Or at the very least, a skilled artisan with useful techniques…
A tycoon of Lokpia, a mercenary guild master of Helhagrand, an alchemist of Rozidia, and so on.
Wouldn’t it have been nice to sync with someone like that?
But the person I synced with was…
<You have synced with the warehouse keeper “Morgue Mu Featherback”! Congratulations!>
A warehouse keeper from the other world.
And not just any warehouse keeper—one from some obscure, unknown nation.
The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off.
A life spent trudging through logistics warehouses.
Just when I thought I’d finally see the light, I end up as a warehouse keeper again.
What a twisted fate.
“Sigh… Why can’t my life ever escape warehouses…”
The social status of a warehouse keeper is probably no different in that world than it is here.
People’s lives are pretty much the same everywhere, after all.
I opened my smartphone and searched for information about Awakeners.
Soon, a flood of posts from various online communities popped up.
– I synced with someone named Abutaju, a guy from a rural village called Oldolgol in Deunggapguk. His job is “worn-out rickshaw puller.” Is this any good?
…
LOL rickshaw puller LOL living delivery truck LOL
– There’s no such thing as a good or bad nationality or job~ Everyone is equal!
↦ If you sugarcoat it, does that make the OP’s job any better? People like you are the ones who kill them twice;;;
– But isn’t being a rickshaw puller kinda cool? I heard it’s useful when moving houses.
Next, you’ll sync with Kim Cheomji and kiss him, you jerk.
↦ You bastard!!
– Hey, Awakener bro, that’s basically like saying, “I synced with a taxi driver named Bare from Galguduju, Somalia. Is that good?”
Taxi driver Bare: How dare you compare me to a guy whose cart doesn’t even have an internal combustion engine?
↦ Does your rickshaw have AC? LOL Does it come with ABS? LOL
Sorry, Mr. Bare ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– If you’re a rickshaw puller, you’ve probably got some serious practical muscle. If they’re older, they might have some life wisdom too, so that’s a win~~
Anything’s better than nothing LOL
Bullshit.
This is like losing your chance to scratch a lottery ticket.
What’s so good about it LOL Happiness circuit, stop spinning.
↦ And with lotteries, if you get nothing, you just shrug it off, but getting 3rd or 4th place is infuriating.
My dad cried when he got 2nd place in the lottery.
He said if he’d gotten just one more number right, it would’ve been 1st.
– I synced with a guy named Mildendo from Lilliput. He’s a “lowly mercenary who does odd jobs.” Ask me anything.
– LOL tiny country LOL
↦ Lilliput’s basically on par with Korea over there;;;
– Does Mildendo fight well?
↦ Seems like it. I used to be a total weakling, but after awakening, I can lift 500kg across the three main lifts LOL
– Anything else?
↦ I eat a TON now;;; Other than that… my beard grows faster and bushier for some reason;
Unlimited buffet is a huge win LOL
Yo, I looked it up, and apparently, Mildendo’s family has a history of dying young???
– From today, I’m not saving a dime, screw it.
YOLO, let’s gooo!
↦ To the grave, let’s gooo!
– Oh, looks like Mildendo was quite the badass back in the day…
Seems like it.
There were these bullies who used to mess with me… I couldn’t even look them in the eye before, you know?
But all of a sudden, they don’t scare me at all LOL
Nice, so they don’t mess with you anymore?
Nah, they still do.
You can lift 500kg, why not teach them a lesson?
The bullies lift 1,000kg.
– Oh, I awakened LOL I synced with a guy named Jibbabbduyu from Brobdingnag.
– How’s someone’s name Jibbabbduyu;;;
Right? His job’s super weird too. He’s a
“moonshine bartender.”
– A bartender’s kinda useless, no?
Nah, I’m a bartender too.
His cocktail-mixing skills are way better than mine.
His skill list even includes how to brew moonshine. I tried it, and damn, it was good.
A flavor you can’t even blend in the modern world.
First time I’ve ever experienced something like this.
Once I get the hang of it, I think I’ll win the national cocktail competition this time.
More importantly, my bar, <Bonggu Company> in Oegok-dong, Tanjusi, is the place to be. Come get some cocktails, everyone.
Knew you were rambling for a reason, you viral marketing jerk.
Block these kinds of people!!! What do you do for work?
Is Jibbabbduyu a viral marketer too?
– What, even if it’s real, awakening doesn’t change your life much??
↦ Some posts talk about people syncing with sick patients and ending up worse off, so this guy’s got it pretty good LOL
The weakling I know gained 80kg after syncing LOL
He’s probably fatter than you now LOL
Still 10kg lighter than me LOL
Me?
Mercenaries, herbalists, miners, butlers, rickshaw pullers, innkeepers, butchers, maids, tavern waiters…
And countless others doing menial jobs in obscure, weak nations.
Syncing with ambiguous people like that doesn’t change your life.
Sure, you might get a bit stronger or have more stamina…
But all you gain is the grit, tenacity, and experience of an ordinary worker.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Sigh, who said there’s no hierarchy in jobs…”
No hierarchy? Yeah, right.
If you could choose between being a president or a warehouse keeper, every single person would pick president.
Even in games, the hierarchy of jobs is clear as day.
Sadly, that’s reality.
“Guess I’ll check my status window.”
Ding-dong!
[Cha Hasang]
Job: Novice Warehouse Keeper of Morgue
Skills: Open (O), Close (C)
“Seriously, where the heck is Morgue…”
Morgue.
A nation I’ve never heard of anywhere.
“The superpowers of the Lokpia continent are ‘Rozidia,’ ‘Helhagrand,’ ‘Rocinante,’ ‘Usher,’ ‘Loror’… and there are countless minor nations. That world’s like the Spring and Autumn period or the Warring States era.”
In that world, the Lokpia continent is embroiled in massive wars between nations.
They say several countries are founded and fall every single day.
I typed “Morgue” into the search bar.
But.
[No search results found for “Morgue.”]
“There’s literally no information at all.”
It might be some tiny nation that’s already fallen and disappeared.
“And only two skills? I’m totally screwed…”
Didn’t they say the person with the most skills among Awakeners worldwide has 3,021?
I’m so jealous. Really jealous.
I pressed my forehead and examined the status window.
“Open” and “Close.”
Next to the skills were icons of a wide-open door and a tightly shut door.
So intuitive even a kindergartner could understand.
Then, a thought suddenly struck me.
“Could this be a skill to open a warehouse in that world?”
It’s plausible.
What else would a warehouse keeper open and close but a warehouse?
A warehouse in the Lokpia continent. For some reason, my heart swelled with excitement.
But that feeling quickly faded.
“Sigh, it’s probably just some warehouse in a no-name weak nation. What could even be inside?”
On the Lokpia continent, where thousands of nations rise and fall, some are said to be smaller than a park by the Han River.
If Morgue is one of those, its warehouse is probably just a pantry at best.
“Well, if it’s a pantry, that’s actually a win. I won’t have to worry about food costs anymore.”
That’s a silver lining.
I’ve run out of rice and instant noodles anyway.
Even if it’s not a pantry, there might be some preserved food like jerky.
At the very least, I could probably salvage something to sell at an auction.
With that thought, I tapped the “Open” skill.
By the way, don’t I need a door or something to open?
Maybe it’ll summon a rickety door or something…
At that moment.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble—
I felt something was seriously off.
The light around me vanished in an instant, as if I’d flipped off a light switch.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I was left alone in a pitch-black void.
I jumped in surprise and quickly looked around.
“Huh? What!?”
The shabby scenery of my basement studio was gone, replaced by an infinite expanse of darkness.
At that moment.
Thud!
Something massive dropped from the air.
It was so enormous that I couldn’t take it all in at once.
Overwhelmed by unprecedented fear, I stumbled backward.
Only then did I start to make out what had fallen in front of me.
Two towering pillars, stretching endlessly into the sky.
“Gasp!?”
I was speechless.
Had I ever seen a structure reach so high in my entire life?
Between the two pillars was a massive, ominous metal plate, flickering with flames.
A dark red iron slab, densely etched with eerie patterns and hieroglyphs.
Upon closer inspection, a thin line ran down the center, splitting it in two.
A door.
It was a colossal door.
A door that could lead to the realm of great gods or to the depths of hell for fallen souls.
It was a structure so overwhelming, unlike anything I’d ever seen in movies or games.
At the top of the dark red door, a pair of enormous orbs glowed with a crimson light.
…No, those weren’t orbs.
Roll, roll!!
They moved with a chilling sound.
Blazing scarlet eyes.
Their eerie pupils stared down at me, piercing through my very being.
“…!”
Overwhelming terror.
For the first time in my life, my body trembled uncontrollably under the weight of such intense fear.
Tremble, tremble, tremble…
My limbs shook like aspen leaves, and tears streamed from my eyes.
Numinous awe.
Cosmic horror.
A reverence for something vast and incomprehensible.
At that moment.
Ding-dong!
Amid the whirlwind of emotions raging within me.
<Warehouse keeper identity verification complete.>
A deep, resonant voice, like an echo in a cave, rang out.
<“Open” command received.>
<The magical warehouse of the First Sorcerous Emperor, “T,” of the Sorcerous Empire…>
And then, the massive gates of hell began to creak open.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble~!
<Opening the Magical Warehouse of Morgue.>