The chaos outside the black walls of "The Abyss" was a symphony of destruction, but inside, the air was eerily still. The woman and her child huddled in the corner of the lot, watching Kang-Jin with a mix of terror and awe. They weren't looking at a savior; they were looking at a man who had turned a disaster into a storefront.
"Unit-01," Kang-Jin called out, ignoring the growing crowd pounding on the exterior of the walls. "Integrate the Alpha Heart-Core. Initialize the 'Basic Amenities' module."
"Acknowledged, Master. Integrating core... 10%... 50%... 100%. System upgrade complete."
The black stone beneath Kang-Jin's feet vibrated. In the center of the 200-square-foot lot, a pillar of translucent glass rose from the dirt, encased in the Alpha's bone-armor. Inside the glass, the heart-core pulsed with a rhythmic, crimson light.
[Ding! Territory Expansion: 'The Abyss' (Level 2) reached.]
[Feature Unlocked: 'Vending Station (Basic)']
[Feature Unlocked: 'Mana-Purified Air']
[Feature Unlocked: 'Automated Turret Slot (0/1)']
Suddenly, the dusty lot shifted. The ground leveled itself into polished, dark marble. A small, sleek kiosk emerged from the floor near the entrance—a "Vending Station."
Outside, the shouting intensified.
"Let us in! My leg is broken!"
"I have money! I'm the CEO of Hansung Electronics! Open this door!"
Kang-Jin walked toward the wall. With a thought, he made the upper half of the front gate transparent. The survivors outside gasped, pressing their bloodied faces against the invisible barrier. They looked like ghosts haunting a window.
"Listen carefully," Kang-Jin's voice carried over the roar of distant fires. "This is a sanctuary of the Sovereign. My walls do not break, and my floor does not shake. But space is limited."
He gestured to the small lot. He could realistically fit maybe thirty people if they packed in like sardines.
"The entry fee has changed," he continued. "Gold is fine for now, but I prefer Mana-Cores or 'System-Recognized' items. If you have nothing, you can sign a 'Labor Contract'. One hour of safety for one day of future service."
The crowd erupted in a frenzy. For the wealthy elite of Gangnam, the idea of a labor contract was an insult. But for the middle-class workers and students trapped in the street, it was a lifeline.
"I'll sign! Please!" a young man in a shredded delivery uniform screamed.
Kang-Jin flicked his finger. A translucent screen appeared in front of the young man outside.
[Contract: 24-Hour Labor Debt.]
[Sign? (Yes/No)]
The man hit 'Yes' so hard he nearly broke his hand. The wall liquefied, pulling him inside before sealing shut just as a Wolf-Kin's jaws snapped at his heels.
[Ding! New Resident Registered.]
[Resident 'Kim Min-Ho' is now under your Authority.]
"Min-Ho," Kang-Jin said, not even looking at the shaking boy. "Go to the Vending Station. Use the interface to dispense 'Lesser Healing Salve'. Apply it to your leg, then stand by the pillar. If anyone tries to touch the Core, tell them they'll be ejected instantly."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Kang-Jin turned his attention back to the high-value targets.
A man in a tailored suit—Director Park's rival from the construction site earlier—was pushing his way to the front. He was holding a briefcase like it was a shield.
"Kang-Jin! I remember you! You're the consultant!" the man shouted. "I have two billion won in this case! Bonds, cash, everything! Just let me in!"
Kang-Jin leaned against his black wall, looking down at the man. "Bonds? The banks don't exist anymore, Director. That paper is only good for starting fires."
"But—it's two billion!"
"Check your phone," Kang-Jin said calmly.
The man fumbled for his device. The screen was flickering with a new app that had force-installed itself: [The Global Market]. All bank balances had been converted into a new currency: [Credits], but at a devastating exchange rate of 1,000,000:1. The man's fortune had shrunk to a pittance of 2,000 Credits.
"I'll take the briefcase anyway," Kang-Jin said. "The leather is decent quality, and the metal latches can be salvaged for Unit-01. But that only gets you two hours."
The Director's face went pale. He looked at the chaos behind him—the corpses, the monsters, the burning city. Then he looked at the clean, glowing interior of the Abyss.
He threw the briefcase over the wall.
[Ding! Salvageable Material Received.]
[Resident 'Director Song' Registered (2-Hour Pass).]
As the night began to fall, the blue glow of the Abyss became a lighthouse in the dark. While the rest of Seoul was being systematically dismantled by the System's monsters, Kang-Jin sat on a throne he had fashioned out of compressed rubble.
He opened his personal status window.
[Name: Kang-Jin]
[Class: Sovereign Architect (Unique)]
[Level: 7]
[Authority: 18]
[Territory Revenue: 4,500 Credits / 12 Mana-Cores / 4 Labor Contracts]
"Master," Unit-01 buzzed, hovering over a pile of salvaged electronics. "The local Rift is stabilizing. The 'Boss' will emerge in six hours. If the Boss is not defeated, the Rift will expand, consuming this territory."
Kang-Jin didn't look worried. "The Boss is a 'Stone-Gaze Basilisk', right?"
"Correct. Probability of current walls surviving its petrifying breath: 4%."
"Then we don't rely on the walls," Kang-Jin stood up, his eyes fixed on the empty turret slot on his interface. "We need to build a 'Refraction Tower'. Min-Ho! Director Song! Stand up."
The delivery boy jumped to his feet. The Director groaned, looking at his blistered hands.
"You want to stay alive?" Kang-Jin asked.
"Yes!" they both shouted.
"Good. Because you're about to help me build the first 'Anti-Monster Battery' in history. And if you drop a single crystal, I'm throwing you to the wolves."
Kang-Jin pulled the Alpha's Heart-Core from the pillar. He wasn't going to just sit and defend. A Sovereign didn't wait for the siege to end; he built a better weapon.
"Unit-01, initiate Blueprint: [Gorgon's Mirror]. Let's show this System that in my domain, even the monsters are just building materials."