"s10426."
"Present."
I felt my own calm voice squeeze out of my throat and dissolve into the cold, damp air.
Here, the useless don't deserve names.
At the very front of the line, that person turned his face slightly. His gaze shot straight at me, like a razor-sharp blade that could easily peel the skin from someone's face.
"This is the front line, not a shelter for useless people. Shouldn't we get rid of the dead weight?"
I knew who he meant.
After an accident, I slung a packed backpack over my shoulders and headed for the wasteland beyond the Tower.
At the last moment, I turned around and met his eyes, brimming with complicated emotions.
Before he could speak, I looked away.
Everyone thought this would be an endless exile. Only I understood:
From that day on, I was finally free.
[Sentinel/Guide] [Natural Disasters] [Apocalypse] [World-Building]
You Sumian transmigrated, landing in a snowy wasteland. Just before he froze to death, someone found him and took him in.
He was faced with one piece of bad news: this was a Sentinel/Guide world beset by natural disasters. And there was even worse news: he had transmigrated in his own body.
Ordinary people existed in this world, but the Tower he found himself in was a special place. Since he was neither a Sentinel nor a Guide, he would probably be thrown out immediately and returned to the gray, gloomy world outside to enjoy eternal sleep.
Strangely, everyone he met took him for a Sentinel, so he stayed in the Tower and became its most useless one.
Might as well give up, then.
Faced with contempt, disdain, mockery, pity... whatever it was, he chose to wear an indifferent expression and keep eating for free.
Once the final assessment was over, his awful scores would get him sent to the wilderness, the equivalent of Siberia, to guard a signal tower.
Out there, he probably wouldn't even be able to get a potato.
In the early stages of the assessment, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.
[Ding! The "Savior of the End" game-assistance System has been successfully activated. It will now serve you.]
A huge transparent screen unfolded before his eyes, marking everything around him. Above the head of a fellow Sentinel who had wandered in by mistake floated a line of text: Lv. 15.0
He looked up at the top of his own head: Lv. 1.0
After a brief silence, he tried to explore the other functions and unexpectedly opened a map. His current location was only a tiny glowing dot on it, while a vast gray area around him was hidden beneath clouds and mist.
[Awaiting your future exploration.]
You Sumian loved games, especially open-world games. The freedom to explore was addictive.
From that moment on, the dreary world looked completely different to him.
With the System's guidance, he completed quests and kept leveling up, making breakthrough improvements to his physical abilities. The pet system gave him a powerful spirit companion that could grow, as well as an affinity for all living creatures. He could even switch between Sentinel and Guide by adding or removing skill points...
After the final assessment, he couldn't wait to leave that cage behind and set off with his pack for the unknown new world.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hailstorms, blizzards, beast hordes...
A black spire rising from an ice field; a gigantic ark sailing through the sky to outrun natural disasters; lava villages and towns surrounding a volcano's crater; continental plates that were constantly swallowed up and reborn...
[Main quest completion: 6%, 15%, 32%, 64%, 87%, 99%...]
[Side quest: Crossing the Ice Field, 100% complete]
[Side quest: Building a Barrier for Life, 100% complete]
[Side quest: The Fallen Stars, 100% complete]
[Side quest: The Last Night Watcher, 100% complete]
[Identity Card 1: 16,843 reputation points]
[Identity Card 2: 11,258 reputation points]
"I'll treat this world like a game. Before I beat it, I'm going to have a good time."
"I never planned to save anyone. I'm only lending a hand where I can."
Who knew that his abilities would keep growing until, before he knew it, he was nearly lifting the whole world out of danger?
The protagonist grows over time. At first, he's somewhat listless and lazy, just getting by, but little by little he builds up until he's powerful in both strength and spirit. His personality remains rather detached, and he's slow to recognize his feelings, with an avoidant attachment style.
The main focus is the protagonist's adventures and growth, with romance developing alongside the plot. The pairing will be decided later; perhaps readers can pick a favorite, or perhaps the ending will be open.
The love interest's feelings for the protagonist will always be >>>>>>>
Theme: Longing for freedom
