Post-Gate Break Era. In this era, the most important value in the world was ‘military power.’ In hindsight, it was a natural outcome.

“An era where monsters rampage madly across the globe, and the number of monsters surpasses the number of humans. An age where humans are no longer the rulers of Earth.”

Monsters existed on this land in greater numbers than humans. Humanity was no longer the master of the Earth. It was a time of competition with monsters for the Earth’s territory. That’s why military power was regarded as the most important value.

Thus, humanity was divided. Into the powerful ‘Superhuman’ and the powerless ‘non-Superhuman.’ Though both were technically of the same species, in truth, they were not the same kind at all.

The ruling class and the ruled. Humanity had naturally split that way.

The people currently in front of Sungshik’s eyes were those of the ruled class. People risking their lives to gather fruit in the forest surrounding Tsufeng City. They belonged to the non-Superhuman class.

“Hello. Are you by any chance people who live inside that fortress?”

“Yes… we are, but who might you be…?”

They were a ragged group of young men and women. There were twelve in total, seemingly ranging in age from early twenties to early forties.

As Sungshik approached and spoke, the oldest-looking man, appearing to be in his early forties, answered with caution.

“Just a traveler passing through. Is that the place that used to be called Tsufeng City?”

“What? You’re from outside?”

Murmurs spread among the people at Sungshik’s claim of coming from outside. It was something they simply couldn’t believe.

“What kind of nonsense is that…”

There was a reason for their strong reaction.

Tsufeng City was one of the isolated regions. The surroundings were crawling with monsters on all sides. Not only with the Mantrap Plants and the Cerberus horde, but also with harpies roaming the skies, Great Worms burrowing underground, and many other kinds of monster groups.

‘Hmm, that’s quite the extreme reaction.’

Sungshik didn’t know, but after the Gate Break, not a single person had traveled to or from Tsufeng City.

Especially the direction Sungshik appeared from—toward the Mantrap Plant habitat—was infamous. Even non-Superhumans like them could tell that no one could possibly come through that area alone. They thought it was pure nonsense.

They had seen the massive pillar of fire that had just occurred, but they never imagined that it had been caused by Sungshik. Naturally, they had no idea that the Mantrap Plants had been completely wiped out by the fire he had summoned.

‘Let’s just go in and ask directly.’

He couldn’t blame them for their reaction. After all, very few could push through that monster horde alone—aside from himself.

So Sungshik decided to just pass them and go ask inside. From their expressions, it was clear they thought he was spouting nonsense anyway.

Besides, they were ‘non-Superhumans.’ In the Gate Break era, non-Superhumans naturally couldn’t hunt monsters or earn coins like Superhumans could. That’s why they were gathering edible fruits that grew near the outer walls just to survive.

‘Fortunately for them, there are plenty of trees bearing Tira fruits and Abul fruits around here.’

Of course, they were gathering while bearing the risk of being attacked by monsters at any time, but Sungshik knew. There were many areas near human settlements where not even these fruit-bearing trees could be found.

Wishing these people well for their future, Sungshik headed toward the fortress presumed to be Tsufeng City.

In the bushes surrounding the fortress, he saw not only the earlier group of non-Superhumans but many others as well. The number already exceeded well over a hundred. Seeing so many non-Superhumans active suggested the population inside the fortress was quite large.

‘Looks like they don’t do inspections or anything.’

As Sungshik reached the front gate, he saw five guards posted there, but they merely glanced at him and didn’t carry out any inspection or attempt to stop him. They seemed to assume he was just another non-Superhuman returning from gathering fruit outside the walls.

Sungshik had heard from Wang Wei that the ruler of this city was affiliated with the ‘Revolutionary Knights.’ And the Revolutionary Knights were his bitter enemies. That’s why he had considered overpowering the gatekeepers if necessary, but it seemed that wouldn’t be required.

‘Or I could’ve just jumped over the wall.’

To be honest, calling the boundary around the city a ‘wall’ was an overstatement. It was more accurate to describe it as a fence woven from wood to mark a boundary.

It stood about three meters high, but for Sungshik, that height was easy to clear with his eyes closed. He could leap dozens of meters with ease, so it was no obstacle at all.

In any case, having entered Tsufeng City without interference, Sungshik wandered the streets, scanning his surroundings.

‘They’ve got a decent setup here. Looks like this place has a Coin General Store.’

The Coin General Store—a shop where one could exchange coins obtained from killing monsters for daily necessities and various items.

Before the regression, people could obtain various goods through community stores using coins earned from defeating monsters. Even then, regional Coin General Stores existed in different areas.

Unlike the basic community shops that mostly sold common items, each region’s Coin General Store offered a diverse selection of goods.

‘I figured as much since I was still getting coins from killing monsters, and it looks like they do have a Coin General Store.’

After defeating the Mantrap Plants and Cerberus horde and earning coins, he had wondered whether there would be a Coin General Store—and now, seeing the city firsthand, he was certain.

‘The clothes people are wearing…’

Even just by looking at the clothing, it was obvious. Outdated, obsolete styles. These were the lowest-grade clothes available for purchase from the Coin General Store.

Sungshik began searching for the Coin General Store. He was sure it existed, but he still wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

Heading a bit deeper inward, he found a place near a main road where groups of people had gathered, opening up street stalls.

‘It’s around here.’

Here, people were bartering goods or buying and selling items using coins. These chaotic market scenes were common even before his regression.

And marketplaces like these, where people gathered to trade, were usually located near Coin General Stores.

“Ten Tira fruits for 10 coins!”

“Selling Harpy meat! 500 coins per 100 grams!”

“Various items on discount! From [Normal] grade up to [Hero] grade! Just come take a look!”

People buying and selling a variety of goods. From edible fruits gathered near the fortress to monster meat, even various drop [Items] were traded.

Watching them sell items suddenly reminded him of Elder Jin.

‘I hope he’s safe.’

If he had known he would end up in this situation, he might’ve paid more attention. That thought crossed his mind.

Still, he had told Elder Jin several times about the ‘Gate Break.’ He had also given numerous instructions to Lee Jinwoong, who served under Jin Yongchan. That if the ‘Gate Break’ occurred, he must prioritize Elder Jin over himself and take good care of him.

Besides, he had made a request to Chairman Lee Mansik as well, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

‘Yeah, he was in good health even in the past, so I’m sure he’s safe this time too.’

Thinking of Elder Jin Yongchan, Sungshik continued walking and finally spotted the ‘Coin General Store.’

A towering oak tree, about 10 meters high, standing in the middle of the city. There was a hole in the trunk large enough for a person to enter.

‘So it does exist—the ‘Coin General Store.’’

Indeed. That tree Sungshik had found was the ‘Coin General Store.’ Sungshik learned later on that the ‘Coin General Store’ was a multi-dimensional general shop made from the branches of the World Tree.

In the midst of the Gate Break, when humanity was greatly disadvantaged by the ‘Nights of Trial,’ the world’s will manifested this store to bestow fairness.

Through this ‘Coin General Store,’ humanity was able to establish bases. They could regroup, and even prepare counterattacks against the monsters during the Gate Break era.

‘Without the ‘Coin General Store,’ most non-Superhumans probably would’ve perished during the Gate Break.’

If so, the number of new Superhuman awakenings would have dropped, and that would’ve meant a weakening of humanity’s overall strength.

The hidden yet most vital contributor to humanity’s survival during the Gate Break era—that was none other than the ‘Coin General Store.’

Just as Sungshik was absorbed in his emotions while looking at the ‘Coin General Store’ and about to enter it—

“Um… Excuse me, oppa.”

A thin voice called out to him.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. Oppa, by any chance… are you a Superhuman?”

A scruffy girl who looked no older than a middle schooler looked up at Sungshik with a fearful expression and asked.

“Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”

“Um… If that’s the case, would you please buy this?”

What the girl held out was the same kind of fruit that the non-Superhuman group had been diligently gathering outside the fortress earlier.

‘Tira fruit, was it?’

Indeed. The girl held out what appeared to be a little over ten Tira fruits.

“I’ll sell all of these for 10 coins. I picked only the freshest ones. If you try one, I think you’ll find the taste… the taste is pretty decent.”

The girl carefully offered the fruits, looking on edge, as if worried Sungshik might get angry.

The reason she was so cautious was that a non-Superhuman daring to speak to a Superhuman and engage in street peddling was, in this society where strength reigned supreme, practically an act of insubordination. Like a servant daring to ask a noble to buy their goods first.

‘I have to sell everything today.’

But the girl was that desperate. She was fully aware that what she was doing could earn her immediate punishment from the Superhuman before her. But she took that risk and pleaded.

‘Please.’

If she could sell everything today and submit her quota, she’d be able to get fever medicine for her younger sister Euna, who was burning up with fever.

As Sungshik looked at the girl who was anxiously looking up at him, his eyes softened. He saw in her his own pitiful self from before regression. Feeling bitter, Sungshik took out some coins from his inventory.

The amount was a whopping 1,000 coins. For him, coins were overflowing.

He still had over 2 billion coins left from the last time he shopped at the community store. And just from taking down the Manttrap Plants and the Cerberus horde earlier, he had earned several million coins.

Though he felt like handing her tens of thousands of coins, he knew that a sudden large sum would be poison, not luck, for a powerless girl like her.

Understanding the harsh undercurrents of the bottom rung of society, Sungshik chose 1,000 coins—a sum she could accept without bringing harm—and pulled one Tira fruit from her hand, taking a bite before handing her the 1,000 coins.

“The fruit is very tasty. Here, this is the price for letting me taste such a delicious fruit after so long.”

“Th-that’s impossible.”

The girl shook her head frantically as if she couldn’t possibly accept the coins Sungshik offered. All she had presented was a little over ten Tira fruits. Selling them for 1,000 coins was out of the question.

If this news reached the ears of other Superhumans, she could be executed for the crime of deceiving one.

‘But… with that, I could buy not just fever medicine for Euna, but also lots of meat.’

The girl was torn with intense conflict as she stared at the 1,000 coins Sungshik offered.

At first, she had approached him because the ‘Coin General Store’ was only accessible to Superhumans, and she guessed that the man heading there was one. She had dared to speak up like a madwoman because he gave off a strangely comforting aura.

And yet, for someone like him to show such mercy… To her, Sungshik looked like an angel without wings. Not only was he handsome, but he was also truly a warm-hearted Superhuman.

The girl's eyes shook uncontrollably as she looked at the 1,000 coins Sungshik offered. In the end, she accepted them.

“Th-thank you. Thank you so much.”

Without even realizing the tears welling in her eyes, the girl bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

‘With this, I can pay today’s tribute and buy both fever medicine and plenty of food.’

The thought that she could finally buy her sister the meat she loved so much lifted her mood instantly. Sungshik smiled as he watched her.

But in the distance, some men had been watching the entire scene. The girl, now carrying the pouch with 1,000 coins she had received from Sungshik, turned into an alley beyond the main road. And the men who had been observing her from afar followed after her.