The Gangnam district was shimmering with the heat of a Seoul summer, oblivious to the fact that in less than two hours, the asphalt would scream.
Kang-Jin stood in front of a derelict, one-story convenience store that had been boarded up for months. It sat on a triangular wedge of land squeezed between two massive glass skyscrapers. To any developer, it was a "dead zone"—too small for a parking lot, too awkward for a storefront.
To Kang-Jin, it was the [Nexus Point].
In his previous life, when the "Gangnam Tremor" hit, this specific 200-square-foot patch of dirt remained completely untouched while the surrounding towers cracked like eggshells. It was a "Safe Zone" anomaly—a natural pocket of stabilized mana.
"Can I help you, young man? You've been staring at that 'For Sale' sign like it's a long-lost relative."
An elderly man with skin like parchment sat on a plastic stool nearby, fanning himself with a newspaper.
"I want to buy it," Kang-Jin said.
The old man laughed, a dry, wheezing sound. "The land? It's owned by the city now. They're selling it for dirt cheap just to get it off the books, but nobody wants it. It's cursed. Pipes burst every week, and the electricity hums so loud it gives people nosebleeds."
"How much?"
"They're asking for a deposit of ten million won to start the lease-to-own process. But you look like you haven't even got ten thousand."
Kang-Jin didn't blink. He had 45,000 won in his pocket. To a normal person, this was an impossible hurdle. To a Sovereign Architect, it was an arbitrage opportunity.
"Wait here," Kang-Jin said.
He turned and walked toward the construction site of the Seoul Glory Tower, the very project he had just walked away from. He didn't go to the foreman. He went to the rear delivery entrance where the "Mana-Steel" beams were being unloaded.
In this era, Mana-Steel was a new, experimental alloy. It was expensive, temperamental, and—as Kang-Jin knew—currently being forged with a critical defect.
He spotted a group of men in expensive suits standing near the crane. They were the investors. Among them was a man Kang-Jin recognized: Director Park of Daesung Construction. In the future, Park would be known as the "Butcher of Seoul" for cutting corners on shelter projects.
Kang-Jin walked straight up to them.
"The carbon-to-mana ratio in those beams is 4:1," Kang-Jin said loudly, interrupting Park's pitch. "In ninety minutes, when the humidity hits eighty percent, the mana will undergo thermal expansion. Those beams won't just bend. They'll shatter."
The group fell silent. Director Park turned, his face reddening. "Who let this laborer in here? Security!"
"You have six beams already installed in the foundation," Kang-Jin continued, his voice cold and precise. "Check the base of the third pillar. It's already weeping blue fluid. That's mana-leakage. If you don't stop the installation, you'll lose the entire site before sunset."
Park paused. He was a greedy man, but he wasn't stupid. He signaled for his head engineer to check the third pillar.
Five minutes later, the engineer ran back, his face pale as a ghost. "Sir... he's right. The pillar is... it's bleeding. The whole foundation is unstable!"
The investors began to murmur in a panic. Park looked at Kang-Jin, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you? A spy from a rival firm?"
"I'm a consultant," Kang-Jin said, crossing his arms. "And I can stabilize your foundation in ten minutes. But it'll cost you."
"How much?" Park hissed.
"Ten million won. Cash. Right now."
"That's extortion!"
"No," Kang-Jin smiled thinly. "That's a discount. Replacing this foundation will cost you five billion. I'm saving you the trouble."
Ten minutes later, Kang-Jin walked away with an envelope stuffed with high-denomination bills. He had "fixed" the problem by simply rearranging the mana-crystals in the base to create a temporary vent—a trick that would last just long enough for him to finish his business.
[1:15 PM – 45 Minutes until the Rift]
Kang-Jin handed the money to the stunned city official at the district office. Papers were signed, stamped, and filed. The "Cursed Triangle" was now his on a 99-year lease.
He returned to the small patch of land. He felt the hum in the air—the B-flat frequency he had warned Foreman Choi about. It was the sound of the earth's crust thinning.
[Ding!]
Yes, Kang-Jin thought.
[Designation Complete.]
[Owner: Kang-Jin]
[Territory Level: 1 (Dilapidated)]
[Trait: Mana-Siphon (Passive)]
"Now," Kang-Jin whispered. "Let's see what a Sovereign can do."
He knelt and pressed his palms to the cracked soil.
[Active Skill: Structural Analysis (Rank F) – Activated!]
[Active Skill: Master's Blueprint (Rank EX) – Activated!]
In his mind's eye, the ground turned transparent. He saw the "Mana Vein" pulsing deep underground. It was like an artery about to burst. In his previous life, this vein had erupted, causing the tremor.
Kang-Jin began to guide it.
Using his mana—pitifully small at Level 1, but guided by Level 99 knowledge—he began to "sculpt" the underground pressure. He didn't try to stop the explosion. He built a "chimney" for it.
He dug his fingers into the dirt, drawing lines of power. He was building a trap. A siphon.
"If the world is going to bleed mana," he muttered, sweat pouring down his face, "I might as well be the one holding the cup."
[Warning: Rift Opening in 5... 4... 3...]
The air in Gangnam suddenly turned cold. The birds stopped singing. A low, guttural groan echoed from beneath the skyscrapers.
[2... 1...]
BOOM.
The earthquake hit with the force of a nuclear strike. A block away, the Seoul Glory Tower—the one Kang-Jin had "fixed"—shuddered as the temporary vents failed. The glass windows exploded outward like diamonds in the sun. People screamed, diving under cars as the pavement buckled and heaved.
But in the center of the chaos, on the tiny triangular lot, Kang-Jin stood perfectly still.
The ground beneath him didn't shake. Instead, a pillar of pure, white mana erupted from his "chimney," shooting straight into the sky. It was silent, beautiful, and terrifying.
[Ding!]
As the dust settled and the screams of the city filled the air, a new notification appeared in front of Kang-Jin's eyes.
[Hidden Quest Completed: Survive the First Tear.]
[Reward: Ancient Construction Drone 'Unit-01' (Rank: Broken) has been summoned.]
From the pillar of light, a small, metallic sphere clattered to the ground. It looked like a rusted eye.
Kang-Jin picked it up and looked around. The surrounding buildings were ruins. The "S-Rank" Guilds of the future were currently just terrified civilians hiding in basements.
Kang-Jin, however, was just getting started. He looked at his "dilapidated" shop.
"Unit-01," he said to the sphere. "Start clearing the rubble. We're building a hotel."
"A hotel, Master?" the drone chirped in a mechanical, hollow voice.
"A Hunter's Hotel," Kang-Jin corrected, a dark glint in his eyes. "Because in a world full of monsters, the only place people will pay a fortune for is a place where they can actually sleep."