Karlstein's eyes sparkled.

"So you're saying that the [Interdimensional Community] is currently maintained by the primordial form of karma, right?"  
- "Yes, that's correct, Master. If we can extract the accumulated karma from each user on a large scale using the [Interdimensional Community], the possibilities are endless."

"That means we could wipe those damned things out… and even venture beyond the ‘Veil’..."  
- "...."

Karlstein drummed his fingers on the chair, falling into deep thought. Aria did not interrupt his contemplation.

"Alright, if that’s the case, we can't afford to underestimate this. So what should we do?"  

His voice sounded somewhat tired.

- "As you know, karma cannot be unilaterally seized."  
"True."  
- "We’ll need to implement various methods to absorb users' karma through the [Interdimensional Community]. Expanding the content is one way to do this."

Images of YouTube, internet broadcasting, auction houses, and constellations quickly flashed through Karlstein's mind.

"Then, the installation of relays has to come first."  
- "Yes, Master."  
"No need to rush."

Even if karma and deeds are important, he wasn't at the point of struggling to survive without them.

Karma refers to the causality of all actions—the total calculation of the chain reactions that result from actions and their influences.

**Karlstein Babylon.**

Just how much karma is the emperor of the Galactic Empire accumulating in real-time?

The amount of karma he earns while ruling the Galactic Empire and generating it across the galaxy cluster is unfathomably vast. It's also the reason he maintains the throne.

However, 

the more Ether there is, the better.

It is a miraculous force that turns the impossible into possible.

‘Why do I keep feeling like my tasks are multiplying...? Is this really okay?’

For a brief moment, Karlstein’s eyes glazed over. But he shook his head to clear his mind.

“No, if Ether is infinite, then perhaps retirement isn’t just a dream…!”  
- "Yes, Master. But…."

Aria interrupted Karlstein, whose voice was now filled with hope.  
- "As mentioned in the report, when using the dimensional material transmission system, the amount of karma consumed increases exponentially based on the civilization level of the transmitted items."

“...!”  
- "You’ll be quite busy for a while due to the 'Hydra' you transmitted."  
“What?!”  

Naturally, the more work Karlstein had to do personally, the more karma he would earn.

“Kyshaaaa!!”

In reality, for his wealth, a prototype 'Hydra' was no big deal. He wouldn’t even waver if he dropped it in heaps.

However, Ether was different!

Because if there wasn't enough Ether, he would have to work on the front lines himself!

The tasks that the emperor of the Galactic Empire had to handle were typically troublesome matters that an ordinary person could hardly imagine.

- "And regarding the test, the spaceship 'Hyperion,' which you insisted on including, just think about the karma consumed during its transmission…"  
"What?!"  
- "Even as a prototype, it’s a growth-type spaceship."  
"That… I didn’t know it would cost karma back then..."  
- "But the karma consumed won’t come back, you know?"  
"That's just unfair!"  
- "Get to work, human."  
"Graaaah!"

As he was pulling at his hair in agony, Aria spoke to him.

- "It seems I've found a dimension to install the second relay."  
"What?"  

Karlstein hurriedly searched for the text Aria was showing him.

---

**Title:** Guys, I think I'm screwed.  
"I definitely became possessed by an 'Apocalypse S-Class Shelter Ability User,' right? But… it seems like the genre has changedㅠㅠ Or did I possess another work? I woke up to find a UFO stuck in the ceiling; are aliens going to show up or what? I’m already a non-entity, and if an alien world appears, what am I supposed to doㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ?"

It was someone’s desperate cry.

***

Kim Young-sik.

His life was as ordinary as his name. He had a typical school life and graduated from an average college, becoming a regular office worker after a decent job search.

If ordinary could be defined, he was in the top 1% of ordinariness.

However, his life took a slightly special turn due to an unexpected possession. The reason for the "slightly" was that he was still just an ordinary person A in that circumstance.

But being ordinary was now a hope he could barely hold onto.

“Sorry, oppa. I’ve developed feelings for someone else. So let’s break up.”

He received a breakup notice from his girlfriend of seven years. She was going to become a mistress to a mighty awakened one.

“Yong-sik, I’m sorry, but you don’t need to come out anymore. I’ve found someone else.”  
“Who would want to use someone as useless as you?”  

A non-awakened person like him was barely scraping by.

Young-sik locked himself in a small room, blowing into a soju bottle to soothe his sour stomach.

‘How did it come to this?’

Young-sik’s gaze sank deeply.

At first, he didn’t even know he had been possessed into a novel. He had opened his eyes in none other than “South Korea.”

However, as he gradually recalled the names of past presidents and history, he became convinced that this world was a parallel universe.

After all, the man who he thought had died in a traffic accident was also “Kim Young-sik” here. Even his body had not changed at all.

Yes, that much he could understand. After all, he was an orphan with no close relatives to leave behind.

Rather, he was grateful to have gained a new life. Having experienced death, his attitude toward life and values changed, and he appreciated this second chance, living earnestly.

He made friends, began dating his girlfriend, and his work situation improved little by little.

“Ah, is this what real life is like?”

Life regained its vibrancy.

He pondered the beauty of flowers blooming by the roadside and clouds in the sky, sometimes quarreling, but ultimately affirming their trust and whispering love to his girlfriend.

He felt grateful for being alive, and though he didn’t have much, he could give to those around him, which filled him with contentment.

However, four years had passed since he adapted to this world.

His life, which had once seemed like a beautiful painting, was now facing its end.

- "Kyaaaa!!"  
- "Kyaaaaaah!!"  
- "Watch out!"  
- "Graaargh."

On a day when a normal person turned into a zombie, and zombies evolved to bring down nations and societies, 

his happiness shattered into pieces.

Yet, it seemed that death was not a certainty, as many of the survivors of the zombie outbreak awakened special abilities.

They breathed fire, foresaw the future, shot energy blasts, and summoned lightning.

With the emergence of "Awakened Ones" possessing superhuman abilities, humanity somehow managed to continue its existence. It was an apocalypse marked by a collapsed social structure, but those who survived fought to keep their lives.

During that time, Young-sik realized that this world was not just a simple parallel universe.

"I’m definitely… in the novel *Apocalypse Shelter Ability Users*!"

Though horrified by this fact, he could quickly calm down. After all, he had died and come back to life—so why would possessing a novel matter?

Regardless, he could remember the plot well enough to hold onto hope.

Fortunately, he had his girlfriend with him, which kept him from giving up on life.

Even in desperate circumstances, he could muster strength for her. He secured a safe place, gathered comrades, found food, and repelled attackers aiming for their shelter.

In this way, three chaotic years passed. The reason he managed to survive for three years was the knowledge from the novel he had read.

In this world, many “Shelter Ability Users” emerged, and around them, Awakened Ones gathered to create a tumultuous era.

Though he was a non-awakened, insignificant being, he significantly contributed to establishing the largest shelter in the nation by leeching off the novel’s protagonist.

That part was fine.

If only he hadn't fallen out of favor with the protagonist, Yoo Byeong-tae.

As the shelter began to take shape, Yoo Byeong-tae's attitude changed. In other words, his relationship with the original protagonist started to veer off course.

“Why are you acting so boldly?”  
“You don’t have to do everything your way.”  
“How would you know that? You can’t foresee the future, can you?”  
“What can you do without me?”  

He nitpicked at every little thing, disregarding his opinions and obstructing his plans. Young-sik found it incredibly frustrating.

‘This isn’t the time for shelter users to be bickering…!’

Having read the novel, he was convinced that if they continued to lounge around, they couldn’t avoid destruction.

“Why not just step back? There are other Awakened Ones in the administrative side.”  
“Right. Yong-sik, I think it might be okay for you to take a break.”  
“Oppa. You’ve worked hard.”  

Colleagues, who had been watching Yoo Byeong-tae, pressured him into retirement under the pretext of needing rest.

Still, as long as it stopped there, he could somehow endure.

However, even after he retired, Yoo Byeong-tae continued to torment him.

Now

, even the friends he had grown close to turned their backs on him, joining in on the ostracism.

“Hah…”

It was a truly absurd situation. Having used all his novel knowledge to reach this point, he was about to lose everything over one relationship.

“Bastard… He should be in shambles right now.”

Evolved zombies were no easy opponents. The fact that he had made it this far without losing any comrades was nothing short of a miracle.

‘But they don’t recognize my efforts….’

After his relationship with the original protagonist soured, he received an invitation from a place called the [Interdimensional Community].

‘Could this be my awakening ability?’

If so, it was a rather pathetic ability.

- “You can survive on the battlefield with your martial arts training.”  
- “Aahhh. So fluffy and cozy.”  
- “Hey, give me a break.”  
- “Swoosh. Swoosh.”  
- “Hey, you reincarnator bastards, behave yourselves, you psychopaths.”  
- “Hah. I crave a cigarette. How long do I have to keep pretending to be a saint?”  
- “Here comes the ban.”  
- “Die, jerk.”

He felt dizzy.

Well… sometimes he chuckled while lurking around, or he posted lamentations to seek comfort.

Yet, if this was his awakening ability, it was far too trivial… 

Recently, he was about to be kicked out of the shelter and had no time to check the community.

‘Is this it for me?’

Just as he thought that, an explosion occurred from the ceiling.

‘No, this is supposed to be a shelter?!’

Boom—

Young-sik couldn’t close his mouth in disbelief.