"Now that I think about it, I didn’t explain it properly."

Seongho had already decided that Im Chan and his daughter Ji-hyo would be the ones he would take with him to the end. Some level of information sharing was necessary.

The issue was deciding just *how much* to share.

Seongho pondered as he poked at the potatoes with a stick, lost in thought. 

After a long silence, he finally responded to Im Chan’s question.

"The final destination is Jamsil. We need to get there before this winter ends."

Im Chan seemed taken aback by the unexpected distance.

"Jamsil...?" 

It was a destination farther than expected, and clearly not something one would be pleased to hear, but the bad news didn’t stop there.

"Of course, before that, there are a couple of places we need to stop."

"Stop... where?" 

"I'm still debating, but we must visit Seogang-dong and Myeongdong."

He added that they would decide by the next morning, though he had been putting it off for a while. He needed to make up his mind by tomorrow.

‘According to the map, we’re currently at Baengnyeonsan.’ 

From here, they could head south, pass Yonsei University, and reach Seogang-dong in Mapo-gu. 

If they turned east, they could head toward Jung-gu, where Myeongdong was located.

‘Considering the route, it might be better to visit Seogang-dong first and then head to Myeongdong.’

But he couldn’t make a decision right away.

The group at Seogang-dong was likely gathering awakened people on purpose.

‘Given our current strength, I don’t think we’d be able to handle them.’

But Myeongdong didn’t seem any better.

‘That place is eating people.’

It was a classic predicament.

Seongho sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

Im Chan, who had been quietly watching Seongho, cautiously spoke up again.

"Um... why do you need to go to those places?"

"I need to check something."

"Did you originally plan to go that way before coming to the hospital?"

"Something like that."

Seongho avoided a direct answer and changed the subject, poking the campfire.

"Let’s just eat and rest tonight. We’ll be traveling tomorrow as well."

"Yes, yes! Understood."

Just then, the potatoes were ready.

After eating the warm potatoes, Im Chan immediately took Ji-hyo into the sleeping bag.

Using the warmth from the meal, he hurried to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Seongho stayed by the fire, unlike the others.

On this long winter night, he needed to keep an eye on the fire to ensure it didn’t go out, while also staying alert for any approaching raiders.

The crackling of the fire, the wind, and the soft rustling of sleeping bags filled the air for a brief moment.

After enduring the grueling journey, the two quickly fell into a deep sleep, the quiet winter night surrounding them.

Seongho, exhaling steadily, sat with his back to them.

"Check the fate intervention reward."

**[Required Rewards]**  
- 20 Contribution Points  
- 2 Stat Points  

**[Optional Rewards]**  
- Special Ability Extraction Orb  
- Immunity Detector Glasses  
- Zombie Location Tracker  

"Please confirm your choice of optional reward."

The required rewards were just the same as usual, but the optional rewards had completely changed.

‘Is there some difficulty system at play here, or is it because I’ve altered the fate of the same person twice?’

He felt a bit disappointed that the Fortune Cookie wasn’t one of the options.

Though its divination function didn’t seem particularly useful, the recovery and enhancement effects were fantastic.

Seongho brushed off his disappointment and checked the list of available rewards.

‘Special Ability Extraction Orb.’

If this item works as its name suggests...

‘Does it extract my ability? Or someone else’s awakened power?’

Either way, if he could use the extracted ability, it would be incredibly useful.

‘If it’s the former, I could have extra uses for the virus treatment, and if it’s the latter... that would be amazing.’

Not being restricted to just one ability could be considered a cheat code in some sense.

Seongho eyed the item’s name and then glanced down at the next option.

‘Next is the Immunity Detector Glasses.’

At first glance, these might seem unnecessary for Seongho.

After all, he already had the ability to detect immune individuals on his own.

He just needed to infect someone and observe for mutations, and then he would know.

But these glasses kept catching his attention.

‘The real value of those glasses lies in identifying awakened people.’

It wasn’t easy to spot an awakened person unless they revealed their powers or spoke up about it.

Those glasses could solve that problem.

Since awakened people were essentially immune, he was naturally drawn to them.

‘The Zombie Location Tracker could also be useful for finding or tracking evolved zombies.’

Seongho knew that to grow stronger, he would need to continue hunting zombies.

If the zombie tracker was what he thought it was, it could be very useful.

But Seongho didn’t choose the zombie tracker.

Nor did he choose the Immunity Detector Glasses.

"I’ll go with the Special Ability Extraction Orb."

**[Optional reward confirmed.]**  
**[Fate Intervention reward received.]**  
**[Eligibility requirements met.]**

"Eh?"

Seongho was startled by the unexpected message and instinctively made a sound.

At the same time, a bright light appeared and a orb materialized in midair.

Seongho quickly caught it before it fell.

It was about 2 cm in diameter, larger than the virus orbs he had seen so far, and its color was different.

While the virus orbs were black, this one was transparent with a hollow interior.

**[Special Ability Extraction Orb]**  
- Extracts the special ability of a deceased awakened person, which can be used for 30 minutes.  
- Target: None  
- Extracted Ability: None  

It was exactly as the name described.

This would certainly prove useful.

Seongho tucked the orb into his pocket and checked the message window again.

‘Eligibility?’

He was struck with a sense of déjà vu upon seeing the word, and after a brief moment of thinking, he realized where he’d seen it before.

‘Could it be...?’

Seongho immediately spoke aloud.

"The Pioneer’s Cradle."

As if on cue, a large book appeared out of nowhere.

He checked to see if Im Chan and Ji-hyo had stirred, but neither had woken up.

Returning his focus to the Cradle, Seongho reached for the query section and felt his hand move toward the next tab.

**[Additional access requires 30 Contribution Points. Do you wish to use them? (Y/N)]**

There were now two new tabs available that had previously been inaccessible.

The required Contribution Points had accumulated, allowing Seongho to unlock the next section.

Should he spend the points before moving to a new area? Or wait a bit longer to gather more?

‘I have 20 new Contribution Points.’

Along with the 3 he already had, plus the 15 he earned from treating people at the hospital, Seongho now had a total of 38 Contribution Points.

‘If I wait a bit more, I can reach 50.’

With 50, he could ask questions about the deviation points or the person in charge.

‘Should I wait or spend them now?’

To be honest, Seongho was eager to learn about his position.

The constant feeling that something was closing in from behind kept his nerves on edge, and he had an unsettling sense that someone might soon betray him.

The person in charge was also a thorn in his side, as if actively working against him.

But...

‘If I wait too long, I might die before I get the chance to use the points.’

If he kept holding onto the points, there was a real risk of dying without getting the chance to use them at a crucial moment.

‘The Pioneer’s Cradle is meant to assist me.’

If he could get more support from it, it would be better for Seongho.

With his mind made up, Seongho muttered softly.

"Yes."

**[30 Contribution Points used.]**  
**[You have unlocked 2nd page of the Pioneer’s Cradle.]**

The pages that had previously been stiff as stone fluttered open.

When Seongho turned the first page, he was met with a view that was very different from what he had seen before.

**[Destiny Pioneer’s Exclusive Quest List]**  
- Save 10 civilians (0)  
- Recruit followers (0)  
- Hunt evolved zombies (0)  
- Hunt named characters (0)  

Seongho blinked rapidly in surprise and clicked on the first quest, **Save 10 civilians**.

**[Save 10 civilians]**  
- Rescue 10 civilians in danger, regardless of time or location, and ensure their safety.  
- Success Reward: 1 Stat Point  

There were additional options for 25 and 50 civilians, with the rewards increasing.

The largest quests, saving hundreds of thousands, offered rewards of hundreds of stat points.

It seemed there was now a way to gain stat points outside of fate intervention.

‘I’m glad I spent the Contribution Points.’  

The next section, Recruit Followers, was similar, with rewards that were also appealing.

‘Now for the Hunting category.’

The quests were simple: hunt evolved species, and the rewards were practical items like sugar, oil, flashbangs, and medical supplies.

‘In a world where factories have shut down, having a way to gather supplies is invaluable.’

Next was the intriguing **Named Character Hunt**.

**[Hunt Named Characters]**  
- Kill or directly contribute to the death of characters from *The Savior of the Destroyed World*.  
- Success Reward: Item  

Seongho understood this to mean hunting the antagonists from the original story, and agreed that it would benefit the world.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to carry out.

‘These are the people I’m bound to clash with.’

Letting out a deep sigh, Seongho clicked on the success reward to see what item he would receive.

Unlike the zombie hunting section, there was no list of items here.

**[Rewards vary depending on the named character killed.]**

‘Seems like I’ll have to hunt them and see what I get.’

Not knowing exactly what item would be received piqued Seongho’s curiosity.

So he opened the first page of the Cradle again and asked.

"What item would I get for hunting Ko Ji-hoon?"

Required Contribution Points: 2

The answer that came was surprisingly pleasing to Seongho.

Though the name was a bit strange, the function of the item was extremely useful.

After confirming the item, Seongho’s gaze naturally drifted to Im Chan and Ji-hyo, who were asleep by the campfire.

He muttered softly to himself.

"I’ll consider it a gift." 

Since he was planning to head to Myeongdong anyway, he might as well grab that item too.

Seongho, having made up his mind, felt a sense of completion. He looked at the names left in the Cradle’s query page and focused on the one that caught his attention.

‘Ko Ji-hoon.’

The villain linked to the cannibalistic camp, Ko Ji-hoon.

He was the very reason Seongho had chosen the Special Ability Extraction Orb as his reward.

Ko Ji-hoon was the person who could make the most use of the ability extraction orb.