The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 34: The Weight of a Crown

Jin woke up, and nothing was wrong.

For a second, he didn't know what to do with that.

He wasn't waking up to the sound of someone shaking his shoulder for lookout duty.

Wasn't dragging himself out of sleep before dawn to train with Ryu in the cold.

Wasn't jolting awake to the distant echo of gunshots or monster screams.

Just... silence.

The kind of quiet that felt too clean, too still.

His back ached from sleeping against the wall, muscles stiff from days of strain. His chest throbbed, ribs sore from the last fight, and his limbs felt like they'd been weighed down by stones.

But for the first time in weeks, he didn't feel like he'd been half-asleep with one eye open.

He'd actually rested.

Jin rubbed his face, blinking against the dim glow of the lights. The faint hum of electricity buzzed through the walls — a constant reminder that they weren't completely disconnected from the world.

He stretched his neck, wincing when something popped. His body begged him to go back to sleep, but the instinct to check the perimeter lingered like a shadow.

The system pulsed.

[Territory Claim Available]

Would you like to claim this location as your territory?]

(Y/N)

Jin exhaled slowly, fingers hovering over the notification.

They'd made it through the first day.

They had actually found a place that was safe for them and had everything they needed to survive for now.

And now they had to hold it.

His thumb clicked 'Yes'.

The system rippled outward.

A faint pulse of light spread through the room, brushing over the lockers, the scuffed floors, and the slumped bodies of his friends. It faded almost instantly, leaving the school exactly as it was — quiet, untouched, theirs.

Another message appeared.

[Objective 1 Completed: Secure a Territory]

[Defend for the remaining period of the quest]

Jin let out a slow breath, his body sagging against the wall.

It felt... real now.

They had time.

For the first time in two weeks, he had something more than hope.

The light dimmed to a faint pulse, flickering gently against the ceiling. Jin rubbed his face, fingers pressing into his temples. The exhaustion still weighed heavy on his body, but for once, he didn't feel like he had to fight through it.

Soft shuffling broke the silence.

Joon let out a low groan, stretching until his joints popped. "Ugh... Did someone turn on the sun?"

Echo mumbled something incoherent, pulling his hood over his face.

Seul stirred next, sitting up slowly and rolling her shoulder until it cracked. She scanned the hallway, eyes sharp despite the lingering exhaustion, her body still tense like she expected something to go wrong.

Jin watched them silently, something tight and unfamiliar curling in his chest.

They were all still here.

Alive.

Breathing.

Seul glanced toward him, voice low. "What happened?"

Jin cleared his throat, his voice rough from sleep. "The system accepted the claim. We passed the first part of the trial."

Seul nodded, rubbing her neck. "Good."

Joon flopped onto his side, rubbing his face. "Cool. Wake me up when the apocalypse ends."

Jin almost smiled.

Then, another screen flickered to life.

[Leader Selection Required]

[A leader must be assigned to oversee the territory.]

Jin stiffened.

The glow reflected in his eyes, sharp against the dim hallway. The words felt heavier than he expected — like the system wasn't just assigning a role, but carving something permanent into the world.

Joon looked, eyes half-closed, then muttered without even lifting his head.

"Just pick Jin."

Jin blinked. "...What?"

Echo shifted, voice muffled against his sleeve. "Yeah. Seconded."

Jin sat up, rubbing his face. "Guys, wait. I—"

Seul cut him off, tying her hair back. "You've already been leading us," she said, voice steady.

Jin's chest tightened. "I lost control. I almost killed you."

Seul didn't flinch. "And you didn't."

Jin swallowed, throat dry.

Joon finally propped himself up on one elbow, squinting through the system glow. "Dude. You dragged us through the last two weeks, almost died, and still got us a school with free electricity."

Echo made a tired noise of agreement. "We even have a gym. You basically gave us a post-apocalyptic summer camp."

Joon grinned, sitting up. "Oh, yeah. I'm definitely voting for camp counselor Jin."

Jin let out a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes. "I don't think leaders are supposed to almost murder their teams."

Joon shrugged, voice light but honest. "We're all still alive, right?"

Echo lifted a lazy finger. "For now."

Seul adjusted her gloves, voice calm and final. "If you lose control again, we'll deal with it. But if you're not leading us... who is?"

Jin's hands curled into fists.

They weren't afraid of him.

They weren't angry at him.

They trusted him.

And that felt heavier than any blade he'd ever held.

He clicked 'Confirm'.

[Jin Yeong has been assigned as Territory Leader.]

Leader Functions Unlocked.]

Subordinates Registered: 3]

Jin frowned as another message appeared.

Subordinates?

The system listed names.

Seul Kang

Joon Park

Min Jae-Woo

Jin squinted.

"...Min?"

Echo flinched, sitting up. "What?"

Joon, who had been flopping back down to sleep, froze. "Who the hell is Min?"

Jin stared at Echo, his voice low and confused. "That's... your name?"

Echo rubbed his eyes. "Yeah?"

Joon sat up so fast he almost hit his head on the wall. "YOU'VE HAD A REAL NAME THIS WHOLE TIME?"

Echo squinted. "You thought my actual name was Echo?"

Joon threw his hands in the air. "YES."

Echo snorted, sitting up straighter. "Bro, Echo would be a dumb name for someone to give their kid."

Joon pointed at him, face red. "I THOUGHT YOU CHANGED IT LEGALLY."

Echo blinked. "Why would I do that?"

Jin pressed his fingers against his forehead, trying to piece this together. "Min, we barely talked at the office."

Echo tilted his head. "We ate in the same break room every day."

Joon looked ready to combust. "I need to lie down. Seul can you beleive this."

Seul, who had been sitting silently the entire time, finally sighed. "I knew" she muttered.

Joon sat up so fast it was almost impressive. "YOU KNEW?"

Seul adjusted her gloves. "I wanted to know it. So I asked."

Joon dragged his hands down his face. "And you didn't tell us?"

"You never asked."

Jin lost it.

Laughter burst out of him, rough and broken, his ribs aching with every breath. The sound echoed down the hallway, louder than it had any right to be, filling the empty space with something that almost sounded like relief.

Echo huffed. "Whatever. I don't care what you guys call me."

Jin wiped his eyes, catching his breath. "We'll stick with Echo."

Echo brightened. "Oh. Yeah, I like that."

Joon dropped back onto the floor, groaning. "If you mess with us like this again, I'm making you do every night shift until we die."

The laughter faded.

The hallway settled back into quiet, the faint hum of the school's lights filling the space like background noise.

Jin wiped his eyes, chest still aching from the sudden burst of laughter. He let out a slow breath, leaning back against the wall as his interface shifted again, the system adjusting now that the territory had been claimed.

New options unfolded in front of him, glowing faintly.

[Territory System Unlocked]

Status: Stable

Defense Level: 0

Resource Stock: Basic

The words felt... heavier than he expected.

Jin scanned the screen, eyes flicking through the options.

Upgrade Options:

Cafeteria (Expand food storage) — 10,000 points

Gym (Enhance training environment) — 7,000 points

Library (Unlock tactical information & system knowledge) — 5,000 points

His stomach dropped.

They had exactly 0 terittory points.

Jin rubbed his face. "That's... a lot of points."

Joon peeked over Jin's shoulder, squinting at the display. "Holy shit."

Seul leaned against the wall, stretching out her legs. "What can we upgrade?"

Jin hesitated. "Cafeteria, gym, or library."

Joon didn't even pause. "Cafeteria. Food. I like not starving."

Echo tilted his head, voice casual. "I dunno, man. I feel like food's kinda overrated."

Joon turned to glare at him. "Echo, I swear to god—"

Echo grinned, leaning back. "I'm kidding. Food first. Always food first."

Jin rubbed his temple, already feeling a headache coming on. "It costs 10,000 points."

The room went silent.

"...We have 10,000 points, right?" Joon asked, voice hopeful.

Jin gave him a dry look.

Joon winced. "Oh no."

Echo groaned, flopping onto his back. "So we're broke." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Seul sat up, brow furrowing. "How many points do we have?"

"0," Jin muttered.

Joon clutched his chest like he'd been stabbed. "We're less than broke."

Seul leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. "How long will the food we have last?"

Jin glanced back at the Resource Stock section.

Resource Stock: Basic

He exhaled slowly. "Maybe a month or two if we ration."

Joon sat up, rubbing his face. "Atleast we have enough to last for a while"

Jin nodded. "Yeah."

Seul pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. "So after its done, we'll need to find a source of points."

Echo snorted. "Yeah."

Jin let the screen flicker out, resting his elbows on his knees. His mind was already moving, piecing together what they needed to do.

They had to defend this place for six more days.

And if they wanted to survive after that?

They needed more supplies.

More points.

They needed to grow stronger — fast.

Jin's fingers twitched against his knee.

He didn't feel powerful.

Didn't feel like he was worthy of being a leader.

He just felt... responsible.

Joon rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright. So... cafeteria first, right?"

Jin nodded. "Yeah. But we'll need points to upgrade it."

Seul's voice was quiet but steady. "Then we fight for them."

Jin looked around at his friends — the people who had voted for him without hesitation. The ones who trusted him enough to follow him, even after everything he'd done.

He inhaled slowly, letting the weight of that settle.

Then he pushed himself to his feet.

"Let's figure out how to get these territory points."

They were his now.

Not just friends.

Not just fellow survivors.

His people.

And he'd protect them.

Even if it killed him.