Yoo Junseo never imagined he would find himself in such a secretive place in his life.
The safe house is located near Seoul City Hall, its underground level.
After passing through multiple heavily guarded doors under strict security, Yoo Junseo was finally guided to a seat.
Several high-ranking officials handed him their business cards and greeted him, but he couldn’t remember all of them.
He was utterly bewildered.
Yoo Junseo had no idea why he, the Director of the Awakened Management Bureau, had been summoned here.
At first, he thought it was because he had become South Korea’s second S-rank Awakened.
However, the moment a man with a serious expression, introduced as the Director, began speaking, Yoo Junseo was taken aback.
“What? You want to take down Nam Jooyeon?”
Their proposal was truly shocking.
It began with a speech about how Nam Jooyeon was dangerous.
They wanted to detain South Korea’s first S-rank Awakened.
And they wanted it done through the hands of Yoo Junseo, the Director of the Awakened Management Bureau, who was considered the only suitable counterbalance to Nam Jooyeon.
“Why would you do such a thing? Are you out of your mind?”
Yoo Junseo asked, stunned.
The response he received could be summarized as follows:
‘That person is uncontrollable. One wrong move, and they could turn into a terrorist. For the sake of national security, it’s necessary to eliminate them.’
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
After all, Nam Jooyeon had even made death threats in a room full of lawmakers.
But did that justify detaining an S-rank Awakened?
From the sound of it, they weren’t just planning to detain Nam Jooyeon—they were considering killing him.
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
At first, Yoo Junseo wanted to refuse.
He wanted to get up and leave immediately.
But Yoo Junseo, as always, was an ordinary person.
No matter how strong his convictions were, no matter how high his position as the Director of the Awakened Management Bureau was, being in such a secretive place among high-ranking officials made him feel small.
Yoo Junseo tried to stammer out objections, but each time, the man introduced as the Chairman cut him off.
Nam Jooyeon was dangerous, and Yoo Junseo could take over his role—that’s what the government seemed to genuinely believe.
While there had been some casualties, Seoul was the country best equipped to handle Awakened outbreaks globally.
It wasn’t surprising that the government, riding on that reputation, had become so arrogant.
Nor was it surprising that they were trying to persuade someone like Yoo Junseo, who had no real connections in politics.
“Think carefully. What is the right decision?”
When the conversation began to go in circles, the other party cut it short.
“Most importantly, Director, if you capture him, you’ll gain three 4-star Calamity Cores. You could become the greatest human in the world.”
“…That’s not the point.”
“You need to think carefully and make your choice. Which side will you choose? What decision will benefit you the most?”
Those final words lingered in his mind even after he left the building.
*
“Ugh. Fuck.”
The next day, Yoo Junseo didn’t check the community comments, which were usually the start of his daily routine.
His mind was too cluttered, and he had stayed up all night with his eyes wide open. He was tired and in a foul mood.
“What the hell do they want from me?”
What the government wanted was simple.
They wanted to use Yoo Junseo as a hunting dog to tear Nam Jooyeon apart.
It was all to make it easier for them to control Seoul according to their whims.
It was a brilliant choice.
Unlike Nam Jooyeon, Yoo Junseo wouldn’t dare threaten to kill everyone in the middle of a meeting room.
He didn’t have the guts for that.
Moreover, it wouldn’t even be that difficult.
Even an S-rank Awakened would die if shot.
They weren’t superheroes from movies.
Nam Jooyeon couldn’t dodge bullets.
So, what should he do?
Yoo Junseo knew the phrase “kick the ladder away.”
If he eliminated Nam Jooyeon and became the only S-rank Awakened, the government would undoubtedly try to manipulate him, just as they had done before.
‘Please be reasonable, Yoo Junseo.’
On the other hand, Nam Jooyeon had left the coordination with the government to Yoo Junseo.
It seemed he trusted him to some extent.
So, was it the right decision to side with Nam Jooyeon, who had already been marked as a person of interest by the government?
Was that a strong alliance?
“Bastards.”
No way.
Yoo Junseo had seen Nam Jooyeon’s sacrificial actions during the last tower raid.
He was closer to a hero.
Therefore, betraying him or tearing him apart as they wanted was out of the question.
Yoo Junseo was someone who could miraculously find ways to ensure his own safety.
He had made up his mind. He planned to secretly call Nam Jooyeon and discuss the situation immediately.
“Ah, you’re finally here.”
The morning dragged on.
An unexpected visitor arrived at the Management Bureau as Yoo Junseo came to work, just like any other day.
“Shall we talk?”
Nam Jooyeon was already waiting in the Director’s office.
With a bottle of liquor in hand.
“Uh, um… Nam Jooyeon, what brings you here?”
Yoo Junseo hurriedly greeted him.
What on earth had prompted him to come all the way to the Management Bureau?
He glanced at Kang Sena, but she just shrugged and left the room.
As he awkwardly took a seat, Nam Jooyeon offered him the liquor. In the current climate, where luxury items had become scarce, alcohol was quite a valuable commodity.
“I just came back from Daejeon yesterday. I heard you pulled a 4-star Calamity Core.”
“Ah, yeah. Got lucky.”
As he accepted the gift, Yoo Junseo studied Nam Jooyeon’s expression.
He looked calm.
“So… is there something you need?”
“I just wanted to visit as a fellow S-rank Awakened and congratulate you. I went to the event yesterday, but you weren’t there.”
“Ah, yeah. I had some business…”
“Business with the National Security Office, I assume.”
Yoo Junseo’s head went cold at Nam Jooyeon’s casual remark.
Did Kang Sena tell him?
No, she was tight-lipped.
Then, was it Seo Yerin?
That woman?
Whatever it was, it didn’t matter now.
Nam Jooyeon knew that Yoo Junseo had been summoned by the government for some secret discussion.
Sure enough, Nam Jooyeon crossed his legs and spoke.
“So, what are you planning to do?”
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“Are you going to turn against me? I know what the government said. I don’t blame you. But I came here to hear your decision moving forward.”
“…”
A cold silence filled the room.
Cold sweat ran down Yoo Junseo’s back.
As the silence dragged on, Nam Jooyeon casually picked up the remote on the desk and turned on the TV.
A breaking news report was playing.
[Explosion terror in Jung-gu, Seoul. National Security Office Director killed, suspected to be an attack by a Calamity.]
A bright red background with white text.
Yoo Junseo felt like he had been hit over the head.
He blinked several times.
“Quite the disturbing news to start the morning, don’t you think?”
“…”
The face on the TV screen was familiar.
It was the man Yoo Junseo had secretly met with just yesterday.
He turned his head. Nam Jooyeon was smiling faintly.
There was no need to see more.
“Speaking of which! Nam Jooyeon! Those government bastards dared to try and drive a wedge between us…!”
Yoo Junseo was a bat.
*
Convincing the Director was as easy as lying down and eating rice cakes.
As soon as I showed him the news, he immediately caved, like a pet dog.
He kept cursing the government, insisting that the Management Bureau needed to become independent from them, and repeatedly echoed my sentiments.
Just as I was starting to get bored, Kang Sena approached.
“Nam Jooyeon, someone’s here to see you.”
“Someone from the government, I assume?”
“How did you know…? I’m dying to ask, but…”
Kang Sena glanced at the TV, where the breaking news was still playing.
The incident being reported on the news was something I had orchestrated through Selenne yesterday.
Assassination and terrorism—heinous crimes.
But I felt no guilt.
I had already killed six people in Daejeon.
Adding one more to that list didn’t make a difference.
“Well, you’ll handle it, I’m sure.”
Kang Sena didn’t press further and left.
After she left, the Prime Minister, who had spoken with me in the meeting room before, arrived at the Director’s office.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“N-Nam Jooyeon…”
The Prime Minister glanced at me nervously.
He had rushed over in such a hurry that his hair was disheveled, and his glasses were sliding down his nose. He spoke while panting.
“It’s all a misunderstanding. I can explain.”
“A misunderstanding? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
I picked up the remote and turned off the TV.
The Prime Minister glanced between me and the TV, then fell to his knees.
He was just as quick-witted as Yoo Junseo.
“P-Please give me a chance to explain.”
“Go ahead.”
“The truth is, there’s been a sharp divide within our ranks. After the last outbreak and the scuffle in the meeting room, we’ve been split into hardliners and moderates regarding how to handle Awakened individuals…”
“…”
“What happened yesterday was the work of the hardliner faction acting on their own. So, we want to make it clear that we had nothing to do with them. We moderates want to maintain a cooperative relationship with you, Nam Jooyeon…”
I let his words go in one ear and out the other.
It seemed like the Prime Minister was telling the truth.
If he were lying, Mirien, who was watching over this, would have signaled me.
Well, I understood their situation.
But…
“But why should I care?”
“Huh?”
The Prime Minister blinked in confusion as my tone turned sharp.
I rested my chin on my hand, feigning indifference.
“Do I need to understand your situation? Frankly, I could kill you right now, and it wouldn’t be strange.”
Just a few months ago, I was nothing more than a cog in the machine of society. Now, I was threatening the nation itself.
‘Huh, I really feel like I’ve become an absolute ruler.’
It wasn’t just a delusion.
Somehow, I felt like I had taken a step closer to becoming the absolute ruler of the world, beyond just being the Lord of the Rift.
[5★ Charred Saintess Selenne is impressed by you.]
Ding.
[Achievement Unlocked: Twisted God]
[Reward: 500 Exp / 4☆ Legacy of the Ashen Saint]
The affinity achievement of Selene that appeared before my eyes proves this.