Chapter 13: Sub-character Training Is The Basics Of A Bad Game (4)

The world has once again reached a lull.

We managed to defend against the second rift eruption, but an unexpected event occurred.

The emergence of the Storm Dragon, Tempestura.

Given the precedent of the Hellfire Guard Dog from before, this was something that could not be ignored.

[Storm Dragon Tempestura has made its nest in Ilsan.]

Tempestra has established its lair in the direction of Ilsan, and due to the nature of calamities being drawn to powerful entities, the remaining calamities in northern Gyeonggi Province have gathered in Ilsan, forming a nest.

The danger level was far higher than the nest in Cheonan that Selene had conquered before, and people trembled in fear.

The Management Bureau acted swiftly.

[Promotion of the Awakener Rating System, Formation of a Plan to Subdue Tempestura with B-Rank Awakeners at the Core.]

Unlike the time of the Hellfire Guard Dog, the Awakeners had also strengthened their forces through two eruptions, nest clearings, and synthesis.

There were even rumors that Yoo Junseo, the head of the Management Bureau, possessed two 3-star calamities.

And the reach of the Management Bureau extended to me as well.

“Is this Nam Jooyeon?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“You are required to respond to the summons.”

“Huh? A summons?”

“Do you not watch the news?”

It was perhaps inevitable that the Management Bureau contacted me, as I possess a 2-star calamity.

“You can’t possibly mean I have to go deal with that dragon, right?”

“Of course. According to the upcoming rating system, you will be classified as a B-Rank Awakener. Moreover, you’ve faced Tempestra before.”

“Even if you say that…”

“You’ve heard about China, right? They lost millions dealing with a single 4-star calamity. If we leave this unchecked, Seoul could collapse.”

“…Use it.”

I don’t know how strong the Awakeners are, but at best, with 2-star and 3-star level powers, facing Tempestura would be overwhelming. 

Even if we somehow managed to subdue it, the damage would be significant.

I tried to find a way to refuse, but…

“You know about the Awakener contract, right? State-affiliated Awakeners must respond to summons. Refusal can lead to legal penalties. According to the Special Awakener Management Law, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment…”

This country, South Korea, even with the world turned upside down, still excels at exploiting its citizens.

I sighed and nodded.

“Then when do I need to go?”

“Detailed summons schedules will be notified by tomorrow. Just be there by then.”

I frowned and hung up.

Selene, who seemed to have overheard the conversation, approached me with a stern face.

“If you command it, I will tear those despicable beings apart.”

“…No, that won’t be necessary.”

I switched my phone screen to the news. 

Coincidentally, a broadcast helicopter was filming Tempestura’s nest in Ilsan, with the dragon coiled at the center.

Regardless, the emergence of a 4-star calamity is a fact, and leaving it unchecked would only attract more calamities, turning it into a dungeon. 

If those calamities swarm Seoul like in China, it would be a disaster.

The Management Bureau’s decision to nip it in the bud is correct.

Moreover, I have insurance.

“Anyway, it doesn’t seem like Tempestura will harm me. Right?”

“…Correct. That wyvern is likely following Mirien’s orders. It won’t harm you.”

Selene still didn’t hide her hostility towards Mirien.

Since hearing about Mirien from Selene a few days ago, my thoughts have become complicated.

She wants to possess me, even if it means killing me.

It sounds absurd, but Selene seems to genuinely believe it.

“If Mirien had ill intentions, she would have harmed me long ago.”

“Back then, you possessed divine status. But now, you’re in a human body.”

It seems that Selene and other calamities have each attached plausible reasons to the gap between the game’s ruler and my current self.

“Apologies, but in your current state, even other subordinates could threaten your life.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Minimize contact with Mirien. The same goes for the other subordinates.”

The other subordinates Selene mentioned are likely the two 5-star calamities.

The Mother of Misfortune, Karne.

The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria.

Both have backgrounds as ominous as Selene or Mirien, so I’d rather not face them.

Moreover, their whereabouts are currently unknown.

“Alright. For now, we have no choice but to strengthen our forces.”

As soon as I set the plan, a notification popped up on my status window.

Ding.

[4★ Hellfire Guard Dog has completed calamity synthesis.]

[Reward: 50Exp/2★ Ashen Brook Deer]

“Oh.”

Finally, I succeeded in synthesizing a 2-star calamity.

It was the result of pouring in over thirty 1-star calamities.

I placed the Ashen Brook Deer in the formation window and instructed the Hellfire Guard Dog to proceed with the next synthesis.

However, Selene seemed oddly dissatisfied.

“My lord, if you command me to synthesize, I can create something far superior to that mutt.”

“Selene, sorry, but your synthesis aptitude is D. That mutt is B.”

“…”

Selene looked genuinely shocked.

*

It had already been two days since Awakener Nam Jooyeon entered his home and disappeared from sight.

Kang Doyoung, the Management Bureau officer in charge of surveillance, sighed deeply and lit a cigarette.

“Even if it’s surveillance, there’s nothing to watch. He’s just holed up at home. What kind of surveillance is this?”

A hikikomori, they call it.

Nam Jooyeon seemed to be that type of person.

He seemed too frail to be suspected of killing Awakener Han Taegeon.

If it weren’t for the strong push by Management Bureau executive Jeon Dongwook, Kang Doyoung wouldn’t be stuck with this pointless task.

“Really, what’s the point of being an Awakener or whatever.”

Kang Doyoung frowned, stubbed out his cigarette on a nearby wall, and headed towards a nearby building.

Since he was here, he might as well check what was going on inside the house.

Kang Doyoung went to a building on the same floor as Nam Jooyeon’s residence and took out a telescope. 

Through the balcony window, he could see inside the room.

“…Huh?”

But there was no one inside Nam Jooyeon’s house.

He had seen him enter two days ago. 

He hadn’t seen him leave. 

Yet, the house was eerily empty.

Did he vanish?

That doesn’t make sense.

He had just received a call from the Management Bureau recently.

“…Strange.”

There’s something.

A hidden room, a secret exit, or a bomb shelter.

Kang Doyoung, like Jeon Dongwook, was a former police officer. 

So, he moved.

He planned to break in and find out what was happening inside.

But before Kang Doyoung could descend the stairs, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Ugh!”

A touch as cold as ice.

Kang Doyoung quickly turned around, but by then, a small dagger was already embedded in his heart.

Bright red blood gushed from his throat.

“Ghk!”

Behind Kang Doyoung was a petite woman.

He couldn’t understand when or how she had approached.

The building was supposed to be abandoned, and there had been no signs of anyone.

“Who, who are you? Ugh!”

Kang Doyoung spat blood from his mouth and shouted, but the woman was faster, covering his mouth.

A tingling sensation followed, and his mouth went numb.

In the end, Kang Doyoung could only stare wide-eyed at the woman.

She was a woman with an exotic appearance.

Shining blue eyes amidst jet-black hair.

A cold beauty, but a chilling aura emanated from her twisted lips.

“…No one who tries to harm the ruler shall be spared.”

The woman said.

Kang Doyoung could no longer maintain consciousness.

More than his pierced heart, the aura emanating from the woman was unsettling.

“…Everything is for the ‘Actor.'”

The woman muttered as if rationalizing, then pulled the dagger from Kang Doyoung’s heart.

The ceremonial dagger melted away in her palm.

The last thing Kang Doyoung saw before dying was the text floating above the woman’s head.

[5★ Tempest of the North Sea, Mirien]

*

The next day, when I returned home from abyss, there was an uneasy atmosphere lingering around.

Looking around, yellow tape was wrapped around the building across from my house.

“…Huh?”

At the scene, police officers and some suits were arguing over something.

Perhaps a jurisdictional dispute.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t my concern, but it was unsettling to have an incident right in front of my house.

I approached a police officer smoking nearby and asked.

“…Did something happen here? I live nearby.”

The officer seemed hesitant but reluctantly spoke when I mentioned I was a resident.

“Someone died.”

“A person? By a calamity?”

“No. In this world, do you think the police would come out just because one person died in a calamity?”

The officer shrugged.

“A person died, but we don’t know what killed them. That’s the problem.”

“…Huh?”

As I tilted my head, the officer made a troubled expression and whispered.

“You know, the body was just lying there, and on the wall next to it, there was writing in blood.”

“…Writing?”

“You know, it said ‘Actor.'”

“…”

For a moment, my mind went blank.