[Entering the Dungeon “Arboretum Nest.”]
Hwang Jaeman and his subordinates entered the nest.
A nauseating sensation washed over them as they stepped inside the arboretum, where only a chilling silence lingered.
“It doesn’t seem like the boss is dead yet. Let’s strike first before it wipes out the nest.”
Their purpose for gathering here was, of course, to kill the awakened man, Nam Jooyeon, who had just entered.
Murder within the nest leaves no evidence.
Since the environment periodically resets, this was the perfect place to carry out a killing.
However, the subordinates seemed hesitant.
“Uh, Jaeman hyung…”
“What.”
“That guy… he’s an S-rank awakened, right?”
“So what?”
As Hwang Jaeman furrowed his brows, a subordinate cautiously spoke up.
“They say he controls two 4-star calamities. Even Taemin hyung only has three 3-stars. How are we supposed to defeat such a monster on our own?”
“Didn’t you see that video last time, hyung? That guy blocked Gwangjingu with just one calamity. He’s insane.”
As if this was a signal, the other subordinates chimed in one by one.
“Shut up.”
Hwang Jaeman had heard enough.
“I don’t give a damn if he has two 4-stars or is an S-rank awakened. Does being S-rank mean he can stop bullets or something?”
“…Well, no, but…”
“Besides, he’s just some naive brat from peaceful Seoul. He needs to learn that the lawless zones have their own ways. We’ve already taken down a few like him, haven’t we?”
“…Ugh.”
Hwang Jaeman had already committed murder multiple times.
It was to solidify his power and steal the calamities his targets possessed.
That’s why he believed this murder would be just another peaceful hunt.
“…What the hell is that?”
Until he saw the woman with deep blue hair floating in the sky.
“A woman?”
“Are there humanoid calamities?”
“…There might be…”
Hwang Jaeman narrowed his eyes and read the text floating above the woman’s head.
[5★ Mirien, Storm of the North Sea]
“…Huh?”
For a moment, he thought he was seeing things, but even after rubbing his eyes, the five-star mark remained.
In an instant, it felt like cold water had been poured over his brain.
His heart sank as if it had dropped to his stomach.
Crack!
“Aaaah!”
A bolt of lightning struck from the sky, instantly incinerating one of Hwang Jaeman’s subordinates standing right next to him.
The foul stench of burning flesh filled the air.
“Shit! Run!”
Hwang Jaeman immediately bolted, and his subordinates followed.
[5★ Mirien, Storm of the North Sea uses the skill ‘Black Lightning Spear’.]
“Ugh!”
Another subordinate was impaled by a massive lightning spear and collapsed to the ground.
Her teeth chattered.
She’s serious.
She’s genuinely trying to kill everything in front of her.
Hwang Jaeman pushed his legs harder, and every time he glanced back, another subordinate had disappeared.
“Tch!”
He summoned calamities and threw them as decoys.
He thought they’d buy him some time, but they were annihilated in less than ten seconds.
Now, all that was left was his own body.
Hwang Jaeman desperately ran and finally reached the nest’s exit, but…
[5★ Selene, the Scorched Saintess, is watching you.]
In the blink of an eye, a dagger pierced through his chest.
The last thing Hwang Jaeman saw before his death was the scarred woman with cold eyes staring down at him.
*
“Damn it! Bring them back!”
It wasn’t until 30 minutes after Hwang Jaeman’s group had left that Clan Leader Jeon Taemin heard the full story.
He had noticed something off about their expressions but never imagined they were planning to backstab Nam Jooyeon.
Jeon Taemin flew into a rage and ordered them to be brought back, but it was already too late.
“Damn it, that bastard, doing something I never told him to do…”
As he anxiously waited, a subordinate came to report.
“Nam Jooyeon has returned?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about Hwang Jaeman and his men?”
“They’re nowhere to be found.”
Suspicion turned into unease…
“Here.”
When Nam Jooyeon eventually arrived and tossed a bundle of passes onto the desk, that unease turned into terror.
Six passes in total.
They belonged to Hwang Jaeman and his subordinates.
“It was self-defense.”
Nam Jooyeon spoke as if it were nothing.
“You… killed them?”
“Do I really need to explain how I killed them? That’s in poor taste.”
“…Where are the bodies?”
Jeon Taemin naturally began speaking formally to Nam Jooyeon.
To his groveling question, Nam Jooyeon shrugged and replied.
“Don’t worry. I took care of the funerals.”
Only then could Jeon Taemin smell the gunpowder on his body.
Slumping into his chair, Jeon Taemin clasped his hands together and pleaded.
“Please, spare my life. I didn’t order this. I know my place. How could I possibly send someone to kill a person who controls a great calamity…”
“Actor, you’re not lying, are you?”
A sudden voice from behind.
Jeon Taemin couldn’t turn around.
An icy hand was already resting on the back of his neck.
“So, Actor. What should we do? Should we kill him?”
“Forget it. He didn’t order this anyway.”
Jeon Taemin internally sighed in relief.
Fortunately, it seemed this awakened man, Nam Jooyeon, had no intention of killing him.
“Thank you. I will never forget this mercy for the rest of my life.”
“You better not. If Actor were like his old self, he would’ve split you in half and chewed up your guts. Especially since Actor loves hearts, right?”
“…Mirien, I don’t remember ever doing that.”
“It’s an example, an example.”
Jeon Taemin knew the name “Actor” but chose not to ask.
He didn’t dare question it.
Overstepping could cost him his life.
“So.”
It seemed the conversation with Mirien was over, as Nam Jooyeon sat on the desk and looked down at Jeon Taemin.
When they first met, he had seemed like a gentle young man, but now he was completely different.
His slightly stiff lips and furrowed brow indicated that he no longer saw Jeon Taemin as an equal.
“Jeon Taemin, was it? I have something for you to do.”
“Wh-what is it? I’ll do anything within my power!”
Jeon Taemin quickly knelt and prepared to listen to Nam Jooyeon’s words.
Seemingly pleased with his attitude, Nam Jooyeon smiled bitterly and spoke.
“First, gather all the resources in your clan and synthesize a 4-star equipment. The equipment I want is an Elixir. Contact me as soon as it’s ready. My phone number is here.”
4-star equipment.
For Jeon Taemin, who had never even seen a 4-star calamity, this was a bolt from the blue, but he had no choice but to agree.
As Jeon Taemin nodded vigorously, Nam Jooyeon raised a second finger.
“And second. If you find something that looks like this, contact me immediately.”
[4☆ Fragment of the Shattered Crown]
A crude-looking fragment.
But its 4-star rating made it clear that it was something important.
“Ah, understood! I’ll send my men out to search right away!”
“Good. And from now on, if anything happens in the provinces, report it to me immediately.”
“Yes, yes, sir!”
Listening to him, it seemed this man intended to turn the Daejeon Clan into his own colony.
Though humiliating, it was better to live on one’s knees than to die standing.
Jeon Taemin forced a smile and nodded.
“Oh, and by the way, you know what happens if you try anything funny, right?”
Nam Jooyeon picked up one of the blood-stained passes on the desk and asked.
The name “Hwang Jaeman” was clearly written on it.
“Of course not!”
“Good.”
Finally satisfied, Nam Jooyeon—no, Actor—nodded and left the room.
“Bye.”
At the same time, the soft touch on the back of his neck disappeared.
“Huu, huuu…”
Jeon Taemin sat down for a while, trying to calm his racing heart.
“…Ah.”
His lower half was soaked.
*
“That was an excellent negotiation.”
Selene, who had been waiting outside, smiled at me.
Whether this could be called a negotiation or outright extortion was debatable, but…
“Not clearing the nest was also part of your plan to subjugate this group, wasn’t it? I’m impressed by your foresight, my lord.”
It was hard to tell how much of her praise was genuine.
But it was better to take it as a compliment.
“There’s no reason to destroy the Daejeon Clan. It could raise unnecessary suspicions. It’s better to use them as a workshop.”
After all, Daejeon could be considered the center of South Korea.
If anything happens on the Korean Pennisula, this place would become a strategic point.
Plus, I could get the Elixir for Selene while I’m at it.
“So, where are we going next?”
Mirien, who had been playing with a folding chair in the lobby, asked.
[Owned Calamities: 90/90]
“Well, I don’t think we need to clear any more nests.”
After annihilating the intruders and taking all their calamities, my main goal was already achieved.
I turned my head north.
“For now… let’s head back to Seoul.”
The next eruption is coming soon.
Starting from the fifth eruption, there’s a small chance that 4-star calamities could appear, so we need to be fully prepared.
More importantly, now that I know Queen Asteria, the Star Devourer, is hostile toward me, I need to come up with a countermeasure.
We headed straight to Seoul, and upon arrival, we were met with shocking news.
[Nam Jooyeon! Listen to this! I’m an S-rank now!]
Yoo Junseo, the director of the Management Bureau, had successfully synthesized a 4-star calamity.
That guy really had all the luck.