[5★ Charred Saint Selene has returned from the expedition.]
[Reward: 20Exp/4★ Hellfire Guard Dog]
The status window dryly recited the rewards.
I had obtained a 4-star calamity, the Hellfire Guard Dog, but I wasn’t happy at all.
Of course, it was a good thing to have more strength to protect my base.
The problem was the process.
‘Why did you have to kill someone…?’
First, Selene had taken down the Hellfire Guard Dog in a single strike.
Disaster Orders have specific attributes assigned to each calamity, and attacks of the same attribute deal half damage.
Normally, to take down a fire-attribute calamity like the Hellfire Guard Dog, it’s best to send a calamity with an advantageous attribute.
However, the attacks of the Charred Saint Selene, thanks to her unique trait, deal full damage to any attribute.
On top of that, she’s equipped with endgame-tier gear.
There was no way she’d struggle against a 4-star calamity like the Hellfire Guard Dog, which is often considered a dud.
So, I thought this expedition would never fail.
And it didn’t.
The problem happened after the Hellfire Guard Dog was defeated.
“Damn.”
How did things end up like this?
News outlets were all obsessed with the two-letter word “Actor,” relentlessly reporting on it.
It all started a few hours ago, when someone released a video.
It was footage from the action cameras worn by the awakened soldiers who had accompanied the Hellfire Guard Dog subjugation mission.
In the video, a woman was clearly captured.
It was none other than Selene.
She had killed the Hellfire Guard Dog, which dozens of awakened soldiers couldn’t defeat, with a single gesture.
And then she drove a stake sword into the chest of a level 5 government official.
The video was blurred, but it was so brutal that it was taken down almost immediately after being uploaded.
“…Selene.”
“Yes.”
When I called her, Selene knelt before me, lifting her head slightly.
Her eyes were filled with clear anticipation.
She looked like a pet waiting for praise.
If I didn’t say something, it felt like things would escalate, so I quickly added,
“Well… good job.”
“Not at all. It was all for you, my lord.”
Though she said that, Selene’s narrow shoulders were trembling with joy.
I cleared my throat and got to the point.
“Selene, I have something to ask. Why did you kill that man?”
“I apologize. I sullied the precious sword you gifted me with dirty blood.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
I looked at Selene.
There was no guilt in her eyes.
In the video, Selene hadn’t hesitated at all when killing the man.
She seemed to think it was the right thing to do.
“That man tried to persuade me. It was a vile temptation. Since I am bound to serve you, my lord, I had to cut off his advances in one strike.”
“Alright, fine. But you could’ve just refused. Why did you have to kill him?”
“If I refused, he might have tried again. But a dead man cannot speak. That’s all. Also, they are all potential enemies of you, my lord. It is my duty to eliminate all threats to you.”
“Selene, ordinary civilians aren’t usually considered threats.”
“I apologize, my lord. But what is a civilian?”
“…”
I gave up trying to explain to Selene how wrong killing is.
In a world where the game has become reality, ethics might not mean much anymore.
It’s become normal to carry around calamities that can kill multiple people, all with government approval.
Meanwhile, Selene was looking at me with innocent eyes.
She had clearly offered to sacrifice her life for atonement.
I couldn’t understand why Selene was so loyal to me, or why she clung to me so much.
In a way, it was frightening.
But one thing was clear: if I were to cast her out again, it wouldn’t end well.
Loyalty can easily turn into hatred.
I didn’t want to end up like the man in the video, skewered on a stake sword and turned into human tanghulu.
‘This is troublesome.’
Honestly, the man who died this time?
A complete stranger.
I might feel a twinge of guilt, but it wouldn’t haunt my dreams.
The problem here was just one thing.
“Alright, let’s move on. But Selene, just one question.”
“Please, ask.”
“Why did you say my name?”
The problem was that Selene had boldly declared the name “Actor, the Ruler” in front of the camera.
And the government, media, and public had taken her words and run with them.
They claimed that Actor, the ruler of the 5-star dungeon Abyss, had sent the Hellfire Guard Dog to wreak havoc on the world.
‘Well, they’re not entirely wrong.’
It’s true that I’m the ruler of Abyss, and the Hellfire Guard Dog was a calamity from Abyss.
I even sent Selene to retrieve it.
The way Selene took down the Hellfire Guard Dog looked as effortless as bringing back a runaway dog, so from a third-party perspective, it wasn’t unreasonable to speculate that way.
But because of Selene’s declaration, I was stuck in an impossible situation.
‘I can’t just go to the district office and reveal myself as Actor.’
I heard the voluntary reporting period for awakened individuals is almost over.
They’ve even set up an investigation headquarters to catch unregistered awakened individuals.
If this keeps up, I won’t be able to move around freely.
As I let out a deep sigh, Selene fidgeted and answered.
“I dared to say your name, my lord… because there was a reason.”
“What reason?”
“A message.”
“A message?”
“To them.”
“…To them?”
“You need not concern yourself, my lord.”
Selene bowed her head deeply, as if she couldn’t say more.
I had already confirmed through her actions that she was loyal to me to the point of being willing to sacrifice her life.
If I told her to kill herself, she probably would.
If Selene was saying this, there must be a good reason.
“Alright, I won’t ask further.”
“Thank you, my lord. I will dedicate my life…”
Selene kept rambling, but it was honestly overwhelming, so I pulled up the status window.
<Base of the Ruler ‘Actor’>
[Owned Calamities: 2/10]
[Experience Points: 3395Exp]
[Owned Equipment: 3/20]
Now that the Hellfire Guard Dog was here, I could manage the base and expeditions.
I set the Hellfire Guard Dog as the base’s guard and placed Selene in the adjutant slot.
Even if calamities from the rifts invaded Abyss, with these two, we wouldn’t be in much danger.
‘At least, not in most cases.’
Currently, there are four 5-star calamities in the world.
One is Selene, right in front of me.
Another is Mirien, who has made her base in Yeouido.
The other two are whereabouts unknown, but they’ve probably created their own dungeons somewhere in the world.
And Mirien, along with the other two, are 5-star calamities like Selene.
They’re equipped with endgame-tier gear, so if they were to invade Abyss, even Selene would have to prepare for death.
“The immediate threat… is probably Mirien.”
Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea.
A 5-star lightning-attribute calamity.
A mage who sought to ascend to the heavens through magic, using hundreds of thousands of innocent humans as sacrifices.
The most vicious and evil of mages.
There’s no guarantee that Mirien, who I fired, would remain as loyal as Selene.
But if I could bring Mirien into our base like Selene, no one in this country would dare to challenge us.
“Selene.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think about Mirien?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, if you’re on good terms, maybe we could go to her tower and talk…”
“No.”
“…”
Selene was firm for the first time.
Her red eyes flickered with crimson flames.
Selene spoke passionately.
“Mirien, that woman, is wicked, cruel, and ungrateful.”
“…Was she that bad?”
“The other two are the same. All of them are utterly vile. Moreover, the fact that they remain silent despite knowing you are alive is itself an act of betrayal. They deserve to be torn apart.”
“…”
Weren’t you guys comrades?
In the game, they used to interact peacefully in front of the base’s cabin.
I realized here that the relationships between my characters in the game weren’t as good as I thought.
It was a red truth I didn’t want to know.
“Then I’ll put off recruiting Mirien for now…”
At my muttering, Selene raised one corner of her mouth.
It was a strangely twisted smile, but I chose to ignore it.
“First, we need to farm some calamities.”
[Owned Calamities: 2/10]
Currently, I only have two calamities.
To perform synthesis or enhancements, I need at least five.
So, I planned to send out expeditions to bring back new calamities.
‘I need to run some dungeons.’
Calamities that weren’t defeated during the rift eruptions have nested in safe places.
When a strong calamity nests, other calamities are drawn to it, eventually forming what’s called a dungeon.
Like the abyss I’m in now.
“Most of Seoul has been cleared, but there are probably still dungeons left in other areas.”
Seoul, being a densely populated city, has a lot of awakened individuals, but the provinces aren’t so lucky.
The area is vast, but there are few people to defend it.
Just looking at the news, the damage in the provinces is said to be devastating.
Anyway, even if they’re only 1-star, I need to farm calamities for the base’s growth.
“Selene, get ready to go out.”
“Where are we going?”
“A trip.”
“Just the two of us?”
“…Yeah?”
“Eek.”
At my words, Selene let out a small moan.
I ignored that too.
*
After the appearance of the strongest calamity, the Charred Saint Selene, the establishment of the Awakened Management Bureau accelerated.
The Awakened Management Bureau, or simply the Management Bureau, was formed with the most promising awakened individuals who had voluntarily reported themselves.
The soldiers who participated in the Hellfire Guard Dog subjugation mission also transferred to the Management Bureau.
Finally, Yoo Junseo was appointed as the director.
As the first director, he received considerable benefits, including the authority to use this vast facility as he pleased.
“Anyway, since this is the first meeting, I hope we can take it seriously.”
At the first meeting of the Management Bureau, the Prime Minister, acting as chair, turned on the projector with a troubled expression.
It showed Selene killing a man in vivid detail.
Everyone’s expressions were twisted.
“The ruler of Abyss, ‘Actor.’ What do you all think?”
In response to the Prime Minister’s question, each person added their thoughts.
“Isn’t he the one who brought the world to this state?”
A reasonable assumption.
“Could he be an awakened individual?”
At a soldier’s words, Yoo Junseo frowned.
Everyone here, except the Prime Minister, was an awakened individual and a ruler who had experienced the rift eruptions.
“If someone already has a 5-star calamity, they’re using cheat codes. They’re no different from the one who brought the world to this state.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yoo Junseo answered the Prime Minister’s question.
He had seen it clearly.
The indescribable power of the 5-star calamity, the Charred Saint.
It could be called divine power without exaggeration.
“And if he were an awakened individual, he would have reported himself. Is there an awakened individual named Actor on the list?”
“I’ve already checked, and there isn’t. He might not have reported it yet, but…”
“That’s impossible. With that kind of power, why would he become the government’s dog? He could take on the world alone.”
“…Hmm.”
The Prime Minister looked at Selene in the projector with a dark expression.
“Then what should we do?”
Even if we mobilize our defense forces, we can’t kill calamities.
There are even rumors that three 4-star calamities burned down an entire city in China.
Just three 4-star calamities killed hundreds of thousands.
How powerful would a 5-star be?
If that calamity were to turn Seoul into a sea of fire…
“We need to train awakened individuals as much as possible.”
Breaking the silence, one of the awakened individuals, Jeon Dongwook, spoke.
He was an awakened individual who had successfully captured a 2-star calamity, the Moss Hunter.
“I’ve heard that outside of Seoul, there are still areas where the eruption calamities haven’t been dealt with. We need to have awakened individuals clear them to grow stronger. So we can face that witch.”
“…That makes sense. Then let’s do that. Work with local governments to create a path.”
The meeting concluded.
However, a few days later, they received shocking news from a local government.
“Huh? The calamities? Someone killed them all.”
“…What?”
Who did it?