Awakened, Assemble - 1
Ring-a-ling.
Ring-a-ling.
A call came in from Kim Junghwan. Even before I picked up, I had a hunch. Ah, the moment I’d been dreading had finally arrived. Was it an Anomaly? Or was it another Fervent Follower? Whatever had appeared, I was ready.
Lately, the rate of me beating up Fervent Followers had actually surpassed the number of Anomalies I’d dealt with, and it did seem like every time a Fervent Follower popped up, some massive incident followed. But for me, I had Yoo Iseul.
The wielder of the holy sword—no, the Iron Sword No. 3—cursed by the 'Nameless Bug', Yoo Iseul!
Having a reliable ace up my sleeve gave me a sense of stability far greater than I’d imagined. With Yoo Iseul around, I didn't have to worry too much, even if a Fervent Follower crawled out of the woodwork. Yup.
After letting out a long sigh, I finally answered the phone.
[Ah, Jia-nim. Do you have a moment to talk…]
"Where is it?"
[…Excuse me?]
"I asked where it appeared. I’ll head out right away."
[Ah. It’s not an Anomaly. I called you for a slightly different reason this time.]
"Eh, really?"
That’s strange. Kim Junghwan was the type of person who rarely called me unless it was absolutely necessary. As he continued, I began to feel a strange sense of tension.
[This is a notice regarding an Anomaly Countermeasure Meeting for all Awakened.]
I am an Awakened. Although it’s already been six months since I registered, the fact that I’m an Awakened still feels awkward. It’s only natural, since I’m fundamentally different from the other Awakened.
Unlike others who solve Anomalies with 'Abilities', I solve them and deal with Fervent Followers using my 'Racial Trait'. Therefore, I’ve never trained my abilities, nor do I train my basic physical strength. It might be an inferiority complex, but in that sense, I don’t feel particularly proud of being an Awakened. If anything, it’s a burden.
Honestly, I’m the ultimate "parachute" hire who only became an Awakened because of my racial trait. It’s no wonder other Awakened might feel jealous or resentful when they see me.
An "Anomaly Countermeasure Meeting" where all 200 Awakened would gather was enough to make me nervous.
Tremble, tremble.
My body was shivering. And to make matters worse, it wasn't a week from now—they wanted it today at one in the afternoon. I briefly wondered if the schedule was too rushed, but then again, being an Awakened is a job that defies common sense, so expecting a standard, reasonable appointment time was probably asking too much.
Frankly speaking, if they set a date in advance and an Anomaly appeared right in the middle of it, what would happen? It would be a literal disaster. Therefore, rather than setting a time in advance, gathering immediately on the day an Anomaly is resolved is the safest and most certain method.
Until a few months ago, Anomalies appeared about once every two weeks, but recently—ever since I became a 'Fervent Follower'—they’ve started appearing once a week. Whether this is a coincidence or not, I don’t know. The Shining Stars might know, but I certainly don’t.
The important thing is that Anomalies appear on Earth in regular cycles. Around 6:00 AM today, an Anomaly appeared, and a total of ten Awakened, including Lee Young-woong and Kim Hansol, resolved it in less than an hour. Since the Anomaly was resolved this morning, we could say the next week would be a stable period. Of course, Anomalies are unpredictable, so one could suddenly appear this afternoon, but historically, there has never been a case where two appeared in a single day. So, calling all Awakened together on the day an Anomaly is resolved is the right judgment.
The main topic of the meeting was "Anomaly Countermeasure Preparation," but I realized there was a hidden meaning behind it. Honestly, anyone who isn't a fool could see it. It wasn't "Anomaly Countermeasure Preparation." It was "Fervent Follower Countermeasure Preparation."
The total number of Awakened in South Korea, including myself, is 200. It’s said that all Awakened have never gathered in one place in history… that alone is proof of how much the Awakened Association is wary of the 'Fervent Followers'.
Ugh…
This is troublesome. Really, really, really troublesome. I’m not ready to be hated yet. I am a Fervent Follower. No, I am also a Fervent Follower. From the public’s perspective, they might think "Fervent Follower" is just a roleplay setting for Lee Jia (the Vtuber), but the Awakened all know that a Fervent Follower is a massive threat, something entirely different from an Anomaly.
…Will the other Awakened like me?
Hardly. That’s the kind of thought only a Fervent Follower with a head full of flowers would have. I’d be lucky if they didn't stab me in the back, let alone like me. Of course, Yoo Iseul, Ye Jung-hwan, Ahn Suhee, and Kim Junghwan seem favorable toward me, but there’s no guarantee that every Awakened will be like them.
Surely, someone will loathe me. Someone will try to kill me, calling me a threat to humanity. Especially the ten Awakened, including Seo Jiyoon, who have been directly harmed by Fervent Followers… I don’t know for sure, but there’s a very high possibility they hold a deep grudge against me.
"Huuah."
I’m not joking; I feel much more nervous than when I go to resolve an Anomaly. Isn't this too cruel for a shut-in, loser Vtuber like me?
In that sense,
"I can only rely on you, Unnie."
I said, my eyes sparkling at Yoo Iseul, who had somehow ended up at my house. That’s right, you’re the only one I can trust. The strongest Awakened! And the biggest, most foul-mouthed, ill-mannered bitch! If Yoo Iseul just sticks by my side, the other Awakened won't dare to harm me.
I had a feeling Yoo Iseul would just say, "Yeah, screw that. I’m not going," to the summons, but… it seemed it wasn't quite that bad. Well, Yoo Iseul is just ill-mannered; she’s a person who clearly separates public and private matters. Even in her mind, the debate over Fervent Followers seemed to be a fairly important issue.
…Even if the Awakened were to lynch me, it’s highly likely I wouldn't even get a scratch, but… still, I don’t want to get hit. It’s unpleasant.
As I sent a hopeful look toward Yoo Iseul, she retorted with her usual dry, emotionless expression.
"What."
"'What' isn't the answer! You have to cover for me, Unnie."
"Why should I?"
"What do you mean why? How do you think the other Awakened will react when they see me?"
"They’ll probably just think of you as a pink-haired girl with big tits."
"Aigoo, if they think that, I’d bow down and thank them. But that’s not going to happen!"
"Hmm."
"What’s with the 'hmm' again?"
"Hey, Lee Jia."
"What. What is it now."
"Self-objectification is a pretty necessary skill for an Awakened, too."
…Isn't my self-objectification pretty good? I’m not just being cocky; I genuinely think that. Leaving Yoo Iseul’s incomprehensible words behind, we headed to the Awakened Association as the assembly time was approaching.
Someone who awakened their ability with a probability of one in tens of thousands. Among them, someone with talent. Among them, someone with peerless talent. Among them, someone who trains so viciously they spend over ten hours a day at it. …And among them, someone with the courage—no, the 'madness'—to sacrifice their own life to resolve an Anomaly. That is what an 'Awakened' is.
They are the true heroes of this era who protect humanity from the threat of Anomalies, but they certainly aren't normal people. In the first place, there’s no way a "normal person" could become an Awakened. Of course, a few months ago, there was almost a case where the world’s first, universe’s first "normal person" became an Awakened, but… unfortunately, I’m not a "normal person," but a "normal Fervent Follower." So, it’s a shame, I guess.
Anyway, since I could say I’m the most normal person among those gathered at the meeting, I needed to visit the village of the one-eyed by forcibly removing one of my own two eyes.
"Should I act like a comedian-level idiot?"
"You’re a blockhead to begin with, so there’s no need to go through the trouble of doing something so annoying."
"Oooooh, Iseul Unnie! You’ve been watching internet broadcasts, and your joke skills have improved quite a bit!"
"Does that sound like a joke to you?"
"…You’re too much, seriously."
I felt quite bad about being insulted to my face, but thanks to that, my tension seemed to have eased a little. Current time: 12:50 PM. By now, a fair number of Awakened would have gathered. It’s Yoo Iseul’s habit to show up at the meeting place exactly on time. Come to think of it, when I first met Yoo Iseul, she appeared exactly at the golden time to resolve the Anomaly.
Then, Yoo Iseul and I entered the grand conference room located on the 10th basement floor of the Association. Most of the Awakened had already gathered, and since they were all people who had shared life and death together, the conference room was noisy enough to make my ears ache.
However.
The moment Yoo Iseul and I stepped into the room.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
The conference room instantly turned into a library. It was silent. Gulp! The sound of someone swallowing echoed through the room.
"Ah, I’m fucked."
And then, I heard someone else cursing out loud. "…Should I run away?" Someone else started looking for an escape route.
Aoo. I knew it!
Since I, a 'Fervent Follower', had appeared at a 'Fervent Follower Countermeasure Meeting', it was inevitable that everyone would have bad blood with me…! Still, I was lucky to have Yoo Iseul, the strongest Awakened, by my side. As long as Yoo Iseul was next to me, no matter how much of an Awakened they were, they wouldn't be able to touch me easily.
"I’m going to the bathroom."
"Ugh… Ah, no! I, I’ll go with you!"
"It’s a big one. Shut up and sit down."
"…"
I am totally screwed. My reliable backer had temporarily disappeared. After Yoo Iseul left the room, I squeezed my eyes shut. And a moment later.
Tap.
Someone put a hand on my shoulder. The moment had come. I turned around with a terrified expression. Damn it, it’s an Awakened I know. It’s Seo Jaewoo, the super-named Awakened who is said to be the strongest among Awakened in terms of raw power. I greeted Seo Jaewoo with a trembling mouth.
"U-uh, e-eh… A-hello…?"
A moment later.
"It’s Lee Jiaaaaaaa!"
Starting with Seo Jaewoo’s booming shout,
"She really looks exactly the same?"
"Jia-nim, I’m a fan!"
"Kiyaaah!"
The conference room became a marketplace once again. Uh… so this is the atmosphere when Awakened gather. It’s surprising in many ways, but most of all, what’s truly surprising is… Yoo Iseul, you. What kind of life have you been living?