Awakened, Assemble - 2
Sometimes, when I look at gacha games featuring Awakened, they tend to classify them into tiers based on their rankings.
In those games, an Awakened with broken, overpowered abilities is classified as 'SSR', while those with relatively lackluster abilities are labeled 'R'.
Reality, however, is different from a game.
There is no such thing as a hierarchy among the Awakened.
Awakened are treated almost like quasi-civil servants, exempt from the standard social competition system, and the abilities required vary depending on the nature of the Anomaly.
The former point is whatever, but the latter is what matters.
Let’s assume there is an Awakened named A.
This Awakened has bottom-tier mental fortitude, but their physical strength is easily in the top five.
An Anomaly appears.
This Anomaly doesn't use any mental attacks, but it is so incredibly tough that standard firepower can't even leave a scratch on it.
In this case, Awakened A has a massive advantage in compatibility, to the point where they could solve the problem while picking their nose.
The next week.
Another Anomaly appears.
This one has such poor durability that even a punch from a pink-haired, busty woman would leave a dent, but it fires off powerful mental attacks every second.
In this case, Awakened A has such a disadvantage in compatibility that they couldn't solve it even if they died and came back to life.
This is why there is no hierarchy among the Awakened.
Every Anomaly has a different pattern, and since there is a specific Awakened suited for the compatibility of each Anomaly, you couldn't rank them even if you wanted to.
…For the record, the identity of this 'Awakened A' is Seo Jaewoo, famous for his 'greatest strength'.
Without the help of items, Seo Jaewoo's mental fortitude is so pathetic that he couldn't withstand an Anomaly at all, but his destructive power is great enough to more than overcome that weakness.
The public is bound to be enthusiastic about things they can clearly see with their own eyes.
The concept of 'strength' is very intuitive.
It was a natural progression for Seo Jaewoo, who has a great physique, a cheerful personality, and immense strength, to become famous.
Therefore, the public often mistakenly assumes that 'Seo Jaewoo must be the strongest among the Awakened,' but…
As I said, there is no hierarchy among the Awakened.
Ah, of course, there are exceptions.
The Archmage 'Ahn Suhee' has top-tier destructive power, top-tier utility, and top-tier mental fortitude.
With this level, it would be reasonable for people to say Ahn Suhee is the strongest Awakened…
Cheon-oe-cheon.
There is always a heaven above the heaven.
Mental attacks, 'complete immunity'.
Physical power, theoretically capable of cutting through everything in the world.
Yoo Iseul's nickname isn't 'Korea's strongest Awakened'.
It’s simply, plainly, 'The Strongest Awakened'.
She is an Awakened who has reached the level of Cheon-oe-cheon, even if you expand the scope from South Korea to the entire world.
…It’s not for nothing that the Awakened are afraid of Yoo Iseul.
In any case, excluding the irregular that is Yoo Iseul, there is no such thing as a hierarchy among the Awakened.
Since there is no hierarchy, the Awakened have no choice but to get along well.
There is no competition among them.
Without competition, there is no need to be jealous or envious of anyone.
They are just comrades and friends who share life and death together.
Therefore, far from disliking Lee Jia, they were actually crazy about her.
Yes.
They didn't just like her.
They were 'crazy' about her, to the point where it felt like a Lee Jia fan meeting.
There were several reasons why the Awakened liked Lee Jia this much.
First, among the 200 Awakened, she was a uniquely mysterious figure… no, a Fervent Follower.
For starters, they already knew she wasn't human.
If they were ordinary people, they might have felt repulsed by Lee Jia, who wasn't human, but for the Awakened, who had already seen all sorts of horrors and had bizarre experiences, the trait of 'not being human' actually came across as likable.
Second, she had never appeared in public yet.
Usually, when a new Awakened joins, it’s splashed across the government and media, but information about Lee Jia is top secret even within the Awakened Association.
The number of employees at the Awakened Association is in the tens of thousands, and the reason information about Lee Jia hasn't leaked to the outside yet is simple.
If you leak the information, it doesn't end with just getting fired from the Association.
I don't know for sure, but if you leaked information about Lee Jia, you might even get a life sentence for treason.
Since there had never been a figure in the 10-year history of the Awakened Association whose very existence was as top-secret as Lee Jia, the Awakened couldn't help but be interested in her.
Third.
She is a Vtuber.
Of course, Vtuber broadcasts have a fairly high barrier to entry, so it’s not something you can easily get into, but…
The first and second reasons significantly lowered the barrier to entry for Lee Jia's broadcast.
Curiosity about the Awakened 'Lee Jia' was already exploding, and that Awakened was even running a personal broadcast?
From the perspective of the Awakened, how could they resist this?
In fact, Lee Jia's broadcast was basically a lump of dopamine, so it was perfect for Awakened who hated being bored.
Had it been about a month since Lee Jia started broadcasting?
More than 100 out of the 199 Awakened said they had donated to Lee Jia's broadcast at least once.
At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that everyone except the older Awakened in their 40s and up—like the 0th generation Awakened such as Lee Junghwan—are 'believers' who watch Lee Jia's broadcast.
That’s right.
The 'Anomaly Countermeasure Meeting'.
No.
The 'Fervent Follower Countermeasure Meeting' was.
In reality, it was a Lee Jia fan meeting.
* * *
Between the Vtuber conference and the Awakened summit.
I feel like the world is playing a prank on me.
I, I was a more popular broadcaster than I thought.
I never dreamed that the Awakened would enjoy watching my broadcast.
The large conference room quickly turned into a marketplace, and dozens of Awakened began to talk to me around me.
Asking for photos.
Asking for autographs.
If someone saw this, they’d think it was a Vtuber fan meeting, not a solemn meeting for Fervent Follower countermeasures.
…Suddenly, I’m getting goosebumps.
This means there were Awakened hiding among the believers watching my broadcast.
No way.
Among the people who made confessions or asked for unbans, there couldn't have been any Awakened, right…?
Because Yoo Iseul, who acts as my nanny, was away, the situation was awkward and burdensome.
But still, it’s a relief that there’s at least one person I know.
"Hey, everyone, hands off Jia. Especially you, Seo Jaewoo, you punk! Who gave you permission to put your hand on Jia’s shoulder!"
It was Ahn Suhee.
She is a 0th generation Awakened like Lee Junghwan and Yoo Iseul.
Since she is one of the strongest people among the Awakened, it seems she had a significant standing among them.
At Ahn Suhee’s words, the chaotic situation was settled quite well.
I bowed my head and greeted her.
"Thank you, Suhee-unnie."
"Oh my, it’s not like I did it to hear a thank you from Jia. Jia, you’re still cute even after seeing you for the first time in a while?"
As she said that, Ahn Suhee subtly stuck to my side and started kneading my cheeks.
The other Awakened watched that scene and envied Ahn Suhee.
…I mean, why on earth are they envious?
In any case, thanks to Ahn Suhee, it seemed like the traffic was cleared, so people started asking me questions in order.
The most frequently asked question was definitely this one.
Seo Jaewoo, the owner of rugged muscles, asked me as if he were genuinely curious.
"How did you get close to that devil?"
It was natural casual speech, but since it seemed like it was a culture for Awakened to speak casually with each other, I answered him without feeling offended.
"Devil? Who are you talking about?"
"Who else could it be but Iseul-nunim."
As Seo Jaewoo finished speaking.
The other Awakened around us also reacted by shaking their heads as if they were sick of it.
"It’s amazing that you look exactly like your avatar, but it’s even more amazing that you’re close to Yoo Iseul."
"I’m telling you, it’s a phenomenon stranger than any Anomaly."
"Doesn't that devil bully you usually?"
No, how does this person Yoo Iseul treat other Awakened usually for her reputation to have fallen into the abyss?
I answered with a troubled expression.
"To me, she’s an angel…"
"Guaaaaaack."
"No way! That crazy psychopath is an angel?"
Surprisingly, it’s true.
Yoo Iseul just has a slightly nasty way of speaking.
After the Shining Stars, she likes me the most.
And after the Shining Stars, she is the person who takes care of me the most.
Hmm.
I think I have a long-term goal.
'Yoo Iseul’s Socialization'.
Yoo Iseul helped me, so shouldn't I help Yoo Iseul too?
Someday, I will definitely socialize Yoo Iseul and make a situation where other Awakened shout Yoo Iseul’s name.
As the talk about Yoo Iseul came up, Seo Jaewoo got excited and started trashing Yoo Iseul.
"I don't know how you got close to that psycho nunim, but from what this oppa sees, there’s definitely something dirty going on with that nunim."
"I think that’s slander against Iseul-unnie…"
"No, I’m telling you, it’s true! This happened just a week ago, I was watching your broadcast on the large TV in the lounge, right?"
…Why on earth were you watching my broadcast on the large TV in the lounge?
I wanted to tackle the first sentence, but I held back because I was curious about the rest.
"But suddenly, Iseul-nunim walked in."
Ah.
Oh no.
It seems I won't be able to hear the rest.
Whoosh.
The dozens of Awakened who were gathered around me wiped sweat from their foreheads and returned to their seats quickly.
Except for Seo Jaewoo.
Seo Jaewoo looked bewildered and said to the surrounding Awakened.
"What, why is everyone like this? As if you’ve seen a ghost."
"Hey."
"Oh, shit."
Behind Seo Jaewoo, who let out a curse, was Yoo Iseul, who had just come back from using the bathroom.
"Ugh, I, Iseul-nunim!"
"Move, you lump."
"Yes."
…As far as I know, Seo Jaewoo is an Awakened who turned thirty-one this year.
Yoo Iseul’s nasty attitude of speaking casually to an older brother was impressive, and Seo Jaewoo, who was groveling while using the honorific 'nunim' to a younger sister, was also impressive.
"And you, ajumma, you get lost too."
"Nooo, I’m going to stay next to Jia too. Iseul, you sit on Jia’s right. I’ll sit on the left."
Of course, Yoo Iseul’s nasty attitude didn't work on Ahn Suhee.
Still, I was starting to feel tired, but thanks to Yoo Iseul, the Awakened were normalized, so that’s good.
…Hmm.
Looking at it this way, Yoo Iseul’s nasty personality seems to be helping me.
Should I just postpone the 'Yoo Iseul Socialization Project'?
Like that.
The full-scale meeting began.