Awakened, Assemble - 4
I’m not entirely sure how much the Awakened gathered here actually know about the existence of 'Fervent Followers.'
Still, it’s highly likely they know at least the basics.
The atmosphere might be light, but the people gathered here are Awakened—humanity’s last bastion and the only means to combat anomalies. There’s no reason for the Awakened Association to hide information about Fervent Followers from them, I haven’t tried to hide it either, and the Shining Stars didn’t exactly go out of their way to block the leak of information regarding them, either.
I suspect that even if they don’t know the specifics, they know enough.
Therefore, it was fortunate that Kim Junghwan—that man—didn’t bring up 'Fervent Followers' in this public setting just to openly execute me socially. As he just said, the nature of anomalies has changed significantly compared to the past, and he had to mention the existence of 'Fervent Followers' to explain why.
My eyes met Kim Junghwan’s.
His gaze seemed to be asking for my understanding, so I gave him a nod. Seeing that, he continued as if he’d been waiting for it.
"As you all know, Jia is not a human, but a Fervent Follower."
"She is currently in charge of appraising every item acquired by the South Korean Awakened Association, and as the partner of the Awakened Yoo Iseul, she is an excellent Awakened who stands at the forefront of resolving anomalies more than anyone else."
Hey, hey.
There’s no need to hype me up like that.
I don’t even know how long it’s been since I last heard the word 'excellent.' ...No, wait, I think this might be the first time I’ve heard it in my entire life.
I felt my face turn red from the embarrassment, but when I think about it, it’s no exaggeration to say that the achievements I’ve made are legendary. I’ve taken down three Fervent Followers, and I even took down something that used to be a 'Great One,' so, well.
"However."
...There it is, the word that shifts the topic.
However.
"Not every Fervent Follower is a being as friendly to humans as Jia."
"It is quite the opposite."
"Fervent Followers are the enemies of humanity, posing a far greater threat than anomalies themselves."
"They are targets for subjugation."
Hmm.
It felt a bit complicated knowing my own kind were hated by people, but it’s self-inflicted. If they were living like gods on their own planets, why on earth would they come down to Earth and cause harm to humans?
"We haven't exactly grasped the causal relationship between Fervent Followers and anomalies, but..."
"What is certain is that there is a close connection between them, and it is the duty of us Awakened to uncover that specific connection and prepare countermeasures against Fervent Followers."
Following this, Kim Junghwan projected four pieces of data onto the screen related to events that had occurred over the past six months involving Fervent Followers.
First, the Messenger - Anum Jihad.
Second, the Haunted House - Nameless (The Glutton).
Third, the College Student - The Nameless Bug.
Fourth, the Anomaly of the Sea - Ser Eir.
Actually, in the case of Anum Jihad and the Nameless Bug, they aren't strictly 'Fervent Followers.' The Messenger was just a communication anomaly that delivered the words of a Fervent Follower, and that Nameless Bug... well, it’s a being that reigns above Fervent Followers.
Still, as Kim Junghwan said, they were events closely related to Fervent Followers, so it seems he brought them as reference material.
Kim Junghwan’s explanation continued.
"We ran a simulation."
"On how these four events could have been resolved if Jia had not been there."
Oh.
That’s a pretty interesting simulation...?
"First, the Messenger. Property damage would have been approximately 2.79 billion won, civilian casualties zero, and Awakened casualties would have ended with one Awakened seriously injured and one slightly injured."
There’s no need to explain who those injured Awakened were. We all know.
It refers to Ahn Sang-jun, the Awakened whose fingernails were all pulled out by the Messenger, and Oh Hyun-jong, who lost an arm.
I don’t know about Ahn Sang-jun, but Oh Hyun-jong came over to greet me earlier. I don’t know what kind of magic he used, but both his arms were perfectly intact. ...Since that’s a level impossible with scientific medical technology, he probably borrowed the power of an ability user or an item related to medicine to restore his arm.
Anyway, to conclude, it meant that in the case of the first 'Messenger,' it could have been blocked without major damage even if it hadn't been me.
However.
From the second one onwards...
"Second, the Haunted House. Property damage 0 won, civilian casualties zero, Awakened casualties at least ten, including Yoo Iseul and Ahn Suhee, dead. The Haunted House, permanently unsolvable. Future damage unpredictable."
...I see what he means.
That Haunted House wasn't a normal anomaly; it was the Sanctum of a Fervent Follower summoned by that 'Nameless' guy. It is absolutely impossible to destroy from the outside, and once you enter, you can never escape unless you kill the 'Fervent Follower' or the Sanctum’s summoning is canceled.
Let’s assume I wasn't there.
Yoo Iseul and Ahn Suhee entered the Haunted House. And then, contact was lost.
Therefore, the Awakened Association summoned eight other Awakened to enter the Haunted House. And then, contact was lost.
...That’s how it would have ended.
If they had lost ten Awakened, the Association would have chosen to monitor and seal the 'enemy within' to prevent it from coming out, rather than recklessly summoning and sending in other Awakened.
Of course, when that Nameless guy would come out, or what he would do once he did, is an unknown variable.
"Third, the College Student. Property damage, immeasurable. Civilian casualties, immeasurable. Awakened casualties, immeasurable."
...Well, this.
There’s no need to waste my breath explaining it.
It was an unprecedented situation where the security of the Awakened Association was breached.
"Fourth, the Anomaly of the Sea. Property damage, immeasurable. Civilian casualties, zero. Awakened casualties, at least one Awakened dead and nine Awakened incapacitated."
Hmm.
It seems they view this fourth one as a solvable event in the simulation.
That’s right.
That Udon-noodle guy’s Sanctum, while the interior space was indeed so vast that the word 'infinite' naturally came to mind, it wasn't impossible to destroy.
Yoo Iseul could slice through 'Kalium,' the hardest metal in the universe, like it was nothing. Besides Yoo Iseul, there would have been several other Awakened who could have dealt damage to Kalium. I feel like even Seo Jae-woo could have smashed Kalium with his raw strength.
If internal destruction is possible, it means that no matter how much time it takes, it can eventually be resolved. Although the scale of damage and the resources required would be beyond imagination.
...Looking at it all laid out like this, two thoughts suddenly cross my mind.
First.
These Fervent Follower bastards are truly troublesome guys.
It’s not for nothing that they are revered as god-like beings on their own planets. Certainly, from a human perspective, Fervent Followers are hopelessly powerful beings.
Second.
The fact that it is still solvable means the Awakened are monsters in their own right.
The guys revered as gods on other planets have to struggle quite a bit against the Awakened.
Hmm.
I think I roughly understand why that Udon-noodle guy rated the existence of the Awakened so highly. From a cosmic perspective, the Awakened seem to be incredibly powerful beings.
However.
Although Kim Junghwan didn't mention it outright, there is one trap in those four simulations.
Swoosh.
I turned my head to look at Yoo Iseul.
Because the table was broken due to someone, Yoo Iseul’s ill-mannered posture was exposed for all to see. She was sitting almost lying down on the chair, head drooping, fast asleep.
...Those four simulations, all of them.
They are predicated on Yoo Iseul’s performance.
* * *
The purpose of this gathering was to prepare countermeasures against Fervent Followers. After Kim Junghwan’s presentation ended, the full-scale strategy meeting began, and since I’d seen how things went before, I thought the meeting room would turn into a disaster again.
But it didn't.
Is the simulation wrong? In my opinion, it can be solved sufficiently if done this way. No, if you approach it that way, the risk is too high. That’s not it either; resolving anomalies is inherently high-risk anyway. And so on.
The Awakened were participating in the meeting with a much more serious attitude than I had thought, and they were only presenting very realistic and constructive opinions.
But.
The direction of the meeting seems a bit wrong.
These people, they didn't actually have an accurate understanding of 'Fervent Followers.'
I glanced at Kim Junghwan.
I don't know if it was a coincidence, but I made eye contact with him again.
Sigh.
That man, he’s a sly old fox. He didn't say it outright, but that expression and that attitude. It’s a silent pressure for me to speak directly to the Awakened myself.
...What can I do.
I am an Awakened belonging to the Awakened Association, and Kim Junghwan is the highest-ranking person in that Association. If he tells me to do it, I have to do it.
I carefully raised my hand.
"Um."
Then, everyone in the room focused on me.
I didn't particularly want to draw the attention of the Awakened... but I had to correct what was wrong.
"Fervent Followers can't be killed. So, instead of thinking of ways to kill them, try thinking of other methods."
Naturally, the Awakened didn't understand what I meant.
How am I supposed to explain this?
I glanced at Kim Junghwan, and he smiled and asked if I would like to come up to the podium and speak into the microphone.
...If you were going to do this, you should have just called me out by name from the start.
Stepping onto the podium, I racked my brain for a moment, and soon, a good way to explain it came to mind, so I opened my mouth into the microphone.
"They don't have the concept of death. So, to put it simply, they are immortals."
"..."
"..."
No matter how many extraordinary experiences an Awakened might have had, they didn't immediately believe such an absurd statement.
I could prove it through Kim Junghwan, but wait, thinking about it, most of these people are believers who watch my broadcasts, right?
Then there’s an easier way.
And it also feels like I might be able to play a prank on that sly Kim Junghwan while I'm at it.
Huuup.
Haaa.
After taking a deep breath, I continued with a bit of tension.
"Ah, I really want to make a big decision! I want to open the window and jump out! I don't want to live, I want to die..."
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
CRACK!
"Jiaaaaaaaah!"
The podium collapsed. Cracks appeared on the floor.
Kim Junghwan slapped his forehead.
And the Awakened.
They believed me.