The Life of an S-Class Awakened (3)
The hotel room was reasonably spacious. In truth, we only used it for lodging and meals; most of our time was spent moving through Selene into the Abyss, so the size hardly mattered.
[4★ Storm Dragon Tempestra has completed disaster synthesis.]
[Reward: 50Exp / 2★ Ember Fox]
[4★ Hellfire Watchdog has completed disaster synthesis.]
[Reward: 50Exp / 2★ Leaf Hunter]
While I issued orders for the backlog of syntheses and other base matters, Selene—who had returned to the Abyss at some point—asked me,
“Is it truly all right not to suspect that woman, Kang Se-na?”
Selene’s face was still filled with displeasure.
“I heard this place was prepared by her. If that wench dares to harm My Lord…”
“Don’t worry. Kang Se-na isn’t that kind of person.”
Kang Se-na had done me several favors. Not only the hotel room, but she had also passed along miscellaneous information and even meeting minutes circulating inside the Awakened Management Bureau. From her perspective, it was probably a calculated decision because I was an S-class Awakened, but wasn’t that how human relationships always worked anyway? A cooperative relationship. It didn’t seem like a bad offer, so I accepted it.
“It looks like information keeps leaking from the Bureau. So I’ll need to recruit someone on the inside to keep an eye on things.”
“…As expected, I am always astonished by My Lord’s foresight.”
“…”
Was this what they called groveling for praise? Either way, the decision to plant an informant inside the Bureau was sound.
As expected, countless text messages like this had flown in from the Bureau. I had also received messages from the director and even the Prime Minister asking after me, but I ignored most of them unless they were necessary. There was a perfectly reasonable excuse for ignoring messages from high-ranking officials anyway. Somehow my phone number had gotten out, and ever since yesterday, reporters, media outlets, random salespeople, and even religious solicitors had been bombarding me with texts. At this point, I had simply turned on call and message blocking.
I switched screens and opened the browser. The latest articles were, of course, all about me.
“…Ugh.”
Seeing my real name in the headlines brought a different kind of embarrassment than when I was known as the Ruler, Actor. Unable to resist my curiosity, I opened the comment section.
The appearance of an S-class Awakened had thrown South Korea into an uproar. Every internet community and every news outlet was talking about it. I had become a superstar overnight, yet it still didn’t feel real.
Selene, who had been glancing over my shoulder at the community reactions, twitched the corner of her mouth and said,
“It is fortunate that the foolish masses have finally recognized even a fraction of My Lord’s fame.”
“Not fortunate at all.”
The real problem was how to live from now on. I had suddenly become an S-class Awakened, and people knew my name. The Bureau hadn’t made an official statement yet, but it was obvious I would be acting as the representative Awakened protecting Seoul from now on. According to Kang Se-na, rumors were already circulating that foreign scouts had entered the country illegally to recruit me. The government seemed desperate to detain them.
Jo Geon-uk’s constant texting was probably for the same reason. The Bureau wanted to put a leash on an irregular S-class Awakened and keep him under control somehow.
The government had offered an enormous salary, tax exemptions, a large mansion near Seoul with staff, security personnel on par with a state guest, and even a private jet. However, I had rejected their offer of bodyguards along with the benefits.
“Selene.”
“Yes, My Lord. What is it?”
With a 5-star disaster like Selene already at my beck and call, there was no need for additional security personnel. I also didn’t want to owe the government any favors. Above all, there was already one more bodyguard I hadn’t asked for—someone just as overzealous as Selene. The Storm of the North Sea, Mirien. She too was a 5-star disaster.
“How did it go with Mirien?”
Yesterday, Selene had returned after speaking with Mirien. I had been meaning to ask what happened.
Selene pondered for a moment before carefully choosing her words.
“…Fortunately, that woman Mirien understood my words very well.”
“She understood?”
“Yes. Mirien is a mage with an extraordinary mind, so she easily grasped what I meant. As you instructed, My Lord, there was no unnecessary conflict. She must have accepted my earnest request for her to step down.”
Listening to Selene alone, it sounded like everything had ended on a warm note. But Selene always hid important information. Just in case, I asked,
“…Selene, you didn’t threaten Mirien or anything, did you? The atmosphere wasn’t hostile?”
“My Lord, I was once a servant of a false god. I would never underestimate the weight of sin that comes with lying.”
“…”
Bringing up her past like that left me with nothing more to say. If Selene claimed she had handled it nicely, then it was probably fine. But what was this subtle unease stirring in my chest?
While I was thinking that, the hotel phone rang. I picked up the receiver and heard a tired voice.
[Nam Juyeon, if you were going to stay at a hotel like this, you could’ve at least given me a heads-up.]
“Jo Geon-uk?”
[Yeah. The Bureau kept nagging me to find you, so I searched every hotel near Seoul.]
So he had finally tracked me down. Well, I had been planning to respond to the Bureau’s contact soon anyway, so it didn’t really matter.
[I know information leaked and you’re in a tough spot. We’re very sorry about that on our end too.]
“Is that why you came looking for me?”
[Of course not.]
Jo Geon-uk chuckled and got to the point.
[A nest appeared in Incheon.]
“A nest…”
[It’s a nest with a 3-star disaster. We’d like you, as an S-class Awakened, to take care of it. You’re an Awakened affiliated with Seoul, so you’re not obligated to clear an Incheon nest, but if the port gets blocked it’ll cause all sorts of problems. The government has prepared a generous incentive as well.]
Listening to him, I frowned.
“I have a question. If it’s only a 3-star nest, wouldn’t other Awakened be eager to clear it?”
[Yeah, there are plenty of Awakened who want a 3-star disaster, but there’s a small problem.]
“A small problem?”
[As you know, Incheon is by the sea.]
“Don’t tell me…”
[Yeah, that’s exactly it. The nest formed in the ocean.]
If the nest was in the sea, it would naturally be filled with water-attribute disasters. And the fact that the dungeon itself was water-attribute held significant meaning both in Disaster Order and in this world where the game had become reality. In a water-attribute dungeon, water-attribute disasters received stat bonuses, so a 3-star disaster would possess combat power approaching that of a pseudo-4-star. It was a troublesome situation, and I could somewhat understand why Jo Geon-uk had been desperately looking for me.
[It’s your debut stage as an S-class Awakened. If you show them a spectacular enough raid, people won’t even think about trying anything, right?]
“…Hmm.”
Jo Geon-uk had said it jokingly, but I couldn’t laugh. Still, I couldn’t refuse either.
[Want to check your account?]
At his words, I opened the banking app on my phone. There, I confirmed the weekly pay of 300 million won that had been deposited, along with an additional 1 billion won listed as a signing bonus.
“Fine. I’ll give it a shot.”
Financial therapy was truly magnificent.