The Ascension Sect
No incident occurred during the third Rift Eruption. The 4★ disasters the government and citizens had feared never appeared, and there were no civilian casualties either. It was practically a miracle. The media never missed a day covering Seoul’s achievements. [Successfully Defended the Third Eruption — Is This the Second Han River Miracle?] Even now, TV pundits were declaring Seoul the only city on Earth to repel an eruption without a single loss of life. On top of that, news outlets kept running stories about South Korea’s first S-class Awakened, Nam Juyeon.
“…This is basically a religion.”
At this point my face was so recognizable that I had to bundle up with a mask and hat every time I stepped outside. It wasn’t even a particularly handsome face, yet apparently entire communities had sprung up just to worship me.
Thanks to all that, I’d been saddled with two main nicknames: Dragon King and Maestro. Both were so embarrassing I wanted nothing to do with either.
“Haa…”
Kang Se-na had been right. The world had been starving for a new star, and I’d shown up at exactly the right moment. Reading the cringeworthy comments made my face burn. They were laying it on so thick it felt like they were offering up their livers and gallbladders. Some of them were practically treating me like a living god.
“Ah.”
Speaking of living gods reminded me of something. I searched the community for “Ascension Sect.” The results were plentiful. It seemed the cult calling itself the Ascension Sect had grown rapidly after the third eruption.
From what I could gather, their doctrine was simple: obsession with the Rift and disasters, plus unconditional worship of Actor, the Lord of the Abyss and future ruler of the world. I couldn’t understand how such a shady, dangerous-sounding religion was spreading, but with the world turned into a game and traditional faiths losing their grip, maybe people just needed something to cling to. After surviving three eruptions, the name “Actor, Lord of the Abyss” probably didn’t feel like some distant myth anymore. The difference between citizens praising Nam Juyeon as Seoul’s guardian deity and cultists worshiping Actor as the one true god wasn’t all that large.
While I was lost in that pointless thought, the hotel window opened.
5★ Scorched Saint Selene has returned to base.
For some reason Selene always came and went through the window. When I’d asked why, she said it was a habit from her convent days—sneaking out at night.
“Selene, you’re back?”
“Yes, My Lord. I have completed my task and returned.”
“Good. Did you get the information?”
I already knew the broad strokes from the internet, so I didn’t expect to be surprised by whatever Selene had learned.
“The Ascension Sect. The organization that worships the Ruler Actor—that is, you, My Lord—is Mirien’s doing.”
“…What?”
Her answer was far beyond anything I’d anticipated.
Selene relayed the information plainly. After listening, I organized what I’d learned about the Ascension Sect into three points.
First, the Ascension Sect that worshiped Actor, Lord of the Abyss, was an organization created by the 5★ Storm of the North Sea, Mirien.
Second, the sect Mirien founded was brainwashing Awakened in order to seize control of their disasters.
Third, Mirien had done all of this for my sake.
After hearing everything, my only reaction was:
“No, seriously, why would she do that?”
The Storm of the North Sea, Mirien. Back when it was just a game I couldn’t tell, but now that the game had become reality, I could say it with certainty: she was every bit as unhinged as Selene.
“My Lord, please calm your anger. While Mirien’s actions were presumptuous, her intentions were entirely for your benefit.”
“She created a cult just for me? For my goals?”
“Yes. By collecting disasters donated by the Awakened of the Ascension Sect, she hopes to contribute to your grand plan. She wishes to become a powerful ally for the day you conquer the world and ascend as its ruler.”
“…”
First, I needed to correct a few things in Selene’s wording. One, the disasters weren’t “donated”—they were stolen. Two, I had zero interest in conquering the world or becoming some dimensional king. But I couldn’t tell Selene that. Because I’d already guessed why she and Mirien insisted on such extreme methods and why they viewed every other Awakened as a rival to be eliminated.
When you first booted up Disaster Order, the tooltip read:
“Defeat the disasters, subjugate them, and become the Absolute Ruler who dominates the world.”
That same message had appeared the moment reality was overwritten by the Disaster Order system. In other words, every disaster was ultimately driven toward world domination. Selene and Mirien were both trying to make me the ruler of the world—the Absolute Ruler. The game’s ultimate goal was to gather disasters and become that Absolute Ruler.
‘…That’s completely absurd.’
Yet I had already witnessed the overwhelming power of 5★ disasters with my own eyes. If I commanded all of them, ruling the world wasn’t impossible. And the game’s goal probably applied to other Awakened as well.
‘The other Awakened.’
Right now the national system was still functioning, so Awakened were bound by law. But what would happen once they grew strong enough that even the government couldn’t control them? The thugs who had threatened me with a nail gun during the first eruption, the human trash like Han Tae-geon who had tried to stab me in the back—what would they do if they obtained 4★ disasters or even greater power? I’d already heard that in the provinces, several Awakened had broken away from the government and formed new factions. The central government was focused on protecting Seoul and the capital region, while local authorities lacked the power to rein them in. Did that mean Korea would soon become a society ruled by Awakened? And if that day came, would I have to fight the other Awakened too? Was Selene’s warning that I needed to eliminate rivals before then actually sound advice?
“I don’t know.”
I didn’t know. I couldn’t know. Right now it was all too far in the future. Absolute Ruler, ruler of the world—until recently I’d just been a part-timer barely scraping by. For now, I could only deal with what was right in front of me.
The most urgent matter was the Ascension Sect that Mirien had created. Investigators like Jo Geon-uk from the Management Bureau were hunting for Actor, and their trail would inevitably lead to the sect—and to me. As long as the state still existed, I needed to make full use of the Bureau’s protection and the government’s authority.
I had just reached that conclusion when my phone rang.
Trrring.
The caller was Kang Se-na. Had she found new information? Or was she just calling to tease me with another ridiculous news headline?
“What’s going on?”
[Nam Juyeon-ssi, I’m sorry to ask this out of the blue, but there’s something urgent I need to tell you.]
She skipped the usual pleasantries and got straight to the point.
[Seo Ye-rin is missing. Along with five D-class Awakened from Team 7.]
Missing. The heavy word made my heart sink. I asked carefully.
“…Any leads? CCTV footage or anything…?”
[There was a blackout in that area. Besides, with electricity this tight, running 24-hour CCTV isn’t easy…]
“…Hah.”
A blackout. That felt like a clue.
“What did the Management Bureau say?”
[They’re sending an investigation team soon, but who knows when that’ll actually happen.]
She was right. In a world like this, the police didn’t move for just a few missing people. Kang Se-na’s voice was desperate.
[Do you have time right now? If we’re even a little late, we might not make it…]
“…Yeah. I’m heading out.”
I hung up after agreeing. I set the phone down and looked at Selene. Her red eyes held a strange glint.
“Selene. This disappearance… it was Mirien’s doing, wasn’t it?”
“…Yes. As it happens, I was there as well.”
“…Mirien took Seo Ye-rin?”
“She has not been killed, as far as I know.”
Seo Ye-rin. I’d only seen her briefly during the Incheon Nest raid. Our connection was shallow, but if Mirien had taken her, then it was my responsibility too.
“Selene. Can you arrange a meeting with Mirien?”
“…That is impossible, My Lord. That woman is vicious and violent, and moreover—”
“Enough.”
The status window had told us to dominate disasters and become the Absolute Ruler of the world. I didn’t know exactly what Selene thought of me or why she was so loyal. But if she depended on me, then I would use that to the fullest.
“I only gave you an order, Selene.”
“…”
“So follow it.”
The Scorched Saint’s red eyes widened for a moment. Then she smiled brighter than I had ever seen and nodded.
“Yes, My Lord. Even if the path leads to the Abyss, I will follow.”
“…Selene, we’re already in the Abyss.”
“Ah.”