Mirien's Breaking Point

A-class Awakened Jo Geon-uk found himself in a rather difficult situation. The sudden dungeon raid in Yeouido. It had only been a few hours since S-class Awakened Nam Juyeon and Association Director Yu Junseo had entered. Not long after, Yu Junseo had come running out, and the dungeon had erupted.

[All Awakened, assist with civilian evacuation near your residences.]

In an instant, a disaster broadcast on the same level as a Rift Eruption went out, and Awakened affiliated with the Management Bureau rushed to the scene with tense expressions. Jo Geon-uk was no exception. He had been off duty, yet here he was, dragged out anyway.

“Yu Junseo, that bastard… pulling some unnecessary stunt.”

Truthfully, being called in on his day off wasn’t something he could really complain about. It had happened plenty of times back when he was a detective. What bothered Jo Geon-uk in this ruined world was the filthy feeling that everything was slipping beyond his control and understanding.

“Just what the hell are they plotting?”

Jo Geon-uk frowned as he glared at the tower standing tall in Yeouido. He tried to follow the trajectory of the Storm Dragon Tempest that had flown across the sky moments ago, but the sky was far too thick with dark clouds.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue. He still found Nam Juyeon suspicious. The man had appeared during the Cheonan Nest raid and survived the Storm Dragon Tempest’s attack. Of course, Jo Geon-uk wasn’t denying the merits Nam Juyeon had shown. But the more the man succeeded, the deeper his doubts grew.

“Declaring a tower raid out of nowhere is already suspicious enough.”

It felt like he was following some pre-written script. After subjugating the Storm Dragon Tempest, Nam Juyeon had become an S-class Awakened. He had continued raising his fame without restraint in the Incheon Nest and the third eruption as well. Then, without any warning, that same man had declared he would conquer a tower. And lo and behold, inside the Tower of Rebellion they entered, Actor’s subordinate—the Scorched Saint Selene—had appeared. Quite the coincidence, wasn’t it?

Recently, a religious group called the Ascension Sect that worshipped Actor had also risen to prominence. Jo Geon-uk’s reasoning was a stretch, but according to the Awakened, the two of them had smoothly cleared the tower. He didn’t believe a single word from the Association Director.

“There’s something going on here.”

Jo Geon-uk frowned and started walking. As an A-class Awakened, leaving his post was a serious disciplinary offense, but he figured he could get it reduced since it was for investigative purposes. The direction Nam Juyeon had disappeared in was north. Jo Geon-uk was about to hop on a motorcycle parked by the roadside and ride through the rain when—

[This is Team 4! Team 4! We need backup!]

The urgent voice crackling from the radio made him stop. He frowned and listened closely, only to hear shocking news.

[A 5-star disaster has appeared in Jung-gu, our jurisdiction!]

“A 5-star…?”

[It’s the Scorched Saint! The Scorched Saint!]

The radio shouted without even identifying the speaker, and Jo Geon-uk doubted his own ears.

“A 5-star disaster, right in the middle of downtown?”

Something enormous was happening.

The kill logs kept popping up one after another. It was an unintentional robbery of fellow Awakened’s disasters, but a single strike from her had sent several of them to their deaths, throwing them into panic.

“W-why?! It’s clearly a fire attribute!”

“It’s raining, isn’t it?!”

The Awakened’s screams, bordering on shrieks, reached even this distant spot.

“She really… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is strong.”

Watching from the rooftop of a building, I clicked my tongue. Even though the downpour should have weakened Selene’s power, she didn’t allow even a single opening. Right now, she was a rampaging monster right next to Seoul Station, and no disaster or weapon could harm her.

One Awakened fired an arrow. Selene didn’t even bother dodging. Though the flames surrounding her body had dimmed considerably, they easily blocked bullets and arrows. Even without the flames, Selene wouldn’t take damage from such pathetic attacks anyway.

The Wedge Sword of Hellfire wasn’t the only 5-star equipment Selene possessed. The Shell of the Dead God she wore blocked every attack below 3-star rank—the ultimate defensive gear. Combined with her innate trait that ignored attack attributes, her defense was entirely covered by equipment. She was a disaster specialized in slaughtering the weak. That was my base’s experience farmer, the Scorched Saint Selene.

“Good. She’s definitely drawing their attention.”

Having seen enough, I stopped paying attention to Selene. Standing beside me on the rooftop was the Hellfire Watchdog wearing a large dog raincoat. Even in this downpour, it was diligently sniffing around, searching for Mirien’s trail.

Tracking her wouldn’t be difficult. ‘This has to be Thunderstorm.’

In Disaster Order, weather skills were possessed by only a handful of disasters. Their effects included changing the field’s attributes and strengthening same-attribute allied disasters in the party. Because of their outstanding performance, weather skills naturally became part of the disaster’s identity. Mirien’s epithet, Storm of the North Sea, came from her unique skill, Thunderstorm.

Back when I was seriously grinding the game, I often used Mirien as both a weather caster and supporter, pairing her with the Storm Dragon and other sky and lightning-attribute disasters.

“Okay.”

As expected, the Hellfire Watchdog easily pinpointed the skill’s origin. The direction it turned its head was none other than north. The status window even kindly displayed the tracking result visually.

“Seongbuk-gu, huh…”

I gave a bitter smile. In the end, I had no choice but to fly again with the Storm Dragon Tempest.

When the Storm of the North Sea Mirien came to her senses, the surroundings were unfamiliar. She slowly assessed the situation. Mirien had cast the Blessing of Lightning upon herself and gone berserk, losing her reason. After that, she remembered nothing.

Her last memory was the fierce battle on the tower’s top floor. She had definitely fought Selene. The hem of her cloak ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was scorched and tattered, and her face was covered in soot. The moment she realized that, a burning pain from the burns spread across her entire body.

“Don’t tell me…”

Mirien collapsed onto the cold floor and slowly looked down at her hands. Judging by her condition, she must have fought Selene like a madwoman after losing control. Then, for some reason, she had fled the tower and hidden here.

If Actor had been harmed during her fight with Selene…

“…I’ve done it.”

The moment she considered the worst possibility, her mind went ice-cold. It felt as if her body, heart, and soul were all crumbling.

“…Ugh.”

Mirien staggered back a step. She had definitely earned his hatred. An irreparable conflict. She realized she was nothing more than a walking corpse. Why was she even alive? Rampaging on her own and causing trouble for Actor. Just like Selene said, she was nothing but a massive obstacle to Actor.

It would have been better if Selene’s sword had pierced her heart. Having the heart Actor had granted her taken away again would have been preferable.

“Haha…”

A hollow laugh escaped her. She clutched her staggering body and shook her head. A splitting headache assaulted her. Fear came rushing in late. If he saw her now, what kind of expression would he make? Would he frown? Would he look at her coldly? Or would he refuse to even meet her eyes and turn away? Would he never call her name again?

That thought tightened around her chest, making it hard to breathe. Her fingertips trembled.

“It can’t be undone.”

The conclusion came quickly. Mirien spoke as she raised her hand. Her unique skill, Thunderstorm, was pouring rain across the entire city. And with her great magic, it wouldn’t be difficult to drop countless lightning bolts through the storm. Rather than waiting for a future where only ruin remained without Actor, wouldn’t it be better to destroy the entire world? If Selene came to stop her, then she would gladly throw her life away.

Just as Mirien thought this and began gathering mana—

A massive shadow fell over her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head. Mirien blankly looked up. The Storm Dragon Tempest—once her subordinate. But now it belonged to the Ruler, Actor. As such, there was only one reason the Storm Dragon would come looking for her.

“…Actor.”

The human figure precariously clinging to the dragon’s massive back. Mirien’s breath caught in her throat. She had thought she’d given up, but the precious heart she received from Actor was still causing trouble. The new life he had given her was still beating toward survival.

“I… I…”

Mirien opened her mouth. There were so many things she wanted to say. She wanted him to scold her. But she didn’t want to be abandoned. More than anything…

“…Don’t turn away from me.”

“If I was going to turn away, would I have come here risking my life like this?”

Contrary to Mirien’s expectations, the Ruler Actor curled his lips into a smile and nodded. Then he leapt off the Storm Dragon’s back without hesitation.

“…Huh?”

From dozens of meters in the air, no less. Mirien’s thoughts came to a halt.