That's Tempering, You Know - (1)
[Rift Eruption has ended.]
[Strengthen your base through the disasters you control.]
[Time until next eruption: 13d 23h]
The fourth eruption had ended. Even in the most generous terms, it couldn't be called damage-free. Though no 4★ disasters had appeared, the scale was larger than the third eruption, and above all, the Awakened hadn't been fully prepared. Civilian casualties were considerable. The blame would naturally fall on the Awakened Management Bureau. However, our cunning director Yu Junseo had already prepared a way to dodge responsibility.
The reaction was explosive, as expected. Watching the views climb to ten million in an instant, I sighed.
“Shit.”
So this was the media play Seo Ye-rin had mentioned. Yu Junseo had set it up perfectly.
“Hahaha. He really does look like an idol. Nam Juyeon, you came out looking pretty cool, didn’t you?”
Kang Se-na burst into laughter while watching the video. No wonder the Bureau had been so specific about the outfit. I let out a sigh. If I stayed quiet, she’d probably start reading the comments out loud, so I quickly got to the point.
“So, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes. I heard from Ye-rin. You want to know about the situation in China?”
Kang Se-na spun her chair around and placed her hands on the keyboard, as if she’d never been teasing me. She seemed to be reviewing recent reports. While her fingers moved idly, she suddenly spoke.
“By the way, why are you suddenly curious about China?”
Here, I had a convenient excuse ready. I answered without changing my expression.
“Actor.”
“Actor?”
“I roughly figured out that the Lord of the Abyss, Actor, is up to something in China.”
I wasn’t lying. In reality, the Lord of the Abyss, Actor, was currently looking for an opportunity to extend his influence into China.
“How did you find that out?”
“I tracked it, of course. Through all the disasters I have.”
It was a convenient excuse, but it worked in most situations. Moreover, ever since Seo Ye-rin’s rescue, Kang Se-na had become a reliable ally who believed my words unconditionally. Without asking further, she stroked her chin and explained.
“Actually, there’s no real exchange between China’s Public Security and Korea’s Awakened Management Bureau. With the world in this state, it’s not like we can chat peacefully like before, right?”
“That’s true.”
Most countries seemed to be implementing 21st-century isolationist policies. Even in our own country, the internet didn’t work in truly remote rural areas. Thanks to Melon Musk, some information exchange was happening in a few isolated places, but in China’s information-controlled society represented by the Golden Shield, no meaningful information was leaking out.
“Even as the Bureau, the only routes we have to learn about China’s situation are contacting nationals living there or inferring from media reports. But given China’s nature, you can’t exactly trust the media either, can you?”
“Yeah, that’s the place where even if millions die, they report it as hundreds.”
“You’ve got it exactly right. So the best way to understand China’s current situation is to ask the people involved directly.”
“The people involved?”
When I asked back, Kang Se-na grinned and continued.
“Nam Juyeon, I mentioned this before. Scouts from various countries trying to recruit S-class Awakened are already here in Korea.”
“…Don’t tell me.”
“Yes. Exactly that. The Chinese scout? If you say you want to meet, they’ll come right away.”
Kang Se-na wore an expression like she was plotting a mischievous prank.
“Since the topic came up, shall we try it right now?”
Kang Se-na pushed her chair aside and sat in front of the computer.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I need to drop some bait. Bait tempting enough for the Chinese scout to bite.”
“Bait?”
“Actually, I’ve already identified the accounts of scouts from other countries to some extent. And as a side job, I’ve been leaking information about domestic Awakened—scouts go crazy for that stuff. The pay is pretty good too.”
“…Isn’t that leaking internal secrets?”
“Oh my, since when were you so patriotic?”
Kang Se-na replied playfully. Anyway, she was more capable than I’d thought. She accessed some secret internet page and, using an anonymous account, spread a rumor that S-class Awakened Nam Juyeon was dissatisfied with the Korean government’s treatment and wanted to defect. The tone implied that if you wanted details, you’d have to pay.
Watching the process in silence, I carefully spoke up.
“But if the government or the Bureau hears about this, won’t it be troublesome? Especially if Yu Junseo hears, he might have a heart attack.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about, Nam Juyeon. Same goes for me.”
“You really have zero respect for your superior, don’t you?”
“Try working under that guy once. See if you don’t get pissed off. Besides, that Yu Junseo guy is completely set on using you in collaboration with the Korean government. Don’t you feel wronged?”
“Well, yeah, it is unfair, but given the situation…”
“Nam Juyeon, you’re really… I don’t know if I should call you too kind or too soft…”
Kang Se-na sighed deeply.
“If I may offer some advice, you need to realize that your value is much greater than you think. Two 4★ disasters, no less. You’re not someone a mere country can tie down. You need to steel yourself. In various parts of the world, there are even countries where Awakened have become the ruling class.”
“Hmm.”
Even so. Could someone like me, who until recently had been barely scraping by with part-time jobs, really pull off something so bold?
“Well, you’ll understand after this incident.”
Kang Se-na’s words carried an implicit hope that Yu Junseo would suffer greatly. After some time passed—
“Ah, a reply came. Looks like they were watching closely.”
Dropping bait for the Chinese scout wasn’t difficult. He took it. A message arrived instantly from one account.
“Lao Ying?”
“It means ‘old eagle.’ What will you do? Want to go together?”
“No. I’m fine going alone.”
“Security personnel…”
“You know I don’t like that kind of thing.”
Kang Se-na chuckled and nodded. After exchanging a few messages with Lao Ying, she handed me a sticky note with the time and place written on it.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I’m the one who should always be grateful to you, Nam Juyeon.”
*
Wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled low, I stepped into a dark alley. Since the world had come to this, there were hardly any operating businesses like restaurants, so the meeting place with the Chinese scout was a secluded park. As expected, the person I was meeting had already arrived.
“…Are you Anonymous-024?”
“Lao Ying? Do you speak Korean?”
“Somewhat.”
A plain-looking man wearing a black beanie approached and extended his hand. From his awkward speech, he seemed to be of Korean-Chinese descent. Well, as long as we could communicate, it didn’t matter. I shrugged and sat on a nearby bench, then casually lowered my sunglasses.
“…You’re Nam Juyeon!”
Probably because of Seo Ye-rin’s video, my face was already familiar to him. The man, Lao Ying, cried out in surprise but quickly covered his mouth so no one would hear. He probably never imagined the S-class Awakened himself would show up.
“Alright, alright, Old Eagle. Let’s not make a scene. If we cause trouble for each other, this conversation will get difficult.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Before I knew it, he was using honorifics with me.
“Before we talk about the contract, I’d like to know about the situation in China first.”
“China… situation?”
“If I’m going to make a smooth contract, I need to hear how dangerous things are over there, don’t I?”
“First, if you could look at the contract…”
“No, that doesn’t matter. I decide the procedure.”
“…”
The scout looked dumbfounded. He probably hadn’t expected me to take such a high-handed approach. But as Kang Se-na said, in most cases, I held the upper hand.
5★ Scorched Saint Selene casts the skill 「Ashen Veil」.
Besides, even if this man named Lao Ying tried to harm me, Selene was following me nearby with her stealth skill active. Mirien would also be watching me from atop a tower. There was no danger at all. Perhaps because of that, my tone naturally shifted to casual speech. Overwhelmed, the scout stammered.
“To be honest… the situation isn’t very good. There’s a severe shortage of Awakened personnel, and recently various incidents have overlapped…”
“Right. I heard three 4★ disasters appeared last time. They destroyed about two cities and killed millions, didn’t they?”
“Actually, even that report was heavily manipulated. The actual death toll is about four times higher…”
That meant nearly half of Korea’s population had died. I let out a sigh at the larger-than-expected scale.
“No, you guys in China have an S-class Awakened too, right? Even with that guy around, you still took that much damage? Or is he assigned to a different region? Your country’s huge, after all.”
“…Uh, um.”
The scout’s face turned pale. The way he was glancing around was definitely suspicious. He was clearly hiding something. I grabbed him by the collar.
“If you don’t tell me straight right now, I’ll hand you over to the Bureau just like this.”
“W-what! You never said anything like that!”
“I just told you. The procedure is whatever I want. And handing you over to the Bureau right now could also be part of the procedure. It’s called entrapment, isn’t it?”
“…Ugh.”
Lao Ying rolled his eyes. He seemed to be considering what would happen if he tried to shake me off and run. But I had already summoned the 3★ disaster Faded Wraith Luciven from the status window. The moment he saw the disaster, he quickly gave up.
“…That Awakened is the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Codename Longyan. China’s only 4★ holder. The nation poured enormous resources into supporting him, but…”
The scout trailed off. I frowned and gestured to Luciven. Luciven drew a translucent blade from within its body.
“A-ah, I’ll talk! I’ll tell you!”
“Then hurry up and speak.”
The scout squeezed his eyes shut and blurted it out like a confession.
“Uh, not long ago! Longyan suddenly betrayed us!”
“Betrayed?”
“Yes! He suddenly killed all the Public Security guards and… turned the city into ruins along with some strange crows…”
“…What was the reason? Do you know why?”
“I don’t know the details. But… according to what I heard from Public Security… his appearance wasn’t human anymore. It was like he’d become someone’s puppet…”
Only one name came to mind at those words. Stealth, tracking, interrogation, and brainwashing—the great disaster specialized in those. Mother of Ill Omens, Karne.
“…Tsk.”
I frowned. The situation seemed even more serious than I’d expected.