You're Tampering With That (3)
I, Nam Juyeon, was never particularly polite, but I was the kind of person who respected his elders and knew his place. That changed the day the world flipped upside down. Inside the newly imposed system, I had become an undeniable powerhouse. And that meant…
“I told you I would handle it myself, yet you’re saying you couldn’t wait and decided to spy on me?”
It meant I now stood in a position where I could openly pressure the highest echelons of government. The so-called abuse of power. Half a year ago I couldn’t even talk back when my part-time boss chewed me out. Now I had the nation’s core authorities gathered in one room and was threatening them outright.
How had it come to this? Well, the world was already broken. A little more damage wouldn’t make much difference.
“So.”
In a single moment the power dynamic had reversed. Everyone in the conference room was now my prey.
“I had a friendly little chat with the Chinese scout. If anyone here has a problem with that, step forward.”
I took one step back as I finished speaking. Every eye in the room immediately shifted to the spot I had just vacated, then dropped to the man lying at my feet. It was the National Assembly member whose face I had slammed into the desk moments earlier. He was twitching violently. It looked like he would need a long convalescence.
I did feel a pang of guilt for beating an innocent man. But it couldn’t be helped. If I hadn’t demonstrated my stance with action, these people would have kept trying to manipulate me.
“Do you honestly think I would be even slightly afraid of the Awakened Management Act or a life sentence?”
A few days ago I might have been. There would have been no need to act this aggressively. But the situation had changed. I had already heard something shocking from both the Chinese scout and Mirien.
The great disaster I had accidentally unleashed—Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens—was condensing the lives of nearly twenty million people to create her minions. Twenty million. Compared to a number like that, the lives of the few people gathered here were insignificant.
…
Strangely, that fact diluted the guilt I felt for what I was doing.
“Just think about it. What do you suppose would happen if I summoned the Storm Dragon right here, right now?”
…
“Or if the Rock Crusher struck the so-called great underground bunker where the President is watching through a video feed a few times?”
An Awakened who could calmly declare he would wipe out the nation’s leadership. If this wasn’t a disaster, what was? Kang Se-na had been right. Awakened—especially S-class Awakened—could not be restrained by ordinary public authority. So if they came at me with force, I had no choice but to show them exactly why that was a bad idea.
“Let me make one thing clear. Calling Tempest right now and annihilating everyone in this room is nothing to me. One snap of my fingers and it’s over. Your lives depend entirely on my mood.”
The conference room fell into an icy silence. The Prime Minister was the one who finally broke it. His face had gone deathly pale. He slammed the desk and shot to his feet without even bothering to fix the glasses sliding down his nose.
“Wh-what!”
“Mr. Nam Juyeon! Stop this! If you go any further it will be irreversible! You’ll be a murderer! If you kill us, the Republic of Korea will surely—”
“You’re threatening me even now?”
“N-no… that’s not what I meant…”
“Threats are my department. Even if I caused a scene here, does the government have any means to stop me? You there—are you planning to shoot me with that gun? Do you really think I’d fall to a single bullet?”
I pointed at the man standing against the wall. The burly bodyguard in a suit already had his hand on the holster at his waist. If things went south, he clearly intended to draw and fire. A reasonable decision. The reason Awakened were feared was because of the disasters they commanded, not because their own bodies were particularly strong. That only applied to the mediocre ones, however.
“Go ahead and shoot. If you think you can kill me.”
In truth, guns were terrifying. Being shot was even worse. I had fired one myself and knew exactly how powerful they were. That was why I had borrowed it from Selene.
5★ Armor
Blocks all attacks below 3★.
Specialized for civilian slaughter. Additional effect: completely nullifies any attack under 3 stars.
The equipment I kept tucked against my chest was armor specialized for massacring civilians. Its base performance was excellent, but its true value lay in that additional effect. And a gun that wasn’t wielded by an Awakened didn’t even qualify as a 1-star weapon.
“Keep one thing in mind. If you can’t kill me with a single shot, it won’t end with just your death. Your family back in Seoul will die too.”
In short, I had nothing to fear.
I kept my expression calm as I spoke to the bodyguard.
“One more piece of advice. Those bullets will never kill me.”
The bodyguard flinched. I almost laughed at the absurdity of actually uttering a line that belonged in a movie. The world had gone mad, and clearly so had my nerves. Why had I become so fearless? The reason was simple.
5★ Scorched Saint Selene is watching you.
5★ Storm of the North Sea Mirien is watching you.
When two catastrophes who could single-handedly destroy the planet were keeping their eyes on me, why would I be afraid of some government officials? The ones I should fear were my own subordinates, not the suited men standing in front of me.
“S-stop! Mr. Nam Juyeon! We understand! We understand completely, so please calm your anger!”
After what felt like an eternity of silence, the Prime Minister finally surrendered.
“What we wanted to say was… we never intended to threaten or coerce you… we simply hoped to reach an amicable solution through calm dialogue…”
His voice grew smaller and smaller. Probably because I had crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. In the end he abandoned the last shred of his pride.
“I admit we were somewhat rude… I would like to offer my deepest apology. Please, just spare our lives.”
“You should have taken that attitude from the beginning.”
“If we have done anything to offend you during our time together, we will correct it immediately… so please, quell your wrath…”
Once the Prime Minister lowered himself so completely, the other high-ranking officials in the room began offering their own apologies one after another. The atmosphere relaxed in an instant. Yu Junseo let out a huge sigh of relief. I hadn’t planned to cause any more trouble anyway.
“The reason I spoke with the Chinese scout wasn’t because I wanted to emigrate. It was only to follow Actor.”
“…Actor? The Master of the Abyss?”
“Yes. That Actor. It seems he has already headed toward China.”
Only then did the Prime Minister’s expression brighten. Of course, clearing up the misunderstanding and this current situation were two different matters.
“So I will say only one thing.”
I raised my middle finger as I continued.
“Stay out of my business.”
In the end, that was all I had really wanted to say.
*
Talk of overthrowing the state or replacing the cabinet had lost all meaning once the world reached this state. On the contrary, it was more convenient for me if the government, however incompetent, at least maintained some semblance of order. There were still many things I could gain from the existing national system—for example, connections among fellow Awakened.
“Mr. Nam Juyeon!”
Yu Junseo came running down the corridor after me. He must have sprinted the whole way; he bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
“What is it?”
“Ah, well… about what happened in the conference room earlier…”
Was this guy seriously coming to lecture me? Even after the threats I had just made?
“Are you trying to act friendly now? You’re not that different from the rest of them.”
When I frowned, Yu Junseo waved his hands in a panic.
“No, no! That’s not what I meant at all!”
“Then what?”
“I just wanted to say this.”
Yu Junseo cleared his throat.
“Mr. Nam Juyeon, you were seriously cool today!”
…
“That was something I should have done, but I could only imagine it. Then you showed up and handled it perfectly! You were like a real hero! Wow! Making you S-class was the best decision of my life!”
He seemed genuinely delighted by the terrifying atmosphere from earlier. His voice was full of sincerity. It looked like I had gained a follower. My head started to throb.
Whether I liked it or not, Yu Junseo grabbed both my hands and kept talking excitedly.
“So, how about it? Why don’t you take over as Director of the Management Bureau and train those government bastards while you’re at it—”
“I won’t.”
“…Yeah, I figured.”
“Just handle things smoothly, Mr. Yu Junseo. They won’t be able to interfere with the Management Bureau’s work for a while. Strengthen the system as much as possible so the other Awakened don’t suffer unnecessary damage.”
Honestly, I wanted to shake him off. He was the type who would use me if given the chance. But I reconsidered. Maintaining a good relationship with Yu Junseo and the Management Bureau wasn’t a bad idea. The world was collapsing anyway. It only made sense for people in the same boat to stick together. Besides, out of all the humans I had met, Yu Junseo was one of the easiest to handle.
“So what you’re saying is I’ll be your reliable sponsor from now on!”
“Something… like that, I suppose?”
“All right! I’ll do my best!”
He nodded vigorously with that idiotic smile on his face.
*
“My Lord, did the negotiation conclude satisfactorily?”
“You were so cool, Actor!”
The moment I returned to the base, the two great disasters greeted me. The Scorched Saint Selene and the Storm of the North Sea Mirien. In truth, these two were hundreds of times more terrifying to me than any president.
“Selene, sorry. I’ll need to keep using this equipment for a while.”
“It is fine. I possess the Stigma of Holy Flame. More importantly, it is only right that My Lord prioritize his own safety over someone as insignificant as myself.”
Selene’s face was filled with obvious delight. The scene I had caused at the Management Bureau must have matched her ideal image of the Ruler Actor. As for Mirien, she would like anything I did.
“Anyway, Selene.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Prepare yourself. We are going somewhere.”
“…May I ask where that place is?”
Selene’s expression hardened; she clearly thought I meant China. I wasn’t stupid enough to think meeting Karne right now would be anything but suicidal.
“The south.”
“…The south, My Lord?”
“Yes. The south. We are heading to the disaster nest currently controlled by the Awakened community.”
There, I would gather more disasters. Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens, was creating her army of minions in China. For now she was only a potential threat, but her ultimate goal was the destruction of the world. We would inevitably clash. By then, I needed to secure at least the minimum military strength capable of fighting her forces.
Progress: ■■■■□□□□□□
Required EXP: 800
I tapped the barracks upgrade button four more times. A chill ran down my spine. When I turned my head, Mirien was tilting hers at me.
“Actor… what about me? Why aren’t you taking me?”
…
While I was still flustered by the unexpected reaction, it wasn’t me but Selene who responded to Mirien.
“Is it not our Lord’s command that the magic doll remain at home and play house? Stop yapping and go shrink into a corner.”
“That burnt bitch gets one hole in her face and suddenly thinks she has a mouth? Shall I punch another one in there so she won’t feel left out?”
Another round of their personal UFC match was starting. I felt like I was going to lose my mind.