The Absolute Ruler's Dilemma
It was last night, when I ordered Selene to carry out the assassination.
“Selene.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“If I become the Absolute Ruler, what do you think will happen to the people living in this world?”
It was a question that had been gnawing at me for weeks. According to the system, becoming the Absolute Ruler meant placing every being in this dimension beneath my feet. Countless lives could hang on my decisions alone. Selene and Mirien had already slaughtered countless people, and Karne had reaped nearly twenty million lives in China. Asteria would be no different. Similar situations would keep arising. When that time came, would I still be able to remain myself?
That was the thought behind the question.
“My Lord, may I speak?”
Selene dropped to one knee the moment she heard me.
“Go ahead.”
“Even if every soul in this dimension were to meet a wretched end, it would not be worth considering against Your grand design.”
I let out a short laugh at her blunt answer.
“…That’s just like you.”
She wasn’t wrong. This world was nothing more than a giant game, and I was a gamer who valued efficiency above all.
*
Back to the present.
“W-what do you mean by that, Awakened Nam Juyeon…? I was merely… expressing my regret that such an unavoidable situation had occurred…”
The Prime Minister stood before me, sweating profusely. His eyes were fixed on my fingertips, checking whether I was manipulating a status window.
“Thinking about dying makes you think a lot, doesn’t it?”
“P-please spare me. I can explain everything. Everything.”
After everything I had been through these past weeks, I had come to a clear conclusion about my stance in this rotten world. Anything that tried to harm me would be eliminated without exception. Anything useful would be exploited to the fullest. This world was already ruined; I had no room left for guilt.
“Explain? Why would that matter? If I understood your circumstances, would you quietly accept death?”
“That’s…”
“Of course not. Same goes for me. I have no reason to understand the circumstances of those who tried to kill me.”
I admitted it. My head was messed up. But the world was even more messed up than that. Threatening to kill someone, or actually killing them, no longer bound me by any law. The man in front of me seemed to have reached the same conclusion. He lowered his head even further from his kneeling position, bowing until his body nearly touched the floor, desperately begging for his life.
“No, Mr. Nam Juyeon. That wasn’t my intention. I’m truly sorry. The administration will ensure this never happens again…”
“No need. Do whatever you want.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you pull another stunt like this, Seoul won’t exist as a city anymore.”
“…What do you mean by that…?”
Players of Disaster Order, myself included, held extralegal authority in situations like this. There was one right only the Awakened could claim.
“The fifth Rift Eruption is coming soon.”
“…”
“If you’ve got a brain, use it. What happens to Seoul if I sit out next week’s eruption? If Yu Junseo sits it out with me?”
A rift eruption. A natural disaster only the Awakened could control. At the same time, it was a powerful weapon I could wield against the government.
“Every non-Awakened will die. So will most of your government officials. Some Awakened might die too, but their survival rate will be far higher than yours.”
“…”
“The survivors could form new communities. It’s already happening all over the provinces. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
The world was changing to match the new system. Things that had seemed unreal when I read them in articles or reports became painfully real after I witnessed them firsthand while clearing nests in the provinces. The Awakened community in Daejeon was precarious, yet it still functioned as a small nation. As time passed, the power of the Awakened would only grow stronger, all because of the unknown force called disasters and the unique nature of the eruptions that brought them down.
“It seems you still think you’re the ruling class of this world.”
Neither the government, nor I, nor the world itself could cling to the old system. A new world required new rules.
“If you want to live, it’d be best not to interfere with what the Awakened, myself included, are doing. If something like this happens again, you’ll be gambling with the lives of every human in Seoul.”
“…”
“Don’t think I won’t. How many people do you think I’ve already killed?”
If I counted the unknown victims, it easily reached tens of millions. No, since I was the one who unleashed the disasters of Disaster Order upon Earth, I might as well have killed hundreds of millions. I gave a bitter smile at the pointless thought.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, having heard my threat, had turned deathly pale and frozen in place. My intimidation, if not persuasion, seemed to have worked.
“Understood?”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Ah, and one more thing.”
While I was at it, I brought up another demand.
“Let’s abolish that Awakened Management Law too.”
“…Pardon?”
The Awakened Management Law. A vile statute that prohibited the Awakened from moving freely or changing residences. Refusal could result in life imprisonment. It was the leash the government had placed around our necks. In reality, with the government now groveling before me, the law was already meaningless. So there was no reason for it to exist.
The Prime Minister couldn’t hide his shock at my words. After frantically thinking it over, he shook his head and forced a desperate smile.
“I fully understand how you feel, Mr. Nam Juyeon. However, laws… aren’t something that can be changed with a single word…”
“Oh, really? Wasn’t this very Awakened Management Law created because a bunch of sellouts said a few words?”
“…”
“Right. Like you said, it won’t change with just words. So let’s wait and see. Actions speak louder than words.”
“…A-actions?”
“Tomorrow morning, the news might report that the newly built National Assembly building has been half-destroyed. Or maybe today’s articles will say the Speaker died in a bombing.”
“…”
“I think you get the point by now. I’m not suggesting. I’m ordering. If I don’t see meaningful results by next month, you’ll be the one waiting with your neck on the line.”
I flicked my fingers. The Prime Minister’s eyes had been glued to my hand since earlier, so his eyelids twitched in sync with the gesture.
“Ah, one last thing.”
I smiled at the completely frozen man and continued.
“Prepare a flight for me. I need to make a trip to China.”
I had to prepare thoroughly for Karne as well.
*
After the brief conversation ended, I left the Director’s office. Kang Se-na was waiting right outside the hallway door, holding a stack of documents.
“Did the conversation go well?”
A subtle smile played on her lips. She had clearly heard everything.
“You heard?”
“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. The soundproofing in this building is terrible.”
“Disappointed? That the great Dragon King and Maestro turned out to be an anarchist?”
At my joke, Kang Se-na let out a soft laugh.
“It’s not Dragon King anymore. It’s Dragon Emperor.”
She replied with a joke of her own.
“Disappointed? Not at all. If anything, I see you in a new light, Mr. Nam Juyeon.”
“A new light?”
“I’m the one who convinced you to step forward confidently in the first place. In a situation like this, I think the management bureau needs someone with backbone, whether that’s a tyrant or an outlaw.”
“You just didn’t want to work with Yu Junseo, did you?”
“My, how perceptive.”
Kang Se-na smiled, and I shrugged. Her gaze drifted into the distance. Yu Junseo was giving orders to the bureau staff.
“Director Yu seems intent on making the management bureau completely independent from the government. With your help, the Awakened Management Law will disappear soon, so we should see meaningful results within a month at the earliest.”
“Good for him.”
“Do you think it’s right to put that man in the director’s seat?”
“Wouldn’t you know that best?”
Honestly, Yu Junseo wasn’t a capable person. He was foolish and only cared about his own safety. But he knew his own limits. Unlike Investigator Jo Geon-uk, his ego wasn’t bloated beyond his abilities. He was selfish, but undeniably human. That was why, while he wasn’t reliable, he wasn’t worrisome either.
Kang Se-na seemed to share my thoughts and let out a deep sigh.
“Well, you’re not wrong. The one-eyed should lead the one-eyed. Not a two-eyed person like you, Mr. Nam Juyeon.”
She quickly changed the subject.
“So, why are you going to China? I heard the situation there isn’t great.”
“To track Actor.”
“Really?”
“…Yeah, something like that.”
This time, Kang Se-na simply nodded without asking further.
“May I ask one last thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“You really have no interest in me? If one woman isn’t enough, I could bring Yerin along to help.”
“…”
[5★ Storm of the North Sea Mirien is watching you!!]
“No interest. None whatsoever.”
I had once again saved the world. The dignity of an Absolute Ruler. Probably.