The Bat, Yu Junseo (3)

From that day, a week passed. Much had changed.

The government seemed to have taken my threat very seriously. The usually sluggish lawmakers moved faster than ever before. First, the National Assembly abolished the Awakened Management Law along with all related bills. The executive branch withdrew all external auditors it had dispatched to the Awakened Management Agency, and the ministerial-level officials behind the previous incident were dismissed one after another.

Of course, even if it was for survival, it was true that I had resorted to assassination as a last resort to enforce my will. The media and the public wondered if there was any connection between the abolition of the Awakened Management Law and the previous terrorist incident. But there was no evidence. Selene had completed her mission in secret, and even the skeptics who raised suspicions never dreamed that the mastermind could be Korea's first S-class Awakened. In the end, the hypothesis remained just that—an unproven suspicion.

Public opinion was hostile, but that didn't mean they had the power to stop the Awakened Management Agency from restructuring. After that turbulent week, the Awakened Management Agency was reborn under a new name: the Awakened Association.

"Behold, Association President Yu Junseo! How about it, Juyeon? Pretty stylish, right?"

Yu Junseo seemed quite pleased with the title of Association President instead of Director. He showed up at the signboard ceremony wearing a suit he must have bought recently, his hair slicked back with wax. I desperately wanted to mock his hairstyle, which looked like a donkey had licked it, but I barely held back. When dealing with Yu Junseo, carrots worked better than whips.

"Not bad. As expected of Korea's symbol, the Flame Emperor Yu Junseo. Why don't you wander around in that outfit during the next Rift Eruption too?"

"Oh, should I? Nam Juyeon, you really have an eye for these things."

Completely missing the sarcasm, Yu Junseo grinned and picked up the scissors.

"I've always wanted to do this at least once in my life."

"So it seems."

"Hehe."

With an unpleasant laugh, Yu Junseo performed the ribbon-cutting. Applause erupted. The Awakened Management Agency—no, the Awakened Association—had become an organization completely separate from the government. While there was still some overlap in authority, the Association could now assert its will on equal footing with the government. An organization of the Awakened, by the Awakened, for the Awakened.

"Looks like things are going to get busy from now on."

Meanwhile, Kang Se-na, sitting beside me, had dark circles that had crept all the way down to her cheeks from the accumulated workload. Yu Junseo only needed to show his face at official events, but the actual workers must have been dying.

"Good work."

"It's fine. I don't want to be comforted by a man who's been dumped twice."

Kang Se-na chuckled as she said that, and we quietly watched the launch ceremony. A nameless minister ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had attended the event looked around, then made eye contact with me. The moment he flinched and nearly fell over, I almost burst out laughing. Kang Se-na couldn't hold back her laughter either and kept snickering for a while.

"It seems the higher-ups are afraid of you, Nam Juyeon."

"I have to rule through fear. That's what an Absolute Ruler does."

At my muttered words, Kang Se-na looked at me with a surprised expression.

"Do you know something, Nam Juyeon?"

"What?"

"Your eyes are completely different from when we first met."

"A lot has happened."

More than I could ever explain.

A few days later, a message announcing the fifth Rift Eruption appeared. It was the first eruption the Association would face, not the Management Agency. All of Seoul's attention was focused on us. Because of that, we had to be more determined than ever to ensure no civilian casualties occurred during this eruption. And then—

"Bwahahaha! This is what the Flame Emperor is all about!"

In the end, I came to realize just how convenient it was to have another S-class Awakened around.

Yu Junseo's 4-star Disaster, the Flame Guardian, proved its worth right in the middle of Seoul. This Disaster, shaped like massive armor, wasn't particularly outstanding in attack power. However, it was a tank-support Disaster with tremendous durability, high defense, and a skill set that supported party members from all directions. In other words, in situations like now where numerous Awakened were banding together to defend against waves, it could perform just as well as my Storm Dragon.

Kugugugu!

When the Flame Guardian swung its massive gauntlet, the road instantly turned into a sea of fire. The 1-star Disasters couldn't even touch the armor and crumbled into ashes. No matter how defensive a Disaster was, 4-star was still 4-star. The balance of Disaster Order formed a very steep pyramid structure. Even if the gap wasn't as large as between 4-star and 5-star, the difference between 3-star and 4-star Disasters was still significant. That's why even a non-named 4-star Disaster could take on a hundred 3-star or lower Disasters single-handedly.

A living armor blocking an entire street while spewing bright red flames. The Awakened marveled at the sight that stirred a man's heart. With three 4-star Disasters gathered in Seoul, it could be said to be the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠safest city in the world during an eruption like this.

"How about it, Kang Se-na? I'm definitely S-class, right?"

"Yes. Definitely."

Leaving behind Yu Junseo who was spewing his need for recognition, I manipulated my status window to check the information. While blocking the eruption, I had given separate orders to Mirien. It was to scout the upcoming waves in advance and eliminate any dangerous Disasters.

According to Mirien's reconnaissance, fortunately, no 4-star Disasters had appeared in this eruption. It was a huge relief. If a 4-star Disaster rampaged in the middle of Seoul, the damage would be immeasurable.

A few hours later, the fifth Rift Eruption ended. Surprisingly, there were zero casualties. The fact that there were no civilian casualties despite it being a larger scale than the previous fourth eruption was nothing short of a miracle.

'With this, the government won't be able to say anything about us.'

This incident would cause the Awakened Association's influence to skyrocket, bringing a new wind to Korea. A new system centered around the Awakened. And the protagonist of that would be the ordinary man standing right in front of me, a former public service worker with mental issues.

"By the way. Se-na, I have a problem."

As I was thinking that while looking at Yu Junseo, he fidgeted restlessly and spoke to Kang Se-na as if he desperately needed to use the bathroom. Kang Se-na let out a deep sigh and replied.

"What is it this time."

"I think all the wax melted because of the heat."

Yu Junseo made a pitiful face while grabbing his drooping, limp hair.

"..."

Just then, our eyes met with Kang Se-na. Her gaze said, 'Save me.'

I ignored it.

For the next two days, I poured all the Disasters obtained from the Daejeon nest and the eruptions into synthesis. The result was a total of five 3-star Disasters. I didn't get any 4-star Disasters, but there was no need to feel disappointed. The probability of obtaining a 4-star through synthesis in the game was less than 5%. Even that hadn't been officially announced by the developers, so I had to make my own Excel sheet to calculate it. Yu Junseo, who had pulled a 4-star Disaster in one go, was truly an exceptional case.

"At this rate, our forces seem sufficient enough."

Anyway, the Disasters I currently possessed were two 5-stars, three 4-stars, and eleven 3-stars. It was enough power to overturn an entire country. It might be somewhat lacking compared to the forces Karne's Mother of Ill Omens had gathered, but I wouldn't be overwhelmed helplessly. However, Karne had the guaranteed synthesis skill Mother's Call. She would gather her minions faster than I could reinforce my forces. In other words, confronting Karne without delay was the right decision.

"Let's go, Selene, Mirien. To China."

After much deliberation, I spoke those words boldly. Yet the two great Disasters showed lukewarm reactions.

"...Hmm."

While Selene nodded, the corners of her mouth formed a wavy line, and Mirien sullenly twirled her index finger around her hair. Their expressions clearly conveyed that they were following reluctantly. I sighed and asked.

"You two, why exactly do you hate Karne so much?"

Unable to bear it any longer, I asked, and different answers came back.

"That woman is a lowly wench. She dares to seduce My Lord with her vulgar clothing and lewd behavior. Moreover, it is utterly despicable that she claims to be My Lord's mother with that filthy body. Is she planning to have a virgin birth?"

"Asteria is the same, and that bitch Karne too—they're both old hags. I don't want to talk to old women."

"...How have you two managed not to fight until now?"

The more I looked, the more I felt it, but it was truly amazing that no internal conflict had occurred during the time I was playing the game.

"However, My Lord, how do you plan to reach where that woman is?"

"The government has prepared a private jet for us."

"...If they try to harm us..."

Selene asked with a worried expression. Although the negotiations had been resolved smoothly, there was still anxiety that the government might shoot down the plane ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was on.

"That's why I've thought of a method of my own."

"What method is that?"

"I'm planning to bring one person along with us."

"One person?"

Selene tilted her head. I picked up my phone and pressed a name in my contacts. The ringtone didn't even go twice.

[Uh, um... Nam Juyeon? For the Association... what business do you...]

Association President Yu Junseo answered the phone in a hesitant voice. It seemed he found it quite ominous to be on the phone with me. Of course, Yu Junseo's ominous premonition was about to come true. I grinned and said.

"Let's go on a trip, shall we?"

[Huh?]

"To China."

Just in case, I was planning to bring along one safety measure.