The Queen's Obsessive Servant
Busan Clan matters had been settled for the time being. Though it hadn't been his intention, Shin Do-hee, the Queen of Busan, had become a fervent follower of the Actor faith. Instead of expanding her influence, she began focusing on stabilizing public order in Busan. When Jeon Tae-min heard the news, his face lit up and he started thanking Nam Juyeon over and over.
"Thank you so much! Thanks to you, sir, Daejeon is safe now."
"Can't you drop the 'sir' already?"
Nam Juyeon had no idea why the man was so desperate to call him his elder brother. The age gap between them looked to be at least ten years.
"B-but, sir. Just how did you manage to win over that crazy woman? I met her once before, and she didn't seem like the type you could reason with at all."
Jeon Tae-min seemed to believe that Nam Juyeon had simply persuaded Shin Do-hee. From what he could tell, the other regional Awakened were equally baffled by the sudden shift in the Busan Clan's atmosphere. As if suddenly remembering something, Jeon Tae-min clapped his hands and continued.
"I saw it on the news. They said some terrifying existence called Actor has taken over Busan."
Jeon Tae-min might have been closer to a thug than anything else, but he wasn't stupid. He rolled his eyes, scanning the area around Nam Juyeon for any sign of disasters. When he concluded there was no one else present, he spoke cautiously.
"Don't tell me that Actor is…"
"Hey."
At Nam Juyeon's single word, Jeon Tae-min flinched and his shoulders trembled.
"Do you really need to know?"
Jeon Tae-min shook his head vigorously. He wasn't completely lacking in awareness, at least. Given that he had already witnessed Nam Juyeon commanding 5★ disasters, his suspicion was understandable.
Actor.
The fact that his old in-game username was now drawing nationwide attention still felt like some third-rate comedy to him.
Even if I revealed myself as Actor in front of everyone, would anyone be able to stop me?
Shin Do-hee, a powerful regional Awakened, was loyal to him. Jeon Tae-min of the Daejeon Clan followed him, albeit half by force. The Association people, including Yu Junseo, would be shocked but wouldn't turn hostile. Leihu, his sworn brother, was out of the question. Even if someone like Jo Geon-uk appeared again, trying to hold him accountable, would they have the power to challenge him when he commanded three 5★ disasters?
Of course not.
Anyone who tried would end up imprisoned in the Tower of Rebellion, just like Jo Geon-uk. Considering his current strength, even if every Awakened on the Korean Peninsula came at him at once, he would never be in danger. Selene, fully recovered thanks to the Elixir, was strong enough that disasters below 3★ couldn't even scratch her.
His ultimate goal was to reach the position of Absolute Ruler as described by the game system. This double life would eventually come to an end. Until then, practicing with the thug in front of him wasn't a bad idea.
"Hey."
"Yes, sir!"
"I am Actor."
"…Pardon?"
"Just like you said. The master of 5★ disasters, the lord of the Abyss, the villain of Busan, the conqueror of China, the ridiculously evil villain. That's me."
"…"
At the sudden coming-out, Jeon Tae-min swallowed hard. It wasn't a particularly grand declaration, yet he looked genuinely terrified. Feeling a wave of embarrassment, Nam Juyeon cleared his throat and pulled a fragment of the crown from his inventory.
"So right now, as Actor, the lord of the Abyss, I'm about to issue a new order to your clan."
"…Y-yes, sir!"
"When the next Rift Eruption happens, powerful disasters will appear. If you find a disaster holding this item, kill it no matter what and farm the broken crown fragments. Understood?"
Jeon Tae-min was quick on the uptake. Instead of hesitating, he nodded immediately.
"Yes. Understood. But what exactly is this item? Is it related to the Elixir you asked for last time?"
"…Hmm."
The Elixir and the crown fragments. In the end, both were meant to strengthen his own forces.
"Not entirely unrelated."
Nam Juyeon gave only a vague answer.
The Ruler of the Rift, 'Actor', gifts the 5☆ Crown of the Great Star to the 5★ Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria.
As soon as he returned to Seoul, the Awakened Association made a huge fuss. More precisely, it was the Association President, Yu Junseo, who made the fuss.
"I figured you had some kind of plan when you suddenly went to Busan. But then this happens—an Actor sighting in Busan. As expected of the Dragon Emperor! You were tracking Actor all along! If I'd known, I would've joined you like we did in China and—"
"Enough. Just do me a favor."
"A favor? D-don't tell me you want to go to China again? I mean, I did say I'd help, but… timing and circumstances matter, you know…"
"That's not it."
Ignoring Yu Junseo's endless rambling, Nam Juyeon brought up the same request as before.
"I need more of these."
He took out Asteria's crown fragment and placed it on the desk. Yu Junseo smacked his lips after apparently confirming through the status window that it was a 4★ item.
"…Why do you need a 4★ item?"
"This is… well…"
Nam Juyeon thought for a moment before coming up with a suitable excuse.
"It's Actor's crown."
"Aha, Actor's crown… huh?"
Yu Junseo had been nodding along when he blinked several times.
"This is?"
"Yes. To be precise, I need to collect all the fragments. Once I gather them all, I plan to drag Actor out from inside the rift. If we kill him, every dungeon on the peninsula will collapse."
It wasn't a lie. Now that he had Asteria as well, there was no longer any need for him to keep wearing the mask of an S-class Awakened.
Yu Junseo gulped. Then he gestured to Kang Se-na, who was standing nearby.
"Haa. Fine, fine. I'll send out an official notice to all affiliated Awakened. The next rift eruption is coming soon, after all."
Kang Se-na's expression as she said this was utterly exhausted—the very picture of an office worker drowning in overtime.
"But if what Nam Juyeon said is true, that means Actor is the mastermind pulling strings from inside the rift."
Meanwhile, Yu Junseo tilted his head.
"Then what exactly does this Actor want from us that he's doing all this?"
"…Hmm."
It was a surprisingly sharp question for someone who looked so foolish. Nam Juyeon pondered before answering.
"I don't know either."
He truly didn't. The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria—what was she thinking? Without her telling him directly, there was no way to know.
"Foolish creature."
—Shhhhhh.
The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, stood alone in the void. This was the inside of the rift. The sensation was familiar. The universe that had once lain beneath her feet remained in its place, and her body was wrapped in a strange color. Soon, that color scattered like thick mist, seeping out beyond the void.
Observing the outside from within the rift was difficult, but the color Asteria extended made even that near-impossible miracle feasible. Through the crown fragments she had scattered outside the rift, Asteria observed the world. Eventually, she spotted the figure she had marked.
"Actor."
Asteria murmured softly. The long ears atop her head and the tails at her waist twitched in response. Nothing had changed. Then or now. The absolute powerhouse even the universe's restraining force had feared. The defeated one imprisoned for an eternity. The fallen queen leading the revival of a new kingdom. And finally, the woman who had taken a god into her heart. All of these were titles that described Asteria and the path she had walked.
"I must rebuild it again."
The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars desired to devour the universe. She wished to swing the blade of vengeance against those who had brought her low and once more become the ruler of a kingdom that encompassed all dimensions. And she had found the one person capable of fulfilling that hope.
The Ruler of the Rift, 'Actor', fires the 5★ Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria.
Everything had seemed to be going smoothly. Until he cast her aside, that is. It was a future the transcendent being Asteria had failed to anticipate. Actor had rejected her. He possessed immense power and had proposed cooperation with her. Yet in the end, he expelled her from his base.
"Haha."
She couldn't deny that her emotions had surged violently for a moment. Asteria could have taken his rejection as an insult. But did it matter? She had already endured far worse. The time when cosmic beings, fearing her, had imprisoned her. The painful years spent dwelling on her kingdom's destruction in endless solitude and silence. Compared to that, Actor's rejection was hardly something that pained her heart.
Of course, Asteria was not the type to obediently give up.
"I will find you to the very end."
Asteria would rebuild her kingdom. And in that process, Actor was absolutely necessary. He was fated to become her first servant. As the kingdom's chancellor, he would assist her in its reconstruction. That was the mission given to him. If Actor would not accept it willingly, she would simply force him into the position. That was what it meant to be a ruler.
Asteria raised a finger. Her beast-like ears twitched. Color rippled from her fingertips, dyeing and spreading through space.
The Rift Erupts.
There were no more choices left. Even if he ran, even if he refused, even if he resisted. The color from the universe would twist causality itself. Actor belonged to her.