I Already Did It All (2)
“Heh.”
I shook my head at the spectacle unfolding before my eyes. The reaper had descended. Selene was literally harvesting lives. Every time she swung her wedge sword, flames erupted. Before the storm of fire, the 1-star disasters were nothing more than leaves in the wind.
“The base doesn’t have enough space. Cannot collect the disaster.”
We’d already filled all ten slots. It had only been two hours since we left Seoul, yet Selene was single-handedly smashing every disaster that appeared. The nest was completely wiped out.
I clapped my hands to get Selene’s attention.
“Selene, this place looks cleaned up. Let’s move on.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Selene sheathed her sword. I opened my phone to check the information.
“There’s a nest near Cheonan where disasters have gathered. It’s supposed to be much larger than this one. Let’s hit that.”
“I shall obey.”
One good thing that came with the widespread Awakened certification system was the ability to instantly check dungeon information through internet communities. I started the car, and Selene took the passenger seat. Despite her appearance, she adapted to modern conveniences surprisingly well.
“Do you intend to slay every disaster in this land?”
“No, I’ll head back once we’ve gathered enough. Besides, there are checkpoints everywhere, so it’s hard to move around freely.”
Ever since disasters began appearing on Earth, roads were no longer the exclusive domain of humans. The government had set up checkpoints everywhere, stationing soldiers and police. To avoid inspections, we had no choice but to use quiet country roads.
While driving, I opened the status window.
Disasters Held: 10/10
Experience: 3435Exp
Equipment Held: 3/20
I opened the base upgrade window. In Disaster Order, bases could be upgraded with experience points. Right now, the barracks were the top priority. I tapped the hammer button repeatedly.
The experience required started at 100 but doubled with each upgrade. Normally, one upgrade was the limit. But I had an absurd amount of experience. I pressed the button without hesitation.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
After investing a total of 1,500 experience points, I upgraded the barracks four times.
Now I could collect forty more disasters.
“Selene. Think you can handle forty?”
“…I have already undertaken countless expeditions at My Lord’s command. None have been easier than this.”
“Fair enough.”
Sending a 5-star disaster like Selene into a nest full of trash disasters was like using a sledgehammer to crack nuts. Something that would’ve been unthinkable in the game.
Maybe it was because of that idle thought. I failed to notice the checkpoint at the end of the road.
“We’ll need to conduct a brief inspection.”
“Damn it.”
I had no choice but to stop at the checkpoint. A police officer approached from a distance. There was a risk he’d spot Selene in the passenger seat, but fortunately, she was quick on the uptake.
Flash.
By the time the officer reached us, Selene had long since melted into the shadows. It was a relief I’d taught her the stealth skill back in the game.
“Traveling alone?”
Luckily, the officer didn’t notice Selene’s stealth skill. He stared at me with a blank expression before his face brightened.
“Ah, you’re an Awakened too.”
The officer smiled as he spoke, apparently one himself.
“You’ve registered as an Awakened, right?”
“No, not yet.”
“You should do it soon. Well, there’s still a few days left in the voluntary reporting period, so no rush. Anyway, heading down this way, you’re probably going to hunt disasters at the Cheonan nest. Planning to find a partner there?”
“…Ah, yeah. Something like that.”
The officer nodded at my answer, as if it were a common occurrence. After all, among the disaster nests near the capital, Cheonan was the most famous.
“So what’s your nickname? You’re unregistered, but we still need to record at least a name.”
The officer gave a wry smile and waved the clipboard in his hand. If I said “Actor” here, I’d be handcuffed on the spot. I thought for a moment before answering.
“Juyeon. Nam Juyeon.”
“Juyeon, huh. Hmm, like the male lead? Haha. Sounds like a name for an actor.”
I returned a wry smile at the officer’s joke. That was actually why I’d chosen “Actor” as my in-game username. Fortunately, he didn’t connect the dots between my name and the word “Actor.” He chuckled, tipped his cap, and nodded.
“Good luck with the hunt.”
“Thanks.”
I stepped on the accelerator. The moment we passed the checkpoint, a deep sigh escaped me. At the same time, Selene emerged from the veil.
“…My Lord, what is Juyeon?”
“My real name. More precisely, Nam Juyeon.”
“….”
Selene swallowed sharply. Then, with her hands neatly folded, she only moved her lips soundlessly.
“…What’s wrong?”
“May I ask what it means?”
“Nothing special. It’s just… a name my parents gave me hoping I’d become the protagonist of the world.”
Well, in a way, I had become the protagonist. Who could’ve known the world would turn into a game? As I wore a wry smile, Selene covered her mouth.
“To think… the day would come when I’d hear My Lord’s true name.”
“True name?”
“A true name is an origin. I am truly honored to learn My Lord’s origin. Its meaning is also truly beautiful and grand. Selene is deeply moved by the trust My Lord has placed in me.”
“….”
If she was happy, that was enough. Think whatever you want. I shrugged and headed toward Cheonan.
Ding.
We devoured the nest whole.
*
It was early that morning when the Awakened Management Bureau learned that the nest in Cheonan had vanished. They immediately dispatched personnel and heard a shocking story.
“So… it disappeared without any warning? The nest?”
“Yes….”
“Where are the disasters that were inside?”
“I don’t know. When we checked, there was nothing left.”
The nest had disappeared in the middle of the night. Of course, the disasters being gone was a good thing. But for them to vanish overnight like this was unprecedented.
“This is insane.”
Jo Geon-uk, an Awakened from the Bureau, pressed his throbbing temples. The Cheonan nest had been a location the Bureau had been keeping a close eye on. Since disasters had a habit of gathering together, they thought that if they kept the area under steady control, it could serve as bait during the next Rift Eruption. It was also a place with potential value as a stepping stone for the growth of domestic Awakened.
“There were over a hundred disasters gathered in that hellhole. Does it make sense for them to disappear overnight?”
There were two possibilities. Either the disasters, including the dungeon, had naturally disappeared, or someone had dealt with all of them. Jo Geon-uk thought the former was far more likely, but as someone who had been dispatched, he had to consider every possibility.
“Get me the list of all Awakened who passed through the road checkpoint that evening from the nearby police.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jo Geon-uk received the passage log and checked it. The last Awakened to visit was…
“Juyeon.”
An unregistered Awakened. Highly suspicious. Jo Geon-uk mulled over the name and asked the administrator.
“Hey, exactly what time did the nest disappear?”
“Around 9:15 PM.”
“Hmm.”
The passage time for the Awakened named Juyeon was 8:39 PM. Even driving fast, it took twenty minutes from the checkpoint to the nest. It was physically impossible to clear a dungeon filled with hundreds of disasters in just five minutes. In other words, this Awakened likely knew nothing.
Jo Geon-uk checked the log further, but only four or five Awakened had passed through the Cheonan checkpoint late that night. Even they had time gaps between them.
“…It really does seem like a natural disappearance….”
The Bureau faced a new problem once again. A problem that had arisen only five days after the system’s launch.
*
“…What the hell is this nonsense?”
The next day, reading the headline, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.