Fame Gain Double Event
"Is this the place?"
"Yes…."
An apartment complex half-buried and crumbling under the sand. Asakura Eri looked up at one building that remained relatively intact, shielded by neighboring structures acting as breakwaters against the deluge. Her voice trembled faintly. It was only natural. Just days ago, this had been her ordinary home—and now it looked like something out of an apocalypse flick. And somewhere inside, her grandmother was probably still there—or at least, her body.
Her grandmother, too frail to make it to the shelter in time, must have been left behind. The thought burned in Eri's chest. She wanted to rush straight to her unit, but the journey here had drilled the lesson home: if she wanted to survive and get out alive, she had to follow Lee Seoyul's orders.
Besides, the entrances were blocked by debris; there was no getting in the normal way.
"What floor?"
"Ninth floor, unit 905."
"Not buried in the sand. That's fortunate."
Lee Seoyul scanned the surroundings lightly and decided scaling the sand dune to the rooftop was the best entry point.
"Let's go."
"Ah, um, but it's too high for me to climb…."
Climbing the sand that had swept over the high-rise and using the rooftop as an entrance wasn't easy for a non-awakener like Eri. As if she'd anticipated it, Lee Seoyul scooped Eri up in a princess carry.
"I think you'll be fine, but hold on tight just in case you slip."
"Y-yes, got it!"
In that position, Lee Seoyul ascended the sand dune and landed on the rooftop in an instant.
"Eek…."
Being carried by Lee Seoyul made Eri's vision spin. It drove home just how superhuman an awakener could be. If only I had that kind of power right now…. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she grew over her own utter helplessness during the trip—like dead weight.
A high-end navigation app would at least handle route planning. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd been any real help at all.
"Can you stand?"
"Y-yes."
A bit wobbly from the high-speed transit, Eri mustered her strength at the thought of home being so close. She steadied herself and stood. Lee Seoyul's eyes gleamed at the sight.
No matter how safely she'd been carried, rebound from a single leap like that wasn't trivial—and yet Eri was on her feet?
It's starting.
As Lee Seoyul pondered, Eri found her balance and spoke in a resolute voice.
"Let's go."
They both pushed aside the vague unease stirring in their chests for later and pressed on. Eri took a deep breath and led the way. But now that she was at her long-sought home, actually opening the door filled her with dread. What if her grandmother had already passed? Still, steeling herself, Eri unlocked the front door and stepped inside.
"Grandma!"
Crying out with tangled emotions, Eri dashed to the master bedroom. There, she found…
"Eri? How did you…?"
…her grandmother, shock plain on her face. Seeing this, Lee Seoyul nodded in relief—Just as expected, she's alive.
Though isolated, it hadn't been long-term; the food and water in the apartment had been enough to hold out. Plus, being on a high floor untouched by sand meant less monster threat, and no deathly odor when they opened the door suggested she'd weakened but survived. The prediction had held.
That said, nearly a week of isolation had left her grandmother haggard.
"Here."
Lee Seoyul rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a potion.
"It's a diluted recovery tonic. It should help restore her strength."
Think of it as an oral rehydration solution.
"We should go. Monsters could show up anytime."
"Eri, who is this…?"
Asakura Eri's grandmother eyed the stranger warily. Eri fed her the potion as she explained.
"She's the hunter who helped me come find you, Grandma."
Eri wanted nothing more than to hug her grandmother and sob with joy at their reunion, but now wasn't the time. Blinking back tears, she became her grandmother's legs—hoisting her onto her back for evacuation. Just piggybacking risked danger, so Eri used a blanket to securely bind her in place. Then she stood abruptly, and Lee Seoyul's eyes gleamed again.
Asakura Eri's awakening has begun.
Supporting or carrying someone who couldn't hold their own weight was far more taxing than it seemed—you had to try it to know. Yet Eri looked effortless with her grandmother on her back. It was too much for mere adrenaline-fueled strength; this was the precursor to awakening.
Those adapting to mana, starting to accept it, saw massive boosts in strength, stamina, and agility. From there, awakening skills completed the process, turning them into proper hunters—or they stalled at F-rank. In other words, Asakura Eri was already F-rank equivalent, even if she didn't realize it. Lee Seoyul could sense it: Eri's body was rapidly evolving, attuned to mana.
The Break's aftereffects lingered. Mana density rivaled a gate's. I figured it might accelerate awakening—and bingo. Lee Seoyul smiled inwardly.
"Then let's—"
As Lee Seoyul moved to lead them out to safety, her hand instinctively went to her weapon. She'd sensed a presence. Eri tensed reflexively at the motion, but…
"That voice—is that Asakura? A-Asakura?"
…what burst from the bent corridor wasn't a monster, but another stranded resident.
Far more people than imagined had failed to evacuate. It was unavoidable. Neighboring buildings had acted as breakwaters, sparing this one from collapse or domino-effect ruin, but entrances were sand-blocked. Some had boldly escaped via rooftop; others chose to hunker down and wait for rescue. Hearing the commotion, they'd come out thinking official help had arrived at last…
It was rescue, but not from rescuers.
Wh-what do we do?
These weren't strangers—they were neighbors who'd exchanged smiles and greetings before the disaster. Eri wanted to help, to take them along if possible. But while one or two might be manageable, more were gathering, mistaking them for official aid.
She couldn't just abandon them and flee with her grandmother. Not that the decision's mine anyway….
Eri glanced at Lee Seoyul, whose eyes asked what she thought. Lowering her hand from her weapon, Lee Seoyul spoke.
"How many people are left in the apartments, unable to evacuate?"
"Uh, about twenty. But you're not rescue team?"
"Unfortunately, no formal operation has started yet. I'm just a hunter temporarily hired by Asakura Eri here."
But she was capable of safely evacuating twenty people solo.
"If it's alright with you, Asakura, I can escort all the remaining residents out."
"Yes?! I-is that even possible? I'd love that, but…."
Eri couldn't hide her shock at Lee Seoyul's calm declaration. She'd seen enough on the way here to know she was no ordinary hunter, but this?
Common knowledge—even for gate novices—was that crowds drew monsters via presence detection. In crises like this, unless heading to a fortified shelter, it was better to scatter than clump up. Twenty people would attract hordes; how could she handle and evacuate them all? Eri was stunned and baffled. No one could blame her for ditching them and saving just her grandmother—what gain was there in helping?
Altruism's beauty was acting without need to—but when lives hung in the balance, that changed things.
Of course, Lee Seoyul had her reasons: boosting her reputation. And she couldn't just look away when she could help.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
She wouldn't have offered if she couldn't deliver. After a brief hesitation, Eri asked her to save the others too.
"Thank you! Thank you! We'll repay this somehow!"
The residents gathered on the rooftop upon hearing the news—mostly elderly, infirm, or their protectors. Twenty-four in total, including kids and seniors. Seeing them up close, Eri wavered: Is this really okay? The newcomers shared her doubt.
"Is this safe? Maybe we should wait here for official rescue…."
"Rescue? Hah! You think that'll happen? Radio's been spewing useless crap for days now. Not even a heli drop of supplies! Food and water's running out—we can't hold longer. Grab the chance while it's here."
"Still…."
Eri trusted Lee Seoyul after glimpsing her skills en route, but the others were skeptical. In the end, some opted to stay for government aid; seventeen trusted her and chose escape.
Couldn't call the holdouts foolish. Not every hunter wore their power level on their forehead. Not everyone could gauge strength from aura alone. And she wasn't even Japanese—Lee Seoyul had introduced herself as a Korean B-rank on vacation, but some remained wary. Ultimately, choices and consequences were theirs.
"Th-that's B-rank? Her?"
And those who'd trusted the foreign hunter over their government witnessed it.
"Korean B-ranks are monsters!"
"This can't be right…? Our guild's B-ranks aren't that level…."
Not all B-ranks were created equal.