Awakener Association 101

Thousands of battles, large and small, erupted across Seoul.

But humanity couldn't win every fight. And victories weren't always clean.

Some lost. Some won but got injured. Some just had bad luck and died.

But.

"Retiree-level casualties are confirmed at around ten or fewer..."

It was a result worthy of being called a resounding victory.

...Before the Association President headed to the International Hunter Federation meeting.

The brain-type awakener in charge of planning this wave gave an additional report to the president.

"This is the outcome of adding asd123's help to the Association's existing plan. Not only did asd123 crash over 90% of the enemies with Detection scrolls, but by putting over 1,000 Mana Arrow scrolls up for auction, they even ensured the safety of low-rank teams..."

As his words ended, Lee Dong-gyu added a comment.

"Additionally, during the wave suppression, asd123 provided stationary Barrier scrolls. Thanks to that, the areas we had to cover were reduced..."

asd123 had made a huge contribution to suppressing this wave.

Of course, there was no need for the Association to suddenly marvel at asd123's abilities and make a fuss.

No one in that room was unaware of their greatness.

However.

"...That's a relief. This proves it. Even without revealing their identity, asd123 has a stronger sense of duty than most hunters and is helping us."

They now had a clear grasp of asd123's stance. asd123 was more upright than expected and deeply invested in humanity's survival!

...Something that might be obvious for any human.

But in a world full of crazies—not just mana users, but plenty who turned villain after getting drunk on power—it wasn't a given.

Moreover, asd123 was still operating anonymously.

Only the president and Lee Dong-gyu knew their identity, so the other Association members were finally breathing a sigh of relief.

The mages felt the same relief.

With their representative, the Association President, using asd123's scrolls.

Wouldn't it be awkward for them to reject asd123?

If they just thought of asd123's scrolls as something special, it wasn't hard to accept. A mutation, sure.

"Ahem... Next report. No issues have been detected in the shelters investigated so far..."

Perhaps because suppressing the wave took seven hours. Or because of the overwhelming victory...

The meeting proceeded in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere.

The president, who had been listening silently, spoke in a deliberately serious tone once the report ended.

"Everyone did great work... but it's too early to let your guard down. The wave isn't over yet."

In truth, remnants they hadn't fully exterminated were still roaming Seoul.

But that wasn't the only reason the president said it.

"Most countries outside Korea are still struggling. Victory here alone doesn't end it, does it?"

If other countries fell, the monsters' next target was obvious. Their numbers would dwarf what appeared in Seoul.

Korea alone couldn't block them all.

And above all...

"Don't forget—the core of this wave is taking down Garuda."

Even if they exterminated every A-rank monster, failing to catch Garuda meant nothing.

They'd seen Vasuki's power in the Sea of Milk—it defied imagination.

Of course, they had a countermeasure for it.

An item with both a wave countdown and an active function. They'd use it against Garuda.

With Vasuki's help, catching Garuda was entirely plausible.

But according to most mythological interpretations, Vasuki lost to Garuda, so humanity would need to make up the difference.

"...So everyone, get your heads back in the game and hang in there a bit longer."

Having heightened the hunters' tension, the president outlined the tasks.

"...Leave remnant cleanup to the guilds. We'll focus on returning shelter civilians to normal life. Once that's done, we'll lift the stay-home order."

He then added to Lee Dong-gyu.

"And there's a commission for asd123..."

Once remnants were cleared and the rift fully closed, they'd send mercenaries abroad.

But they couldn't help every country. Plus, the destinations were roughly decided: hunter powerhouses.

To make better use of their spare gold.

And to preserve the strength of those clear hunter strongholds...

Realistically, other nations were out of reach.

But there was one awakener unbound by such limits.

'asd123's Frost Wind scroll took down a B-rank flying monster in one shot... If we can expand the range, it'd be a huge help to countries with small rifts.'

It would also mean supporting asd123's growth without dipping into Association funds.

Of course, massively expanding Frost Wind's range wouldn't be easy.

But since the creator was asd123, it was worth asking directly.

"...This ad-hoc meeting is adjourned. No need to drag it out."

As they returned to their seats, the president prepared for the International Hunter Federation meeting.

Around that time, the atmosphere in most shelters was far from good.

Dim interiors lit only by emergency lights to avoid attracting monsters.

Pale-faced people staring at their smartphones, screaming in terror at every distant explosion.

They conversed silently. Online, in communities.

The reason civilians could stay somewhat calm was Korea's high suppression odds.

Rift sizes didn't scale with capital size, right?

This small land was packed with top hunters.

In the grim situation, as they groped for hope.

Static.

Noise crackled from the shelter speakers. An announcement.

An utterly unexpected moment.

Words no one had anticipated flowed from the speakers.

Civilians couldn't process it at first. Control officers just led them out one by one.

The moment bewildered civilians stepped outside.

No monster roars anywhere—just hunters silently clearing corpses.

That silence steadied their hearts. The rising sunlight felt especially brilliant.

Soon, they cheered in relief.

But they'd learn soon enough. Why such an enormous threat was resolved in just eight hours.

They'd learn for sure about the special awakener called asd123.

A day passed.

Daily life recovered quickly.

Though the rift over Seoul hadn't vanished, people lived their routines as always.

Park Ha-jun did the same.

He woke early, washed up, ate breakfast.

For the record, pre-awakening, cereal or skipping was the norm.

But Kim Ah-hyun nagged, "Professor, please live healthily...! You need to live long!" So now he ate salads.

Unimaginable for past Ha-jun. No money, too lazy.

But now it was different.

Add money to salad ingredients, and full salads delivered every morning.

This reaffirmed money's greatness—and that daily life had recovered substantially.

Anyway.

Park Ha-jun sorted things out over salad. Plenty to organize.

First, check held gold.

Detection scrolls weren't settled yet.

This was from 1,400 Mana Arrow scrolls auctioned plus 10 Barrier scrolls sold to Lee Dong-gyu.

About 1.8 billion gold earned. Mana Arrows at 500k each.

Sold cheap overall.

Unlike gate clears, no gold rewards in the Vasuki incident.

This wave was similar, so he couldn't go full merchant.

'No need to exploit desperation when I'm earning plenty.'

Only issue: legendary magic quill goal at 100 billion gold.

Ha-jun's earning speed was transcendent. Who else makes 23 billion in a month?

And as if backing his choice, an email from Lee Dong-gyu arrived.

In summary:

1. Remnants cleared today. Be careful.

2. Korea succeeded thanks to asd123.

3. Others struggling. Need ~100 Frost Wind scrolls.

4. No fee; connect to foreign associations as made.

Honestly, 100 was a stretch.

But based on experience, asd123 handled even outrageous requests effortlessly.

They risked rudeness, adding "not necessarily 100" three times.

Ha-jun pondered.

'How much ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can I expand Frost Wind's range...'

And would that expanded range hit only monsters, sparing buildings?

Not a salad-chewing problem.

Needed to brainstorm ideas and collaborate with researchers.

Still.

'No hard deadline.'

Longer production meant heavier losses abroad.

Not his responsibility.

But if helping, best results were ideal.

So, Ha-jun texted two math students selected from interviews.

Asking if they could start today...

Planning two teams using his associate professor lab perk.

Wave unresolved globally, but.

Ha-jun was a math professor first. Normal routine amid crisis was natural.

Thus, breakfast done, off to lab.

International Hunter Federation meeting.

Officials on monitors looked grim. Powerhouses who'd led before now silent.

They attended per prior agreement.

All knew the info. No one doing well. No one to request aid from.

Well, precisely one.

That one drew most nations despite urgency.

And Korea's Awakener Association President, Lee Jong-hwa—the only one who could help—spoke slowly.

"...We'll now accept aid requests."

Real-time translation widened eyes. Fail to appeal, and nations might fall...