Chapter 68. Playthings.
Chapter 68. Playthings.
About a week had passed since everyone became Awakened. Those with some talent sprouted the seed I'd planted in them, forming a single ring or stepping into the third-rate realm.
After that, Terion and I joined forces and set up a combined magic and martial formation we called the Mana Concentration Formation, designed to aid their training. At this point, even if you searched the entire world, you wouldn't find a place richer in mana than this.
Every now and then, I'd watch them train and offer a word of caution to keep them from slipping into arrogance.
The group gathered at the assembly hall, partly to report on everyone's progress. And there, the surprise was that Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon actually had a bit of a knack for martial arts.
'Maybe it's because he's from a military-officer background...'
He even grinned, saying he was enjoying the training himself.
"Everyone's training with bright faces, since they can feel themselves advancing day by day. Heh heh."
"Well, in the early stages, you can feel your realm rising in real time. But later on, people will split into two kinds: those who hit a wall and slump, and those who smash through it and keep going. Anyway, for now, it's a good situation."
"Ahem. I'm sorry if I'm pushing, but when do you think it'll be possible for our people to start expanding our territory?"
"If things go smoothly, I'd estimate we could begin operations in about two months, give or take. Sparring and real combat are completely different."
Energized by the prospect of broadening their safe zone, the group was deep in passionate debate over plans to rack up achievements.
"You there,"
"Terion,"
The two of them answered at the exact same time.
"You first."
"Hm... How about we have them compete over their achievements with prizes on the line?"
"I was thinking the exact same thing."
The ones surprised by my suggestion were actually the original members.
"Oppa, you have more things like that?"
"Brother...!"
"Not quite on that level, but I've got plenty of things that would satisfy whoever receives them and stir up a competitive spirit in the others."
I do have a fair number of those kinds of things, honestly. I just never found anyone to give them to. And I don't feel like handing them out to total strangers.
Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon, who had both talent and a growing taste for the fun of training, spoke up with an unexpectedly eager look.
"Would it be possible for us to participate as well?"
"Heh, don't worry. I'll take care of the people here separately. Grown-ups shouldn't barge in where the kids are playing."
I'd already taught them a slightly superior ascension martial art compared to what the regular people were learning. For magic, I'd also taught them the ascension cultivation method. Right then, the chief of staff kept the briefing going.
"Today is the day for exchanges with the people from the research complex."
"It's that day again already. Please bring the technicians over safely, as usual."
While we were in the middle of hashing out plans for this achievement tournament, a helicopter's arrival was announced from outside. I went outside to greet them, and there were some unexpected faces.
"I didn't expect the group's chairman to come in person. Much less bring his own children along."
"Haha, even an old man like me feels like stepping out for some fresh air now and then. And my children are at an age where they're young and full of energy—how stifled must they feel?"
As I was leading them in, their eyes lit up when they saw the people training in the clearing.
"Are all of those people Awakened?"
'Those people... It's not just them. Everyone here is Awakened.'
"First, since you're here, let's have lunch together. We can talk at our leisure after we've eaten."
Seeing as the group's leader had come in person, the meal that came out was a neatly prepared table with braised fish and grilled fish as the main dishes.
"How long has it been since I've had fresh fish... You said you were self-sufficient, but to even run a fish farm... that's truly remarkable..."
Truth be told, the supplies we provided them were foods like rice and wheat. Even though they sent technicians, our reserves of meat, fish, and dairy weren't plentiful enough to hand over.
'Even for us, it's still scarce enough that only the senior officers and those who've shown a rise in achievement get to eat it.'
"Anyway, speaking of which, earlier I saw what looked like Awakened individuals training..."
"Let's start with the meal, please. I'll tell you what you're curious about shortly."
"Haha, my apologies. As I've gotten older, my curiosity has just increased for no good reason."
He certainly knows how to handle people. Without humbling himself into a groveling mess.
Maybe because it was a delicious meal after a long while, the only sound was the quiet clinking of cutlery.
"Heh heh. Thanks to you, Representative, we've had a wonderful meal. I'll have to come by often to mooch food like this."
We finished eating, cleared the table, and then moved to a spot we'd set up for meetings. Though, "moved" just meant going up to the second floor of the assembly hall...
"Let's start talking in earnest now. Is there a reason you came all the way here in person, Chairman?"
"To be honest, I wanted to see for myself. No matter how much I hear from the people who've been dispatched here, there's a limit."
"So, what are your impressions after seeing it firsthand?"
"Everyone's expressions are bright. At the risk of boasting, it's just like when I look back at my company in the old days. Back when I ran my company, I'd sometimes sneak around the office floors, and the employees back then had a sense of pride."
People always say they hate it when old folks talk about "back in my day" on social media, but this old man was doing a subtle version of that, and it didn't bother me at all.
'Is it because I'm old too...?'
"Anyway, to continue what we were discussing earlier—how is it that there are so many Awakened here?"
I debated whether I could tell this man. If I said I could create Awakened, I'd have to tell him about Titan as well... I still didn't have a good sense of whether that was a good idea.
I glanced over at my party, and they all nodded as if to say, "We'll leave it up to you."
Honestly, this man and his close aides are fine, but the others? Who knows?
"What if I told you... it was possible to artificially create Awakened?"
They sharply sucked in their breath at my words. The chairman quickly composed himself and asked,
"Why... are you telling us this so easily?"
"What I'm saying from here on out is 100% the truth. And once you hear it, can you swear an oath to keep it absolutely secret?"
An oath.
Not just words spoken casually, but something that must be kept, from one human being to another. The leader of the group demanded an oath as the price for revealing a critical secret.
'He's an excellent businessman, so he'll know exactly what I mean.'
His hesitation didn't last long. They all gave their answer.
"「I swear it.」"
I told them everything—from the start of the apocalypse, to how I was pulled over to Titan, to what's happening now, and what will happen in the future. To my surprise, they accepted it without any skepticism.
"I'm amazed you believe me so readily."
"To avoid being culled, you have to accept a situation quickly. And I'm also an Awakened myself, in my own way. I felt something very faint—a force intruding toward my heart. It must be the effect of the oath we swore earlier."
"Spoken like a true corporation chairman."
"Heh heh. So, does this mean I should be calling you 'old-timer' now, Representative?"
"Good grief... your jokes..."
"Then, to get back to our earlier topic—am I to understand that you personally passed on the technique and turned everyone into Awakened?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Naturally, you wouldn't be so willing to teach it to us for free..."
"You do catch on fast."
A faint look of disappointment crossed his face. Not in the sense of asking me to do it for humanity's sake, but simply the regret of a 'businessman.'
"Chairman, what kind of person do I look like to you?"
He stumbled over his words for a moment, trying to answer the sudden question, then closed his mouth and thought about it seriously.
"Someone who has detached themselves from the secular world... And..."
"And?"
"You might be offended, but... no matter what ants do, humans don't care. I've heard there are occasionally people who keep them as a hobby, and they do pay attention to their pet ants—feeding them and so on. Though of course, I am not calling the people here ants..."
He'd assessed me with pinpoint precision. Whatever happens to humanity, I couldn't care less. I just need to look after the people around me. Grandly declare I'll save the human race? That's none of my business. If that were the case, the stance he needed to take was clear.
"Precisely because of that, I think you'd be willing to create Awakened for us, as long as we offer the right compensation. From your perspective, Representative, even if an ant picked up a weapon, you wouldn't consider it a threat."
"I didn't expect you to assess me so bluntly... but you're right."
"Then the question now is what sort of compensation we should offer."
I don't know why, but I was starting to like this man more and more. Maybe it was because there had been someone similar on Titan, and I could see a glimpse of him in the chairman. What would happen if I placed a naked blade—the blade called 'power'—into this man's hand?
Even if you hand someone the same naked blade, they might use it to save people or to kill people.
As that thought crossed my mind, a sudden surge of interest rose up.
'To think of this as a plaything... I've definitely shed my humanity... But in a world like this, one little plaything isn't so bad... It's not like I'm just toying with them like a toy.'
I decided this much of an amusement was acceptable. Once I handed him the power, how he used it was entirely up to him.
Quietly, I focused my mind and began gathering Origin Essence. A very tiny jewel was created, visibly different from the one made in the clearing. Back then, it was for use on everyone, but this power was for a single person, so I'd compressed it to a very small size.
The party members, who had witnessed what I'd done for the group, looked utterly shocked—they could roughly guess what I was thinking.
"Mr. Sihu! Don't tell me...?"
"Oppa..."
"Hmph..."
"Chairman, I'm going to place a naked blade into your hands. How you use it is your responsibility. If you're ready, take this and swallow it."
He gulped, unable to tear his eyes away from my hand. He didn't just take my words at face value; he was seriously contemplating them.
"W-why... are you trying to give such power to me?"
"You can just think of it as a bit of irresponsible amusement."