The Strongest People in the World Took My House
You must respect me. I am LV70. I have defeated five monsters and closed countless Gates, and for the past three years I have led the Awakeners and brought peace, and...
In Rai's hand was a black garbage bag.
"Haah..."
Rai let out a long sigh.
"What's so dangerous about it, anyway? They don't even know who I am."
What he'd said to Ragna just a moment ago came back to him.
"You don't even make money at the cafe, so why can't I be an Awakener..."
Rai grumbled, dragging the garbage bag along the ground.
"Awakeners make tons of money. I wouldn't have to do that annoying cafe work anymore, either."
But Ragna's answer had been firm.
Nothing but a flat no.
In the end, all Rai was left with was an order to take out the trash.
"Tch."
Rai stuck out his lip.
"When am I supposed to come clean, anyway."
Even so, he walked down the alley without complaint.
And three years ago, the world had turned completely upside down.
Awakeners began appearing en masse across the globe.
They possessed power on an entirely different dimension from ordinary humans.
Overwhelming physical abilities and special powers.
And the strength to subjugate monsters — all except the Demons.
With the Awakeners' emergence, new Gates began appearing all over the world, and from within them, countless monsters poured out.
Humanity began using Awakeners to close the Gates.
With the help of the Demon King Curse, the nations of the world succeeded in interfering with the System — the very source that created the Awakeners.
And they granted the Awakeners a new framework.
The Rank System.
A structure that graded Awakeners from D-Rank to S-Rank according to their abilities, and assigned them monsters to hunt befitting their grade.
With a few certifications, anyone could be recognized as an Awakener and begin working.
But climbing to a higher rank was no easy feat.
Endless experience.
Endless quests.
And countless high-difficulty missions to complete.
Awakeners who met certain conditions were then given a promotion quest.
Only those who passed could ascend to the next rank.
Starting at D-Rank.
C-Rank.
B-Rank.
A-Rank.
And finally, the pinnacle — S-Rank.
That was how the Awakeners were graded.
But there were those who existed outside that system entirely.
An unregistered Awakener.
No affiliation.
No rank.
Not even an identity — the strongest of the unknown.
His name was Akra Minus.
People called him the First Awakener.
Where he appeared from.
Who he was.
Nothing was known about him at all.
And yet his name spread across the world in an instant.
Merely hearing a rumor that he had appeared was enough to draw crowds.
Then one day, a pack of LV50 monsters swarmed and attacked a city.
"GRAAAAAAGH!!!"
Dozens of monsters swept through the streets.
The Awakeners fought back desperately, but it wasn't enough.
"Damn it! There's too many!"
"LV50?! You're kidding!"
"Retreat! This is way beyond us!"
"Where are the A-Ranks?!"
In that moment.
BOOM------!!!
A massive explosion rang out.
"Gr... grrrrrgh...?!"
"Krrrrrrgh...!!!"
Every monster's movement stopped at once.
And then.
KWAAAAAAAANG!!!
With a thunderous roar, a colossal shockwave swept through the city.
Kuuuuuuuuu...
The dust settled.
There stood a man.
Rai.
No — here, he was known by another name.
Akra Minus.
Not a single one of the LV50 monsters remained around him.
Every last one had been subjugated in a single instant.
"............."
The crowd was struck speechless.
Someone murmured in a trembling voice.
"That... all by himself...?"
"Every single LV50... all of them...?"
"No way...."
Rai turned around as if it were nothing.
The expressions of the people watching him shifted from shock to awe.
"He really is a monster..."
"He has that kind of power, and he's still not registered with the government?"
"What on earth is he...?"
Before anyone realized it, people began crowding toward Rai one by one.
Some pulled out their cameras.
Some simply stared, mouths agape in disbelief.
And then someone cried out in a voice thick with wonder.
"That's... Akra Minus!!!!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"It's Akra Minus!"
"The real Akra!"
"Did he just take out all those monsters alone?!"
"That's our Akra!!"
In an instant, the people surrounded Rai.
Thrusting cameras at him.
Cheering.
Begging for handshakes.
It was absolute pandemonium.
And to top it off, the electronic billboard lit up with Akra's name.
The corner of Rai's mouth curled up slyly.
"Fuhahahahahahahahahahaha..."
And inside, he was absolutely thrilled.
"This is what wearing the armor is all about..."
Rai puffed out his chest, basking in the flood of attention and adoration.
That was when it happened.
Vuuuuuung!!
A black sedan came speeding in from the distance.
The startled crowd scrambled out of the way.
The car screeched to a halt, and the rear door swung open.
Clunk.
A man stepped out.
Blue, close-cropped hair.
He looked to be in his thirties.
Dressed in a crisp suit, he didn't even spare a glance at his surroundings before sprinting straight toward Rai.
"Please step aside--!!"
The crowd murmured and parted to let him through.
The man quickly made his way to stand before Rai.
"I have business with Akra--!!"
"......."
Rai looked at the man.
At that, the people around them began stirring even more.
"That man...!!"
"No way. Could it be?"
"It is. The Director of the Awakener Risk Monitoring & Management Bureau..."
"The Director came in person?"
The Awakener Risk Monitoring & Management Bureau.
A new government agency established after the birth of the Awakeners.
It monitored Awakener-related crimes, managed dangerous individuals, and handled every kind of incident arising within Awakener society.
And now, the head of that very agency had appeared here in person.
Rai gave a light flick of his hand.
"Make way."
At those words, the crowd naturally drew back.
A path opened between Rai and the man.
The man gathered his breath, then bowed his head respectfully.
"A pleasure to finally meet you."
"........"
"I am the Director of the Awakener Risk Monitoring & Management Bureau."
The man gave his name.
"Velk Strekai."
".........."
Rai said nothing, simply staring at Velk.
Velk studied Rai for a moment before speaking.
"Akra."
"Today, more than any other day, I ask that you register as an Awakener with the state."
The surroundings fell silent.
Every eye in the crowd turned to the two of them.
Velk continued.
"We are more than aware of everything you have accomplished over the past three years."
"............"
"The subjugation of LV70 monsters, the completion of countless high-difficulty quests...!!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"He took down an LV70?"
"As expected...!!!!"
"How many times, though?"
Velk pressed on.
"You have closed countless Gates, and countless Awakeners, upon seeing you, chose the path of the Awakener themselves."
The crowd's expressions turned solemn.
Someone murmured under their breath.
"The fact that the Director came here himself... that's how much influence Akra carries."
"Even the government can't treat him carelessly, it seems."
"Of course not. Do you know how many Gates would still be open today without Akra?"
"And that's exactly who the government is begging to register."
Rai grinned at those words.
Then he looked at Velk and opened his mouth.
"YoumustrespectmeIamLV70IhavedefeatedfivemonstersandclosedcountlessGatesandforthepastthreeyearsIhaveledtheAwakenersandbroughtpeaceand..."
"............"
Velk tilted his head.
But Rai's mouth kept moving.
"AtthesametimeIamthepersontohav closethemostGatesinthisregionandindeedthemostGatesintheentireworld..."
But.
No one could hear that voice.
Far away.
Behind a building, La Place stood quietly, manipulating something from within the armor.
Vmmm. Vmmm.
Audio Output: MUTED
Rai's spam-text-style self-praise was being thoroughly blocked.
"..........."
Velk stared at Rai for a long while.
Only Rai's mouth was moving.
Velk tilted his head again.
".........."
Then, before long, he nodded with a grave expression.
"I see."
Rai's words still went unheard.
"I will... take that as a refusal."
"..........."
Rai's face froze for an instant.
"What?"
Velk continued with a serious expression.
"We know full well how extraordinary a being you are to humanity, Akra."
".........."
"However, conducting Awakener activities without legal registration is a clear criminal offense."
The crowd stirred.
"A criminal offense?"
"Akra?"
"But considering everything he's done..."
"Still, the law is the law."
Velk bowed his head politely toward Rai.
"That is why I, as Director, came here in person. Should you change your mind, please contact me at this number."
Swoosh.
Velk held out a paper business card to Rai.
"..........."
At his words, the crowd began murmuring once more.
"The Director himself?"
"Someone of that stature coming to make a personal request..."
"Akra Minus really is something else."
"The government isn't here to arrest him — they're begging him to register."
"So that's Akra's standing, huh..."
Rai looked around.
Countless people were staring at him.
Their gazes were a mixture of reverence and admiration.
Rai grinned.
But then he turned his back.
"I'm off."
"Akra?"
BOOM---!!!!
Rai's body shot up into the empty air in an instant.
He cleared the crowd's heads in a single bound.
"Whoaaaaaa!"
"Did you see that?!"
"That's insanely high---!"
Cheers rang out behind him.
After Rai vanished between the buildings,
he landed in a deserted alley.
Thud...!!!
He checked his surroundings, then slowly deactivated the armor's mechanisms.
Vuuuuuuuung.
The armor dissolved, revealing his true form.
An ordinary high school student.
Rai.
And there, La Place was already waiting for him.
The moment Rai saw her, he broke into a grin.
"Wasn't I absolutely insane today too?"
La Place stared at Rai for a moment.
"Judgment: You appear to have grown considerably accustomed to operating as Akra Minus over the past three years."
"Right?"
Rai wore a proud expression.
"So here's the thing."
Rai placed a hand on La Place's shoulder.
"I'm officially becoming an Awakener one way or another. Working for free is beneath me now."
".........."
"And for that, I have to convince my sister first."
Rai said, deadly serious.
"Help me out."
La Place thought for a moment before answering.
"Negative. It seems unlikely that Ragna will permit it."
"Don't be such a buzzkill."
Rai let out a sigh.
"Let's just head home for now."
"Understood."
The two of them walked side by side.
La Place had first met Rai three years ago.
An unknown 'Visitor' who had emerged from a Gate.
No one would take her in.
But Ragna was different.
"If you have nowhere to go, stay with us."
Ragna accepted her without a second thought.
"She's this cute — there's no way I'd kick her out~~!!"
And so La Place came to live under the same roof as Rai.
She had been a freeloader in Ragna's house ever since.
Of course, Ragna had no real idea what kind of being La Place actually was.
She had simply taken in a homeless Visitor, nothing more.
Back in the present... Rai and La Place walked home together, side by side.
And waiting for them... was the great wall known as Ragna.
"You tooooooooo~~~~??? Just how far did you wander off to take out ONE bag of trash?!?!?!?!?!?!"