Soul Armament (1)
Chae Gain, an Awakened from Hwanryeong Team 2, was savoring her vacation with a bright, cheerful grin. The break handed out after the Hwanryeong Tournament always tasted like pure honey. With her brain completely switched off, she had done nothing but sprawl on her couch at home, flipping through TV channels. All those days of holing up in a stuffy lab for mana training and magic research until her eyes were ringed with dark circles felt like a bad dream. This one-week vacation—she had sworn she would not set one foot outside.
With that firm resolution, Chae Gain was rewatching the Hwanryeong Tournament highlights. The broadcast crew’s noisy commentary rang in her ears.
“Oh right, I meant to watch this again… perfect timing.”
On screen, Hidelixius was revealing his majestic form in all its glory.
“Obviously. Something like this deserves to be rewatched a hundred times…”
Her Guardian Star, Zekern, materialized. The small, cat-like being looked at her with a sigh, as if she were utterly hopeless. A tiny flame flickered from the cat’s mouth with a soft whoosh.
Right on cue, the TV played the scene where Hidelixius approached Yusoha. After some inaudible muttering, the camera caught Yusoha flashing a bold grin. While the commentators displayed puzzled expressions at that smile, Chae Gain watched her in open admiration.
“She’s our team leader, but damn, she really is on another level.”
“The fact that she can smile like that with a giant standing right in front of her is amazing in itself. If it were me, my knees would’ve buckled. As expected, her courage is on a whole different scale.”
The next scene was one that never failed to fill the viewer’s chest with awe no matter how many times they watched it. A knight taking shape in midair and descending. Worn armor, a tattered cloak, a broken greatsword. The audience showed almost no reaction to the utterly unimpressive knight. And then… the following moment. That same shabby knight sending the giant flying with a single punch, charging through a storm of bullets, shattering the giant’s gauntlet, and slamming it into the ground. Scene after thrilling scene played out, and Chae Gain kept letting out gasps of wonder.
“Wow… how is that even possible?”
“Not jealous, exactly… but it really is incredible. Maybe she spent ten years without a Guardian Star just so she could summon something like that?”
“Anyway, I’ve got to watch the rest. The finals were even more insane. I’ve got plenty of time, after all.”
But the instant Chae Gain tried to replay the finals between Shin Seongmin and Yusoha, her smartphone suddenly rang. A short message appeared on the screen.
“…Huh?”
For Chae Gain, who had just been riding a wave of excitement to rewatch the finals, it felt like a bolt from a clear sky.
“This can’t be happening…!”
“My… my vacation…”
Before Yusoha even appeared, the suddenly summoned members of Hwanryeong Team 2 were clutching their heads in the office. They had been happily mapping out vacation plans when the call dropped like a bomb. With devastated expressions, they began wondering what on earth Yusoha could possibly want from them.
“But seriously, what’s going on? Isn’t it common knowledge in Hwanryeong that they don’t call Awakened back right after the tournament ends?”
“I have no idea…”
“If we’d at least heard rumors, but there’s been nothing.”
“Alright, everyone. The team leader will be here soon, so let’s all calm down.”
“…Yes.”
As Cha Hyeonseong soothed the grumbling team, every Awakened—including Chae Gain, whose lips were still poked out in a pout—fell silent. Once the room had grown somewhat quiet, the office door opened and radiant golden hair appeared. The person who entered was, of course, Yusoha.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes!”
“Hehe. Sorry for calling you all in the middle of your vacation. You were all trying to rest properly, but it looks like fatigue is already written all over your faces.”
“N-not at all!”
The moment Yusoha smiled and spoke lightly, the entire Hwanryeong Team 2 tensed up. Whenever she smiled like that, it usually meant she was about to assign them something painful.
“The reason I called you today isn’t anything complicated. It’s because I’ll be leading an expedition into North Korea.”
“North Korea? Did I hear that correctly…?”
For a second, Cha Hyeonseong found himself speechless. North Korea. After gates began appearing on Earth, it was the nation that had been exposed to an unusually high number of high-grade gates and collapsed with terrifying speed. The aftermath of those uncleared high-grade gates had caused widespread gate erosion, making restoration impossible. It was a land no human could enter—the so-called Demon Realm.
“Yes, North Korea.”
“W-why North Korea all of a sudden…?”
“My father asked me recently whether I was thinking of preparing for S-class promotion.”
“S-S-class!?”
The Hwanryeong Team 2 members stared at her in shock.
“Yes. So of course I told him I was interested. This North Korea expedition is part of that preparation.”
Even though the statement was deeply personal, the reason the team members were stunned was simple. Every additional S-class Awakened a guild possessed dramatically raised its prestige. How many S-class Awakened did Hwanryeong currently have? Yu Hyeok, Yu Hajun, and Shin Seongmin—three in total. Not merely three, but a full three. That alone was enough to make Hwanryeong the greatest guild in South Korea. If another S-class Awakened emerged from that same guild? Its name value would skyrocket even further. A guild with four S-class Awakened would be in a league of its own. Everyone understood the ripple effect without needing it explained. On top of that, working toward her promotion would naturally raise their own achievements as well.
But was it worth stepping into the Demon Realm called North Korea? The members of Hwanryeong Team 2 didn’t think so. Honor, financial rewards, the prestige of fighting alongside an S-class Awakened—all of it sounded good. Yet if they lost their lives in the process, none of those things would matter. After all, you had to be alive to enjoy anything.
Yusoha read the hesitation on their faces.
I already accounted for all of this.
As if she had predicted their reactions, she gave a confident smile.
“I figured many of you would hesitate. The threat to your lives is probably the main reason. No matter what rewards you receive, they become meaningless if you die.”
The team members nodded.
“But there’s no need to worry too much.”
“…Pardon?”
“In this expedition, my Guardian Star, Eclipse, will devote himself entirely to protecting anyone in danger. And just to be safe, I’ve also secured Shin Seongmin’s cooperation. He said he had nothing else scheduled and would be happy to help.”
The team members’ expressions slowly began to brighten. An S-class Awakened, a Guardian Star powerful enough to defeat another Guardian Star single-handedly, and Shin Seongmin—one of Korea’s top candidates for strongest Awakened—would all be moving with them? The thought that they might not have to fear for their lives after all started flashing through their minds.
Watching their reactions, Yusoha’s lips curved upward. Then she drove the final nail in.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to come for free. Proper compensation will be provided for everything, and I’ll make sure the treatment matches the risk.”
“Could we hear more about that compensation?” Chae Gain asked, raising her hand.
“I was planning to explain anyway. First, every Awakened moving with me will receive top-grade equipment.”
“Top-grade equipment… what kind, exactly…?”
“Soul Armament.”
“…Pardon?”
Every face in the room froze. Yusoha smiled, clearly enjoying their reactions.
“I will be providing Soul Armament to every single Awakened.”
“…Are you serious?”
Cha Hyeonseong and the rest of Hwanryeong Team 2 were completely stunned. What was Soul Armament? It was the ultimate Awakened-exclusive gear that Hwanryeong had poured every resource into developing. Using magic stones harvested from high-grade magic beasts, the equipment was custom-tuned to match an Awakened’s unique mana pattern through an extensive personalization process. Its performance was beyond words. Soul Armament amplified an Awakened’s innate abilities according to their mana signature and allowed them to draw additional power from the magic stone itself. In short, it was a single piece of equipment capable of pulling out the absolute maximum potential an Awakened could display.
The downside, of course, was the insane cost. Between the high-grade magic stones and the complex manufacturing process, it was equipment ordinary Awakened could only dream about. And she was simply going to hand that dream equipment out?
“Will the guild be covering the cost?”
“No. It’s coming out of my own pocket.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said I’m paying for it myself. It’s for my promotion, after all.”
Everyone was speechless. Just how deep were her pockets that she could outfit thirty people with Soul Armaments?
“And that’s not all.”
After that, an avalanche of massive benefits poured from Yusoha’s lips—salary raises, and a promise that if any member of Team 2 sought promotion, she would spare no personal effort to assist them.
“In case any of you are suspicious, I’ve prepared contracts as well. Mina.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Lee Mina, who acted as Yusoha’s bodyguard and secretary, was already holding a stack of thirty contract documents.
“If you simply sign these contracts, everything I’ve promised will be yours. Of course, there will be no penalties if you choose not to participate. However, you won’t receive any of these benefits if you decline.”
At those words, the team members took the contracts from Lee Mina as if in a trance.
“Read the contracts carefully. You all know that, right? Of course I’m not the type to play tricks, but I’d rather avoid any unnecessary talk later. Look over every clause before you sign.”
“Yes!”
The team members scanned the documents thoroughly. Finding nothing strange, they signed faster than anyone could have expected. Yusoha collected the signed contracts and smiled at them.
“Full participation. Correct?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Then shall we move immediately?”
“Uh… where to…?” Chae Gain asked, still dazed.
“Where else?” Yusoha said. “Obviously we’re going to get your Soul Armaments customized. Production takes about a week, so we need to hurry. I’m planning to head into North Korea starting next week.”
The moment she finished speaking and opened the office door, the team members let out excited shouts and hurried after her. Yusoha glanced back at their eager faces and allowed herself a small smile.
As expected, nothing moves an Awakened’s heart quite like gear. All that lavish spending was worth it.