Promotion (1)
The Awakened community, Transcendence, was always bustling with activity. Lately, especially in the wake of Yusoha’s conquest of North Korea, her name had dominated every discussion thread for days on end.
Opinions like these set Transcendence ablaze. As always, the servers began to lag under the insane traffic.
Two full weeks had passed since Yusoha had been confined to her hospital bed.
[Are you truly alright?]
“I told you I’m fine. How many times do I have to say it?”
Yusoha brushed off her clothes and stood, striding out of the hospital room with her usual confident gait. Given the severity of her injuries, recovering in just two weeks should have been nearly impossible. Yet her astonishing regenerative ability combined with the desperate efforts of Hwanryeong’s medical team had allowed her to rise from her sickbed far sooner than expected.
Back at her mansion, Yusoha unpacked with a noticeably lighter expression.
“Finally home.”
[What do you plan to do now? Will you go through with the verification?]
“At first, yeah. I was just going to do whatever the Association asked. But I got a call from the workshop a few days ago.”
[A call?]
“Yeah. They said they restored all the equipment. The mana storm didn’t directly damage the circuits, so they managed to recover everything somehow.”
[That means…]
“Exactly. I don’t have to go through that annoying verification process. One less headache.”
A smile tugged at Yusoha’s lips as she immediately placed another call.
“Ah, yes. Head of the PR team? You received the footage from the workshop?”
“Yes. We’ll begin production of the promotional video right away.”
“Good. Please finish it as quickly as possible. I’ll handle the Association myself, so send the completed file directly to me.”
“Understood.”
[Promotional video?]
“Yeah. We’ll cut out the unnecessary parts from the footage we shot, edit it to look good, and release it officially. That should shut up everyone demanding I prove myself. Of course, some people might still complain about the edited version, so we’ll have to release the full unedited footage too.”
[Isn’t the length enormous?]
“It is. But there are people who will watch all of it. Once they do, they won’t have any doubts left.”
[I see. Then what should we do from now on?]
“What else? Just train like usual. Oh, wait a second.”
[Hm?]
“Before that, there’s somewhere I need to stop by.”
[Somewhere to stop by?]
“Yeah. Materialize first. I need to get you some proper clothes.”
[…Clothes?]
“Once this video drops, I’m definitely getting promoted to S-class. They’ll hold a promotion ceremony, and I can’t have you showing up in that beat-up armor.”
[…I don’t mind. Actually, do I even need to appear?]
“You do. Guardian Stars are supposed to attend promotion ceremonies with their contractors. A Guardian Star is living proof of how outstanding their Awakened is. Every S-class promotion ceremony so far has included them.”
[Then can’t I just wear the armor?]
“You could… but I think it would be better to show your face this time.”
[Why? Just a while ago you said you didn’t want to reveal my face to the public.]
“I did. But after hearing they recovered the footage, I changed my mind. Your face must have been caught on camera.”
[When I cut down the Orc King?]
“Yeah. That moment. So hiding it now would be pointless… If we’re going to reveal it, we might as well do it boldly. It’ll cause all sorts of headaches, but still.”
[…Understood for now.]
“Then materialize. And take off that armor. You know the clothes Jeong Seyeon left in your room, right?”
The moment Yusoha finished speaking, Eclipse’s body materialized before her. She had grown quite used to it by now; even facing his face directly, she no longer blushed.
“They’re in my room. The ones I wore when I slept.”
“…Just put them on and come back.”
“Understood.”
A short while later, Eclipse returned wearing the clothes, standing before her with his usual neat posture. Yusoha could only slap her forehead.
The way he had thrown the outfit together was catastrophically bad. How could someone dress so terribly? She understood why, of course. He hadn’t worn Earth clothing often. But still… with a face like that, she simply could not accept it.
Even someone like her, who knew next to nothing about fashion, could tell that no one in the world dressed quite like Eclipse.
“Haah.”
Letting out a long sigh, Yusoha dialed Jeong Seyeon, who had once been her tutor and was now Eclipse’s as well.
“Hello, Seyeon?”
“Ah, yes, miss. What can I do for you?”
“Can you come in for a bit?”
“Oh, today’s your discharge day, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I should have been there already.”
“It’s fine. I left without telling anyone. Where are you right now?”
“Just doing some grocery shopping.”
“Ah. Then come over once you’re done.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Why are you calling Jeong Seyeon?”
“Before joining Hwanryeong, Seyeon worked as a fashion designer too. She’s talented in many ways.”
When Jeong Seyeon finally returned from shopping, what she saw was a man of the century wearing the most atrocious outfit imaginable.
“Oh my god.”
She stared at Eclipse’s face, momentarily speechless. Only when Yusoha shot her a sharp look did she snap out of it and begin a lengthy lecture on how to properly wear clothes.
Eclipse nodded and followed her instructions. Thanks to how detailed her explanation was, he escaped his bizarre fashion sense and dressed properly. The two women nodded in approval as they looked at him.
Of course, Jeong Seyeon, who still hadn’t fully adjusted to his face, kept blushing the entire time.
“Ah, Seyeon.”
“Yes?”
“There might be a promotion ceremony soon. I think we should get formal suits for both me and Eclipse in preparation. If you don’t have time, it’s fine to have someone else handle it.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare everything right away.”
“Good.”
It was a week later when the promotional video produced by Hwanryeong was finally uploaded to the official homepage.
The video captured how Hwanryeong Team 2 had conquered North Korea. It was edited with intense pacing. Setting up the base camp was included normally, but the tedious scouting segments were boldly cut. Right after, the team was shown exterminating demonic beasts in the lava zone and encountering mana-using orcs.
[These orcs… they’re using mana.]
The serious expressions on the team members’ faces were vivid—so vivid that even the viewers found themselves tensing up. Immediately after the common-sense-shattering scene of orcs wielding mana, the video showed the team scrambling to establish a forward base. Then the orc settlement appeared.
The moment the orc village came into view, even those watching through a screen felt a visceral sense of horror. A massive tower built from human bones and skin. The grotesque structure twisted the faces of every viewer.
What followed was Hwanryeong Team 2, enraged at the sight, immediately tearing the orc settlement apart. As alloy shells from giant cannons and a barrage of magic turned the village into literal scorched earth, someone watching the video screamed.
Throughout the entire battle sequence, neither Eclipse nor Shin Seongmin appeared. The only scene featuring Shin Seongmin was him burning the ruins of the orc settlement.
After establishing the forward base, similar scenes repeated: destroying orc patrols, clearing out settlements. Yusoha led every step of the operation. She gave orders for reconnaissance, fought at the very front, and fulfilled her duties as team leader.
When Eclipse warned that a powerful enemy was coming, Yusoha relayed the message to her team and gave them the chance to choose. The words and actions of Yusoha and Hwanryeong Team 2 in that moment were burned deeply into the viewers’ minds.
The declaration that they had to protect people. Even though they could have run, their determination to risk their lives against mana-using orcs who hated humans moved everyone who watched.
Moreover, the scene where the team members cracked jokes to ease Yusoha’s unusually serious expression brought a warm feeling to the viewers’ hearts.
Then came the final battle.
The Orc King swinging his axe. Eclipse meeting it with his greatsword. Even the sight of Eclipse being overpowered and sent tumbling across the ground. Everyone knew it wasn’t staged. Shock rippled through the audience.
Who was Eclipse? The Guardian Star who had effortlessly defeated Shin Seongmin at full power. If even he was being pushed back this badly, just how strong was that Orc King?
The next scene played. Eclipse drew his greatsword and swung. When the Orc King blocked the strike with his axe, the sky and earth seemed to split apart. The viewers were stunned. Eclipse followed up with another slash, but the Orc King endured the terrifying blow. Eclipse dropped to one knee, seemingly exhausted.
What came next was Yusoha, Shin Seongmin, and the rest of Hwanryeong Team 2 rushing forward to shield Eclipse. A fierce battle against the orcs erupted. Even in that chaotic situation, Yusoha charged straight at the orc shaman trying to resurrect the Orc King, while Shin Seongmin barreled toward another orc.
Yet the tide refused to turn. Shin Seongmin began taking wounds. Despite Yusoha’s persistent interference, the orc shaman succeeded in reviving the Orc King.
The risen Orc King. A red storm of mana filled everyone’s faces with despair. The moment their eyes turned to Eclipse—
The video slowed down, capturing his figure with crystal clarity.
Eclipse removed his helmet and crushed it in his hand.
Then came a torrent of golden mana.
The knight who had been brought to his knees rose once more. Mana repaired his battered armor. The torn cloak blazed with golden light. The broken greatsword was enveloped in golden radiance and restored to its original form.
Eclipse raised the restored blade and unleashed the final strike.
The straight-line slash tore through the red storm. With that single blow, the Orc King’s entire body collapsed.
The instant the Orc King fell, the video ended with flowers and grass blooming across the now-cooled lava field.
Everyone who witnessed the video in real time was rendered speechless for a moment… and then every single Awakened community on the internet exploded.