Crimson Knight’s cruise ship.
In the large conference room, the rarely assembled members of the ‘Inner Circle’ had all gathered.
“Has that Yoo Jang-hoon come to his senses yet? They say they’re going to tax Awakened Ones heavily; what are we going to do about it?”
Yoo Jang-hoon was the President’s name.
Though he reigned like a king in the executive branch, here, he was merely an old man who hadn’t grasped his situation—who could be killed whenever necessary.
“I don’t know. He says that they have a Dark Knight on their side…”
Crimson Knight frowned as he responded.
It was unconfirmed information.
It also didn’t seem like Dark Knight was the type to serve under anyone.
“Dark Knight? Wasn’t he ranked S-class? How strong is he, speaking of which…”
“Shut up.”
“No, no. I’m not trying to provoke you; I’m genuinely curious. Why did you back down from him?”
Other members chimed in, asking for an explanation from Crimson Knight. She reluctantly began to speak.
“His rank is at least S-class, and his items are far from ordinary. Both his robe and sword are Dungeon Artifacts.”
“In that case, he must be exhibiting SS-class performance.”
“Either on par with us or even stronger.”
Every member of the ‘Inner Circle’ was a pure S-class in terms of raw stats. That was thanks to their exclusive control over Dungeons until now.
“Damn. If only our maximum growth wasn’t capped at S-class, we wouldn’t have to worry about guys like him.”
“Moreover, it seems he has a skill that nullifies other skills. Though we don’t know the range, it’s quite threatening.”
The reason they couldn’t exceed S-class was simple.
Strength 999 S.
Agility 999 S.
Intelligence 999 S.
Luck 999 S.
There was no way to advance further. No human had ever reached SS-class, and it was still believed that S-class was the maximum.
Thus far, their exclusive control over Dungeons was mainly for this reason.
“I personally don’t think the Dark Knight is aligned with the government.”
Crimson Knight managed to calm the group’s unease with this statement, which was inconvenient for the current mood.
“You’re just speculating, right? Do you have evidence?”
“No evidence. But when I met him, he didn’t seem like someone who would align with anyone.”
She recounted her impressions from when she met Dark Knight, emphasizing his attitude.
After hearing the rough explanation, the ‘Inner Circle’ members nodded, piecing together a better understanding of him.
“Seems like the type who rides solitary and proud.”
“By the way, if what you said was bluffing, why would that old man still trust the government?”
“He’s still stuck in the mentality of the times before the Gate appeared.”
Even they understood how a S-class powerhouse like Dark Knight could operate independently, as a one-man army. It was less complicated than being a leader with various people to appease.
“So, we need to act soon. The previous president at least understood reason, but this one is completely closed-minded.”
“In order to act, we need a pretty good excuse. Even we can’t seize power arbitrarily without causing a national uproar.”
The ‘Inner Circle’ believed it was no longer advisable to hold back.
When the Gate first appeared, humanity had been on the brink of extinction due to the lack of knowledge on how to deal with it. At the time, the Awakened Ones voluntarily fought and sacrificed themselves to protect the world. But the government, seeing an opportunity, passed a conscription law for Awakened Ones, which became the birth of the ‘Inner Circle.’
Because of this background, they had a strained relationship with the government and even harbored a sense of resentment.
“I’ve got a decent idea.”
Crimson Knight crossed her legs and spoke up. From the government’s perspective, it was a troublesome proposition.
“What is it?”
“We can’t just demolish everything.”
The members vividly remembered when she stormed the Blue House, grabbing the then-president by the collar, back in the early days of the ‘Inner Circle.’
“What do you take me for? It’ll be a much more sophisticated method – students hurt by the government always gain public sympathy, yesterday or today.”
“Hmm… and then?”
“You know that guy called Shinnoda? He’s a rising star at the Academy. I happen to know him.”
“Ah, the one who beat that Chinese guy?”
Even though they were at the top of Korea’s Awakened community, they still kept tabs on promising individuals like Shinnoda.
“I’ll ask him to create some noise. If we subtly leak something to the government side, that’d be icing on the cake.”
“Are you that close?”
“I’ll just say there’s been some deep interaction.”
The Inner Circle members had a rough idea of what kind of interaction that might have been.
“Crimson Knight, her age… even if a little older, her appearance is pretty much like someone in their twenties.”
They nodded approvingly.
“Let’s do that. But what about the military when we act? Their numbers are overwhelming.”
“True. Moreover, among the Awakened Ones cooperating with us, some will undoubtedly freeze in fear and remain silent when the situation arises.”
The military was the next issue.
Even if they were S-class, they weren’t invincible to the army. Without mana coats, they would die from gunshots, and the mana coats themselves had limited usage times.
“Ah, but regarding that, it’s already settled.”
The one to speak was Blood Sea, known as the strongest hunter among them. Even Crimson Knight deferred to him.
“How?”
“In exchange for their tacit approval on the events of the day, we’ve agreed to help establish a new division, promote some generals, make some adjustments to their pensions, and distribute some new business opportunities among the officers.”
The other members were in awe of Blood Sea’s strategy.
Their promises to the military were funded by the national budget, in other words, meaning there was no direct loss for the ‘Inner Circle.’
“To be nitpicky, is creating a new division really feasible? With the recent trends of low birth rates and dismantling existing divisions…”
“We can draft women.”
“Right, that’s true.”
“There might be some political burden, but what can they really do? By provoking some anti-China sentiment through selective news releases, this is easily achievable.”
“True. We don’t need the opinions of the incompetent anyway. Still, it’s a little disappointing to see generals do nothing but sit and collect their undeserved benefits.”
Blood Sea shrugged.
He thought it was inevitable.
We were on the cusp of establishing a new order; it was ‘Inner Circle’s’ loss to feel disappointed.
*
At the Blue House.
The President stood up in shock after receiving a report from the Director of the National Intelligence Service.
“The Inner Circle is preparing for a coup?”
“According to highly reliable intelligence, that is correct. They’re manipulating Academy students to take the lead.”
“Seems like they’ve used their heads.”
President Yoo Jang-hoon stroked his chin, visibly uneasy.
“The intelligence initially came in a week ago, but I apologize for late reporting. I dismissed it as absurd until today, when dozens of Academy students were seen fully armed. They claim it was for a Dungeon expedition, but according to sources, it’s not a location that necessitates such a level of armament.”
As reports continued, President Yoo’s cold sweat trickled down his back. Things were getting desperate.
“Is it really a coup? What are the chances it will actually happen?”
“Though it’s hard to predict, based solely on the current facts, the situation surrounding the Academy is suspicious at the very least.”
The Director was tense too.
This was politically very dangerous, so no slip-ups in words could be tolerated.
The President paused, lost in thought, before coming to a decision.
“The National Intelligence Service must immediately dedicate all resources to domestic public opinion management.”
“Understood!”
“That’s all.”
After the Director left, Yoo Jang-hoon sat back down and picked up the receiver. It was a direct line to the Capital Defense Command.
“It’s the President speaking.”
<At your service! This is General So Tae-gyu from the Capital Defense Command.>
“There is an indication of a coup. Seal off the Hero Academy and disarm the students. Under no circumstances should weapons be fired.”
General So Tae-gyu was surprised.
Receiving such an order out of the blue was unexpected.
He was one of the few generals not approached by the ‘Inner Circle.’ They contacted most generals but avoided those they deemed either unconnected or unlikely to defect.
<General, are you talking about an actual coup? Could you repeat that?>
“Seal off the Hero Academy and subdue the students to disarm them. We have intelligence that S-class Awakened Ones are inciting a coup. Full details will be provided by the National Intelligence Service.”
The President reiterated his order.
So Tae-gyu’s headache intensified.
Neutralizing students, who were on average C-class and above, without firing any shots? The situation was far more complex.
The National Army was a conscripted force and engaging in such political issues might cause a loss of morale or even lead to mutinies or dissolution within units.
<Excuse me, Your Excellency, it's extremely difficult to overwhelm the Academy students without firing. We at least need some form of scare shots to create an atmosphere.>
“Which exactly aligns with what the Inner Circle is banking on. There’s to be no firing of any kind. Support from police forces will be provided, and we will allow the use of water cannons.”
<Then, may I use tear gas?>
Even a S-class Awakened One would find tear gas challenging. With their heightened senses, it would even have a stronger effect than it would on a normal person.
The President imagined the following day’s news being flooded with images of students rolling on the floor, coughing due to the tear gas.
Because of the country’s military dictatorship-era trauma, tear gas posed significant risk. He feared being branded as a dictator.
‘This won’t do. It’s practically the same as firing. Perhaps using human shields…’
With a cold expression, the President spoke.
“It’s disapproved. Don’t fear sacrifice, push personnel forward to tie them down at least. Aside from that, General, you have free discretion.”
So Tae-gyu was internally furious.
You can’t do this, you can’t do that, but you’re telling me to act on my own discretion?
The call ended with that.
In the end, what remained was an anxious and restless President Yoo Jang-hoon and an overwhelmed General So Tae-gyu who was already regretting taking the order.
