The hotel room was adequately spacious.
Truthfully, we only used it for sleeping and eating; most of the time was spent in the Abyss via Selene’s portal, so the size of the room didn’t matter much.
[4★ Storm Dragon Tempestra has completed Catastrophe Fusion.]
[Reward: 50Exp / 2★ Ember Fox]
[4★ Hellfire Guardian has completed Catastrophe Fusion.]
[Reward: 50Exp / 2★ Leafhunter]
While I was giving instructions about the pending fusions and various other hub tasks, Selene, who had quietly returned from the Abyss, asked me a question.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t be suspicious of that woman Kang Se-na?”
Selene’s face still carried an uneasy expression.
“I’ve heard this place is arranged by that woman. If she were to try to harm you, my Lord…”
“Don’t worry. Kang Se-na isn’t that kind of person.”
Kang Se-na had been very accommodating towards me. Not only did she arrange the hotel room, she provided various pieces of information, even passing on meeting minutes from within the Awakened One Management Bureau.
While her actions might stem from a calculated judgment due to my S-Rank status, human relationships generally work this way: a collaboration. It wasn’t that bad of an arrangement, so I agreed.
“It seems like the Management Bureau continues to leak information. So, I guess I should also recruit insiders there to keep track of the situation.”
“…Indeed, your insight never ceases to amaze me, my Lord.”
“…”
Was she bowing in respect?
Regardless, the decision to recruit insiders within the Management Bureau seemed right.
Ding.
[Mr. Nam Joo-yeon, this is Cho Geon-wook from the Management Bureau. Do you remember? We were both in Team 2 during the Storm Dragon battle.]
[Are you around now? I’ve prepared a suitable place inside the Management Bureau for you to stay. Avoid unnecessary moves. Everything you need is ready; just bring yourself.]
[Mr. Nam Joo-yeon, you’re not ignoring me on purpose, are you?]
Sure enough, numerous messages like these were flooding in from the Management Bureau. Even messages from the director and the prime minister were pouring in, but most of them were ignored, unless they were urgent.
There was, after all, a reasonable excuse for ignoring the higher-ups.
Since yesterday, journalists, media companies, random traders, and even religious groups had been bombarding me with text messages after somehow obtaining my number.
At this point, I had completely blocked all incoming calls and messages.
I switched the screen and opened a web browser. Naturally, the latest article was about me.
[Seoul Awakened One Management Bureau – S-Rank Awakened One Nam Joo-yeon, “1 Billion Won Annual Salary Special Contract Established”]
“…Ugh.”
Seeing my real name in the headline brought on a new wave of embarrassment, different from what I’d felt dealing with the Lord Actor.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the comment section.
=
– 1 billion won salary, seriously, this is insane. Most people will never even see that kind of money in their lives.
ㄴ If it bugs you, why don’t you become an Awakened One?
ㄴ And what makes you think I could? Damn fool.
– Have you seen the video of the Ilsan stronghold clearance last time? Awakened Ones were dying left and right; it was terrible.
ㄴ A friend of mine in the military almost died there.
– Is being S-Rank really that impressive? Is it worth giving someone a contract worth 1 billion won?
ㄴ It’s incredibly impressive. Don’t you remember when the Hellfire Guardian killed more than a thousand people? That’s what S-Rank is, someone who can command such monstrous beings.
ㄴ Shouldn’t someone like that be controlled by the state? It’s like having a personal nuclear weapon.
npos;”> ㄴ Are you stupid? They wouldn’t have given him the S-Rank without a reason.
ㄴ Damn envy-inducing. You’d be able to pick and choose women at will.
– Nam Joo-yeon, does anyone know what he looks like?
ㄴ Nothing but his name and address has been revealed so far.
ㄴ He appears normal, I think.
ㄴ Most of the claims about his acquaintances are fake.
=
S-Rank Awakened One.
The nation was abuzz with the emergence of an S-Rank. No matter which online community I checked, or which media outlet I visited, none were ignoring the story.
It felt surreal to suddenly become a superstar overnight.
Peering over my shoulder, Selene, with a quirked smile, said:
“Lord, it is fortunate that the dull masses have begun to recognize your greatness.”
“Not at all.”
The problem was my future life.
I have become an S-Rank Awakened One, and people already know my name.
While the Management Bureau hasn’t issued any official statement, it’s obvious that I would be acting as the de facto representative of the Awakened Ones guarding Seoul.
From what Kang Se-na mentioned, there are even rumors that foreign scouts are sneaking into the country to recruit me, to which the government is reacting with utmost urgency.
The reason Cho Geon-wook kept texting me nonstop was likely tied to this. The Management Bureau undoubtedly wanted to rein in the irregular S-Rank Awakened One and assert control.
The government had offered an enormous sum of money, tax exemptions, a large mansion near Seoul with caretakers, security forces equivalent to those of a visiting dignitary, and even a private jet.
However, I declined their offer of security detail and benefits.
“Selene.”
“Yes, my Lord?”
In a situation where I already command the services of a 5-Star Calamity, Selene, there was no need for additional security personnel. I also didn’t find it comfortable to incur debts with the government.
Besides, I already had one unwanted security guard.
Selene’s counterpart, the aggressive security guard.
Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea.
She, too, is a 5-Star Calamity.
“How is Mirien doing?”
Yesterday, Selene returned after speaking with Mirien.
I intended to inquire about the details of their talk.
After a brief moment of consideration, Selene carefully chose her words before responding.
“Fortunately, that woman Mirien listened to me quite well.”
“Listened well?”
“Yes. Given her extraordinary intellect as a wizard, she easily understood what I was trying to say. As you advised, no unnecessary fights occurred, and she graciously heeded my earnest request to step back from this matter.”
Selene’s words made it sound as though everything had been resolved amicably.
However, Selene always keeps important information to herself.
Just in case, I asked.
“…Selene, you didn’t happen to threaten Mirien, did you? Make the atmosphere uncomfortable?”
“My Lord, I once served a false deity. Someone in my position would never trivialize the weight of a lie.”
“…”
With her bringing up past events, there was nothing more to say.
If Selene said things went well, then that must be fine.
Still, what was this subtle unease gnawing at my heart?
As I pondered this, the hotel telephone rang.
Picking it up, a voice weary from much searching greeted me.
[Nam Joo-yeon, really, you should’ve at least given me a heads-up you were in this hotel.]
“Cho Geon-wook?”
[That’s right. The Management Bureau has been relentlessly pressuring me to find you. I’ve searched through every hotel nearby Seoul for you.]
It seemed Cho Geon-wook had finally tracked me down.
Well, I was planning to respond to the Management Bureau soon anyway, so maybe it wasn’t a problem.
[We know Nam Joo-yeon is in quite a predicament because of the information leak. We’re deeply sorry about that.]
“Are you here to tell me that?”
[Of course not.]
Cho Geon-wook chuckled lightly before revealing his purpose.
[There’s a nest in Incheon.]
“A nest…”
[It’s a 3-Star Calamity nest. We’d like the S-Rank Awakened One, Nam Joo-yeon, to handle its eradication. While Nam Joo-yeon is part of Seoul’s Awakened Ones and isn’t obligated to handle Incheon’s nests, it’ll be inconvenient if the port gets blocked. The government has already prepared substantial incentives.]
Hearing Cho Geon-wook’s words, I furrowed my brow.
“I have a question. Wouldn’t other Awakened Ones be more eager to tackle a simple 3-Star nest?”
[There are many who would love to capture a 3-Star Calamity, sure, but there’s a slight problem.]
“A slight problem?”
[You know, Incheon’s a coastal city, right?]
“You don’t mean…”
[Yep, you guessed it. The nest is in the sea.]
If the nest was in the sea, it was likely infested with water-element calamities.
In this world, both from the old Disaster Order game and in its real-life version, a dungeon’s attribute plays a significant role.
Water-element calamities in a water dungeon gain stat bonuses, so the 3-star calamities there could reach near 4-star combat capabilities.
This was indeed a problematic situation, and it also made sense why Cho Geon-wook insisted on finding me.
[This is your S-Rank debut stage. You should show your incredible might by dealing with such an extravagant nest, otherwise, people will keep trying to test you, won’t they?]
“…”
Cho Geon-wook laughed lightly, but to me, this was no laughing matter.
Yet, it was not something I could refuse.
[Want to check your account?]
At Cho Geon-wook’s words, I opened my mobile banking app.
And there it was: 300 million won deposited as my weekly salary, along with another 1 billion won as a signing bonus.
“Fine, let’s give it a try.”
Financial therapy truly was powerful.
