As Joo-wook Cho had said, S-Rank Awakened Ones truly wielded a power close to that of emperors.
For what was merely a small nest clearance operation in Incheon, the Management Bureau had called in a helicopter.
They were barely persuaded against additional support from the Air Force or other A-Rank Awakened Ones.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own? I could also come along.”
“No, it’s alright. It’s not like we’re going to face a tough calamity like last time – we’re just cleaning up a simple nest.”
Although I told Joo-wook Cho that, the Management Bureau was worried enough to assign another Awakened One to me after all.
The woman currently sitting aboard my helicopter.
“… Hmm, I’m nervous… Aren’t you nervous, Mr. Nam Joo-yeon?”
Sitting opposite me was an Awakened One from the Management Bureau, her delicate features standing out. The nameplate on her uniform read Seo Ye-rin. With curiosity-filled eyes, she glanced at my face. Wrinkling my eyebrows, suspecting she might have some kind of agenda, Seo Ye-rin smiled bashfully and spoke.
“Gr… I watched your last extermination battle thoroughly!”
“Uh… really…”
“I’m a huge fan!”
“…”
Apparently, Seo Ye-rin truly meant it, as the hands she clutched together trembled slightly. Was she my number one fan? Or were the incoming 5-star Calamities in this world already my first fans? How should I respond? As I hesitated, she cautiously asked.
“Are you really sure you’ll be fine on your own? From the report, this Incheon nest, rated as 3 stars, seemed exceptionally tough…”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. No matter how difficult, it’s still just a 3-star nest.”
I glanced out of the helicopter window at the nest. It matched the report; there was no issue.
I don’t know what Seo Ye-rin thought of my expression, but she quietly murmured, covering her mouth with one hand.
“… That’s amazing.”
“…”
What should I say… it’s often said that celebrities get applause even for mundane actions like using the restroom. And that’s exactly how I felt right now. It was as if sitting on a bed of thorns. Even the slightest mistake here would mean losing this fan. Joo-wook Cho had said it – a stunning debut as an S-Rank Awakened One. Thus, I should show results befitting that acclaim.
[Approaching the nest.]
“Confirmed.”
I turned my body beyond the wide-open window upon hearing the pilot’s report over the headphones and manipulated the floating status window in the air.
[Summoning 4★ Storm Dragon Tempestra.]
Subsequently, a colossal shadow loomed over the helicopter.
Storm Dragon Tempestra. The living Great Calamity that had devoured nearly dozens of Awakened Ones and soldiers in Ilsan. But now, it was merely an extension of my own body.
“… Wow.”
Seo Ye-rin exhaled in awe. Indeed, the sight of Tempestra flying beside the helicopter with its massive double wings spread wide was an awe-inspiring view. I shifted my gaze below to view the whirlpool rising in the middle of the ocean. At its center was a small rock surrounded by calamities.
The calamity at the nest’s center was a familiar face, a frequent character in calamity synthesis.
[3★ Wave Tracker is watching you.]
Wave Tracker, a 3-star calamity and the owner of the nest, had the appearance of a seal-like creature with a huge body and elongated fins. Thanks to the terrain advantage of the ocean, its body seemed nearly 1.5 times larger than standard.
In reality, the destructive power emanating from that bulky body was almost doubled.
“Hmm…”
Still, Wave Tracker was merely a 3-star calamity.
Would it stand a chance against Tempestra, the 4-star named calamity, just because it received a terrain buff?
The answer was clearly no.
[4★ Storm Dragon Tempestra is using skill 「Roar of the Storm」.]
As soon as I issued the command, a massive sphere of wind began to condense in Tempestra’s mouth.
Subsequently, a colossal breath swept through the sea. Along with the rocks where the Wave Tracker and nest were situated, everything was upended. A whirlpool enveloped the surroundings, swirling the ocean water violently. The sea spray reflected the sunlight, radiating a magnificent rainbow.
Kuuguhguhguh!
An immense tremor.
In the end, only a calm and quiet sea remained.
[Nest 「Near Sea Rock」 successfully exterminated!]
[Reward: 100Exp / 3★ Wave Tracker]
What appeared in front of me was a dry and emotionless message.
The other miscellaneous calamities, having lost their focal point, began fleeing in all directions.
I made no chase. In this vast sea, chasing would offer no efficiency.
“Are, are you saying it’s already over?”
Seo Ye-rin’s voice quivered in disbelief.
Turning around, she was no longer an Awakened One heading into battle but a single audience member at a concert.
“T-this… is S-rank…”
“… Are you filming this?”
“… Is there a problem if I do?”
“Well, there’s no problem…”
Seo Ye-rin, holding her phone camera and filming me while continuously expressing admiration, felt different from Kang Se-na – not unpleasant.
*
[S-Rank Awakened One Nam Joo-yeon, “Incheon Port Nest Extermination”]
“Wow…”
At the bottom ranks of the Management Bureau, D-Rank Awakened One Seo Jae-heon honestly gasped at the video published in the news.
Inside the video was a single man – an average-looking man, yet the Republic of Korea’s first S-Rank Awakened One, and as a foreign entity in the world, the second person wielding a 4-star calamity. With just one hit, he had erased the notorious Incheon nest. The sight of Storm Dragon Tempestra coiling its body and spewing its breath, alongside Nam Joo-yeon calmly observing it all, was well-captured in the video.
“d*mn, really.”
=
– If someone’s that good, earning a billion a year wouldn’t be unreasonable. What nest is gone in one blow?
– Is that actor the one who reportedly cleaned five nests in one night?
Then does that mean S-Rank and actors can be compared?
=
The comments on the article were largely filled with admiration.
Even those who had once cast suspicious glances at S-Rank Awakened Ones had conceded after witnessing the power firsthand.
“Haa…”
Putting his phone down, Seo Jae-heon exhaled a deep sigh.
“When am I going to make it?”
At the lowest ranks of the Management Bureau, a D-Rank Awakened One.
This was Seo Jae-heon’s current position.
Even though he was recognized as a legitimate Awakened One, the D-rank meant nothing.
While the S-Rank Awakened One was traveling by helicopter, Seo Jae-heon was on-site to handle aftermath of the Incheon nest.
[1★ Forest Small-Eared Cat uses skill 「Leaves」.]
Seo Jae-heon’s sole calamity, Forest Small-Eared Cat, cleaned up the destroyed site.
The wreckage of rocks piled up like mountains.
The nest was gone, but calamities still remained.
Since the area was dangerous, Awakened Ones had been deployed for cleanup.
“Haa…”
Seo Jae-heon sighed as if the ground beneath him were sinking.
In the new era, Awakened Ones enjoyed a star-like popularity akin to celebrities, but for a D-Rank Awakened One like Seo Jae-heon, they were no different from ordinary people.
Or rather, considering their role as doormats, they might even be in a more pitiful position than average individuals.
“The worst.”
Not only did they fail to eliminate the nests, but here Jae-heon was, running around doing the cleanup afterwards.
As Jae-heon picked up his phone again and absorbed the image of Nam Joo-yeon in the article,
S-Rank Awakened One.
The envy of everyone.
A harbinger of the new era.
“Could I become like him?”
The moment he muttered it,
“You can.”
“Huh?”
Jae-heon furrowed his brows.
What did he just hear?
Was it an auditory hallucination?
“You can succeed.”
Hearing the voice again, Jae-heon hurriedly turned around.
Seeing the petite woman standing behind him, Jae-heon froze.
The reason he froze wasn’t just because of her strikingly exotic appearance but because of the blue text floating above her head.
[5★ The Storm Mirien of the North Seas]
“Ca-Calamity!”
“Do you want to succeed?”
The woman, the Storm Mirien of the North Seas, asked, but Jae-heon had already picked up the radio to inform other Awakened Ones of the current situation.
However, when Jae-heon lifted the radio, a smell of gunpowder greeted him. Peering between the half-open lid, he saw the charred circuit board.
“… Uh!”
“If you wish to, I can make it happen.”
Mirien slowly approached Jae-heon and placed her hand on his shoulder. Instantly, a tingling current deprived him of control over his limbs. Wide-eyed, Jae-heon stared at Mirien.
Her pale pink lips parted.
“Serve the Actor.”
“Ac-Actor?”
“Yes. The Actor. The ruler of this world. Even more, the new king reigning over all dimensions.”
Mirien grinned mischievously.
“And, my king. My own king.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll soon get what you’ve desired.”
Mirien brought her index and middle fingers together and placed them against Jae-heon’s temple.
A fleeting moment of dizziness overwhelmed him, as if his consciousness was sinking.
“You won’t d*e. Don’t worry.”
“… Ugh, uh…”
“Under the name of the Actor, we will all surpass the heavens.”
Mirien smirked.
[5★ The Storm Mirien of the North Seas is using skill 「Mind Control」.]
[Resistance Failed!]
That was Jae-heon’s last memory.
