The third eruption occurred without incident. The much-feared 4-Star Calamity that the government and citizens had been dreading did not appear, and there were no civilian casualties.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
The media constantly praised the success of Seoul’s efforts.
[Third Eruption Successfully Defended, Is This Seoul’s Second Miracle of Han River?]
Even now, on TV, they hailed Seoul as the sole city in the world to have stopped an eruption without loss of life.
Moreover, news outlets continued to report on the exploits of South Korea’s first S-Rank Awakened One, Nam Joo-yeon.
“…It’s almost on a religious level.”
At this point, my face was so well-known that I had to mask up and wear a hat whenever I went outside.
Though I wasn’t particularly good-looking, fan groups dedicated to me were forming online.
– Hey, did you see that video of Brother summoning dragons? Isn’t he basically the Dragon King?
– Honestly, watching him direct things from the rooftop, it felt like he was a real maestro.
As a result, I had earned two nicknames: Dragon King and Maestro. Both made me feel unbearably embarrassed.
“Haa…”
Kang Se-na was right.
The world was eager for new stars, and I had appeared at just the right moment.
Reading the glowing comments online made my face heat up. Some were so over-the-top, it seemed like they’d offer up their livers and gallbladders for me.
Some fans bordered on fanatical worship.
I’m not sure how to describe it… It seemed I was being treated like some kind of sage or deity.
“Ah.”
Mentioning deities reminded me of something.
I searched online for the Ascension Sect.
The results were extensive. It seemed this emerging religious group, known as the Ascension Sect, had grown rapidly after the third eruption.
According to the information I found, the Ascension Sect was devoted to the Rift and Calamities. They unconditionally worshipped the Lord of the Abyss, known as the Actor.
It was unsettling and frankly dangerous, yet somehow this sect was spreading. In this world where life had become a game and traditional religions were losing power, people just needed something to believe in.
After three calamitous eruptions, the concept of the Abyss Lord, Actor, wasn’t so farfetched to the average person.
The distinction between the masses praising S-Rank Awakened One Nam Joo-yeon as Seoul’s guardian deity and the devotees who worshipped the Abyss Lord Actor as their sole god was minimal, it seemed.
As I mused on these pointless thoughts, the hotel room window opened.
[5★ The Blackened Saint Selene has returned to base.]
For some reason, Selene always preferred entering through the window.
When I asked her about it, she mentioned it was a habit from her days at the convent when she would sneak out at night.
“Selene, you’re back?”
“Yes, Lord. I’ve completed my task and have returned.”
“Good. Did you gather the information?”
While I didn’t expect to be surprised by whatever Selene had learned, given I could glean the general situation from the internet.
“Ascension Sect. The ruler Actor, which serves you, Lord, is… the work of Mirien.”
“…What?”
But the information she delivered was far from what I had expected.
After Selene’s briefing, I could summarize the Ascension Sect’s key points into three facts:
First, the Ascension Sect, which worships the Abyss Lord Actor, was created by the 5-Star Calamity Storm Mirien.
Second, Mirien’s Ascension Sect brainwashes Awakened Ones, seeking to harness their calamities.
Third, Mirien did all this for my sake.
Upon hearing this, my thoughts were as follows:
“Wait, why is she doing this?”
Storm Mirien, whose personality was unknown in the game but could now be clearly defined in this real world, appeared to be just as mentally unstable as Selene.
“Lord, please forgive her. While Mirien’s methods may be excessive, the intention is entirely for you.”
“Mirien created a cult for my sake? For my goals?”
“Yes. The Ascension Sect seeks to contribute to your grand plan by collecting calamities from Awakened Ones. Soon, it will be a solid ally for you as you ascend to become the ruler of this dimension.”
“…”
I wanted to point out a few inaccuracies in Selene’s account.
First, the calamities were not willingly “donated” by Ascension Sect members but forcibly taken.
Second, I had no intention of world domination or becoming the ruler of this dimension through such calamities.
However, I couldn’t explain this to Selene.
I had a vague understanding of why she and Mirien were so extreme in their methods and why they saw other Awakened Ones as rivals and enemies.
When I first played Disaster Order, the tooltip displayed the following message:
“Repel calamities and make them your subordinates to become the absolute ruler of the world.”
This message also appeared when the real world was overlaid with Disaster Order’s system.
In essence, all calamities would eventually converge towards ruling the world. Both Selene and Mirien sought to make me the ruler, the absolute sovereign of the world.
The ultimate goal of this game is to collect calamities to become the absolute ruler.
“…This is all too absurd.”
Yet, I had witnessed the overwhelming power of 5-Star Calamities with my own eyes.
If I could control them all, ruling the world wouldn’t be impossible.
Moreover, this game’s goal wasn’t limited to just me.
Other Awakened Ones were likely also affected.
Currently, the nation’s system still functioned, keeping Awakened Ones within legal bounds. But when they grew stronger beyond public authority’s control, what would happen?
Take, for example, the thug who threatened me with a nail gun during the first eruption or someone like Han Tae-geon who tried to betray me. What if they acquired the power of a 4-Star Calamity or greater?
I’ve heard that in some regions, certain Awakened Ones have broken away from government control, forming new factions. The central government is focused on protecting Seoul and the capital region, lacking the power to control these factions in the local governments.
Would Korea soon become a society ruled by Awakened Ones?
When that time came, would I have to oppose other Awakened Ones?
Was Seon-yeon’s advice to reduce competition truly well-meaning?
“I don’t know.”
There was no way to determine.
It was still a distant future.
This absolute ruler business, world domination, none of it applied to me. Until recently, I was merely scraping by with part-time jobs.
For now, I focused only on handling immediate tasks.
The immediate priority was the emerging religious group, Ascension Sect, created by Mirien.
Investigation officers from the Management Bureau, including Jo Geon-wook, were chasing the Actor’s whereabouts and would inevitably lead to the Ascension Sect and me.
For as long as the state existed, I needed to maximize the benefits from the Management Bureau and public authorities.
Just as I reached this decision,
Ring.
My phone rang.
The caller was Kang Se-na.
Was she about to share new information? Or would she just tease me with headlines from news articles?
“What’s up?”
“Mr. Nam Joo-yeon, I apologize for contacting you so abruptly, but I need to pass on urgent news.”
Skipping pleasantries, Kang Se-na immediately began speaking.
“Seo Ye-rin… That girl is missing. Along with five D-Rank Awakened Ones from Team 7.”
“Missing.”
Hearing that heavy word, my heart dropped.
“…Did you find any clues? Like CCTV footage…?”
“Unfortunately, there was a power outage in that area at the time. Moreover, with the current electricity shortages, it’s not easy to maintain 24-hour CCTV surveillance.”
“…”
Power outage.
That gave me a possible lead.
“What does the Management Bureau say?”
“Though they claim they’ll dispatch an investigation team soon, who knows when that will actually happen?”
Indeed, since the world descended into this state, the police wouldn’t move just for a few missing people.
Kang Se-na asked with urgency in her voice.
“Do you have time right now? It’ll be too late if we wait any longer…”
“…Alright. I’ll go.”
After agreeing, I ended the call.
I looked at the mobile phone in my hands, then turned to Selene. Her crimson eyes held an unusual atmosphere.
“Selene, was this the work of Mirien?”
“…Yes. Coincidentally, I was also there at the scene.”
“…Mirien kidnapped Seo Ye-rin?”
“I believe she hasn’t been harmed.”
Seo Ye-rin.
I had only briefly met her during the Incheon Nest operation. Our connection was that slight. Yet, if she had been captured by Mirien, I couldn’t disregard my responsibility.
“Selene, can you arrange a conversation with Mirien?”
“…It’s not possible, my Lord. That woman is malevolent, cruel, and…”
“Stop.”
The status screen told us to dominate calamities and become the absolute ruler of the world.
I didn’t know what Selene thought of me or why she was so loyal.
But as long as she depended on me, I would use that dependency to my fullest advantage.
“I’m merely giving you an order, Selene.”
“…”
“Obey my command.”
The crimson eyes of the Blackened Saint Selene widened momentarily.
Then, she smiled brighter than ever before and nodded.
“Yes, my Lord. I’ll follow you, even if it leads to the Abyss.”
“…Selene, we’re already in the Abyss.”
“Ah.”
