[Entering dungeon “Nursery Hive.”]
Hwang Jae-man and his subordinates entered the nest. Accompanied by a nauseous sensation, the interior of the arboretum was cloaked in a chilling silence.
“It doesn’t seem like the leader is dead yet. Let’s strike before he can cleanse the nest.”
Their purpose was, naturally, to kill the Awakened One Nam Joo-yeon who had just entered.
Murders inside the hive leave no evidence. Since the environment resets periodically, it was the perfect place to plan such an act.
However, the subordinates looked skeptical.
“Uh, Brother Jae-man…”
“What is it?”
“That guy… he’s an S-Rank Awakened One, isn’t he.”
“So what?”
Hwang Jae-man frowned, and his subordinate cautiously spoke.
“That guy controls two 4-Star Calamities. Even Brother Tae-min only has three at 3-Star rank. How can we possibly defeat such a monster?”
“Brother Jae-man, didn’t you see that video? He single-handedly stopped a calamity in Gwangjin District. He’s insane.”
As if this was the signal, the other subordinates started murmuring their concerns.
“Shut up.”
Hwang Jae-man wouldn’t listen any longer.
“Whether he has two 4-stars or is an S-Rank Awakened One, it doesn’t matter. Last I checked, being S-Rank doesn’t make bullets stop, does it?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Besides, he’s just some naive kid from peaceful Seoul who has no idea how things work here. It’s time to show him the way of the lawless. Haven’t we already taken care of a few like him?”
The subordinates remained silent.
Hwang Jae-man had already committed murder multiple times—both to solidify his power and to seize calamities from others. That’s why he thought this would be just another routine hunt.
“…W-w-what is that?”
Until they saw it—a woman with dark blue hair floating in the sky.
“A woman?”
“Are there any human-shaped calamities?”
“There… aren’t, I think…”
Hwang Jae-man squinted and saw the text floating above her head.
[5★ Storm Mirien of the North Sea]
“Huh?”
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he might have seen wrong, but the five-star marking remained.
It felt as if someone had poured cold water over his brain.
His heart sank like a stone.
Crack!
“AAAAH!”
A bolt of lightning struck Hwang Jae-man’s subordinate who was standing right next to him, charring him black.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
“SHIT! Let’s get out of here!”
Hwang Jae-man ran as fast as he could, followed by his subordinates.
[5★ Storm Mirien uses skill “Black Lightning Spear.”]
“Khkk!”
One of the subordinates was impaled by a colossal spear of lightning and tumbled to the ground.
His teeth chattered.
She was serious.
Deadly serious about killing everything in sight.
Hwang Jae-man increased his speed. Every time he glanced back, another subordinate was gone.
“Ggh!”
He summoned calamities to act as bait.
Though he hoped it would buy some time, within ten seconds, they were wiped out.
Now there was nothing left but his own body.
Finally reaching the exit of the hive after a desperate sprint, Hwang Jae-man realized…
[5★ The Blackened Saint Selene is watching you.]
A wedge spear pierced through his chest before he even had time to react.
The scorched, scarred woman stared down at him coldly, becoming the last thing Hwang Jae-man saw.
“SHIT! Bring them back, NOW!”
The clan leader of Daejeon, Jeon Tae-min, only learned about the incident 30 minutes after Hwang Jae-man’s group had left.
He had thought their suspicious looks were concerning, but never guessed they were plotting to backstab Nam Joo-yeon.
Furious, Jeon Tae-min ordered them to be brought back immediately, but too much time had passed.
“Damn it, that bastard… He’s ruining things he didn’t even start…”
Just as Jeon Tae-min was worrying, a subordinate approached with news.
“Nam Joo-yeon has returned?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the guy Hwang Jae-man?”
“Not visible.”
Suspicion turned into unease…
“Here.”
The unease turned into terror when Nam Joo-yeon casually tossed a stack of passes onto the desk.
Six passes in total.
They were Hwang Jae-man’s and his subordinates’.
“Self-defense.”
Nam Joo-yeon said nonchalantly.
“Did you… kill them?”
“Do I need to explain in detail how I killed them? That’s such bad taste.”
“Wh-wh-where are the b-b-bodies?”
Gradually, Jeon Tae-min began speaking more respectfully.
Though reluctant, Nam Joo-yeon shrugged and replied.
“Don’t worry, I handled the funeral for them.”
Only then did Jeon Tae-min notice the smell of gunpowder emanating from Nam Joo-yeon.
Collapsing into his chair, Jeon Tae-min clasped his hands in prayer.
“Please, spare my life. I didn’t order this. I know my place. How could anyone possibly think they could kill someone who controls a Great Calamity?”
“Actor, it’s not a lie.”
At that moment, an unexpected voice came from behind.
Jeon Tae-min couldn’t turn around.
An icy-cold hand was already resting on his neck.
“So, Actor, what should we do? Should we kill him?”
“Enough. He didn’t set this up.”
Jeon Tae-min internally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that this Awakened One known as Nam Joo-yeon didn’t have any intention of killing him.
“Thank you! I will never forget this mercy!”
“Of course you shouldn’t forget. If it were Actor back in the day, someone like you would have been split in half with their insides chewed up little by little. Actor especially likes hearts?”
“Excuse me, Actor, but I don’t remember liking them that much.”
“It’s just an example, an example.”
Though Jeon Tae-min recognized the name Actor, he didn’t dare ask about it.
He didn’t even consider questioning it.
Climbing higher than his place could cost him his life.
“So…”
Once the conversation between Mi-ri-en and Nam Joo-yeon seemed to have ended, Nam Joo-yeon sat on the desk and looked down at Jeon Tae-min.
The once innocent-looking youth now looked completely different. Tightly shut lips and a furrowed brow indicated that Nam Joo-yeon no longer saw Jeon Tae-min as a peer.
“Jeon Tae-min, right? I have something I want you to do.”
“W-what is it? I’ll do anything you ask!”
Jeon Tae-min quickly knelt down and prepared to listen to Nam Joo-yeon’s request.
Pleasing him, it seemed, made Nam Joo-yean smile faintly.
“First, take all the resources from your clan and synthesize 4-Star equipment. The equipment I want is elixirs. Contact me immediately when they’re finished. The number’s here.”
4-Star equipment?
Even a 4-Star calamity was something Jeon Tae-min could only dream about, but here he could only nod in agreement.
As Jeon Tae-min vigorously nodded, Nam Joo-yeon raised a second finger.
“And secondly, if you find something like this, contact me immediately.”
[4☆ Fragment of the Shattered Crown]
A rugged-looking shard.
But the fact that it was marked as 4-Star clearly indicated it was significant.
“Y-yes! I’ll immediately send people to start searching!”
“Good. And from now on, if anything happens in the provinces, report to me immediately.”
“Y-yes sir!”
Listening to this, it seemed Nam Joo-yeon intended to make this Daejeon clan his colony.
Though being humble was uncomfortable, crawling to survive was better than standing tall only to die.
Jeon Tae-min forced a grin and nodded.
“By the way, remember what happens if you try anything funny?”
Nam Joo-yeon picked up a pass lying on the desk. The red-stained pass clearly showed the name “Hwang Jae-man”.
“I-I would never!”
“Good.”
Only then did Nam Joo-yeon, or rather Actor, nod in apparent satisfaction and leave the room.
“Goodbye.”
Simultaneously, the soft sensation on his neck disappeared.
“H-h-heee…”
For some time, Jeon Tae-min remained slumped in his seat trying to stabilize his heart rate.
“…Ah.”
His lower garments were wet.
“That was an excellent negotiation.”
Waiting outside, Selene smiled at me.
Whether it was a proper negotiation or outright extortion was debatable, but…
“By not exterminating the nest, you intended to subordinate this group entirely. I am impressed by your foresight, my Lord.”
It was hard to tell how much of her praise was genuine.
But it was better to take it positively.
“No real reason to destroy the Daejeon clan. It could raise unnecessary suspicion. Better to use them as a workplace.”
Anyway, Daejeon sits at the heart of South Korea’s center.
If any incidents were to occur on the Korean Peninsula, this place would undoubtedly become a key strategic location.
And as a bonus, I could acquire elixirs to give to Selene.
“So, where to now?”
Mirien, who was playing with a folding chair in the lobby, asked curiously.
[Current Calamities: 90/90]
“Looks like we don’t need to clear any more nests.”
After wiping out the intruders and taking all their calamities, the initial purpose has been achieved.
I turned my head northward.
“For now… let’s head back to Seoul.”
The next eruption was approaching.
Starting with the fifth eruption, there’s a small chance of encountering a 4-Star calamity, so we needed to prepare accordingly.
Not to mention, I’ve realized that the Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, is hostile toward me. We needed to develop a strategy.
On the way back to Seoul, we encountered a shocking surprise right after arriving.
“Nam Joo-yeon! Listen up! I’m S-Rank now!”
Management Bureau Chief Yoo Jun-seo successfully synthesized a 4-Star calamity.
What luck he has.
