Fired Characters from an Idle Game

21. How an S-Class Awakened Lives – (4)

Just as Jo Geon-wook had said, an S-Class Awakened possessed power akin to an emperor.

We were only going to subjugate a small nest in Incheon, yet the Bureau had scrambled a helicopter.

Beyond that, they offered Air Force support and even to assign other A-Class Awakened to assist, which I barely managed to dissuade.

“Are you really going to be alright on your own? I could come with you.”

“No. It’s not like I’m going to subdue a great calamity like last time. It’s just a simple nest cleanup.”

That’s what I’d told Jo Geon-wook, but the Bureau was still concerned, and had assigned an Awakened to me regardless.

The woman was currently sitting in my helicopter.

“…Heuh, I’m so nervous… Aren’t you nervous, Mr. Nam Joo-yeon?”

Across from me, in the opposing seat, sat an Awakened belonging to the Bureau, her features delicate and well-defined.

The name on her badge read Seo Ye-rin. She gazed at my face with an inquisitive look.

Suspecting she wanted something, I furrowed my brow, and Seo Ye-rin gave a bashful smile.

“Umm… I really enjoyed watching your subjugation video from last time!”

“…Ah, yes….”

“I’m, like, a really big fan!”

“….”

Seo Ye-rin seemed to mean it sincerely; her neatly folded hands trembled slightly.

Should I call her my number one fan?

No, perhaps the 5-Star Calamities that had crossed into this world were already my number one fans.

How should I respond? As I stood there with an awkward expression, she cautiously asked.

“But, are you really going to be okay going alone? The reports said that the Incheon nest is exceptionally tricky for a 3-Star…”

“Yes. I’ll be fine. Even if it’s tricky, well, it’s still only a 3-Star nest.”

I casually glanced at the nest visible beyond the helicopter window.

Just like the reports.

There shouldn’t be any problems.

I wasn’t sure what she thought of that look, but Seo Ye-rin covered her mouth with one hand and quietly murmured.

“…Amazing.”

“….”

What to say… They say even when celebrities take a dump, they get applause.

That was exactly the feeling.

Simultaneously, the feeling of sitting on a bed of needles.

The slightest misstep here could mean losing a fan.

Wasn’t that how Jo Geon-wook had done it? A dazzling debut for an S-Class Awakened.

Well then, I had to show results worthy of that.

[…Approaching the Nest.]

“Acknowledged.”

Hearing the pilot’s report through my headphones, I turned away from the wide-open window. And manipulated the status window that hung in the air.

[Summoning 4★ Storm Dragon Tempestura.]

Immediately, a massive shadow fell over the helicopter.

Storm Dragon Tempestura. A living, breathing calamity that had devoured close to dozens of Awakened and soldiers in Ilsan.

But now, it was merely an extension of my limbs.

“…Wow.”

Seo Ye-rin breathed the exclamation.

Indeed, Tempestura, its two massive wings spread wide, flying parallel to the helicopter, was a truly overwhelming sight.

I shifted my gaze to the surface of the water. A whirlpool surged in the middle of the ocean. Calamities were gathered around a small reef.

The calamity at the center of the Nest was a familiar face. It was a fellow that often showed up during Calamity Synthesis.

[3★ Wave Chaser is watching you.]

The 3-Star Calamity, Wave Chaser, the master of the Nest, had the form of a seal with a large body and long fins.

Perhaps thanks to the geographical advantage of the sea, Wave Chaser’s size appeared almost 1.5 times larger than the average individual.

In reality, the destructive power emanating from that massive body was likely close to double.

“Hmm…”

But Wave Chaser was only a 3-Star Calamity, after all.

Without being a Named, could it really fight and win against the 4-Star Named Calamity, Tempestura, even with the terrain buff?

The answer was no, without a doubt.

[4★ Storm Dragon Tempestura is using skill 「Roar of the Storm」.]

As soon as I gave the command, a massive sphere of wind coalesced within Tempestura’s jaws.

Immediately after, a huge breath swept across the sea. The reef where Wave Chaser was, along with the Nest, was completely overturned, the whirlpool churning the seawater up and down.

Scattered seawater caught the sunlight, reflecting a rainbow sheen.

Kugugugugu!

A colossal tremor.

What remained was only the silent sea, devoid of all else.

[Nest ‘Offshore Reef’ Raid Successful!]

[Reward: 100 Exp / 3★ Wave Tracker]

A bland, emotionless message floated before my eyes.

The rest of the scattered calamities, lacking their focal point, began to flee in panicked disarray.

I saw no need to chase them. On this vast ocean, pursuit would be inefficient, to say the least.

“T-That’s it? Already?”

Seo Yerin muttered, her voice filled with disbelief.

Turning my head, I saw her transformed from an Awakened ready for action into a mere spectator, as if attending a concert.

“T-This is S-Rank…”

“…Are you recording?”

“…Is it…not allowed?”

“Well, it’s not that it’s forbidden…”

Seo Yerin, holding her phone’s camera, filmed me while continuously uttering exclamations of awe.

What to say.

She had a different flavour compared to Kang Sena, and it wasn’t unpleasant.

*

[S-Rank Awakened Nam Juyeon, “Incheon Port Nest Subjugation”]

“Wow…”

Seo Jaeheon, a low-ranking D-class Awakened at the Management Bureau, honestly admired the video in the news article.

In the video was a man.

An ordinary looking man, yet Korea’s first S-Rank Awakened, and the world’s second to control a four-star calamity; an existence beyond standard classification.

With a single strike, he subjugated the troublesome Incheon nest. The image of Tempestora, the Storm Dragon, coiling its body and spewing its breath, and even Nam Juyeon’s indifferent expression as he watched it, were perfectly captured in the video.

“…That’s insane, seriously.”

=

– Someone like that deserves to make 10 billion a year lmao, what nest just disappears like that

– I heard Actor wiped out five nests in a single night

ㄴ So does that mean an S-Rank can go toe-to-toe with this Actor guy?

=

The article comments were mostly adulation.

Even those who once cast skeptical glances at the S-Class Awakened, after witnessing her power firsthand, couldn’t help but concede.

“…Haa.”

Seo Jaeheon set down his phone, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

“When will I ever amount to something?”

A low-level cog in the Bureau, a D-Class Awakened.

That was Seo Jaeheon’s current standing.

Somehow, he’d managed to be recognized as a contributing Awakened, but a D-rank meant nothing.

Even now, while an S-Class Awakened was being flown around in a helicopter, Seo Jaeheon was on-site to clean up the mess left behind by the Incheon Nest.

[1★ Forest Goblin Skill “Leaf Litter” Activated.]

Seo Jaeheon’s sole affliction, the Forest Goblin, cleaned up the devastated area.

Mountains of rubble piled high.

The Nest was gone, but the Calamities lingered.

It was a hazardous zone, hence the deployment of Awakened to clean it up.

“Haa…”

Seo Jaeheon sighed, his shoulders slumping.

In this new era, Awakened enjoyed popularity akin to superstars, but for a D-Class Awakened like Seo Jaeheon, there was little difference between him and an ordinary person.

No, perhaps he was in a more pathetic position than an ordinary person, serving as mere fodder.

“This is the worst.”

Not even participating in Nest subjugation, but being summoned to clean up after them.

Seo Jaeheon picked up his phone again, his eyes lingering on the image of Nam Juyeon in the article.

An S-Class Awakened.

A sacred scion, envied by all.

A seeker of truth in this new era.

“Could I ever become like that?”

He muttered the words, just as he heard a voice.

“You can.”

“…Huh?”

Seo Jaeheon furrowed his brow.

What had he just heard?

Was that a phantom sound?

“You can succeed.”

At the renewed voice, Seo Jaeheon whirled around in haste.

“…”

The instant he saw the petite woman standing behind him, Seo Jaeheon found himself frozen solid.

It wasn’t just that the woman possessed strikingly foreign features, but because of the blue script hovering above her head.

[5★ Mirien, Tempest of the Northern Sea.]

“A…a calamity!”

“You desire advancement, yes?”

The woman, Mirien, Tempest of the Northern Sea, inquired.

But Seo Jaeheon didn’t hear. He frantically reached for his radio, intending to relay the current situation to his fellow Awakened.

However, the raised radio reeked of burnt electronics. Through the half-opened casing, a blackened circuit board was visible.

“…Ugh!”

“If it is your wish, I can make it so.”

Mirien slowly approached Seo Jaeheon and placed a hand on his shoulder.

A sharp jolt of electricity instantaneously robbed him of control over his limbs.

Eyes wide and unblinking, Seo Jaeheon stared at Mirien.

Pale rose lips parted.

“Serve Actor.”

“Act… Actor?”

“Yes. Actor. The sovereign of this world. Furthermore, the new king who shall reign above all dimensions.”

Mirien, continuing her spiel, offered a mischievous smile.

“And, my king. My own king.”

“….”

“Do not fret. You will soon obtain that which you desire.”

Mirien brought her middle and index fingers together, placing them on Seo Jaeheon’s temple.

For a fleeting moment, a hazy feeling overcame him, and he felt his consciousness begin to sink.

“Death is not in the cards. Do not be concerned.”

“…Ugh, ugh…”

“In Actor’s name, we shall all transcend the heavens.”

Mirene grinned wickedly.

[5★ Mirene, Storm of the Northern Sea, casts Skill “Mind Control.”]

[Resistance Failed!]

That was the last thing I remembered.