Fired Characters from an Idle Game

23. Habitual Worship, Surprise Witness – (2)

[A Rift is Erupting!]

[Various Calamities can be collected from the Rift Eruption!]

[Defeat the Calamities and Dominate them. The Dominated Calamities will strengthen your base as loyal minions!]

[Outbreak ends in 6h.]

The message displayed before her eyes. Staring at the status window, B-Class Awakened Seo Yerin slapped both cheeks, psyching herself up.

“Hoo. Seo Yerin, you can do this.”

This was the third outbreak she’d faced since the world had changed.

During the first outbreak, Seo Yerin had locked herself in her home, paralyzed by fear. And in the second, she had bravely ventured outside. Lucky for her, she had managed to ‘farm’ two 2-Star Calamities, earning her an offer from the Awakened Management Bureau along with her B-Class Awakened certification.

And now, this third outbreak.

Seo Yerin was a full-fledged Awakened affiliated with the Seoul Bureau.

Clutching her artifact, shaped like a bow, she waited for the calamities about to pour forth.

[…Squad 7, can you hear me?]

“Yes. Loud and clear.”

[Contact us on this frequency if anything unusual occurs.]

The report from the Management Bureau control tower crackled through the walkie-talkie clipped to her chest.

Seo Yerin’s assigned task this time was command and control of Awakened Squad 7.

With only a dozen or so B-Class Awakened in Seoul at present, Seo Yerin had been entrusted with the weighty responsibility of leading a squad.

Squad 7’s jurisdiction was Seongdong District.

Not particularly large in size, but as a key transportation hub for Seoul, it had to be defended with utmost diligence.

The burden on Seo Yerin’s shoulders was correspondingly heavy, but….

[Don’t worry too much. We shouldn’t have any major problems.]

“What makes you so sure?”

At Seo Yerin’s question, the Bureau employee on the other end of the walkie-talkie replied in a relaxed tone.

[Because we have our Guardian, don’t we?]

“…Right.”

Seo Yerin chuckled in agreement. Then, she turned her head to gaze at the Management Bureau building visible in the distance.

A man stood on the rooftop.

S-Class Awakened Nam Juyeon, who she had accompanied to subjugate the Incheon Port Nest not long ago. He stood stock-still on the rooftop, his eyes drinking in the hundreds, thousands of calamities pouring from the rifts above.

Immediately after, Nam Juyeon raised a hand to the sky.

And then, an anomaly occurred.

[4★ Storm Dragon Tempest howls.]

Before she knew it, a colossal shadow loomed over Nam Juyeon’s head.

The entity was a wyvern with blue scales.

Tempestra, the Storm Dragon, spread its wings wide.

The Calamities that had just spewed forth from the rift were, as if overwhelmed by Tempestra’s majestic appearance, scrambling away as fast as their legs could carry them. The Awakened seized the opportunity, driving their weapons into the defenseless backs of the fleeing monsters.

[You have defeated a 2★ Crystal Spider.]

[Reward: 30 Exp / 2★ Crystal Spider]

Seo Yerin, not wanting to miss her chance, hunted down the escaping Calamities.

Sinking a weapon into the back of a Calamity’s head as it fled proved easier than eating a rice cake lying down.

Could it really be this effortless?

“…Truly, an S-Rank is different.”

Seo Yerin confessed her admiration without reservation.

She’d seen it from the helicopter last time, but the power of an S-Rank Awakened was truly something else.

With Nam Jooyeon as the focal point, suppressing the eruption had devolved into a simple chore.

It was far too much influence for a single person to wield.

That immense dragon soaring through the sky, spewing breath onto the ground below – it was as if a god had descended to Earth.

The possessor of a 4-star Calamity. It felt like she was commanding a deity.

[You have defeated a 2★ Root Lamp Tree Spirit.]

[Reward: 30 Exp / 2★ Root Lamp Tree Spirit]

“Team Seven, what’s the situation over there?”

[The numbers are great, but they’re all scattering in a panic.]

Just then, a report crackled over the radio from Awakened within her own team, confirming they were handling the Calamities infesting Seoul Forest.

Nothing difficult.

Judging by the intermittent reports from other teams through the radio, no major accidents had occurred.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

All thanks to the newly ascended S-Rank Awakened, Nam Jooyeon.

“Ah, right. The video.”

Forgetting that she was on a mission, Seo Yerin pulled out her phone and began filming Nam Jooyeon commanding Tempestra.

The image of Tempestra soaring through the daylight sky was captured clearly on the screen.

This video was sure to surpass 100 million views.

“…Amazing.”

Honestly, Seo Yerin found the ordinary-looking man to be truly amazing.

Unlike herself, who cowered at home, terrified of the Calamities during the first eruption, Nam Jooyeon hadn’t shown a flicker of fear while achieving a miracle during the Storm Dragon subjugation when dozens, if not more, were dying.

The sight of it all almost inspired a sense of devotion.

“Ugh. Now isn’t the time for that.”

Seo Yerin snapped back to herself, wielding her disaster-power to cleanse the immediate surroundings.

She continued for a good while, the number of stray disasters within her patrol zone steadily diminishing.

When she deemed it mostly cleared, Seo Yerin reached for her radio, intending to report. But a strange unease crept in.

From some point onward, the radio had become abnormally silent.

“…Se, Seoul Forest? Do you copy? What’s the situation? Why aren’t you responding?”

[…]

Only a chilling silence echoed from the radio.

Suspecting a wrong frequency, she fiddled with the dial, but it remained stubbornly mute.

“…Huh?”

A cold sensation prickled Seo Yerin’s skin.

A sudden radio silence. And simultaneously, an oppressive quiet had fallen over the area.

It was too suspicious to attribute to the disasters simply fleeing in fear.

As the leader of Team 7, Seo Yerin had a duty to fulfill.

“…Ugh.”

Letting out a small groan, Seo Yerin hurried towards Seoul Forest. The roads were entirely blocked off, so it didn’t take her too long.

Running along the walking path, Seo Yerin soon saw it.

Two women standing in the very center of the park.

And above their heads, five distinct stars hovered.

[5★ Scortched Saint Selene]

[5★ Storm of the Northern Sea Mirien]

“….”

There was no way she wouldn’t recognize those names.

Two of the Four Great Disasters, sitting at the apex of this new world’s system.

She realized then why the nearby disasters had fled. With two Great Disasters, wielding overwhelming power, present, no lesser disaster would dare come near.

Instinctively, she ducked behind a nearby tree, clamping a hand over her mouth.

‘What are they talking about? No, more importantly, where are our team’s Awakened?’

Could they have been…slaughtered by them?

However, Seo Yerin soon perceived the subtle currents stirring between the two cataclysms.

Though too far to discern the words exchanged, Selene, the Scorched Saintess, had one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her hip, while Mirien, the Storm of the Northern Sea, pointed a finger accusingly.

Both wore frigid expressions.

Even from afar, a chill ran down Seo Yerin’s spine.

‘Are… are they fighting?’

Whatever it might be, it was a significant event.

Carefully, Seo Yerin raised her cell phone camera and began to record them.

*

The sentiment Selene, the Scorched Saintess, held for her lord, Actor, was pure fealty.

Simple, yet a trench of unfathomable depth.

Thus, Selene could not stand idly by as Mirien schemed.

“The Ascendant Church, you say. Bored of building sandcastles? Moving on to playing house, perhaps?”

“Playing house? How harsh. Everything will serve as a foundation for Actor’s grand design.”

Mirien scoffed in response to Selene’s mocking words.

Seemingly ordinary conversation, yet the atmosphere held nothing of the sort.

Once, temporary allies under the Tyrant Actor, Breaker of balance, their very essence was that of a great calamity, capable of obliterating entire worlds.

As they bared their animosity, nothing dared approach. Even the Hellhound that had accompanied Selene paced circles on the fringes of the basin, unwilling to draw near.

In an atmosphere thick as a fuse about to spark, the Scorched Saintess Selene spoke.

“What are you planning to do with a collection of disasters?”

Selene asked, her brow furrowed.

The organization Mirien founded was a gathering of Awakened. Through the disasters held by her Awakened subordinates, she was building an army.

Disaster begetting disaster was only temporarily possible within a Nest. But Mirien was an exception. She resorted to manipulation, indoctrinating Awakened masses to evoke disasters.

“What are your intentions in leading these followers, collecting these disasters?”

“I told you, the Ascendant Church. We will surpass the heavens. Just as Actor did.”

“These followers of yours… they hardly seem to follow you of their own volition. Have you brainwashed them?”

“Correct. For now, at least.”

Mirien nodded.

She raised her hand, placing it atop the head of a recently indoctrinated Awakened. Vacant-eyed, the Awakened was merely a pawn following Mirien’s command.

“But in time, they will all understand.”

“Did you say the same to the hundreds of thousands of lives you extinguished in the last dimension?”

“Silence.”

The atmosphere shifted in a heartbeat.

Lightning flashed across Mirien’s face.

“Harlot, that’s not a word you’re fit to utter.”

“Indeed, you’re right. Though it’s fair to say we’re both well-versed in the art of killing.”

Selene offered a wry smile, conceding the point.

Mirien tamped down her fury, continuing.

“Whore, you needn’t concern yourself. Everything is fertilizer for Actor. A stepping stone to realizing his plans.”

“Those are welcome words, to be sure, but I suspect that my Lord is less than thrilled with your little escapade, Mirien.”

“I know. You told me. Actor chose you over me.”

Selene’s brow furrowed.

A desperate smile tugged at Mirien’s lips.

“But as you also know, I’m a woman of considerable ambition.”

Mirien raised a finger, pointing it at Selene. Then, almost absently, she curled it inward, resting it against her own chest.

“I’m more useful to Actor than you are. He must know that. This is the proving of it.”

“You’ve taken quite a liberty with my previous advice.”

“Silence. Asteria, Karne, Selene, you all become enemies the instant you stand in my way.”

“Do you have the courage to say such words to the Lord himself?”

Selene’s barb twisted Mirien’s expression.

But only for a fleeting moment.

Mirien chuckled, dropping her hand.

“Don’t worry. In time, Actor will understand. I am destined to be his consort.”

“…Such fragile pride. The depth of such ignorance.”

“Rather that…”

Cutting Selene off, Mirien averted her gaze.

She was a thorough, meticulous mage.

A habit to always scan her surroundings before committing to action.

Mirien’s eyes locked onto a distant point.

“I believe a rat is spying on us.”

“Yes. I’ve confirmed. Shall I take care of it?”

“So it shall be.”

Selene didn’t stop Mirien. If the two clashed in the current situation, their lord would be displeased. However, dealing with the eavesdropper would be what their lord desired.

Even so, she couldn’t simply let Mirien run rampant.

Selene closed one eye and said, almost casually.

“…Just so you know, our lord detests taking lives.”

“…”

Mirien glanced sidelong at Selene and frowned.

“I’m aware.”

[5★ North Sea Storm Mirien is casting skill 「Chain Lightning」.]

At the same moment, strands of lightning erupted from her outstretched hand.

The azure chains enveloped Seo Yerin, the Awakened, hiding behind the tree in the blink of an eye.