Fired Characters from an Idle Game

33. Double Life – (3)

Disaster Order was an idle, collection-based game.

Therefore, there were countless calamities for the player to collect. Three hundred or so calamities existed in total, with forty being 4-Star Calamities, and seven being 5-Star Calamities.

I had collected all but three of those 5-Star Calamities.

And now, with reality mirroring the Disaster Order system, the four 5-Star Calamities that I possessed, along with the remaining three hundred, had all taken root in this world.

Even now, flicking through the news, one could easily witness calamities with faces I knew enacting unthinkable carnage in every corner of the globe.

I quit the game, and the world went to hell. A twinge of guilt certainly registered, but that didn’t offer any solution. It wasn’t as if I could simply fly to the other side of the world and stop them, not at this very moment.

Above all else, the problems looming before me were already mountainous.

“Asteria, Karne. We need to track down both of them.”

Just like the calamities appearing on the news, both Asteria and Karne were somewhere in the world. They would be aware of my existence in this world, too.

Asteria and Karne were the third and fourth 5-Star Calamities I acquired. Selene and Mirien were first and second, respectively, so it could be argued that my time with them was shorter, but that didn’t mean I had neglected the remaining two.

On the contrary, because I obtained them later, my stronghold was already sufficiently developed, and I was able to provide both calamities with comprehensive support. If anything, I gave them more than enough.

Mirien, having received merely an artificial heart, committed murder, claiming it was to help me. The other two wouldn’t be any different.

‘In any case, the likelihood of both of them getting up to no good is high. I need to know, at least, what they’re doing and where.’

Tracking them down would have been difficult with just Selene, but with Mirien around, it wasn’t impossible.

Unlike Selene, who specialized in battling large groups, Mirien was raised as a typical damage-support type. In particular, her tracking skill was extensive enough to cover an entire continent.

“Mirien, would you be able to locate them?”

“…Hmmm. Well, it wouldn’t be impossible, I suppose….”

“I’m counting on you.”

Mirien wore an expression that indicated she wasn’t particularly thrilled with the prospect. But the moment I used the word ‘counting,’ her expression instantly changed, and she nodded.

Selene preferred being ordered around with force, while Mirien enjoyed being coddled like this.

“If I ran the tracking spell from the rooftop… within seven days and nights… I think I could find them….”

Mirien stole glances at me as she spoke.

“But Actor, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Even if I’m on the rooftop, you have to come visit me at least once a day. Even if it’s just for a moment, please show your face.”

Mirien’s request wasn’t exactly out of the blue. Even though I had her under my control, she had committed so many deeds that I needed to periodically check to see if she was up to no good.

However, Mirien’s request seemed to strike Celene as deeply impertinent. With a scowl twisting her features, Celene took a step forward.

“You magic-peddling little witch, what have you done to warrant ordering the Lord around? Put aside your foolish notions and focus on the task at hand.”

“And what makes you think you can boss me around?”

Mirien’s expression hardened, and a chill settled between the two of them.

The differences in their natures and temperaments, Mirien’s and Celene’s, were as vast as the heavens and the earth. That was the reason I had chosen not to place them in the same outpost.

“You two were getting along just fine a moment ago. Don’t tell me you lied to me?”

That one line seemed to break the tension, and Mirien and Celene finally averted their gazes.

“Anyway, Mirien, as you asked, I’ll visit once a day, or if that’s too much, at least once every two days. Don’t worry.”

“Okay!”

“And Celene, you have separate business with me. Don’t even think about interfering with Mirien.”

“My Lord, I had no intention of interfering with that wench.”

“I understand, now just listen to what I have to say.”

I clapped my hands together, bringing the situation to order.

I intended to start gathering information about Asteria and Karne from this point forward. It would be better to ask Celene, who had been at our outpost the longest, rather than asking Mirien.

“Celene, do you remember what kind of person Asteria was?”

“That woman…”

“Don’t call her malicious, and don’t say she was dark-hearted. Try to be as objective as possible.”

I preemptively cut off Celene’s anticipated response. She pouted, but reluctantly began to speak.

“…Asteria is an enigmatic woman.”

“Enigmatic?”

“…She never expresses strong emotions. She neither rages nor rejoices. No matter what happens, she maintains an aloof demeanor. In my opinion… she is akin to a deity. She seems to view all living things as beneath her. As if observing microscopic creatures from the distant cosmos.”

“…The cosmos?”

“Yes. Even the moments she seems to show emotion are shrouded in mystery, making it impossible to know if they are genuine, and she remains… imposing.”

Asteria, the Queen Who Devoured Stars.

I remembered some of her backstory.

A queen of an ancient kingdom. Asteria, who incurred the wrath of the cosmos and was eternally imprisoned, awakened a unique power, ‘Color,’ and walked free from her prison, revitalizing her kingdom. Her new kingdom prospered, committing sacrilege by shattering stars and devouring their power. Ultimately, the world, unable to withstand her power, led Asteria into a realm within the rifts.

‘A rather grim setup.’

Compared to Celene, who merely burned down a world, or Mirien, who experimented on hundreds of thousands of people, her scale was on a different level.

The reason was probably because Asteria, the Queen Who Devoured Stars, was a 5-star character added in an update.

Perhaps it was a matter of adult circumstances.

“But milord, there is one thing you must know.”

“What is it?”

“Asteria’s gaze upon you…it isn’t so much indifference as it is…tenderness. It appears she sees you not as one to be served, but as her own people, to be protected.”

“…So, the opposite of you, Selene, I presume?”

“Indeed.”

*Well*, from her title alone, she’d naturally see dominion and rule as her due.

A difficult personality, it would seem.

“Then, what of Karne?”

Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens.

She was a half-human, half-beast demon, a versatile character with a concept centered around crows and other summoned creatures. I recall favouring her, as she pulled her weight in any team.

And Karne’s backstory was just as outrageous as one would expect from a 5-star Calamity. As I remember it, she unleashed a plague that reaped more than half of the world’s life.

“Karne, you say?”

“Yes. Do you know something about her?”

“…That harlot…”

“Selene, mind your tongue.”

“That woman… is Asteria’s polar opposite.”

“Polar opposite?”

Selene nodded at my question, lifting her head. Her gaze drifted to the staircase that spiraled towards the tower’s summit.

“Karne’s temperament, I believe, is more akin to Mirein’s.”

“…She yearns for me?”

“Similar, yet different. To Karne, milord appears to be… a child to be cared for.”

Selene carefully opened her lips, watching my reaction.

“…Motherly love, it is.”

“…”

*Both* of them were clearly unhinged.

*

“Ah, Dragon King! You have finally graced us with your presence!”

“Would you please refrain from using that title?”

“There are reporters present. Smile.”

The Director of the Administration Bureau, Yu Junseo, smiled warmly, draping his arm around my shoulder, flashing a wide smile at the camera. With no choice, I stood side-by-side with Yu Junseo, forcing an awkward smile.

The current location: Seoul City Hall.

Right next to the Administration Bureau building.

“Isn’t it absurd that we’re receiving presidential citations?”

The reason I came to Seoul City Hall was none other than to receive said citation.

The Blue House had been cleaved in half by the earthquake Selene caused, so the presidential residence had been temporarily relocated to Seoul City Hall.

“…Ah, right. Did you know we’re being called the Twin Kings now? The Dragon King and, well, the Underworld King.”

Yoo Jun-seo whispered, barely audible over the reporters’ murmurs.

That blasted Dragon King title. It was driving me insane, but the press had already latched onto it.

At this point, I’d resigned myself. Better this than that awful Maestro title taking root.

“Don’t take it so hard. I promised I’d make it up to you after this is all over, didn’t I?”

For some reason, Yoo Jun-seo’s gaze held a different quality ever since that day’s events.

The act Selene and I put on to get rid of him must have been too convincing.

I’d even validated his lies to protect his reputation.

In Yoo Jun-seo’s eyes, I probably looked like some kind of noble hero.

“So, I’ve been thinking. As the Director of the Administration Bureau, I was wondering what I could possibly offer the Dragon King.”

Even after the award ceremony ended, Yoo Jun-seo kept talking to me, oblivious.

“There’s been talk internally, after this incident, that maybe an S-class Awakened should be the one heading the Administration Bureau. What do you say, Nam Joo-yeon, about becoming the Awakened Administration Bureau Director…”

“I’m not interested.”

“…You wouldn’t be interested, would you. Hmm, a pity. Yes. Everyone will be disappointed.”

He said that, but the corner of Yoo Jun-seo’s mouth was twitching. He must be overjoyed that he gets to keep his position as Director.

Never seen such a petty person.

As Kang Se-na would say, a station above his worth.

And she was right, actually.

“So, then… what do you need? Equipment support? Or, say, military backup for Nest subjugation…Ah, but that’s something we’ve always provided, hasn’t it…?”

His voice trailed off as he ran out of prepared lines.

I sighed and said,

“Just clear out the crowds around my old house, please.”

“…Ah, ah, yes. Of course. Right. How about moving to a better place while you’re at it? The Administration Bureau people won’t bother you, then. I’ll even assign bodyguards nearby. Ah, bodyguards who definitely won’t be a nuisance, so don’t worry.”

He was offering a penthouse. I nodded, and Yoo Jun-seo visibly sagged with relief.

“Anyway, I’m really grateful for what you did last time. I almost became the traitor of the Korean peninsula, it seems.”

Yoo Junseo offered a small-man’s smile and shook his head.

I was idly responding to his trivial chatter when Yoo Junseo ceased speaking. I turned to find him gauging my reaction.

“Something more to say, perhaps?”

“Well, it’s just… there’s a favor I wanted to ask of Nam Juyeon.”

“If it’s to participate in some pointless event, I’ll expose the truth right here and now.”

“No, no, nothing like that!”

Yoo Junseo recoiled, quickly launching into his request.

“…I received a report from Kang Sena a few days ago, stating that the reason you declared your tower conquest was to rescue the missing?”

“Something along those lines.”

“Then, could you perhaps find one more?”

I had a fair idea why Yoo Junseo was bringing this up.

“Are you referring to Jo Geonwook?”

“Ah, yes, yes. That’s him. It seems you’ve already heard. As you say. That Jo Geonwook vanished rather suddenly, which is… quite the delicate situation. Furthermore, he’s not the type to simply disappear without a word. Frankly, Jo Geonwook’s position within the Administration isn’t exactly low-ranking, and being one of only twenty A-class Awakened in Korea…”

“You want me to find him, then?”

“Indeed! Precisely. In truth, Nam Juyeon, you *are* the most outstanding Awakened in our Korea, aren’t you? And since you’ve already discovered that there are missing people within the Tower, I thought perhaps you could also discern where Jo Geonwook might be.”

“…”

Hearing Yoo Junseo’s words, an idea struck me.

“Yes. I will certainly track down Jo Geonwook.”

A clever stratagem to manipulate the Administration to my liking.

And a way to dispel any suspicion concerning Actor.