Fired Characters from an Idle Game

46. Bat Yu Junseo – (2)

It was last night, when I instructed Selene to carry out an assassination.

“Selene.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“If I were to become an absolute being, what do you think would become of the people in this world?”

It was a question that had consumed me for the past few weeks.

As the system claimed, becoming an absolute being meant holding everyone in this dimension beneath my feet.

A situation where the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions, could hang on my decisions.

In truth, Selene and Mirienne had killed countless people, and Karne had harvested nearly twenty million lives in China. Asteria wouldn’t be any different.

Similar situations would continue to arise.

When that time comes, could I still be myself?

It was a question thrown out of that very worry.

“My Lord, may I speak?”

Selene, upon hearing my question, immediately knelt on one knee and entreated.

“Yes, speak.”

“Even if every single person in this dimension were to meet a miserable death, it wouldn’t be worth considering in your Lordship’s grand ambition.”

I chuckled at Selene’s simple and clear answer.

“…That’s an answer befitting you.”

It wasn’t entirely wrong either.

After all, this world was just one big game.

And I was a gamer who valued efficiency above all else.

*

Back to the present.

“W-what are you saying, Awakened Nam Joo-yeon…? I am, to the extent possible… expressing my regret for this unavoidable situation that has… occurred….”

Right now, I’m staring at the Prime Minister, who is sweating profusely.

He’s fixated on my fingertips. Checking, it seems, that my fingers aren’t manipulating the status window.

“Why, does the thought of dying make you think a little harder?”

“S-spare me. I can explain everything, everything!”

Based on my experiences over the past few weeks, I’ve grasped exactly what stance I need to take in this filthy world.

Eliminate, without exception, any element that seeks to harm me. Utilize anything and everything that can be utilized. This world is already ruined anyway, there’s no room for pangs of conscience.

“Explain? What’s so important about explaining? If I understand your circumstances, will you obediently die?”

“That’s….”

“No, right? It’s the same for me. I don’t need to understand the circumstances of those who tried to kill me either.”

I admit it.

My head is going bad.

But the world is even worse, just a hair more.

Even if I threaten to kill someone, even if I actually kill someone, the law can no longer restrain me.

The man before me seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

From his kneeling position, he lowered his eye level even further. He bowed his body low enough to touch the ground and begged for his life with a desperate voice.

“No, Ms. Nam Joo-yeon. I didn’t mean it that way. I am truly sorry. The executive branch will also take preventative measures to ensure this never happens again….”

“No, there’s no real need to. Do as you please.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Because if you do anything foolish one more time, Seoul will cease to exist as a city.”

“…What are you…talking about?”

Players from the Disaster Order, including myself, possess super-legal authority in situations like this.

Because there is one right that only the Awakened can brandish.

“The fifth eruption, it’s coming soon, isn’t it?”

“……”

“If you have a brain in your head, think about it. If I were to be absent from next week’s eruption, if even Yoo Jun-seo were to be absent, what would happen to Seoul?”

Eruption of the rifts.

A natural disaster that only the Awakened can control.

At the same time, it’s a powerful weapon with which I can tighten the reins on the government.

“The un-awakened will die without exception, and the members of your government will be annihilated. Well, some of the awakened will die too, but their survival rate will be much higher than yours.”

“…”

“Those left behind could create new communities together. It’s actually happening all the time in the provinces. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”

The world is changing to fit a new system.

When I read about it in reports or articles, it didn’t feel real.

But after witnessing direct examples while suppressing nests in the provinces recently, the reality sunk in to my bones.

The Awakened community in Daejeon was precarious, yes, but it was functioning as a small nation all the same.

Like this, with the passage of time, the power of the Awakened will only grow stronger.

It all hinges on the unknown power of the Disasters, and the unique nature of the Rupture that pours that power forth.

“You still seem to be under the delusion that you’re the establishment of this world.”

Neither the government, nor I, nor the world can cling to the old systems.

A new world calls for new rules, wouldn’t you say?

“If you want to live, it’s best not to interfere with what the Awakened, including myself, are doing. If something like this happens again, then the lives of every human in Seoul will be put on the line as collateral.”

“…”

“Don’t think I won’t do it. How many do you think I’ve killed already?”

If you include the unknown, it would easily be tens of millions.

No, considering it was my fault that the Disaster Order’s calamities were unleashed on Earth, perhaps I’m responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions.

I gave a bitter smile, lost in such pointless thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, having heard my threat, was pale as a ghost and completely frozen.

It seemed my less-than-subtle persuasion had worked effectively.

“Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, yes!”

“Ah, and one more thing.”

Since it came to mind, I brought up another demand.

“Let’s abolish that Awakened Control Act, too.”

“…Excuse me?”

The Awakened Control Act. A draconian law that forbade the Awakened from every little action and changing their residence. It was the leash the government put on us, under the guise of sentencing anyone who refused to indefinite imprisonment.

The government was practically begging for forgiveness in this situation, so the law had effectively become meaningless. If so, there’s no reason for it to exist.

My words clearly took the Prime Minister by surprise. He wracked his brain, and then shook his head with a miserable smile.

“I fully understand Ms. Nam Juyeon’s feelings. But laws… they can’t be changed with just a few words…”

“Oh, is that so? Wasn’t that Awakened Control Act created from a few words tossed out by politicians chasing votes?”

“… “

“Indeed. As you say, words alone won’t change anything. So let us see. Actions speak louder than words.”

“… Actions?”

“Perhaps the morning news will bring tidings of the newly constructed National Assembly building being half-destroyed. Or perhaps, like today’s news, the Speaker will meet his end in a bomb attack.”

“… “

“I trust you understand after all this. I am not making a request. I am issuing an order. If I do not see meaningful progress within the next month, you should prepare your neck for the blade.”

I snapped my fingers. The Prime Minister’s gaze had been fixed on my fingertips since the start, and his eyelids twitched in response to my gesture.

“Ah, one last thing.”

I grinned at his completely frozen face and continued.

“Arrange a flight for me. I need to visit China.”

We had to prepare thoroughly for Karne as well.

*

The brief conversation concluded, and I left the Director’s office. Right outside the door, in the corridor, Kang Sena stood waiting, a stack of documents in her arms.

“Did the discussion go well?”

A subtle smile played on Kang Sena’s lips. She must have heard everything we said inside.

“Did you happen to hear?”

“I wasn’t intending to eavesdrop. It’s just that the soundproofing in this building isn’t the best.”

“Disillusioned? By the fact that the magnificent Dragon King, the Maestro, is an anarchist?”

I joked, and Kang Sena chuckled softly.

“He’s Dragon Emperor now.”

She retorted with her own jest.

“Disillusioned? Not at all. If anything, I see you in a new light, Nam Juyeon.”

“A new light?”

“I’m the one who persuaded you to go in there with confidence in the first place. In this kind of situation, I’m even starting to think that a tyrant or a rogue – someone with a firm hand – should be in charge of the Management Bureau.”

“Or is it just that you don’t want to work with Yoo Junseo?”

“Oh my, how perceptive.”

Kang Sena smiled, and I shrugged.

Her gaze drifted into the distance. Just then, Yoo Junseo was issuing instructions to the Management Bureau staff.

“It seems Director Yoo Junseo intends to make the Management Bureau completely independent from the government. And with your help, the Awakened Individuals Management Act will soon be gone. Meaning meaningful progress could be seen in as little as a month.”

“That’s good.”

“Do you truly think putting Mr. Nam Juyeon in the Director-General’s seat is the right call?”

“Wouldn’t you be the one to know that best?”

Frankly speaking, Yoo Junseo wasn’t exactly a man of talent. He was dim-witted, with a personality geared towards self-preservation.

However, Yoo Junseo certainly knew his place.

Unlike Investigator Jo Geonwook, his ego wasn’t inflated beyond his capabilities.

Selfish, yes, but undeniably human.

Therefore, while Yoo Junseo wasn’t trustworthy, he also didn’t inspire much worry.

Kang Sena, apparently of the same mind, let out a deep sigh.

“Well, can’t argue with that. The leader of a one-eyed nation should be another one-eyed man. Not someone two-eyed like yourself, Mr. Nam Juyeon.”

Kang Sena swiftly dismissed the topic and changed the subject.

“So, why are you going to China? I heard the situation there isn’t exactly rosy.”

“To track down an Actor.”

“Really, now?”

“…Yes, well.”

Again, Kang Sena didn’t press further, simply nodding in agreement.

“May I ask just one last thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you truly have no interest in me? If one woman isn’t enough, I can bring Yerin along to assist.”

“….”

[5★ Miriene, Tempest of the Northern Sea, is watching you!!]

“I have no interest. Not even a sliver.”

Once again, I saved the world.

Such was the dignity of an Absolute Being.

Or so it seemed.