Fired Characters from an Idle Game

9. I Gave You Everything – (2)

*Ding!*

[5★ Scortched Saint Selene has eliminated 1★ Rock Scavenger.]

[Reward: 5Exp / 1★ Rock Scavenger]

*Ding-ding!*

[5★ Scortched Saint Selene has eliminated 1★ Small Tree Stump.]

[Reward: 5Exp / 1★ Small Tree Stump]

“Hoh.”

I shook my head at the bizarre spectacle unfolding before my eyes.

A harbinger of death had descended.

Selene was, quite literally, harvesting life.

Each time she swung her wedge-shaped blade, flames erupted. Before the tempest of fire, the 1-star Calamities were nothing more than fallen leaves in autumn.

[5★ Scortched Saint Selene has eliminated 1★ Rock Scavenger.]

[There is insufficient space in the stronghold. Calamities cannot be collected.]

She had already filled all ten slots.

It had only been two hours since we left Seoul, and Selene was single-handedly crushing every Calamity that appeared before her.

The Calamities in the nest were utterly annihilated. I clapped my hands to get Selene’s attention.

“Selene, it seems this place is pretty much cleared out. Let’s move on.”

“Yes, Master.”

Selene sheathed her sword.

I opened my phone to check the information.

“It seems there’s a nest of Calamities gathered near Cheonan. Apparently, it’s a much larger scale than here. Let’s go take it down.”

“As you command.”

There were advantages, too, among the changes brought about by the widespread adoption of the Awakened Certification System.

The convenience of instantly checking dungeon information through online communities was undeniable.

I started the car, and Selene settled into the passenger seat. Contrary to her appearance, she adapted to modern contraptions rather well.

“Do you intend to slay every last calamity on this land?”

“No, I plan to return once I’ve gathered enough. Besides, the checkpoints everywhere make it difficult to travel.”

Since the disasters began appearing on Earth, roads were no longer the sole domain of humans.

The government established checkpoints everywhere, stationing soldiers and police. In the end, to avoid the checks, one had to use the deserted back roads.

While driving, I manipulated the status window.

＜Overlord ‘Actor’s’ Stronghold＞

[ Calamities Owned 10/10 ]

[ Experience Points Held: 3435 Exp ]

[ Equipment Owned 3/20 ]

I opened the Stronghold Upgrade window.

The Disaster Order’s strongholds could be upgraded using experience points.

For now, the Barracks were the top priority for upgrading. I pressed the hammer button repeatedly.

[ Stronghold Upgrade: Barracks ]

[ □□□□□□□□□□ ]

[ Expands the calamity possession limit by 10. ]

[ Experience Points Required: 100 Exp ]

The experience points required for upgrades started at 100 initially, but doubled with each upgrade.

Generally, one upgrade was the most one could manage.

However, I was in possession of a quantity of experience points that defied imagination. Without hesitation, I pressed the button.

*Ting, ting, ting, ting.*

[ Stronghold Upgrade: Barracks ]

[ ■■■■□□□□□□ ]

[ Experience Points Required: 800 Exp]

Having invested a total of fifteen hundred experience points, I upgraded the Barracks four times.

[ Calamities Owned 10/50 ]

With this, I could gather 40 more calamities.

“Selene. Forty more, you can manage that, right?”

“…I have embarked on countless expeditions at my Overlord’s command. Among the expeditions I have undertaken, none are easier than this.”

“Indeed.”

Sending Selene, a 5-star Calamity, to a nest teeming with these petty disasters was like using a butcher’s cleaver to catch a chicken.

Something unimaginable in the game, that’s for sure.

Perhaps it was dwelling on such frivolous thoughts?

I completely missed the checkpoint at the end of the road.

“Random checkpoint, please pull over.”

“Damn.”

I had no choice but to stop the car at the checkpoint.

A police officer approached from afar.

There was a risk of Selene, in the passenger seat, being discovered, but thankfully, she was quick-witted.

[5★ Scorched Saint Selene has activated the skill「Ink Veil」.]

*Whoosh.*

By the time the officer arrived, Selene had long since melted into the shadows.

It was a stroke of pure luck that I had made her learn stealth skills back when I was grinding the game.

“Are you alone, sir?”

Fortunately, the officer didn’t notice Selene’s stealth skill in the passenger seat.

He stared at me with a blank expression before his face broke into a smile.

“Ah, so you’re an Awakened too.”

The officer, apparently an Awakened himself, grinned as he spoke.

“Registered as an Awakened already, I presume?”

“No. Not yet.”

“You should probably get on that sooner rather than later. Though, the voluntary registration period still has a few days left, so no need to rush. Seeing you head this way, I’m guessing you’re heading to the Cheonan Nest to deal with a Calamity. Planning on finding a party there?”

“…Ah, yes. Something like that.”

The officer nodded at my answer.

Seemed like a common occurrence.

After all, Cheonan was the most well-known Calamity Nest close to the capital.

“So, what’s your nickname? Even though you’re still an unregistered Awakened, I still need to note down at least your name.”

The officer gave a wry smile and shook the clipboard in his hand.

Saying ‘Actor’ here would probably get me immediately handcuffed.

I hesitated for a moment, then replied.

“Jooyeon. Nam Jooyeon.”

“Jooyeon, eh? Hmm, like ‘Male Protagonist’? Haha. A name fit for an actor, it is.”

The officer’s jest drew a wry smile from me.

It was, in fact, the very reason I’d named my game avatar Actor.

Luckily, the officer didn’t seem to make the connection between my name and those two letters.

He chuckled, tipped his hat, and nodded.

“Then, a successful hunt to you.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I pressed the accelerator.

The moment I cleared the checkpoint, a deep sigh escaped me.

Simultaneously, Selene, who had been veiled in shadow, revealed herself.

“…Master, what is Jooyeon?”

“My given name. Nam Jooyeon, to be exact.”

“….”

Selene gasped, a sharp intake of breath.

Then, with her hands clasped demurely, her lips formed words silently.

“…What’s wrong?”

“May I… inquire as to the meaning?”

“It’s nothing much. Just… a name given so I might become the protagonist of the world.”

Well, in a way, I *did* become a protagonist.

Who knew the world would turn into a game?

As I was about to let out another bitter chuckle, Selene clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Could it be… has the day truly come when I hear my Master’s True Name?”

“True Name?”

“A True Name implies origins, Master. I am truly honored to learn of your origins. Its meaning is so beautiful, so grand. I, Selene, am overcome with emotion by the trust you have placed in me.”

“….”

If she’s happy, that’s what matters.

Let her think what she will.

I shrugged and headed towards Cheonan.

[5★ Scorched Saintess Selene has successfully completed the «Cheonan Crystal Nest» expedition!]

[Reward: 150 Exp / 2★ Starlight Dust Golem]

*Ding.*

[ CATASTROPHE Inventory 50/50 ]

[Notification: Headquarters lacks space. Catastrophes cannot be collected.]

We devoured the Nest.

*

The Awakened Management Bureau received word that the Nest in Cheonan had vanished in the pre-dawn hours of that very day.

The Bureau dispatched personnel immediately, and they unearthed a tale most disconcerting.

“So… it just vanished, without any warning? The Nest?”

“Yes…”

“And the Catastrophes within?”

“We don’t know. When we checked, there was nothing.”

The Nest vanished in the dead of night.

Of course, the Catastrophes being gone was a good thing.

But vanishing like this, overnight, was unheard of.

“This is driving me mad.”

Jo Geon-wook, an Awakened within the Bureau, pressed at his throbbing temples.

The Cheonan Nest was a location the Bureau had been keeping a close eye on, in its own way.

Catastrophes tended to congregate, so by diligently controlling the surrounding area, they thought it could serve as a sort of bait for the next emergence.

It was also a place with promising potential, acting as a stepping stone for the growth of the domestic Awakened.

“That place was a demonic territory with over a hundred Catastrophes gathered. You’re telling me it disappeared overnight? Does that even make sense?”

There were two possibilities.

Either the Catastrophes, including the dungeon, had naturally dissipated, or someone had dealt with all of them.

Jo Geon-wook thought the former was far more likely, but as someone sent to investigate, he had to examine every possible scenario.

“Get me a complete list of Awakened who used the roads that evening from the nearby police.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jo Geon-wook received the traffic manifest and reviewed it.

The last Awakened to visit…

“Ju-yeon.”

An unregistered Awakened.

Truly suspicious.

Jo Geon-wook savored the name, then asked the administrator,

“Say, what time exactly did the Nest vanish?”

“Around 9:15 PM.”

“Hmm.”

Awakened Joo-yeon’s passage time was 8:39 PM.

From the checkpoint to the Nest, even rushing, it takes twenty minutes. Clearing a dungeon crawling with hundreds of Calamities in a mere five minutes is physically impossible. In other words, there’s a high possibility this Awakened knows nothing.

Jo Geon-wook continued to examine the registry, but only four or five Awakened crossed the Cheonan checkpoint late that night.

And even then, there were temporal discrepancies for all of them.

“…Seems like it really did just naturally dissipate…”

The Management Bureau once again faced a new problem.

A problem that arose merely five days after its establishment.

*

[Cheonan Nest Naturally Dissipates.]

[Awakened Management Bureau Observes Dungeon Dissolution. New Hope Sprouts for Humanity!]

“…What kind of bull is this?”

Upon seeing the headline the next day, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.