Fired Characters from an Idle Game

13. Smurfing is Basic to a Dead Game – (4)

The world once again reached a state of lull.

The eruption of the second rift was successfully defended, but an unexpected event occurred.

The appearance of the Storm Dragon, Tempestura.

Considering the precedent set by the Hellfire Hound last time, this was something that could not be ignored.

[Storm Dragon Tempestura nests in Ilsan.]

The Storm Dragon Tempestura had established its abode in the direction of Ilsan, and due to the nature of calamities to be drawn to strong existences, the remaining calamities in northern Gyeonggi Province gathered in Ilsan, forming a single nest.

The level of danger was on a completely different scale from the nest in Cheonan that Selene had conquered last time, and people trembled in fear.

The Management Bureau quickly began to respond.

[Introduction of a grade system for Awakened players who gain momentum, establishment of a plan to subdue the Storm Dragon Tempestra centered on B-grade Awakened players.]

Unlike the Hellfire Hounds of before, the Awakened had, in their own way, reinforced their strength through two Outbreaks, Nest sweeps, and Synthesizations.

Word even reached me that Yoo Jun-seo, the Director of the Bureau, possessed not one, but two Calamities of the Third Star.

And the Bureau’s clutches reached out to me as well.

– ‘Is this Ms. Nam Jooyeon?’

“Yes. It is.”

– ‘You are required to respond to the summons.’

“Summons? For what?”

– ‘Do you live under a rock?’

Perhaps it was inevitable that the Bureau would contact me, possessor of a Second Star Calamity.

“Don’t tell me I have to go deal with that overgrown lizard?”

– ‘Of course. According to the grading system soon to be implemented, Ms. Nam is classified as a B-grade Awakened. Besides, you’ve faced the Tempest Dragon firsthand, haven’t you?’

“Even if you put it that way…”

– ‘Did you hear about China? Millions died trying to hold back three Fourth Star Calamities there. And they didn’t even succeed in killing them. If we leave this unchecked, Seoul could very well collapse.’

“…Tch.”

I didn’t know how strong the other Awakened were, but with barely Second or Third Star powers, they’d have a hard time facing the Tempest Dragon. Even if they somehow succeeded in the subjugation, it was obvious that there would be significant casualties.

I tried to refuse, skirting around the issue…

– ‘You know the Awakened Contract, right? Awakened individuals affiliated with the nation are required to respond to summons without fail. Failure to comply may result in legal penalties. Under the Awakened Management Special Act, it could be up to life imprisonment…’

Even with the world turned upside down, the Republic of Korea had a knack for exploiting its citizens.

I sighed and nodded.

“When would I need to report?”

– ‘You’ll receive detailed summons instructions by tomorrow. Just gather according to those.’

I frowned and hung up the phone.

Seemingly having heard the conversation, Selene approached me with a hardened expression.

“Just give the order, and I’ll tear all those loathsome creatures to shreds.”

“…No, there’s no need for that.”

I switched the screen on my phone to the news. Right on cue, a broadcast helicopter was filming the Ilsan Nest. At the center of the Nest, the Tempest Dragon Tempestara was coiled up.

In any case, the fact that a Fourth Star Calamity had erupted was undeniable, and if left unattended, more Calamities would gather, turning it into a Dungeon. Like the situation in China, if those Calamities all descended on Seoul at once, it would be a disaster.

The Bureau’s judgment to cut it off before it bloomed was correct.

Above all, I had insurance.

“That Storm Dragon doesn’t seem inclined to harm *me*, anyway. Don’t you think?”

“…Indeed. That wyvern is following Mirienne’s orders, that *b*tch*. It wouldn’t try to hurt its master.”

Selene still didn’t hide her animosity toward Mirienne.

Ever since Selene told me about Mirienne a few days ago, my thoughts had been in turmoil.

She’d kill me just to possess me.

It sounded absurd, but Selene seemed to genuinely believe it.

“If Mirienne had malicious intentions from the start, wouldn’t it have been easy for her to harm me a long time ago?”

“Back then, you possessed divine power. But now, you’ve been reduced to a human body, my lord.”

It seemed that Selene and the other Calamities had each come up with their own plausible explanation for the gap between my appearance as the game’s Overlord and my current self.

“I regret to say, but in your current state, my lord, your life could be threatened even by subordinates other than myself.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Minimize contact with Mirienne. And with your other subordinates as well.”

The other subordinates Selene was talking about were probably the remaining two 5-star Calamities.

Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens.

Asteria, the Star-Devouring Queen.

Both of them had backstories as ominous as Selene or Mirienne, so I preferred to avoid encountering them if possible.

More importantly, their whereabouts were currently unknown.

“Alright. For now, I have no choice but to reinforce my forces.”

As soon as I decided on a course of action, an alert popped up on my status screen.

*Ding.*

[4★ Hellfire Watchdog has completed Calamity Synthesis.]

[Reward: 50 Exp / 2★ Ash-Stream Doe]

“Oh.”

I finally succeeded in synthesizing a 2-star Calamity.

It was the result of pouring in nearly thirty or more 1-star Calamities.

I added the Ash-Stream Doe to the formation and ordered the Hellfire Watchdog to begin the next synthesis.

However, Selene seemed strangely dissatisfied.

“My lord, if you were to command me to synthesize, I could create something far superior to that mongrel.”

“Selene, sorry, but your Synthesis Aptitude score is D. That mongrel’s is B.”

“…”

Selené wore an expression that looked genuinely stricken.

*

It had already been two days since Awakened Nam Juyeon entered his residence and disappeared from sight.

Kang Doyeong, the Management Bureau employee assigned to surveillance, sighed heavily, pulling out a cigarette.

“Surveillance, my foot. You need something to even surveil. He’s just holed up inside, what surveillance is there to do?”

A hikikomori, was it called?

It seemed Awakened Nam Juyeon was that type of person.

He seemed far too frail to be suspected of killing Awakened Han Taegun.

If it weren’t for Management Bureau Executive Jo Geonwook pushing so hard, Kang Doyeong wouldn’t be stuck doing this pointless job.

“Seriously, what’s with all this ‘Awakened’ nonsense.”

Kang Doyeong frowned, stubbing out his cigarette on a nearby wall before heading towards the adjacent building.

Since things had turned out this way, he figured he’d check what was happening inside the house.

Kang Doyeong made his way to the building on the same floor as Nam Juyeon’s residence and raised his binoculars. Beyond the balcony window, the interior of the room came into view.

“…Huh?”

But Nam Juyeon’s house was empty.

He had clearly seen him entering the house two days ago. He hadn’t seen him leave. Yet, only a frigid air hung in the room.

Vanished into thin air?

That couldn’t be. Didn’t he receive a call from the Management Bureau recently?

“…Strange.”

There was something going on.

A hidden room, a secret exit, or even a bunker.

Kang Doyeong, like Jo Geonwook, was a former police officer. And so, he started to move. He was ready to trespass, just to understand what exactly was happening in the residence.

But before Kang Doyeong could even descend the stairs, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Ugh!”

An icy touch.

Kang Doyeong spun around hastily, but in that instant, a small dagger was already embedded in his heart.

Bright red blood gurgled from his throat.

“Keugh!”

Behind Kang Doyeong stood a small framed woman.

He couldn’t comprehend when, or how, she had approached.

It was undeniably an abandoned building, devoid of any sign of life.

“Wh-who, ngh!”

Kang Do-young spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, attempting to shout, but quicker than sound, the woman’s hand clamped over his mouth.

Immediately, a tingling sensation washed over him, followed by numbness.

Ultimately, Kang Do-young could only stare, eyes wide, unable to utter a single word.

She was a woman of exotic beauty.

Sapphire eyes glinting amidst raven-black hair.

A chillingly beautiful woman with an unsettlingly twisted mouth that reeked of deathly cold.

“…Anyone who dares harm the Dominator will not be spared.”

The woman spoke.

Kang Do-young could no longer keep his mind in place.

More than the pain of being stabbed, it was the woman’s aura that was deeply concerning.

“…Everything is, for the sake of ‘Actor’.”

The woman muttered, as if to rationalize her actions, then pulled the dagger from Kang Do-young’s chest.

The ceremonial dagger seemed to dissolve into her palm, vanishing completely.

The last thing Kang Do-young saw before he died was the phrase floating above the woman’s head.

[5★ Storm of the Northern Sea, Miriene]

*

The next day, when I emerged from the Abyss and returned home, an oddly chaotic atmosphere clung to the neighborhood.

Looking around, I saw yellow tape cordoning off the building across from mine.

“…Huh?”

On the scene, police officers and men in suits of unknown origin seemed to be arguing.

Was it some kind of jurisdiction dispute?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t my business, but the fact that something had happened right in front of my house made me uneasy.

I approached a police officer who was smoking nearby and asked,

“…Did something happen here? I live right across the street.”

The officer seemed reluctant to speak but, upon learning I was a resident of the neighborhood, reluctantly confessed,

“Someone died.”

“Died? By a Calamity?”

“No. In this day and age, do you think the police would be dispatched just because a single person was killed by a Calamity?”

The officer shrugged, saying,

“Someone died, but the problem is, we don’t know what killed them.”

“…Hmm?”

I tilted my head, and the officer, looking perplexed, whispered,

“Here’s the thing, you see? The body was just lying there, and, well, next to it on the wall, a word was written in blood.”

“…A word?”

“You know it well too, ‘Actor’.”

“….”

A chill ran down my spine.