Fired Characters from an Idle Game

42. Turns Out We All Know Each Other – (2)

Jeon Tae-min, the leader of the Daejeon Awakened group, still remembered the events of a month ago with crystalline clarity.

Impossible to forget.

The sudden appearance of the disaster-class being, “Mirien, the Storm of the Northern Sea.”

She killed his subordinates, snapping their necks, without being detected by anyone.

Jeon Tae-min hadn’t realized she was even there until she was right in front of him, and he was subdued without even a single moment of resistance.

That day, Jeon Tae-min saw his whole life flash before his eyes for the very first time.

However, fortunately, he survived.

Not because Jeon Tae-min had handled the situation well. Mirien, the Storm of the Northern Sea, checked the phone he was holding, then seemed flustered and retreated on her own accord.

He didn’t know why.

But there was no need to know.

‘I’ll take it to the grave.’

Jeon Tae-min had no intention of revealing this fact, ever.

Mirien, the Storm of the Northern Sea, was a monster who treated the Daejeon Government Complex, which was supposed to be ironclad security, like her own home. Even if he blabbered about encountering such a disaster, nobody would believe Jeon Tae-min anyway…

‘I never want to meet her again.’

…More than anything, he feared her vindictiveness.

If Jeon Tae-min ever revealed the secret, she would come to kill him, just like she did before.

Jeon Tae-min lived every single day in mortal terror. It had only been a few days since he felt he had even begun to escape the trauma.

But today, out of nowhere, standing next to the S-class Awakened, Nam Ju-yeon, was a woman with dark blue hair who seemed to be with her.

Jeon Tae-min thought that death had finally come for him.

Yet, he was still alive at this very moment.

“…Hh, haa. Sh-shit…”

Jeon Tae-min pinched his cheek.

It hurt. Not a dream.

He was alive.

Before he could savor the fact, the door burst open.

“Hyung-nim!”

It was Hwang Jae-man, a key figure in the Daejeon Clan.

His face was flushed, red and angry, as he shouted at Jeon Tae-min.

“What in the world is going on! I heard that S-class, or whatever the hell it is, headed towards the Nest! Surely you didn’t issue the pass, Hyung-nim?”

“…I did.”

At Hwang Jae-man’s outburst, Jeon Tae-min finally regained his composure. He took a steadying breath and nodded.

“But Hyung-nim! If that b*stard obliterates the Nest, what are we supposed to do! We’re scrounging resources from there for our basic necessities!”

As Hwang Jae-man said, the Nest was the Daejeon Clan’s livelihood. To maintain a community of this size required tremendous resources. The Daejeon Clan occupied the Nest and dealt with the Cataclysms that periodically emerged, exchanging the experience points for coin and trading with nearby cities.

For the Nest to disappear meant losing their source of survival.

Understandably, Hwang Jae-man protested, but Jeon Tae-min shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. There’s a reason.”

“Hyung-nim! This isn’t right!”

“Jae-man-ah, I’m asking you a favor. Just this once, save Hyung-nim’s face.”

Jeon Tae-min’s expression was so wretched that Hwang Jae-man blinked several times.

Jeon Tae-min didn’t want to die.

Thus, he had sent the S-class Awakened, Nam Ju-yeon, and the Great Cataclysm to the Nest.

However, to Hwang Jae-man, his loyal subordinate, Jeon Tae-min’s explanation was interpreted differently.

‘Hyung-nim has been threatened!’

He’d heard about the private meeting with the S-class Awakened, Nam Ju-yeon.

And just minutes later, permission was granted for them to head to the Nest.

Clearly, in that short time, that b*stard Nam Ju-yeon had somehow manipulated Hyung-nim.

‘That son of a b*tch dares…’

Hwang Jae-man’s face contorted as he turned and left the headquarters.

“Hey, gather the guys. Tell them to grab a weapon each.”

“Is something wrong?”

“None of your business. Just shut up and gather them.”

Hwang Jaeman gathered his trusted men.

No matter how powerful an Awakened one might be, they were still just human. Be it a crossbow or a gun, a shot to the back of the head killed just the same, S-rank or D-rank.

“Dare they touch our Hyungnim?”

Hwang Jaeman and his men, each armed, set off for the Nest.

Unaware that it was the entrance to hell, no, to oblivion.

*

“That man…wouldn’t it have been better to silence him permanently?”

We left the government building, heading directly north towards the Nest.

Selene seemed troubled by having left Jeon Taemin alive. I, too, felt uneasy that he had witnessed me with Mirien…

“Killing Jeon Taemin on the spot would have attracted unnecessary attention. Besides, he kept his mouth shut about the last incident, so I doubt he’ll be blabbing any secrets.”

“…I trust in my Lord’s wisdom.”

In any case, thanks to Mirien’s not-so-subtle coercion, we secured passage into the Nest rather easily.

“Speaking of Mirien, why did you come all the way to Daejeon to kill those Awakened ones?”

“But they said mean things to Actor.”

“…A commendable response, magic-slinger. I commend you.”

“Hehe. See? You have good taste.”

“…”

Are these two even getting along?

Lost in thought, we arrived at the arboretum. The sentries guarding the entrance opened the way after we showed them the pass received from Jeon Taemin.

[Entering Dungeon: “Arboretum Nest.”]

The Daejeon Nest, like the Storm Dragon’s Nest from last time, was located in the middle of the city.

Moreover, the Nest seemed to have grown larger with each of the past few eruptions, making it the largest dungeon I had yet faced in terms of scale.

“…Something’s off.”

As soon as we entered the Nest, I frowned.

Even for me, who had explored numerous Nests, including 5-star dungeons, something felt strange.

It was unnaturally quiet. It was as if the air itself had stopped moving. Dozens of 1-star and 2-star calamities identified us as intruders and approached, but they seemed hesitant to attack, overwhelmed by Mirien and Selene’s presence.

“…The Nest’s leader is nowhere to be seen.”

Usually, the leader of the Nest would reveal itself once intruders were detected.

“Is it hiding somewhere? Since it’s an arboretum, maybe it’s underwater?”

“…No, it’s in the sky.”

Mireille furrowed her brow, lifting her head. Her gaze, as if she’d already been employing her Search skill, fixed upon the skies.

What occupied the space above was a beetle of immense proportions, crowned with prodigious horns.

[3★ Descendant of Meteors, Belganoth, casts skill 「Falling Star」.]

“To think it was a Named Calamity…”

The reason for this den’s grand scale became clear.

Belganoth, a Named 3-Star Calamity, dwelled within the Great War’s nest.

A meteor the size of a house plummeted from the heavens. Fortunately, a mere flick of Mireille’s wrist was sufficient to intercept the attack, but her expression remained grave.

“Actor, something’s wrong with it.”

“Wrong how?”

“It’s stronger than it has any right to be.”

[5★ Storm of the Northern Sea, Mireille, casts skill 「Eye of the Storm」.]

*Ding!*

[5★ Storm of the Northern Sea, Mireille, discerns 「Chromatic Assimilation」.]

Mireille’s face was etched with shock.

Mine mirrored hers.

“…Actor, it seems that Calamity… it’s received Asteria’s blessing.”

“Yes. I saw it too.”

Unique Skill: Chromatic Assimilation.

The keyword ‘Chromatic’ alone was enough to easily surmise the skill’s master.

Asteria, the Queen Who Devours Stars.

Unexpectedly, we had stumbled upon a clue regarding Asteria within the Great War.

“My lord, please stand back. We will subdue it.”

“Don’t kill it, just restrain it. We need to examine its condition more closely.”

“Understood.”

Even with Asteria’s buff, a 3-Star Named Calamity could never withstand the combined assault of two 5-Star Calamities.

Selene severed Belganoth’s horns mid-flight. Surrounding the writhing Belganoth was a vortex of orbed lightning. Fortuitously, the celestial attribute was particularly vulnerable to Mireille’s lightning.

[3★ Descendant of Meteors, Belganoth, afflicted with status 「Paralysis」!]

Finally, Belganoth, fallen from the sky, was firmly bound by chains conjured by Mireille’s magic.

Using a shard of hellfire as a lever, Selene pried open its mandibles, and within, we discovered something unexpected.

“…Could this be…?”

[4☆ Acquired a Fragment of the Shattered Crown.]

A small piece of metal, barely the size of my palm.

Just a fragment, yet it’s a 4-star piece of equipment.

Even better, it’s a cheat-tier boost to the Celestial attribute Disasters’ stats.

“…That’s the crown I gifted her.”

The 5-star characters featured in Disaster Order all had quests. Selene required an elixir, Miriam a replacement heart, and Asteria, the Star-Devouring Queen, needed the crown that was once the symbol of her kingdom.

Especially Asteria – she was added in an update, so the difficulty was insane.

You had to collect seven fragments through expeditions, synthesize them into a complete crown, and *then* all her skills would unlock.

But here the crown is, fragmented, in my hand.

The implication was simple.

“It seems… that damned Asteria dared to shatter the crown that Master so graciously retrieved for her.”

Selene voiced my own conviction.

“One of those fragments fell here in Daejeon, and Belganoth snapped it right up.”

I nodded, agreeing, then asked.

“…Selene, why do you think Asteria broke the crown?”

“Shattering the crown… there are many possibilities, but in this case, it’s likely an expression of her intention to sever her relationship with Master as her liege…”

“…”

My thoughts exactly.

So, just like Karne, the Mother of Omens, who’s still gathering her retinue, is the Star-Devouring Queen Asteria also resenting me?

“Let’s head back.”

My expression naturally hardened.

The Star-Devouring Queen Asteria is a Disaster on a completely different scale from the other 5-stars. If she tried to kill me, would we, as we are now, be able to stop her?

Whatever the outcome, the situation is bleak.

We needed to re-examine our strategy.

“Actor, wait a moment.”

But Miriam was frowning, looking toward the arboretum’s entrance we had just used.

“What’s wrong?”

“There are intruders entering the nest. Armed, and they’ve deployed their Disasters.”

“Just Awakened ones scouting the nest, right?”

“…No. I sense hostility. Actor, those b*stards… they’re targeting us.”

Mirienne, at least, does not lie.

That much, I had to admit, was true.

“…What are your orders?”

Selene asked, her eyes placid.

I hesitated for a moment.

Until now, I’d shied away from committing acts of killing directly. Even keeping Jo Geon-uk alive stemmed from a deep-seated aversion to taking a human life.

But with Karane and Asteria sowing ruin across the world, was there really a need to spare even those who sought to kill me?

“…No, there isn’t.”

No.

I’m no saint.

Better to eliminate anyone who posed a threat before they had a chance to harm me.

“I suppose I’ll have to kill them.”

I flinched at the ruthless words I spoke aloud.

Perhaps being with Selene and Mirienne had warped my way of thinking, turning it toward catastrophe.

“Selene.”

“Yes.”

What did it matter?

I was no longer Nam Ju-yeon, the high school graduate working a convenience store job. I was Actor, an S-class Awakened One, the Master of the Rift.

“Kill them.”

“Yes, my lord. I will see your command fulfilled without fail.”

At my order, Selene smiled more brightly than I had ever seen her.