Volume 1 - CH 12

Their tone was extremely polite and humble. When I didn't immediately respond, the person next to me hastily added, "You don’t have to give the Wi-Fi password! If you could just make one call to my family..."

"I will greatly appreciate it if you contact them! Please, I beg you!"

Their gaze was filled with desperation. I glanced at them for a moment and then took out the card from my pocket.

"Take a look."

"Yes?"

"Don't you need it?"

There was no reason to refuse, and it wasn't worth making a fuss over such a thing. Besides, it seemed less troublesome than contacting their family directly. I handed them the Wi-Fi password, and their eyes lit up. It was as if they had discovered an oasis in the desert as they quickly entered the Wi-Fi password.

"Thank you so much!"

"Thank you, thank you..."

After a few people received the Wi-Fi password, others also scrambled to their feet and approached me.

‘Soon everyone will know that I was the first to clear the first stage, and its reward.’

Thinking about them coming to ask for the Wi-Fi password was extremely bothersome, so I casually inserted the card with the password into the First door and headed towards the stairs where Annaby was standing.

"Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk."

I nodded, feeling like I knew what she wanted to ask. She then led me to her office on the first floor. Her office had a somewhat austere atmosphere, as if it were a conference room.

We were alone, but Annaby was still wearing a mask.

‘It's a shame. I wanted to check her Destiny.’

Usually, to read someone's Destiny, one needed to know the person's gender and date of birth. In my case, however, I could use "Destiny Analysis" if I knew the person's Four Pillars of Destiny or if I saw their face.

With her face hidden behind her mask, Annaby opened her mouth, speaking, "We confirmed that you cleared the secret area, so I wanted to ask how you cleared it."

I didn't show any signs of discomfort at Annaby’s suspicion. That’s because even to me, there were many suspicious aspects of my actions as well. Finding the secret area and clearing it on the first day…

"I was lucky. There was a trap with spinning blades nearby, so I lured them there," I answered calmly.

Annaby remained silent for a moment. If she didn't have a mask, her surprised face would have been fully visible. When she spoke next, there was a faint admiration in her voice.

"I see. Your strategy seems excellent. What are your abilities and rank?"

"I have an ability called ‘Radiant Flame.’ It's a third class ability and my rank is also Third-class, Insect Rank."

"Insect Third-class..."

Annaby's voice became strange at the mention of my rank. But soon, she returned to her usual attitude.

"I appreciate your cooperation even though you must be tired. You may go back now."

"Okay. Then, I'll go ahead."

After a brief farewell, I returned to my room. Indeed, I had attracted the attention of the Destiny Protection Bureau by clearing the first stage in just one day.

‘Those guys are observant, so I should be prepared for them to approach me.’

I didn't want to draw too much attention from them, but I had no choice but to bear it to become stronger. I had to endure their interest in me and remain vigilant. N

ow that I’m alone, I decided to check the reward.

[The reward for the first to clear 'Sword Mountain' has arrived!]

[Item 'Inventory bag' has been obtained!]

A bag dropped from thin air and landed with a thud. It was the size of a palm, and seemed to be hung from the waist.

‘I really need this Inventory bag, so I had to clear the first stage first.’

The Inventory bag was a bag that could hold items regardless of weight or volume. There was a limit to its capacity, but unless I was trying to fit a truck inside, there shouldn’t be a problem. It was a valuable and useful item that was not easy to acquire, and of course, it was also expensive. After picking up the bag, I took out my smartphone.

"Then let's check the situation outside."

When I logged into a portal site, numerous articles appeared on the main screen.

"Scale 5.8 earthquake occurred nationwide last night."

"The largest earthquake observed since 2032."

"Significant damage. Numerous casualties. Concerns about damage due to aftershocks."

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake. Just that alone was alarming, but there were even more serious issues.

"A large number of monstrous creatures appeared along with the earthquake."

"Mutant caterpillars emerging, is it due to radiation?"

"Disaster alert. Authorities recommend avoiding going outside, and take refuge in shelters."

There were some mentions about the supernatural, but there were hardly any articles about Awakened or their powers. I recalled how the government tried to suppress information about the Destiny Protection Bureau in the early days.

‘However, the government will soon officially acknowledge the existence of the Destiny Protection Bureau and start paying attention to them.’

Even if they control the media, they couldn't completely silence people's voices. And indeed, upon further investigation, I easily found discussions about the Destiny Protection Bureau on internet forums.

-Didn't you hear the strange noises before the earthquake? They say it determines your abilities. Didn't you hear?

-I heard it too.

-In the video, it seems like they'll tell you if you go to the Protection Bureau.

-Who are the ones receiving education now? I'm really envious.

-Do you see the status window following the announcement? It's damn cool. I'm going to have a drink of soju.

Internet communities and video-sharing sites were buzzing with information about monsters and the Awakened. Among them, the most viewed content was the video uploaded by the Destiny Protection Bureau.

[We'd like to inform you from the Destiny Protection Bureau.]

When I clicked on the video, there was a woman dressed in a black suit standing at the center of the desk, just like Annaby. She was an elegant beauty.

[... Currently, the Protection Bureau is doing its best to protect non-awakened individuals.]

She had taken off her mask and placed it on the table, standing in front of the camera.

I tried to read her Destiny, but failed.

[Currently, this Destiny is being protected.]

It seemed like she was using an item to protect her Destiny. I wasn't disappointed, as there was no way the Destiny Protection Bureau would be so careless. I continued watching the video.

[In the future, there will be more changes, but don't worry. The Destiny Protection Bureau will protect your future.]

In conclusion, it was something like ‘Trust the Destiny Protection Bureau.’

Trust the Destiny Protection Bureau… I looked at the video coldly and turned off his smartphone.

***

***read at novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com***

***

"The first stage in Seoul's Second District has been cleared. The speed it’s cleared was much faster than what was expected."

Upon hearing Annaby's report, a strange surprise briefly appeared on the faces of everyone in the meeting room. The place they were in looked like an ordinary company's meeting room. Everyone was dressed in suits, and they had taken off their masks used during work.

Among them, the person who appeared the youngest was Annaby. She seemed to be in her early twenties. Her short, brown hair suited her round face well. Although she had a young face, her attitude in the meeting was no different from that of an ordinary employee. And the man sitting in the central seat, the most senior position, had his hair neatly fixed with wax, and he wore glasses. He had a strong physique, exuding an aura of authority, and gave off a somewhat strict impression. He was currently rubbing his head slightly as if he had a headache.

"It was supposed to take about a week to clear the first stage, wasn't it?"

Everyone fell silent at his words. There were about six people in the meeting room. In the midst of silence, the man sitting on the far left glanced around and awkwardly smiled.

"Uh, Team Leader Gong Joo. According to calculations, it was supposed to take a week, but..."

"But why was it cleared in just one day? Ju Seongtae, give us an answer."

Ju Sungtae couldn't say a word. It was his own calculation as the planner that went completely wrong.

"It seems like Seo Gangrim is quickly getting accustomed to combat," Annaby glanced at him and spoke up.

"Who is that guy? What's his ability?"

"He has a fire attribute attack ability called ‘Radiant Flames.’ It may be low grade, but his ability to handle it seems to be good."

The awakened individuals of the Destiny Protection Bureau could only check their own Destiny windows. Since there was no one here who could check someone else’s Destiny window, they had no choice but to believe Seo Gangrim's words.

"It's not that the difficulty of the first stage is low, but Seo Gangrim has quick adaptability. He cleared it by utilizing the traps," Annaby continued speaking.

Upon hearing those words, the team leader, Gong Joo, glared at Ju Seongtae as if asking why he hadn't calculated that in advance.

"And Seo Gangrim seems to have talent. It would be good if we had a capable awakened individuals on our side, so there's no need to worry too much."

"But he's an Insect-rank at best."

Although it was a somewhat rough response, Gong Joo’s temperament seemed to soften slightly. It was indeed a good thing to have a strong ability user in the area he was in charge of. If Seo Gangrim wanted to join the Destiny Protection Bureau, he would be assigned to his team first.

"Well, I can't help it."

When Gong Joo said that, Ju Seongtae's expression noticeably brightened. However, Gong Joo glared at him and said, "You have to take responsibility. You can choose one of the two."

"W-What...?"

"Do you want to write your resignation letter or clean the mess?"

Upon hearing those words, Ju Seongtae panicked and replied, "Ah, Team Leader! I'm in charge of internal affairs!"

"Then write a report and clean up the mess of the Sword Mountain Warlords. The meeting ends here today."

"Team Leader!"

"Except for Annaby, the rest of the staff will immediately go on an extermination mission to eliminate the demons."

Gong Joo stood up from his seat and picked up his hat. Other officers quietly followed suit. In moments, only Ju Seongtae was left alone. He grabbed his head and gritted his teeth.

"Defeating the Sword Mountain Warlords using traps?"

If that were the case, others could also utilize that trap, so it had to be removed quickly. Also, the fact that the first stage had been cleared faster than expected meant that the overall balance had to be adjusted accordingly.

"When will the Warlords be revived?"

In the first stage, it was possible to revive the dead demons with necromancy. However, it was close to impossible in the case of the Sword Mountain Warlords, which had been completely crushed.

"It's not an ordinary task to bring back the bodies intact."

Today was clearly an additional work day. Not only today but it seemed like there would be additional work throughout the week. This was just a bug, a coincidence of sorts, and he should have let this slide, but there was no way the hard-headed team leader was going to let it go.

"What was that guy's name again? Seo Gangrim?"

He projected a hologram window in the air and called up Seo Gangrim's documents. He didn't even want to see his face.

"What if he clears the second stage in just one day again?"

That guy, Seo Gangrim, didn't clear the first stage with his skills but with tricks. If it became known to the higher-ups that he cleared it quickly but had poor innate skills as an Awakened individual, what would happen? The responsibility would fall on him.

"Attribute: Fire, Rank: Insect Third Class..."

On one side, the details of the second stage’s interior were floating. Ju Seongtae glanced at it for a moment and began making modifications.

"I need to adjust the difficulty. We can't afford to make the same miscalculations again."