CH 335

Ilsung Hotel in Seoul, Korea.

As Ki-Cheol was eating the meal he had ordered via room service, he clicked his mouse. The articles that he had been reading recently were all about the Awakened.

「  Bloody Conflict due to a Fight Between Awakened - Japan

▷ Newsreader Kim Il-Hyung: We will connect to Tokyo today. Reporter Joo In-Seong!

▶ Reporter Joo In-Seong of KBC: Yes, I am in Tokyo.

▷ Newsreader Kim Il-Hyung: There has been constant news about the Awakened recently from all over the world, and we received news about the bloody conflict in Japan yesterday.

▶ Reporter Joo In-Seong of KBC: That is true. More than a hundred people including police officers and ordinary citizens were caught in this fight between a male and a female Awakened, and thirteen of them died.

▷ Newsreader Kim Il-Hyung: Don’t we have to capture the two Awakened or at least punish them? How has the judicial process been since then?

▶ Reporter Joo In-Seong of KBC: The whereabouts of the two Awakened are currently unknown…

└ What the freak? Thirteen died because of a small quarrel? Danggg.

└ They saved the world, but their hearts are not like the main characters of the heroic movies. Fuck. Don’t forget they had fought and killed for decades. They are murder machines. I attached the link below

└ Watch this.

└ You will die if you annoy the Awakened.

Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

└ I wish I could see them for myself. It’s a shame that there are only fewer than three hundred Awakened in Korea.

└ Shut up if you don’t know a thing. Lee Tae-Han and Kwon Seong-Il are at the top of the association. The others lower their heads around them. I’m dead serious.

Ki-Cheol clicked the link.

「 Surviving the Unimaginable: Catalina Ronea’s Harrowing Memories 

Catalina Ronea gave off a strong and confident demeanor, reminiscent of a character straight out of ‘Miami Gangster.’ Specifically, she reminded me of the final scene where the female lead transforms into a ruthless boss. Ronea exuded the image of a collected and in-control female leader at the forefront of a dangerous situation. 

However, pain overwhelmed her face as she started tracing her memories. The mere presence of her during the interview showcased her bravery in facing psychological turmoil. 

I know everyone’s curious about the Stage of Advent. Someone had to share this to the world, so I decided to take this interview.

Thank you so much, but I am concerned that this interview will cause issues for you. May I still proceed with the interview?

By refraining from this, it will take longer for society to embrace us. Despite the potential consequences from the association for speaking out about what I had gone through, I am prepared to face them. However, I believe they won’t do anything about this.

Why is that? 

One of the mottos of the World Awakened Association is ‘Peace in Humanity.’ We want peace. I’m not an official member of the association yet, but I’m waiting eagerly for the registration date to be announced. I hope there’s no confusion between us and the non-Awakened in the world.

Then, where should we start? Do as you please.

First of all, I want to remind everyone that I’m in the gold section. The Awakened are divided into seven sections: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, master, and challenger. In fact, people in the master or above section are usually in leadership positions, and they dominated the Stage of Advent for decades. First, let’s make it clear that my perspective can be different from someone who is in a leadership position.

You used the term ‘dominate.’

There was a very strict hierarchy in that world with clear distinctions between those who held power and those who were subordinates. Have you read ?

Yes, it’s a novel that depicts a dystopian world created by boys stranded on a deserted island.

The ‘monster’ in that novel was an illusion created by the leadership to control people. However, we experienced the real thing. It wasn’t just the monster. The first hideous being that we had to deal with was the System.

System? Could you tell us more about it?

At first, we thought of it as a computer game because it really was like that. It gave us quests and in return we got superpowers when we completed those quests. However, we soon realized its true identity. In addition to the quests it sent out to hunt monsters or conquer targeted dungeons… (Catalina was speechless for a moment) It then started sending us quests to kill each other.

Think about it. I was just an actress struggling to secure basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. At times, I was forced to participate in battles against menacing monsters. My future was uncertain and, amidst all the chaos, I was commanded to take the life of someone living with me.

I tried to resist, but no one could do that.

Why not?

Even if I gave up on the quest, it didn’t guarantee that others would do the same. Everyone had gotten the quest. In that situation, giving up is stupid. Also, when a person died from the quest, the Guide called it “falling behind.”

Then, the fact that you survived such a quest meant…

Yes, I completed an assassination quest too. But there were more terrifying things. One of the quests put three people in one space and only allowed one to come out alive. I don’t know all of the quests, but I’m just saying that there were a number of vicious quests that the System and the Guides created.

The Guides?

They were the ones who ran the Stage of Advent. They were beautiful like Tinkerbell when they were blue, but they were evil when they turned red. Crushing a human’s skull wasn’t a big deal to them. They were confident that they were executors of the System, so they ordered us to kill colleagues or absolute beings. I can’t just say that it was a continuation of survival and battle in the Stage of Advent because of them.

I know what you are thinking at this point because we all did. However, the System wasn’t a god, and the Guides weren’t Grim Reapers. They were… our enemies.

Are they still giving the Awakened orders?

No. Odin had been fighting against them on the stage. Thanks to him, we were freed from the malicious quests. He is the only one who defeated a ‘Doom,’ so we were able to return home as he had defended us from supernatural beings.

From our perspective, the Awakened, like you, are supernatural beings.

The power of the Awakened varies widely depending on the section. The higher the section and the level, the more powerful they are. I said that I was in the gold section earlier, so compared to you, I must be a supernatural being.

However, the leaders of the association who hold the ranks of master and challenger are supernatural beings to me. Among them, Odin… (Catalina had a hard time continuing her words) stands out as the only one who has defeated one of the Seven Demon Kings, known as the Dooms. These Dooms are worshiped by the same alien creatures that invaded us. He was the only one who confronted them face to face.

Then, Odin is…

That’s all I will say of him. (As is known, Catalina showed high respect toward Odin similar to how the other Awakened refer to him.). Let me be clear. If you are going to ask me anything else about him, I’m leaving.

Okay, sounds good. You guys must have missed your home a lot. 

Of course. We spent about twenty years on the stage. But for those who went into dungeons related to the ‘Land of the Dead,’ which had a different time and space, their experience must have been double or triple the amount of the time that I had experienced.

Anyway, the Stage of Advent continued for a long time even after the malicious System disappeared. Monsters kept pouring out, and they became stronger. Imagine a world where thousands of creatures, which you have only seen in horror movies, use terrifying supernatural powers to kill you and your group. Although the cruel System was gone, it left us with deep wounds. We no longer trusted each other, and the power gap between us only grew with time.

The decades we struggled through were just like that. What do you think?

It was under the law of the jungle. 

There are many who couldn’t come back alive. Some were killed by monsters or the other Awakened, but look. The Stage of Advent consisted of nine stages. Three stages in Act One, and six stages in Act Two. There was a clear goal that we had to achieve in each stage. Before that, it’s important to note that the Stage of Advent began with 4.5 million groups. The purpose of Act One, Stage One was to form groups of a hundred people each and stop the Kciphos waves.

The Kciphos is one of the alien corps, right?

Yes. Let’s talk about Act One, Stage One first. The Kciphos army continued to flock in larger numbers as the days passed. The objective of Act One, Stage One was to stop them until the end. My group barely succeeded in this, but many others failed. What do you think would have happened to them?

Annihilation?

That was how the Stage of Advent was organized. If a group couldn’t successfully finish the mission, then they were annihilated. Then, as I mentioned earlier, they ‘fell behind.’

The Stage of Advent was indeed ruled by the laws of the jungle, but it was necessary. Without the strong Awakened as the driving force and under strong control, the quests in each stage wouldn’t have been accomplished. The law of the jungle was like a natural provision for survival, and we took it for granted. Even though the stronger were in charge of our lives and deaths, survival came first for us.

What do you mean by ‘us?’ Are you talking about the Awakened in gold section?

I’m referring to those in the bronze, silver, and gold sections. We call ourselves ‘Bsilgol.’ We were complementary resources to the Awakened in the higher sections. Aside from the production work, we had a duty to satisfy their basic needs and serve as a warehouse for them. During a time when the outcome of battles was determined by a mere piece of paper, we too entered the fight. The frequency increased as time passed.

The Stage of Advent got scarier and scarier.

What you mean by ‘basic needs’ are…

There is nothing to worry about. That’s right. It includes sexual desire. We had to do anything to be protected, and we couldn’t resist the orders from above.

But we, the Bsilgol, didn’t simply rest on our laurels. We grew stronger when the box system was replaced with a level system. In fact, several people from Bsilgol were promoted to higher ranks or became captains during this transition.

What do you mean by the transformation from box to level system?

It’s not worth talking about as the System is gone. The details will be covered in my book, which will be published soon.

Did the System disappear?

Yes, right before we returned home. Therefore, the strength of the Awakened will remain unchanged. Any new changes will depend on the remaining items and insignias.

The System has vanished, and the struggle for survival you went through has come to an end. In this aftermath, the tensions and stress of the Awakened seem to be bursting out all around the world.

There is something I want everyone to know. The World Awakened Association promised to advance humanity into outer space. Until then, you should understand the lives of us, the Awakened.

What were Jews like in World War II? They had to watch their families and friends being sacrificed and lived with anxiety and guilt until they died. What about the Vietnamese War? The war heroes, who returned home, suffered a lot to shake off their morbid psychological stress, and many took their own lives as they couldn’t bear it. However, their country ignored them.

You guys can’t do this to us. It’s a separate matter from the fact that we had saved the world.

So you are saying that Awakened needs practical support from the government, right?

The World Awakened Association is already helping us in many ways. The King of Hell spent a trillion dollars on us. I’m not telling the countries that they have to aid the Awakened. I’m saying that they at least have to show their understanding and sincerity toward us. Aside from the association’s motto of ‘peace,’ countries around the world should also work with them.

As I said previously, we have all returned from a hellish experience that far exceeded anything one could imagine. The current situation is a result of the lack of understanding from those around the world. It’s dangerous to approach us with mere curiosity, and nations must establish measures to prevent this. It’s imperative that global citizens are made aware of this issue.

Can I interpret this as the perspective of the Awakened regarding the murder case?

Of course. Don’t approach us with curiosity. We are not cartoon characters. We literally crawled out of hell. This is why I came here today. I understand you guys have so many questions about us, but please wait for us to adapt to our homeland.

There is one last thing I would like to ask.

Go ahead.

Can I anticipate the sequel to the movie ‘Miami Gangster?’

I already signed the contract before the Day of Advent. As an actress, I am looking forward to meeting the audience. I won’t need a stuntman anymore. You will be able to see some amazing action scenes. I can guarantee that to you.

I hope you love the sequel of the film ‘Miami Gangster’ and my upcoming memoir.

I felt a shiver run down my spine after the interview as I became aware of the years of suffering that lay beneath Catalina’s smile. The environment she was in was controlled by power, and it was beyond my comprehension what she had endured just to make it through a living nightmare.

The Awakened brought salvation to the world. However, their access to supernatural abilities didn’t materialize out of thin air. They earned these powers through a struggle for survival that lasted for decades. They battled against extraterrestrial beasts in a civilization where survival was the only objective, and they were successful in defeating these monsters and returning from the war front. 

It’s important to remember their accomplishments and their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. Against the brutal and vicious monsters…」

Ki-Cheol turned his head from the monitor to look out of the door of the room. Then, he saw his father, Seong-Il, who was lying on the couch, scratching his butt while he was only in his underwear.

There was one thought that crossed his mind.

How can he be a murder machine? He is just an ordinary old guy.

“Dad! I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Okay, don’t get lost, son. Can you find your way back?”

“I’m not a kid… I’ll see you later.”

1. A novel by William Golding that follows a group of British boys who are stranded on a deserted island and must govern themselves. The novel explores the breakdown of society and the evil within human nature as the boys attempt to survive without adult supervision. ☜