By Zephyria How could they possibly find someone who fell into the Abyss? If they said he was missing from a Rift, they could keep extorting money by attempting searches with hope, trying to find even a corpse. It would be better for Yang Yohan’s parents to know he was missing from a Rift than to know their child fell into the Abyss, so Park Seung-min felt no pangs of conscience.
The money extorted that way was spent on a little bit of luxury, and the rest was invested. As he always was, those investments were a complete failure, but he had no particular regrets. No, he thought so. Just as he was about to extort money again, Yang Yohan unbelievably returned from the Abyss.
Ever since he learned of Yang Yohan’s return, Park Seung-min felt like he was dying of envy.
Was this what they called innate luck? He fell into the Abyss, yet the lucky bastard, Lee Hyun-muk, returned after happily socializing with the Sunrise Team. He even had an Awakening! Apparently, despite being Low-grade, he got a parachute into the Sun Guild through socializing and was earning a high Annual Salary. The thought of that smug face made his stomach churn.
“Ah, fuck! If he’d returned any later, I could have extorted even more money!”
Park Seung-min, who couldn’t stand it the more he thought about it, pounded the bed again. He couldn’t bring himself to smash against the wall, though. A Low-rank Awakened lived right next door. Even if he was close to being trash, he was far stronger than a civilian, so he couldn’t act out.
“That bastard, he doesn’t actually remember anything, right?”
There were suspicious parts, but he soon shook his head, thinking it wasn’t the case. If he had retained his memories, he would have reported him to the police long ago. He would have posted on the internet, letting the whole world know of his injustice, not to mention his acquaintances.
Recalling how he had meekly come away without much of a retort even when Yang Yohan acted annoyingly, Park Seung-min got angry again.
“What if he didn’t hit his head, but was actually Corrupted? Should I report it? Thinking about it makes me feel like shit.”
If he had his way, he’d stomp on him, but now Yang Yohan had the solid connection of Lee Hyun-muk, so he couldn’t scheme anything. Park Seung-min, searching for a cigarette, cursed again, “Fuck.” Both cigarettes and alcohol were completely out. Checking his negative bank balance, he nervously tapped his leg, then picked up his clothes and went out. Even so, if he scraped together what little he had, he could buy cigarettes.
He was on his way back, having bought a carton of cigarettes from the convenience store. While lamenting his fate of having to leech off Yang Yohan again like before and lighting a cigarette, he heard a rattling sound from somewhere.
“What… was that?”
Suddenly feeling a chill, Park Seung-min looked around and saw a red radiance. Was it a red light bulb? He scowled, then soon realized the truth. It wasn’t a red light bulb, but the eyes of a giant monster spider, quietly settled in the dark corner of the alley.
“Ugh, Aaaargh!”
Park Seung-min screamed and ran. The Rift Management Agency, what were they doing when monsters were bursting out of Rifts! Because of them, an innocent citizen was about to die! He threw away the cigarettes he bought from the convenience store and ran for his life, then turned back, his face turning pale.
The monstrous spider was crawling out of the alley, stretching its creaking, crumpled body. Krrrk! The large spider let out a monstrous roar, then slammed its legs down repeatedly, charging towards Park Seung-min at high speed.
“Help me! Help meee! It’s a monster! Someone, please help!”
He shouted until his throat was raw, but it was early morning, so there was no one passing by. In fact, everyone was hastily closing their windows. With no one to help him, Park Seung-min eventually collapsed on the ground, exhausted. The monster spider spewed foul venom and brought down its spiky legs towards him.
“Aaaargh!”
Park Seung-min covered his face with his arms and screamed desperately. At that moment, a flash of light erupted. Kyaaak! Startled by the light, the spider leaped back and hastily, frantically fled. Only then did Park Seung-min, dumbfounded, open his tightly shut eyes. A brilliant light was emanating from his body.
“W-What in the world is this?”
Along with a euphoric sense of omnipotence, as if he could do anything, his body overflowed with strength and energy. Park Seung-min, blankly watching the brilliant light spill from his body, brightened.
“It’s an Awakening! I’ve Awakened!”
He never thought he would experience an Awakening, which usually happened when one’s life was on the line, like this. Fearing the spider might return, Park Seung-min fled in a panic. He cursed his neighbors in his heart, wishing they would be eaten by the spider, even though no one had helped him when he was in danger.
After taking refuge in a nearby shelter, Park Seung-min gasped for breath, his chest heaving. Then, he summoned the ability he had just gained. Light shot up from his palm. What kind of ability was this? It didn’t seem like a Dealer, which was a shame. It didn’t seem like a tanker either, so maybe it was a supporter or Healer type. Wielding the ability around him and testing things out, he saw the shelter wall he touched become clean.
“Huh?”
He touched other parts of the wall, and each part he touched became clean. Could it be…? With trembling hands, he carefully touched the hem of his clothes, where the spider’s venom had splashed. The dirty venom slowly faded and then disappeared completely.
“H-Huh. Wow, crazy. Crazy, crazy!”
A homeless person in the shelter glanced over. Park Seung-min clenched his fist.
‘Fuck! My luck is finally starting to turn!’
He remembered how people had raved about the Eternal Stones that removed Corruption on Lee Hyun-muk’s live broadcast not long ago. He couldn’t forget it, as he had been dying of envy for Yang Yohan, who could remove Corruption whenever he wanted due to his connection with Lee Hyun-muk.
He had intended to humble himself and try to latch onto Yang Yohan, but now, he didn’t care about Yang Yohan at all. Looking back now, it was a much better ability than being a Dealer or a tanker. He would be able to make a fortune without having to risk dangerous Rift exploration!
“Wait a minute, but there hasn’t been an Awakened with the ability to remove Corruption before, right?”
Then, am I… a High-level Awakener?
Dopamine flooded him at the unbelievable reality, and Park Seung-min was lost in thought for a moment. He recalled the bright light that burst forth when he encountered the spider monster earlier and that thrilling sense of omnipotence. He had read many reviews from other Awakeners, but none of them had ever mentioned feeling omnipotent during their Awakening.
There had never been a single person with the ability to remove Corruption before! It was an ability that brought wealth and fame, so there was no reason to hide it. Therefore, he was a High-level Awakener! He must be! Park Seung-min, convinced that he was indeed a High-level Awakener, trembled with exhilaration. Then, unable to contain himself any longer, he burst into laughter.
He punched the air and shouted, causing the homeless people to shake their heads, thinking he was crazy, and begin to leave the shelter altogether. Seeing something flash from his hand earlier, they figured he was an Awakened, and there was no good in being close to a crazy Awakened. Regardless of the homeless people leaving, Park Seung-min yelled.
“Yes, this is it! Life is a gamble! What’s Yang Yohan compared to this!”
He wouldn’t have to grovel before Yang Yohan anymore! No, on the contrary, the thought of Yang Yohan groveling before him already made him feel fantastic. Smiling slyly, Park Seung-min called the Awakener Center.
“Ah, I’m calling to report a High-level Awakener. …Yes, that’s right. …I’m telling you, it’s right? You can come and confirm it yourself. And I was attacked by a monster earlier, so I can’t leave the shelter. I’d appreciate it if you could come pick me up. Could you come as soon as possible?”
And already, two pairs of eyes were watching the now-arrogant Park Seung-min. They were Lee Chan-ha and Yang Yohan. They weren’t exactly hiding, and they were quite close, yet Park Seung-min noticed nothing. Yang Yohan approached the traitor who was once his friend. And he leaned towards Park Seung-min, who was entranced by Lee Chan-ha’s illusion.
“That bastard Yang Yohan, I’ll get you back.”
“I hope you find the greatest happiness.”
“Annoying bastard. I’ll torment you for a long, long time from now on.”
“That’s why it will hurt as much as you were happy when you lost everything.”
Even though Yohan spoke directly into his ear, Park Seung-min heard nothing, only revealing his indignation towards Yang Yohan. He merely grinned blissfully, imagining a future of living luxuriously.