By Zephyria Not long after Lee Chan-ha had given him a warning, two days later, Yohan underwent several complex examinations. The examiner said with a smile.
“If you pass this examination, you should be able to be discharged from here. However, you won’t be able to meet your family until the government makes an announcement.”
“Really? Is this the last examination?”
Yohan, who had been passively submitting himself to the bothersome examinations without much thought, brightened up. Having his blood drawn multiple times and being put in and out of machines was truly a nuisance.
“At this level, we can consider the contamination to be practically non-existent.”
Yohan, who possessed an ability that prevented contamination, nodded emphatically in his mind. At this point in time, there was likely no one cleaner than Yohan…
“No, honestly, considering you stayed in the Abyss, it’s practically at a level of no contamination, which could even be called a miracle… Anyway, you should be able to be discharged within today or tomorrow. Congratulations.”
Contamination is a phenomenon that hasn’t been perfectly defined yet, so even if researchers studied it tearfully, measuring the contamination level by estimation was the best they could do. Having his blood drawn and diligently examining the degree of cell mutation under a microscope, or diligently scanning the inside and outside of the body, was all they could do, but it was sufficient to prove whether contamination had occurred. Moreover, even if the results showed contamination during this process, they weren’t automatically quarantined.
As an example, among the currently active Awakened is Jeong Si-young, the captain of the Special Suppression Unit. Although the contamination in her left arm is quite severe, if Jeong Si-young were to be removed in addition to Lee Hyun-muk’s absence, it would be a major problem, so she is overexerting herself. People are well aware of this, which is why there seems to be a particularly positive expectation for Lee Hyun-muk’s return this time.
“Ah, Yang Yohan-ssi. There’s a final interview procedure remaining before your discharge.”
“An interview?”
Interviews were something he had done countless times, just like the examinations. They would ask the same questions again, and even when he said he had nothing more to say, they would probe for more details. Yohan’s expression soured as soon as he heard the word “interview.” This was especially true because he had things to hide. It seemed the government also knew that Yohan, and others, were hiding important information.
Among these, they persistently asked how he had eliminated the contamination. He was tired of saying he knew nothing and understood nothing, and at the same time, he felt guilty. The government kept bringing up people who were inevitably humanely executed or confined forever due to contamination, and the costs associated with them…
If it were up to him, he would have revealed that he was a Purifier and purified all the sick people, but he endured it, trusting Lee Hyun-muk. He expected a similar interview today, but the person waiting for him when he sat down was not Jeong Si-young. A middle-aged man greeted him with a wide smile.
“Ah, Yang Yohan-ssi? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Jong-seok.”
The business card he handed over read “Kim Jong-seok, Director of the Rift Management Agency.” Having only attended school as his entire social experience, and then being swept away into the Abyss immediately after, Yang Yohan vaguely thought of the Director as someone of high standing.
“Is there anything you’d like to drink? Green tea? Coffee? We also have carbonated drinks. You know, you mentioned it was hard to drink things like this in the Abyss?”
It felt almost disrespectful, treating him like someone who had barely survived a remote wilderness. Although the Abyss was a more gruesome, dangerous, dirty, and unpleasant place than the Director’s description, Yohan accepted the drink offered by the other party. He still hadn’t tired of drinking carbonated beverages after his return.
“Um, is there anything else you need me to tell you? I believe I’ve told you everything about my time in the Abyss…”
“Ah, ah, that’s not why I asked to meet today. Yang Yohan-ssi, have you perhaps considered working at the Rift Management Agency?”
As soon as he heard that, Lee Chan-ha’s warning came to mind. So this was the good offer the government was going to make! Yohan firmly resolved in his mind once more that he would not be swayed by any offer.
“You’re at an age where you’re probably thinking about your career, right? Since you have experience entering the Abyss, we can offer preferential treatment. The Rift Management Agency isn’t as poorly paid as you might think. Dangerous? That’s the same for all Awakened working environments. Here, we even provide insurance.”
Even if they offered him ten billion, he wouldn’t have worked for the Rift Management Agency, but it was a quite generous offer. Why would they try to recruit a Low-rank Awakened, and one of the common Strength Enhancement Type Awakened at that, with such conditions? Even without Lee Chan-ha’s warning, he would have found it suspicious and wouldn’t have fallen for it. Yohan politely said,
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve only recently returned from the Abyss, so I’d like to rest.”
“Of course. You need to rest. It must have been so difficult. Oh? I’ve read the reports too. Everyone seems to have gone through immense hardship. Then, how about just signing the contract and leaving? You can rest for about… a year.”
The other party’s offer was very persistent. Despite Yohan’s indirect refusals, he kept slightly increasing the conditions, trying to secure a contract with the Rift Management Agency. If he kept refusing, the other party might become suspicious. What should he do? While contemplating, Yohan made a big decision.
“Sob…”
Yohan suddenly burst into tears, startling Director Kim Jong-seok, who had been persuasively talking with spittle flying. Regardless, Yohan began to sob uncontrollably.
“D-Director, you don’t know… It’s too cruel… That place, sob, is so scary… I really felt like I was going to die… The monsters, no matter how many I killed, they just kept coming… sob, sob… Frankly, I don’t lack money or a home…”
It wasn’t difficult to shed tears. He was so happy to have returned from the Abyss, yet strangely, he often found himself tearing up. He was naturally prone to crying, so tears would pour out with even a slight sad thought. Lately, just thinking about Lee Hyun-muk and the others who had suffered terribly in the Abyss for so long would make him soak his pillow.
Thinking it was a good opportunity, he unleashed the tears he had been holding back without restraint. Even his usual sudden bursts of tears were somewhat controlled, but he decided to let go of that too. Then, tears began to flow down. Yohan, like a deliberately broken faucet, lamented sorrowfully.
“Did you see eyeballs that big…?! Did you see eyeballs with teeth…?! And, and, sob, I thought it was the subway, but… no, sob, really… What was that…?! Worms and… waaaah, why are they so big! I almost threw up… I hate it so much! I want to go home… Send me home… waaaah…”
As time passed, his speech became so slurred that it was difficult to understand what he was saying. He kept repeating, in a manner similar to a drunk person, that he missed his family terribly, that it was truly scary, and how could they ask him to face monsters again… Director Kim Jong-seok, his head throbbing, touched his forehead. After enduring it, he finally sighed and said,
“Yes… Alright. Um, please contact me if you think of anything later. Make sure you keep my business card, okay?”
Yohan, holding the business card, came out weeping. The Special Unit member waiting outside looked bewildered. Wiping his tears with his sleeve, Yohan returned to the isolation room and sat blankly on the bed. He sniffled and thought.
‘If it were the days of forced conscription, this would have been impossible.’
During the chaotic period when Rifts had just erupted and tens, even hundreds, of people died every day, all Awakened were subject to forced conscription. It was natural in a national crisis.
Yet, they were treated no differently than living weapons, and the approach was extremely coercive. The only advantage was that the byproducts obtained from hunting monsters in Rifts had high value, making them highly profitable. Surprisingly, researchers had developed a technology to painstakingly separate contamination from these byproducts. It was regrettable that this technology could not be applied to living beings.
As time passed and social chaos stabilized to some extent, the era of forced conscription ended when the Awakened collectively protested.
The argument put forth by the Awakened organizations at the time was that neighborhood vigilante groups could protect citizens more safely than soldiers stationed far away. Although things were better now, there was strong distrust in public authority and poor public safety, so the existence of vigilante groups was quite appealing to citizens.
Thus, after countless protests, controversies, and the government’s insufficient budget to maintain augmented military forces, and with the passage of time, vigilante groups have now evolved into organizations commonly known as guilds. The profits obtainable from Rift exploration, the rare Eternal Stones, Awakening Parties, and security services – these are professions everyone is eager to pursue.
On the other hand, there was also controversy surrounding these mercenaries becoming private soldiers for wealthy individuals and thus threatening social order. Ultimately, unless the Rift phenomenon completely ceased and no more Awakened appeared, the current situation was bound to continue with inevitable chaos and conflict.
Yohan took a sip of the sweet drink he received from Director Kim Jong-seok after purifying it once. He thought, ‘Will the Sunrise Team resume their activities? As I told Director Kim Jong-seok, I plan to go home and rest well. Not a single word I told him was untrue. But still, I feel a sense of regret.’
‘Will I be able to join the Sunrise Team? Even if I can’t, we’re dating, so we’ll talk often, right? We have our connections from the Abyss, so they’ll all give me their phone numbers, right?’
After emerging from the Abyss and returning, and seeing the public’s reaction on the news, he keenly realized the status Lee Hyun-muk and the Sunrise Team held in Korea. In fact, they were renowned figures not only in Korea but globally.
So, his confidence began to wane. The thought that occurred most frequently was that even as a Purifier, he might not be able to take on as crucial a role within the team as he did when he was in the Abyss. Perhaps he was more capable when he was in the Abyss…
‘No? What kind of nonsensical garbage is this? Stop these crazy thoughts! Stop!’
Even so, the idea that his time in the Abyss might have had its advantages made Yohan suddenly look serious. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment from such a foolish thought. It was fortunate that others couldn’t read his mind.
‘Come to think of it, everyone’s abilities have completely changed in appearance and power. What will people think? Especially Hyung Hyun-muk’s lightning, its color is completely different… And other abilities, I shouldn’t reveal them where people with discerning eyes are watching.’
As Yohan recalled a certain chilling ability of Lee Hyun-muk he had seen in the Abyss, a sense of longing bloomed in his heart.
‘I miss Hyung Hyun-muk…’
After returning from the Abyss, he had seen Yoon Seung-ryong, Seo Yakrin, Joo Ho-young, and Lee Chan-ha, but he hadn’t seen Lee Hyun-muk at all. He knew he must be extremely busy as a returned High-level Awakened, but he still felt a sense of disappointment. As he fiddled with the empty drink can, he sighed. Then, there was a tapping sound on the glass door. Thinking it might be an examiner, Yohan looked up, and his eyes widened.