In the Name of God - Chapter 74.1
Among the missions assigned to 3rd-tier Awakeners of Black Tail, the highest proportion consisted of dungeon raid quests.
The 3rd-tier was composed of newcomers who had just joined the clan, Awakeners in need of combat experience, and personnel whose practical application and crisis response skills had not yet been verified.
As a result, they naturally took on E-rank or E+ rank dungeon raids where multiple people participated together; however, D- rank quests were occasionally handed down. These were large-scale raid battles involving dozens, or sometimes as many as a hundred personnel.
These large-scale quests had two distinct characteristics.
First, because relying solely on the 3rd-tier could lead to leadership issues, some 2nd-tier members were deployed alongside them.
Second, to fill the required personnel, members from the Association or other clans could join under the pretext of fostering friendly relations.
Lee Sunho and I, who had received E-rank dungeon raid quests several times before, were also participating in a D- rank large-scale raid battle this time.
From Black Tail, which held ownership of the dungeon, there were 30 people from the 2nd and 3rd-tiers.
There were 10 Grade 6 and Grade 7 Awakeners belonging to the Association.
And 10 low-ranking members from the mid-to-large scale clan ‘Inferno’.
A total of 50 people moved to conquer a single dungeon.
“My name is Kim Dae-hyeok, a 2nd-tier member of Black Tail, and I will be serving as the raid leader for today’s raid. Before we begin, I will go over some simple precautions…”
A man in his 40s with a solemn face stood with his back to the dungeon entrance, guiding us through basic instructions. He went on at length, covering everything from fundamental rules—such as no acting alone, maintaining the formation, and not prioritizing individual judgment—to various reporting guidelines.
During that time, I was working hard to ignore the sharp gazes pouring in from all directions.
‘When will these stares settle down?’
Since Seong Do-wan’s interview went out.
It seemed my photos had spread across the internet as if everyone had been waiting for them.
Along with evaluations that I had shown mana manipulation skills comparable to high-ranking Awakeners during the Daejeon Holy Land collapse, the facts that I was a Grade 9 Awakener until just a month ago, my performance at the promotion exam site, and my record of being promoted by two ranks at once were all reportedly made public.
Because of that, far too many eyes were fixed on me whenever I went out on a mission with others.
Half of those gazes were curiosity; the other half were doubt.
I had even been asked several times if we were truly biological brothers.
Even to my eyes, Seong Do-yoon and Seong Do-wan did not resemble each other at all, looking as if they had different parents. Their physique, bone structure, impression, and even the thickness of their hair all seemed different. I might have doubted it myself if the first memory I had of Seong Do-yoon wasn’t the sight of a young Seong Do-wan looking at the infant version of him with affectionate eyes.
Predicting that it would be tiring in many ways, I decided not to look at the internet at all, but I couldn’t simply ignore the gazes pouring in from my surroundings.
‘It’s not that I don’t understand, but…’
I understood this sudden interest to some extent.
Anyone who knew about Seong Do-wan would know how much of a taboo the word ‘sibling’ was to him.
Even a quick skim through a few past articles about Seong Do-wan revealed content that made it easy to feel how much he despised and looked down on his brother, and messages telling people not to mention it anymore since they had completely cut ties.
To that extent, Seong Do-wan’s ‘sibling hatred’ was a famous story.
Since a man like that had mentioned his younger brother’s name and shared the credit in an official interview—even if he didn’t explicitly use the word ‘sibling’—people couldn’t help but take an interest in me.
In conclusion, it meant things had become quite bothersome for me.
I swallowed a sigh inwardly while still receiving all sorts of gazes flying at me covertly.
‘I’d almost prefer it if they just picked fights with me openly like before.’
At least I’m used to looks of contempt, calling me trash or a beneficiary of nepotism.
As I was letting those various gazes slide, there was one gaze that was particularly stinging. Sharpening my nerves, I whipped around toward the source of that stare.
The flashy blond hair I caught sight of flinched very briefly. The person had reflexes sharp enough to look away as if nothing were happening just before our eyes met.
It wasn’t someone I was seeing for the first time. I just didn’t know his name.
‘Was it Number 15?’
The young blond man who was the only one besides Lee Sunho and myself to be confirmed for a two-rank promotion at the site of the promotion exam.
He was present here.
‘I didn’t expect that he would have joined the Association.’
Chapter 74.2
I briefly scanned the man’s attire with my eyes.
The reason I could tell immediately that he belonged to the Association was that he was wearing a white uniform embossed with the Association logo. I had heard that, fundamentally, all combat-class Awakeners affiliated with the Association wear that uniform, but perhaps because of his blond hair, he seemed to stand out exceptionally well.
Honestly, it was a bit surprising that a man like him had joined the Association.
He was a man with such natural combat talent that he passed the exam and achieved a two-rank promotion without using any particular skills. A cold and arrogant impression, as if he were well aware of that fact, remained in my memory.
A person like that would naturally prefer a place that places a high value on their skills.
It was only natural to aim for a clan where one could receive a high down payment and annual salary based on ability—specifically, a large-scale clan among the top tiers.
While the Association was stable, its structure did not immediately translate individual skill into financial reward. There is no down payment, the annual salary is limited, and there are no performance-based incentives. At most, one might receive a small bonus at the end of the year.
Surely, the moment his two-rank promotion was confirmed, mid-to-large scale clans must have sent him “love calls” while carrying piles of money. Was there a reason he had to specifically choose the Association?
‘…It’s not my concern.’
Whether a man whose name I didn’t even know belonged to the Association or not, that wasn’t what was important to me right now.
‘A D- rank dungeon…’
I recalled the subtle text that had been added to the title of the quest directive sent to me, which only I could recognize.
<☆ Lifespan Extension: 30 Days ☆>
It had those bothersome asterisks attached, but I liked the content quite a bit.
Currently, my remaining lifespan is about 4 months.
This was the result of the 35 days earned from the Daejeon Holy Land collapse incident, and working hard for several days clearing E-rank dungeons as a 3rd-tier member of Black Tail.
Thanks to that, my body doesn’t creak as severely as it used to, and the frequency of headaches, anemia, and dizziness has decreased significantly. Even so, I couldn’t help the fact that my temperature would inevitably rise after overexerting my body, but still, I could say that life was worth living now.
To add one more thing, I’ve put on a bit of flesh. Others might still describe me as corpse-pale and skin-and-bones, but at least I personally felt that I wasn’t in a state where I might break just from the wind brushing against me anymore.
Lee Sunho, who took exceptionally good care of every meal, was a huge help in gaining this much weight. He was so good at cooking such a variety of things that even I, who used to think eating was enough if it just filled an empty stomach, reached a point where I was curious about the next menu.
I looked at Lee Sunho beside me with fresh eyes. As soon as he felt my gaze while staring forward, he met my eyes without hesitation. He, who used to wear an uninspired smile with the same expression every time like a designed machine, curved his distinctive eyes beautifully.
“……Then, that concludes the precautions, and we will now divide into teams. As mentioned previously, please understand that those who have registered as a pair beforehand will be mandatorily separated and deployed.”
Even though it was something announced in advance, a brief silence fell over the scene.
Those who had been active as a pair for a long time, in particular, did not look very pleased.
While it might be rare for Awakeners working as freelancers to have a fixed partner, it was a very basic operational method within clans. To the majority of Awakeners who had achieved efficient combat by coordinating their breathing as if they were a single body, feeling uncomfortable about being forcibly torn away from their partner was inevitable.
I also felt awkward already, since I had always fought alongside Lee Sunho ever since meeting him.
Beside me, Lee Sunho lightly tapped my hand.
“I don’t want to be apart. Right?”
A lonely look was already flowing from Lee Sunho’s eyes.
We’re just separated for a short while after being stuck together all the time, and we’ll be swarming around in teams of ten people each, so there’s no need to be lonely.
“Are we kids?”
Feeling like I was looking at a young child who didn’t want to be separated from his mother, I also gave his hand a tap. Then, as if he had been waiting for it, he pulled my hand toward him and whispered in my ear.
“I’ll join up with you depending on the situation.”
“We’re moving separately until we meet in front of the Boss Room. Where would there be a gap to join up?”
“You never know. Something big might happen, and I might have to join up out of necessity.”
As Lee Sunho muttered with a small laugh, for some reason, I got an ominous feeling that such a thing really might happen.
It’s just my imagination, right?
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