He had been discouraged when the Day of Advent unfolded. Although Korea was ‘colonized’ by foreign funds, it was the country where the citizens, including his family, were living. However, he saw the opportunity to correct everything when he entered the Stage of Advent after being chosen as a Pre-Awakened.
A new power had intervened. The World Awakened Association would continue to exist, and they would be reborn as the largest emerging force in the future, but they wouldn’t be the only powerful group. All kinds of organizations would be rampant, and Kang Woo-Seong was also planning to correct the country, which had been out of place since the IMF crisis. He wanted to create associations and political parties consisting of only Koreans. He believed he could bring a new sensation to politics by winning the battle against the alien civilizations. That was the only way because even if they kicked out the invaders, Korea would still live under the colonial rule of the Jeon-il Group after the war.
Fortunately, Woo-Seong had found a like-minded comrade. His name was Shin Myung-Hwan, and he was a part-time lecturer in political sciences at one of the nation’s prestigious universities. Since he hadn’t graduated from that school and wasn’t on the Jeon-il Group’s boat, he couldn’t be promoted to a full-time instructor. Although he had graduated from the top-ranked school, his academic background was being ignored. It was also because he was a famous political blogger named ‘National Good Man.’
Due to those reasons, Woo-Seong and Myung-Hwan shared a strong friendship for a little more than thirty days. They had been supporting each other, and they promised to continue doing so in the future. Yes, these two were the leaders of the northern village.
Woo-Seong said while recalling the moment when Myung-Hwan had been almost killed, “We can’t rush into the central village.”
The other man pointed out, “But someone should go in and grasp the situation. We never know when the guide will change. There must be a time limit.”
“If their leader is vicious, he will try to use us through you,” Woo-Seong cautioned.
Myung-Hwan sighed. “We just need to hope he is the same as us. Is there any other way though? It must be tough, but that’s the only option we have.”
Woo-Seong grimaced. “Whoa… Be careful.”
Myung-Hwan shrugged. “If you don’t hear from me or if I get caught, consider me dead.”
***
“Stay there! Don’t even take one more step. I warned you!” a man wearing a worn-out combat uniform and equipment was shouting at him, but Myung-Hwan couldn’t properly hear the voice from beyond the barricade. However, he still raised his arms along with those who had accompanied him and stared far away. There was a spire and a giant monster. In particular, the monster wasn’t the boss monster from the previous wave. It was made out of thick and huge bones, and its large skeleton wings were embedded in the ground without moving.
“Is that alive?” one person asked.
Another remarked quietly, “Then, do you think it’s dead?”
“…My name is Shin Myung-Hwan. Could you call someone I can talk to, please?” Myung-Hwan asked, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of the bizarre sight ahead of him. He got an answer after a few minutes.
“I’ll send our people to your side, so hand over all your insignias. Throw all the items to this side. Do as you’re told. We will return them to you if we are sure you won’t cause any problems.”
Myung-Hwan grimaced. “Do we really have to do that? We didn’t come here with bad intentions.”
The other person shrugged. “That’s the condition. If you don’t like that, then go back to your place! Do you understand?”
Myung-Hwan didn’t expect he would be welcomed as that was a perfectly natural response. They were actually treating him better than he had thought, considering what had happened in his village…
“How about if I go inside alone?” he proposed.
“Wait a minute.”
Soon, they accepted his suggestion, and Myung-Hwan did what the central villagers had told him to do. He threw all the items he was wearing over the barricade and handed over his insignias to the villagers. Then, his fellow villagers who accompanied him raised their voices out of concern.
“Professor… No…”
He reassured them, “Don’t worry about me, and just stay in formation. Never act independently.”
Three central villagers surrounded Myung-Hwan as if they were escorting a dangerous prisoner. All three moved with sharp weapons in their hands while keeping a close eye on him. Even after Myung-Hwan had entrusted his life to them, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the giant monster as it aroused fear just from its appearance alone.
However, one noticeable thing was that the monster was obviously protecting a person from external threats. The person had long hair, but he was too bulky to be considered a woman. The man looked to be unconscious and was in horrible shape, but he had been equipped with quality stuff. All the items on him were incomparable to any others that Myung-Hwan had encountered before in the Stage of Advent. A blazing sword was held in his hand even though he was unconscious. The rings on his fingers were shining, and his helmet and gloves looked sacred.
“Who is he?” Myung-Hwan asked.
“Odin,” one of the central villagers replied.
The other villager on Myung-Hwan’s right side yelled, “Hey!”
“They should know that they can’t think of doing something egregious. Hey, man. You’ll go to hell if you plan something stupid. Odin will wake up soon.”
Odin? There is no way his last name is Oh and the first name is Dean. Then is it the Odin from the Northern Europe myth?
Myung-Hwan thought it was the perfect stage name as he really seemed like the god in a myth. The giant skeletal monster resembled the dragon in the subculture.
If there is an existence that can be protected by dragons while being armed with mythic defensive equipment, then it must be Odin.
He felt like Odin’s scary face with a long beard and cyclops would be revealed when he raised his head. Only then did Myung-Hwan realize why this town had been chosen as the central village. It had put up the most outstanding results. There was an active market on one side, and goods were being traded with what was considered money. Even if he didn’t count, he could tell that there were a large number of survivors. On top of that, the villagers were full of energy. Well, of course, their eyes were filled with wariness when they looked at him.
“Was there anyone who had come in before us?” he asked.
One of the three answered, “Yes, and they were crushed.”
“Hey, come on!” the other villager shouted.
The first one shrugged. “They have the right to know.”
“Yes, hiding one’s power can provoke the enemy’s attack. I’m not saying that we will, but that’s what we have learned so far,” Myung-Hwan said.
“Right? If you attack us, all of you will go to hell. I’m just letting you know because you seem like a good person. Don’t get into trouble and get killed. The Japanese yakuza couldn’t manage to survive, so an old man like you would never be able to stay alive if you do something stupid.”
“There was a Japanese Yakuza here?” Myung-Hwan asked.
“Oh, yeah. He was here… what do we call that?”
“Yakuza Calibur[1]?”
“Oh, yes. He was ‘caliburred.’”
The word seemed to be a newly coined term derived from a computer game. Myung-Hwan remembered the word and decided to ask his people when he returned to them.
***
He commented, “Excuse me, but I used to use the pseudonym ‘National Good Man’ to run a blog.”
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe that I’m seeing you here. I remember your face!”
One of the village council members spoke to everyone in admiration.
“What’s wrong with you guys? Do you not know about that blog? The candlelight vigil in Gwanghwamun technically started because of this professor when the Jeon-il Gate broke out. You guys all know what the candlelight vigil was.”
“It doesn’t matter whether he was the blogger of ‘National Good Man’ or not.”
“Why does that not matter? That proves that he and his group are good guys. The guide did mention that it would be difficult to complete the quest by ourselves. We can’t reject all the other villagers.”
“Stop being upset and listen to others’ opinions.”
“I’m not getting upset. You guys might not know, but he is a symbol of those who are against the evils dominating Korea. Did you live without watching the news?”
“Ms. Kim Joo-Yeong!”
“Ha… You guys are ridiculous. I’m sorry to treat you like this, sir. As you know, the world has become harsh.”
Then, Soo-Ah said, “I guess he has identified himself. What should we call you?”
“Just by my name, please,” Myung-Hwan replied.
“Okay, Mr. Shin Myung-Hwan. I also recognize your face. People who are interested in Korea’s situation and the younger generations like us all know what you look like and the tone of your argument very well. You hate the Jeon-il Group, right?”
“The Jeon-il Group is evil to our country, but this world is far from that. I was just saying to help to prove my identity.”
“No, you have the fame. There are only a few, but you have followers here as you have just witnessed. Even if this is a completely different world, we can’t escape the memories of the world we came from. We live with those memories, so they continue to affect us.”
“…”
She continued mercilessly, “So Mr. Shin is a dangerous person, especially because you are the leader of your group.”
“…”
Soo-Ah stared at him fixedly. “Do you want me to share my thoughts about you? Just by looking at the pen name ‘National Good Man,’ I can tell that you are full of yourself and believe in your own superiority.”
Myung-Hwan retorted, “I didn’t expect to be talking about this here. The reason I chose that name was because I hoped that such a person would show up and correct the mess. Do you think Korea is upright now?”
This was because the entire country had been encroached by foreign funds and couldn’t manage their own state affairs independently. Myung-Hwan’s thoughts were always the same.
Soo-Ah snorted. “Talk about that to your listeners after you escape from the Stage of Advent. Here is my decision. I’m sorry, but we can’t let a man with an agitator characteristic into the village.”
Myung-Hwan responded, “It sounds like you guys are going to monopolize the quest.”
Soo-Ah shook her head. “No, I’m just saying that we can’t let you in. We will have an interview with the rest of your group members, then decide on them.”
“May I ask you a question?” he asked.
She nodded. “Go ahead.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you with the Jeon-il Group?”
Myung-Hwan was certain as Soo-Ah had a unique elite vibe and nuance.
Soo-Ah retorted with a smirk, “I’d like to ask the same of you. Is there anyone in Korea who is not involved with the Jeon-il Group? After all, they are the largest shareholder of the blog and internet radio you used to use. The bank and department store that you love to use must be owned by them. What about your family and friends? Is there anyone who is working at a company that has zero relationships with Jeon-il?”
Soo-Ah continued, “What about the other villagers? Do you still not get it, Mr. Shin? Directly or indirectly, everyone in our country is living their life inside the Jeon-il Group, whether they like it or not. So are the families you have left outside. Other villagers will be arriving soon, and I’m hundred percent sure you will have a conflict with them. I think you were lucky during the first stage that you had no issue with others.”
“…I understand what you mean, and I’m still trying to understand why you can’t let me in. However, it’s also true that sending people in your village without the group’s leader is dangerous.”
Soo-Ah shrugged. “Then, it’s simple. Don’t send them in. Just be grateful that we aren’t attacking you to take away your supplies. This is not Seoul. You shouldn’t expect everyone to accept you.”
“I never thought so.”
Soo-Ah smiled slightly, her eyes cold. “You did from the time you revealed your Internet nickname. Survival alone is overwhelming, so we can’t handle any other problems. I’ll tell you again. Our village doesn’t need an agitator.”
“Could you repeat…”
“You have the temperament of an instigator. You will only cause problems.”
Then, the door opened, and a guy urgently shouted, “Odin is awake!”
Soo-Ah’s face brightened for a second, then darkened as she looked back at Myung-Hwan.
She ordered, “Go back and never approach our village again.”
“Can I talk to Odin?” he asked.
“No, you can’t. Odin wouldn’t want that either. Now, go.”
1. A word derived from Excalibur, the legendary magical sword of King Arthur, which symbolizes divine kingship. ‘Yakuza Calibur’ and ‘Human Calibur’ are Seong-Il’s nicknames as he kills monsters and opponents with great power. Although his main weapon is not a sword, the author probably wanted to indicate how strong and undefeatable Seong-Il is. ☜