WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 18
──────
A hotel lounge somewhere in Seoul.
Han Seo-jin and Kim Yeong-jin had arrived earlier than usual.
Both of them looked hopeful for the first time in a while.
“This is certain this time, right?”
Seo-jin asked quietly.
Yeong-jin checked his phone and nodded.
“They asked to meet us directly. It’s probably to discuss the departure schedule.”
To them, Japan was not simply another country.
It was the new life they had been promised in exchange for handing over Kang Seong-un’s information.
Housing support.
A settlement stipend.
Long-term residence and even naturalization procedures, if needed.
Once their relationship with Kang Seong-un had completely ended, they had planned to start over in Japan.
Of course, things had gone wrong. After Kang Seong-un’s interview, they had been receiving hostile looks everywhere, so they had been desperately waiting for Japan to contact them. And now, it finally had.
Then, a little while later.
Step.
A Japanese man in a suit entered the lounge.
He was the liaison they had met several times before.
“It’s been a while.”
Yeong-jin stood first, smiling.
“Mr. Tanaka.”
“...”
The man had always been full of smiles.
But today, Tanaka did not smile.
Without even shaking hands, he sat across from them.
At that moment.
“...?”
Seo-jin sensed that something was wrong.
“Is something the matter?”
Instead of answering, he placed an envelope on the table.
“As of today, we are ending all cooperative arrangements with the two of you.”
“...What?”
Yeong-jin’s expression hardened.
Tanaka continued calmly, as if reading prepared lines.
“All previously discussed housing support in Japan, settlement payments, and connections to Awakener-related institutions are being withdrawn.”
“W-Wait.”
Yeong-jin leaned forward.
“What, what exactly do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“No, you promised us.”
Seo-jin raised her voice as well.
“You said we would have no trouble living in Japan. A home, settlement money, and even a high-paying position at the Awakeners Association.”
“Circumstances have changed.”
The answer was far too simple.
Seo-jin’s face stiffened.
“What do you mean, circumstances have changed?”
Tanaka did not answer.
Yeong-jin gritted his teeth.
“Do you know how much information we gave you?”
Only then did Tanaka turn his gaze to Yeong-jin.
“The payment for the information you provided was made according to the method agreed upon at the time.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“We even took risks because of you.”
Yeong-jin’s voice grew louder.
“We extracted information right from Kang Seong-un’s side!”
People nearby glanced over.
Tanaka lowered his voice instead.
“Mr. Kim.”
It was cold.
“You would be better off not saying that so loudly.”
“...”
Yeong-jin closed his mouth.
Even before this, after Kang Seong-un’s revelations, people had looked at the two of them coldly.
Traitors.
Pro-Japanese collaborators.
They even heard such words openly behind their backs.
That was why Seo-jin was anxious.
“Could it be...”
Seo-jin asked cautiously.
“...Is this because of Kang Seong-un?”
For an instant, Tanaka’s eyes changed.
‘Ah!’
That was enough.
Seo-jin’s face turned pale.
“No way...?”
Tanaka did not deny it.
“The Japanese Awakeners Association will not enter into any official or unofficial cooperative relationship with either of you from now on.”
“Are you insane?”
Seo-jin shot to her feet.
“When you wanted us to steal information, that was fine, but now you’re watching Kang Seong-un’s reaction?”
Tanaka quietly looked up at her.
Kang Seong-un was a Novice who had come into conflict with the Korean Association.
A hero of the past.
A first-generation Awakener whose value was fading.
Meanwhile, Han Seo-jin and Kim Yeong-jin, who could extract information from around him, had been useful cards.
But now, everything had changed.
The Guardians of the 25th and 26th floors.
And the strategy guide Japan wanted so badly.
The scales had shifted completely.
Tanaka spoke.
“Let me be precise.”
Seo-jin’s fingertips trembled.
“More than the benefits Japan can gain by maintaining a relationship with the two of you.”
A brief silence followed.
“Accepting Mr. Kang Seong-un’s demands is far more beneficial for Japan.”
“...”
Both their faces went pale.
This was far too blatant.
There were no excuses or consolations.
It was a simple calculation.
And they had lost in that calculation.
Yeong-jin gritted his teeth.
“So now you’re going to throw us away?”
“Throwing you away is not an appropriate expression.”
“What’s the difference!”
“Japan never had an obligation to take responsibility for either of you.”
Yeong-jin sprang to his feet.
“You son of a bitch.”
The two men standing behind Tanaka moved at the same time.
“...!”
Yeong-jin froze in place.
Tanaka remained seated.
“Please sit.”
“...”
“If you cause a problem here, the situation will only become more difficult.”
Yeong-jin glared at him for a long time before sitting back down.
Seo-jin bit her lip.
“Then.”
Her voice trembled.
“Does that mean we can’t even go to Japan?”
“I do not mean to prevent you from traveling there.”
Tanaka answered calmly.
“However, it will be difficult for you to settle there in the manner you expected.”
“What about employment?”
“You will not be recommended to related institutions.”
“What about Awakener companies?”
“The same applies.”
“Naturalization...”
Tanaka did not even wait for her to finish.
“You would be better off not expecting it.”
One by one, the future they had planned was erased.
Seo-jin’s eyes wavered.
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
They were already treated as traitors in South Korea.
If Kang Seong-un became even more active, the hostile looks directed at them would only grow worse.
For the first time, Tanaka smiled faintly.
There was not a trace of warmth in that smile.
“I do not believe that is my question to answer.”
He pushed the envelope toward them.
“It contains the details concerning the end of our relationship. Please review it.”
Then he stood.
Yeong-jin hurriedly rose as well.
“W-Wait.”
Tanaka stopped.
“If this ends like this, where are we supposed to go?”
“...”
This time, he seemed to genuinely consider it for a moment.
Then he turned his head.
“Well.”
His gaze swept over the two of them in turn.
“You can continue living in South Korea, can’t you?”
“...”
“After all.”
His voice lowered.
“It does not seem as though you have many other places left to go.”
Seo-jin’s face stiffened.
Yeong-jin could not say anything either.
Tanaka turned away.
Only the two of them remained at the table.
Once, they had believed Japan was their way out.
A place to begin new lives after betraying Kang Seong-un.
Selling his information.
And ultimately leaving even his side behind.
But now, that door had closed.
And it had closed because of a single word from the very man they had sold out.
* * *
Tokyo Awakeners Association, Japan.
Far more people than usual had gathered in the strategy conference room on the top floor.
Chairman Yamashita Seiji.
The head of the Strategic Headquarters and tactical analysts.
Key personnel from the Tower research department.
And even the Sakamoto Party, who had nearly been wiped out by Karganon on the 25th floor a few days earlier.
Inugami Genji had braces around both arms.
Nasuno Mikoto’s shoulder had not yet fully recovered.
A faint bruise still remained on one side of Sakamoto Renji’s face.
Their gazes were focused on the small scroll at the center of the conference room.
The original recording of the 25th-floor Guardian battle handed over by Kang Seong-un.
Yamashita looked at Kuroda.
“What happened with those two?”
There was no need to explain who Yamashita meant.
Kuroda answered immediately.
“It has been handled.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
Kim Yeong-jin and Han Seo-jin.
“All support promised by the Association has been withdrawn. We have cut off settlement support and all connections with related companies.”
Kuroda’s voice was firm.
“We also notified organizations under the Association and major Awakener companies that relations have ended. We strongly requested action from the government in the Association’s name as well, and the procedures to withdraw their planned residence and settlement accommodations have begun.”
Yamashita nodded.
“Any possibility that they could reconnect with us?”
“We have taken measures to ensure there is none.”
A short, certain answer.
“Good.”
Yamashita’s gaze moved to the Video Recording Scroll.
Japan had given up two informants.
In exchange, it had acquired the world’s only record of Karganon’s defeat.
Yamashita believed it was more than a worthwhile trade.
“Play it.”
A tactical analyst unfolded the Video Recording Scroll.
Flash!
The patterns engraved on the scroll lit up.
Soon, magic flowed into the center of the conference room and spread widely through the space.
The light overlapped, and color appeared.
A black stone floor.
A massive throne.
Yellow mist.
It looked as if part of the 25th floor had been cut out and placed in the middle of the conference room.
And then.
Thud.
Karganon appeared.
“...!”
The Sakamoto Party’s expressions hardened at once.
To those who had fought Karganon directly, it was only a recording, but the sight was still unwelcome.
Inugami’s hands tensed without meaning to.
That fist had ruined both arms.
Hattori Shun had lost consciousness from a single sweep of the tail.
The moment Mikoto’s bow disappeared, they had been unable to do anything.
The Karganon in their memories was a monster.
An opponent they could never face head-on.
Then Kang Seong-un’s Black-Iron Armament disappeared in the recording as well.
His shield vanished.
His greatsword vanished too.
Everyone in the conference room leaned forward at once.
“This is where it begins.”
The head of the Strategic Headquarters spoke quietly.
What they wanted to know was this.
How had Kang Seong-un dealt with Karganon after Disarmament?
Was there a hidden weakness?
Was there a special movement?
Did Karganon’s attacks have any set pattern?
Everyone watched the screen, determined not to miss anything.
Karganon moved.
Boom!
The stone floor exploded.
A massive fist flew toward Kang Seong-un.
And Kang Seong-un dodged.
“...”
He closed in.
He threw a punch.
Crack!
Karganon’s head snapped to the side.
Someone blinked.
Karganon swung its tail.
Kang Seong-un lowered his upper body and let it pass.
Then, with one step, he moved in close to the creature.
Thud!
A strike to the abdomen, followed by one to the jaw.
Karganon’s enormous body was pushed back.
“...Wait.”
Sakamoto Renji spoke for the first time.
But the recording did not stop.
Karganon roared and rushed forward.
Kang Seong-un moved forward as well.
There was no device that disabled the skill.
He did not attack a hidden weak point between the scales.
He simply read the attacks, dodged them, and moved in faster.
Thud!
He struck.
Karganon dropped to one knee.
“...”
The conference room became unnaturally quiet.
Karganon rose again and swung both arms.
Kang Seong-un’s body slipped between them.
An elbow.
A fist.
A knee.
Short, precise attacks landed one after another.
Karganon staggered.
Inugami Genji’s mouth slowly fell open.
“...That monster...”
Inugami barely managed to speak.
“...Is that really the same monster?”
No one could answer.
The Karganon in the recording was too different.
When they had fought it, it had been a disaster.
One punch made a tank drop to their knees.
One sweep of its tail sent people flying.
They could not grab it or block it.
But now, it was being hit over and over by Kang Seong-un.
And not long after.
Boom!
Karganon’s massive body crashed into the floor.
Kang Seong-un landed the final blow.
Black scales shattered, and its movement stopped.
Flash.
The light filling the conference room disappeared.
“...”
But no one spoke right away.
The clear footage had ended.
But there was no pattern to analyze.
There was no weakness to find.
There was no special item, either.
Yamashita slowly looked at Sakamoto.
Yamashita looked at Sakamoto.
“Is it truly the same one?”
Sakamoto could not answer immediately.
Instead, Inugami looked down at both arms wrapped in braces.
“...It is.”
Inugami’s voice sank low.
“It is the very monster that crushed us.”
Yamashita stared at the darkened recording.
“...And yet, over there, it looks like an entirely different monster. No, something else.”
No one could answer.
The records displayed by the tactical analysts offered no special answer either.
Attack timing.
Directions of evasion.
Distance control.
Of course, they could analyze those things.
But it was not the kind of thing one could replicate simply by knowing it.
The physical ability to see an attack and dodge it.
The speed to close in immediately after dodging.
The strength to shatter scales with bare hands.
Awakening may have allowed people to reach for superhuman territory, but could that truly be a realm possible for a human?
No, was the person they were watching really human?
“It was not that there was no strategy.”
The head of the Strategic Headquarters said with a stiff expression.
“That is the strategy.”
“...What do you mean?”
“You only need to be fast enough to avoid Karganon’s attacks.”
The speaker paused briefly.
“And strong enough to break its scales with bare hands.”
Someone gave a hollow laugh.
“Can you call that a strategy?”
“That is the problem.”
Sakamoto spoke quietly.
The confidence once present in Sakamoto’s voice was gone.
Sakamoto had fought Karganon directly.
That was why Sakamoto understood the meaning of the recording more accurately than anyone.
“There was no weakness that we failed to find.”
Sakamoto’s fist slowly clenched.
“Kang Seong-un is simply...”
Sakamoto paused to choose the words.
“...Much stronger than us.”
Those words weighed heavily over the conference room.
Novice.
At first, they had underestimated Kang Seong-un because of that word.
But this clear footage had thoroughly shattered that misconception.
Yamashita slowly leaned back in the chair.
“He is not the Novice we knew.”
Kuroda looked at Yamashita.
“Based on what is known so far, he is indeed a Novice.”
“That is not what I mean.”
Yamashita cut Kuroda off.
“I mean he is not the Novice we thought he was.”
The 25th floor.
The 26th floor.
Consecutive Guardian defeats.
A world record.
And that overwhelming physical ability.
Only now had the final piece fallen into place.
“America has drawn a proper card.”
No one could deny it.
Until recently, America had lagged behind in clearing the Tower.
But now, things were different.
Kang Seong-un was there.
And that man showed no sign of stopping.
Kuroda spoke quietly.
“At this rate, America’s Tower-clearing speed will rise greatly as well.”
“It is not only a matter of clearing speed.”
Yamashita gave a shake of the head.
Guardian Authority.
Elixirs and relics.
The Awakeners and information beginning to gather around Kang Seong-un. They would all reinforce one another.
“America is no longer a country that lags behind.”
Yamashita paused, then corrected the statement.
“No.”
Yamashita’s gaze rested on the darkened recording.
“At this rate.”
The chairman’s voice lowered.
“It will become one of the leading countries.”
The conclusion Japan reached after paying a costly price to view the recording was simple.
Karganon had no hidden weakness.
Kang Seong-un was simply far too strong.
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