The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener - Chapter 25

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈

Chapter 25

──────

Korean Awakeners Association Headquarters, top-floor conference room.

Thick reports and tablets covered the long table without a gap.

“...”

The atmosphere in the conference room was exceptionally heavy.

It could not have been otherwise.

Kang Seong-un's continued successes and his capture of Guardian thrones had hurt South Korea more than any other nation.

Until just recently, he had climbed the Tower as a South Korean national. Now, he was conquering it under America's flag.

The cost of losing him was painfully high.

It was not simply a matter of losing one fighting force.

Clear speed.

Guardian information.

Throne authority.

Bargaining power between nations.

Every time Kang Seong-un climbed another floor, the value South Korea might have gained was almost impossible to calculate.

It was infuriating.

But Park Gang-sik was someone who knew how to acknowledge that separately.

“We have to admit it.”

The brief words rang through the silent room. Park Gang-sik looked around.

“That bastard, Kang Seong-un, is strong enough that trying to catch up to him with our current strength would be inefficient.”

“...”

Several executives' expressions stiffened.

It was humiliating for the chairman of the Korean Awakeners Association to say outright.

Yet no one refuted it.

The recent numbers proved everything.

Beep!

The conference room screen changed.

It displayed resource consumption records.

Elixirs.

Advanced recovery potions.

Mana recovery potions.

Status ailment cures.

Rare defensive scrolls.

Single-use protective artifacts.

Various special rounds and enhancement consumables.

The amounts listed beside each item seemed endless.

One line among them was marked in red.

『Estimated value of resources consumed preparing for and fighting recent Guardians: 487 billion won』

“...Huh!”

Low breaths escaped from around the conference room.

Of course, South Korea, an Awakener powerhouse, had considerable reserves of consumables and other resources.

But having reserves and being able to waste them were entirely different matters.

“If we burn hundreds of billions every time just to kill one Guardian.”

Park Gang-sik looked at the screen.

“We will have nothing left for the Vanguard to use once they reach the upper floors.”

No one could argue.

Fighting Guardians and claiming the thrones they protected were certainly appealing, but the consumables lost when a clear failed were far too costly.

Park Gang-sik spoke.

“So we will change the plan.”

Everyone in the room turned their attention over.

“Why do we have to fight where Kang Seong-un is?”

“...Pardon?”

One executive asked without thinking. Park Gang-sik pressed the remote.

The numbers on the screen rapidly decreased.

37, 26, 25, 24, and then 1.

A massive number appeared in the center of the screen.

『1st Floor』

“The Vanguard will continue clearing the foremost floors as before rather than fighting Guardians. And on the 1st floor, beyond Kang Seong-un's reach, we will claim the Guardian's throne.”

Park Gang-sik placed a hand on the table.

“We have been mistaken. The higher the floor, the greater the difficulty, and the more consumables we are forced to use. On top of that, Kang Seong-un is indeed one step ahead of us.”

Then.

“Is there any reason to chase after him when the losses are so severe?”

“But if we cannot stop Kang Seong-un and America's continued dominance like this...”

“He's only a Novice. He can only exert himself through the twenties, at most. You all know, don't you? Things change from the 30th floor onward.”

The Tower's difficulty, as reported by the Vanguard, was certainly brutal.

Could Kang Seong-un, merely a Novice, truly solo-clear even the thirties, let alone defeat Guardians there?

No matter how much they acknowledged Kang Seong-un, Park Gang-sik and all the executives in the room could not help but be skeptical on that point.

“And.”

Having taken control of the room, Park Gang-sik continued.

“The biggest problem with clearing upper-floor Guardians is that we have no choices.”

Park Gang-sik pressed the remote.

The distribution of South Korea's Awakener personnel appeared.

The lower the floor, the more the number of available talents increased exponentially.

“The Awakeners capable of challenging the 27th floor are almost limited to the Vanguard and a few others. But what about the teens? What about the single-digit floors?”

There were very few Awakeners in South Korea who could clear the higher floors at a combat-ready level.

In contrast, there were hundreds, thousands, or perhaps even more available for the lower floors, depending on the conditions.

Unlike America's Curse, South Korea's talent pool was so broad that it was called the Miracle of the Korean Peninsula.

“Especially the 1st floor. It is a place a new generation that has only just begun Awakening can clear.”

Park Gang-sik said,

“That means it is far easier to choose Awakeners with the abilities necessary for fighting Guardians.”

The conference room fell quiet.

Some had begun to understand what Park Gang-sik was trying to say.

“For example.”

Several skills appeared on the screen.

Skills with low initial grades but exceptional defensive power under certain conditions.

Abilities whose effects amplified only against boss-type monsters.

Traits that explosively increased attack power for a short time.

They were abilities assessed as ordinary on low floors, but depending on their combination, they could be tremendously effective in Guardian battles.

“As you all know, South Korea's talent pool is the best in the world. My thought is that we should make use of that talent and focus on fostering a different kind of Vanguard, one that will claim the throne of the 1st floor.”

With that, Park Gang-sik pressed the remote.

Beep.

A new screen appeared.

『Low-Floor Guardian Clear Special Selection Plan』

The people in the conference room focused on the screen.

Park Gang-sik spoke.

“So we will hold an open nationwide selection.”

“...An open selection?”

“Yes.”

The response was firm.

“We will not consider affiliation, experience, or anything else.”

There were no selection criteria displayed on the screen.

“Only one thing.”

Park Gang-sik looked at the screen.

“We will only consider whether they have the potential to defeat a Guardian.”

It did not matter who they were.

It did not matter if they had skills that were ordinarily difficult to use.

Anyone would be given a chance if they could prove their worth in the one situation of a Guardian battle.

“The selection process will be made as transparent as possible.”

Park Gang-sik's voice echoed through the conference room.

“We will choose them based on ability, so no one can say they got in through connections or were merely props for the existing Vanguard.”

The executives slowly nodded.

Park Gang-sik continued.

“And those ultimately selected will not be a simple 1st-floor Raid Party.”

Their gazes sharpened.

“Together with the existing Vanguard, they will be developed into another core force responsible for South Korea's future.”

“...”

“We have no intention of ending it at the 1st floor.”

They would gain experience clearing Guardians.

Secure thrones.

And target the next low-floor Guardian.

If the Vanguard opened South Korea's path from above.

This group would accumulate thrones from below.

In different ways.

They would elevate the future of the same nation.

Park Gang-sik gave a final order.

“Do not spare the necessary training facilities, equipment, or consumables at the Association level.”

Then, after a brief pause.

“I have already requested cooperation from the government as well.”

Several executives' expressions changed.

“From the moment they are selected, the nation will take responsibility for raising them.”

That day, South Korea turned its gaze away from only the highest places.

While the Vanguard raced upward, another Vanguard began to take shape below.

* * *

Outskirts of Seoul.

An old residential neighborhood packed tightly along a hillside.

It had once been called an impoverished hillside neighborhood, and little had changed even now.

Power lines tangled chaotically through the narrow alleys, and cracks ran along the steep stairs.

At the very back, beyond an old gate whose paint looked ready to peel away at any moment, a girl stared at her phone.

“...”

A high school uniform.

A cardigan bearing traces of having been mended several times.

Worn socks.

The finger that had been scrolling through the screen for a long time slowly froze.

『Notice of Screening Results for the Korean Awakeners Association's Guardian Clear Special Selection』

Beneath that.

『...We regret to inform you that you have not passed this open selection screening.』

“...As expected.”

Her voice was quiet.

She was not surprised.

It would be a lie to say she had not hoped, but she had expected it to some degree.

This selection was a national project heavily promoted by both the government and the Association.

It was a rare opportunity that offered full support if she was selected.

It was not merely about money.

There was even a promise that those who achieved results would be developed into core Awakeners representing South Korea.

That was why applicants had poured in from all over the country.

Rookies from famous guilds.

Promising talents known in each region.

Even prospective Awakeners who had yet to make their official debut.

Among them... she was too ordinary.

No, she would have been lucky to even be considered ordinary.

“Big Sis.”

A young voice came from beyond the room's door. The girl hurriedly turned her phone face-down.

“Yeah?”

A head poked through the opening in the door.

It was a boy who looked to be in elementary school.

“Did the results come out?”

“...Yeah.”

“Did you make it?”

The girl fell silent for a moment.

Then she smiled.

“No.”

“Ah...”

Her younger brother's shoulders drooped.

Seeing that, the girl reached out and tousled his hair.

“Why are you the one who's disappointed?”

“They say you'll make a lot of money if you get in.”

“...Who said that?”

“The lady next door.”

“That lady again.”

A small laugh escaped her.

But it did not last long.

Cough!

A dry cough came from outside the cramped room.

Her expression stiffened as she looked toward the side of the living room where her father lay.

After an accident several months ago, her father's legs had been injured, making it difficult for him to work properly.

It was the price of overworking himself to care for her and her siblings.

She was the eldest, with three younger siblings beneath her.

The youngest had not even started elementary school yet.

That was why, when they learned she had Awakened, the entire family smiled for the first time.

They believed becoming an Awakener meant gaining great wealth, fame, and popularity.

But when they checked her ability after she Awakened, the reactions around her were similar.

“Cold? That's too weak.”

“I don't think it's suited for combat.”

“Isn't it just a support type?”

The Association employee who had measured her ability grade coldly turned away.

That was why she could not even dream of climbing the Tower.

In South Korea, forming a party to climb the Tower required connections as well.

She was an Awakener, but her life was no different from that of an ordinary person.

Then she learned that this selection was being held.

Fairness, transparency, and open selection were its principles.

Hearing that they would only assess potential, she allowed herself to hope that perhaps she had potential too.

So she applied.

Perhaps someone would properly recognize her potential.

But the result was.

『Failed Document Screening』

She had not even reached the practical test.

She had not even been given the opportunity to show her skill herself.

“...”

The girl looked at the ceiling.

Old wallpaper, water stains spreading in places.

It was familiar scenery.

She had been born in this house and grown up in this house.

But she did not want to keep living here.

At least not for her siblings' sake.

‘...Naturalization...’

The word suddenly came to mind.

It had been discussed quite often in Awakener communities recently.

Even an ordinary Awakener in South Korea could be treated as valuable in a country short on Awakeners.

In particular, several countries lacking Awakeners were actively recruiting foreign Awakeners, offering everything from housing support to family relocation.

Of course, it was not an easy decision.

Leaving the country where she had been born and raised was not easy.

There was also no guarantee that they would keep the promises they made.

But.

‘They won't even give me a chance here.’

The girl smiled bitterly.

It was not because she hated South Korea.

She simply... had to make a living.

Her father needed hospital treatment, and her siblings needed opportunities too.

She did not have the luxury of choosing a country.

If there was somewhere that needed her, going there might not be such a bad idea.

‘It might not be so bad.’

Of course, it was still only a plan in her mind.

Just as she was wallowing in self-pity.

Knock, knock.

“...?”

Someone knocked on the front gate.

The girl raised her head.

Knock, knock.

This time, it was clearer.

“Who is it?”

An unfamiliar man's voice came from beyond the gate.

“Excuse me.”

‘English?’

But she could understand it.

He had clearly used a translation scroll.

“Could we speak for a moment?”

The girl furrowed her brow.

Then she headed outside.

Click.

The old gate opened.

“...?”

The first thing she noticed was the suit.

It was clothing that did not fit this neighborhood at all.

A dark navy suit.

Neatly groomed hair streaked with silver.

Behind him, a black car was parked at the entrance to the narrow alley.

Two people in suits waited quietly beside the car.

“Ah?!”

The girl's eyes widened.

It was a face she had seen somewhere before.

“...No way.”

The man smiled.

Only then was she certain.

David Miller, chairman of the American Awakeners Association.

“...”

The girl stood there with her mouth open, unable to say anything.

Why?

Why was this person here?

Had he come to the wrong address?

As though recognizing that look, Miller said,

“Ah.”

He glanced behind him once.

“It seems we found the right address.”

“...Pardon?”

“Navigation isn't very reliable in alleys like these.”

“...”

She did not even have time to be flustered.

Miller adjusted his glasses.

“By any chance.”

He checked a small document in his hand.

Then he called the girl's name.

“Are you Shin Hye-won?”

“Y-Yes? Ah, yes! That's me.”

Hye-won's voice trembled.

Miller nodded.

“Good.”

There was a presence behind her.

It was her father.

“Who is this?”

“Dad.”

Hye-won turned around with an awkward expression.

“Well...”

How was she supposed to explain this?

The chairman of the American Awakeners Association had come to their home?

At that moment, Miller slightly bowed first.

“I apologize for coming so suddenly.”

His playful manner from earlier remained, but his attitude toward a parent with mobility issues was respectful.

“I came with an offer for your daughter.”

“...For my child?”

Her father looked at his daughter in bewilderment.

Hye-won felt the same.

“For... me?”

“Yes.”

Miller answered.

“It will likely be a very important offer.”

For a moment, the girl remembered the rejection notice she had received.

“...Did you come because of this selection?”

A meaningful smile appeared at her words.

“The Korean Association's selection?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Well, the chairman of the American Association would have no authority to involve himself in South Korea's selection.

She had only asked because she was so bewildered.

“It has nothing to do with those results.”

Hye-won asked cautiously,

“Then... why me?”

“...”

Miller did not answer.

Instead.

Swoosh.

He took a business card from inside his jacket and handed it to her.

『Chairman of the American Awakeners Association

David Miller』

Just as she had expected!

Hye-won blankly accepted the card as she confirmed the name.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

“America.”

Miller said as he watched her.

“Needs you.”

“...Pardon?”

She abruptly raised her head.

She wondered if she had heard him wrong.

“M-Me?”

“That is correct.”

“Why...?”

The words would not come out properly.

“I did not even pass the document screening for this selection.”

“I know.”

“...My ability has not been rated that highly either.”

“I know that too.”

“Then why would America...”

The girl's voice grew quieter.

“...How did you know about me and come looking for me?”

Miller's expression changed strangely at that question.

As though he had been waiting for those words.

He looked at the girl through his glasses.

“To be precise... I was not the one who found you.”

“...?”

The corner of Miller's mouth rose.

“I, too, received a recommendation.”

“A recommendation...?”

“Yes.”

By whom?

The question was written plainly across her face.

Miller did not bother waiting.

“By the Awakener currently regarded as the greatest in the world.”

* * *

I had wondered if it could be true.

But.

“...”

Seeing her in person, I had no choice but to be certain.

Shin Hye-won.

She was far too different from the person I knew before my regression.

Back then, she was someone who stood out wherever she went.

Long white hair.

An expressionless face that looked as though it could freeze someone to death.

A pressure that seemed to lower the surrounding temperature even when she stood silently.

‘White Witch.’

A woman whose name alone made countless Awakeners tense.

But the person before me now was.

“...Um.”

A young-looking high school student.

She barely perched on the edge of the sofa, her knees neatly together beneath her school uniform skirt.

Her gaze kept falling downward, and her hands had been endlessly twisting around each other's fingers since earlier.

“So...”

Her fingers twisted together once more.

“Are you sure you really came looking for me?”

Her voice was extremely soft.

If my physical abilities had not been exceptional, I might not have been able to understand her.

I watched her for a moment.

It was hard to believe she was the same person.

I recalled what I knew about her.

An Awakener who, like me, had been born and Awakened in South Korea but never received a proper opportunity.

Her evaluation back then had been ambiguous as well.

She created cold.

She lowered the temperature of objects a little.

Had she even been mocked that the best she could do was chill drinks in summer?

Unable to establish herself in Korea, she eventually went to Libya.

At the time, Libya was a country so desperate to secure Awakeners that it stood out even among nations lagging behind in Awakener development.

It did not care about nationality, background, or grade.

It accepted any Awakener who could fight.

And her move to Libya soon shocked the entire world.

Not long after becoming a naturalized citizen, Shin Hye-won blossomed into her true talent.

At first, it was only a handful of frost.

Then she froze one person.

A little later, she froze an entire building.

And eventually, she covered battlefields.

Heavy snow poured down on land where snow never fell.

Massive walls of ice rose in the middle of sandy deserts.

Dozens, hundreds of monsters froze at once.

Wherever she passed, only pure white ice remained.

From then on, she was more often called the White Witch than Shin Hye-won.

And she would later become one of the Awakeners the world began to call Calamities.

That woman was twisting her fingers in front of me now.

“...”

It was a strange feeling.

Shin Hye-won looked at me carefully.

“I heard from Chairman Miller.”

“What did you hear?”

“That you... wanted me.”

Perhaps embarrassed by her own words, the tips of her ears reddened slightly.

“To be exact, I recommended you.”

“Isn't that the same thing...?”

“...It is similar.”

Hye-won's fingers twisted together again.

After hesitating for a moment, she spoke.

“But no matter how much I think about it, I don't understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why me.”

Her gaze fell.

“My ability really is nothing special.”

As expected, she still did not know.

Hye-won opened her palm.

Crack!

Faint mana gathered.

A small patch of frost bloomed over it.

It was only enough to cover one side of her palm.

The room's temperature dropped by the slightest amount.

That was all.

Hye-won smiled bitterly.

“This is about it.”

“...”

“I can make water a little cold, or leave frost on objects.”

When she lowered her hand, the frost quickly melted too.

“The Association also said it would be difficult to use in combat.”

“...”

I looked at the moisture remaining in her palm.

That was not the limit of her ability.

Shin Hye-won had never properly awakened her power.

“Ms. Hye-won.”

“...Yes?”

“The Association is wrong.”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“Pardon?”

“That ability.”

I stated it firmly.

“It is not weak.”

“...But.”

“It simply has not properly awakened yet.”

Hye-won's fingers stopped.

It was the first time.

The hands that had kept twisting together went completely still.

“...What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

I looked into her eyes.

“Your ability is not at its limit.”

“...”

“It can become much stronger.”

Hye-won's lips parted slightly.

She seemed unable to believe it.

So I looked straight into her eyes.

“I will help your talent bloom.”

“...!”

Her shoulders flinched.

“Ms. Hye-won, you can become strong. I will make sure of it.”

“...”

Hye-won could not say anything.

Only her eyes trembled.

Then Miller, who had been quietly listening beside us, leaned forward.

“Then.”

His familiar voice.

“I suppose I should discuss the practical matters.”

Hye-won looked at Miller in surprise.

“Pardon?”

Miller adjusted his glasses.

“Mr. Kang is extremely skilled at bringing people in.”

He gave me a sideways glance.

“But he's not particularly skilled at explaining contract terms.”

“...Me?”

“Wasn't ‘Trust me’ the entirety of your explanation just now?”

“...”

He was not wrong.

Miller nodded in satisfaction.

Then he looked at Hye-won.

“Ms. Shin Hye-won.”

“Yes.”

“The American Awakeners Association would like to recruit you as a formal core development candidate.”

Hye-won's breath seemed to stop for a moment.

“If the recruitment is finalized.”

Miller raised one finger.

“First, the Association will fully cover your housing in America.”

A second finger.

“We will also cover relocation expenses for your immediate family, not just yourself.”

Miller did not stop.

“Regarding your father's treatment, we will prioritize support to the extent possible through affiliated medical institutions in America. The contract will also specify that the Association will bear the treatment expenses.”

“W-Wait...”

A third finger.

“You need not worry about your siblings' education either.”

“...”

“We will support their school transfers in the settlement area, tuition, and any needed language education.”

Hye-won's mouth shut completely.

Miller raised a fourth finger.

“You will receive a separate living allowance and an Awakener salary.”

A fifth finger.

“Training facilities, dedicated instructors, necessary equipment, rare consumables, researchers to analyze your abilities, and any growth resources Mr. Kang deems necessary.”

With every condition he listed, Hye-won's bewilderment grew.

“W-Wait a moment.”

In the end, she raised her hand.

“Why would you go that far for me...?”

Miller did not answer.

Instead, he looked at me.

So I spoke.

“Because we need you.”

Hye-won looked at me.

“Because you.”

After a moment.

“Are worth that much.”