WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈

Chapter 3

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Inside a quiet cafe.

Jingle.

As Han Seo-jin and I entered, the man sitting by the window shot to his feet.

Short, neatly trimmed hair. A clean shirt. A friendly-looking face.

Kim Yeong-jin.

The man who had introduced me to Han Seo-jin.

And the friend I had once trusted as much as family.

He looked back and forth between Seo-jin's pale face and the phone in my hand, then seemed to grasp the situation.

"...Seong-un."

His chair scraped backward.

"Just, just listen to me first."

Without answering, I sat across from him.

"..."

After gauging my reaction for a moment, he slowly dropped to his knees.

The people in the cafe glanced our way.

"I was wrong."

Kim Yeong-jin lowered his head.

"I really lost my mind. You were always in the Tower, and Seo-jin spent so much time alone. We talked about how lonely we both were, and... we crossed the line for a moment."

Han Seo-jin stood nearby with her lips pressed tightly together.

"But this really is the end."

Kim Yeong-jin spoke urgently.

"We met today to end it. I was going to tell her we shouldn't see each other anymore."

"...You were going to end it?"

"Yeah."

"Today?"

"Yeah. Please believe me."

He raised his head.

Even his eyes were red.

"I know I'm a bastard who deserves to die. I shouldn't have done this to you."

His voice trembled.

"But we've known each other for so long. We've made small mistakes before, haven't we? Of course, I'm not saying I did well. I'm really sorry, my friend."

Friend.

I gave a brief laugh.

"Yeong-jin."

"Y-yeah."

"Your acting... was pretty good. The old me might've completely fallen for it."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Why would a bastard who was planning to end the relationship keep selling my information to Japan?"

His face stiffened.

I only learned this afterward, but he had been selling strategy guides through Han Seo-jin.

To Japan, of all places, a country Korea had not been on good terms with until recently.

So after remarrying Han Seo-jin, he would have become a Japanese citizen and lived in luxury.

"That's ridiculous..."

Tap.

I placed the phone I had taken from Han Seo-jin on the table.

"Should we have it examined forensically?"

"..."

"Predicted strategies for the next floor. Vanguard formation. Equipment assignments. Monster information the Association circulated privately."

With every item I listed, his face grew paler.

"You sure put the things I told Han Seo-jin to good use by selling them."

"No."

"No?"

"I just..."

His mouth snapped shut.

I leaned back in my chair.

"Now, shall we talk about your next plan?"

"..."

"Ten years."

Han Seo-jin's shoulders twitched.

Kim Yeong-jin said nothing.

"If you wait five more years, you can take half my property. Were you really going to give up that chance?"

I looked between them.

"It's simple. You could wait until the marriage reached the required duration, get a proper division of assets, then fabricate evidence of adultery and paint me as the spouse at fault."

"...Seong-un."

"Then take the money and go to Japan."

"..."

"You had a plan like that. How could you bear to end the relationship?"

I stood.

Kim Yeong-jin reflexively looked up.

"Let's put aside the fact that you were screwing my wife."

I took a step closer.

"I'll even overlook your plan to take my money."

"S-Seong-un, wait."

"But."

I stopped in front of him.

"Selling information I learned by risking my life is a different matter."

Kim Yeong-jin hurriedly stood.

"It's a misunderstanding. Let me explain."

"You've been saying you'll explain, so why haven't you said a single real thing?"

"Just wait a second..."

He tried to grab my arm.

Smack!

I knocked his hand away.

Kim Yeong-jin's arm flew wide.

His eyes widened.

Only then did he remember who was standing in front of him.

"S-Seong-un."

He took a step back.

"Calm down. You know Awakeners can't use violence against ordinary people. So let's talk this out."

"I was going to."

I clenched my fist.

"But after reading your messages, I changed my mind."

"W-wait!"

Thud!

My fist drove into his abdomen.

"Ghk!"

Kim Yeong-jin folded over.

Of course, I held back.

I wanted revenge, not to become a criminal.

Still, that was enough.

Unable to breathe properly, he fell to his knees.

I grabbed his collar and pulled him back up.

"Seong-un, I'm sorry..."

Thud!

This time, his face.

Kim Yeong-jin's head snapped to the side.

His lip split, spraying blood.

Aah!

A scream rang out from a nearby table.

Chairs scraped back, and people hurried to their feet.

"C-call the police!"

A cafe employee rushed out from behind the counter.

Even then, Kim Yeong-jin did not dare try to break free of my grip.

"S-Seong-un..."

"Why?"

"I was, I was wrong."

"About what?"

"Everything."

"What's everything?"

"Seo-jin... the information... all of it."

His voice shook.

Only then did I smile.

"Right."

I let go.

Kim Yeong-jin collapsed onto the floor.

I looked down at the blood on the back of my hand.

What would I have done in my previous life?

I probably would have called him a friend, said we had known each other for too long, and tried to find him another excuse.

But not now.

I had no intention of forgiving a bastard who pretended to be my friend, stabbed me in the back, and sold information I had earned by risking my life.

"Get up."

"...What?"

"This isn't over yet."

Kim Yeong-jin flinched.

Beside him, Han Seo-jin had gone completely rigid.

I looked between the two of them.

Only now did they seem to understand.

The Kang Seong-un they knew no longer existed.

* * *

South Korea was turned upside down.

It began with a video only thirty-seven seconds long.

A video someone had filmed inside the cafe.

A fallen man.

A man gripping him by the collar.

And the assault that followed.

The video did not properly capture what had been said before that.

The person filming had only taken out their phone after Kim Yeong-jin had already been hit by the first punch and fallen.

That was enough.

The title of the video was provocative.

『Kang Seong-un, Korea's First Awakener, Indiscriminately Assaults Civilian in Cafe』

The video spread in an instant.

Before even an hour had passed, real-time search rankings across every portal were filled with Kang Seong-un's name.

Before the evening news even began, broadcasting stations rushed to release breaking reports.

「This afternoon, an incident occurred at a cafe in Seoul, where Mr. Kang Seong-un, Korea's first Awakener and a current member of the National Vanguard, assaulted a civilian.」

The screen changed.

Kim Yeong-jin lying on the floor.

Kang Seong-un standing before him.

The same scene played again and again.

「The victim is currently being treated at a hospital and is not in life-threatening condition, but is reported to have suffered serious injuries, including facial fractures.」

A legal expert soon appeared on screen.

「This matter must be viewed very differently from an ordinary assault case.」

With a grave expression, the expert flipped through documents.

「South Korea is a signatory to the International Awakeners Agreement. Under the agreement, when an Awakener uses their superhuman physical abilities or skills against a non-Awakened civilian, their body itself is regarded as a dangerous instrument.」

Large text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

『Awakeners May Face Aggravated Punishment for Assaulting Civilians』

「National Vanguard-level Awakeners possess far greater strength than ordinary Awakeners. If intent is recognized, discussion may include not only suspension of qualifications, but expulsion from the Vanguard.」

The other channels were much the same.

『The Two Faces of a National Hero?』

『Kang Seong-un, “First Awakener,” Accused of Assaulting Civilian』

『Punches in the Middle of a Cafe... Citizens Terrified』

『How Far Does Awakener Entitlement Go?』

The media descended as if they had been waiting for it.

Why Kang Seong-un had gone to see Kim Yeong-jin was not important.

Most articles did not even properly explain who Kim Yeong-jin was.

"An old acquaintance of Kang Seong-un."

That was all.

That night, panelists on a current affairs program sat around discussing Kang Seong-un.

「Hasn't he been in the position of first Awakener for too long?」

「We cannot rule out the possibility that he developed a sense of privilege.」

「The unconscious belief that he was different from ordinary people may have taken root.」

「The people allowed Awakeners to have power to fight monsters, not to assault citizens.」

Once those words went on the air, public outrage grew even fiercer.

- He hit an ordinary person with that strength?

- Is he insane?

- They need to strip him of his Awakener qualifications.

- Is that even a person? How is he different from a monster?

- This is what happens when they worship the first Awakener too much.

- I feel sorry for the victim.

- He couldn't even fight back in the video.

- Remove him from the National Vanguard immediately.

- The country provides equipment to someone like that with taxpayer money?

Public opinion was overwhelmingly on one side.

It could not have been otherwise.

In the meantime, important details had been left out.

What kind of relationship Han Seo-jin and Kim Yeong-jin had.

And above all, the fact that Kim Yeong-jin, the victim, had been in contact with Japanese brokers and selling South Korea's strategy guides.

But not a single news outlet reported those facts.

Not one.

* * *

Tap.

I closed the laptop.

There was nothing else worth seeing.

An Awakener had assaulted an ordinary person.

Korea's first Awakener had abused his power.

That was all the story the media wanted.

I looked at the man seated across from me.

He looked a little over sixty.

With graying blond hair neatly combed back and a dark navy suit, he leaned comfortably in his chair.

David Miller.

Chairman of the American Awakeners Association.

One of the most influential figures in the American Awakener community had personally flown all the way to Korea.

"Was there information control?"

Miller nodded.

"There was."

He pushed several documents across the table toward me.

"The Korean Awakeners Association contacted major media outlets immediately after the incident. They also blocked some reporting on a man named Kim Yeong-jin."

"And the leak to Japan?"

"The same."

Miller's expression hardened slightly.

"We found signs that the Association suppressed related information on grounds of security. They moved especially quickly to prevent details involving Japan from being exposed outside."

The Association's involvement, or more precisely, Park Gang-sik's.

Everything had gone exactly as expected.

Park Gang-sik must have considered me a risk after I rejected the Association's offer.

Then the assault case happened.

It must have looked like the perfect opportunity.

Bury the inconvenient facts and leave only the scenes they needed.

Then attach a label telling the world what kind of man I was.

The same as before.

It was no different from the seventieth floor.

The Association had cornered me in the way that made me easiest to handle.

Even ten years earlier, they were doing the exact same thing.

Of course, this time the outcome would be different.

"Mr. Kang."

Miller's voice reached me.

"You need not concern yourself with the Korean media situation."

He was smiling calmly.

"That video will have no effect on America's evaluation of you."

"Even though it was an assault case?"

"Naturally, the legal issues are separate."

Miller shrugged.

"But we consider what you have done in the Tower over the past few years more important than a few dozen seconds of video."

There was no hesitation in his voice.

"America has wanted you for a very long time."

"..."

"And it is not merely because you are the first Awakener."

Miller lightly tapped the table with a finger.

"When there was not even an established system for the Tower, you entered before anyone else. You came back alive. And you left information behind for those who followed."

He already knew my entire history.

"We also know that Korea could not have reached the thirtieth floor without Mr. Kang's experience."

A brief silence followed.

"That alone is enough. No, it is more than enough."

There were no conditions attached.

The moment Miller heard my terms, he came running.

"How is the naturalization process going?"

"The American government has concluded its discussions. Approval should come soon."

The reply came immediately.

"All we need is a firm decision from you, Mr. Kang."

The documents were already prepared on the table.

『United States Special Naturalization and Awakener Support Agreement』

I skimmed through them.

A dedicated training facility.

Priority provision of Tower raid equipment.

Autonomy in forming Raid Parties.

State-level personal protection.

And even the final condition I had requested.

『Ten Bottles of Agility Elixir』

I looked at the final line.

"The elixirs were approved too."

"That caused a bit of a fuss."

Miller smiled.

"One or two bottles would have been one thing, but you asked for ten."

"That makes sense."

"But they were approved."

That was all.

No one asked me to prove why I needed them or verify whether I was worth that much.

I had made a demand, and America had accepted it.

After looking at me for a moment, Miller spoke.

"There is one thing I am personally curious about."

"Go ahead."

"It concerns the ten elixirs."

For the first time, curiosity showed in his eyes.

"Is an Evolutionary Awakening truly possible?"

So that was what he wanted to know.

I nodded.

"It is."

"Does that mean your Trait changes?"

"More precisely, it rises one stage higher."

Until now, Awakening was understood to happen only once per person.

From the moment of Awakening, one grew based on the Trait they had been given.

They could gain more skills, and their existing abilities could grow stronger.

But the concept of a fundamental Trait changing was still unknown to the world.

"My current Trait is Novice."

Miller nodded.

He probably already knew that much.

"But it is not an ordinary Novice. Once I fulfill the conditions, I evolve."

"Into what?"

"Super Novice."

Miller slowly repeated the unfamiliar term.

"Super Novice..."

"The evolution begins once all stats exceed a certain threshold."

Most of my current stats already met the conditions.

What I lacked was Agility.

Exactly ten, which was why I had demanded ten bottles of elixir.

"Then how strong will you become after evolving?"

The explanation itself was not difficult.

"Right now, I am a tank."

I drew the enemy's attention.

Held the front line.

And made time for the damage dealers behind me to attack.

That was my current role.

"But when I become a Super Novice, my role changes."

"How?"

"I become both a tank and a damage dealer."

Miller's gaze changed.

"At the same time?"

"Yes."

"Do you mean you can attack at a supporting level?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"I can attack at the same level as a main damage dealer while also fulfilling the tank role."

"..."

This time, even Miller did not answer immediately.

As the chairman of an Awakener Association, he would understand the meaning of those words faster than anyone.

One tank.

Three damage dealers.

One healer.

Suppose there was a five-person Raid Party. The moment a Super Novice took the tank position, the party effectively had four damage dealers.

If necessary, that one position could instead go to a support capable of various strategic roles.

They could add another healer.

They could bring in a specialist Awakener for a particular mechanic.

The party composition would become far more flexible, while the front line would not weaken.

It would become even stronger.

"So..."

Miller spoke slowly.

"...it is like one person occupying two combat slots."

"Something like that."

"Then the entire existing approach to raids could change."

"It could."

I answered calmly.

But having experienced it once already, I knew the value of a Super Novice was far greater than that.

"..."

Miller watched me silently for a while.

Then he let out a hollow laugh.

"It seems we are taking home a much greater gift than we expected."

"I have not even evolved yet."

"That only makes me look forward to it more."

He was firm.

"Even if Mr. Kang does not become a Super Novice, America's decision will not change."

I narrowed my eyes.

Miller held out his hand.

"What we want is Kang Seong-un, who has survived until now."

"..."

"How much stronger you may become afterward is simply a bonus."

I liked that answer.

I took his hand.

"I look forward to working with you."

"That is what I should say."

Miller gripped my hand firmly.

"Welcome to America, Mr. Kang."

A little while later.

Creak.

The door opened.

An American agent in a black suit entered.

"Chairman."

"Is it ready?"

"Yes."

The agent looked at me.

"Mr. Kang Seong-un, you need to move as well."

I checked the time.

Was it already time?

I stood.

Miller rose with me.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not particularly."

"I thought that might be the case."

He smiled.

"Washington is already in an uproar."

"The announcement has not even been made yet."

"That is why they are even more excited."

We stepped into the hallway.

American staff moved quickly back and forth.

Interpretation equipment.

Broadcast equipment.

Communication checks.

Everything was already prepared.

The closer we came to the end of the hall, the more people there were.

And finally.

We came to a sharp stop in front of enormous doors.

Faint noises came from beyond them.

The voices of broadcasting staff.

The sound of camera equipment moving.

A live broadcast going out to the entire world was about to begin.

An Association employee attached a small microphone to my collar.

"Thirty seconds remaining."

I silently looked ahead.

...

My mind was strangely calm.

What was Park Gang-sik thinking right now?

What about the Association?

The media?

The people demanding I be kicked out of the National Vanguard?

They probably thought I had been driven into a corner.

The assault incident had happened right after I left the Association.

Even public opinion had turned its back on me.

They would think I had nowhere left to go.

"Pfft!" I felt like laughing.

Nowhere to go.

It was the opposite.

Many places had reached out first.

I simply had not gone because I was holding on.

The title of Korea's first Awakener.

The belief that this was the country that had raised me.

The sense of responsibility that I had to protect it.

Those were the only reasons I had not looked elsewhere for ten years.

"Ten seconds."

A red light came on above the door.

"Five."

I drew a breath.

"Four."

In my previous life, I chose South Korea until the end.

"Three."

Until South Korea abandoned me.

"Two."

But this time.

"One."

The doors opened.

Whoosh!

Blinding lights poured down.

I slowly walked inside.

A wide briefing room.

There was only one podium at the front.

Dozens of cameras were aimed at me.

And this broadcast was being transmitted around the world.

This was not a place to take questions.

I had no intention of debating or making excuses.

Today, this place had been prepared for one declaration.

I stepped up to the podium.

I stood before the microphone.

The red light came on.

For a moment, I looked directly into the cameras.

"Hello."

My voice echoed through the quiet briefing room.

"My name is Kang Seong-un."

I paused briefly.

But I did not hesitate any longer.

"As of today, I am relinquishing my South Korean citizenship."

I looked directly at the cameras.

"And becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States."

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