WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 5
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Bang!
Park Gang-sik's fist slammed down on the conference table.
The heavy impact rattled the glasses, and several sheets of paper on the table fluttered.
“...”
No one in the conference room dared to breathe too loudly.
Park Gang-sik was not someone who showed his emotions easily.
Even when the media attacked him.
Even when he clashed with the government.
Even when Awakeners protested as a group.
He was always the one who stood a step back and handled the situation.
But now, his face was flushed red.
His tightly clenched jaw trembled, and his eyes held a fury rarely seen from him.
“Get him.”
His low voice weighed down the room.
“Pardon?”
Park Gang-sik raised his head.
“Kang Seong-un, that bastard.”
This time, he did not bother to hide it.
“Dig up anything we can use against his naturalization. Criminal, civil, administrative, all of it.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Leaking state secrets, unauthorized possession of Association assets, recovering subsidies, breach of contract. Anything will do.”
The head of the legal department hurriedly opened a file.
“The equipment will be the fastest route.”
Park Gang-sik turned his gaze toward them.
“Explain.”
“A considerable portion of the equipment Kang Seong-un used with the Vanguard was not his personal property.”
The legal department head continued quickly.
“They were purchased with Association funds, and he was only granted usage rights. Officially, ownership belongs to the state or the Association.”
Park Gang-sik's expression eased slightly.
“So?”
“If he takes that equipment to the United States during the naturalization process, we can make it an issue.”
The legal department head spoke faster.
“In particular, some specialized equipment for clearing the Tower could be classified as strategic materials. Taking them abroad without Association approval could be interpreted not as a simple property-rights issue, but as unauthorized removal of state-managed equipment.”
“Can we bar him from leaving the country?”
“If the matter is confirmed, we can request emergency preservation measures.”
“Good.”
Park Gang-sik spoke at once.
“Make an equipment list.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If he takes even one thing with him, file it immediately.”
The director of Vanguard Operations added, “There are also recovery items and special protective suits issued by the Association. If we include items treated as long-term rentals, there should be quite a lot.”
“Add all of that too.”
“Understood.”
“What about the subsidies?”
The head of the personnel committee answered.
“Some special subsidies function as purpose-specific grants. If he stops Association activities due to naturalization, we can argue for recovering the unused portion.”
The corner of Park Gang-sik's mouth rose slightly.
“Right.”
His rage from moments ago was beginning to turn into calculation.
“How dare a dog I raised defy me?”
No matter how much Kang Seong-un intended to go to the United States, he had received things from South Korea.
Equipment.
Subsidies.
Medical supplies.
All kinds of specialized equipment provided for Vanguard activities.
If they kept pressing him over those things, they could at least put a stain on his naturalization process.
If things went well, they might even delay his departure.
Park Gang-sik spoke coldly.
“He grew with state support, then runs off to America.”
The head of public relations immediately understood.
“We'll frame him as ungrateful. If we tie in the equipment removal issue, we can turn public opinion around again.”
“Prepare it now.”
Just as the mood was slowly shifting, a knock came at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened carefully.
It was the employee who had delivered the emergency announcement earlier.
“...”
This time, they looked unable to speak.
“...Chairman.”
“What is it now?”
“Well...”
The employee looked behind them.
“Awakener Kang Seong-un left something behind.”
Park Gang-sik's eyebrow twitched.
“What?”
Instead of answering, the employee gestured toward the door.
Rumble.
Heavy wheels could be heard.
Two employees pushed in a large metal storage case.
It was a large equipment storage case used by the Association's property management office.
It even had sealing stickers on the outside.
Park Gang-sik slowly rose to his feet.
“What is this?”
“These are items Awakener Kang Seong-un personally returned before preparing to leave the country.”
Returned?
At that word, he immediately said,
“Open it.”
Click.
The lock released.
Creeeak.
The lid of the storage case opened.
Then the conference room fell silent.
At the very top was a familiar shield.
Under it were combat uniforms.
A heat-resistant cloak.
Special protective gear.
An Association-issued dagger.
Recovery items.
Even old equipment that had been issued years ago and later replaced was neatly arranged inside.
Nothing was missing.
The director of Vanguard Operations hurried over.
“The list.”
An employee handed over the documents.
“Here it is.”
Flip.
The director's hands moved faster and faster.
“B-grade heat-resistant cloak.”
“Returned.”
“Special protective gloves.”
“They're here.”
“Two combat uniforms.”
“They're both here.”
As more pages turned, the atmosphere in the room sank strangely.
The legal department head snatched up the documents.
“What equipment has not been returned?”
The employee answered quietly.
“...None.”
“Not even one?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about consumable items?”
“Usage records are attached as well.”
The employee placed another bundle of documents on the table.
Usage confirmation forms.
Damage reports.
Repair receipts.
Even minor components that could have been reported as lost had all been accounted for.
The legal department head's hand stopped.
“To this extent...”
Park Gang-sik asked coldly, “What about the subsidies?”
The employee's expression stiffened further.
“He settled those too.”
An envelope was placed on the table.
“Full repayment of unused purpose-specific subsidies. For items with unclear personal ownership, Mr. Kang Seong-un proactively requested a settlement.”
“...”
“And he additionally placed funds in escrow for any amounts the Association might later contest.”
The public relations head's face stiffened.
“Additionally?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“About five billion won.”
For a moment, several executives fell silent.
The legal department head checked the statement, then muttered quietly.
“He paid more than the Association's standard.”
“What?”
“He settled based on the original issue price without applying depreciation.”
Now no one could speak.
Until moments ago, they had been building a narrative.
An Awakener running off to America with state equipment.
Someone who grew with taxpayer money, then betrayed South Korea.
But Kang Seong-un had taken nothing.
The employee took out one final small box.
Inside were an old Association access card and a Vanguard insignia.
Kang Seong-un, South Korea's first Awakener.
Everything bearing that name was inside.
“He returned these as well.”
Park Gang-sik's eyes slowly lowered.
“What message did he leave?”
The employee's lips moved.
“There was one.”
“Say it.”
After hesitating for a moment, the employee finally spoke.
“He said he was leaving behind anything they could nitpick as something he received from South Korea.”
Park Gang-sik's eyes hardened.
The employee added one more sentence.
“He said he would take only his body with him.”
“...”
Kang Seong-un had not acted on impulse.
He had anticipated how they would try to hold him back.
What they would take issue with.
What justification they would create.
So he had cut them off first.
The equipment.
The money.
His Association career.
Even the final ties South Korea could use to bind him, all of them.
Park Gang-sik's hand came down.
And finally.
Bang!
This time, the sound was even louder than before.
The glass on the table tipped over.
“Kang Seong-un...!”
The voice that began low finally burst out.
“...You bastard!”
His roar echoed through the conference room.
No one could lift their heads.
The man who had believed every Awakener in South Korea was in the palm of his hand, Park Gang-sik, was facing an opponent with nothing left for him to grasp.
There was almost nothing South Korea could take from him now.
Because Kang Seong-un had already given it all up and left.
* * *
“...It feels empty.”
Without the equipment I always wore, my body felt unbearably empty.
I had left behind everything I received from South Korea.
Equipment.
Protective gear.
Recovery items.
Even the small consumables issued by the Association.
Honestly, I would be lying if I said it was not a waste.
Some equipment had been familiar in my hands since the early days, and some of it was difficult to obtain now.
More than anything, they were items that had climbed the Tower with me for years.
But I had no intention of leaving any regrets behind.
‘They'll definitely use that to drag me down.’
He took state-issued equipment overseas.
He handed supplies purchased with taxpayer money over to the United States.
He left the country with Association assets without authorization.
Park Gang-sik could make a problem bigger in any number of ways.
So I removed the excuse itself.
What I received from Korea stayed in Korea.
But I had not only lost things.
Slosh.
I lightly shook the small glass bottle in my hand.
A brilliant green liquid sloshed inside the transparent bottle.
【Agility Elixir】
It was a top-grade consumable resource that directly raised an Awakener's stats.
It was an item found only rarely even in the Tower.
It was not something one could buy freely just because they had money. In most cases, countries secured it and managed it like a strategic resource.
And now, identical bottles were lined up before me.
Ten bottles in total.
They were what the United States had prepared to welcome my naturalization.
I let out a quiet laugh as I looked at them.
I had given up everything I received from South Korea.
But it did not matter.
This was enough.
No, I had actually come out ahead.
【Kang Seong-un (Novice)】
Level: 34
Strength: 51
Agility: 40
Health: 75
Skills: Endure (Lv. 4), Impact Mitigation (Lv. 5), Physical Enhancement (Lv. 3), Tough Body (Lv. 5)...
The evolution requirements for Super Novice were simple.
All major stats at 50 or above.
First to clear through the 30th floor.
In other words, I had to be a Novice who was the first to successfully clear floors 1 through 30, with every stat at least 50.
Fortunately, as the first Awakener, I had been able to meet all those conditions.
The problem, however, was surprisingly the easiest stat.
As a tank, I had focused most of my stat gains on health every time I leveled up.
The same was true of the elixirs provided by the state.
That choice itself had not been wrong.
But it delayed my evolution.
Because of that, I had to beg Park Gang-sik, and while I raised my Agility by 10, the Awakeners following behind me had closed the gap considerably.
But now things were different.
I knew exactly what I needed, and I had met the requirement in one stroke as a condition of my naturalization.
“Then.”
I picked up a bottle and opened the cap.
Then I poured it straight into my mouth.
Gulp.
It had no particular taste.
A slightly cool sensation slid down my throat, immediately followed by a notification.
[Agility increases by 1.]
And so.
[Agility increases by 1.]
[Agility increases by 1.]
[Agility increases by 1.]
...
I drank all ten bottles in succession.
Elixirs were different from ordinary drinks.
Drinking a bottle did not make me feel full, nor did it have a strong taste or scent.
It was literally like swallowing power in liquid form.
【Agility: 50】
At last, my Agility had reached 50.
Snap.
It was as if every sound around me had disappeared.
Then.
[The first clear of Floor 1 has been confirmed.]
[The first clear of Floor 2 has been confirmed.]
...
[The first clear of Floor 30 has been confirmed.]
[Strength of 50 or higher has been confirmed.]
[Agility of 50 or higher has been confirmed.]
[Health of 50 or higher has been confirmed.]
[The evolution requirements for Novice have been fulfilled.]
I had arrived.
Back to that place after ten years.
[Evolutionary Awakening will begin.]
[Awakening “Novice” is undergoing Evolutionary Awakening.]
Something hot exploded deep inside my body.
My heart pounded heavily.
Thump!
Each time my blood circulated, it felt as though every muscle in my body expanded and compressed.
Crack.
My bones twisted.
My joints locked into place, and every muscle fiber was reconstructed in a completely different way.
But it did not hurt.
Instead... I felt light.
It felt as though invisible shackles that had weighed down my body until now were coming undone one by one.
My movements.
My reactions.
My sense of balance.
My entire body was changing into a higher form of life.
And at last.
[Evolutionary Awakening has been completed.]
[Awakening “Novice” evolves into “Super Novice.”]
A new status window appeared before me.
【Kang Seong-un (Super Novice)】
Level: 34
Strength:
Agility:
Health:
Skills: Transcendent Body
Every skill I had acquired while climbing the Tower had disappeared.
Only one remained under Skills: Transcendent Body.
That was both the advantage and disadvantage of the Evolutionary Awakening known as Super Novice.
All the skills I had gathered until now vanished, and I gained only Transcendent Body.
But its effect was absurdly overpowered.
【Transcendent Body: All stats are applied at double value.
All skills acquired before Evolutionary Awakening disappear.】
In exchange for losing every skill I had gained while climbing the Tower, my stats were applied at twice their value.
Double the health a tank needed.
Double the strength a damage dealer needed.
And double the Agility that determined movement and reactions, directly tied to survival.
I slowly clenched my fist.
Crack.
My finger joints sounded softly.
I let out a quiet laugh as I looked down at my fist.
I had returned everything I received from South Korea.
The equipment.
The money.
The honor.
There was nothing I had left behind.
But the most important things had never been given to me by them in the first place.
My body.
My experience.
And Super Novice, the Evolutionary Awakening that only I in this world could reach.
Those things were entirely mine.
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