Chapter 450: Artificial Awakening Syndrome

The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood

The artificial awakening scandal. It was already remarkable enough that a newly emerged S-rank hunter was involved, but to think that such incidents were happening worldwide...

_-

For now, I looked up more related articles.

[Seonhan Daily Report: The Horrible Fate of Those Who Tried to Gain Power with 'Money']

What I saw were grim reports with not a single positive aspect. Come to think of it, the number of top-tier awakened individuals had actually increased worldwide in recent times.

'Considering the pyramid-shaped hierarchy of the awakened population, the proportion was enough to make you sense something strange.'

A breaking report revealed that the recent rising stars entering the hunter industry were none other than "artificially awakened" individuals. Of course, the circumstances under which this was discovered were even more intriguing.

'Side effects?'

The existence of artificial awakening was absurdly revealed to be due to health issues.

[Article Text]

[Translation] Among the awakened individuals who appeared this year, certain people were suffering from severe illnesses that could hardly be considered a gift from heaven...]

Not only did they cough up blood without warning, but those who were once large-bodied could suddenly wither to a frail state. Now, awakened individuals even appeared with symptoms like hypersensitivity and irritability caused by constant pain.

Somehow, it all seemed very similar to what this body had gone through, but let's set that aside for now. The main point was that the top-tier evolved individuals—who shouldn't have been suffering from illness—suddenly all started showing weakness, as if by some unspoken agreement.

Thus, the Earthlings quickly noticed the suspicious phenomena occurring in the hunting industry. When developed countries, led by Canada, launched a full-scale investigation, a flood of people claiming to have gained awakened abilities through illegal procedures emerged—this was the recent summary.

'So the price of [Knight's Oath] didn't rise for just one reason.'

The reason the artificial awakening scandal had remained quiet until now was that those who underwent the procedure were highly likely bound by nondisclosure agreements. There was also the oversight of government agencies, concerned that citizens might fall prey to dangerous agitation, and so on.

'So then, the fifth S-rank that appeared in Japan—could it be that they were discovered to be artificially awakened after being caught in a scene like coughing up blood?'

I paused for a moment, feeling the refreshing morning breeze. Honestly, let's just say a fifth S-rank from a neighboring country isn't that big of a deal. Rumors about S-rank hunters were fairly common, so just because a suspicious article had appeared didn't mean I could be certain about everything concerning them.

But this problem on our side was serious enough that it couldn't be ignored. Regardless of the circumstances, there had been a case where someone seemed to have induced awakening by unnatural means...

[Suspicious Artificial Awakening Drug Trade Openly Occurring in Major Cities—Can Superpowers Really Be Bought with 'Money'? (Full Video)]

As I fiddled with my phone screen, I quickly came across related articles. It seemed this trend had already spread among ordinary people. Even without proper scientific proof, as soon as rumors circulated that someone had awakened using a certain method, the crowd immediately imitated the behavior.

[@Article from 5 years ago]

#Become a superpowered being by absorbing life energy in a monster?"

K, the operator of the "Self-Awakening" site, claiming it meant initiating awakening on one's own, was urgently arrested on charges of assault and extortion.]

Things like hanging around at a Dungeon Break site, or trying to breathe in the monster's breath, and so on.

By now, it had been quite some time since the Dungeon Shock, and anyone with talent could slowly develop into a mage. Yet the humans of Earth kept taking dangerous gambles with their lives, seemingly without any knowledge of their own futures.

'Uhm.'

Rumors about "artificial awakening" had suddenly thrown the world into an uproar. And as I watched these developments unfold, a thought quickly rose in my mind.

'I should give an executive at Pixy Corp a call.'

It was a rational decision. Since the Dungeon Shock, Earth had spent a few years failing at artificial awakening... Yet recently, there had surprisingly been cases abroad that showed remarkable technological progress.

'Andy Oliver probably wasn't involved in anything bad since he had [Knight's Oath] around his neck, but still, with the article blowing up like that, I should at least cross-check the information.'

I turned on my phone. Then, as usual, I dialed the 11-digit number. I was contacting my servant living in the United States.

H... Hello?

A few seconds of silence followed. Despite the massive time difference, the call connected quickly. Come to think of it, I had received quite a bit of help from Andy Oliver, the criminal at Pixy Corp, though of course, this wouldn't affect the final punishment in the Beast Case.

'No matter how good you are at your job, trying to blow up a dungeon right in the middle of someone else's country is a bit--'

I finished my brief thought and asked him a question.

'He has to pay the price somehow.'

The question I ended up asking—while willingly swallowing the ridiculously expensive international call charges—was this one:

[Have you, by any chance, artificially created another 'awakened person' recently?]

For reference, the term "awakened person" is a slight mistranslation of "awakened individual." But my call partner ignored the minor mistranslation and continued speaking.

[No! Of course not. There's no way I would ever get involved in something like that again.]

When I asked candidly whether he had gotten involved in anything bad, he panicked and denied it. But what was this reaction now?

[First of all, I know you're calling because of the recent international news.

But look closely at the reports. Most testimonies say that the 'illegal awakening procedures' spreading lately are due to some kind of 'awakening aid' someone put together.

We don't know who circulated the method, but a few small clinics that got their hands on that information went ahead without any gag contracts, so the secrecy really did fall apart this time.]

Andy Oliver struggled to clear his throat and gasped for breath to defend himself.

[But to clarify at this point, the... awakening-triggering method I obtained from my deal with the Youth Guild Master did not involve any kind of potion.

We never made someone ingest something to induce supernatural powers.]

The translations the other person was relaying were surprising to me.

'I see. So the awakening-triggering method this Earthling knew before... is completely different from the one being reported in the news now?'

For an unusually rare technical incident like this, I had at least expected Pixy to be involved in some way.

[We use radiation exposure when producing awakened superhumans.]

Hmm.

'As expected, I should take care of that foreign bastard before dealing with the Gisimche. I should add this to my phone calendar so I don't forget.'

A different thought briefly crossed my mind in the middle of it, but I decided to quietly let it go for now as well.

"Explain the principle in more detail."

The foreign criminal who once commanded the Beast group answered my question in detail. He said that although supposed experts may seem like a God-given talent at first glance, they are still something that happens to humans, so they follow the flow of human DNA base sequences or whatever.

So in essence, it was a method of causing a creature to undergo... an explosive mutation. In other words, they would expose an ordinary person to radiation to damage their body, and then quickly infuse them with mana. If done that way, there was a high probability of triggering what was known as the conventional artificial awakening procedure.

"Oh my, you're completely out of your mind, aren't you?"

But how could this kind of DNA clash possibly have proceeded without a hitch?

O Failure to awaken results in immediate death.

O Even if awakening succeeds, there is a high probability of aftereffects.

Andy Oliver then went on to mention the drawbacks of past awakening procedures. If one succeeded in becoming a primal mage and gained resistance to radiation energy, surviving even a nuclear war wouldn't be a problem, so it didn't really matter.

However, the damage to already destroyed genes would remain for life. Artificial awakening ultimately carried a very high risk of fatal side effects that could shorten one's lifespan... In summary, honestly, it was all just obvious points no matter how you looked at it.

[Besides, the method we used before wasn't simply blasting someone with a reckless amount of radiation.

It required adjusting the ambient mana concentration inside a cutting-edge chamber—almost like mixing a cocktail.

I can guarantee that it has absolutely nothing to do with the current situation.

Korea will probably get follow-up reports soon, but from what we're seeing now, this "artificial awakening" incident shows signs of illegal procedures being carried out simultaneously in very dirty, harsh environments.]

So, what then? If we put everything together, does that mean this whole incident was caused by some third party? In other words, the work of some unknown figure—someone you could fairly call a mad scientist?

[Ah.]

It was just as my thoughts were swirling in my head. A mechanical translation voice sounded from the phone's speaker.

[However.....

Additionally, to be honest, I can't say that my former partner, someone from the Youth Guild, is completely uninvolved in this matter.]

I quietly turned my eyes toward the sound.

[Would you like to hear my speculation for a moment? Even if there hadn't been a contract with Mr. Kim, this is information I still want to share.]

For a criminal, he sure has a long tongue—I can't say I like that.

If my hidden bunker got discovered, and now I'm in a position where I get woken up by calls at all hours. If I go down alone, it wouldn't be fair. So I really want to share any information I have about that guy who slipped away on his own.]

The reason for the snitching was something even an Alphaur could easily understand. So by giving my permission, I listened to a few more words from what Andy Oliver had to say.

[Actually, what I want to say is simple. The anonymous guild master who first succeeded with 'artificial awakening'... perhaps their technology has advanced even further in the meantime?]

A prominent figure in the world, whose name I still don't even know, is being mentioned.

[It's been several years since I last exchanged information with them, and by now, they might have abandoned those horrific tools like radiation... and discovered a safer and more precise method.]

It was a reasonable statement.

[I don't know why this phenomenon is suddenly happening worldwide... I'm still investigating.

Looking at the deadly health problems that follow after a successful artificial awakening, you can sense some commonalities in the procedures.

So, anyway, personally, I get the feeling that this is all the doing of Youth!]

Andy Oliver continued insisting on his stance, saying, "If you ever run into the real power behind Youth, make sure you chew them out just as harshly as you would me." But I ignored the rest of his rant and ended the call right away.

'Let's save on international call charges.'

I figured it out.

"Hmm."

When I made a brief visit to Switzerland for the Hydra auction, I had already sensed the signs. The Earth as it is now was witnessing the abnormal emergence of highly capable, top-tier Awakened individuals.

'From level 8 onwards, the ratio should be small, like the tip of a pyramid.'

Then the speculation passed on by the American helper naturally carried weight. This was indeed the result of some humans releasing an artificial awakening method into the market.

'It is a bit puzzling as to why the classified information was leaked at all once, though.'

If we go one step further, it seems that the suspect in question has continued to develop and let the level of the practice can be refined.

'Picking and choosing the grades, that's pretty impressive.'

But should we just watch and applaud this phenomenon as if it were humanity's growth?

[Attempts at Awakening by Ordinary People Spread Like a 'Plague'... Casualties Reported Again]

[Japan's Fifth S-Rank Awakener: Silent Amidst Flood of Artificial Awakening Allegations]

[[Anonymous Live] ♣: Hey, someone uploaded a video on a site showing themselves bleeding from the nose, claiming they're a victim of artificial awakening?? They supposedly paid a fortune for the procedure, but it just wrecked their immunity; Gasp]

[[Anonymous Live] ♣: What victim? Victim, my foot ㅋㅋㅋ. In the end, it all happened because of their own greed.]

All attempts to artificially create superpowers in the civilian sector carried a high risk of side effects. In fact, even those who had genuinely succeeded in artificial awakening ended up collectively bedridden, so there was no need for further explanation.

'It feels like someone out there in this world... is toying with the people of Earth.'

I put down the device I'd been watching and fell into thought.

The surroundings were quiet, but the thoughts running through my mind were nothing short of fiercely decisive.

'I'd prefer if that didn't happen, though?'

Yeah. It really was a decision. Whether it's "Youth" or "Young," whatever they are, I still don't know their true identity—but I decided that I would go meet the one driving this whole situation soon. And that no matter how insignificant like an ant a person may seem, you shouldn't torment them carelessly... That is something I wanted to teach them, even if I had to throw water on them to make them understand.

_-

By the way, now that water came up, it got me thinking. If they're Korean, most of them probably know this traditional folk tale, right?

That—.

You know, the one where a wicked family mistreats their adopted daughter all day long. And on the day of the village's big festival, they make her carry water in a leaky jar and scold her for it.

_-

The reason I suddenly brought up this old folktale is that the current situation here felt exactly like that of the adopted child in the story.

"When are you going to convert all of those into Earth-style terms and give them proper classifications?"

In fact, the rental office I was heading to still had about 300 different items scattered around. Some guild masters only feel truly free after appraising all of them.

"I shouldn't have lied about having an appraisal skill."

For reference, because of this damn loot classification task, I still haven't been able to disassemble [The Greatsword of the Sun God]. It was that kind of situation in many ways.

"I probably would've been better off just earning the 20 billion in tax breaks honestly. Instead, I revived the guild and ended up going through all this nonsense."

But this too was ultimately the karma I had brought upon myself. Ever since arriving on Earth, I've been living almost every day dishonestly. Well, I suppose it was only natural that the consequences were starting to catch up.