episode_0012

The first generation of Awakened people, who had gathered regardless of race or country to resolve the dimensional rift incident, succeeded in conquering the gate after a life-threatening fight and achieved peace.

After that, they each returned to their hometowns, settled down, retired, or were still active in the gate field.

Since then, there have been a steady stream of awakened people in modern society. Some were ordinary people who were reborn as awakened people through some kind of event, and some children were born as awakened people from their mother’s womb.

At the time of the incident, the country had no time to care for or manage them due to the enormous damage and chaos, but after the situation was somewhat resolved, the story changed.

However, it has not even been half a century since these awakened beings appeared.

Its appearance was sudden and coincided with the dimensional rift. As a result, the general public had little time to accept it.

-The luggage is quite heavy, so it would be easier to move it by car.

-Huh? Can’t you just use the [Body Strengthening] skill? Oh, is the skill level not enough?

-?

-?

Given the differences in their bodies and abilities, there was bound to be a gap between the perspectives and thoughts of ordinary people and those who had awakened.

It soon became an invisible distance that made them feel awkward with each other.

Among the second generation of Awokens born after the incident, there were countless Awokens who suffered from depression due to these issues, and some short-sighted Awokens even got drunk on their own power and acted out of their own accord.

The UN has defined these awakened criminals who cause chaos and conflict in society on a national level as [villains] and has strengthened punishment by integrating laws for awakened criminals on a global scale and has also prepared resocialization bills.

However, when an incident occurs, there are bound to be perpetrators and victims, and the perpetrators of these accidents were the awakened [villains], and the victims were mostly ordinary citizens.

-The Awakened ones may be dangerous.

-No, are you sure we’re the same person in the first place?

The distance felt by the general public became a feeling of rejection, and the Awakened were hurt by their rejection. And among the hurt and twisted Awakened, [Villains] emerged.

It was a vicious cycle. The perception that ‘we are different beings’ arose between the general public and the awakened, and it was clear that if left as is, it would lead to trouble.

The world is in trouble.

The first generation of Awakened were out of the question. Strictly speaking, they were war heroes. Without them, humanity might have gone down the path of destruction, and the international community valued honor, morality, and legitimacy.

I couldn’t ignore the influence of those who sacrificed their lives for humanity. If I treated them wrongly, I would be criticized by public opinion.

But what about the other, second-generation Awakened ones?

This was also a problem that could not be easily decided. First of all, the Awakened were the main force of the country that could bring benefits to society as a whole while also conquering the gate.

In terms of competitiveness between countries, human resources are as important as resources, and human resources are directly linked to national power.

The economic and military value to be gained from them was enormous.

Even if you only look at the awakened members of the strategy series, their very existence was a high value-added industry at the national level.

If they attack the gate, they can prevent any possible human and material losses, and even if they just take the byproducts generated there, they can obtain a huge amount of eco-friendly energy and numerous research materials that lead to future industries.

The Awakened members of the production series create items that are helpful to the Awakened members of the strategy series from the byproducts, and they have a positive influence on society by giving new life to existing inconvenient items using materials that ordinary people cannot use.

We can’t give up on them.

But we cannot ignore the public’s voice.

A country is usually run by the judgment and choices of politicians, and politicians are ultimately people who live off the public sentiment.

Is there no way?

After much thought, they came to a conclusion.

[If we hold a large-scale event and make it a festival where both the Awakened and the general public can enjoy themselves together, wouldn’t that be able to resolve their conflicts to some extent?]

So, each country around the world began to create similar events with different names and dates. They created a place for exchange between the general public and the awakened at the national level.

The result was a great success.

The gap between the general public and the Awakened has been significantly reduced, and many people have flocked to events with lots to enjoy.

Events with a large floating population mean huge amounts of money coming and going. Companies that are after their wallets are competing to connect with the state.

It was helpful to the national sentiment, and since more companies were participating, the return on investment was good. There was no reason not to make this large festival an annual event.

Korea, which has grasped the flow of the trend, has also actively accepted it. It designated a part of the vast land of Gangwon-do as a cultural special zone and held a huge festival every year, expanding its scale.

This was the 8th ‘Superhuman Expo’ held in Korea.

-.-.-

The festival was in full swing even though it was still morning.

“Try it out! It’s a combat boot with the [lightweight] option added!”

“Selling high-quality ‘Gate Conqueror’s Extradimensional Shield Tent’ at a discounted price!”

“Hey, this equipment here, the passive effect is different from what’s stated. Did I check it correctly?”

“Oh, sorry. My [Item Appraisal] level is still low… .”

“This time, the [Hanulmoru] guild is demonstrating new equipment that they have developed. Although it has not been verified by experts yet, it is said that another [Unique Grade Equipment] may be released?”

“That’s cool. But the [Dalbodre] guild recently made a special dessert using organic ingredients collected from the gate. Let’s try that first. It’s limited quantity, so if you go late in the afternoon, it won’t be there, right?”

The Awakened members of the production line were dispatched from the craftsman guild to promote the equipment they had created.

Ordinary visitors come to experience new and exciting things, squeezing into their niche and wandering around here and there.

“I just got the [Frenzy] skill. Want to take a look?”

“You crazy bastard, if you use it here, you’ll get caught. More importantly, my [Gathering] skill is too low level. Is there a better way?”

“You can climb up easily if you get rare byproducts from the gate. Have you tried the newly opened gate on the Hallasan side? I heard [rare grade materials] come out.”

“Oh, really? Thank you. Hey, let’s go to Jeju Island sometime later… What are you doing, Inma!”

“Hey, this is no joke about losing stamina. But I feel strange… . Hehe.”

“Catch that bastard!”

A group of Awakened players who share information related to each other’s growth, learn new [Skills], and give advice on strategies to help them become closer.

“Hello! This is Saebyeok of Saebyeok Hungry TV, always running to deliver the most accurate and fastest information to the awakened! Today, the place I will experience is… .”

“This is reporter Kwon Dong-jun, currently on site. The Superhuman Expo is very popular today, and the atmosphere is very hot. Today, Liam Craven, an S-class Awakener from the British [Glorious] Guild and famous for his name [Balor], is confirmed to visit, and here… .”

A personal broadcaster walking around with a cell phone or a reporter dispatched from a public broadcasting station to report the morning news.

“Hey, isn’t that person over there, actor Kim Yeon-woo?”

“Let them enjoy it.”

“Liam showed up at the B-dong event?”

“Let’s go right now.”

From famous celebrities to fandoms of certain Awakened people, countless people were gathered together, chatting and enjoying the festival in their own way.

At that place, a man appeared.

He was wearing a dark brown parka and a black beanie pulled low over his unkempt hair. His long bangs were pressed down by the hat, barely revealing the corners of his eyes.

Judging from his prominent nose, mouth, and jawline, his face was just average. He wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t that ugly either, and he looked like he could be forgiven if he put on some makeup.

However, the atmosphere that came with the impression was so gloomy that it left a very gloomy impression on people overall.

A man who is so insignificant that if you met him, you would just pass by without much interest, thinking, “What a dull guy.”

Yet for some reason, when he appeared, people stopped what they were doing and turned their gaze to him.

Those glances, which were almost like sidelong glances, were very fleeting, and the moments when they looked at the man were inconsistent and different, and even then, they immediately lost interest and continued with their actions.

The important thing was that, regardless of the distance that people could perceive, everyone there turned their gaze to the man at least once.

The man wasn’t intentionally trying to get people to react differently or doing anything particularly strange. But there was something about him that made him different from other people.

As if someone suddenly snapped a finger in front of you and you blinked reflexively, as if you looked to the side as a finger poked your waist.

It caught people’s attention very naturally.

What can I say, it was strange.

If I had to find a way to express it, it would be like seeing a peacock among a flock of chickens, or a rock moving on its own.

There was something strange, incomprehensible, and frightening about the man.

Because of that something, even though the man was simply standing and walking, people were unable to perceive it with their heads, but their bodies reflexively felt overwhelmed and reacted.

“Welcome.”

The same was true for the guide who welcomed him.

No, because I was facing a man, I felt that inexplicable pressure even more intensely. Goosebumps were rising on my wrists hidden by the long sleeves of my uniform.

But she was a professional. True to her name tag around her neck that read ‘A Building Manager,’ she didn’t show any sign of her unusual behavior and greeted the new tourists with an elegant smile.

“I am Eunhee Lee, the person in charge of the A building event hall. If you are looking for an event or if an unavoidable emergency arises, please contact me. If this is your first time here, can I check your ticket?”

The man took a neatly folded ticket out of his pocket and handed it to her without saying a word. They politely received the ticket with both hands, and their hands brushed lightly as they went through the verification process.

In that brief moment, she felt as if she could smell the pungent, acrid smell of iron coming from the man’s hands.

“… Confirmed. May I ask for your name to be entered on the list?”

The man,

“My name is Lee Si-hyuk. I have something to ask you too-”

“Is there a separate place at the fair where the equipment of active Awakened players is displayed?”

Something was different.