Chapter 26
Differences between Ordinary People and the Awakened!
Bahamut had received many warnings from various officials that conflicts between ordinary people and the Awakened could lead to divisions.
For now, with the reconstruction project, both ordinary people and the Awakened were satisfied, lacking nothing, but people always seek self-interest.
When the reconstruction project ends and life returns to normal, they may express their selfishness in pursuit of a better life, and that selfishness will inevitably lead to conflicts.
‘For now, it’s fine. But later, it could escalate into a serious issue of discrimination.’
Discrimination against the Awakened, or perhaps against ordinary people.
In the worst-case scenario, they could end up hating and fighting each other extremely.
Bahamut had a premonition that if this issue was not resolved properly now, he would regret it greatly in the future.
“What do you think, Yuna?”
Thus, Bahamut summoned his most trusted ally, Choi Yuna, to the shrine to hear her opinion.
Like it or not, Choi Yuna was the person Bahamut trusted the most, and she, as the leader of the Balhut Cult, had to address this explosive issue.
“It absolutely has to be resolved. Yes, it absolutely must be. Even if you, my Lord, are okay with it, I cannot accept that.”
“Is that so?”
Choi Yuna, with a resolute expression, firmly asserted that this issue needed to be addressed.
While she usually followed Bahamut’s words, this time she took an unyielding stance, unwilling to back down.
“Can you tell me why?”
“Of course.”
Yuna detailed to Bahamut a story from the days of the Survivor Camp.
The conflicts between ordinary people and the Awakened.
The emergence of mutant zombies greatly ignited those tensions and led to the collapse of the Survivor Camp where Yuna stayed.
The survivors there formed separate groups, each looking out for their own survival, and Yuna ended up fleeing to Namsan in a state of hopelessness.
‘This problem is not much different from the current situation. If it worsens, we could end up in the same state.’
Yuna had added some exaggeration to persuade Bahamut, but he knew well that such conflicts, if not resolved in time, would come back with greater force.
For now, the vigorous energy of the reconstruction project in Gyeongju was allowing people to unconsciously overlook these issues, but once the project’s momentum waned and peace returned, the remaining embers could flare up significantly.
Hadn’t the issue of discrimination between the Awakened and ordinary people already surfaced with the coin problem?
“That’s why I want to resolve this conflict before it begins.”
“I also think, after hearing your words, that it needs to be resolved.”
Even though Yuna’s argument was aggressive, her assertion that the issue needed to be addressed quickly was valid.
After listening to Yuna and his advisors, Bahamut also realized the necessity of solving the conflict.
‘But… I lack the ability to solve this. How should I handle this problem? It’s troubling.’
However, Bahamut did not have the wisdom to resolve this issue.
Unlike the dragons depicted in novels, he wasn’t omnipotent, nor did he possess near-omniscient wisdom.
Fundamentally, Bahamut was just a shut-in who loved games, and the reason he had managed to get by without making major mistakes so far was because he knew his limits well and focused on gathering as many opinions from experts as possible and mediating between them.
But even the experts found this issue challenging, making it a problem they struggled to resolve.
For Bahamut, the dilemma only deepened.
“The method for Awakening the Awakened is by directly hunting zombies, correct?”
“Yes.”
The method for ordinary people to become Awakened was simple.
If an ordinary person could hunt and defeat a zombie, they would awaken.
Choi Yuna, along with other Awakened members of the cult, had succeeded in awakening by courageously fighting zombies.
Of course, one couldn’t guarantee that this was the only way to awaken.
However, since this was the only method they knew, they had to think of ways to use this method as much as possible.
“But now, even finding a single zombie inside the city is difficult. Should we order the expedition teams going out to capture zombies to increase the number of Awakened…?”
“That’s difficult. The expedition teams are already focused on securing resources for the cult and liberating nearby villages. Capturing zombies in such conditions would be a significant burden for them.”
“That is indeed troublesome.”
However, this method of Awakening was difficult for the Balhut Cult to carry out at present.
Ironically, it was Bahamut’s own actions—wiping out all the zombies inside the city and around Gyeongju—that had caused this problem.
While those actions had brought peace to the city, they had also hindered the growth and increase of new Awakened individuals.
Of course, just because zombies had disappeared near Gyeongju didn’t mean that they wouldn’t come along the roads leading into the city, so fighting zombies remained a routine task for the expedition teams near the city.
However, for the expedition teams, who were busy liberating villages and gathering supplies for the city, capturing zombies along with village liberation was a heavy burden.
“Moreover, that method is extremely challenging for children, the elderly, and the disabled. As a result, most of the Awakened in the cult consist of young adults and middle-aged individuals.”
“I see.”
And the method of hunting zombies was difficult for children, the elderly, or the disabled.
Acknowledging the reality Yuna pointed out, Bahamut closed his eyes and nodded heavily.
“In that case, we need to find a new way to awaken people—one that doesn’t rely on zombies.”
“Can you really find a new method, my Lord?”
“We must do whatever we can. Fortunately, we still have some leeway, don’t we?”
So, they had to search for a new method of awakening.
Yuna looked at Bahamut with a worried expression, and the god assured her that the cult still had the resources to explore this.
The reason the Survivor Camp Yuna had been part of collapsed was ultimately due to a severe lack of time to resolve the conflicts.
But now things were different.
Conflicts hadn’t arisen yet, and the warnings from the experts were still at a precautionary level, meaning the discontent hadn’t yet surfaced.
There was ample time to pre-emptively prevent and address the issue.
“There’s no need to worry about conflicts yet, and we still have plenty of time.”
“That… It could be extremely difficult. Wouldn’t it be troublesome for you, my Lord?”
“If we try various methods, we might come across at least one good solution.”
The Balhut Cult was not the only one exploring new methods of awakening.
Already, through internet communities, a challenge called the “Find a Way to Awaken Without Fighting Challenge” had emerged and was gradually gaining traction.
However, despite many people attempting it, finding a new method of awakening for the Awakened had proven to be a failure.
For Choi Yuna, who was aware of this through the communities, it was natural to be concerned for Bahamut, but she believed that the dragon before her was a transcendent being different from herself and thought he might have his own solution.
“First, Yuna, try your best to mediate between the Awakened and ordinary people. If you, as their leader, mediate, the Awakened and ordinary people will likely refrain from expressing their dissatisfaction easily.”
“Understood.”
Without a single complaint, Yuna bowed her head, accepting Bahamut’s stern command with utmost sincerity.
As she left the shrine, Bahamut’s serious expression softened, and he let out a deep sigh.
‘What do I really do?’
Though he maintained a serious demeanour in front of Yuna, he was well aware that he had made promises without any real basis.
‘Up to this point, anyone could do it. If they had the same conditions as I did, anyone could accomplish it.’
Bahamut thought that if someone started under the same conditions as himself, anyone could manage the reconstruction of Gyeongju.
The zombie apocalypse that struck Gyeongju—if it were him, Bahamut, with a dragon’s body, he could easily wipe out the threat and save the city.
‘But creating new Awakened… If I had known this would happen, I would have left a few zombies… No, that could have become a new threat too. This is troublesome. Solve one problem, and another arises.’
However, creating a new concept was still a difficult task.
He didn’t possess the omniscient knowledge attributed to dragons, nor were his magical powers all-powerful.
If he could create Awakened individuals by simply shouting, “Come forth, Awakened!” he would have done so already, Bahamut lamented inwardly.
‘This is tough. It’s not like I’ve lived my whole life as a true dragon. I’m just a shut-in who’s been running the cult like a strategy simulation game.’
But ignoring reality would change nothing.
While Bahamut pondered deeply over this matter, he did not neglect the duties that had been entrusted to him.
“Lord Bahamut, I have arrived today as well.”
“Ah, have you come?”
This morning, a member of the Balhut Cult had arrived.
A group of dozens of workers came to retrieve clean water and battery-charged electricity for the cult.
They entered the shrine and greeted the deeply contemplative Bahamut with joy, and Bahamut, shaking off his gloom, returned their greetings with a serious expression.
“Then, we will proceed with the retrieval today as well.”
“Yes, thank you for your efforts.”
Workers began to load the water tanks and batteries that Bahamut had prepared onto the truck they had brought to the shrine.
It was no different from Bahamut’s usual morning routine, but today, something unexpected occurred.
“Hey? I think I just awakened?”
“What?”
One of the workers who was transporting a water tank suddenly shouted that he had awakened.
There was no sign or indication.
He hadn’t even followed the known method of fighting zombies, but had suddenly awakened while simply carrying a water tank.
“What did you just say? You there.”
“I-I’ve awakened! I’ve awakened as an Awakened, Lord Bahamut!?”
A shocked Bahamut quickly asked the newly awakened worker what had happened, and the worker, with a face full of joy, announced that he had awakened as an Awakened.
Bahamut could feel the movement of a different kind of magic within the worker, one that differed from ordinary people, making it clear that the worker’s words were true.
“Do you know the reason why you awakened?”
“I-I don’t know. From my perspective, I suddenly awakened while transporting water tanks inside the shrine.”
“Transporting water tanks inside the shrine, you say.”
If awakening was as simple as transporting water tanks, countless ordinary people would have already awakened through the task of carrying water tanks.
But the fact that no such reports existed indicated that the awakening wasn’t due to transporting water tanks.
‘If that’s the case, is it the power of the shrine I built?’
It implied that some other influence had awakened the new Awakened standing before him, and Bahamut considered the possibility of his shrine being the cause.
Since the awakening occurred here, and the method could not be explained by actions, he concluded that the location must be the key.
“A sudden question, but how long have you been working in my shrine?”
“I work on a rotation basis, once a week, so today marks exactly the 7th day.”
“So, tomorrow, someone new will come in your place. Among them, is there someone who will reach the 7th day as well?”
“Yes, that should be the case.”
Then it was a simple matter.
“Let’s verify it tomorrow. Well done. Ah, congratulations on becoming an Awakened.”
“Thank you, Lord Bahamut.”
All that was needed was to observe whether the next person arriving at the shrine would also awaken.
Bahamut congratulated the newly awakened individual, who then bowed with a deeply moved expression and excitedly shared his awakening news with his fellow workers.
Of course, the Awakened was met with envy from his peers, but in this era, becoming an Awakened meant gaining the power to protect oneself.
It was a small price to pay to endure the jealous looks from his colleagues.
“I-I’ve awakened!?”
“I’m an Awakened! Me, an Awakened!? I can’t believe it… But this is great!”
“Lord Bahamut! Is this a reward for my faith in you!?”
And on the following day, a new Awakened emerged from Bahamut’s shrine, but that’s another story.
‘This is all part of my grand plan! Yes, let’s go with that!’
It might have been a case of aimlessly fumbling about and accidentally stumbling upon a fortunate outcome.
But expecting sincerity from this clumsy dragon would be asking for too much.
Bahamut convinced himself that it was all part of his master plan.
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