A little over half a year after the world [Returned to the Age of Gods].
Just as I was about to leave to train with my friends in that park like we had been doing regularly by now, I heard something from the TV in the living room.
<<How should we address the crimes perpetrated by these Awakened Ones? That is the question our modern society must ponder.>>
Curious, I turned to the TV and saw an old man in a suit and wearing a serious expression say that.
All over the world, people have been talking about the heinous crimes done by Awakened Ones.
3 of the more infamous ones were:
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America’s [Beast of New York]
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UK’s [Hamelin cases]
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China’s [Jiangshi Disaster]
* * *
First, the American one. This was an incident where a single man killed a total of 127 civilians, cops, and army men. The culprit was one Michael Brown, age 22. He has been arrested and released many times before all this. It might a rude way of putting it, but he seemed to be your run-of-the-mill small time crook.
However, when the world [Returned to the Age of Gods], he Awakened and became a [Wolf demi-human]. Only about 10-20% of Awakened Ones were said to be demi-humans. But I digress. The problem truly started when when he began committing crimes with the help of his new powers. Worse yet, it would seem the motive for such crimes were nothing more than to fund his merrymaking.
Before long, he used his powers to kill a person. A man tried to resist with a gun, but he tore that man down with his claws. Maybe it was because he was shocked by it all, but he ran away without taking taking anything from that man.
That didn’t stop him for long though. From the next case onward, it would seem he didn’t shy away from murdering his victims. Soon enough, he had 27 new victims. Of which, 6 had been killed while 8 had been heavily wounded.
The police, taking this seriously, tracked him down with all their might. Of course, he resisted arrest. The result, an unbelievable list of casualties. It should be noted that all these figures were from someone unarmed.
* * *
As for the matter in the UK, it was about Charles Johnson, a 30 year old man living in a farm, who abducted and confined 24 girls for 3 months. As the second son in a family of farmers, he was a fairly ordinary guy, not even having any criminal record.
However, he also Awakened. He possessed a Distinctive Superpower that subjected a wide area to a powerful hypnotic effect. Moreover, he was also able to use space magic. It was unclear whether his powers made him unhinged or he was always like that, but the fact of the matter was that he abducted several girls from multiple cities. The girls were only 12 to 16 years of age.
He confined them all within a shack in the corner of his family’s farm. This shack was expanded by his space magic, so the inside was actually as large as, say, a small mansion. Moreover, there was a barrier on the shack that kept people away, so his family and the police were not able to notice anything.
* * *
As for the last matter, there was unfortunately not much detail known about it. The identity of the culprit or their motive remained unknown to this day. However, what was known the world over was that over 5,000 corpses were reanimated and controlled. Despite the working theory being that this was committed by just one person, it was still labeled a [disaster] due to the scope of the event.
This strange event happened in western China. The corpses had a mysterious note on their heads and were said to be reminiscent of the Jiangshi seen in movies and the like. With rather odd movements, they attacked everyone nearby. Those attacked must have felt indescribable fear.
The Jiangshi increased their in numbers as they marched toward Beijing.
* * *
There were several other cases other than those 3, of course, which only made the public be more on guard against Awakened Ones.
According to an American military critic, Awakened Ones were practically tactical weaponry in human form. Michael Brown couldn’t be properly wounded by handguns and rifles, and even when heavier firearms were used, he was able to deal with them by jumping into a crowd of civilians thanks to his speed.
For the Charles Johnson and the Jiangshi incidents, the relevant government bodies were not even able to detect they were happening. The police were only really knew about Charles Johnson after his arrest. But then again, there was just no countermeasure in place against a combination of hypnosis and space manipulation.
Because of these risks, anti-Awakened Ones movement had been happening in America and the UK. Meanwhile, in China, Awakened Ones were now being obligated to register themselves and be subjected to monitoring.
The other countries were also pondering what they could do about Awakened Ones. In Japan, for example, Awakened Ones were finally being forced to register themselves in their local municipal office starting next month.
<<However, we need the Awakened Ones’ powers, do we not?>>
Another man in a suit answered so to what the man from earlier said. Based on the nameplate, I assumed this other man was a university professor from somewhere.
Yes, there were also people like him who were advocating for the usefulness of Awakened Ones.
Regarding the 3 infamous incidents, while they were caused by Awakened Ones, it should be noted that Awakened Ones were also instrumental in resolving each one.
Michael Brown had been able to break through the encirclement of their national guard, but thankfully, an Awakened former marine happened to be nearby and knocked him down.
Charles Johnson, meanwhile, was exposed and arrested with a kick and whack of a stick by an Awakened 12 year old girl who was proclaiming herself to be the modern-day Sherlock Holmes.
Even the Jiangshi Incident was apparently resolved by the participation of Awakened Ones in the military. Not much information was available though, so that was the extent of what I knew.
In any case, the sentiment that an Awakened One was the most effective means of stopping another Awakened One seemed to be on the rise.
<<Like I have been saying, we must know of the names and addresses of the Awakened Ones. Not to mention, a complete and accurate report of the abilities they possess—>>
<<That is a clear violation of their privacy, don’t you think? In the first place, that bill is—>>
The debate on the other side of the screen continued.
In addition to these kinds of shows, I had been watching let’s become Awakened Ones-type of shows too recently. Those shows involved going to sacred mountains and temples in hopes of awakening.
According to Uoyama-kun and Leila, that was a fairly effective method. They said something about training your mind and body in places where the ley lines were stable and even boasted spiritual power could lead to an awakening. However, I was also told that the process would take at least 10 years to work.
…although, things like eating food containing a good amount of spiritual power as well as being exposed to the magic power of Awakened Ones and monsters could work too in awakening someone. This seriously wasn’t something I wanted to talk about, especially the former.
“I’m off!”
I thought about such things and before I knew it, 5 minutes just went by. I still had enough time, but I’d rather not make my friends wait.
“Hold on a minute, Kyotarou.”
“Huh?”
But as soon as I put my hand on the living room door, my mom called out to me.
“You’ve been going out every weekend for the last few months, but have you been studying properly? It’s gonna be November soon, you know. How are your studies for your entrance exams?”
“Ah, ahm…”
Cold sweat ran down my face as I turned my gaze away.
To be honest, my mom had a good point. My grades hadn’t fallen since we began training, but at the same time, it didn’t rise either. Given that I was halfway through my second year of junior high, I should probably need to consider my entrance exams some time soon if not now.
Not to brag, but my grades were fairly average. But if people who no longer had club activities were to start studying seriously, I could sadly see my ranking fall. Entrance exams, after all, were a competition.
I would say that my family wasn’t strict, but that was about it. It was not a surprise, actually, to find my mom looking anxious for me. It even felt like she was waiting for me to discuss these things.
At that moment, my father apologetically turned up the volume of TV. A clear sign he didn’t want to get involved if he could help it.
“About that, yeah, I’m rather optimistic about it.”
“Well, I heard from our neighbor Kimura-san about a good cram school. Would you like to go to that one? High school entrance exams might not be as tough as the ones for universities, but it’ll come to hurt you later on if you fail your exams, you know.”
“…then, please tell me about that cram school.”
After a bit of thought, I yielded. I mean, no matter how I thought about it, my mom was right.
And so, my mom went to their room to retrieve the brochure of the cram school she mentioned. With the sound of slippers reaching my ear, I decided to contact my friends to tell them I wouldn’t be able to make it today.
To be honest, I still felt like we wouldn’t ever get a use out of our combat training in real life and I was also getting tired of it, so I thought this came at just the right time. As for Leila’s reward…I could ask her to reward me for studying hard instead.
It’s still about me improving myself, after all…nah, she might accept it easily, but I feel like if I sink that low, then I’m more of a degenerate than I—
<<News flash! Monsters have appeared in the city!!>>
“—huh?”
I wasn’t sure if it was me or my dad who let out that braindead sound.
I looked up from my phone and turned toward the TV. The screen showed a different set from the one earlier. There, a female news anchor—visibly anxious—was scanning over the piece of paper she received from someone not within the camera’s frame.
<<Mysterious anomalies are happening in Tokyo at the moment! Beings called monsters are reported to be rampaging, putting everyone nearby in extreme danger. We highly encourage people remain inside of a sturdy building, and for the residents of the following areas, please take refuge in the evacuation center nearest to you.>>
After that, the news anchor began listing the names of places in Tokyo. That part went in one ear and out the other for me though.
Monsters in the city? Huh?
While I was absentmindedly standing there, the scene on the screen changed once again.
<<Please look! A black film-like thing is covering the city! And below, unknown creatures are appearing!>>
The screen showed the landscape of Tokyo as seen from above, likely shot from a helicopter flying in the sky.
I had been to Tokyo only once during a field trip in elementary school, so the landscape was entirely foreign to me. But then again, I was sure the scene on the TV was just as foreign to people familiar with Tokyo as it was to me.
After all, it was burning. And there were people were running to escape. Some of them were running away from an [Orc] holding a spear. But the pig-headed ogre wasn’t the only people were running from; there were wyverns, a snake that was as large as a truck, goblins, and sprite-like creatures to name a few. These were creatures people shouldn’t be seeing in real life to begin with, but here they were rampaging across the city.
<<That black film is slowly expanding its range! Buildings and roads caught within it are somehow transformed to look completely those found in the medieval era…furthermore, it is within that space that those monsters are appearing!>>
Monsters aren’t something an ordinary person could see…no, now’s not the time to think about that.
I was unable to tear my eyes off the screen. There were people having their heads crushed and falling; people being taken to the skies only to be smashed into the ground; people being swallowed head-first; and people being burned alive.
“Kyotarou, how about this cram school? I heard the teachers here are nice—”
“Mom, look,”
“Eh? ….huh??”
My mom said so as soon as she opened the door, but I simply pointed at the TV. Her face also grew stiff. The brochures in her hand fell, and just as I was unconsciously following it with my gaze, I caught sight of my phone.
Oh yeah, those two.
<<Where are you?>>
<<Just about to leave. Sorry, but I think I’ll be late.>>
<<I’m outside. Waiting for the lights to change.>>
<<Go watch a TV. Our training’s canceled today. Go back home and stay there.>>
I typed all that as fast as I could.
<<People near Shinjuku, run as fast as you could! Monsters are coming! Run!!>>
The reporter shouted so into her mic, their spit even reaching the camera. In the next moment, the camera shook. I heard my mom shout aahhh!
For a moment, screams could be heard on the TV. Then, the whole screen went blank. After a few seconds of unbearable silence, the screen went back to display the news anchor from before.
<<A-ahm. It would seem our remote feed has been cut off…ah…huh?>>
The news anchor was handed another piece of paper. As she skimmed through it, her face revealed confusion.
<<P-please evacuate right now! People in the concerned areas should evacuate as light as they could, without any baggage. Please refrain from traveling by car, and follow instructions of the police and fire fighters—>>
After that, all I could really do was listen to her as she earnestly pleaded for people to evacuate.
It was just too incomprehensible for me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it at all. And yet, at the same time, I understood something.
<<The dungeons, they’ve expanded…>>
I thought as long as I stayed away from dungeons, I would be safe. But now, I was finding out that there was no longer any safe place in the world.
Author’s Q&A (also an appeal to review, rate, and bookmark the title. Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7336ie)
Q: What are demihumans?
A: a portion of Awakened Ones have transformed into races such as elves, dwarves, beastmen, to name a few. But since there are only a few demihumans, and also since there aren’t any nearby as far as the protagonist could tell, not many of them would be depicted.
Q: So, the Hamelin incident is more about the pied piper and not the name of the city?
A: Before Charles Johnson was arrested and the details of his crimes made clear, all that was reported in various places were that “girls were missing one after another in the city”. As such, the mass media labeled the case as the Hamelin incident.
Q: the progress is so slow, isn’t it?
A: It is the advent of dungeons and adventurers within the story, so, yeah…I’ll try to pick up the tempo now. Sorry.
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