Fantasy Zero for Conduct | Applications

[Khocolatte]

TBA...

 

[Khocolatte]

ACCEPTED (03/06)

lunar_moth (II. The Ecclesiarch)
Servant (VII. The Doctor)
AriAriAbabwa (III. The Invictus)

The next 3 accepted players will be announced after the applications are posted.
App Code:

Application Sheet

I. The Rank

Insert Name

Gender

Male

Age

24

Origin

Incheon, South Korea

Specialty

Fighter, Cooking

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[lunar_moth]

II. The Ecclesiarch

Kim Narin 김나린

Gender

Male

Age

25

Origin

Seoul, South Korea

Specialty

Faith, Fine Arts

Often likened to a fox in only the most flattering of ways, Kim Narin is crafty, hedonistic, and can be too smart for his own good. Although he is motivated largely by his own pursuit of pleasure, once earned, his loyalty is unwavering. He does not love in half measures — he will lay down his life with a smile if it’s for someone or something he genuinely adores. That being said, it’s difficult to convince him to participate in anything he deems unworthy of his time. He is also not above using manipulation or dirty tricks to have his way.

Narin was born and raised in the upper end of the Seongbuk District in Seoul. He had a wealthy upbringing; his parents encouraged him and his older sister to pursue the more frivolous studies like art and literature at their desire. His mother was a Seoul native and classical musician; his father an American politician. Both came from “Heroic” bloodlines. And despite being given all the tools for success, Narin has been, for his whole life, terminally incapable of following orders he deems pointless, and so was largely considered a terrible and disobedient student by his parents and tutors up until he left home (his reasons for which are kept secret from most— officially, he cites a major disagreement with his family following years of conflict, and the inability to tolerate it any longer is what solidified his choice to leave; off the record, however, he was formally expelled from the family by his parents as retribution for— well, it’s not important right now.)

For what it’s worth, pledging his life and loyalty to the Abyssal God is what he considers the best decision of his life. After all, despite his flighty behaviour, Narin is the type who thrives best in an environment where he can devote himself mind-and-soul to a role built just for him — and luckily, at his Goddess’s side, wiping out the befouled during work hours and sipping reds in his downtime is a deal that’s hard to beat.

 

[Servant]

VII. The Doctor

Beatrice Ahn 베아트리체 안

Gender

Female

Age

29

Origin

Incheon, South Korea

Specialty

Medicine, Driving

(First chunk is the backstory, last section is the personality.)
Perhaps you’ve heard of Rodrik Ahn, the former chief physician whose resolve remained headstrong even before the abominations of the abyss. It is said that no matter how dire the situation was, he’d always rush forth, bringing aid to the injured masses. Many within the medical world will attest to his unparalleled dedication and bravery, sadly however fortune doesn’t always favour the bold, and a particularly savage abyssal beast put Rodrik’s determination under an unconquerable test. Witnesses of his final moments say that till he drew his last breath Dr.Rodrik continued to lead the evacuation efforts for a myriad of injured civilians.

Likewise, some of you may have heard of Beatrice Ahn, Rodrik’s one and only daughter. Or maybe I should just refer to her as the one and only stain in Rodrik’s perfect record. But I believe I am getting too ahead of myself, let's dial it back a bit. Ever since she was a child Beatrice always had her sights set on becoming a medical practitioner, a dream her father was more than happy to encourage. Already by the age of 12 she had become fully familiarised with the layout of the hospital Rodrik worked at, not to mention knowing all the names of her father’s coworkers by heart. And so, with her future pretty much set in stone, her life progressed through middle & high school without a hitch.

With graduation now in the ever approaching horizon Beatrice became acquainted with a representative of the KNU School of Medicine, who immediately offered the young lass a fully funded internship, an offer Beatrice was quick to accept without a second thought. That night both Beatrice and her father toasted, a toast to ensure the girl’s fruitful future. Fast forward a few months and Beatrice’s arrival at the campus was met with the shock and excitement from most of her fellow students. She was quick to make friends, get acquainted with her professors and learn the ins & outs of the institution’s modus operandi. This truly was the highest point in Beatrice’s life, sadly though all that goes up must eventually go down. With the first batch of midterms now within sight Beatrice felt excited to put her knowledge to the test. She had spent many afternoons tirelessly studying through textbook after textbook, assuring herself that she was ready to tackle just about anything that was thrown her way. Thus came and went the first of her exams, one that Beatrice felt confident in her results, after all she had only gotten lost in a few miniscule points. And now, the day of the results were here, and as the professor finished delivering a handful of notes she came up to Beatrice and handed over her paper. An eight. Hey now, that wasn’t bad at all, somewhat outstanding even. And yet, that brief moment of satisfaction was swiftly cut off as she looked at her professor’s expression. Pure and utter disappointment. Beatrice was left absolutely bewildered, was there something she had missed? Was it something she said? And then she heard them, the fast spreading whispers of her peers. Their gazes were swift to look back at her and then away. And then it clicked for her. With such a mediocre effort she was basically spitting on her father’s hard work, how could she have been so selfish? She needed to redeem herself, and so from then forth Beatrice would sink her entire being into studying. Night. After night. After night. After night. For four years.

By the time graduation arrived Beatrice, to put it bluntly, was an absolute mess. Throughout her days at KNU she had secluded herself within the confines of her dormitory, developed an everlasting addiction to coffee and generally just lost that initial chipper attitude of hers. But whatever, all those sacrifices had been worth it, her academic life was now marked by a set of perfect exam results across the board. She even retook the subject he had gotten an eight on just to ensure she had an impeccable record. Beatrice had finally done it, she was now ready to take the world of medicine by storm, just like her father had done all those years ago.

As you already know though, Rodrik’s tale ended just a few days after his daughter had begun working at the hospital alongside her, devastating Beatrice to the point where he secluded herself within the confines of the Ahn estate. It took her a full two weeks to finally face the world again, she knew it was her time to step up to the plate. From then on working at the hospital proved to be just as draining as her days back at the KNU. Nights would fly by as Beatrice futilely attempted to fill Rodrik’s shoes. In the end however this was all for naught, for her life was about to come crashing down on top of her.

It wasn’t long after she had turned 27 that Beatrice came face to face with her worst challenge yet. A female relative of a well known Venator was one of the many victims of an unexpected attack from the abyssal forces, and her condition was absolutely critical. The hospital was swarmed with victims in need of immediate help, and as one of the better physicians in that building Beatrice was put in charge of the girl’s treatment. What followed was an arduous battle that lasted little over 24 hours, Beatrice and her team doing all they could do to keep the girl alive. However, this was a battle they were not able to win, and much to the team’s dismay the girl succumbed to her injuries. Said news was quick to reach the Venator, who immediately placed the entire blame on Beatrice. Overnight the Venator’s smear campaign had succeeded in getting every single member of the hospital’s staff to paint Beatrice as someone unfit to work within the medical sector. The media took the story and ran wild with it, questioning how Rodrik could’ve been so foolish as to allow her unstable daughter into such a prestigious institute. Soon after testimonies from her ex-classmates came in, their goal was to only further fuel the flames that continued to burn down Beatrice’s life. But hey, anything to gain the favour of a renowned Ventaor, right?

By the end of it all Beatrice had been pretty much blacklisted from the medical world, hell even her diploma got revoked. At that point in order to survive, Beatrice was forced to leave behind Incheon and settle down within the roughest of Seoul’s neighbourhoods. There, with what little money she had left, she opened up a clandestine clinic, offering medical aid to criminals who didn’t have the luxury to seek help at a proper hospital without being detained on the spot. The year that followed was absolute torture for Beatrice, and things only looked to get much, much worse. Or at least that was the case, until a merciful Goddess offered Beatrice the salvation she so desired.

With all that has been said about her, I am sure it will not come as a shock when I say that Beatrice’s social life has been forever tainted by her professionalism. She will constantly reprimand any and all of her colleagues for the smallest of infractions, whether it’d be having one too many beers or overextending during a heated fight. Beatrice completely understands how bothersome this side of herself can be to certain people, but at the end of the day he’s been placed in charge of overlooking the physical health of her peers, and she’s not about to deliver a half-assed job. Not only that, but Beatrice is known to take mental notes of your previous mistakes, and she will gladly rub them in your face the moment you try to defend your case. Some even say she keeps a booklet detailing her colleagues' past offences. Despite all of this though, Beatrice ends up being a fairly laid back and understanding guy, but only because she’s too tired to spend energy on scolding you. This woman has absolutely mastered the art of napping, take your eyes off of her for too long and she’ll probably be snoozing while standing up straight. No spot will ever be too uncomfortable, one way or another Beatrice will find a way to fall asleep anywhere.

 

[Novelight]

ACCEPTED (06/06)

R U S T (V. The Brutalisk)
Pepsionne (VI. The Executioner)
poi (VIII. The Imperialist)

App Code:

Application Sheet

 

[poi]

VIII. The Imperialist

Ai Yahui 艾亚辉

Gender

Male

Age

23

Origin

Jiangsu, China

Specialty

Cognitive Empathy, Games

to the average ai yahui interactor, he tends to come across as someone who lives with no regard for the past nor future. someone who does things in the moment out of a clear need for self-indulgence; who exists for nothing but the apparent enjoyment he experiences from inconveniencing others (or maybe…?). a child at heart, he takes keenly to immature humor and pranks that may or may not have been pushed a bit too far. from the outside eye, it’d make sense if he were perceived as an inconsiderate dumbass, lacking any kind of tact, yet confidently so.

when all is said and done, however, his attitude is known to completely shift in the face of confrontation; particularly others confronting himself. he who was once annoying and in-your-face mere moments ago becomes flustered and meek, cowering away instead of facing it head on. despite his tendency to cause disarray, he also has a streak of self-preservation, him having the ability to break into the space of others while adamantly disallowing the other way around in both a literal and mental sense.

a walking contradiction, a consistent inconsistencyーhe is blunt yet ambiguous; exaggerated yet intimate; predictable yet unreadable. it’s because of this and his sarcastic nature that those who spend enough time with him may question what’s genuine and what isn’t, starting from his words to his expressed emotions. and at the end of the day, there lies this quiet sense that perhaps he isn’t as head-empty as he may seem; that he knows exactly what it is that he's doing.

… now granted, he wasn’t always this way.

in the beginning, yahui swore it was only him and his motherーsomehow, the memory felt so distant.

he can recall spending most of his life in a particularly scummy area in daegu, having been struggling financially as his mother appeared unable to get a stable income. for awhile, his young mind chalked it up to them being foreign and left it at that until it’d become relevant again later, when he’d notice just how paranoid their lifestyle really was. until then…

his relationship with meixiu (his mom) was one that shouldn’t have been as good as it was, and yet, there they were. not that he was fully aware of this at the time, but she was a worker of the night, the hours in which the red-light district truly sprung to life. as such, they never did get to spend much time together, him being at school while she was home, and her being out while he was home. to them, it just meant that the time they did get was all the more precious.

as a child, yahui surprisingly didn’t speak very much, though it was clear that he was still quite loud (in other ways) and playful. despite this, he was prone to isolation when it came down to groups of kids his age, partially because of his instinctual distrust towards anyone who wasn’t meixiu, while he was also silently ridiculed by the faceless children and their parents for what he’d later assume was due to he and his mother’s situation. the one good thing that came from this was, since he was never the person doing the interacting, he was always the person observing, analyzing; leading to his innate ability to piece together what people may be feeling or thinking.

things would end up taking a turn for the worst sometime when he was in middle school, when a man he’d never seen before was introduced as choi hajoon, his now-step-father. supposedly, him and meixiu had been seeing one another in private for a few years, and yahui soon learned that he was a venator who was well-off and widely adored by the public. this was fine and all, until you find out that hajoon clearly had little regard for another man’s child. the worst part is, it seemed the neglect went unnoticed by everyone but the recipient.

with the more time that passed, the distance between yahui and his mother would grow; the time they got to spend together becoming less and less as the subtle yet intentional interference of his step-father continued persisting. thus, the quiet, attention-deprived boy, who didn’t need much to begin with, began to act out in a subconscious effort to obtain the thing he’d lately been denied.

and eventually, it workedーbut of course, not in the way he wanted it to.

in a fit of pent-up annoyance towards his “step-son’s” behavior, hajoon’s negligence shifted into blatant mistreatment. meixiu was visibly disturbed by what this entailed, but opted not to do anything about it; yahui naturally felt a confusion towards this, though in wondering why this was, he unknowingly began a path that would circle right back to the beginningーin jiangsu, china.

when he thought about it, compared to life before hajoon, meixiu appeared to be a lot less on edge than she used to be. in a more general sense, the lifestyle they led now provided financial stability and more importantly, safety. being surrounded by a family of powerful venators had its perks, after all… pair that with the subtle implications of her feeling like she needed to marry this man, and well, you’d naturally realize that there’s more to this story than anybody had been letting on.

throughout his high school years, a lot had transpired: for one, he had practically been banished into living on his own because of that trash venator man. secondly, yahui began snooping around for information, since he knew meixiu wouldn’t tell him anything; he remembered asking about his biological dad some decade ago and the conversation topic immediately being diverted. lastly, after everything else, one fateful night would be the catalyst of him getting the answers he sought.

at approximately 22:45, word on the street had spread like wildfire about an attempted murder that had just occurred. the name of the “heroic” venator who prevented this was one yahui instantly recognized as the man he came to despise… and although the victim’s name was unknown, once they were mentioned as “the wife”, he dropped whatever no-good he was up to and rushed to the estate. (it was especially note-worthy that the perpetrator was described to be “some shady chinese guy”.)

considering he wasn’t to show his face around the house, he really had no choice other than to sneak around. in doing so, he was able to confirm that the victim really was meixiu and that she was thankfully unscathed, though lingering around for a second longer would allow him to overhear a conversation she and hajoon were having in the distance. immediately he would note that hajoon was unsurprised, meaning he already knew what was going on. some eavesdropping and inferring led yahui to the following conclusion...

back in china, his family had ███████████████ ████████████████████. this was a problem because ████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████ the good they brought to society. when meixiu ████████████, ████████████ //////////

/////// “ah― ah, wait a minute, am i interrupting something? oh… yikes, that’s a shame. well, you know how it goes… want a break from the ads? if you tap now to watch a short video, you’ll receive 30 minutes of ad-free musi―”

 

[Pepsionne]

VI. The Executioner

Min Nara 민 나라

Gender

Male

Age

22

Origin

Busan, South Korea

Specialty

Long Range combat, enhanced eyesight

Personality: Nara has spent a good portion of his life alone. He has experienced the care and love from both his parents and grandparents, but companionship and the love of a partner have escaped him. He has grown used to others politely avoiding him or limiting their contact when around him, but it has not blossomed into bitterness. Outwardly, Nara is a reserved and composed individual. His instinct is to internalize and fester when dealing with conflict, more willing to figure out what to do and how to feel in his own internal monologue. He can be quite doubtful or insecure of himself and his abilities. Growing up to authority figures consistently expecting nothing of him had translated into Nara expecting nothing of himself. His goals since forming an agreement with the Abyssal goddess sometimes feel detached from himself, like he is fighting for someone else’s dream.

Nara doesn’t generate opinions on things very often, but when he does, his views are unshakeable and he will not hear any compromise. (Such as his view on Venators and those who have benefitted from the blessing of strength) When his views are aligned, Nara is an amiable follower and a conducive pawn when working in a team. He will very often agree with whatever the general consensus is, almost to the point of being a pushover. However, lacking the experience of friendship or relationships that require compromise, Nara can be very difficult to work with when his views do not align with those around him. He is prone to act selfishly if that action serves as a means to an end for his own personal goals.

Although Nara is accustomed and accepting of the lonely history in his life, his heart is still human and he still finds himself craving the love and companionship his relationship with his parents and grandparents had offered. Nara finds himself drawn to high energy, extroverted people. He feeds off of their impulsive decisions and amiable nature. He grows comfortable around those who do not care about how they are viewed by society, inspired by that freedom.

During his time in the countryside and in the Azura district, Nara has developed a bad habit of fearing and avoiding eye contact. He’s sensitive to how others view him, fearing what they’ll think of his formerly blinded eye. Although the deal with the Abyssal Goddess had enhanced his vision far past what was humanly possible, it did not fix the appearance nor the scar he had suffered from. When talking with others he can come across as rude, his gaze always drifting towards the floor or to a point far in the distance. This habit has gotten worse since his eyesight has been enhanced. The sight of the organs within people who are not his targets frightens him. Whenever appropriate, he will wear dark tinted sunglasses to obscure where his gaze is focused.

History
Nara was born in Busan, South Korea, the only child to his parents. They were an average, happy family, albeit a weak one, the blessing of the gods passing over them without a second thought. In the old world before the Abyssal war, their life would have been normal, maybe even considered lucky. But in the world of the Venators where strength determined worth, they were considered worse than just dead weight. Mouths to feed, bodies to protect, no use to society other than being an added weight on the backs of the stronger.

Nara began to fully realize his position in the world as he grew older. His parents worked hard labor jobs that barely paid enough to put food on the table. They lived in a small apartment with little material goods, sacrificing more often than they were rewarded. In school, the war was always taught as a noble fight of heroes and selfless bravery. He was told time and time again how many martyrs sacrificed their lives for the sake of those unable to defend themselves. Yet the world he lived in cared not for the weak, but rather despised them instead. Self hatred edged at the corners of his childhood the older he got.

When Nara was 10, his family was attacked by an abyssal beast when spending a family trip at a park on the outskirts of the city. It was weak to the average Venator but with no powers accessible to his family, it was an extremely powerful foe. No one rushed to save them, the bystander effect paralyzing everyone from stepping in to offer a hand. His parents protected Nara, sheltering his body from the beast and giving their own lives in the process. After what felt like hours to him, a Venator with enough experience battling the beasts came across the sight and stepped in. When the beast was dead, Nara had to be pried from his parents' steel embrace kicking and screaming. Although they did their best to protect their son, Nara did not walk away from the event unscathed. He had been blinded in one eye from an attack by the beast and left with a large scar that crossed diagonally across the upper half of his face. Nara hated the scar and thus began to hate his own reflection. It was a constant reminder of his family's weakness and the fate they suffered because of it.

He was given to the care of his grandparents after the unfortunate attack. Now living in the rural countryside, Nara was treated like a freak of nature or bad omen. His scar came attached with a rumored story, people in the village viewing his survival as a warning from the abyss. His grandparents did their best to offer him as much of a normal childhood as they could, showering him in love and support in the endeavors Nara decided to pursue. But he was marked by fear. Kids stayed away from him at school, extracurricular programs denied him without reason and teachers expected next to nothing in his performance.

Despite his grandparents' effort to provide Nara with a normal childhood, he decided to drop out of school at 16 and move to the Azura district, a place where Abyss activity was much more common and those that sported the scars from the war were able to blend into society. He worked hard jobs for meager pay, always shoved into a back room and out of sight of the general public. Nara had originally thought that living in the Azura district would free him from the limits of his life in a smaller city or the countryside, but it only made his inferiority even more noticeable. Venators were treated like modern age gods in the city. They were advertised all over the city, treated like celebrities or venerated icons. Their power and selfish narcissism were all that seemed to surround him, and a vile bitterness for the gods and the Venators blessed by them began to bubble up within him. By the time the Abyssal God reached out to him with a promise of power and guaranteed shot at revenge, Nara did not need to weigh the decision. His thirst for revenge against those that created a world for the weak to suffer and be trampled over was insatiable. He operates now with the goal in mind to throw the careful balance the strong had created into pure chaos and give the weak a chance at even ground. His bitterness gives him a deadly apathy to the lives of Venators or those who had benefited from the blessing of the gods.

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

III. The Invictus

Lars Albrecht

Gender

Male

Age

37

Origin

Berchtesgaden, Germany

Specialty

Technology, Silver-Tongue

From an early age, Lars Albrecht always had a knack for uncovering how the world works: from unscrewing his toys after sneaking tools from his dad's garage, asking most of the questions at school, and the slightly disturbing dissection of insects he'd find outside. His fascination with learning only bolstered whenever his engineer father let him watch his work.

By all means, the Albrechts were your average middle-class family—totally unremarkable. But Lars was happy with what he had; he was popular in school, good in sports, had a curious nature that pulled him along his education, and lived with a happy-go-lucky attitude. He didn't think there was any more he needed.

It was when humanity's war with the abyssal forces of the Underworld reached his quiet town that those views changed.

At 2:43 AM, Berchtesgaden residents awoke to the beasts tearing through the tranquility. The Albrecht's, who fortunately lived on the other end of town, would ultimately survive the incident and be rescued by Venators. Dozens of others, however, were not so lucky. From the safe distance, he spotted civilians—people he knew—amid the carnage. He saw them fight for their lives, crawl through Hell on earth, all to meet a brutal end. Their determined, horrified faces never faded from memory.

Yet, all they amounted to was an addition to the number on the news. A statistic.

Was there nothing more for them to be remembered by? The names (which, granted, did list by the end of the program) were absent. It seemed the news was more interested in showcasing the destruction and the heroic Venators than the people suffering. Lars' first question was "why?" What was the process that put the victims last in priority?

Watching the broadcast walk through the scenes of destruction, hearing the boastful interviews of the Venators who "mourned the dead" yet left no other comment for them, he reached an epiphany: this was the way the world worked. Lars imagined; if he died suddenly—maybe to an abyssal beast—and come hundreds of years later, what would become of Lars Albrecht other than a faded tombstone? Another number added to the casualties lost? The thought of it made him fall to his knees, sprouting a sense of nausea in the boy.

But as he always had, Lars picked himself up, and he had a new goal to set his mind to. He wanted a legacy, crafted with the purpose of outliving him and his family to ensure they did not go down as just another statistic. He was their only shot at this, and he never forgot that.

Lars set his sights on an ivy-league college in America where he would learn the essentials for—everything, really. Lars' nature in excelling with anything given the him allowed him to top any class he took. From enterprise to engineering to computer science, his professors knew he was destined for greatness.

It was there that he befriended one Jesper Lexmond of near-matching intellect. Despite that, they couldn't have been more different. Where Lars spoke his mind and loved nothing more than to face what challenges came, Jesper fell more into the background. He preferred a more simplistic life, using his tech skills as a pastime hobby rather than a bridge to his future. His personal project was one AI called Guardian.

At first it was a simple AI. One that mirrored the ones in phones and computers, outfitted with its own dutiful personality. Then Jesper found a way to incorporate it beyond the husk of phone cases. He proudly presented a model to Lars; it was a miniature replica of a nearby hospital, made with figures in place of patients and doctors. The patients, constructed of various materials that decomposed at differing rates, fell under strict monitoring by Guardian. The moment they hit a change in state, the AI connected to built-in facilities and restored them.

Lars was fascinated. While his friend laughed at the small feat accomplished, the German-born saw potential in his idea. Not only in hospitals, but in prisons; cities ridden with crime; the military. The world he imagined was one ran by the AI, or as he likened it to, the future. One that totally eliminated the concept of human error, catching wrongdoers where a human police officer would either fail to see or fall to bribery.

Jesper, though, did not want that. He was happy with the little life he held, and he intended to keep Guardian sheltered with him.

At that, Lars felt... disappointed. It was around this time, however, that there came another realization to him. In the upper cutthroat echelon of corporates where his supposed destiny lied, there was no place for a bright, happy-go-lucky man like himself to settle down in. It was a dog-eat-dog swamp of under-the-table dealings and negotiations to one-up everyone. To get where he wanted, Lars had to change himself first.

Gradually, like a marble statue, every bit of his original self was chipped away in favor of something brighter—something memorable. Gone, was the bright kid who worked for a noble cause. Lars had stripped himself down to the core of what really drove him: legacy. In his eyes, he didn't deserve to be forgotten like the casualties in Berchtesgaden. About everyone he knew had told him in one way or another that his future was bright, and he'd be damned if he let them down.

And if Jesper was not willing to let his creation shape the world, then it was in better hands with Lars.

A month later, Jesper Lexmond perished in a car accident, failing to stop at a train light, and the gate blocking him just long enough to have the train utterly destroy him and his vehicle.

One payment to the police later, and the fact that his brake lines were severed was disclosed from the public. They deemed Jesper's death a drunken accident.

When Lars unveiled a refined and perfected Guardian system to hospitals for trial runs, it proved to be his doorway across the hierarchy. Not once was Jesper Lexmond mentioned. It soon expanded to the infrastructure of prisons, becoming the ideal system to keep prisoners in their rightful place—even if they lost more of their basic rights such as privacy.

Lars took the tech industry by storm. Unlike many other corporate heads who barely understood a lick of their area and only handled the gritty work of the table and paperwork, Lars headed the developing processes himself. With a keen understanding of the technology they handled, the work area seemed more like a class with Lars teaching his students all he knew. However, his attitude made the sight more comparable to a prison than a classroom. A true perfectionist, Lars knew that the smallest of mistakes would lead to someone's dissatisfaction.

Lars placed the company headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. His reasonings were because of the city's prominence in the world and the influx of potential business awaiting him there, but those who knew him believe it was because Seoul is arguably one of the biggest forefronts of the war against the Underworld—the very thing that spurred Lars into action. Once he learned the language, Lars fit in perfectly with the local corporate underbelly.

He became obsessed with the idea of the future and what could have awaited mankind. His work ethic was filled with ideas of "long-term plans and effects" that he unleashed within his company with little regard to anyone's mental well-being. People, he thought, were above and beyond being affected by troubles of their mind—he himself was a "shining example" of that. Though this led to disgruntled, shaken, and mistreated employees, there was no doubt to the quality and success of the company.

From household appliances to race cars to labs and factories, Lars expanded his company like a plague. There came prosthetic limbs that responded to the brain as any normal arm would, and military drones that helped ward off forces of the abyss. Guardian became prominent about everywhere. He wanted his name engraved on every part of society, and he was succeeding.

He married a woman named Sophia who was heir to a wealthy trade company, and his status only saw uphill growth. It seemed that the boy from Berchtesgaden was unstoppable.

But just as the tale of Icarus goes, Lars flew too close to the Sun.

Undercover journalists went into Albrecht Industries' workplaces, dubbed "labor camps." Lars suspects they were paid by rivaling companies, or the "unnecessarily" critical families of the workforce. Then rose a wave of confessions from employees afterward, explaining in explicit detail the conditions they worked in.

Why does it matter? he wondered. If they didn't want to work under those conditions, they just needed to rise up and pull themselves to success! That's what he did, after all.

The real kicker was when they found out about Jesper's wreck; and the cut brake lines, and the real mind behind Guardian. The headlines of tomorrow spread like wildfire.

Famed Venators and celebrities alike gave their piece—in Lars' mind, unrelated figures who just wanted to cash in on the incoming wave of drama, siding with the majority to further boost their prestige.

After so many readings on how everything built over years could crumble in a fraction of that time, Lars finally experienced it himself. It all happened in a blur: the confrontation from his wife; the hundreds of testimonies flooding in from mistreated staff; the contractors fleeing from any association with Albrecht; the bandwagons of people calling for justice; the divorce papers; the labels of "fraud" and "murderer"; the destruction of the legacy he cared so much about.

When Lars was scheduled to show up for a trial, he never arrived. He was not found at the company headquarters, nor his luxurious mansion where only his wife and unborn son remained. The visionary now became a fugitive.

Typical, he thought. Typical that the people he gave so much to—offering his services time and time again, spending days to learn about the industry fields he encroached upon for sake of product quality—turned their backs on him over such "inconsequential" incidents. What did any of them matter in the long-term; their "problems" wouldn't hinder the future that Lars paved way for. Did his "loyalty" mean nothing to the company? To his wife? No matter what, Lars failed to understand their rightful frustrations. To him, they were in the wrong, and those ungrateful only obstructed the path leading humanity to the future.

He was the only one who could lead the world towards greatness. Whether they liked it or not, they needed him.

Surely, in the future, the natural order will restore itself. Everything will become the way it should be; his destiny still awaited his rightful place. Lars chuckled to himself as the so-called Abyssal God appeared before him with a request. One that he happily agreed to, having his ideals reaffirmed.

"If I was not meant to have greatness, then God would not have come to me."

 

[Pyosimros]

V. The Brutalisk

Joo-Myung Choi 최주명

Gender

Female

Age

21

Origin

Mokpo, South Korea

Specialty

Hand-to-Hand Combat, Acrobatics

Joo-myung is the product of endless misfortunes, incapable of fathoming the possibility of long-term stability in her lifetime. Born an orphan within the seedier neighbourhoods of Mokpo, Joo-myung Choi drifted from foster home after foster home. It should've been reasonably expected that the young Joo-myung would have eventually found a suitable home to properly develop into her teenage and adult years, though such a life was never meant for her. Amongst a host of possible unfortunate events, Joo-myung grew into a bundle of insecurities and repressed frustrations lazily concealed behind a punctual and exuberant exterior.

Transitioning into her teenage years, Joo-myung's fortunes hadn't improved in the slightest. She had forsaken her academics in favour of seeking temporary sources of enjoyment, manipulating and thieving from others as a way to acquire whatever she desired. Joo-myung revelled in this short-sighted lifestyle, always distracting herself in an arcade, mall, or movie theater. These were all sources of noise for her, allowing Joo-myung to whisk herself away from the rest of society while she disregarded any genuine method to build a life for herself. Everything from the attitude she displays to her priorities in life were all centered around bright, vibrant distractions. From colossal movie screens to the loud, colourful arcade cabinets she frequented, each of these fixtures in her life allowed her to disassociate from the pains of her harsh life, sweeping her from any personal responsibilities she had.

Though as a whole, Joo-myung has a deep longing to connect and trust others, contrasted by her instinctive sense to distrust any individual attempting to grow close to her. Joo-myung maintains a series of superficial friendships yet she is also completely unwilling to develop these relationships, choosing instead to condemn herself to a life of isolation. Though perhaps as a sort of divine retribution, a goddess swept the young woman off the streets and offered her a future for a favour. It was a future where she could rule, creating her own form of stability. It was tempting and through her desperation...

She accepted.