Chapter 144

〈 Chapter 144 〉 Part 1, Chapter 8 (3)

Blazing Phoenix and the two officers disembarked from the fiery wolf and followed Administrator Yu Yinghuo’s guidance to Anyang. The path carved by the Fire Demon Dragon while chasing Lee Seung-hyung had unexpectedly become a road, later transformed into a four-lane paved highway by the Architect.

“Uh….”

Lee Seung-hyung cautiously approached Phoenix. Phoenix, who had been pretending to be a delicate maiden, slightly frowned upon seeing Lee Seung-hyung.

“……What is it?”

Her sharp tone startled both Lee Seung-hyung and Phoenix herself.

The two officers wondered how quickly their cosplaying had devolved into exposing their true nature, but fortunately, only Lee Seung-hyung and Administrator Yu Yinghuo heard her.

“Ah…. Could we have met before?”

“……”

Phoenix shifted her seat in the limousine away from Lee Seung-hyung. Lee Seung-hyung, worried that she might have misunderstood, waved his hands frantically.

“No, no! Absolutely not hitting on you! I just feel like I’ve seen you before-”

“Fire Attribute.”

Phoenix glanced out the window as she continued.

“If it’s Fire Attribute, anyone can be strengthened by me. Be it a monster or an ability user.”

“……!!”

Only now did Lee Seung-hyung realize the true identity of the person in front of him—the Solar Spirit who granted him the power to ascend from A Rank to S Rank, even in his dreams.

“Thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything worth thanking.”

“Still, thank you… for everything.”

Lee Seung-hyung instinctively understood this girl standing before him was the one who saved Cheon Gaeul.

“Um… Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all—”

Cheon Gaeul may have turned into a monstrous form for some unknown reason, but her life was undoubtedly saved thanks to Phoenix. Lee Seung-hyung blushed as he drew Phoenix’s attention.

“Fire Attribute…? That attribute theory? So that’s it. Lee Seung-hyung and Black Flame following monsters… Everything makes sense now.”

Yu Yingho deduced the essence of Phoenix based solely on fragmented information she provided.

“It seems you can only enhance those with the ‘Fire Attribute.’ Regardless of species.”

“That’s correct. If they have talent, I can elevate them to S Rank… though it does take effort on my part.”

Phoenix deliberately hinted at her limitations while leaving room for interpretation. Yu Yingho silently pondered the risks involved.

“Your own magic power? Lifespan? Or perhaps memories? Such immense power must come with great cost…”

“……”

Nope. Phoenix chose not to clarify Yu Yingho’s wild guesses.

If she were to say “risk-free awakening of fire mages,” Yu Yingho would undoubtedly advocate for training 100,000 fire mages and bother Phoenix endlessly.

“…Whatever it is, you’ve really worked hard. Miss Cheongnyeon.”

“Not at all.”

The moment Phoenix acknowledged strengthening Lee Seung-hyung to S Rank, the two officers of Blue Wind Sect hastily convened a meeting via smartwatches.

– Why would she awaken the ex-boyfriend of Cheon Gaeul?

-I didn’t know, or she fell for him. I’ll bet one B Core on ignorance.

-I’ll bet two B Cores on falling in love. Maybe not romantic love, but admiration for talent.

Click! Yu Yingho snapped his fingers. All eyes inside the limousine turned toward him.

“The villain Phoenix of SS Rank who defeated Seok Harang. This ability user was enhanced by you, wasn’t he?”

“……”

Phoenix gazed off into the distance, responding without words. Though unaware that Phoenix and Cheongnyeon were the same person, Yu Yingho confidently presented his hypothesis.

“There was someone with the potential to reach SS Rank, and you turned this man into an SS Rank ability user.”

Unaware of the truth, Yu Yingho’s assumptions were close but still wildly inaccurate due to his reliance on common sense.

– Logically, it’s hard to believe this kid could be the SS Rank monster who values lives as casually as insects.

– What if they get caught during a magical power inspection?

“Don’t worry.”

Phoenix reassured the four men in the car.

“Absolutely, it will never happen.”

“……Excuse me.”

Lee Seung-hyung apologized for what felt like making inappropriate advances.

“……Absolutely, absolutely don’t entertain bad thoughts. Got it?”

Yu Yingho, lost in his own world, speculated about the risks associated with Phoenix.

“……”

“……”

The two officers understood the hidden meaning in his words.

– Don’t talk nonsense or you’ll be turned into a monster.

Blazing Phoenix.

An existence who pretends to be a benevolent ruler in front of others but is actually a tyrant who dumps sweet and sour pork sauce without asking during Chinese restaurant gatherings.

* * *

New Seoul.

Administrator Yu Yingho and S Rank Hero Hwakwon Lee Seung-hyung traveled to Seoul to escort Cheongnyeon back.

Mediated by the Round Table, at the earnest request of the Chinese government, they were asked to eliminate China’s monsters. Prime Minister Baek Se-joon struggled under pressure from the divided political factions.

– Trust Seok Harang and ignore China. We’re a Round Table nation now, aren’t we?

– But what if we end up crossing the Yalu River again? It could lead to real war.

Debates raged day and night over whether to send an ability user capable of suppressing monsters to China. Caught in the middle, Baek Se-joon was powerless.

‘Why does this keep happening to me?’

Sun Icheol merely installed a moderately ambitious person as prime minister. But when Sun abruptly stepped down, Baek found himself thrust into running a country.

“Prime Minister! Say something!”

“You’re acting as president now, right?!”

Political figures began pressuring the prime minister to voice opinions, despite no consensus being reached.

“……Hmm.”

The prime minister crossed his arms and let out a contemplative hum. Despite his panic, the former six-term congressman maintained his dignity.

“How’s the administrator doing?”

At the prime minister’s inquiry, a young girl seated at the far end of the conference table bowed her head. With short black hair, she appeared rather young to address the elders but was one of the heroes representing the Hero Association in place of Administrator Yu Yingho.

“Beast Tamer readily agreed to our conditions. Registration with the association, domestic monster elimination, and traveling to China.”

A commotion erupted in the conference room. The woman’s willingness to comply rendered all prior debates meaningless.

“……Why didn’t you speak up earlier?”

“Well.”

The girl frowned as if the question was absurd.

“My mic was off.”

She tapped the malfunctioning microphone. She was currently amplifying her voice using ‘magic power.’ The prime minister briefly bowed his head before asking again.

“……Why didn’t you speak up earlier?”

“Well.”

The girl pointed to the gruff-looking man sitting beside her.

“I asked this guy, and he told me to shut up and stay quiet.”

“……”

The prime minister sighed, waving his finger to instruct the man.

“Contact the Chinese side.”

“……Understood.”

* * *

Shortly after. Hero Association New Seoul Branch.

The limousine stopped at the entrance of the association. Reporters and citizens eagerly awaited the arrival of those from Seoul, held back by the human wall formed by heroes.

“Quite the scene. Really.”

Phoenix greeted the residents of New Seoul with a sour expression. Half of them welcomed her warmly, while the other half hurled insults and curses.

“Why are they acting like this?”

“What else? Because New Seoul property prices dropped.”

Phoenix mockingly criticized them with sharp words before stepping out of the limousine and striding toward the entrance of the association building.

“Eh, wha?!?”

Lee Seung-hyung and Yu Yingho quickly followed after getting out of the car first. Phoenix entered the building as if familiar with its structure, without needing any guidance.

“Heaven Castle. Is this your first visit to the association?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then shouldn’t entering like that be impossible unless you’re familiar with the place?”

“……Architect. There’s a flaw in what you’re saying.”

Chun Sung frowned and shook his head.

“To say someone is familiar with the association building means they were at least a hero of this land. Do you think our captain was once a hero?”

“Huh?”

Both fell into deep thought as they pushed through the crowd to enter the association.

“Now, hold on! Interview please!”

“……”

Ignoring the photoline set up at the entrance, Phoenix walked straight into the building. At her abrupt departure, Yu Yingho hastily excused her behavior to the crowd.

“Ch-Chenghua is a shy girl with social anxiety! She’s not used to all the attention, folks! Please, calm down!”

Lee Seung-hyung inadvertently portrayed Phoenix as a socially awkward, bashful girl.

“Is that so?”

“Given she’s from Seoul countryside, it’s understandable.”

People quickly accepted the explanation. Ignoring the photoline markers, Phoenix entered the building with a tense expression.

“Then interviews….”

“Aah! Over there, the heroes who saved 60,000 Seoul citizens?!”

Attention shifted to the two officers of the Blue Wind Sect. Unlike public perception of the monster controller, these two were viewed positively as ‘heroes who saved Seoul.’

“Mayor! Is the monster controller important enough for you to personally travel from Seoul?!”

“Th-the name… Ah, Ability User Architect! Is it true you single-handedly created underground caves providing living space for 60,000 people?!”

The crowd swarmed around the two officers. Heaven Castle and Architect helplessly watched Phoenix disappear behind the glass doors.

She escaped because it got annoying.

“Say something!”

“What happened in Seoul’s underground?! How did you survive that hellhole?!”

The human barrier established by the heroes started to crumble. Heaven Castle had no choice but to step forward at the photoline and pick up the microphone.

“We….”

The officers had to fill the void left by their captain.

* * *

“This is why we put you in that position.”

“Hmm? What did you just say?”

“No, nothing. ……”

Phoenix scanned her surroundings with a sigh. The Hero Association building held many bittersweet memories, and she wanted to leisurely explore them.

‘But she became the spectacle instead.’

Peeking.

Everywhere—corridors, windows, wall cracks, terraces—people were watching Phoenix, the guest. From D-Rank heroes to veteran A-Rank heroes, everyone showed keen interest.

– Isn’t she the one who led the Seoul Recovery Operation?

– She single-handedly took down a quarter of the nation’s military force using monsters.

– Is she not too small to be that powerful?

“……”

Suppressing her frustration, Phoenix continued walking forward. Yu Yingho and Lee Seung-hyung noticed her unusual pace and realized she knew the layout of the Hero Association building.

“Have you ever visited before?”

“Yes, long ago.”

For Phoenix, the Hero Association headquarters was a place she frequented whenever she felt like it, as the world’s strongest commander and protagonist.

Phoenix paused momentarily in front of a certain door while reminiscing.

“……That’s empty. Just a break room.”

“Is that so? ……”

Phoenix’s gaze lingered on the break room for quite some time.

“I see.”

Phoenix turned away and resumed walking down the corridor. Yu Yingho, walking alongside her while observing the surroundings, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he realized where she was heading.

“……Testing Chamber?”

The Magic Pattern Testing Chamber.

A massive hall housing the super-sized testing equipment that determines whether someone has awakened magical abilities, and also serves as the registration counter for awakened ability users’ magic patterns.

Without any guidance, Phoenix independently located and arrived at the testing chamber.