Chapter 154

〈Chapter 154〉 Part 1, Chapter 8, Section 14

Chaos was rampant.

The confusion was intentionally created by Phoenix.

With the Beast Tamer missing in action, morning alarms ringing out across various locations, mini-Phoenixes flying about covering the skies, monsters running amok under the influence of Phoenix’s magic power, and an S-Rank monster, the Black Flame Dragon, crossing the sea to save its master—things were already bad enough.

But Phoenix had thrown yet another curveball into the mix.

The Chaos Dragon waking up early, the disappearance of classmates with special abilities, the vanishing act pulled by Unjang and Jeotto, the Illusory Dragon Group formed with Bonghyo at its helm, Motakeieng’s border lockdown aimed at eliminating them, and two Round Table Heroes riding atop the Black Flame Dragon soaring through the skies.

“This is a real mess.”

Kim Ji Hwa, who had compiled the information gathered from various Xroids, let out a hollow laugh. Yun Yuhwa, dispatched as a puppet, also grimaced in agreement.

“Why do you think I’d put up with this crap? If I’d known, I would’ve bailed ages ago.”

“What? Didn’t you help devise the strategy?”

“Nope. All I did was send it off to China.”

Yun Yuhwa sighed regretfully.

“That aircraft… It could’ve flown for three more years.”

Though Phoenix had promised to snag one S-Rank core from a beast in China as compensation, the pain of losing that plane still stung deeply.

“Like hell I’ll ever set foot near China again.”

“…Mr. Chairman, don’t we have factories over there?”

“Yeah, we do. That’s why I asked Phoenix to stir up trouble inland if possible. The destination was west anyway.”

Yun Yuhwa sipped his coffee from a plastic bottle, raising an eyebrow.

“All our factories are on the coast, though.”

“Ah.”

“We need to secure materials before moving the production bases back home.”

“But isn’t that what caused all the wage disputes before?”

“There are workers willing to work 24/7 without pay, aren’t there?”

Yun Yuhwa pointed a pristine finger at Kim Ji Hwa.

“Look forward to it. Right now, the two people you met in New Seoul are discussing where to build industrial zones in Seoul.”

“……What do you plan to pay these monsters with?”

Yun Yuhwa pondered for a moment before replying.

“Strawberries?”

“……We’ll discuss this seriously with the director later.”

Kim Ji Hwa tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. Even amidst the chaos enveloping China, the chairman was still thinking about making money.

“Mr. Chairman, aren’t you worried?”

Kim Ji Hwa couldn’t sleep due to anxiety. Like a child set adrift in water, Phoenix was rampaging uncontrollably, and he felt his life was mortgaged to her. Yun Yuhwa tilted his head in curiosity while pondering how to use the S-Rank core they’d receive as compensation for the airplane.

“Why?”

“If something happens to Director… if she gets hurt or worse…”

“So what? We’ll all die eventually, right? The Earth’s gonna end in five years anyway. Why worry when she’s far stronger than me?”

“She’s strong, but…”

Kim Ji Hwa hesitated, stopping mid-sentence. Yun Yuhwa chuckled knowingly.

“I’m sure she knows what she’s doing. She must have everything planned out.”

“But just because the pot inside isn’t leaking doesn’t mean the one outside isn’t, right?”

“You brought Jo Deokbae along to plug any leaks, didn’t you? Kim Ji Hwa, you worry too much. You’re not even like Gaeul-sshi… Wait.”

Yun Yuhwa furrowed his brow.

“Where’s Phantom?”

“…”

Kim Ji Hwa remained silent. Yun Yuhwa’s frown deepened.

“Phantom! Where’s Cheon Gaeul?”

“…I don’t know.”

Kim Ji Hwa honestly admitted his ignorance, feeling apologetic towards Yun Yuhwa but truly knowing nothing.

“Cheon Gaeul is currently carrying out a secret mission on behalf of the director.”

“……Without even informing me?”

Yun Yuhwa bit her lip. Kim Ji Hwa wanted to escape the situation immediately.

The chaos left behind by Phoenix had spread as far as Yeouido.

***

KABOOM!

The scorpion’s tail grazed my cheek. Its venomous stinger dripped with poison potent enough to melt anything it touched, making it a lethal weapon. But its speed wasn’t impressive, and I easily dodged by twisting my body.

SHREEEK!

The scorpion monster attempted to redirect its stinger, but my hand had already grabbed the middle of its tail. The steel-hard exoskeleton squirmed like an eel in my grip.

[You gave me quite the headache.]

Annoyingly high defense paired with toxic attacks capable of wiping out allies made this pest frustrating. But now, it’s just a bug with thick skin.

CRUNCH.

KEE-YAHHH!!

Even a slight squeeze from me sent the scorpion monster into agony. My nails dug into the supposedly impenetrable shell, and purple ichor oozed out from the crushed exoskeleton.

SSSSHHH–

Poison dripped onto my gauntlet, instantly cooking due to the flames beneath, evaporating before it could spill further. Thick purple smoke arose, causing the monster Heuk Jeon-jal great distress.

KRICK?!

[I really like you.]

Sincerely confessed. Despite its annoying pattern, it provided excellent rewards, which is why I often hunted Heuk Jeon-jals during the late game. They’re S-Rank pests commonly found across China.

[A barely A-Rank size…]

I lifted my right foot and pressed down on one of the pincers. With both its tail and one pincer trapped, the Heuk Jeon-jal thrashed violently, trying to wriggle free.

GRIND. GRIND!

Naturally, the more it resisted, the more force I applied. Grabbing the venomous stinger spraying poison everywhere, I twisted its arms into an X shape, breaking the tail, then crushed the joint of the claw with the heel of my boot.

KYAAAH!!!

Both of its primary weapons were torn away by my hands and feet. The Heuk Jeon-jal screamed in pain, retreating backward. I couldn’t let it escape.

[This is a present for Yoon Yuha.]

I propelled myself forward, closing the distance. The Heuk Jeon-jal tried to retreat into the tunnel it had burrowed, but I leapt over it faster.

[Taste your own tail.]

Letting it experience its own deadly venom might knock some sense into it. I slammed its body into the ground and jabbed the curved stinger tip between its segments.

CRACKKK!

Its exoskeleton peeled off like a tin can. The tough outer layer, tightly adhered to the flesh beneath, began to peel off gradually thanks to the hooked stinger. The ‘tearing’ sound echoed like ripping fingernails, delivering excruciating pain.

KYAAAK! KYAAAK!

The Heuk Jeon-jal went berserk. The agony of its outer shell being torn off combined with the poison from its own stinger dissolving its flesh was unbearable.

[That’s why you should’ve used your poison more carefully.]

I jammed the stinger backward into the gap where the outer shell had been torn off. The Heuk Jeon-jal convulsed wildly like a cockroach doused with insecticide before collapsing limp.

[Hmm.]

I extracted the stinger, finishing peeling off the outer shell. Its veins were swollen with dark red blood, and the flesh had rotted away in just that short time.

[Your poison is truly remarkable for such a small fry.]

I repeatedly stabbed and scooped out the outer shell until I successfully reached where the core should be.

[Alright.]

I plunged my hand into the Heuk Jeon-jal’s head. The fluids seeping through the joints were instantly cooked by my flames, and its flesh began to char red. Its glaring white eyes, filled with rage, stared at me.

[If you’re upset, bring your mom next time. We can take the cube too.]

PUUUSH. I gripped the core forcefully. As expected, it was a brown S-Rank durability core, barely scraping the line.

[Honestly, calling this S-Rank feels a bit off, doesn’t it?]

It was just barely S-Rank, maybe around 90~95%. This core was at 90.01, barely crossing the threshold.

Still, Yoon Yuha will love it. Though he pledged one S-Rank core as insurance for the destroyed airplane, I didn’t plan to give him just one now that he’s officially part of my team.

KYAAAHHH!

Three massive clouds of dirt erupted from the hole carved by the first Heuk Jeon-jals. Identical—or slightly larger—Heuk Jeon-jals emerged, spewing poison in their fury.

[Ah, so this one was the youngest?]

I nudged the dead Heuk Jeon-jal’s head with my foot. Despite being somewhat of a comrade and family member, its growling response to my provocation annoyed me.

[No interest in playing with kids. Go fetch your parents. Time for parent-teacher conference.]

KYAAHHH!

They ignored me completely. Shaking my head, I reorganized my magic power.

[Kids these days…]

I picked up the severed tail at my feet and hurled it like a spear.

[Do monsters not wake up to morning calls?]

My fist pierced through the wide-open pincer aimed at me.

BOOOOM!

Flames exploded inside the Heuk Jeon-jal’s body.

* * *

Phoenix didn’t bother hiding her magic power. Since she started rampaging precisely to reveal herself as a monster, her fiery energy spread across all of China.

“Whoa, man, she’s burning hot! I wanna fight her!”

Himeji Hayate, the Gale Guest, licked his lips at the distant heat, thrilled. If not for the glowering black-haired beauty, Yunjang Xiao Lin, standing in front of him, he would’ve jumped off the Black Flame Dragon and raced toward the battle immediately.

“Hey! You’ve fought her once already! Can’t I go first?!”

“No way. You always try to kill the ones you defeat.”

Yunjang argued openly, showing her distaste. Despite differences in nationality, the two had a poor relationship due to their conflicting values.

“If you really want to fight, beat her first, then I’ll take my turn.”

“You’d get wrecked.”

“…I’m different now.”

“How so? You don’t seem much changed to me.”

“I’ve transcended humanity.”

Xiao Lin placed her hand on her chest, smiling proudly. The Gale Guest wondered if she had become one of those ‘monsters’ he’d heard about from his sibling, Himeji Hikari.

“Are you one of those monsters too? Isn’t that only possible for the undead?”

“…Yes. I died.”

“Tch. Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d died at my hands?”

“I have no intention of fighting. Besides, I would’ve beaten you even when I was alive.”

“Oi! Are you asking for death?”

The Gale Guest emitted killing intent, drawing his sword. Even atop the flying dragon, he maintained perfect posture, clearly intending to slice Xiao Lin down. Xiao Lin sneered, blowing a raspberry.

“Aren’t you the official beauty of the Round Table? And besides, I’m already dead, so dying again wouldn’t matter.”

“Tch. What a bore. Hey, you keep saying you’re dead—are you serious? It’s a lie, right?”

“It’s true because I came back as a monster after dying. Why are you interrogating me so much?”

“To believe someone as skilled as you—or even slightly weaker—was killed is hard to swallow.”

“It wasn’t a battle that killed me.”

Xiao Lin shook her head firmly.

“I was murdered.”

“……? Could you explain that properly?”

The Gale Guest checked his translator again to ensure he’d understood correctly. Both the meaning conveyed through magic power and the translation matched perfectly.

‘Murdered’.

“Equivalent to being assassinated, yes. But it wasn’t through combat. If I had lost to someone as powerful as Her, I would’ve accepted death gracefully. However, that wasn’t the case. I was murdered.”

Xiao Lin gritted her teeth.

“By Director Motakeieng.”

“……Wait a sec.”

The Gale Guest raised a hand to calm Xiao Lin’s surging magic power.

“Is this Motakeieng the same guy who heads the Chinese monster countermeasures department?”

“Yes. Oh, and apparently he has over ten illegitimate children.”

“……Crazy. No, forget the illegitimate kids—how did he manage to murder an S-Rank like you?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Lin smiled bitterly.

“It seems my defeat and exposure bothered him greatly. He decided to erase my existence.”

“Isn’t that insane?! Why would he kill an S-Rank?!”

“I wondered the same thing. So I asked him before dying. Do you know what he said?”

Xiao Lin chuckled humorlessly, mimicking Motakeieng.

“‘Out of 1.3 billion people, surely another S-Rank will appear, right?’”

“……I can’t even speak after hearing such shocking words.”

[Me neither.]

“GYAAAH?! The Black Flame Dragon can talk?! GAH?!”

The Gale Guest slipped in surprise, falling off the flying dragon into the Yellow Sea. Xiao Lin finally spoke, stroking the Black Flame Dragon’s scales with her hand.

“My apologies for troubling you. Jett needs to rest for a bit.”

[Don’t worry about it. I must heed the divine call and depart now.]

“Divine? Are you saying Her was a god?”

[…….]

Even the heavens couldn’t win against logic. The Black Flame Dragon sped up toward Phoenix’s location, delicately questioning the matter of the S-Rank’s “murder.”

[How exactly did he manage to kill an S-Rank? Doesn’t sound like a voluntary suicide.]

“……He committed unspeakable acts against his own children.”

Xiao Lin clenched her teeth, pointing at her chest.

“Loneliness, you understand?”