Chapter 249

〈 Chapter 249 〉 Part 1, Chapter 11, Episode 19

A commander awakens as a Spirit through love, and as the Spirit’s love deepens, they ascend to become a ‘Divine Being.’

“Feels kinda like some cheesy marketing tactic trying to insert romantic subplots.”

I had my doubts about whether this was intentionally added because the genre of the story is a romance, but nonetheless, I successfully awakened Seok Harang and Hwanryong into Spirits.

“Seok Harang fell in love with Yun Yuhwa.”

When Seok Harang ascended to SS Rank, she was so heartbroken that it felt like the world was ending. She found love in Yun Yuhwa, who cared for her.

“By making Yun Yuhwa the emotional anchor for Seok Harang after killing Gwanggeom…”

In the original story, the protagonist’s love interest became a family member as a “husband.” In the early stages when I killed Gwanggeom, I tried to make Yun Yuhwa a “sister” figure to Seok Harang.

“Seok Harang’s Spirit Ascension.”

Once the synchronization conditions are met, anyone can reach Mythic status regardless of talent.

“Synchronization transcends attributes. Even someone without powers can reach SSS Rank through synchronization.”

Before meeting Rusalka, my plan was to synchronize human Yun Yuhwa with Spirit Seok Harang, achieving Seok Harang’s Spirit Ascension while making Yun Yuhwa the subject of a water-attribute Myth.

“All those plans turned to dust.”

Though my initial plans dissolved—like being buried in magma instead of merely failing—Seok Harang must still ascend to Mythic status.

To prevent any future mishaps where I overstep boundaries and receive an education from another realm’s deity, I needed to face them at full power.

So, I also awakened Hwanryong, though his case was different.

“Will to live. That’s the first step.”

I faked the deaths of all his subordinates in front of Hwanryong and pushed him to his limits, sending Gaeul to give him a reason to continue living in this world.

The condition for awakening Hwanryong was simple:

“Love someone other than oneself—be it heterosexual love, familial affection, or friendship.”

Having endured countless losses and wounds over millennia, Hwanryong chose to abandon his physical form and become a spirit, vowing never to love again. But I broke down the barriers he’d erected with brute force, and Gaeul entered and awakened him.

I instructed Gaeul to instill a reason to live and vitality within Hwanryong, but she hasn’t revealed how exactly she managed to awaken him yet.

Now, Hwanryong’s love has shifted towards Gaeul.

As for me…

Anyway, approximately 2.5 spirits have been awakened. I’ve gained two SS-Rank spirits, Seoyea and Hwanryong, as allies.

“Myth ascension takes things further.”

Even reaching SS Rank through awakening doesn’t mean the growth stops there.

And Seok Harang, inheriting Seoyea’s power as a half-human, half-spirit, could achieve Mythic status on her own, much like the protagonist who inherited Chang-yeom’s strength.

“Born with the power of a spirit.”

Unlike other spirits who need synchronization with humans to reach Mythic status, Chang-yeom and Seoyea could achieve it independently once certain conditions were met.

“The protagonist reached Mythic status through Chang-yeom’s Phoenix disappearing from existence.”

Chang-yeom’s Blazing Phoenix achieved Mythic status by transferring all its power to the protagonist upon ceasing to exist.

“But Seok Harang has two paths.”

Rusalka-Seok Harang, the second Seoyea, reached SSS Rank through love and Mythic status.

Her awakening condition? Familial love.

Whether through personal routes leading to lifelong companionship or resolving tragic family secrets tied to Gwanggeom, Seok Harang attained SSS Rank.

“If I truly accepted Seok Harang, would it be possible…?”

Perhaps the reason Seok Harang clings to me, calling me brother or husband, stems from her longing for familial affection.

“How wonderful it would be if we could just ascend together as siblings.”

Marriage to Seok Harang? Not an option for me. Though I feel sorry for her, my heart already belongs to someone else.

“So, Seok Harang needs to resolve her relationship with Gwanggeom.”

She must confront and understand Gwanggeom’s reasons for hiding his identity as her father and lingering around her life for years.

“Gwanggeom burdened Seok Harang with sins.”

While many players fail to empathize with Gwanggeom, some strongly defend his perspective.

“Fear of becoming the object of hatred.”

It’s akin to parents who leave their children in orphanages due to financial struggles, only to return successful but hesitate to reveal themselves as parents out of fear of rejection.

Gwanggeom’s deepest fear is that Seok Harang might come to hate him. Rusalka, too, shares this anxiety despite her attempts to suppress it.

“I thought time would solve everything.”

After five years and five months of nurturing her, things didn’t go as planned.

Rusalka suddenly found herself under another man’s control,

Gwanggeom still lacks the courage to reveal himself to his daughter,

Seok Harang waits stubbornly for them to approach her first,

and time races forward like an arrow.

But even though it’s frustrating—very frustrating—it’s not my place to meddle in family matters.

Emotional issues aren’t resolved like game choices; they’ve tangled up precisely here.

—

“Do you understand my frustrations now?”

I poured out all my frustrations to Deokbae in the bamboo grove. It felt like shouting into the earth to hide the king’s indiscretions.

“Huh… what?”

Deokbae scratched his head and tilted his head.

“To be honest, I don’t get it at all.”

“How can Underling No. 2 be more alien than aliens? Seriously, you lack even basic empathy?”

“Don’t know. How should I know when I’ve never had a family?”

Deokbae delivered a self-deprecating joke, leaving me speechless.

“That couple’s pretty bad too. When they reunited after 20 years, why start with that? Don’t they care about their child?”

“While they argue, I coach them from the sidelines.”

“You do that too?”

“Yes, helping them stabilize emotionally so they can talk smoothly with Seok Harang.”

Though they love each other, they don’t know how to extend that love to their child. After all, they birthed but never raised a child.

“Alright. If we really hit rock bottom, I’ll force a three-way conference. I’ll tell Gwanggeom this directly later.”

“Got it. But can I ask one thing?”

Deokbae glanced at his Magical Gear. We’d long exceeded our planned 10-minute break.

“Why are you so obsessed with reaching Mythic status? You’re already blowing stuff up left and right. What’s so special about the next level?”

“I told you already: Mythic.”

“Does it really make you a god?”

“Power-wise, yes.”

I pulled out a hologram from my Magical Gear. A spherical object appeared between Deokbae and me, pockmarked with craters.

“The moon?”

“Yes. Let me explain using Seok Harang as an example.”

Snap.

The moment I flicked my finger, water began filling the craters on the moon. Deokbae’s eyes widened more than ever before, and I declared confidently that no one had ever seen him this shocked.

“Surprising, isn’t it? Yes, this is possible at Mythic status.”

Flicking my finger again, the gray surface turned green, and a green atmosphere enveloped the moon.

Gold light and black darkness orbited periodically, creating day and night cycles. Gray floating bodies in the atmosphere transformed into living creatures.

At the core of the moon burned a Blue Flame.

“Everyone calls us ‘gods.’ Terraforming is certainly within our capabilities.”

“…That’s not terraforming. That’s creation-level stuff.”

“Mr. Deokbae.”

I chuckled bitterly at his words.

“If I were truly omnipotent, would I be afraid of another realm’s deity and live like this?”

“Fair point.”

“And this is assuming all seven of us reach Mythic status. Right now, we’re not even close—with only four of us even present.”

All shadows disappeared from the ground, the golden light faded, the land reverted to gray, and the breathing atmosphere vanished.

“So, stop pressuring Gwanggeom about Seok Harang’s issues. Time will resolve it eventually.”

“…Something feels off.”

Though Deokbae tilted his head suspiciously and looked at me dubiously, I simply dispersed the hologram.

“Pfft, let’s go rescue the old deity first, shall we? Before they fall prey to some random human guy, let’s find a way to save them.”

“Alright.”

Our break ended.

Deokbae and I returned to the conference room, discussing risks and planning agendas for the Blue Wind Sect.

…Ultimately, reducing risks in the <Princess Boiled Chicken Wrap Plan> is the limit of what our villain organization, the Blue Wind Sect, can achieve.

—

<11:00 AM, Yeongjong Island, Yu-Sung Hotel Penthouse>

Separate from the Blue Wind Sect’s agenda, I came to Yeongjong Island to check if the ferry to India was functioning properly.

“Welcome to my island!”

“It’s government property.”

Yeongjong Island, where Baegnaroh docked near the old Incheon International Airport, greeted us with Baek Hee-a scanning the area with a sour expression.

“This place is almost identical to my room in Yeouido.”

“…I thought the luxury goods you bought from Yu-Sung mostly stayed upstairs, but I didn’t expect them to be here.”

Baek Hee-a frowned after checking the maker of the chair she sat on.

“Why aren’t you using Yu-Sung products?”

“Didn’t know Ms. Baek Hee-a was such a big fan of Yu-Sung.”

“Correction! Why are you using imported furniture instead of domestic ones?”

“Oh, that. Sorry about that.”

Though I apologize to Baek Hee-a, there isn’t a single Korean or Yu-Sung item in this room. Everything was handpicked by Yun Yuhwa.

“This is my room, so President Yun personally selected the furniture.”

“You wouldn’t think you and President Yun are… Never mind, sorry for the inappropriate question.”

“President Yun and I have a special relationship, but I’m just a supplier, and he’s just a client. Our main product is this.”

I pulled out an A-Rank Core from my pocket and tossed it to Baek Hee-a.

“I hunt monsters in the former North Korea territories and prioritize supplying Yu-Sung. Just wanted to mention that in case you were worried.”

Before Baek Hee-a could say anything, I preempted her.

“Are the cores I supply handled legally through Yu-Sung taxes?”

“Then that’s fine. Thank you for contributing to national taxes.”

“…Excuse me, Executioner Miss.”

Leaning over the sofa, I placed my hand on Baek Hee-a’s shoulder.

“Am I making you comfortable?”

“Yes, extremely. Right now, I’m meeting Patriot Cheongnyeon, not Phoenix.”

Baek Hee-a grinned widely.

“After careful consideration, I realized there’s no one who benefits this country more than you, Mr. Cheongnyeon.”

Pressing a button on the Magical Gear gifted by Baek Hee-a, she pulled up a list.

“Last month alone, Yu-Sung officially ‘imported’ eight S-Rank Cores. Without reprocessing them, they were invested into SOC. Thanks to priority bidding, Yu-Sung secured construction projects…”

Clap! Baek Hee-a clapped her hands happily.

“Finally, national highways will be restored nationwide! By October at the latest! Ohoho, thanks to the ample budget, manpower is well allocated. Once again, thank you.”

“…”

Through my core supply, Yun Yuhwa’s capital investment, and Baek Hee-a’s family influence, infrastructure restoration began.

“Excuse me, could you lend Architect for a month?”

“No. Architect needs to work in Seoul.”

Thanks to this, the price of architectural experts skyrocketed, but I instructed Architect to prioritize Seoul’s restoration.

“Let’s set aside talks about Seoul’s restoration and discuss something else first. That’s why I prepared this room specifically for you.”

“…? Am I staying here?”

“Yes. This building is refurbished for your use whenever you’re on a Yeongjong Island assignment. Use the room. Now, onto the main topic.”

“Such a luxurious room just for me? What on earth…”

“I want to discuss ways to naturalize the Russian Round Table Hero, Undine Anastasha.”

Baek Hee-a stood up and grabbed my shoulders with both hands.

“Tell me everything, every single detail!”

“…Why am I so terrified of losing people overseas but so excited about foreign Ability Users immigrating?”

“Of course!”

Baek Hee-a giggled uncontrollably at the mere thought.

“One more S-Rank Ability User joins Korea! Foreign relations matter, right? The Round Table becomes Korean!”

“…”

No wonder foreign players don’t like her. Still, I understood Baek Hee-a’s feelings since I travel abroad collecting cores myself.

“Would you like to hear the story first? It’s a complete ‘Romeo and Juliet.'”

“Yes, I’ll listen from beginning to end.”

I began narrating an edited version of Gwanggeom and Rusalka’s situation.