Chapter 285

〈 Chapter 285 〉 Part 1, Chapter 13, Section 2

<July 23, 2020, 7:00 AM, Above Seoul>

I told Seok Harang about the method to forcibly enhance the level of an ability user.

Magic power ultimately boils down to how much magic power you can store in your body and how efficiently you can move it around. The issue is how well the accumulated magic flows through your veins, which determines how much magic power you can use.

So, simply put, it’s about forcing the magic to build up and flow within the body. From a spirit’s perspective, a human body is no different from a “field.”

A powerless person with no magic power is like an uncultivated wasteland, while someone at S-rank is akin to fertile soil where fruit grows abundantly just by planting seeds.

The job of the spirit is to create waterways in that field and enrich the soil, and that water and nourishment are “the magic power directly infused by the spirit.”

“So why can’t the other executives do this?”

Gaeul’s question was valid. Though the Dark Legion executives were originally spirits who could freely awaken and develop ability users, they couldn’t do so.

“Because their magic power is contaminated with Tera.”

Unless they can undo brainwashing and extract the power of the spirits, the magic power used by the Dark Legion executives is corrupted by the Otherworldly God.

The only way to purify that is my flame—Chang-yeom—and the original protagonist received power from Blazing Phoenix to transform the executives back into spirits.

“But things are different now. I have fire attribute, Illusion Dragon has illusion magic, and Seok Harang has water attribute magic, so we can make them grow as much as they want.”

A perfect example right in front of us is Gaeul.

Gaeul’s usable illusion magic was nearing the maximum of 88-A rank, but Illusion Dragon filled her body with its own magic power, making Gaeul reach S-rank.

“How did Illusion Dragon transfer the magic power? Was it blood exchange? Or did it create a core and hand it over?”

“Eh, um, …… ”

Gaeul blushed and whispered quietly enough for only me to hear.

“I’ll tell you when we’re alone later.”

“…… I already get it. You said it’s possible to inject magic power through blood, right? It’s also possible through saliva. And semen too.”

“YAAH!!”

Though Gaeul screamed loudly, I ignored her. My words made the expressions of the other executives change noticeably.

“…… Director, are you planning to fight against Hwakwon—”

“Don’t misunderstand. I have my own way.”

Before Yu I-shin could say anything harsh, I cut her off and spread my palm, gathering my magic power into the air.

The blue flame condensed into a full sphere, and its shape was almost identical to an S-rank fire attribute core if it were only red instead of blue. Though mine is purer.

“The principle is the same as when monsters absorb other cores to grow stronger. I refine my magic power and inject it directly into the heart. What did you expect?”

“…… So, bluntly speaking, if someone kisses you, they’d reach S-rank in fire attribute?”

“Not wrong, but still, don’t phrase it like that. Don’t confuse people. Yun Yuhwa is listening too, you know.”

[Even if you just give me a core, I would be deeply grateful to the Spirit.]

My personal ride, Black Flame Dragon, conveyed its intentions through magic power. To others, it might sound like a dragon’s roar, but at least those who’ve reached S-rank can understand Black Flame Dragon’s intentions.

“Grrr….”

Yu I-shin sighed regretfully. Among the three spirits I awakened, none matched hers. Same goes for the other executives.

“Except for Cheon Gaeul, who became S-rank through some embarrassing act with Illusion Dragon, there’s Jo Deokbae with durability, Architect, Sky Castle with dark attribute, Lighthouse, and you, Gongsung, with wind attribute. I’ve already brought Black Flame Dragon from B-rank to S-rank.”

“I have a question. Why did you make Black Flame Dragon a monster?”

Lighthouse left his seat, and Gongsung asked the question. I answered his reasonable question while patting Black Flame Dragon’s back.

“Black Flame Dragon was originally B-rank. I forced it to A-rank and then immediately to S-rank, so Black Flame Dragon needed time to adapt to its new level. When I turned Black Flame Dragon into a dragon, it had barely reached A-rank.”

“The body may be ready, but the mind must catch up too, right? That happened to me too, didn’t it? I had an S-rank core but could only perform at A-rank specs.”

Gaeul pointed to her behind.

Now that she can summon tentacles at will, even though she had an S-rank core, she was at A-rank level, so she always had to keep the tentacles out.

“If Qingnyeon had fire attribute, it would be really good, but unfortunately, the land here is too dominated by water energy, causing fire attribute to wither.”

Since a water attribute spirit resided here for twenty years, it was natural for the Korean Peninsula to experience what one might call a “water crisis.”

“Personally, I think it’s impressive that Black Flame Dragon managed to hold on as a B-rank fire attribute in Seoul. If it were in another country, it could have reached A-rank without my help.”

[But without welcoming the Spirit, it wouldn’t have reached this S-rank.]

“…… Hmmph.”

Thanks to Black Flame Dragon gilding my face, I suddenly felt embarrassed. I cleared my throat awkwardly and continued the conversation.

“So originally, I planned to only strengthen those who would become completely allies, but now I’m gradually increasing our full strength.”

Black Flame Dragon began to glide downward slowly. We left Seoul and entered the airspace above New Seoul, following the lead of the dispatched fighter jets. Black Flame Dragon folded its wings and started landing near New Seoul.

The place where we landed was the empty lot of the Daejeon research complex where I once fought with Light Blade.

“We’ve been waiting.”

Executioner Baek Hee-a greeted us, wearing a white beret.

* * *

Announcements are always sudden.

Due to concerns that other countries might protest diplomatically before we even start, we decided to hold a send-off ceremony right before departure and leave straight from Incheon.

“Isn’t it inconvenient for you to come and go between Incheon and New Seoul?”

“Not at all. …… Thank you very much for allowing us to hold the send-off ceremony in New Seoul.”

“You’re too kind.”

We originally planned to hold a simple event in Incheon. However, Baek Hee-a wanted a grand send-off ceremony for the trip to India, so I modified the plan to go through New Seoul first and then head to Incheon.

“Do you really want to ride Black Flame Dragon?”

“Hmmph. This is to inform the residents of New Seoul about safety. Moreover, we need to widely announce the movements of Qingnyeon too.”

Baek Hee-a quickly corrected her address to me, mindful of others’ eyes. I also spoke politely because I was conscious of other people’s ears. The overall leader of the group going to India was the Executioner, and Qingnyeon was merely a member of Qingnyeon Sect and an ability user.

“Isn’t it enough that publicity happens automatically even without announcing it? Since this is the first time you’ve come to New Seoul on Black Flame Dragon after last month’s visit to China.”

“Yes. Community forums are already ablaze.”

The arsonists were those who arrived in Seoul early morning looking for me but ended up running away like stray dogs. Since I flew to Seoul on Black Flame Dragon at dawn, it would take them time to travel from Seoul to New Seoul.

“They’ve already sensed something. They don’t know where we’re headed, though.”

“…… We’ve done our best to maintain confidentiality.”

“Thank you for your hard work. So during the send-off ceremony….”

Setting aside other issues, I specifically asked about the whereabouts of two people who absolutely had to participate.

“Unsah and Usa must definitely attend.”

“…Could they possibly…?”

I drew an ‘S’ with my finger.

“Starting today, water attribute users won’t be commoners anymore; they’ll be water aristocrats.”

By the grace of Seolhwaryeong, they will surely reach S-rank.

* * *

Black Flame Dragon arrived in New Seoul.

An urgent report unknown to anyone was leaked worldwide, and the public began to focus on Qingnyeon’s actions, which had been quiet for a while.

– Is she coming to New Seoul again to do something like Six Minutes?

It was a reasonable suspicion. But it wasn’t the time for the calendar to flip, and those who scrutinized the identities of those who came with Qingnyeon on Black Flame Dragon were chilled to the bone.

– Aren’t they from Qingnyeon Sect?

The world’s first “Hunter Guild,” Qingnyeon Sect, entered New Seoul proudly under the guidance of the Executioner. Not long after Qingnyeon arrived in New Seoul, Executioner Baek Hee-a officially announced a press conference.

“Hello, I am Executioner Baek Hee-a.”

As usual, the Executioner wore her uniform with a beret, but her expression was unusually serious and excited. After glancing over the reporters who were on the verge of going crazy with curiosity, Baek Hee-a boldly declared to the camera,

“We’re heading to India. That’s all.”

This was the shortest and most shocking briefing in briefing history, leaving reporters baffled as it hinted at a future shocking situation. Baek Hee-a turned around as if she had no regrets and left the press conference room.

“Wait a moment!”

“Director! What is this?!”

“What happened to the special envoy team sent to Russia?!”

Reporters chaotically chased after Baek Hee-a.

“Calm down! This isn’t proper!”

“Does this look like a time to calm down?! At least explain properly before you leave!!”

Some reporters even tried to block her path by pretending to cling to her side, but heroes assisting Baek Hee-a blocked them. The reporters were relentless.

“We haven’t received any prior notice at all!!”

At that moment, Baek Hee-a turned her head to look at the questioning reporter. She cleared her throat and smiled faintly.

“I didn’t receive any prior notice either. As soon as Qingnyeon arrived, she said she wanted to go to India immediately.”

“Huh?”

“I hadn’t even heard she was coming to New Seoul.”

Baek Hee-a bitterly laughed and lowered her head, and those watching her on the screen felt sympathy for her.

She really was unpredictable, but not to this extent. It was a moment when people’s thoughts about Qingnyeon became complicated in various ways.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Yu Sung family residence in New Seoul.

“Is it okay that Qingnyeon suddenly became so restless?”

“It doesn’t matter. This way, more attention will be drawn to Qingnyeon.”

The reason announcements were made through me rather than systematically through Director Baek Hee-a was intentional.

“It’s to show that predicting my movements through the Association is completely useless. At least regarding destination decisions, it disguises that the Association isn’t the boss but I am.”

“This disguise is more like the truth, isn’t it? Once Customer decides, Baek Hee-a just follows, right?”

Yun Yuhwa sipped coffee and informed me about the network situation.

“It’s chaos right now. The Indian Association claims they never received any contact.”

“They might not have received contact, but they should still open the skies, shouldn’t they? Let them deal with it. Qingnyeon is visiting, so they should welcome her.”

“The envoy team sent to Russia proved effective. Everyone is confused asking why we’re not going to Russia but to India instead.”

Another effect of sending the delegation led by Sky Castle was to raise suspicions—”Perhaps the envoy team is doing covert work for Qingnyeon’s visit.”

“Well, it’s because Karna is in India.”

“But people don’t know that, do they.”

“Do we really need a reason? Hmm, how about this? Since the first place visited was China, the next stop is India, which has the second largest population. Doesn’t that sound plausible?”

“That does sound plausible. The third most populous country might be drinking kimchi soup and waiting with bated breath for Customer to arrive.”

“Mistaken assumptions are their fault. I never said I’d go there.”

This was the first time I officially announced going to a specific country after the visit to China.

The excuse about needing time to recover from the plane crash worked better than expected, and the nuclear-powered monsters advancing south provided a suitable cover story.

“If Pencil reappears in the UK, I could go there, or if another executive appears in South America, I might circle the globe. There’s no specific reason for my overseas trips, right?”

“That’s correct. You’re going to hunt executives. ……In that sense.”

Yun Yuhwa tapped her collarbone with her palm and nodded.

“I firmly believe Customer will capture Karna.”

“……Now that I think about it, I’ve taken a lot from you and given you a lot back.”

Like Light Blade, and the Cube. Every time I gave something to Yun Yuhwa, I took it back for various reasons.

“I’ll leave Gangsoogyeong to you.”

“……Are you writing another blank check? Or will you delay again, saying there’s a better use elsewhere?”

“I absolutely won’t.”

When considering where to place Gangsoogyeong Karna for maximum efficiency, it’s clearly “beside Yun Yuhwa.”

“Aren’t you water attribute? If you keep Karna nearby and periodically receive magic power from him, you could reach S-rank, maybe even SS-rank someday. Though combat might be tough.”

“Then, Customer, what ability did I use as an SS-rank in the future?”

“……”

Should I spoil it? I hesitated for a moment and refused to disclose it.

“Find out yourself later.”

“……Did I perhaps dislike my ability? Could it be something like increasing the number of controllable puppets?”

“No comment. There’s a reason for everything I don’t tell you.”

If I revealed Yun Yuhwa’s future ability, it would serve as an incredible guide. But at the same time, it could also limit her growth.

“Hmm…”

I recalled five years ahead to remember Yun Yuhwa’s SS-rank ability.

“……Upon reflection, you weren’t exactly a combatant.”

“Then what?”

“Just know that there was such a future. You could become even stronger than that now.”

I worried I might be limiting Yun Yuhwa’s future unnecessarily, so I decided to clarify.

“After receiving magic power from Gangsoogyeong, you’ll grow to C-cup—”

“Customer.”

Yun Yuhwa glared at me with a frosty expression. Clearly annoyed again about the chest reference, I apologized straightforwardly.

“Sorry. Just slipped out—”

“I want to go to India too.”

“……”

“Waiting in New Seoul gets annoying. I’ll help you directly. Please bring Gangsoogyeong to me. Got it?”

Yun Yuhwa showed immense enthusiasm. Her golden eyes sparkled more brilliantly than ever with seven starlights.

“……If you go, you’ll need to switch puppets.”

“Don’t worry.”

Yun Yuhwa pointed at herself and grinned.

“I can go myself.”

And I responded with a laugh.

“Want to get scolded?”

“Heeeeng….”