Chapter 287

〈 Chapter 287 〉 Part 1, Chapter 13, 4

After the farewell ceremony ended, we mounted the Black Flame Dragon and landed on Yeongjong Island. At the old international airport site, the Baegnaroh was neatly maintained on a polished runway, and Western Sea Weapon, wearing a uniform with a helmet, came to greet us.

“Welcome to Yeongjong Island. May your journey be safe.”

The owner of Yeongjong Island had meticulously cleaned up the appearance of the Baegnaroh. It was spotless, so much so that Baek Hee-a, who descended from the Black Flame Dragon, gaped in surprise.

“You’ve worked hard. It must have been tough to maintain it alone.”

“Managing before departure is my specialty. Captain, I’ve stocked everything you mentioned. Please confirm the supplies.”

Western Sea Weapon respectfully handed over a list to Baek Hee-a. While carefully checking the items loaded into the cargo hold, Baek Hee-a nodded but frowned.

“Everything I requested seems to be here, but they’re all Yu-Sung products…”

Western Sea Weapon remained silent. Our only supplier was Yu-Sung, and their leader had prepared everything possible for the Baegnaroh’s provisions.

“There’s no choice. Using domestic products is far better than imports.”

“…Still, things have gotten a bit better recently.”

Since I started dealing with Yun Yuhwa, he abandoned his cheap quality approach and began improving his goods. The Yun Yuhwa who used to mass-produce anti-Yu-Sung sentiments by saying ‘Where else can you buy besides Yu-Sung?’ has disappeared.

“…Cheongnyeon. Yu-Sung is still Yu-Sung.”

But there are still many people like Baek Hee-a who have an overall negative image of Yu-Sung. I no longer needed to say anything good about Yu-Sung. The only products I cared about were aerospace and core industries; daily-use items didn’t matter to me.

“Even Cheongnyeon gets annoyed when shampoo drips after washing hair, right?”

“…? But I don’t wash with water.”

Baek Hee-a’s expression momentarily stiffened. It felt like watching someone see something unclean, and I involuntarily felt slightly irritated.

“..Even if less foreign substances come out of the bodies of special ability users, you should bathe regularly-”

“No, I don’t wash with water.”

I brushed my hair aside and summoned flames to burn off dust.

“This works fine.”

“……My apologies.”

“Want me to do it next time?”

“……That’s a bit too much.”

Baek Hee-a blushed and seemed embarrassed, but her eyes kept glancing at my damp, flowing hair, hinting at some anticipation. Together with Baek Hee-a, I boarded the Baegnaroh first and observed the team members.

“Since not many people are boarding, each person can take one room.”

“Understood.”

“Excuse me.”

Among the passengers from the Blue Wind Sect: <Phantom>, <Gongsung>, <Cheongnyeon>. Except for the three male officers in Russia coordinating with Suborof, two monsters’ cores hung as earrings on my ears.

“Why would someone who hates jewelry suddenly wear earrings? And those made from Jo Deokbae and Black Flame Dragon cores?”

“Fashion, it’s fashion.”

Thin threads of magic power formed earrings around my ears. One side held the Black Flame Dragon core, a mix of black and blue scales, while the other side featured the coarse gray core of Jo Deokbae.

“It’s for later, so don’t worry about it.”

The monster cores, each about 2cm wide and gem-like, looked displeasing.

“Don’t worry. You can’t just put them in your pocket anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“There’s no other way.”

Even I refuse to carry Jo Deokbae and the Black Flame Dragon core in my pocket. After pushing the monsters inside, I stood at the entrance and extended my hand to each person boarding.

“Hello, Tempest Lady? You used to be Storm Girl, right?”

“…….”

The first A-rank wind user, Tempest Lady, cautiously avoided shaking my hand.

“Why?”

“……Hmph.”

Tempest Lady glanced at me once and walked away without shaking hands. My extended hand felt awkward, but I didn’t show any obvious reaction and moved past her.

‘This is normal.’

“Because you’re the one who killed Light Blade.”

To put it bluntly, I’m the villain who removed the main pillar, Light Blade, and took his place.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to flirt with Tempest Lady either. She already had a lover, and apart from wind attributes, she had nothing particularly outstanding. She wasn’t a heroine. To be honest, Gongsung is a superior replacement. I shifted my gaze to welcome the next person boarding.

“Nice to work with you, Pungbaek.”

“Ho ho, it’s usually the elder who initiates the handshake…but…”

Next in line, Pungbaek twisted his mouth while hesitating to shake hands. Since he was the mentor of Unsah, I couldn’t afford to alienate him, so I made a proposal that might interest him.

“Do you know Sammae True Fire?”

“……!!”

Apparently, this older man understood my words immediately.

“Would you teach me?”

“…Hmm. Now that you mention it, my grandson did talk about it…”

Pungbaek shook hands with me. Seizing the moment, I quickly scanned his magic power.

“Senior practitioners in the Great Ability Era called higher-ranked individuals ‘brother,’ so should I call you ‘sister’? Heh heh!”

“……Call me Cheongnyeon.”

The character who wouldn’t let go of his makgeolli bottle even during the final battle five years ago hasn’t changed much—perhaps even more so now. His casual attitude towards me, the one who killed Light Blade, was surprisingly strange.

Zzzz. As my magic scan finished, Pungbaek furrowed his white eyebrows. Being an A-rank user, he seemed to notice the flow of my magic.

“Hmm…?”

“It’s a vitality check. You’re in good shape.”

“……Ho ho ho. You sure have some peculiar skills.”

Pungbaek chuckled but released the handshake. Scanning someone’s magic without permission is rude, but I’ve already thrown decorum out the window.

“Too bad. We’re incompatible.”

“Would being compatible make you an S-rank? Ho ho ho.”

“Not really. SS-rank too, hohoho.”

“…….”

Pungbaek frowned and went inside. Whether he took my words as a joke or seriously, it remains uncertain.

“Ugh.”

“Eek.”

As soon as I saw the next person boarding, I pulled my hand back. Likewise, upon seeing me, Yi Seung-hyeong stepped back.

“Don’t think about causing trouble. I’m just boarding as a <Beast Tamer>.”

“Anyway, you’ll become a phoenix eventually, right?”

“…….”

You hit the nail on the head. I had nothing to say, but Yi Seung-hyeong seemed to have something to ask me.

“…Let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it? …Tch.”

I inadvertently brightened at the question. Though I clicked my tongue, it was too late to take it back, and Yi Seung-hyeong pointed to his heart and asked.

“Is your goal truly world peace?”

“I’ve said this countless times, haven’t I?”

“Still, I’ll ask again.”

Yi Seung-hyeong’s eyes were deeply serious. With sincerity, I answered.

“Yes. World peace. Kill Seongju, knock down the interdimensional spirit, and I want to live a peaceful life with my loved one.”

“……Is that so?”

Yi Seung-hyeong nodded and went inside. A flicker of ‘certainty’ crossed his face as he passed by, making me oddly uneasy. What if he really does cause trouble?

“Did you…get stronger?”

The flame I embedded in Yi Seung-hyeong’s heart grew together with him, reaching the 95th level of S+. Given the right opportunity, it could reach SS-rank on its own. Yi Seung-hyeong’s growth rate is overwhelming.

“Main characters these days are all cheats, seriously.”

All I did was adjust the water flow a little, but somehow Yi Seung-hyeong has long since grown explosively. If he bends and comes under me, I can certainly help him grow further, but until then, I’ll hold back on boosting Yi Seung-hyeong’s power.

“So, what’s next…?”

“Quit mumbling nonsense since earlier.”

A tousled-haired middle-aged man, Usa, stood in front of me, frowning. He could have just passed by, but it seemed like Usa wanted to ask me something.

“Is there anything you’re curious about?”

“Extremely many. But if I asked them all, we wouldn’t have enough time, so I’ll ask just two questions.”

Usa held up two fingers.

“Hwakwon, is it your creation?”

“Not exactly a creation, but I prepared the canvas and paint.”

“I see. Then, is it possible for me too?”

“Of course. Give me your hand? This conversation flows well, which is great.”

I offered a handshake to Usa, who reluctantly grabbed my hand. Holding his hand, I closed my eyes. According to plan, he should have reached S-rank by now-

“…..It won’t work here. Let’s try after we visit India. By the way, do you have plans to attend Galaxy University?”

“I’d lose face entering university at my age. Tch, never mind. Your hand is quite soft. Let’s do our best moving forward.”

With a complicated expression, Usa gathered his luggage and went inside. I watched his retreating figure with a similar complexity.

“Seok Harang…”

After teaching the method, he caused quite a mess. Although I wanted to summon Seok Harang immediately, I calmed down upon seeing the next person boarding.

“Glad to meet you again. Hero <Unsah>, I’ve been designated to support Cheongnyeon’s trip to India. It’s an honor.”

“But I’m a villain, right?”

“Aren’t you here as Cheongnyeon?”

“……Then, what would you do if <Phoenix> showed up?”

Unsah gave me a questioning look in return.

“I’d use full strength to arrest you.”

“……You’re such an easy-to-understand type, which is good.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Unsah nodded expressionlessly, and I extended my hand to confirm.

“…….”

Unsah blushed and cautiously extended her hand, trying to grab only my fingertips. Feeling impatient, I grabbed her hand.

“…Ahem.”

“…….”

Should I kill Seok Harang? The pattern of magic power I sensed from Unsah made my inner fire boil. Although she will be a great help strategically, Unsah has become too powerful.

“Then, please do your best. You might be the ace of this India trip.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

Of course, she’ll be the ace. Just one handshake made her the strongest among the ability users who boarded the Baegnaroh.

“Hey, did anything unusual happen when you shook hands with Seok Harang earlier?”

“……Hmm.”

Unsah blinked and smiled faintly.

“It’s a secret.”

“Aww, you found me cute.”

“……!!”

Park Ra-on. A woman who goes wild over cuteness. Despite being older than the original protagonist, Park Ra-on’s preferences overflow with pink-filled maiden sensibilities. I subtly approached Park Ra-on.

“What about me?”

“Squeal…!”

Park Ra-on ran away. In her luggage, I spotted a mini-Phoenix doll shaped like me. Underneath the wings, a tag read ‘USTOY.’

“Of course.”

Could the cuteness of Mini-Phoenix even convert someone with anti-Yu-Sung sentiment? I was surprised by Park Ra-on’s change in personality, amazed by the destructive power of the Mini-Phoenix despite being a doll, worried about when Yun Yuhwa secretly produced and sold another Mini-Phoenix doll, and finally—

“Seok Harang was supposed to create two S-ranks…”

Following my request, two S-ranks were made, but I never imagined they’d turn out like this.

I roughly organized the stats of the heroes I scanned for smooth monster raids based on memory.

<Executioner> Baek Hee-a, A-rank, dark attribute 80.

<Tempest Lady> Yang Chunja…no, Yang Seonyu, A-rank, wind attribute probably around 80.

<Pungbaek> Cheon Hyun-taek, A-rank, wind attribute 84.

<Hwakwon> Yi Seung-hyeong, S+ rank, currently fire attribute 95 thanks to me.

<Usa> Kang Ha-baek, A+ rank, water attribute 89 increased by ‘1’ through Seok Harang.

And <Unsah> Park Ra-on.

“SS….”

Seok Harang poured too much of his magic power.

“Maximum level 99… Floodgates opened…”

Just one handshake turned Unsah into an SS-rank water attribute.

He added only ‘1’ to Usa when he should’ve added ‘2’, and poured everything into Unsah where only ’20’ was needed.

“Seok Harang…. sigh.”

I wanted to immediately turn the ship’s bow towards New Seoul where Seok Harang was.