Chapter 291

〈 Chapter 291 〉 Part 1, Chapter 13, Section 8

After receiving a near mental reprogramming suggestion from Blazing Phoenix to change my combat style, I picked up a gun as she advised.

However, acquiring an actual firearm presented numerous issues, so I loaded a model gun with Deokbate bullets and fired it—but the model gun couldn’t withstand the magical power.

Thus, I resolved to use Deokbate himself as a gun. The rock-carved object was hefty, but it posed no problem for me.

Apart from being made of stone-like material, the item in my hand was undoubtedly a gun. As soon as I transformed Deokbate into a gun, I could see the heroes panicking.

“Watch out for gunfire!”

Baek Hee-a shouted at the heroes, who quickly reorganized their formation. Her command to switch from a dense defensive line to a scattered formation to counteract ranged attacks was impeccable.

But…

‘Blazing Phoenix said to wield a gun and change my combat style.’

“We need to change… we must change.”

Though I intended to change, darting around while firing from afar didn’t suit my temperament. To be honest, that fighting style reminded me too much of the original protagonist, which I found utterly tiresome.

Still, following Blazing Phoenix’s advice, I decided to wield a gun without injuring myself.

“Evade! Critical damage incoming!”

I hurled the handgun (Deokbate) forward like a stone axe. Hwakwon raised his arms in defense against the flying handgun, startled by the unexpected attack.

Kaaang!

The handgun bounced off Hwakwon’s guard. Having already closed the distance, I leaped into the air, catching the ‘barrel’ of the handgun mid-flight.

“Sniper suppression!”

The Executioner issued an urgent order, but unfortunately for them, I was faster. Gripping the barrel tightly, I angled the magazine downward and slammed it forcefully.

“You need to think five steps ahead!”

Poo—shk.

The rock-like magazine smashed down on Hwakwon’s head, shattering his protective barrier.

“One pot shattered.”

Hwakwon collapsed, unconscious. I used his falling shoulder as leverage to spin mid-air, landing on his back with a graceful touch.

“Hmm. Don’t worry. This is just a one-off thing. He’s not dead—just temporarily unconscious.”

“…He’s not injured, right?”

“Pfft, do you really think I’d let something this easy get the better of me? Look.”

I nudged Hwakwon with my toe. He didn’t stir.

“…Look. He’s completely knocked out. Which means he didn’t feel any pain.”

“Executioner, this guy will never make it as a hero.”

“I agree. Tsk tsk.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Then….”

I shook the bottom of the magazine and aimed at the next target.

“Who’s next for a lump on the head?”

With hammer-like strikes, I marked every i-neng-ryoku user’s forehead with Deokbate.

Hwakwon, Lee Seung-hyeong?

……

Hwakwon’s just weak.

***

A short while later. All the i-neng-ryoku users who couldn’t handle my second phase were unconscious. Aside from Baek Hee-a, who had to operate the ship, and my two monsters, the four heroes lay neatly unconscious against the wall.

“So now, it’s the main event.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

Unsah, the only one who conserved her full strength, rose with her spear in hand. She had silently observed the other heroes getting trounced under me.

“So, what do you think?”

“Your fighting style was barbaric but efficient.”

Unsah’s critique was dry as ever. Without any flowery language, she expressed her feelings plainly.

“Right? So here’s a question—if you were to mimic this fighting style, how would it go?”

“…It doesn’t suit me. Though you might not know, my i-neng-ryoku—”

“I know. Tam-sik Yun. The monster-like ability that devours everything it touches.”

In the original story, when its core broke, Tam-sik Yun became unusable, but it was still a trade mark skill for Unsah—a signature technique.

“But if Tam-sik Yun was hindering your growth, what then?”

“……I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Unsah was confused. In Guro, where she devoured dozens of Hellhounds, Tam-sik Yun played a major role in her accomplishments.

“Are you saying that Tam-sik Yun can be… discarded?”

“If there’s a valid reason, I’d consider it.”

“Good attitude.”

Unsah listened intently to my voice in a reverent posture, and I pointed out the biggest issue with Tam-sik Yun.

“Tam-sik Yun has drained all your wind attribute magic power. That’s why you dropped from SS rank to A rank due to Tam-sik Yun.”

“Eh?”

Unsah questioned me, even forgetting her unique tone of voice.

“What exactly are you implying?”

“Exactly what I said. Wind attributes thrive because of the abundant moisture in the land, reaching B rank. But your main attribute was wind.”

You could’ve become a more accomplished wind mage than Gale Guest, Pungbaek—the Tempest Lady. But Tam-sik Yun blocked that future.

“Creating Tam-sik Yun consumed about 20 of your wind attribute magic power. Originally around 99, it got cut down to about 75 now. If not for that, you’d be SS+.”

“……That’s hard to believe.”

Unsah summoned Tam-sik Yun from the tip of her spear. The swirling Tam-sik Yun threatened to devour everything around it, just like when it clashed with a Flame Giant in Guro.

“Because of this i-neng-ryoku, I’ve been able to perform as an A-rank hero and serve as a team member.”

“Yes. At the cost of your potential future.”

“……A monster?”

Park Ra-on’s expression stiffened, and I pointed to her chest.

“Have you ever felt your total magic power decreasing the more you fight? Wasn’t your constant issue having insufficient magic power?”

“That’s because I replenish it with Tam-sik Yun…”

“Exactly.”

Unsah clicked her tongue, realizing something. I nodded and placed both palms vertically, slowly reducing them.

“As your total magic power decreases, Tam-sik Yun’s specs increase, consuming more of your magic power. Eventually, when you run out of magic power to use Tam-sik Yun, it will leave your body.”

“……Will I become powerless?”

Unsah seemed chilled by my unforeseen prophecy.

“No, not yet.”

In the future, Tam-sik Yun fled when Unsah’s core broke, leaving her body. But currently, the ‘monster’ known as Tam-sik Yun resides within her.

“But if you don’t take action, you’ll become powerless.”

“……What should I do?”

Unsah lowered her head, closing her eyes. For a hero who had lived as an i-neng-ryoku user, living without those powers would surely be a daunting concern.

‘Realistically, she fights through it pretty damn well though.’

“What help do you seek?”

Unsah hesitates now.

Should she continue using Tam-sik Yun, which she’s relied on until now, or discard it? The only basis for her decision is the future knowledge I provide, so naturally, her choice leans one way.

‘She usually wouldn’t give it up and endure instead.’

She would. Because I haven’t given her enough trust yet. But Unsah is different from others.

“Will removing Tam-sik Yun make me SS rank?”

“Yes.”

“Then please proceed.”

Unsah answered decisively. Knowing her personality, I was ready to act immediately, but the Executioner, who had been quietly listening, stepped in and stopped me.

“Just a moment. Isn’t Tam-sik Yun a highly effective tactical skill? Are you really going to remove it now?”

“This is a golden opportunity to create an SS rank.”

“Just a moment.”

The Executioner whispered very low so Unsah wouldn’t hear.

“Phoenix, you’re not scamming, are you?”

“Scam?”

“Isn’t this because Tam-sik Yun is dangerous to you, so you’re removing it and planning to tell Unsah ‘you’re already SS rank’?”

“People these days… actually, that’s not bad either.”

The Executioner turned pale, realizing they had inadvertently taught me a grave-digging idea. I patted the Executioner’s shoulder to show I wasn’t thinking that.

“Tam-sik Yun isn’t just a skill—it’s a separate entity. A parasitic monster.”

“A mon…ster?”

The Executioner’s face hardened. Unsah covered her mouth in shock, staring down at Tam-sik Yun with alarm.

“See?”

I pulled out a Heuk Jeon-jal core from my pocket. The shiny black core, freshly born at B rank, was held as I approached Tam-sik Yun.

Crunch, crunch.

Tam-sik Yun reacted instinctively to the scent of magic power I emitted from the core, rising toward me. It was clearly a movement independent of Unsah’s will.

“Doesn’t it feel alive?”

“I thought it was some kind of automatic interception system.”

“……”

Not entirely wrong. Since Tam-sik Yun goes after monsters directly, if it had a taste for humans, we’d have noticed long ago. Tam-sik Yun is a monster that consumes other monsters and cores. After feeding it the core, I showed empty hands to Unsah.

“To you, it’s both a blessing and a curse. You had the world’s best wind attribute talent, but this freak nested inside you.”

“Freak?”

“……Stop throwing words you don’t understand and ask for an explanation.”

Phantom, who had been silent, interjected into the conversation. Feeling some explanation was necessary, I cleared my throat and gathered everyone’s attention.

“Tam-sik Yun is, in fact, the second form of a wind dragon and a parasitic monster.”

* * *

Heroines, being heroines, overflow with immense talent. Under the motto of unity between humans and spirits, heroines and spirits synchronize through shared love for the protagonist.

Ten human heroines.

Seven spirit heroines.

Each forms an optimal pairing combination, often explicitly promoted by the production team as “This human heroine matches perfectly with this spirit!”

And these pairings conclude with the statement: the human heroine possesses “the best human quality of that attribute.”

First, Fire Attribute. With Blazing Phoenix passing her power to the protagonist and disappearing, she has no paired heroine. There are heroines with somewhat high fire attribute magic as sub-powers, but fundamentally, fire belongs to the protagonist.

Next, Water Attribute.

“Seok Harang.”

She’s half-human, half-spirit herself. Seok Harang can ascend to mythic levels and, through synchronization with a heroine, dwell within another human heroine as a spirit. A prime example is Park Ra-on, who awakened the combined attributes of wind and water.

Next, Wind Attribute.

“The main one is Park Ra-on.”

From start to finish, she stays on the protagonist’s team, and pairs well with Penril. Park Ra-on represents the wind attribute and eventually advances from S-rank <Blue Cloud> to SS-rank <Wind Shear>.

“Arue and Cheon Gaeul are secondary.”

Even if Park Ra-on isn’t paired with Penril, the wind spirit—Penril of Gale—can synchronize with backup options prepared by the production team, such as Arue or Cheon Gaeul.

Though it’s harder to achieve synchronization compared to Park Ra-on, fortunately, the production team ensures each heroine can synchronize with at least two spirits.

“Still, Park Ra-on and Penril make the best pair.”

In the original work, the office-bound duo quickly bonded, and Park Ra-on plays a pivotal role in Penril’s defection to the protagonist’s side.

When Penril reveals her true nature, she mentions the restriction placed on Park Ra-on.

The gaseous monster <Turbulence>. The wind dragon that appeared through the Oslo Gate transformed into its second form before vanishing, embedding itself as both a blessing and a curse within the person with the strongest wind attribute magic in the world.

Thus, Tam-sik Yun, also known as Turbulence, grants Park Ra-on her powers but simultaneously drains her magic as a curse.

Therefore, Turbulence must be removed. Removing Turbulence will allow Park Ra-on to regain her SS-rank wind attribute magic.

There’s only one method.

Extracting Turbulence’s core, the essence of its being, from her body.

Here’s where things get hilariously adult RPG-esque. For some reason, Turbulence’s core resides in a particularly private area.

Where exactly?

Let me just explain.

In the original story, the protagonist expelled Turbulence through sexual intercourse, filling her belly to drive it out, restoring Park Ra-on to SS-rank wind attribute.

That’s why I made Park Ra-on SS-rank water attribute instead of wind attribute.

Because I always filled her up, but now I can’t use that method anymore.