〈 Chapter 340 〉 Part 1, Chapter 14, Episode 31
The day Karna awakened, and Garura became an apostle. That is, before the expedition left India.
Phoenix had set up a barrier and retired for the night. No one dared to even think of entering Phoenix’s room, which was protected by the barrier. Having awakened Karna, Phoenix was feeling far more exhausted than anyone else, and the heroes understood her fatigue.
With free time but unable to leave the Baegnaroh…
The heroes spent their time in small groups here and there.
* * *
<Break Room>
A drinking party commenced. The break room was filled with all sorts of drinks everyone had brought.
“Come on, come on. This is traditional Korean drink.”
“It’s makgeolli.”
“A slightly sweet beverage. Hehe!”
Pungbaek Cheon Hyun-taek arrived with makgeolli in all kinds of bottles—tumblers, water bottles, and even a dented military canteen filled with it.
“Isn’t this too strong?”
“Yeah. Who brings alcohol like a high schooler sneaking booze during a school trip?”
“Hehe, I didn’t know Miss Cheongnyeon would be so lenient!”
Cheon Hyun-taek chuckled as he showed off his communication with Phoenix.
“For the next boarding, she said not to hide it in medicine bottles but just bring it openly. She said kids might mistake it for a rice drink and drink it.”
“Did you really put it in medicine bottles?”
“…No, that’s not what I meant.”
“You crazy old man! Where’s the vitamin bottle? I need to open it right now.”
“Grrr. More nagging than my late wife. Fine, fine, I’ll take my vitamins when I get back. Tch. Why does an ability user need vitamins anyway? Pfft.”
Though grumbling, Cheon Hyun-taek relented. Most of Kang Ha-baek’s nitpicking was correct.
“So, Chunja. What did you bring?”
“Hey, do I look like an elder to you?”
“Nope. You’re worse.”
“That’s right. Here.”
Tempest Lady Yang Seonyu took out a box from her room. Inside the gift-wrapped white cardboard box were over thirty familiar green bottles jingling around.
“Heh, no one noticed because I put it in my luggage.”
“They didn’t notice or they just turned a blind eye. And knowing your future husband-to-be, he wouldn’t let you have any without soju.”
“…Let’s not talk about that. Ugh, me marrying that dimwit… Shit.”
Yang Seonyu popped the cap of a soju bottle and handed it to Kang Ha-baek.
“Uncle, can you handle this?”
“You mean… never mind. Alright.”
Kang Ha-baek blocked the mouth of the soju bottle with his thumb and channeled magic power. The soju inside the green glass began swirling.
“Hmph, still as good as ever, Usa.”
“What does a ringing ear have to do with pouring drinks? Bah.”
Kang Ha-baek grumbled as he placed the bottle down. There were no shot glasses, only paper cups from the break room.
“As usual, the first cup is a full shot.”
“Is there even a choice? Hehe.”
“Sorry I’m late.”
A tall blonde woman entered the break room. Karna, dressed casually in training gear, seemed awkward in her own clothes.
“I picked the most comfortable-looking outfit from my assigned room…”
“Ho ho… Are all spirits-”
“Old man, watch your mouth.”
“…Anyway, men are all alike.”
Even in training gear, Karna’s presence couldn’t be overshadowed. Even confident Yang Seonyu had to admit she was outclassed—not by one degree, but three.
“Are all spirits really that big…?”
“Hmm? Not necessarily. There’s a clear difference. All seven of us vary in size.”
Karna sat down cross-legged, and a paper cup was placed in front of her. The three heroes swallowed nervously, sensing an amusing topic ahead.
“Shall we start with a drink first?”
“Sounds good.”
Ching! The four ability users filled their paper cups to the brim with soju for a full shot. They even had to open another bottle during the pour.
“Hmm, not bad. Well then, all seven differ in size. Specifically… hmm…”
Karna grabbed her chest with both hands. The two men didn’t avert their eyes, and Yang Seonyu almost threw her cup but restrained herself. The proper target of her anger was this clueless alien.
“Are you just going wild because you’re a spirit? This is Earth, Earth! You should follow Earth’s rules!”
“I’ve lived on Earth for twenty years. I know basic etiquette. I was merely showing because I don’t care if you see.”
“Aaaah!”
Yang Seonyu pulled her hair. Meanwhile, Karna sipped directly from the bottle, savoring it.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Jiryun. Me, Cha…Phoenix, Bastard, Hwanryong, Jeolpung, in that order.”
“Hidra, Karna, Phoenix I get, but Bastard?”
“Maamryong. According to Phoenix, it’s currently using the name ‘Azidahaka.'”
“Oh, Rasputin’s…”
Karna’s clear animosity towards the dark spirit Maamryong Azidahaka revealed personal feelings. Cheon Hyun-taek and Kang Ha-baek, who had fought Rasputin, Azidahaka’s human form, in Moscow just days ago, somewhat understood Karna’s disdain.
That woman who commands the Abyss Dragon. She has plenty of reasons to dislike her.
“Hmm… Wait a moment.”
Counting on her fingers, Yang Seonyu frowned.
“Aren’t there supposed to be seven spirits? One’s missing?”
Karna mentioned six names. Yang Seonyu pointed this out, and Karna laughed bitterly while whistling through the bottle.
“…I only mentioned the ones present.”
“Huh.”
Yang Seonyu gasped, covering her mouth. Cheon Hyun-taek sighed deeply, gulping down a bowl of makgeolli from his canteen, and Kang Ha-baek looked visibly shocked.
“So Seoyea doesn’t exist among the spirits? Goodness, Kwanggeom must be male-type and probably-”
“Seoyea is clearly female-type.”
Karna interrupted Kang Ha-baek, defending Seoyea and Kwanggeom, despite not knowing them personally.
“Originally, all spirits came down to Earth as female-types when they descended as officers. That… wasn’t it Seok Harang? She’s Seoyea’s daughter. It’s disappointing. I even invited her specifically to fight.”
Karna licked her lips, and Kang Ha-baek wiped his hand down his chest in relief.
“I almost made a huge misunderstanding.”
“…Poor Harang.”
“Genetics can’t be helped.”
For a moment, the four mourned Seok Harang’s impressive… assets. Despite her growing self-confidence, people remained unaware since she still avoided wearing revealing clothes due to her lack of confidence.
“So how big is this Jiryun person? Bigger than you?”
“Of course she’s bigger than me.”
Karna smirked and mocked Hidra.
“There’s this Phantom woman, isn’t there? About the same size as me. Maybe even bigger. Likely over three digits.”
“…Compared to this?”
Kang Ha-baek pulled out secret footage. In the dark, a battle at Qinghai Lake in China was replayed, where White Flame illuminated the darkness with Hwakwon.
“….Isn’t that a monster?”
“In terms of human size, yeah.”
“…Smaller than this. This is an outlier. But it looks nice. Compared to Jiryun, hahaha.”
Karna took another swig from the bottle. They had already passed the stage of clinking glasses, and the heroes drank at their own pace, sharing stories.
“Jiryun, tall and large, but also heavy. Quite the fatty type. To be blunt, soft and squishy.”
“……I’ll need to see it myself, but I understand what you mean.”
“Right. Moreover, others…”
Karna shamelessly exposed the spirits’ pride. The three heroes exchanged glances as the conversation grew increasingly intense.
“…So what about Phoenix?”
Hiccup.
Karna paused mid-pour. The three heroes realized they had crossed a line, and Karna scratched her cheek after putting down the bottle.
“…Sorry.”
And suddenly apologized. The three heroes couldn’t comprehend Karna’s actions.
“If I hadn’t lost, I’d definitely expose that beautiful form.”
Karna drew lines based on strange standards.
“So if you’d won, you’d have revealed everything, huh?”
“Size alone? I’d have taken her.”
“Pfft!”
Yang Seonyu spat out the makgeolli she was whistling through the bottle. Kang Ha-baek and Cheon Hyun-taek quickly blocked her mouth to prevent spittle-laden soju from spraying.
“Took? What do you mean by that?!”
“Ah, this way of expression seems appropriate.”
Clack clack clack. Karna jammed her pinky into an empty soju bottle. Only the pinky could fit into the narrow opening.
“Meaning I’d have dragged her to bed. Bluntly speaking, she’s got the best body among the spirits.”
“……”
The three heroes tried to recall.
“She always wears those baggy priest robes, so there’s no real chance to see her figure.”
“Does anyone have other pictures?”
“No. It’s rare to see her outside of priest robes.”
The three heroes desperately tried to imagine Phoenix’s hidden body beneath the robes. Her bust was unmistakably prominent under the cloth, but the rest remained unknown to all three.
“Damn, what a loss. Missing that sight, haha!”
Karna slapped the floor with her palm and burst into laughter. Kang Ha-baek and Yang Seonyu briefly glanced at her before signaling to Cheon Hyun-taek.
“You want me to take the blame now?”
“The elder among us has the least experience, doesn’t he?”
“These bastards? Barely a year difference! When I was your age, I carried flour sacks in a factory, you punks!!”
“In hero society, seniority matters.”
“Bastards.”
Cheon Hyun-taek guzzled down the makgeolli straight from the canteen.
“…Alright, Miss Karna. So what did you mean by ‘taking’? And dragging to bed?”
Finally, Cheon Hyun-taek broke the ice. Karna, giggling while picking up another soju bottle, asked curiously.
“Does my phrasing carry a different meaning in Korea?”
Karna made a ring with her left hand and shoved her right thumb into it repeatedly. Yang Seonyu, whose head was spinning, quickly blurted something random to defuse the situation.
“…India must have different gestures, right? Yeah, definitely.”
“My meaning was to impregnate her.”
“WHAT?! You insane alien?!”
Yang Seonyu shouted furiously. Kang Ha-baek grimaced, and Cheon Hyun-taek laughed loudly, slapping the floor.
“Haha! Now I’m curious! How do same genders conceive?!”
“This way.”
Clap!
Karna clapped her hands together in prayer-like fashion. Karna’s body flashed brilliantly, and the heroes squinted against the bright light.
“To explain.”
A deep, resonant voice echoed. Yang Seonyu shivered at the sound invading her ears.
“Ah…”
“Ho ho.”
The voluptuous blonde beauty Karna disappeared, replaced by a golden-eyed handsome youth. Wearing the same tracksuit, occupying the same spot, exuding the same magical pattern—if it weren’t for these similarities, the young man would’ve been unmistakably identified as Karna.
“Spirits basically have no gender, but we can choose one side. Same with me and the other spirits. Though all officers are fixed as female types.”
“Why?”
“Sungju decided that. I don’t know why. If you want answers, hit him with Bashabi Shakthi first and let him think about it.”
Karna crossed her arms and growled. Even in tracksuits, her muscular physique couldn’t be hidden, causing Yang Seonyu to cough awkwardly while checking the two men’s reactions.
“Uh, can I touch once?”
“You you Chunja you bastard.”
“Ah, same gender, so it’s fine, right!”
“Isn’t this guy a man now?”
“Shut up! Alien, remember? So it’s fine if we get permission, right?!”
Drunk Yang Seonyu shouted loudly. Karna blinked before smiling kindly and extending her hand toward Yang Seonyu.
“Don’t know what you want to touch, but as long as it’s not the core, go ahead.”
“Hmm…”
Yang Seonyu bit her lower lip and swallowed nervously. Her gaze traveled from Karna’s hand down her arm, past the firm pectorals—
“Miss Karna, please revert to female form. You look prettier that way.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll do that.”
“Nooo!”
Yang Seonyu screamed in despair. But it was futile.
Karna transformed back into the stunning blonde beauty with hair flowing down to her waist, and Yang Seonyu whistled through the bottle.
“Hoooonng, finally found my ideal type… Sniff!”
“Chunja, you’re marrying that bear anyway, aren’t you?”
“Shut up! Hoooonng, Huuuu.”
One more bottle to console the sobbing Yang Seonyu. The heroes gradually emptied crates, and Karna licked her lips wistfully.
“Such a pity, such a loss. If I had won, I could’ve taken Phoenix’s virginity.”
“You mean Miss Cheongnyeon’s virginity, right now?”
“Hmm? No. The spirit’s true form. If she hasn’t done it yet, Phoenix is still a virgin. She hasn’t created a single disciple, so among the spirits, she remains purely a virgin.”
“Feels like I just heard something monumental.”
The heroes shivered with goosebumps. It felt like someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. Karna simply giggled and whistled through the bottle.
“Haaa… Hmm. Since I can’t turn back time, it can’t be helped.”
“…Say you wanted to do something with Cheongnyeon if you’d won. But you lost, right? So what do you plan to do?”
“What’s so obvious to ask?”
Karna spread her legs apart and tilted her head back.
“To conceive Phoenix’s power, naturally. It wouldn’t be bad to bear Phoenix’s child.”
“…Can Phoenix transform into a male form?”
In response to the heroes’ question, Karna tilted her head for a long time, searching her memory.
“…Perhaps?”
“Perhaps?”
“Always living as a female, I’ve never seen it happen. Still, one thing is certain—if she becomes male, one aspect will definitely be unmistakable. Hehehe.”
Karna made a lewd gesture, and the drinking session heated up further.
“Come on, let’s drink. Earlier, we talked about calling seniors ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ if they drink well. Let’s make a bet. If you win…”
Karna blew a raspberry while raising her paper cup.
“The winner gets a special opportunity granted by Phoenix—to claim me.”
“……”
The heroes pooled their strength, but they were no match for Gaechonkwang’s overwhelming power.
Thus, they ended up addressing her as sister and older sister.
