Chapter 377

〈Chapter 377〉 Book 1 Part 16 Chapter 12

August 21st.

I had originally planned to discuss the China intervention issue with Hwanryong, but in the end, I just came back after chatting aimlessly with Hwanryong.

As for those living in Manchuria, Bonghyo and Baeg Cheongyoung contacted me saying they would handle it, and I stretched out and fell asleep in the guest room Hwanryong provided.

Still, there was something nagging at me.

Xiao Lin.

The woman who was content with merely dealing with Nuclearian truly took capturing Nuclearian as her reward.

Of course, I wanted to give her a proper reward, but there wasn’t anything suitable that could be considered a reward for Xiao Lin.

So, I decided to personally offer her a reward. Xiao Lin readily accepted my call.

– What is the matter you called me for? Is there another strong opponent to face?

“Ah, nothing else. Just wanted to come by and give you a gift for helping with the Nuclearian raid last time.”

-A gift? That’s preposterous. Proving that I am stronger than Seok Harang is reward enough for me.

With a faint smile, Xiao Lin declined my gift. But I knew the magic words to draw her out.

“Xiao Lin, I want to repay you physically. Is that alright?”

-Huh?

“I’ll send you my coordinates now. Come here.”

I transmitted my location information to Xiao Lin’s gear. The old Horogwan site. It was where we captured Callipera before, and I was ready to greet Xiao Lin there.

“Want to have a match?”

– Could you possibly mean…!

“If you arrive within ten minutes, I’ll fight you at full strength.”

Click.

The call ended, and I set an alarm on my magical gear before lying down leisurely on the ground. With sparse human traffic and overgrown weeds, it provided ample cushioning.

7 minutes.

4 minutes.

Time flowed endlessly. I lay there gazing blankly at the sky until Xiao Lin arrived.

“What should we do about Greece?”

If Russia has Rasputin as a problem, Greece similarly has a villain crafted from pure malice. A name I’d rather not mention—a villain who forcibly takes women to birth monsters, known as <Breeding King Z>.

“Sequence-wise, Hydra should appear next.”

At the Parthenon temple in Greece. Though unrelated to its name, it’s where Hydra awakened as Ji Ryun. Just like how Taj Mahal had Karna, there’s a high likelihood Hydra might be there too.

‘Hydra is calm. They won’t show up.’

Thoughtful and deep. Considering how they cleverly hid Fenril’s feint during the Great Demon Island attack, Hydra likely won’t make the first move.

‘So, I need something tempting.’

Like how Xiao Lin is ignoring flight regulations and rushing here now, some irresistible bait is needed—something eye-catching enough to flip someone’s eyes inside out.

‘I can’t think of anything right away.’

“Let’s fight first, then think about it later.”

Whoosh.

I partially transformed my arms into monster parts to create gauntlets. Beyond the barrier, a crimson streak raced across the sky.

“I cut through barriers for Great Demon Island; I should at least cut this one for you.”

Sssshh.

My barrier was cut. Xiao Lin cleanly severed it with pure sword energy.

Flutter.

Xiao Lin appeared before me, astride her Crimson Blade, still wearing her dragon-themed character pajamas without even taking off the hood. Clutching only her Crescent Blade, she stood before me.

Time: 9 minutes 58 seconds.

Xiao Lin smiled faintly and rested her Crescent Blade on her shoulder. Based on her past battles, she had settled on using her Transparent Crescent Blade.

“Phoenix Sir, please fight me with full strength!”

“Alright. Come on.”

After the Nuclearian raid, there hadn’t been any significant battles, so it wasn’t just Xiao Lin who was starving for combat.

While Seok Harang consoled himself with a Busan date with Nuri, and Karna flirted with every woman he met, Xiao Lin must have been wandering around invisibly somewhere, trying to satisfy her thirst for battle.

But the unquenchable thirst for combat.

That’s why I’m here to quench it.

“If you win, I’ll let you do whatever you wish.”

“My desire—!!”

Xiao Lin charged at me, riding her Crimson Blade. I pulled out TAT from my magical gear converted by mana.

Bang.

Xiao Lin easily dodged the opening attack, signaling the start of our battle.

* * *

“Haa, haa.”

About three hours.

I hadn’t fought against the Yunjang duo in a long time, and I battled them with all my strength. Even though it wasn’t full-body monster transformation, changing just my arms into partial monster forms was sufficient.

“Is this satisfactory?”

Xiao Lin lay sprawled on the ground. Drenched in sweat, her Crimson Blade had long since fallen away.

“Haha, ha…”

Xiao Lin covered her face with both hands. She seemed to be suppressing her frustration, so I stayed silent.

With a strong desire for martial arts improvement and a fierce competitive spirit, losing to anyone, no matter how strong, wouldn’t be pleasant.

“…Huff!”

I quietly waited beside Xiao Lin as she cried alone, until her tears subsided after about ten minutes. Xiao Lin wiped her tears and stood up.

“Then, I’d appreciate your feedback.”

Xiao Lin quickly reflected. We sat facing each other and exchanged feedback on the battle.

“Is our combination limited to just two arms?”

“Partial monster transformation doesn’t define your combined power. In fact, compared to before, your synergy has improved greatly. Purely between the two of you, you can generate S+ grade power.”

“That’s…”

“Yes. The Crimson Blade simply can’t keep up with your movements.”

Crimson Blade is an A-grade unicorn monster that miraculously awakened into a special ability user. Until Crimson Blade reaches S-grade, it won’t be able to follow Xiao Lin’s movements.

“Why did you challenge me while riding Crimson Blade anyway?”

“…To return to basics.”

Our first fierce battle, when Xiao Lin fought me. It was a battle both of us found embarrassing.

But both of us have become completely different beings since then. I’ve learned to use Phoenix’s power more intricately, and Xiao Lin’s martial arts have evolved sharper.

Xiao Lin’s growth has been explosive, while I’ve remained stagnant.

“There will come a time when you’ll surpass me purely in sparring.”

“In sparring? But Phoenix Sir, close combat isn’t your main fighting style, is it?”

“Yes.”

Just like Chang-yeom said, it’s absurd for someone specialized in ranged combat to be doing hand-to-hand combat. Still, I mostly won by sheer stats.

“Then, it seems you’ve had a great teacher.”

“Would you like to try fighting someone?”

“Huh?”

“My martial arts teacher. Honestly, they’re probably better at raw brawling than me.”

Call him a beast or a street fighter—it’s someone who goes all out in close combat. I pulled out an SS-grade wind attribute core.

“What’s this?”

“A reward from the Nuclearian raid. I entrusted the rest to Hikari, but this is very special. It has no magical value because it holds too much mana.”

I handed the SS-grade core to Xiao Lin. As she held it and sensed the mana, her mouth opened wide.

“Ah…”

“It holds as much energy as any bomb in this world. It’s stable, so it won’t explode, but the key is the small world inside it.”

I tapped the surface of the core with my finger.

“The real reward from the Nuclearian raid is inside here. Want to try fighting my martial arts teacher?”

Hwakwon (Fire Fist), Kim Chul-soo.

Not Lee Seung-hyun, who inherited the title from the Regent, but the strongest man in Korea before the Pyongyang incident, stronger even than Guangjian.

“How strong is he?”

“A man who single-handedly defeated all seven avatars of Nuclearian with one punch, almost beat the main body one-on-one, but ultimately lost.”

Cause of death: radiation poisoning.

Though his combat power was SS-grade, his mana was only S-grade. After subduing Nuclearian alone, he couldn’t deal with the accumulated radiation in his body and eventually lost due to the radiation buildup, leaving behind one final blow.

“…Can I really fight him?”

“Yes. You can retry until you win, and if you do, he’ll teach you his combat methods.”

“Then, may I ask you for one favor?”

“What is it?”

“One favor—to be granted if I win.”

“What’s this sudden request?”

It’s something I could definitely grant. I handed the core to Xiao Lin, and she tightly gripped it.

“What do I do now?”

“Just channel mana into it. Go ahead.”

“……”

Without any hesitation, Xiao Lin channeled mana into it. Mana surged rapidly from the core, enveloping Xiao Lin’s body.

“Now for an hour…”

A battle no one can interfere with will begin. I’ve handed over the fight with the once world’s strongest man to Xiao Lin, and she will surely…

‘She’ll win.’

How long will it take her to secure victory? I sincerely hope Xiao Lin wins.

There’s absolutely no personal grudge I hold against Hwakwon Kim Chul-soo.

* * *

Kaboom!

A fist flies. The fiery punch follows a trajectory Xiao Lin knows all too well. Using the Crescent Blade’s spear part, she deflected the punch and swung her blade upward.

“Gah!”

The bearded man hastily tilted his head back. The invisible crescent blade narrowly missed slicing his face. He retracted his fist and thrust again.

This time from the left. Pouring all his strength into his waist, the horizontal punch would undoubtedly cause severe injury if struck. But Xiao Lin easily evaded it.

Whoosh!!

“What?!”

Xiao Lin disappeared. The man’s punch cleaved through empty air as he frantically spread his senses to locate Xiao Lin.

The enemy’s mana was directly ahead. Xiao Lin was still right there.

“?!”

Despite having clearly swung at her earlier, Xiao Lin suddenly reappeared, bending her legs and extending them straight. Her kick precisely hit the man’s chest, using the recoil to leap high. The man staggered back two steps, clutching his chest.

“Gah… You brat, what are you?!”

“No need to know.”

“I must avenge immediately! I must avenge myself!”

“Avenge?”

Xiao Lin momentarily didn’t understand what the man was talking about. The man, whose hair was disheveled, glared fiercely and shouted as if spitting blood.

“I must avenge myself against that monster in Pyongyang, that bastard!”

“Ah, you mean Nuclearian?”

Xiao Lin finally realized how the world was structured. The man’s vengeful spirit and resolve were embedded within Nuclearian’s core. And that vengeance remained unresolved.

However,

“I’ve already killed it.”

“W-What…did you say…”

Xiao Lin casually leaned her Crescent Blade on her shoulder.

“It split into eight parts, turning into green puppy-like creatures. I’ve already killed them.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

The man’s ferocity dimmed. Then, after bowing his head for quite some time,

“Hahaha!!”

He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

“That bastard, he finally died! Nine years, it took nine years! Haha, so, who are you? Are you human? Are you from Gangneung?”

“From Beijing.”

“…”

“I’m Chinese.”

“What…did you say…!”

The expression of Hwakwon Kim Chul-soo distorted grotesquely.

“Are you saying someone from your kind killed that monster?! Unacceptable! This…this…”

“Acceptance or not…”

Precisely speaking, two Korean extraterrestrials, one Indian extraterrestrial, and one Chinese extraterrestrial worked together to defeat Nuclearian, but Xiao Lin quietly decided to use Hwakwon’s anger.

Hwakwon’s boxing technique was undoubtedly similar to Phoenix’s, but much rougher.

“You’re weaker than that person, aren’t you?”

“Don’t say nonsense!”

“I mean…”

Xiao Lin was no longer concerned about the battle with him.

“After this fight, I’ll propose.”

Rip.

Xiao Lin’s Crescent Blade swept like moonlight.

* * *

An hour passed.

I anxiously wondered why Xiao Lin hadn’t come out yet, while the awakened Crimson Blade cautiously waited beside me, looking at me nervously.

Uuuuung.

The green core flickered, releasing a massive surge of mana. Covered in gray mana, Xiao Lin emerged with scorched areas on her body but no serious injuries.

“How was it?”

“Was this man really the strongest in 2012?”

“Yes.”

“Pity. If he were alive, I could have met him in a stronger state.”

Xiao Lin shook her head with a resigned smile. Just looking at her face gave a clear indication of how the battle went.

“I guess he was an easy opponent for you at your current strength?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s because you’re currently third in the world.”

I reminded Xiao Lin of her current power ranking.

“I’m first, Karna is second. Now, you and Guangjian share the third spot.”

“There’s still one more mountain to climb. Good. Phoenix Sir, now I’d like to make my request, but…”

Xiao Lin handed over the core with a slightly flushed smile.

“Not until much later, after defeating Phoenix Sir, will I make my request.”

“As long as you don’t plan to defeat me in a duel and then immediately propose and ravish me, it’s fine.”

“…”

“You’d do that anyway.”

Clank.

I engaged in another fight with Xiao Lin and effortlessly claimed victory.

Ultimately, Xiao Lin withdrew her proposal plans.

“Hehe, so now if I win, I get to ravish Phoenix Sir!”

“…”

Even without perfect synchronization, she stands no chance of winning, but I felt inexplicably nervous.

“I will definitely grow stronger!”

“Yes, yes. Definitely grow stronger. How about one more round?”

“Already another chance? Alright!”

On August 21st, Xiao Lin and I fought repeatedly until the sun set and the moon hung high in the sky.

Xiao Lin grew faster through the process of battle, and I also sharpened my dulled combat sense during these few days of rest.

However, it seems I can no longer afford to let my guard down.