〈 Chapter 420 〉 Part 1, Chapter 18-2
Finding Phoenix in Seoul.
There have been many before who set out to find Phoenix herself, but not at Baekyeongdo where Phoenix is exiled, rather in Seoul—there were three people searching for Phoenix.
“Big Sister Gaeul, did you get any contacts?”
“Not on this side. The lighthouse is looking down from above right now and can’t see her.”
“…Is Ji Hwa lying?”
Seok Harang, Cheon Gaeul, Yun Yuhwa.
Currently, the three of them were thoroughly searching every nook and cranny of Seoul for Phoenix. Although it’s possible for her to hide now with the sun blazing down, once it gets dark, they’ll surely be able to find her location.
“According to Architect’s report, she’s been hanging around with Hydra.”
“Tch. Cocky. Where did that rock roll in from….”
“It is technically a rock since it’s a durability spirit though, right?”
With a sigh, the three eventually returned to the café. As always, Kim Penril greeted them, and while ordering their respective drinks, the trio gathered information.
“Who among those Phoenix hangs out with could possibly be with Hydra?”
“Hmm… People talented in durability? Isn’t Phoenix’s second-in-command also related to durability?”
“Nope. That guy doesn’t matter enough for her to care so much about him. What she cares about are paddles and clubs.”
“Even so, still…?”
“No. You just haven’t experienced it yourself. They keep showing up at crucial moments and ruin things, slowly driving people insane.”
Though one of them was instantly treated as a weapon, that was Jo Deokbae’s current standing within Blue Wind Sect. If he were good at what he does, there might’ve been room for defense, but Jo Deokbae has made himself unpopular in many ways.
“No matter how much that guy sings praises of durability, it’s useless. He doesn’t train like the others do, nor does he enthusiastically go around hunting monsters. He’s just a weirdo who likes watching Phoenix roll around.”
“That’s harsh.”
“That’s the truth. It’s infuriating and unforgivable.”
Gaeul pulled out a photo from Magical Gear. A man in a white coat walking with two gelatos caused the three of them to inwardly catch their breaths.
“If we had known this existed and didn’t tell you…”
“The reason lies with Customer being the main culprit here… But I…”
Yuhwa sipped the cold brew americano placed by Kim Penril and continued.
“To be honest, either side is fine with me.”
“You too? Me as well. But I prefer her usual form.”
“…Hmm, well, so do I, but wouldn’t the male version be better?”
Their preferences diverged. Like coffee beans, caramel macchiato, and blueberries, their tastes in Phoenix clearly split apart.
“So now, the important thing is where the main person is…”
Gaeul glared fiercely at Harang.
“It’s because you said something strange.”
“Big Sister actually seemed serious about doing it.”
“You’re both the same.”
“Same goes for you, making identical dolls in different colors just for fun.”
“……I got permission. If you want, I’ll let you use them?”
“Enough. I don’t want to team up with you and Karna on anything perverted.”
Harang awkwardly slurped his blueberry yogurt, calming his mind and centering himself.
“Big Sister Yuhwa can use the doll, Big Sister Gaeul can transform into a man, but really, can’t Phoenix transform into a man?”
“Can’t do it without seeing directly.”
This was the limit of Gaeul’s special ability. And that was why Phoenix kept running away from Gaeul and the other two, refusing to show her male form.
Cheon Gaeul seemed ready to pounce in male form or force the transformation using tentacles.
Yun Yuhwa appeared ready to scan the male body data and create a bio-android, likely indulging in vicarious satisfaction through dolls.
Seok Harang looked ready to overpower and forcibly ravish.
That was what Phoenix had said while fleeing before getting caught by the three.
“Tch.”
“Tch.”
“…But, thoughts can be entertained, right?”
The confirmed offender, the perpetrator, and the potential suspect were all earnestly searching for Phoenix to clear their misunderstandings.
“With Neptune already surpassing Uranus and still going on like this… Hmm. She won’t keep hiding forever, right? Honestly, judging by the current situation, Sync seems to be the last one to act.”
Yuhwa pointed at the earrings dangling from both ears. Gaeul saw it and gave a bitter smile.
“Should I congratulate you…?”
“Anyway, my side isn’t the main focus. I merely provide the human body; the rest is handled by Karna.”
“How did you come to an agreement, Big Sister?”
Harang was curious about Yuhwa’s conditions, which differed from his own sync terms. Yuhwa shrugged slightly as she lifted the earring.
“After realizing the customer could transform into a male, it became easier to talk. Karna said it could even be done while the customer was in beast form… Though I’m scared to go that far. However…”
After Karna revealed the five-party meeting held at the Illusory Dragon Manor in Beijing to Yuhwa, their strained relationship rapidly improved.
“Well, the agreement point isn’t much.”
Yuhwa took a sip of coffee and smiled faintly.
“Since both me and Karna can play in any form, we decided to secure Phoenix first and think later. Both of us… have quite broad defensive ranges.”
Yuhwa and Karna could engage in all forms of play.
“Science and magic meet immense capital, and all imaginations unfold. Uhuu.”
<Puppeteer> Yuhwa, <Gaechonkwang> Karna.
They agreed to expand their range of play and became one.
* * *
Yuna’s shocking statements continued.
“Personally, I’m not uninterested, but sharing a first experience with three people would definitely leave an unforgettable impression…”
“Wait a moment. Yuna?”
Hydra, flustered, even dropped the honorifics. Following Yuna’s flow, Hydra would end up in a 3P scenario with Yuna against Baek Cheonghwa.
“It’s fine. Big Sister Hydra… Can I call you that? Anyway, we’re becoming one with Hydra’s help through Phoenix Lady. Come here. My bed is warm over here…”
“This girl can say anything, seriously!!”
Hydra turned red with embarrassment. But I didn’t care at all.
“Hey! Teach this kid a lesson. She’s your student, right?”
“Yuna, don’t joke around with adults.”
“…”
Yuna fell silent, pretending not to notice. Hydra was shocked, mouth agape, and so I spoke again.
“While joking around with adults and making sexual innuendos, wait until you’re legally an adult.”
“Yes.”
Yuna nodded obediently.
True to her title as the Goddess of Sexual Innuendo, Yuna joked even with Hydra upon their first meeting. Her seemingly innocent and gentle words were all filled with mischief. Hydra alternated between pointing at Yuna and herself, dumbfounded.
“Did you just joke around with me?”
“Yes, but Hydra, Yuna likes you that much. She doesn’t joke with people she doesn’t like.”
“That doesn’t make any sense… Ah, no. Yuna, it’s not that-”
“…Does Big Sister Hydra dislike me?”
“Is this a joke or serious?! Ack! Yuna! It’s not that! Um, it’s not that I dislike you, but rushing things on our first meeting requires mental preparation for various reasons! First, let’s see what Xian looks like – Shota Bada J – Ah. Calm down. Sorry. There’s a crazy woman inside me. Big Sister has multiple personalities. Understand?”
The biggest mystery of the original work: Is Yuna naturally innocent, or is she a little devil? Through the Phoenix route, I learned the truth about Yuna.
“If it’s dual personality… Does that mean you both like and dislike me?”
All of Yuna’s words were deliberate jokes. And they were actions directed at someone she truly liked, someone she had feelings for.
“Do you like Hydra, Yuna?”
“Yes. Oh, and Phoenix Sir.”
Yuna’s expression changed instantly from a frown. Hydra, dazed, rubbed her belly and hit her forehead against the wall, while Yuna shifted her target to me.
“I remember what Phoenix Sir said. Originally, by age, I’m twenty now-”
“That’s enough.”
I twisted Yuna’s cheek. She pouted with a sad face.
“If you joke around, I won’t give you tutoring anymore.”
“Hiiing. I want to meet Xian personally too. High school girl! Handsome male tutor! It’s a dream!”
“…..Is that face your ideal type?”
“Hehe.”
Yuna.
In the original work, she was an extremely easy goddess who fell in love at first sight with the protagonist. As befits the title heroine, the reasons for her affection toward the protagonist were simple and definitive.
Crushing attraction to the ideal type. Personality may vary depending on the player, but appearance-wise, it struck Yuna’s heart. Meanwhile, as Hydra’s stomachache subsided, she gave an awkward smile at Yuna’s confession.
“…Do we achieve sync because we have the same taste in men?”
“Indeed, Big Sister Hydra, you have high standards when it comes to men.”
“That implies you also have high standards, doesn’t it…?”
Hydra and Yuna stared at each other intently. After observing each other for a while, they both spoke simultaneously.
“Lips.”
“Are the most sexy.”
“Indeed, Big Sister, we seem to communicate well.”
“Yuna, shall we have a deep conversation together?”
Hydra and Yuna looked at me at the same time. I willingly covered my ears and closed my eyes, not wanting to hear and even erected a barrier to isolate the room.
“Hmph.”
While Yuna and Hydra chatted privately, I contacted Hikari. Thankfully, Hikari didn’t try to eat me alive.
“Hikari, did you find anything?”
[…Leader, this is the fifth time today.]
Hikari shook her head, looking exhausted. I felt both regret and apology for bothering her so much.
“Sorry for troubling you. I’m just anxious.”
[Didn’t I say I’d contact you immediately if I found anything?]
Hikari’s tone carried a hint of irritation. I understand. Calling her repeatedly without regard for timing nearly ten times a day. But the situation is urgent, isn’t it?
“…Still, the boatman has already surpassed Uranus.”
[Even if the arrival date is earlier, it’s expected to be around late November. We still have at least forty days left.]
“But we need to capture Azidahaka within these forty days…”
[It’s impossible to avoid it disappearing. The concentration of dark attribute magic power scattered worldwide makes it too difficult to track its clones. It’s almost as if opening dimensional gates and indiscriminately killing Maamryongs was intentional.]
After Hydra joined our side, Hikari continuously ran detectors to locate traces of Azidahaka. Using Spirit Scanners to find the presumed main body of Maamryong and regular scanners to detect Azidahaka’s clones.
[Honestly, even if it appears now, it could be anywhere from the South Pole to the North Pole.]
Maamryong remained hidden behind barriers, not showing even a glimpse, and Azidahaka’s clones were spread across the globe. Each clone was S+ rank, making them nearly unbeatable by ordinary special ability users.
“…Sorry. It’s kind of urgent.”
[I’m sorry for being short-tempered too… But Leader, don’t rush too much. Once we find Azidahaka, everything else will proceed smoothly, right?]
“That’s true.”
Defeating Azidahaka, conquering Penril, and achieving sync with me—just three tasks remain. Penril promised not to run away, so there’s no issue there.
“Hikari, please confirm with Yuha whether the Xroids surveillance system is functioning properly. If there’s no news after two weeks, expose it officially.”
[Yes. Everyone capable of handling Azidahaka is under surveillance. Oh, Leader, does… Seung-hyeong Oppa plan to take on Azidahaka?]
“……”
Disciple, Hwakwon Seung-hyeong. Having reached perfect S+ rank through training with Garura, he stands on the brink of SS rank. The leak of his robust youth due to the Garura scandal ironically serves as proof that he won’t take on Azidahaka—is that something to celebrate or mourn?
“There probably won’t be major issues. The reason Azidahaka is concerning… Wait. Hmm…”
[Did another plan just occur to you?]
“It’s nothing significant. If it feels right later, I’ll contact you then. For now, focus on finding Azidahaka. I’ll try my best to minimize contacting you.”
[Understood. I hope to find it soon too.]
Click. The call with Hikari ended. Hikari is busy conducting all sorts of research, and I feel bad for keeping her up unnecessarily. With only forty days left until humanity’s doom, asking her to work tirelessly without sleep isn’t fair—she’s still a child under seventeen.
‘But there’s no one else besides Hikari who can find it.’
Discovering Hydra wasn’t achieved through mere ground heat scanning and magic power scanning to pinpoint locations in the underworld, was it? This time, it’s just Azidahaka.
‘Don’t get too anxious.’
Azidahaka lacks Hydra’s patience. To put it bluntly, it’s attention-seeking, so it’ll likely pop up somewhere soon.
‘We’ve got Ultimate Weapon Seok Harang too.’
Earth won’t face immediate destruction in the worst-case scenario.
‘And as we gradually increase the number of people who can sync…’
Pa-pa-pa-pa-paaaaaaat—-
As the two were conversing, a yellowish-brown light began emanating from their bodies. Hydra’s body dissolved into magic power, starting to be absorbed into Yuna.
“Lie.”
Less than an hour after meeting, how could it be sync?
