Chapter 805

〈 Chapter 805 〉 Part 3, Chapter 1, Episode 07: Titles

After logging out.

As I was having a meal with Shin-ra, Seok Harang, and Yuna who had visited after a long time, I noticed something strange.

“Ho ho ho, we shouldn’t be doing this right now,” I laughed while chatting. While spending time together is nice, the “scheduled time” has already passed.

“Aren’t you guys streaming?”

“Huh?”

“Checking your schedules, Seok Harang just posted some vague announcements, and Yuna, you’ve been reducing your broadcast frequency? Is something up?”

The three of them fell silent.

“It’s not just today. Lately, you’ve all seemed a bit off. Shin-ra seems to have stopped playing games altogether, Seok Harang’s streams are getting shorter, and Yuna, you’re here so often it feels like you’re clocking in and out. Your videos look more like Vlogs shot on a phone.”

“Ah, hehe…”

The three avoided my gaze. I immediately went to our room and checked the dust accumulated on the VR device.

“World, Shin-ra. Aren’t you going to play?”

“…I don’t feel motivated.”

Shin-ra puffed her cheeks, showing dissatisfaction.

“You can always play the game, but Tera is under real-time invasion right now. If the last survivor of Tera, me, spends my time flirting with little girls in-game, what would the people of Tera think?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s like flying to America during the Japanese occupation and cavorting with white horses.”

“Your explanation makes sense somehow, but coming from you, it sounds weird.”

I understand Shin-ra’s feelings, but it’s still hard to comprehend why she quit the game entirely.

“Isn’t worrying too much? Even if I get stuck in a situation where I can’t log out, I’m still monitoring everything.”

“It’s not just that. I’m worried about missing big events while I’m gaming. Would you prefer watching an in-game Phoenix or past-you hanging out with Bobby?”

“That’s a tough counterargument.”

The avatar in the game and the real person are clearly different. Shin-ra prefers reminiscing about her past self and Bobby over in-game data.

“Hmph, though you say that, you’re the one who worries the most, aren’t you, Big Brother?”

“While you were distracted by other women, Big Brother only kept his eyes on you.”

“…Hmph. This isn’t about keeping tabs on you fooling around with other women. It’s about ensuring your safety in Tera.”

Though they talk about “Bobby,” they’re actually concerned about my safety in Tera, fearing I might be involved with someone else.

“Alright. Let’s assume Shin-ra’s worry is justified. What about Harang and Yuna? Monitoring is covered by Shin-ra, so there must be something specific you need to do, right?”

“Broadcast frequency and timing? As long as we meet the contracted hours, it’s fine. Watching Tera now will help future broadcasts.”

“All the things Big Brother sees in Tera will eventually become foundational data for the mobile game. So, this isn’t just leisure. Seeing Tera through Big Brother’s eyes is also work… Work!”

Harang and Yuna pointed at each other and smiled mischievously.

“When the mobile game launches, sharing what we’ve seen will add more vitality, won’t it?”

“There’s also our stake in the game. A portion of the profits will come to us as pensions—Big Brother, Shin-ra, me, and Sister Harang.”

“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do. But thinking about it… Is all this happening because I’m diving into Tera?”

It’s somewhat absurd, but the situation is exactly that. Somehow, I’ve caused these three to pause their well-established routines.

Shin-ra’s gaming, Seok Harang’s streaming, and Yuna’s broadcasting—all halted.

Of course, they haven’t completely stopped; all three are still putting effort into their respective fields, but it feels like they’re just checking daily tasks in a mobile game before quitting early. Their invested time has significantly decreased compared to before.

And during that time…

“Then let’s wrap up the discussion. Let’s start the strategy meeting regarding Bi-shunia Kingdom’s movements.”

We were discussing Blazing Phoenix’s actions in Tera. Before I reconnected, it was always the strategy meeting time.

“Unfortunately, Bi-shunia Kingdom hasn’t noticed the forces of Chaos yet.”

“Chaos, right? Won’t it get confused with the Chaos Dragon?”

“The Chaos Dragon is also a corrupted entity, so it should be fine. We can’t keep calling it ‘tainted magic power’ forever. The most appropriate term for referring to enemies is Chaos. The entity endangering Tera is none other than…”

“Enough.”

A name I don’t want to remember. That person is the one who trapped me in the game world, the one who negotiated with 20 billion save files and sent me a DLC.

I’ll definitely kill them if I ever meet. With the strength of Shin-ra, I now possess the ability to do so.

“Regardless of whether the main perpetrator is present, let’s focus on eliminating the subordinates first. Thanks to the power given by Shin-ra, ‘me’ is guaranteed safety.”

Since Blazing Phoenix is a perfect counter to Chaos.

“The problem ultimately lies in the scenario where everyone except me gets tainted. Acting alone would be quite challenging, wouldn’t it?”

“We need the assistance of various nations to find Chaos. Contamination could occur in places untouched by national influence, like war-torn villages.”

“Then should we directly ask the Spirits for help? No, we must be cautious since Chaos could affect the Spirits too. First, we should check. Big Brother, after finishing with Kai-chonkwang, heading straight to the Water Nation might be good. Our mom might be able to help.”

Seoyea.

Seok Harang suggested meeting Seoyea.

“Even if Kai-chonkwang has fallen, we need to confirm Seoyea’s status. Seoyea is the spirit child who endured after Shin-ra.”

“In that case, the Earth Nation isn’t bad either. Ji Ryun is also a capable child. We can verify if Ji Ryun is contaminated or still okay while tracing back step-by-step. If contamination started somewhere, we’ll establish defenses from there.”

“…”

While everyone shared their opinions, I sensed irritation in Shin-ra’s expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

“Nothing? You’re clearly upset. And it’s directed at Harang and Yuna, right?”

It’s rare for Shin-ra to be angry with the two. They exchanged glances nervously while looking between Shin-ra and me.

“Did I make a mistake in what I said?”

“Not really… Shin-ra, did we do something wrong?”

“Titles.”

Shin-ra pointed at herself firmly.

“The titles are incorrect. Spirits… even the concept of ‘Spirit’ itself was lowered by the gender hierarchy to diminish the divine status.”

Shin-ra created a pyramid of flames.

“In Tera, the most abundant beings are humans, merfolk, and elves. Above them are the Spirits. At the very top of each pyramid stands the sole deity of each element.”

“The Fire Deity isn’t Blazing Phoenix, the Water Deity isn’t Seoyea, and the Earth Deity isn’t Ji Ryun, right?”

“Yes.”

Shin-ra nodded vigorously at my statement.

“I don’t call her Blazing Phoenix now because she represents a different status. Though the brainwashed officers are Spirits, they were originally the seven gods of Tera.”

If Blazing Phoenix is the representative ‘Spirit’ of fire, Shin-ra is the Goddess of Fire. There’s a clear distinction between the two.

“To put it simply, it’s the difference between SS and SSS. Like how a goddess synchronized with the magic power limit of 99 is different.”

The former is a being who has reached humanity’s limits, while the latter is a god.

“So…there exists another title for gods like Seoyea or Ji Ryun, different from those of Kai-chonkwang?”

“Yes. I know it’s a bit demanding, but…it’s similar to that.”

Shin-ra gestured toward the three of us.

“Don’t you prefer being called citizens of the Republic of Korea rather than Chosun people?”

All three of us, including myself, Harang, and Yuna, widened our eyes. We felt a chill down our spines.

“Wow, that really hit home. How about you, Big Brother? Does it resonate here too?”

“…Absolutely.”

“It’s true, but it does feel a bit…something.”

“That’s right.”

Shin-ra shrugged.

“So from now on…”

“Then should I call you Phoenix of Shin-ra?”

“……That would be a bit odd.”

Shin-ra thought for a moment and split the flame into two.

“Let’s clarify terms. The word for deities will simply be the gods of each magic power. God of Light, God of Darkness, God of Water, Jeolpung, God of Earth, God of Illusion, and God of Fire. Calling them Bright God or Dark God seems fine too.”

“Why are you subtly diminishing the Wind God?”

“Jeolpung is Jeolpung. Since Kim Penril’s mother committed a grave sin beyond giving birth to Penril, she cannot be forgiven. Maybe…she’s already fallen.”

Shin-ra might never forgive Jeolpung. Given that even the flirtatious Shin-ra prefers comparing herself with Penril instead of Jeolpung, we can fully grasp the level of disdain.

“But we don’t even know their names, do we? Do we have to call them something like ‘God of Whatever’ every time?”

“That would be inconvenient. So…let’s do this.”

Shin-ra wrote down seven Chinese characters and left blanks next to them.

“Let’s assign nicknames.”

* * *

“This is an unfamiliar prison.”

No matter how I look at it, it’s a prison. My limbs are free, but the iron bars in front of me block my way.

“What happened?”

“Are you regaining consciousness?”

A mysterious voice came from the neighboring cell.

“A woman?”

“Yeah. Just a mere criminal woman.”

“Where am I?”

“Where? It’s the underground dungeon beneath the palace of the Bi-shunia Kingdom. Criminals who commit national offenses are locked up here. You were dragged here unconscious.”

“Dragged? Why me?”

“Hehehe.”

The woman’s laugh was eerie. It felt like she was mocking me, which made me slightly irritated.

“You’ve committed a major crime.”

“What crime?”

“Murdering a Spirit. Arson. Murder. But actually, there’s a bigger issue. Heresy.”

“What?”

The woman chuckled.

“Let me ask you something. What is your sun? What is your light?”

“Well, obviously my Blue Flame…”

Ah.

“That’s blasphemy.”

-Under the sky, there cannot be two suns.

“Indeed, you’re such an atrocious heretic that you deserve to be burned at the stake. Tsk tsk.”

It seems the God of Light, ‘Golden Sun God,’ considers me a heretic.

“How can the sun be blue? Heresy.”

Blasphemy.