Chapter 840

EP.840 Part 2: The Era of Cheongnyeon – A Day in the Life of Park, the Government Employee

Pluto’s descent.

The world narrowly avoided a great threat thanks to the sacrifice of an evil villain.

But at the moment Pluto fell, all sorts of monsters surged across the globe.

Not only were there monsters, but many people became fiends as well, and humanity struggled to survive until the moment Pluto was destroyed.

That day…

The day Pluto came closest to Earth.

Official reports indicate that the Earth’s population decreased by nearly six million.

Among these six million “deaths,” there were those killed by monsters or fiends, but also those who were declared dead as humans.

Those who turned into fiends…

They abandoned their humanity, revealing their destructive urges and showing hostility towards mankind.

They recklessly committed crimes, and in response, heroes fought the fiends with full strength.

After Pluto’s destruction…

The completely crazed fiends lost consciousness when Pluto disappeared and were immediately subdued by the heroes.

However, some fiends who lost consciousness survived.

There were fiends rampaging in places beyond the reach of heroes, fiends who quickly regained consciousness and escaped from the heroes, or fiends who managed to hide from the heroes through various means.

Humanity overcame the threat of Pluto’s collapse with great sacrifice.

Yet, the threats of monsters and fiends still remained.

One encouraging thing was that no more “Dimensional Gates” appeared.

The number of monsters and fiends was not increasing.

There were no more sudden appearances of dragons through Dimensional Gates.

…Except for the case of new types of monsters emerging from Stonehenge, so far, the number of monsters and fiends on Earth has not increased.

This was a great relief for humanity.

The fear of cockroaches lies in the fact that killing one doesn’t eradicate all of them.

But if you realize that cockroaches can no longer reproduce despite their numbers, the situation changes.

If they don’t multiply after being killed and their numbers decrease…

People will make efforts to reduce their numbers despite the hard work involved.

Whether by burning or using pesticides, everyone knows that eliminating all cockroaches leads to a more peaceful and prosperous life.

After Pluto’s collapse…

Heroes continued to chase fiends and villains, while hunters pursued surviving monsters to retrieve cores.

The times are changing.

This is the story of humanity living in the era of “Cheongnyeon.”

* * *

“Haa…”

Park, the national government employee, trudged along toward home.

Although monsters from the former North Korea region no longer exist, hidden monsters scattered across the land continue to threaten people.

Her daily duty was to subdue these monsters and fiends.

A life with evenings?

Such a concept didn’t exist for Park.

She had to start her workday at 7 a.m. to be on site by 9 a.m., and working overtime until 9 p.m. was standard.

It wasn’t as simple as just not doing it.

There were demands placed on her, and tasks that only she could perform.

This was the destiny of a ‘Special Ability Rank 2’ public servant.

Achieving the rank of a second-level national public servant in her twenties proved her considerable skills, but it also meant she had many responsibilities.

“If I had known this would happen, I should’ve become a hunter instead.”

Park checked the time.

Late night, 8 p.m.

Still, today being Friday evening, she managed to leave early.

The leaders of the Monster Countermeasures Department held a dinner party to celebrate the successful eradication, but Park excused herself and slipped away.

Is this okay?

It’s fine for Park.

She was one of only five ‘S-Rank’ individuals in the Monster Countermeasures Department.

Regarding “the issue of S-Rank individuals not receiving proper treatment…”

With a sigh, Park got into a taxi.

Exhausted by human interaction, she usually avoided taxis but entrusted herself to Yoo-Sung’s autonomous vehicle and entered her destination.

Beeep.

The taxi sped off down the road.

As the car drove north from Suwon, Park gazed out the window at Seoul regaining its former glory.

“Miracles of Cheongnyeon, huh…”

What was once called the Miracle of Han River is now referred to as the Miracle of Cheongnyeon.

Through Cheongnyeon’s sacrifices, the world regained peace.

In Seoul, the legacies left by Cheongnyeon and the Blue Wind Sect are tirelessly rebuilding the city in every corner.

…In Neo Seoul, there were legislative movements by the privileged class to restore pre-Seoul Retreat property rights, but no one could easily talk about Seoul’s property rights.

“This is Seoul? It’s Neo Hanyang.”

Seoul was transforming.

Suddenly, tall buildings appeared, followed by traditional Korean houses rising like skyscrapers.

“Even trees imbued with magic become as strong as concrete? Incredible.”

Park sighed as she saw large-scale traditional buildings sprouting from the ground.

“There goes Sungkyunkwan.”

Like a modern reconstruction of the ancient Sungkyunkwan, the ruins of the university grounds rose anew.

“Will we need to wear gats and walk around now?”

Park chuckled at the sight of electric and magical lines flowing within traditional houses.

The structures visible to her were truly blessed by magic.

Neo Hanyang.

While Neo Seoul compressed Seoul’s development into a small area, Seoul itself proves the meeting of past and future in a new era.

“The era of Cheongnyeon.”

Industrial revolutions changed the paradigm of the times, and the modern age moved towards an information society, welcoming the existence of special abilities and monsters.

With the disappearance of major threats like Pluto and the moon, humanity now lives in the “Era of Cheongnyeon,” known as the Magic Revolution.

Autonomous taxis traveling from Suwon to Yeouido,

Neon signs flashing above traditional restaurants where androids dressed in hanbok-inspired uniforms serve food,

“Raon, you’re here?”

…Or personal mechanical husbands普及 in households.

“I’m tired.”

Raon collapsed into the arms of her husband. The man with black hair supported Raon and lifted her princess-style.

“What do you want to do first?”

“Bathe me.”

“At your service.”

Chak.

The man kissed Raon’s forehead.

Though it felt strange, Raon didn’t mind.

She even liked the odd sensation.

“Aren’t you embarrassed asking your husband to bathe you?”

“Nyah, I’m baby Raon.”

“Where did you learn that?”

“Our team members act like babies and say they need protection.”

Raon rubbed her face against the man’s chest.

“I want to be a baby at home too.”

“Alright, my baby. Was today tough?”

Chak.

The man carried Raon to the bathroom.

It was quite unusual to have an onsen-like facility at home, but given that S-Rank individuals were likened to walking conglomerates, having an onsen wasn’t surprising.

“Help me undress.”

“I’ll help with the shirt, but please undress the rest yourself.”

“Why?”

“So it feels better?”

“…Che.”

Raon complied with the man’s request.

The man undressed Raon’s shirt, and Raon took off her bra and underwear herself.

“I’ll wash you thoroughly.”

The man, now naked, embraced Raon from behind.

The warm, solid sensation from his backside made Raon blush.

“Hmmn…”

Feeling warmth spread through her body, Raon entrusted herself to the man. He carried her into the warm onsen water.

“Haaa…”

Raon leaned her head back as she hugged the man from behind. The man kissed her neck while slowly moving his hands up her waist.

“My breasts are big.”

“They’re natural.”

“Does an S-Rank hero ever get plastic surgery?”

“That’s true… Husband, what do you think?”

Raon playfully rocked her hips against the man’s pelvis.

“Do you think my breasts grew because of you?”

“Yeah, probably E-cup now.”

“Thanks to you.”

“Thank you.”

Gurgle.

A sound of flesh meeting in the water echoed.

Raon, her face flushed red, kissed the man’s cheek.

“…I can’t get married anymore.”

“Why?”

“I’ve already given my virginity and heart to you. Ah, but I wasn’t a virgin, right? Phoenix Lady took it.”

“Don’t joke about something like that.”

“Ho ho, why? Are you jealous of yourself?”

Raon smiled wryly as she held the man’s hand, Phoenix.

“I sincerely thank Phoenix Lady. Thanks to her, I could regain my special abilities and have you here just for me.”

“…Raon, remember, I’m just a manifestation created to make you happy.”

“Who cares.”

Raon clung closer to Phoenix.

“To me, whether you’re fake, a manifestation, or a fragment doesn’t matter. You saved me, gave me a second chance to live, and taught me how to love.”

“Raon…”

“Others may feel differently, but I think it’s better this way. We can have a more objective relationship.”

Gurgle, gurgle.

“…And honestly, I think I’d be fine with you even if you were female.”

“That’s a bit weird.”

Phoenix firmly grasped Raon’s breasts.

“You always scream for it during sex though, right?”

“Haha, well… Hmmn…”

Raon trembled momentarily. The warmth of the onsen and the heat spreading inside her made her more lethargic.

“It’s good enough… Hey, did you know? There’s a bill proposing that marriage to androids is possible. Now you’re really my husband.”

“…Complicated. There are 17 Phoenixes.”

“You’re my Phoenix. Miss Park.”

“Same surname and clan?”

“Yeah. Ho ho, maybe I’ll just let you call me whatever I want.”

Raon relaxed in Phoenix’s arms.

“Husband, will you love me?”

“Of course.”

Phoenix’s answer was unwavering.

“I was born to love you.”

“…Yeah, good.”

Raon entrusted herself to Phoenix.

“No matter what others say—fake, lie, fragment—you’re real to me. Haa…”

Drip.

“This is happiness.”