Chapter 123

〈Chapter 123〉 Part 1, Chapter 7 (3)

<3:00 PM, Busan Yoo Sung Hotel Penthouse>

“Did we win?”

“What are you talking about?”

Yun Yuhwa chuckled as he read a message from Seok Harang on his smartwatch.

“Whatever it was, Phoenix-sama and you had quite the battle. She says you won.”

“Of course. Who’s daughter do you think I am?”

Heo Yoon-hwan blew a tune into an empty bottle of vodka before chugging the rest. Yuha, sensing some inexplicable sense of injustice, began tapping her fingers on the table.

“…Father, I’m currently working, so could you please go somewhere else to drink?”

“Work? What kind of work?”

Yuha started seriously considering selling this defective item back to its rightful owner. Not only had they never properly paid for all the alcohol consumed so far, but during their trip to support Busan, they ended up causing even bigger chaos.

Yuha pointed at the screen she’d pulled up. On it were several employees of Xroid in Yoo Sung busy deleting footage.

“Father, your videos keep popping up online.”

“…I guess I exercised too visibly at dawn.”

Yoon-hwan stroked his chin while infusing mana into his other hand. A crimson blade of light suddenly burst forth from the tip of the vodka bottle.

“I was trying to hide my identity entirely, but looks like I’ve been found out anyway?”

“Apparently. Each martial artist has their own unique style, right? It seems yours got analyzed.”

“But I learned by fighting randomly without any master.”

“…Through real combat, you refined your skills.”

Yuha showed him the related video clips. In them, countless self-proclaimed experts were spewing theories, deducing that the Black Knight’s true identity was none other than Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan.

The most ridiculous claim? “Because he uses a sword of light, he must be Light Blade.” Yoon-hwan burst into laughter.

“That doesn’t sound like something the president should say.”

“They wouldn’t have said it without confidence. If that’s true, whoever did must have incredible crisis-breaking abilities.”

“Heh, this guy basically wrote a novel about me.”

“Huh?”

Yoon-hwan summarized the content of what he called a “novel” for Yuha.

“Light Blade actually faked his death and secretly manipulated events behind the scenes, instigating wars between Japan and China. Though Japan failed due to Moby Dick, China went exactly according to plan when heroes abandoned their posts. This was all part of Light Blade’s grand scheme to bestow SS-rank power upon Princess Sayul by giving her trials…”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Is it? The trash itself claimed it.”

“If it’s trash, then it sounds plausible. Wait… Trash?”

Yuha, startled, stopped her current task and rushed over to Yoon-hwan. Yoon-hwan pointed to the author of the content on the social media platform.

“It’s you?”

“…Father, this is a fake account. It’s not real.”

Yuha calmed herself down after realizing with relief that her father hadn’t really created such an account.

“On this SNS, Blue-Bird, anyone can create fake accounts.”

“So there could be impersonators pretending to be me too?”

“Of course. Even I have a bunch.”

Yuha displayed a list of her own counterfeit accounts, filled with profanity and uncouth language, making Yoon-hwan quickly avert his eyes.

“Do you see this? The marked ones. Those indicate verified official accounts certified by BB headquarters.”

“…Complicated.”

“Take a look. It’ll pass the time nicely.”

Yoon-hwan scratched his head and began browsing through the social media feed. With the noisy drunkard temporarily silenced, Yuha sighed in relief and sipped her coffee.

The rich aroma of roasted beans filled her mouth. As she leisurely instructed the deletion of various videos, her finger hesitated mid-motion.

“Come to think of it…”

Yuha urgently pulled up the surveillance footage from the cruise ship onto her screen. The timeline covered everything from after the ship’s departure until the end.

“It definitely wasn’t destroyed naturally…”

She had been too preoccupied deleting data related to Light Blade and the Blue Wind Sect to notice earlier. Having only heard that the strawberries were beyond repair, Yuha resolved to identify the culprit, albeit late.

“Hmm?”

Yuha reviewed the CCTV footage again. The files were missing.

“Why?”

Yuha’s expression stiffened. After Moby Dick’s appearance, the CCTV recordings were sporadically filled with noise or went completely dark.

“Could it be because of Harang?”

“Hm? What are you saying?”

“It’s nothing.”

Was it due to Princess Sayul’s magic and Moby Dick’s long-term effects causing the electronic equipment to fail? Cold sweat trickled down Yuha’s forehead.

‘No, these were deliberately erased. Cut out.’

Yuha felt goosebumps all over her body. Even the mechanical puppets following her orders seemed to shiver momentarily, experiencing a system error.

“Ah, damn it!”

Suddenly, nothing worked. The government and association confiscated all cores from Anman Molshiki and took everything. Repair costs for the broken cruise ship, collapsed buildings, and damaged parks fell entirely on Yoo Sung.

‘At least give me a hundred!’

Though the government didn’t expect much, the association’s new team leader turned out to be excessively nitpicky compared to former leader Kang Soyeon.

‘Irritating. Seriously.’

She needed some peace of mind. Yuha wanted nothing more than to quickly renegotiate contracts with her beloved clients.

‘Sell Light Blade and ask for a mini-Phoenix?’

Yuha began comparing the two entities seriously.

“Oh, it’s done. The name… will be… Brilliant Star…”

Unaware of what his daughter was thinking, Yoon-hwan became deeply engrossed in the social media platform.

* * *

<Meanwhile, another suite in the same hotel>

“Hohoho…”

Himeji Hikari typed away under the covers. Only the glow of the screen illuminated the dark room.

“There’s no way I can let our Seung-hyung-nim get into trouble…”

Hikari had already uncovered the identity of the prince who saved her.

Lee Seung-hyung. Age 26. Korea’s S-Rank special ability user “Fire Fist.” Former actor at A-Rank known for his good looks. Attended the funeral of actress Cheon Gaeul, showcasing immense responsibility. Nephew of current President Sun Icheol.

“Wow, what a fairytale prince. His credentials are unreal.”

“What are you jabbering about under the covers?!”

Himeji Hayate yanked the blanket off, sending Hikari tumbling off the bed.

“That hurts!”

“You’re going blind! What bad thing are you doing? Committing crimes? Why are you hiding?”

“…Hmm…”

Hikari didn’t bother hiding her thoughts. Fire Fist’s image on the screen caught Hayate’s eye, filling it with killing intent.

“That’s the guy who saved you, right?”

“Don’t call him a kid. He’s also S-Rank like you.”

“I’ve been S-Rank for years, and that kid has only been one for two months. Isn’t that right?”

Annoyed, Hikari immediately played a video. The legendary clip everyone in hero circles must watch—”One-Hit Dragon Slayer.avi.”

“Have you ever killed a dragon with one hit?! No, right? You just recklessly dumped parasites into the sea!”

“…Hey, nobody knew that would happen. If we had, I wouldn’t have done it!”

“Shut up! The community is already raging against you for polluting international waters!”

“…Same goes for you, doesn’t it?”

Hayate’s remark made Hikari flinch. Hayate smirked and countered with his own screen. There stood a black-haired girl in a mask mimicking Hayate’s pose.

“Hello everyone, this is Hitka from Angel TV! Tush tush! Hahahaha!”

“Die! Just die already!”

Hikari attacked with a pillow. Hayate gracefully dodged the three-directional assault and leapt onto the bed.

“But how did you figure out about Light Blade? Does that mean he’s still alive?”

“…Every special ability user has a unique mana pattern, which displays in seven spectral colors, dummy.”

“Sounds like a core. So?”

“…All but one of Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan’s patterns perfectly match this masked knight’s.”

Hayate examined the patterns Hikari pointed out curiously. When overlaid, the graphs were identical except for the part Hikari highlighted in red, showing a significant difference.

“Heo Yoon-hwan’s graph converges near zero, while this one approaches nearly 100. Just my theory though…”

Hikari manipulated the screen to display someone’s photo. Hayate raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I heard about her at the Round Table meeting.”

“Exactly. <Beast Tamer>. That girl…”

Hikari whispered cautiously into Hayate’s ear.

“Maybe she’s a necromancer who can control both monsters and human corpses?”

* * *

<4:00 PM, Yeouido Blue Wind Sect Hideout>

“Haha! I won! I won! Director, I won!”

Kang Soyeon cheered triumphantly. Ryu Cheonseong stood nearby with a blank face, while beside him, Cheon Gaeul looked utterly exasperated.

“You called me here just for that measly bet?”

“Not ‘measly.’ This was a crucial match!”

“Tch. …Still, you’re impressive. Here, stockings.”

Soyeon accepted the stockings from Gaeul and removed her shoes. By now, changing stockings in front of others didn’t embarrass her at all.

Clack. Soyeon tossed the replaced stockings onto the floor.

“It’s a matter of pride for Guanak University.”

“…Are you in S-League?”

“…Hey, are you?”

A rare common ground formed between the two women. Awkwardly silent amidst mutual embarrassment, the only person observing them was Yu I-shin. A man approached her, holding a sketchbook.

[Can we talk briefly?]

“Yes.”

I-shin nodded and followed him. The man’s brisk pace carried a faint hint of irritation.

Outside the hotel, the man led I-shin to a secluded alleyway where others waited. All bore feather-shaped tattoos around their necks.

[You came, Robin.]

The apparent leader flipped his sketchbook. I-shin barely suppressed a laugh and nodded.

“Yes, Chief Iron Ticket. But allow me to correct you—I’m now ‘Gongsung,’ having received a divine name.”

Man, Iron Ticket Park Seong-tae, tried to speak but couldn’t. Still lacking vocal cords, he resorted to flipping pages in his prepared sketchbook.

[Do you truly intend to follow the monster who killed us?]

I-shin nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. Our Lord granted us the power to resurrect even after death—”

[What happened to the great Robin who once plotted rebellion against Cheongsong?]

I-shin froze. Her expression hardened coldly, lips curling slightly upward.

“…Why? Are you going to talk?”

[It’s not too late to escape. Here—]

“Stop being ridiculous. There’s nowhere left to run anymore.”

I-shin pointed at the feather tattoo on her neck.

“Our fate is to live like this now. There’s no other choice. Either show value and gain favor, or become obsolete and fade away. That’s all. Since we’re in the same boat, let me be clear.”

I-shin took a deep breath.

“…This is how I choose to live. There’s nothing more to say.”

I-shin turned around abruptly. Given their voiceless state, no calls would reach her. Instead, they moved to attack. I-shin sighed inwardly and reached for the dagger hidden in her robes.

Krrrrr…

The roar of a dragon echoed. I-shin brightened and turned around.

“Master.”

Between the alleys, a reptilian eye vertically split appeared. The feather-bearers froze in place, while I-shin ignored them and vaulted onto the rooftop.

“My apologies for troubling you. However, please understand. They haven’t yet attained faith…”

[There’s no need to conform to me.]

Never in her life had I-shin experienced a greater shock. The magical voice resonating directly in her mind unmistakably belonged to the man from Mapo Bridge.

“Master, you… you could speak…”

[Of course people can talk.]

The Black Flame Dragon lifted his head. In the reflection of his tear film, children played gleefully on a slide. Nearby, low-ranking members of the Blue Wind Sect watched over them.

“AHAHAHA!”

The dragon gently flapped his wings. The child, startled yet delighted, ran happily before disappearing. The dragon turned his head toward I-shin to convey his thoughts.

[Although I intended to explain this eventually, it came sooner than expected. Anyway, there’s no need to imitate me.]

“Then, calling you God until now…”

[We’re in similar situations.]

I-shin felt embarrassed.

“B-but why go that far?! We genuinely misunderstood!”

[…Our Lord finds it somewhat burdensome when addressed as God.]

I-shin nodded. Hence, before becoming a dragon, he was ostracized among officers and assigned the role of gatekeeper at Mapo Bridge.

[I regard the power bestowed upon me as a lifelong grace. However…]

The Black Flame Dragon grinned slightly, and I-shin was certain.

[Each time I elevated him to the status of a sun deity, it amused him greatly.]

Ah, this human (?) isn’t normal either. I-shin felt dizzy looking at him.