Chapter 174

〈 Chapter 174 Part 1, Section 9, Episode 8 〉

<At that moment, New Seoul Hero Association Branch in South Korea.>

The intense showdown between Phoenix and Phantom Dragon had naturally been broadcast live across the nation—and indeed, the world.

Phoenix stared silently at Mo Taegyeong, while Mo Taegyeong lounged with a relaxed expression, glancing around casually.

Rumors were swirling that Mo Taegyeong was behind the hijacking of the plane carrying Cheongnyeon, and these rumors carried significant weight—nine out of ten people seemed to support this theory.

“Wow, she’s got some guts, huh?”

The Administrator sipped on a canned coffee, pointing at Cheongnyeon. No conversation took place; instead, it was an intense staring match between Cheongnyeon and Mo Taegyeong—a spectacle worthy of both admiration and disaster-level proportions.

“It’s understandable since he’s from Seoul’s refugee district.”

The Executioner clicked his tongue, criticizing Cheongnyeon’s display of raw emotion.

“Look at how calm Mo Taegyeong is. If he really was behind it, he must’ve cut his losses and come out like this.”

“…Calm?”

Hwakwon and Lee Seung-hyung exchanged uncertain glances, tilting their heads in confusion. When no one else in the room agreed with him, the Executioner frowned and shot daggers at Seung-hyung.

“What’s your issue?”

“No, not really… but… uh…”

Seung-hyung hesitated but decided to voice his thoughts anyway.

“He just seems like he’s not thinking about anything, you know?”

Seung-hyung pointed directly at Mo Taegyeong. Everyone in the briefing room, all special ability users present, either laughed or clicked their tongues disapprovingly.

“Hwakwon-ah. This guy’s worse than Sun Icheol.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. There’s no way someone ranked second in the continent would come out here without a plan. Hmph. He definitely has something up his sleeve. Hmm.”

Usa and Pungbaek stepped in to refute Seung-hyung’s claim. While Seung-hyung judged through an S-Rank perspective, they relied on years of experience and sharp intuition.

“…I don’t know.”

Unsah threw her hands up, clearly unsure.

In the end, Seung-hyung’s thoughts were dismissed as mere jokes, and the meeting barely continued amidst discussions of dinner plans. Following the “<Good Morning Terror>” incident, monsters dormant throughout China began awakening.

“It’s strange there hasn’t been much civilian damage. They must’ve woken up annoyed, right?”

“Maybe they’re scared of something. Perhaps due to Chaos, the SS-Rank monster? But…”

“Didn’t Harang kill it already?”

“Maybe they’re scared of Harang then.”

Just as monsters avoided stepping into New Seoul guarded by Light Blade, it seemed they could sense territories ruled by powerful beings. Whenever a song played, the monsters fled in panic, and their erratic behavior worsened the closer they got to Beijing.

Thanks to this phenomenon, heroes and hunters easily hunted down monsters, though key named monsters still remained.

“Executioner. Any reactions from named monsters since yesterday?”

“S-Rank monsters: <Black Scorpion>, <Water Monkey>, <Earth Dragon>. All mid-tier S-Rank monsters. In particular, Black Scorpion…”

“The core of the S-Rank monster Black Scorpion.”

“…which the association classified as SS-Rank. Is it safe?”

On screen, <Dual Sword Rabbit> passionately warned about dangerous monsters. Cheongnyeon listened attentively, Seok Harang blinked lazily, and Xiao Lin closed her eyes in deep meditation.

[Hohoho.]

Mo Taegyeong merely chuckled, observing them all as if he too were just another figure on the screen, detached and contemplative.

“It’s probably because all necessary measures have been taken, hence his calm demeanor.”

“Well, whichever side it leans towards, we’d better seize the opportunity. Executioner, are negotiations going smoothly with the Chinese association?”

“…Not yet.”

The Executioner bit his lower lip. For Korean ability users to step in and eliminate Chinese monsters amounted to overstepping boundaries. However, to publicly establish where Cheongnyeon stood, even symbolic gestures like laying down chopsticks needed to be made.

“If only we understood the mechanics of monster control better, maybe we could devise some strategies.”

“Still, don’t we have rough ideas?”

“Revival through cores? How do we even verify that, old man?”

“…Truly, such a mysterious existence.”

[…This concludes the current status report for detected S-Rank monsters.]

Three. Yuhwangsook finished explaining and sat back down. Cheongnyeon nodded, drawing a triangle on the map before raising her hand.

[Understood. Thank you for the explanation.]

[Then, Cheongnyeon. We’ll provide full support, so please try to take care of at least one…]

“Mr. Jucheok is flailing around quite comically, isn’t he? Ugh.”

“Doesn’t look good, does it? Clearly smitten at first sight. Isn’t that right, Fire Fist?”

“…Why am I suddenly being called out?”

Everyone turned their gaze toward Seung-hyung. His face flushed red as he cleared his throat awkwardly, prompting the Administrator to interject.

“I saw it! That kid was shamelessly flirting with Cheongnyoen from inside a limousine!”

“…Administrator, when did I ever-”

“When did you see it? Exactly!”

“That’s actually true, so I’m saying it… ugh, fine. Yes. Affection shown. Are we done now?”

Seung-hyung raised both hands in surrender, causing the heroes to shake their heads in exasperation.

“Love-struck idiot.”

“Ability supremacist.”

“Pervert. …No, wait, not *that* kind of pervert.”

“Folks? This affection stems from shared nationality, not romantic feelings…”

[Understood. But may I speak with Ms. Seolhwaryeong? It feels beyond my capacity to decide alone.]

[Agreed.]

[Hohoho. Then let us proceed thus.]

Mo Taegyeong, who had remained silent until now, tapped his wrist and continued speaking.

[One hour. After lunch and an hour of rest, reconvene here for further discussion?]

[Ah, understood. Let’s do that. Yes, let’s.]

Under Mo Taegyeong’s mediation, the talks paused. The live stream stopped momentarily, allowing announcers and panelists to discuss the profiles of the mentioned monsters.

“Surprising.”

The Executioner stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“It seems Mo Taegyeong and Yuhwangsook have swapped roles. Sabotaging the talks outright was likely psychological warfare aimed at pressuring Cheongnyeon.”

“It’s hard to refuse requests under global scrutiny, isn’t it? Asking us to handle all S-Rank monsters across China?”

“They don’t intend to resolve things swiftly. Instead, they’ll slowly tempt us to naturalize. Tch.”

“…Hmm.”

Seung-hyung voiced his unique opinion again.

“He just seems like he doesn’t want to do anything…”

“If that’s what you think, then fine.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Fire Fist here still lacks insight into people. Would someone who kidnapped a valuable person and blew up a plane suddenly give up the next day? Hmm.”

“…”

Seung-hyung felt utterly isolated, wondering why everyone disagreed. The Executioner redirected attention to the screen, pointing at Chunja.

“What about this guy? Mr. Jucheok?”

“…Looks like he fell for Cheongnyeon at first sight.”

Seung-hyung spoke the truth, only for everyone to burst into mocking laughter.

“Jealous?”

“You’re jealous.”

“Ugh, Seung-hyung.”

“Yes, let’s label him as overly jealous.”

Seung-hyung threw up his hands in defeat. Usa, Pungbaek, and the Administrator whistled and cheered loudly.

“Seung-hyung likes Cheongnyeon!”

“Love always fades with another love!”

“Hahaha! Besides, he can’t even visit his future in-laws in Seoul, can he? Hahaha!”

“…”

Seung-hyung gave up entirely. Only the Executioner carefully observed both Chunja and Seung-hyung, then glanced at Cheongnyeon leaving her seat on screen.

“She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

The Executioner wiped his lips with his thumb. There was still plenty of time before the talks resumed.

“In that case, let’s prepare to depart at any moment.”

“Executioner, already?”

“Already or not, why do you think I flew here from the government building?”

The Executioner jingled the keys in his hand and grinned.

“It’s been a while since I drove this thing.”

* * *

<A short while later, within the Central Committee Office in Beijing, China, waiting room.>

“Aaaagh!”

With a mighty kick, I overturned the desk. If only I could rip Phantom Dragon’s head off right now—but alas, that dragon was chatting comfortably beside Chunja rather than here with us.

“Don’t get so worked up. You’ll only make yourself angrier.”

Seok Harang tried calming me down, but I knew he understood too. Having read the inner workings of Phantom Dragon, he surely recognized how distracted the dragon had been during the meeting.

“That damn ghost made Phoenix look like a global-class idiot!”

“If she was an idiot to begin with, it’s not much of a problem, is it?”

“Seok Harang, this is-”

During official negotiations, he made me look like an uncontrolled fool incapable of containing my anger.

“This doesn’t seem like much of an issue.”

Xiao Lin briefly commented on the events during the banquet.

“‘Cheongnyeon also seems to suspect Mo Taegyeong.’ ‘We don’t know what Mo Taegyeong is thinking.’ ‘Chunja, what are you scheming?’ ‘Anyone would stiffen up in front of someone trying to kill them.’ ‘Mo Taegyeong’s poker face is impressive…’”

“It’s not a poker face. He’s just not thinking about anything.”

“Nope. He’s thinking.”

Seok Harang shrugged nonchalantly.

“‘I don’t feel like doing anything.’”

“Argh, seriously… Where the heck is Bonghyo? With Phantom Dragon acting this way.”

I pointed out the absence of Bonghyo, the legendary guardian supposed to be overseeing Mo Taegyeong. Even if possessing Mo Taegyeong was acceptable, his lack of supervision was glaring.

“He should at least be present in spirit form. Why isn’t he showing up?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask, would I? Do you know, Xiao Lin?”

“…I’ll tell you later. For now.”

Xiao Lin gestured toward the map.

“Decide which monster to target.”

“…You’re also uninterested in the negotiations, huh? Sigh.”

Phantom Dragon couldn’t care less, and Xiao Lin was eager to fight monsters. She seemed excited about taking down Chinese beasts, but ultimately—

“You just want to show your face, don’t you?”

“Yes. You understand me well. And furthermore-”

“Fight in your underwear.”

“Pfft.”

Xiao Lin clicked her tongue and turned away, her lips sticking out in obvious dissatisfaction.

“What’s wrong? Are you suggesting bras and panties? Body suit talk?”

“No. Bra and panties. She fights without them.”

“Eww.”

“To clarify, I don’t have a fetish for exposure.”

Xiao Lin quickly defended herself.

“I simply wish to fight without elements hindering combat.”

“So why not fight naked then?”

“She already does.”

Snap. Xiao Lin gestured at her attire. Seok Harang finally realized what her clothing truly was.

“…Made from magic power, huh? So you mean…”

“Yes. This alone suffices. What more do I need?”

“…If that’s what you want. Sigh.”

Even though exposing myself might result in worldwide adult content, Xiao Lin insisted on wearing clothes woven from my magical energy. Normally, I wouldn’t bother ordering her around unless she were my own monster, but since she belongs to Phantom Dragon, I couldn’t force her to wear proper attire.

“Why didn’t you stop him from making those clothes? Bing Shi?”

“If stopping her were possible, I would’ve.”

“Hohoho. Now free from Unjang’s constraints, nothing can hold me back. Anything blocking my path will simply be slashed and toppled.”

From being somewhat restrained under Mo Taegyeong’s influence as Unjang, SS-Divinity revealed his true colors immediately after ascending. Knowing interference would be futile, I merely tailored outfits to minimize unnecessary exposure.

“Anyway, let’s leave Phantom Dragon’s laziness for later—I’ll deal with his rear end personally. Let’s go hunt some monsters. Once the banquet ends, I’ll explain everything. Let’s go monster hunting.”

“I’ll head straight back to Korea… hey.”

Seok Harang furrowed his brow, reading a message flashing on his watch.

“Korea’s association is sending escorts? Starting from the Triple Saints, most A-Ranks, and Hwakwon Lee Seung-hyung…”

“They’re just trying to insert themselves.”

I found the high-ups’ petty schemes repulsive.

“They’re probably hoping for leftovers. Won’t work though.”

I patted Xiao Lin’s shoulder.

“We can handle this ourselves. No need for them to come all the way from Korea just to get scolded. Tell them to go home.”

“…Hohoho.”

“Damn. Ugh. Why are these people suddenly… wow.”

“What now?”

As Seok Harang skimmed through the message, his expression froze. I leaned over to read it with him.

“Wow.”

The entire world was sending love calls.

To me.