Chapter 181

〈 Chapter 181, Part 1, Episode 9-15 〉

The Black Scorpions were monsters that, excluding their cores, possessed stats around mid to high A-Rank. However, due to their overwhelming numbers, they were classified as an S-Rank threat. These creatures frequently appeared once a week in inland regions of western China, and the cores obtained from hunting them generated a significant surplus in China’s core trade.

Thus, people held hope. Could there possibly be a Black Scorpion nest somewhere? Many dreamed of raiding it to secure countless cores. However, the Central Party had no intention of slitting the belly of this golden goose. “Which country gets an S-Rank Core every week?” They kept quiet about the massive monster reaction detected in Xinjiang and remained calm with no unusual movements.

Skritch skritch skritch skritch…

But it seems the nest has collapsed. From tiny hatchlings to enormous specimens larger than any previously recorded, the Black Scorpions moved eastward swiftly in all shapes and sizes, as if being chased by something.

Skritch skritch skritch skritch…

Crossing the desert and entering forest trails, when the swarm of scorpions covering the ground appeared, a man on his apartment balcony dropped the cigarette he was holding.

“Uwaaaaah?!?”

The monster alert had been sounding for quite some time. But because S-Rank monsters like the Earth Dragon and Water Monkey had emerged, the man ignored the alerts coming from his watch, thinking it was just those guys again.

“What… What is THIS?! This mi… Wha…?”

The Black Scorpions passed by residential areas. Though they had the power and magic to destroy entire cities in an instant, they bypassed homes as if such destruction would waste precious time.

“Controlled… army?”

Did the man’s impression of them moving like an ant legion under the command of a queen bee merely a delusion? The horizon-covering Black Scorpions seemed fixated solely on advancing eastward.

“This… I gotta report!”

The man switched his watch to video recording mode and aimed it at the scorpions. Most people who came out onto their balconies shared his confusion, watching as the scorpions bypassed civilian homes unnaturally.

What exactly are the Black Scorpions chasing?

Without realizing it, the man turned his head eastward.

“With the sun shining so brightly…?”

Surely the Black Scorpions aren’t chasing the sun. The man could only feel strange. As the tremors caused by their movement gradually subsided, he stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at their retreating forms.

“It’s like my house got robbed or something…”

It was truly a situation that would make even ghosts weep. The man hurriedly submitted the video to the authorities and the association.

This marked the moment the large-scale migration of the Black Scorpions became widely known.

* * *

The Oracle receives prophecies through dreams.

Until half a year ago – no, just three months ago – his predictions hit with a staggering 99% accuracy rate, bordering on celestial revelations. Indeed, the Round Table dispatched key operatives based on his prophecies to successfully exterminate monsters.

“Huuuuhk! Huh, huuuhk!”

The Oracle woke up gasping for breath from his bed. His white silk shirt was drenched in sweat, and his pink hair had slightly faded.

“Mi… Mi… Crazy!”

He pounded his chest to steady his breathing. Again, he saw it in his dream – vast blue birds covering the sky, and the Oracle could only helplessly watch as they destroyed the Earth in various ways.

“Water… water…”

The Oracle rushed to the fridge. The special room provided by the association had its own refrigerator, and he gulped down water from the container –

“Phwooop!”

– Only to discover it was alcohol. It tasted terrible, like someone had poured industrial ethanol, but the Oracle quickly realized what it was.

“Who the hell filled the water container with soju?!”

The culprit was a certain habitual drinker who often used the room before, though the Oracle had no way of knowing. Still, since alcohol is technically liquid, the Oracle managed to quench his thirst somewhat before collapsing back onto the edge of the bed, panting heavily.

“Huff, haa. Damn. Crazy.”

The Oracle couldn’t believe what he’d seen in his dream.

A woman’s body, larger than most buildings, exploded, and cockroach-like scorpions poured out from within, each armed with sharp venomous stingers and chasing after something.

“This… This must definitely happen soon!”

The Oracle urgently summoned the Round Table. As always, Sir Gawein responded first, followed shortly by others answering the sudden call.

[Did you have another dream? Yours haven’t been accurate lately, so maybe you should just sleep-]

“SCORPIONS!”

The Oracle briefly recounted the contents of his dream. The expressions of the gathered Round Table members grew serious, and Anastasha nodded as if she remembered something.

[China. There’s an S-Rank monster called the Black Scorpion that Yun Yuhwa often hunted.]

[Yun Yuhwa, what’s he doing right now?]

There was no response from the East Asia Round Table members. Seok Harang was supposedly leading some random salaryman-looking guy into a conference room, but for some reason, neither Yun Yuhwa nor Gale Guest responded to the summons.

[Yun Yuhwa wasn’t supposed to be part of this meeting anyway, right?]

[Maybe not. He might’ve gone off with Cheongnyeon to hunt the Water Monkey.]

[Then what about Gale Guest?]

[…Let’s just pretend Gale Guest doesn’t exist.]

“Contact the Chinese side immediately! Damn it, whether it’s Black Scorpions or whatever, thousands of them are pouring out!”

The Oracle slammed his fists against the bedsheet in frustration. Having no combat abilities despite being part of the Round Table, he could do nothing but repeatedly ask others to fight on his behalf.

[Calm down, Oracle. Right now, China is experiencing tremendous chaos.]

“Already?”

[Not exactly. Two S-Rank monsters are running rampant. The Black Flame Dragon and the Water Monkey. Everyone’s busy watching that right now.]

Anastasha shared footage. While the epic battle between the Black Dragon and the Lightning Gorilla unfolding on the water stirred Hollywood-worthy excitement in her soul, the immediate priority was dealing with the Black Scorpions.

“S-so, request emergency backup from the association…”

[Why are you so worked up over a prophecy that might not happen anytime soon?]

[Zero-nimo… Oracle’s prophecies are absolute.]

[Lately, they’ve been missing the mark entirely. Absolute my ass. Maybe it’s just a regular dream?]

Zero-nimo taunted Oracle. Recently, mistrust had grown due to Oracle’s prophecies either being completely wrong or missing Tamying altogether. But Oracle wouldn’t back down.

“You, what will you do when the Black Scorpions come flooding in?!”

[Hmph, then I’ll appear free of charge in that movie of yours. An S-Rank monster like the Black Scorpion appearing in thousands is absurd-]

Weeeeng! Weeeeng!

The emergency signal blared. Zero-nimo went pale, and Oracle twisted his lips before tearing his hair out and screaming.

“Damn it! This isn’t a time to celebrate! Where is it happening?”

[…Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.]

The satellite image quickly focused on the area. The sheer number of red dots multiplying endlessly left the heroes of the Round Table speechless.

“…How many S-Ranks are there?”

Oracle’s prophecy had come true.

Except that it happened less than ten minutes after he woke up, making his prophecy as perfect and absolute as ever.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssk!

The Black Scorpions spread out in all directions before beginning to run across the ground toward one direction. The Round Table quickly checked the direction.

“East!”

The Black Scorpions continued running eastward endlessly. At the end of that eastern path lay Beijing, the capital of China.

* * *

Whether the Black Scorpion leads the great migration of Black Scorpions after me or not,

And whether people fall over in shock at the Black Scorpion’s mass migration or not,

I continue to leisurely traverse the skies above China, carrying Blazing Phoenix with me while leaving traces of my magical energy behind.

[Glad they call this place a continent. It’s pretty wide, isn’t it?]

“Hmph. No matter how big it is, it’s a world destined to perish. A world that will be utterly destroyed anyway.”

[That’s why we’re trying so hard to stop it. So, shall we synchronize, hmm?]

“Do you even know what synchronization means?”

Blazing Phoenix pouted, poking my chin from below with her fingers. I tightened my grip on her as I shook her body.

[Becoming one entity, you and me.]

“Do you really think there’s anything we could both agree on 100%? You don’t even like strawberries.”

[…I’m trying. Trying hard. That’s why whenever I get the chance, I keep drinking and eating to get used to it.]

“Hmph. Won’t work. Even my tastes change sometimes… …Why did you stop moving suddenly?”

Blazing Phoenix urged me forward by tapping my armor. But I had no choice but to halt my wings at her words.

[Your tastes changed? What do you want? Just say it. If it’s something I can get from Earth, I’ll fetch it for you.]

“…Secret. Guess if you’re curious~ Heh.”

[Sounds like another guessing game. Huff. You really know how to piss people off.]

I shook my head while resuming my wing flaps.

[Fine. Anyway, you’ll probably eat something randomly and react eventually. Let’s go to a buffet after this job in China is done.]

“The one where tons of food comes out? Hehe, let me try hard… Ah. Wait a sec. When do you plan to take me to a strawberry buffet?”

Blazing Phoenix pressed me. I turned my head away to avoid her piercing gaze.

[…Since none exist yet, there’s nothing I can do about that. But I promise this: July 1st. On that day, I’ll give you an incredible gift.]

“What is it?”

[Secret.]

“…Should we just reveal one card each then? Tell me. Now. Before I stab you.”

Blazing Phoenix sharpened her nails and scratched my black armor fiercely. Deep white nail marks appeared on the armor, but I had no intention of revealing my gift. Instead, I decided to give her a hint.

[It’s also the day the key to conquering another spirit appears. Heh.]

“…Huh?”

Blazing Phoenix seemed unable to understand my words. I simply shrugged and patted her shoulder.

[Don’t worry too much about it. Just enjoy yourself within me.]

“…Are you planning to do something weird? That kind of thing.”

Blazing Phoenix grabbed my neck tightly. With a ‘crunch’, the armor around my neck caved in, but I didn’t care at all.

[Would I do that to you?]

“You seem to be getting better at it lately. Starting with Cheon Gaeul, then Yun Yuhwa, Seok Harang, Xiao Lin, and now even the Ring Dragon. Don’t tell me you forgot last night? You almost fell for it completely.”

[…That’s true. I nearly got charmed by Cheon Gaeul. Still, I remain loyal.]

“To whom?”

[You.]

“…”

Blazing Phoenix fell silent again. With the conversation broken, I continued my thoughts aloud.

[Perhaps the moment I fall for another woman will be the end of ‘me’. Don’t worry. I won’t change. Although becoming someone who juggles relationships and plays with women’s feelings is somewhat regrettable.]

“You were the one who wanted to see SR-6974 Xiao Lin, right? Hmm?”

Kuk kuk. Blazing Phoenix jabbed my chest with her nails. It felt a bit painful, as if pricking my conscience. Though I intimidated Bonghyo by saying otherwise, deep down, I did want to see what Blazing Phoenix mentioned.

“Bonghyo’s talk was all bluff, right? You must be going crazy wanting to see it, huh?”

[…When I discovered the Easter Egg, I couldn’t ignore it. Aren’t you curious too? People say, ‘If Xiao Lin’s video was included in the game, Blazing Phoenix would have ranked second.’]

“…Is this Fengxia’s core? Come on, let’s go straight to the Ring Dragon. I need to see how amazing the video is to get such reviews.”

Blazing Phoenix pointed east, urging me forward. Despite pretending otherwise, she clearly took pride in being ‘number one’ and seemed rather offended by being compared to Xiao Lin.

[Then let’s speed up a bit. The Black Scorpion’s surprisingly fast.]

“It’s natural since he lost the Cube. Poor kid. He doesn’t even know the Cube is already gone. Tch.”

[Someone who completely erased all traces of the Cube shouldn’t be talking.]

“That person using the Cube to go on dates shouldn’t be talking either.”

[…]

“…”

We exchanged friendly banter. Though continuing this kind of relationship wasn’t bad, I sincerely hoped Blazing Phoenix would change her mind.

[Do you really not want to synchronize?]

“Yes. I’d rather die than do it. So kill me. Once I’m gone, all your restrictions will vanish, and you can ascend to myth yourself.”

Blazing Phoenix teased me, provoking my insides. But I had no intention of following her lead.

[We still have plenty of time, so you can think about it gradually. We’ll arrive in Beijing soon, so shall we go in?]

“Hmph, I guess. Still feels like we have some time before I fully fall asleep.”

Blazing Phoenix lazily opened her eyes and whispered near my ear.

“Since we’re out here anyway, let’s chat a little more… Hmm?”

She still enjoyed conversations. I pulled her closer as I increased the speed of my wing beats.

[Alright. What do you want to talk about?]

“Hmm. Except me, except the top pick, who’s the next heroine you want to see?”

[Yuinah.]

I answered immediately. Blazing Phoenix’s expression disappeared.

“Why?”

[Because I owe her the most, in various ways.]

“…Pervert.”

Blazing Phoenix’s face turned red as she turned away. She must have read my memories of playing games and knew exactly what I did with Yuinah. And where and how many times.

“So why don’t you go call Yuinah right now and do it?”

[She’s a minor, so it’s not allowed.]

“A minor, huh? So you’d do it if she weren’t. Pfft.”

[…That’s not what I meant. I’m just trying to…]

“And creating the academy training facility is just an excuse to bring Yuinah and Kim Nori over, isn’t it? Playing dirty tricks.”

[Calling that dirty tricks is wrong. It’s purely for reaching the true ending by keeping heroines safe.]

“Wow~ Someone’s using someone else’s body to mess around with minors~”

Our conversation failed.

By the time I arrived in Beijing, I became the laughingstock of Blazing Phoenix.

“Pfft. Seriously, spill your real thoughts. If you lie, I’ll kill you. Honestly, who do you want the most right now? Be honest-”

[You.]

“…”

[Obviously you. I spent 20 billion just to try that one act with you, which led to this situation-]

Thud.

Ah.

Critical hit landed.

By the time we reached Beijing, I was stumbling into the Central Party headquarters like a fly having lost a wing.

Blazing Phoenix didn’t say a word until we arrived.

And then she ran away.

“One Cube wasted on this date… Worst ever…”

As Blazing Phoenix’s consciousness faded and I became Phoenix, I despaired.

Was I too honest? What should I do when I meet her again with a Cube? How am I supposed to calm her down when I made her angry?

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped involuntarily, but what’s done is done.

I adjusted my magic power and greeted those entering the waiting room: Seok Harang, Ha Yujun, and Mo Taegyeong.

“Welcome. Seok Harang, Yun Yuhwa… And Ring Dragon.”

Including Cheongnyeon waiting inside the room.

The most awkward combination in the world.