Chapter 209

〈Chapter 209〉 Part 1, Chapter 10, Section 12

The morning after Phoenix had gone off to shoot an advertisement.

Baek Hee-a received a request for a meeting with Hwakwon Lee Seung-hyeong through some channels.

As the successor to the Governor and now an Executioner, it was natural for her to have meetings with Heroes, but she couldn’t understand why he used such an old-school method as a “letter” to ask her to meet “separately on the roof.”

Baek Hee-a was curious too.

The answer to what Cheongnyeon and Xiao Lin discussed that made Cheongnyeon jump off the Association building while hugging Xiao Lin lay with Lee Seung-hyeong.

After making all necessary preparations, Baek Hee-a met with Lee Seung-hyeong alone, determined to politely decline whatever confession he might make using logical rhetoric.

“The Blue Wind Sect tried to recruit me… personally by the monster <Phoenix>.”

“You too?”

A small sense of camaraderie formed between them. Both Baek Hee-a and Lee Seung-hyeong had been approached by Phoenix with the proposition “to join forces,” and both firmly rejected it.

“Still, you’re from the Hwakwon school. You’re brimming with righteousness.”

“And you’re truly an Executioner. To resolutely reject the temptations of evil…”

They lamented being targeted by Phoenix. Though it was undeniable that their hearts were slightly swayed by the allure of power from the villain who slaughtered the Light Blade and massacred the Pine Unit.

“…but I will never compromise.”

“Yes, me neither.”

They shook hands, becoming comrades. Baek Hee-a, confident in her ability to judge people, trusted Lee Seung-hyeong’s heroic demeanor and skills. Lee Seung-hyeong, meanwhile, felt certain about the sincerity emanating from Baek Hee-a’s magical power.

In the uncertain world of New Seoul, where trust was hard to come by, they became each other’s only reliable allies within the Hero Association.

“Though I understand developing Seoul in various ways…”

“…killing people while doing so isn’t right.”

“I thought he was Sun Icheol’s nephew…”

“I thought she was President Baek’s granddaughter…”

“Indeed! Talking really does bring understanding!!”

The two justice-filled individuals shook hands again, smiling brightly. After buying drinks from the vending machine, they began a long discussion on how to deal with Phoenix.

“Subduing her by force?”

“Impossible. She’s SS-Rank.”

Lee Seung-hyeong had already lost in a fistfight against her—even though Phoenix hadn’t fought seriously.

“What about asking Seol Hwa-ryeong for help?”

“Probably no good. My gut says she’s somehow colluding with Phoenix. Why she’d team up with her teacher’s enemy is beyond me.”

“Considering her Chinese connections… ugh.”

It was clearly impossible to defeat her by force. They had to choose another approach.

“Ultimately…”

“We can only try to persuade her through conversation.”

In the end, words would be their best weapon. They spent time brainstorming ways to reform the villain Phoenix.

That this led to further scandals later is another story.

“Should we use the beauty strategy? Mr. Lee Seung-hyeong, I apologize, but could you sacrifice yourself?”

“Phoenix detests me. How about you, Ms. Baek Hee-a? That ring… it contains Blue Flame, doesn’t it? Was it given to you by Lady Phoenix? Perhaps… there’s nothing going on between you two, but are you trying to deceive me?”

“It’s true, but don’t misunderstand! She forcibly shoved it on me and left!”

It seemed they still needed more time to fully trust each other.

—

We returned safely to Seoul. Drunk on the Core and Cube obtained during the Black Scorpion incident, we remained unaware of the situation unfolding behind the scenes in New Seoul.

Let’s gather information for one day and discuss countermeasures afterward. The officers scoured for information in their respective areas, while I quietly compared the current reality with the original work, reflecting on everything.

‘The relocation to Seoul has just sped up a bit. Nothing particularly different.’

As the protagonist group restored Seoul, people naturally started moving back. Although the Architect wasn’t restoring buildings to their exact original forms yet, this still became a significant issue even in the background of the original story.

‘How realistic things get at times, huh?’

This wasn’t a game world; it was a place where every individual lived and breathed. Not a world governed by simple 0s and 1s, but one driven by everyone’s thoughts and decisions.

‘I miss being Commander sometimes.’

“When all I had to think about was combat.”

No need to worry about complex politics, economics, or social issues—just focusing on killing or capturing monsters solved everything. There were no exhausting love triangles with heroines either; it was all about beating up monsters and villains.

‘That’s why I gathered officers from all fields.’

Kim Ji-hwa for managing the Blue Wind Sect organization.

Ryu Cheon-seong for political and administrative matters.

James Ri for urban reconstruction infrastructure.

These three were core talents I had identified since coming up from Incheon. They would find solutions in ways I hadn’t considered.

But I also had to consider…

The officers of the Blue Wind Sect had lived in this world for decades, and their interests were far more complicated than I imagined.

—

<June 27th, 4 PM. Yeouido Blue Wind Sect Hideout Lounge.>

The meeting that started at 2 PM showed no signs of ending. Despite having only one topic, the officers argued fiercely enough to almost create emotional rifts.

The topic:

Should we continue limiting the influx of people into Seoul, or should we lift those restrictions?

I couldn’t unilaterally decide on this issue. So, I convened the officers for a meeting and asked for their opinions before taking a break.

Phantom spoke first.

“People flowing into Seoul is unstoppable. Just like how folks gathered in New Seoul because of Light Blade and Busan because of Stone Harang, they’re naturally gathering in Seoul because of Cheongnyeon and the Divine General. Even if agitators hide among the demonstrators and stir things up, most of the demonstrators simply want to see their families in Seoul. Honestly, wouldn’t you feel the same way? Imagine working hard to buy a house in Seoul and then getting the chance to reclaim it. Wouldn’t you feel tempted?”

“Isn’t that because you want to bring your parents to Seoul?”

“I won’t deny it. It’s not bad, right? Frankly, I kind of do. If I worked my butt off to buy a house in Seoul and got the chance to reclaim it, wouldn’t you feel the same?”

Cheon Gaeul wanted to lift the restrictions on people entering Seoul.

“No way. What about the people who stayed in Seoul?”

Architect opposed the idea most strongly.

“You might’ve safely relocated to New Seoul, but we struggled to survive here. Originally, there were 100,000 people in Dongjak underground. Over six years, 40,000 starved or were eaten by monsters. Shouldn’t we finally enjoy some comfort? Honestly, who rebuilt all the buildings in Seoul? The Blue Wind Sect did! Why should we hand them over to the original owners? I’m against it. Selectively bringing people together for family reunions is impossible anyway.”

Architect strongly disliked the idea of people from New Seoul coming back to Seoul. Intellectually, he understood that the buildings should be returned, but emotionally, he couldn’t accept it.

“I agree.”

Lighthouse also sided with Architect.

“Even if we say property rights can be resolved later, won’t some villains sneak in among the incoming crowd? Like Land Dogs who fled during the Seoul Recovery Operation? They’re trying desperately to enter Seoul through bizarre routes. If these villains mix with the crowds, big problems could arise. Heroes will intervene, and the Blue Wind Sect’s operating area will shrink. Plus, we’re already bounty-listed villains, aren’t we?”

“Are you worried about the bounty on your head?”

“Of course. You, Sky Castle Ryu Cheon-seong, escaped the bounty because you became mayor, but you’d have been number one on the list otherwise.”

Lighthouse feared the influx of villains disguised as visitors. The Blue Wind Sect had no way to handle those sneaking in through the front door.

“Hem hem. This is my opinion as both an officer of the Blue Wind Sect and as mayor.”

Sky Castle Ryu Cheon-seong shared his thoughts.

“Regardless, a city needs to grow its population to develop. Is Seoul some regional town? It was a city of ten million. At least a million need to settle here for Seoul to regain its former functions. The unit leader plans to build not a new city based on cutting-edge core industries, right? Sixty thousand is woefully insufficient. Besides, among the current sixty thousand, many are already dissatisfied. We can’t completely exclude newcomers.”

“But won’t red-sashed protesters gather in front of City Hall and protest daily?”

“In a world full of people, such things are unavoidable. The only option is to enforce public authority.”

As both a Blue Wind Sect officer and an administrator, Ryu Cheon-seong leaned toward the politician side rather than the villain side. His argument was sound.

Proponents: Cheon Gaeul and Ryu Cheon-seong.

Cheon Gaeul advocated for humanitarian reasons, emphasizing the need for separated families to reunite. Ryu Cheon-seong supported population growth for urban regeneration from an administrative perspective.

Opponents: Kim Ji-hwa and James Ri.

Kim Ji-hwa pointed out the risk of villains infiltrating, while James Ri strongly defended the ownership of the buildings he had reconstructed.

“Stop asking me for my opinion.”

“I didn’t expect anything anyway.”

Crunchy radish kimchi, Deokbae. Having gained speaking rights after reaching B-Rank, he took no sides.

Everyone made valid points, so resolving differences proved difficult. We waited for another officer, Yu I-shin, to arrive.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

Upon arriving at the meeting room, Yu I-shin immediately played a recorded video on his watch. In it, the Black Flame Dragon spat a small flame to express his intent.

[New citizens are always welcome.]

Black Flame Dragon Guak Yong-woo welcomed the increase in residents. As a combatant, he didn’t seem to think too deeply about it.

“……I oppose.”

Finally, Yu I-shin stated his position.

“The Hero Association will definitely establish a branch in Seoul. That branch will likely be here in Yeouido. No matter how powerful the Blue Wind Sect is, we can’t sit idly by while heroes wander in and out of our base. Ultimately, our operational range will be severely restricted.”

Yu I-shin opposed as an officer of a villain organization. He seemed more concerned about heroes coming to Seoul than about the influx of residents.

“Exactly split down the middle.”

The meeting reached a deadlock. The officers’ opinions were evenly divided 3:3, leading to an impasse where no one was willing to compromise easily.

“Looks like I have to decide.”

Sighing, I felt relieved. Rather than letting the officers create emotional rifts, it was better for me to take all the blame. Either choice would result in useless garbage, but…

So I introduced a third option.

An option beyond human reasoning, from the perspective of a spirit.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

I decided to follow the original storyline.

“Ultimately, the root of this problem lies in property rights disputes. Legally, the Blue Wind Sect and current Seoul residents will lose, but we’ll drag this issue to court until the bitter end.”

“Planning to seek help from Chairman Eun? Maybe form a legal team?”

“No. Losing the trial is inevitable. Sun Icheol must’ve heavily rigged that side. The key is the ‘time’ it takes during the trial.”

There was something I hadn’t mentioned to Architect earlier, and something currently impossible but feasible with manpower and resources.

“Architect, what’s your attribute?”

“Obviously, durability.”

“…Does real estate territory exceed 1km below sea level and 1km above ground according to the horizon?”

“Probably not?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Sky Castle.

“It’s not about distance. Land is a comprehensive concept that includes everything above and below.”

“In that case, can we just buy all necessary areas through Yun Yuhwa?”

I proposed a plan to solve Seoul’s real estate problems while introducing the next agenda item.

“Which do you think is better… a floating garden or an underground kingdom?”

The meeting intensified further.