Chapter 289

〈 Chapter 289 〉 Part 1, Chapter 13, Section 6

When you become a monster, theoretically, you can grow infinitely through your core.

Heroes can’t do that.

If both heroes and monsters were supposed to have fixed limits, but the monsters keep growing while heroes stagnate, the heroes’ sense of deprivation would be no joke.

So I entered the bridge to talk with Baek Hee-a. With a crew of less than ten onboard, Baek Hee-a was leisurely operating the autopilot from the captain’s chair while casually attending to me.

“What is it?”

“Hmph.”

I made sure there was no one around.

“When was the last time you updated the magic scans for Unsah and Usa?”

“……Why so sudden?”

Baek Hee-a began to guard herself when I singled out two out of the three saints. She must’ve already received reports from other heroes—probably Pungbaek.

“There’s something I need to confirm. If you tell me, I’ll let you in on something good.”

“……Two days ago. After hearing about the trip, I checked the vital signs of all the heroes boarding the ship, so I did their scans at the same time.”

“I see. Then let’s talk about the two S-Rankers now.”

Baek Hee-a, who had been lounging, straightened up and focused on me. I approached her and grabbed her hand.

“The spirits are said to be the source of magic power, right? You know that?”

“Yes. That’s what you mentioned regarding attributes.”

“And Seok Harang possesses the power of a water-attribute spirit. Which makes this possible.”

I pushed my magic power into Baek Hee-a through warmth. Startled by the hot sensation transmitted through her hand, she trembled her lips.

“Haa…”

Baek Hee-a involuntarily let out a moan and was surprised again. Though glaring daggers at me, I was solely focused on awakening the dormant fire-attribute magic within her.

“As expected, your fire-attribute talent is low.”

“What…Hya!”

“While living and breathing for twenty years under the influence of a water-attribute spirit, the water energy became abundant, reducing the fire energy in people to an extremely minimal level.”

I activated as much magic power as I could awaken, but even then, Baek Hee-a’s fire-attribute couldn’t break through the C-Rank-50 threshold.

“That’s all.”

“……? Is that it? I don’t feel any difference.”

“Now you can endure up to 80 degrees in a sauna for an hour.”

“……It sounds good, but it feels strangely subtle.”

Baek Hee-a happily circulated the residual magic I gave her throughout her body. It probably felt like basking in a warm Korean heated floor during a cold winter day—an expression she’d later describe herself.

“Alright. So, can we strengthen ability users like this?”

“Yes. That’s why I enhanced two of them. I secretly shook hands with Usa and Unsah through Seok Harang.”

“Oh…so that event had that meaning.”

Baek Hee-a realized she had unknowingly prepared for something significant.

“This is not knowledge to be spread around. Why are you telling me this…?”

“To avoid unnecessary trouble and handle things appropriately.”

If word got out that simply shaking hands could boost an ability user’s specs, everyone would line up for countless handshakes with Seok Harang.

“It’s not like the term ‘water-touching commoners’ came out of nowhere, right? There are plenty of people with water-attribute potential. If we held a nationwide handshake event, we could build an entire city of water-attribute ability users.”

Especially in Korea. Out of Seoul’s six million residents, about one-tenth became water-attribute ability users thanks to Seok Harang.

“So, an army of a million water-attribute ability users…?”

“Stop. People will hunt down Seok Harang—and me, and Hwanryong too—from all over the world.”

Such nuisances are best avoided.

“So, there’s a problem with enhancing Usa and Unsah.”

“Problem?”

“Yes. …While infusing magic power, I failed with Usa but succeeded with Unsah.”

“Ah…”

Baek Hee-a sighed deeply, expressing regret.

“So, that leaves us with one S-Rank.”

“No, there are two S-Ranks.”

“…?”

“Because Unsah has reached SS-Rank.”

“KYAAAH!!”

Baek Hee-a screamed and hugged me. Jumping around after standing up from the captain’s chair caused the speed of the Baegnaroh to skyrocket.

“Captain! Is everything alright?! Did a flying monster attach itself to us?!”

Seung-hyeong entered the bridge, his face stiffening upon seeing Baek Hee-a hugging me. Realizing she’d overreacted, Baek Hee-a quickly let go of me.

“…A cockroach appeared.”

Baek Hee-a struggled to continue speaking.

A little while later.

Baek Hee-a finally regained her composure, cleared her throat, and announced the reason for the sudden acceleration to everyone aboard, apologizing.

“I got excited for a moment. Sorry. It’s nothing, so please continue what you were doing.”

All the heroes rushed to the bridge, and Baek Hee-a calmed them down, sending them back to their rooms. Seung-hyeong eventually returned to his post as well.

“I apologize for losing composure.”

“Not at all. It’s quite a shock.”

Suddenly, an SS-Rank hero emerged.

Though holding Korean nationality, neither a villain of the Blue Wind Sect nor a half-alien hero of the Round Table, but purely human and a member of the Korean Hero Association has reached SS-Rank.

“…By any chance, are you planning to turn her into a monster?”

“Nope. Unless she dies unexpectedly, I don’t plan on killing her.”

Although two heroines have already become monsters, having another heroine follow suit is undesirable.

“Then, perhaps you’re planning to add her to the Round Table?”

“There’s no space in the Round Table.”

The Round Table is already full, and there’s no intention to push Park Ra-on into it. I lightly flicked Baek Hee-a’s forehead.

“Are you scared I’ll take Unsah from you?”

“……Isn’t that why you strengthened her to S-Rank? Even though she ended up reaching SS-Rank.”

“No.”

I patted Baek Hee-a’s shoulder.

“You command her. Unsah will remain a hero of the association.”

“……Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

Baek Hee-a bowed, holding my hand resting on her shoulder.

“With this, New Seoul will also gain an SS-Rank hero. Hmm.”

“…Using it for such purposes is acceptable.”

It must’ve bothered Baek Hee-a that Seoul and Busan each had an SS-Rank representative, while New Seoul only had an S-Rank.

“My grandfather mentioned something similar. If Phoenix suddenly decided to set New Seoul ablaze, could Lady Seolhwaryeong from Busan really rush over in time to protect New Seoul?”

“By the time she arrived, it’d already be engulfed in flames.”

People know that Hwakwon won’t work against Phoenix, so the residents of New Seoul would hope for someone of equal caliber to protect them. Unintentionally, that role fell to Unsah.

“But there’s a serious issue.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Since she jumped from A-Rank to SS-Rank, she needs time to adapt. Training is necessary.”

That’s why I sought Baek Hee-a’s help.

“By any chance, does this ship have a training room equipped?”

***

The heroes were baffled by the unexpected summons, and they were equally bewildered that the location was the training room. Executioner Baek Hee-a gathered not only five heroes but also the Blue Wind Sect, bringing together every ability user aboard the ship.

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”

The person waiting in the training room was naturally me. Using Baek Hee-a’s name, I summoned everyone to the training room, and the heroes didn’t hide their discomfort.

“What kind of prank are you pulling now?”

Phantom sighed while still wearing his mask. I hadn’t given Gaeul any prior notice, and the Blue Wind Sect was just as clueless as the heroes.

“This isn’t exactly a prank, and it’s not ideal to idle away the journey.”

I stretched and loosened up my body. Once I channeled my magic power, the ability users finally caught on to my intentions.

“…This is definitely that thing, isn’t it?”

Pungbaek pulled out his ever-present staff. His experience clearly gave him sharp instincts.

“Yeah, are you planning a one-on-one round-robin tournament? Or could it possibly be what I’m thinking?”

“Why not?”

I removed my left earring. As my magic power activated, Jo Deokbae’s signature grayish-brown glow rippled, and my hand held the familiar, sturdy Deokbate.

“It’s time to bond. Everyone except Unsah, come at me.”

“…I brought this stick just in case. But seriously…”

Pungbaek pointed at the other heroes.

“At least if you’re going to host an event like this, shouldn’t you inform them to bring their equipment?”

Usa and Unsah blushed and hung their heads, realizing they had forgotten their weapons. Tempest Lady and Hwakwon, who didn’t require specific weapons, subtly increased their magic power but clearly hadn’t anticipated such an event.

“Shouldn’t heroes always be ready to fight anytime, anywhere? How can they be worse off than former villains?”

“That’s because your behavior patterns are new to us.”

“I did expect something like this might happen.”

Phantom placed his hand on his mask, ready to transform at any moment, while Gongsung retrieved his conveniently foldable bow. Ultimately, Usa and Unsah were immediately combat-unready.

“Mr. Cheongnyeon. This is…”

Baek Hee-a stepped forward to shield Usa and Unsah. Although it was likely her attempt to spare the heroes embarrassment, there was no need to retreat just because they lacked equipment.

“Don’t worry. I’ll adjust my attack power to B-Rank, so no one will get knocked out in one hit.”

“Are you suggesting we use our bodies to block? Rely on defense?”

“It’s just sparring; I’m not trying to kill anyone.”

I swung the Deokbate threateningly. Despite its destructive force capable of leveling a building, the ability users should have sufficient endurance to withstand it.

“Unsah…later. We’ll have a separate match. Usa, go grab a staff. Meanwhile, let’s discuss some strategy.”

After aiming the Deokbate at each ability user in turn, I slung it over my shoulder.

“Let’s begin the first trial run of the Phoenix Raid simulation. Let me know when you’re ready.”

** *

“This looks like a thinly veiled excuse to bond while fighting together.”

Pungbaek quickly saw through Phoenix’s scheme. Baek Hee-a didn’t bother denying it and revealed Phoenix’s plan.

“She offered to act as a virtual enemy so we could practice working together. I’ll lead, but she challenged us to try and win with this lineup.”

“Isn’t this usually a battle destined to fail?”

Usa, who brought his staff, smirked. Far away, Phoenix and Cheongnyeon were practicing swings with the Deokbate in full force.

“What’s the point when the wielder is SS-Rank even if the weapon is B-Rank?”

“Don’t worry; she plans to adjust her output accordingly. Surely, she wouldn’t intentionally bring us here just to kill us.”

Gongsung inspected his bow carefully, burning with righteous determination. The rare opportunity to legally aim his bow at a superior filled him with unprecedented zeal.

“So, please do your best, Executioner Ma’am. Hopefully, under your excellent command, I’ll earn the honor of embedding an arrow into Phoenix’s forehead.”

“Don’t worry. This guy’s firepower is absolutely incapable of taking her down. Even with full strength, it’d be like a child flicking their finger against the forehead.”

Phantom doused the enthusiastic Gongsung with cold water. Though Gongsung pouted, Phantom paid no mind.

“There’s no way she’ll die, so feel free to execute your strategies. If anything, she might enjoy getting hit.”

“Is this lady inclined towards that kind of thing?”

“…No, not really.”

“She genuinely rejoices in the growth of ability users. Merciless against enemies, but if you’re not an adversary, she has the broad-heartedness to foster your growth directly.”

Gongsung’s subtle glance swept past Hwakwon.

“If we win, who knows what reward she might offer? Frankly, she might elevate someone to SS-Rank instantly.”

“That’s true. I was originally A-Rank. My growth to S-Rank was thanks to her.”

Phoenix transitioned into a proper stretching routine with the Deokbate, moving it back and forth. After evaluating the abilities of everyone present, Baek Hee-a bowed deeply to Unsah one last time.

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain later why you’re excluded from this exercise.”

“It’s fine.”

Unsah smiled calmly, though a hint of bitterness lingered in her expression.

“Since I’m the weakest here, I’ll quietly observe from afar.”

“…”

Baek Hee-a fell silent, and Phantom tilted his head curiously.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“She’s the type who skips the strawberries when eating strawberry cake.”

From a distance, Phoenix grinned mischievously, eyeing Unsah with a lewd look.