Chapter 33

〈Chapter 33〉 Part 1, Chapter 3 (2)

It had been a week since the dimensional gate incident.

The birth of a sacred being.

The return of the fiery fist.

The hero of the new generation.

The third S-Rank Hero of South Korea.

Wherever you went in Korea, all anyone could talk about was Seung-hyung and Hwakwon.

“Tch. Got his S-Rank through connections.”

Seong-tae Park crushed his cigarette into the ashtray. As an A-Rank hero who’d been stuck at that level far longer than Seung-hyung, he didn’t like the guy one bit.

That rare fire mage ability found nowhere else on earth.

A handsome face that would stand out even in the entertainment industry.

Being under the direct command of Korea’s top commander, Yu Yinghuo.

And to top it off, being the president’s nephew?

Even for an unfair world, this was ridiculous. Seung-hyung had everything – including the relatively common A-Rank status, which he’d transcended to S-Rank. He was now in a completely unmatched position.

Dragon Slayer.

The spectacle of him single-handedly taking down the Flame Dragon had set the global hero community ablaze.

We cannot allow such a hero to remain unaffiliated! He must be recommended as the 13th Round Table Hero immediately!

There were already whispers that he should fill the vacant seat at the Round Table.

We shall consider it.

While British Round Table Knight Sir Gawein praised Seung-hyung’s abilities, he diplomatically declined by saying “It’s too early”, but even that response sent Seung-hyung’s reputation soaring to heaven.

“Keh.”

Phlegm landed in the ashtray. Park Seong-tae dispersed the lingering cigarette smoke with his magic and adjusted his tie.

He was at a funeral home, having been assigned to its security detail. Seeing Seung-hyung voluntarily acting as chief mourner made Seong-tae grit his teeth.

“Thank you so much, Hero Seung-hyung.”

“We couldn’t have done it without Master Hwakwon…”

“Not at all. Please don’t trouble yourselves, Mother, Father.”

Seung-hyung led the elderly couple dressed in black mourning clothes to the lounge. The old grandmother waved her wheelchair-bound hand dismissively.

“How could we possibly accept that?”

“Having you act as chief mourner in place of our old man… We’re truly grateful.”

The elderly couple treated Seung-hyung, who was less than half their age, with excessive deference.

“Thanks to Master Hwakwon, we can send our child off peacefully…”

Seung-hyung was close to losing his mind from how overly respectful people were being. If someone sarcastically complimented him, he was liable to explode.

But with these two elders, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Seung-hyung felt he owed them something, though they hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I should’ve advised against filming in Seoul…”

“Oh no, please don’t say that. Gaeul insisted on going along in the end, didn’t she? Who could’ve predicted a dimensional gate would open in Seoul that day?”

“These old folks are just grateful that Hero Seung-hyung is seeing our daughter off properly. So please don’t feel guilty. Aren’t you becoming the new pillar of this nation?”

Seung-hyung turned his head sharply, nearly bursting into tears. The elderly couple who had lost their only precious daughter were instead comforting him. Thinking of Cheon Gaeul brought tears to Seung-hyung’s eyes.

“So please, there’s just one favor we ask.”

The old man in the wheelchair grabbed Seung-hyung’s hands with his deeply lined, calloused ones.

“When you go to Seoul next time, please find something for our Gaeul – if not her body, then at least some remains or belongings.”

“…”

Seung-hyung could only close his eyes.

The coffin at the funeral home stood empty, without its rightful occupant.

* * *

<April 11, 2020. Yeouido National Assembly Building>

“Aaaah!!”

Cheon Gaeul screamed and clung to Deokbae’s arm. Sticky slime with a sour smell brushed against her hair.

“Why did you follow me here?!”

Deokbae lifted Gaeul up like a sack of potatoes and leapt sideways. Something like a whip lashed down from the ceiling, sending conference tables flying.

“This kind of thing?! Kyaah! It’s coming again!”

Something swung down again from the ceiling. Deokbae rolled Gaeul away toward the floor while dodging himself.

Slurp.

Slimy liquid dripped onto Deokbae’s rock-hard skin. Barely suppressing his disgust, Deokbae struck the crimson tentacle away with his elbow.

Hiss…

His stony skin began melting from the strong acid. Gaeul’s eyes widened dramatically.

“Are you okay?!”

“Not really. Let’s get out of here!”

Due to language filtering, Deokbae’s usually crude speech came out as polite requests, much to his frustration.

“B-but there are monsters outside too-”

“Even if hundreds come, they’ll be weaker than this thing!”

“But I still don’t have any powers!”

At this, Deokbae seemed ready to explode, proving even monstermen get high blood pressure. Grabbing Gaeul’s sweater like pincers, he jumped toward the entrance while deflecting a tentacle falling from above.

“Ow! Be gentler!”

“Do you look like someone who can afford gentleness right now?!”

Deokbae ran toward the entrance of the main hall, avoiding tentacles passing overhead. The hall was filled with traces where tentacles had swept through.

Squish!

The tentacle aiming for Deokbae and Gaeul was just one. Dozens of tentacles hanging from the ceiling were targeting the blue girl flying around below – Phoenix.

“Feels like watching a baby in water.”

Phoenix leisurely floated around like she was out for a stroll, dodging the tentacles. Whenever a tentacle got too close to Gaeul, she’d swoop down and slice it off with her claws.

“There are only two S-Rank monsters in Seoul. ‘Lord of the Han River’ hiding near city hall, and this hidden boss ‘Tentacle Toad’ clinging to the National Assembly ceiling.”

Phoenix lit up the dark ceiling with flames.

Gurgle?!

Stuck upside down on the ceiling was a truck-sized toad with dozens of tentacles sprouting from its back. The toad turned its gaze toward Cheon Gaeul, wriggling its tentacles.

Mwheh…

“Aaaah!!”

Gaeul screamed again at its overwhelming presence. This was less fear of death and more visceral revulsion. Phoenix extinguished her flames and continued explaining while flying around to avoid the tentacles.

“It hides in the ceiling and uses its tentacles to snatch humans, swallowing and dissolving them. There’s a substance in its mouth that brings consumed humans to climax…”

“Stop explaining! Just take care of it!”

As Gaeul shouted, Phoenix smirked knowingly. Stopping her flight mid-air, all the tentacles lunged toward her.

“Hmph.”

Phoenix spread her wings and shot straight up. Dodging the tentacles by a hair, she placed her palm on the Tentacle Toad’s back and unleashed her magic power.

Whoosh!

The flames erupting from Phoenix’s palm enveloped the entire Tentacle Toad. The acrid smell of burning protein filled the main hall.

Keek….

The adhesive mucus holding the suction cups to the ceiling dried up from the heat. Losing its grip, the S-Rank monster fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Boom!

That was that. The monster capable of wiping out an entire city was easily defeated. Folding her wings, Phoenix descended and began rummaging through the dead Tentacle Toad’s innards with her hand submerged in slime.

“Why don’t you just burn it and take what’s left?”

At Deokbae’s question, Phoenix clicked her tongue.

“Tsk tsk. That’s why you rookies can’t catch S-Ranks. Listen up. S-Rank monsters…”

Just as she was about to continue her explanation, Phoenix caught Gaeul’s eye. Sensing her words might be interrupted, she quickly pressed on.

“The core of a monster is extremely delicate-”

“It looks like ginseng digging.”

Crack. Phoenix clenched her hand inside the slime. Though invisible to the others, her hand trembling as she ruptured the toad’s insides.

“Hmph. Anyway, Miss Gaeul. Stop thinking about awakening your special ability in a crisis…”

“No way!”

Gaeul extended both arms in refusal.

“My future self awakened in a crisis, right? Then if I experience the same crisis, I’ll awaken my special ability too!”

“…This woman has gone mad from failing to awaken.”

Ignoring Deokbae’s comment, Gaeul had already heard the truth of the woman Phoenix spoke of.

“If your special ability awakening trigger is a monster attack, do you think this behavior is appropriate? Hmm?”

“It’s been a week since I almost died in a monster attack. You forgot? What’s so urgent?”

Gaeul closed her anxious eyes tightly. Her gaze was fixed on Phoenix’s wrist.

Phoenix covered her wrist instinctively.

“No way.”

“It’s not a call! Just a text message will do!”

“One text message and your parents will know you’re alive. Then rescue teams will be sent to Seoul and start tracking Miss Gaeul. It’s still too soon.”

“That’s…”

Gaeul hung her head. From what Deokbae had subtly explained, Cheon Gaeul was already considered deceased in New Seoul.

Seeing her parents clinging to an empty coffin brought tears to Gaeul’s eyes while standing right beside them.

“Just let me for a moment, even one minute. I’m in Seoul now. I can’t come down immediately. Please wait a little longer. Can’t you grant that much?”

“I can’t. I’ll let you contact them once you awaken your special ability.”

Which is why Deokbae thought Phoenix was truly cruel. Gaeul rushed toward his smartwatch.

“Tch!”

The hand reaching for Gaeul shot up suddenly. Reading his expression, Gaeul glared at Phoenix.

“I’ve already given orders to Mr. Jo Deokbae. He’s forbidden to help you awaken your special ability by any means other than crisis. Especially contacting your family.”

“Miss Phoenix is really mean.”

“Wait four more days. Until Blue Wind Sect establishes itself. If you haven’t awakened by then, I’ll personally take you to New Seoul.”

“That’s… a promise.”

With a shrug, Phoenix withdrew her hand from the Tentacle Toad. The coreless body crumbled like sand. Gaeul slumped over a desk, burying her face.

Shouldering cautiously approached and asked.

“Must you push her this hard? Couldn’t you just let her visit New Seoul briefly?”

“I won’t always be able to stay by her side forever. I can’t send her without the ability to protect herself. Absolutely not.”

“To me, it seems like you’re excessively fixated on Cheon Gaeul. Unnecessarily so.”

“…Shut up.”

Clang.

Something fell from within the Tentacle Toad’s body. Phoenix quickly snatched it up.

“Isn’t that a National Assembly member’s badge? Why is it so big?”

“Yes. A National Assembly member who didn’t relocate to New Seoul and transformed into a monster. This is just the outer shell protecting the Tentacle Toad’s core.”

Phoenix tightly gripped the badge that filled her palm and burned it. The melted badge flowed down her hand and dripped to the floor.

Whoosh.

The badge hit the floor with a red flame. Startled, Deokbae hurriedly looked for a fire extinguisher.

“There’s no need. This fire was intentional.”

Phoenix kicked the flame with a smile. The fire, infused with her fire attribute magic power, spread fiercely as if oil had been poured on it.

“This is the National Assembly building!!”

“Now it’s just an abandoned place. And since things are running smoothly in New Seoul, it’s fine.”

Phoenix shoved her clenched fist into her cassock pocket.

“The Tentacle Toad was a completely unknown monster to the public. However, the government was aware of its existence but chose to ignore it. Its existence is both an embarrassment and a history that must not be revealed.”

“What does that mean?”

Gaeul looked up and asked. Phoenix increased the flames while burning the Tentacle Toad’s slime.

“The current president, or rather, one of the dark pasts of the opposition party representative at that time.”

Phoenix stood at the entrance of the main hall.

“A person who didn’t hesitate to use any means to eliminate political rivals. Looking at their actions alone, calling them a villain wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

The purpose and intentions can be packaged as grand and noble, but the process is riddled with blood and darkness. Gaeul bitterly smiled hearing the president’s secret story from Phoenix.

“So is that toad monster perhaps…”

“Let’s stop with the depressing stories. Since it’s almost lunchtime…”

Phoenix tapped her smartwatch and smiled.

“Shall we return to base?”

The screen displayed Guro.