Chapter 36

〈 Episode 36 〉 Chapter 1 Part 3 (5)

A little later.

“So, we’ll do it this way. If we supply cores or monster byproducts, you send us supplies in return at the agreed price. Deal?”

Phoenix hopped up onto a drum container. The chairman carefully read through the contract with a serious expression.

“Something feels off.”

The contract displayed on the screen was a standard document prepared by Milky Way’s side. Even so, the chairman meticulously reviewed it several times to ensure there were no issues.

It was natural to be cautious given that hundreds of billions—or even trillions—of won would be moving in this deal. Yet Phoenix signed her name in the signature box without hesitation. To the point where the chairman had to explain the contract line by line.

The chairman whispered to Sang-woo standing behind him.

“Sang-woo, is there some kind of trap here? What do you think?”

“We can’t make such a deal unless we’re absolutely sure about core supply… But I think it’s fine. We don’t need to keep paying extra to the Hunters’ Association and secure resources ourselves.”

“That’s why I’m suspicious.”

The chairman turned his gaze back to Phoenix and tapped the screen.

“Hey, are you really confident you can supply this much core within three months? This amount could last South Korea an entire year.”

“It’s plenty. And if we can’t get them, we agreed to give you S-rank cores, right?”

“That’s too much of a loss for your side. The food, clothing, and relief supplies combined wouldn’t even cover much. Are you planning to set up a refugee shelter in Seoul or something?”

The chairman pointed out the payment method Phoenix had proposed. Instead of a large sum of money, Phoenix requested regular shipments of food and relief supplies to Seoul.

“Refugee shelter? No, Seoul will serve as a forward base.”

“If you’re picking a fight with the Korean government, I can rip up this contract right now, can’t I?”

Phoenix shook her head with a smile.

“I’m not fighting against the Korean government. I’m Korean, why would I fight my own country?”

“…Are you Korean?”

The chairman’s eyes filled with suspicion. While there were Koreans with the surname ‘Pi,’ the girl in front of him didn’t look remotely East Asian with the name ‘Nyx’ attached.

“Yes. As for my identity… just think of me as someone who needs to erase their past.”

“Phoenix vaguely evaded. The chairman’s expression grew more serious.

“You’re not harboring any vendetta against the current president, are you? Some tragic backstory? But you’ve returned to fight for your homeland?”

“Nope. Do what you want. The important thing is that we’ve formed a partnership.”

Phoenix extended her hand toward the chairman. Reluctantly, the chairman shook it.

“To our future cooperation. Miss Chairman of Yu-Sung.”

“…?!”

The chairman’s eyes widened in surprise. Simultaneously, the female secretary standing beside her quickly drew her gun and aimed it at Phoenix.

Bang!

Without warning, the trigger was pulled. A bullet imbued with magic power streaked like light toward Phoenix’s forehead.

Whoosh.

The veil hanging over Phoenix’s head wrapped around the bullet, catching the 9mm round effortlessly.

“Nice reflexes. Did you bring two guns just in case?”

Fwoosh.

Flames erupted from Phoenix’s hand, engulfing the chairman. Before the chairman could pull away, the flames completely surrounded her.

[Function… ceasing…]

With the smell of burning oil, the skeletal frame of the mechanical body was revealed as the chairman collapsed onto the floor. Phoenix tossed aside the mechanical arm she had been shaking hands with.

Clang.

The crushed mechanical arm grazed the shoe of the female secretary standing next to the chairman. The golden starlight reflected in the secretary’s eyes.

“…Who are you?”

“I already told you. I’m Blazing Phoenix.”

Phoenix leaped from the drum container and escaped through a hole in the ceiling. The female secretary chased after her with lightning-fast movements, exiting the container.

“…”

Phoenix greeted the secretary, enjoying the cool sea breeze. Behind her, small wings of fire fluttered.

“Since our Black Market nicknames match, feel free to reach out when you have time. Next time, I’d prefer talking directly to you instead of through a puppet.”

With those words, Phoenix soared into the sky. Unable to follow her with the naked eye, the secretary lowered her gun.

“……What is that?”

The girl threw off her VR device and sat up. The connection to the ‘Automatic Puppet – Xroid,’ which used magical brainwaves, with the large male figure had been severed.

“Bak Sang-woo. Did you know about this?”

[…I apologize, Chairman. I didn’t know either.]

The girl sank into thought, fidgeting with the sheets on her bed.

“So, you know my true identity to some extent?”

[We’ll take care of the mercenaries guarding you first.]

“No. Just clean up the traces and recover the puppet. Since it passed out without doing anything, deduct half the deposit.”

[Yes.]

The girl ended the communication and slumped back onto her bed. Her golden hair spread out like molten gold.

“Not only am I dealing with company troubles…”

She had merely expressed surprise in her thoughts, yet the other party had gleefully spilled secrets. The unbelievable information she obtained by playing along was the kind that could provoke major backlash if approached recklessly.

“Hmph.”

The girl searched for the person through the Black Market. The Blazing Phoenix’s profile on the Black Market SNS was inundated with curses and insults.

Her finger hovered over the ‘Add Friend’ tab but stopped just in time.

“…Yeah. No need to bother.”

The important thing was the massive amount of cores he would supply her. There was no need to dig too deep and create unnecessary trouble.

If necessary, she could meet him in person and extract the information later. Who knows, he might spill more high-level secrets again like before.

If the information turns out to be true, she’d gain an advantage; if false, she’d dismiss it as gossip. That’s all.

Knock knock knock.

“Miss. BH is calling.”

“What? Seriously? What for?”

“They invited representatives from Yuseong Group, KS, UJ, and other business figures. It seems they’re requesting funding for the Seoul Reclamation Operation.”

“…Ugh. Got it. I’ll prepare.”

The girl got up from her bed. After disconnecting all connections with her puppets, the golden starlight flowed in her right eye.

“I’ll make sure to collect the cost of the puppet next time we meet.”

* * *

The sunset fades.

Viewing Seoul from the rooftop of the 63 Building offers a whole new feeling. For some reason, meeting the president of the group known as Yuseong Republic and one of the heroines left me emotionally unsettled.

Woooom-

So, upon arriving in Seoul, I immediately went to enjoy the view while catching the wind from a high place.

‘Looking south, it still somewhat resembles a livable area.’

But the moment I turn my head north, the sight brings to mind the ruins of war. Facilities are extensively destroyed.

The reason facilities differ significantly between the south and north sides of the Han River is because of the monster nesting at Seoul City Hall.

‘The lord of Seoul.’

This colossal monster dwarfs even the Western Sea Weapon. The S-rank mega-monster has made its home at Seoul City Hall and claimed all of northern Seoul as its territory.

Other monsters naturally avoid stepping into this beast’s domain. Instead, they bypass the territory and move south across the Han River via bridges.

Various bridges spanning the Han River have been destroyed. Some fell due to battles between heroes and monsters.

Others were demolished by engineers in tears to stem the tide of massive monsters.

Ultimately, when these bridges became pathways for monster invasions, the then-president made a drastic decision to abandon New Seoul and ordered the demolition of all bridges crossing Seoul.

– Before evacuating New Seoul, destroy all bridges crossing Seoul.

Despite significant opposition to this shocking decision amidst the relocation of the capital to New Seoul, the operation was forcibly carried out as the waves of monsters kept coming.

Seonyicheol argued that at least one bridge should remain, and coincidentally, Mapo Bridge leading from Yeouido to Seoul couldn’t be dispatched engineers to, so all bridges except that one sank into the Han River.

“Would you leave citizens who haven’t crossed yet?”

“I’ll take responsibility and step down.”

Due to the cruel decision to abandon all residents north of the Han River, the president resigned in New Seoul.

Seonyicheol’s forces filled the void, and Seonyicheol, showing great acumen, became the president.

“He’s more like a lifelong leader than a president, though.”

Single-term limits or prohibitions on consecutive terms weren’t enforced because Seonyicheol’s abilities and charisma were extraordinary.

The forces loyal to Seonyicheol controlled the National Assembly, attempted constitutional amendments to abolish term limits for the incumbent president, and gained support from many residents of New Seoul, allowing Seonyicheol to continue serving in his second term.

“In five years, lame-duck syndrome will hit hard.”

The Pyongyang incident in 2012, the capital relocation in 2014.

Up until the original timeline of 2025, failing to reclaim Seoul for 12 years caused even New Seoul to become unstable, naturally making the presidency precarious. But it’s still 2020.

“His influence remains strong for now.”

He isn’t called the King of New Seoul for nothing, and this king will undoubtedly pour all his efforts into reclaiming Seoul.

“The Snow Princess with Hwakwon.”

Snow Princess, Seok Harang.

A female hero, simultaneously S-rank, and one of the main heroines. Similar to Yun, she was recruited as an S-rank hero from the start, making it awkward to fight, but since she’s now an enemy, I must face her.

And Hwakwon. The hero named Lee Seung-hyeong.

“…Wasn’t he dating Cheon Gaeul?”

I pulled out my smartphone and rechecked the search history.

[Comprehensive] Hwakwon Lee Seung-hyeong takes charge of the deceased Cheon Gaeul’s funeral arrangements

[Union] Who will play the lead role in the sequel? Production company: “No decision yet”

The hero I planted a bomb in his heart filmed a romantic drama with Cheon Gaeul until just before the dimensional gate opened, and they even reached the kiss scene.

Crack.

My left hand resting on the railing shattered the roof railing as I sat down.

I slapped my cheek.

“Pull yourself together.”

“She wasn’t my ex-girlfriend anyway.”

If I start worrying about all the heroines’ pasts, my head will explode. Meetings in the game are just that—games. So, I absolutely must not foolishly feel jealous. Absolutely.

Beeep.

An alarm went off on my smartwatch. Deokbae’s face appeared on the screen.

“What’s up? You’re contacting me again.”

[The Lighthouse found it. The place you’ve been looking for.]

“Really?”

I jumped off the railing, unfurled my wings mid-leap, and flew towards the Guro hideout.

Using the lingering evening glow to conceal myself, it took me about ten seconds to land at the hideout with a broken window. Seeing me enter, Deokbae ended the call.

“Where have you been?”

“I was just enjoying the view of Seoul from a high place. By the way, where’s Kim Ji-hwa?”

No matter how I looked around the chairman’s office, I couldn’t see the Lighthouse. Deokbae pointed downstairs.

“He collapsed from overwork. Anyway, isn’t it too much to push someone, even if they’re monstrous?”

“It was probably too much work for one person, wasn’t it?”

“Didn’t he used to be a section chief? Assigning him the workload of running an entire organization was abnormal, not normal.”

Although he was given excessive tasks relative to his abilities, he likely pushed himself further due to the compulsion to impress me.

“When I get an A-rank core, I’ll have to give it to him.”

Deokbae nodded and tapped his smartwatch. A map of Seoul viewed from above appeared on my watch screen.

“After thoroughly investigating the Gangnam area as per your request, this location seems most plausible.”

Gangnam, where a few heroes and hunters still reside, and where a very small number of people live. The mark placed by the Lighthouse falls on a building familiar to me.

“Ah.”

It matches the information from the original story roughly.

The commonly referred to “Villain Alliance” prefers to hold meetings at places where people come and go without raising suspicion, and the secret meeting place found by the Lighthouse fits that criterion perfectly.

“And the man you described.”

A gentleman in a black fedora, resembling someone attending a funeral, entered the building from the parking lot.

“That’s him.”

A member of the Villain Alliance and the leader of the large Gangnam faction, <Sky Castle>.

The building he entered was a hospital. I subtly checked the time.

6:30 PM.

“The meeting will probably be around midnight.”

After all, villains’ gatherings tend to happen in the dead of night.

* * *

<At the same time, in the conference room of the New Seoul Government Building.>

The president of the Yu-Sung Group, Eun Jae-min, was nodding with a friendly smile.

“…Therefore, for this Seoul Reclamation Operation, we kindly ask for the help of many esteemed members from the political and economic sectors…”

The lengthy speech by President Seon Icheol, seated at the head of the conference table, came to an end. Before moving on to specific details, there was a short break, during which Eun Jae-min quietly stood up.

“Huh? Where are you going, Jae-min?”

The chairman of KS sitting beside him asked. The chairman, who had previously posed for photos in a wheelchair, now sat vividly in the conference room.

The nourishing tonic extracted from cores. The success of KS’s pharmaceutical subsidiary in encapsulating core energy into various health foods and supplements had clearly benefited the chairman himself.

“Just heading to the restroom.”

“Is that so? Heh heh, understood.”

In response to Eun Jae-min’s chilly tone, the KS chairman immediately struck up a conversation with another attendee. Eun Jae-min slipped out of the conference room while avoiding the gazes directed at him.

“…….”

Eun Jae-min’s steps toward the restroom halted. In front of him stood a white-haired maiden blocking his path.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?”

“Can’t I even use the restroom?”

Chewing gum loudly, Seol Hwarang, pointing toward the men’s restroom, said,

“If you go in there, it’s a minor offense, you know?”

Eun Jae-min’s eyes darted around hurriedly. Confirming that they were the only two present, he sighed deeply and spoke.

“…Harrang, didn’t I ask you to adjust when I use my powers?”

“There’s only the two of us.”

A light shone from Eun Jae-min’s eyes. A screen projected from the mechanical eyeball revealed a visibly exhausted blonde girl.

“Let’s find somewhere quiet for a moment. It’s not suitable to talk here.”

While manipulating the puppet resembling Eun Jae-min remotely, Eun Yuhwa pointed to the lounge at the end of the corridor. Harrang jokingly pointed at her smartwatch.

“Are you trying to stir up another scandal with me?”

“Shut up. I don’t have the energy to deal with your antics today, so hurry up and follow me.”

Following Yuhwa’s puppet walking steadily, Harrang entered the lounge. Fortunately, there were no other guests in the lounge.

Zzzzrrr.

The rich aroma of coffee brewed by a high-end coffee machine filled the lounge. Harrang spat out the gum she was chewing into a tissue, threw it in the trash, and sipped the coffee.

“Ugh, bitter.”

“Drink it. Do you know how hard it is to get beans like these days?”

“Isn’t instant coffee enough? I think mixes taste good too.”

Yuhwa’s hand trembled as she tried to lift her coffee cup on the screen. Realizing regional dialects had slipped out, Harrang cleared her throat and adjusted her voice.

“Listen well. I guess you don’t know much about coffee…”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m from the countryside, so I don’t understand such things, okay?”

“You’ll die if you ever become S-rank. I’ll make you drink coffee instead of water three times a day using magic.”

“…”

“Did you say…? …No, sorry.”

Harrang clasped her hands and bowed her head. Seeing her attitude, Yuhwa’s anger subsided. Although Harrang was playful, she knew exactly where the line was.

“How did I end up revealing my true identity to someone like you…”

“I might not be the only one who knows. Kwang Geom also knows. S-rank individuals would notice immediately upon meeting you.”

Harrang clenched her fists and unleashed her mana.

“Once you reach S-rank, you can sense others’ mana. But the puppets you control have mana, yet lack… life essence, so to speak. No matter how sophisticated the puppet is, once you reach S-rank, you’ll notice immediately. Ah, there’s something off about this. Then, when you touch it, you’ll instantly realize. Like when you shook hands with me and got caught.”

“Ah.”

Yuhwa seemed to have realized something and put down her cup. The Blue Tyrant had certainly requested a handshake the moment they met the puppet.

“…So, it’s real?”

As Yuhwa delved into her own thoughts with a serious expression, Harrang manipulated the moisture in the air to fill her cup with concentrated espresso.

The moment Eun Jae-min’s puppet assumed a contemplative posture, the lounge door opened.

“Ah, there you are. I guessed… President of Yu-Sung Group?”

The man who entered was Seung-hyeong. Harrang hastily shouted loudly.

“Uh, just to clarify! I have ABSOLUTELY NO relationship with President Eun Jae-min!”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Seung-hyeong’s eyes half-closed. The white light glowing from them made Harrang jump up from the table, spilling coffee on the floor.

Clang!

The cup shattered on the floor, splashing coffee everywhere. Harrang froze in place.

The coffee splashed on the floor hit the bottom hem of Eun Jae-min’s white suit pants.

“…Hmm?”

Eun Jae-min’s eyes briefly flashed with golden starlight before returning to normal. Alternating between looking at Harrang, the floor, and the newly arrived Seung-hyeong, Eun Jae-min’s expression stiffened. Seung-hyeong. S-rank.

“Excuse me.”

Seung-hyeong ignited mana in his hand, summoning flames. Watching the pure white flames dance, Eun Jae-min was entranced.

The White Flame incinerated the spilled coffee and the cup entirely, leaving no ash or residue, as if erasing their existence.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Seung-hyeong’s White Flame touched Eun Jae-min’s trouser hem. The pristine white flame cleanly burned away the coffee stain without any soot.

“Wow, it’s real. Incredible.”

Harrang clapped in amazement. Yuhwa, observing the situation through the puppet’s eyes, silently marveled inside.

“You can really see different colors within the flames, can’t you? It’s beautiful.”

“Right? Seems like you can see it too.”

“…”

Responding to Yuhwa’s comment, Seung-hyeong smiled and reignited the flame on his fingertip. Through the puppet’s eyes, the flame appeared undeniably pure white.

“You seem to be able to see it after reaching S-rank. Haha. Oh, by the way, Harrang, the vice president urgently needs you.”

“Really? Isn’t it… oh crap. I messed up.”

Harrang straightened her clothes and reached for the door, but grabbed Seung-hyeong’s sleeve instead. With mana-infused strength, she dragged him out of the lounge.

“Eh? Wha-what? The president is-”

“The president is momentarily preoccupied with business matters! Uncle, please come with me and help me out! If I go alone, they’ll definitely give me a hard time!”

The two S-rank heroes quickly departed the lounge and headed toward the conference room.

Alone, Eun Jae-min/Yuhwa continued to ponder seriously.

Phoenix’s words kept echoing in their mind.

“Could she really manipulate both of them with one hand?”

That villain, displaying such overconfidence against talents far beyond reach…

If she truly plants her flag in Seoul and disrupts the Seoul Reclamation Operation…

Images of the three battling in the center of Seoul kept flashing in their mind. Nodding slightly, Yuhwa rose from her seat.

‘Money determines my side.’