Chapter 382

〈Chapter 382〉 Part 1, Chapter 16, Section 17

In the Death Dinass of the Blue Heaven, there are two main ways to utilize the power of spirits.

Firstly, using full strength while in a cadre state.


A prime example is Kim Penril, who joins the allies from the very beginning. Through sporadic participation, cadres showcase their power and become comrades through the protagonist’s persuasion—by various means.

Of course, if they continue on this path, cadres know they will eventually be brainwashed by Seongju. Hence, like Blazing Phoenix, some choose annihilation, becoming weapons or cores that awaken magic power for their ally comrades.

If they remain as cadres indefinitely, their individuality as one person will fade away.

And secondly, awakening as spirits to harness their full potential.


Even after awakening, if the true ending hasn’t been reached, they can still be used purely as combat power.

While cadres were immediately brainwashed upon meeting Seongju, those who awakened as spirits could somewhat resist Seongju’s Brainwashing Beam.

Depending on difficulty settings, there was a condition where spirits would turn against you after N minutes. No one wanted to see these heroines, who were clearly protagonists, become enemies.

Thus, players made it so that cadres would awaken as spirits and sync with partner heroines simultaneously.


Syncing allows them to avoid being brainwashed.

And when all heroines are recruited as allies, and cadres transformed into spirits, entering the true ending revealed why syncing was so strongly recommended.


Yuinah absorbed spirits who didn’t sync.

In the true ending, Seongju kidnaps Yuinah as an offering.


Spirits who hadn’t reached mythic status were absorbed by Yuna, and Seongju used this unstable energy as a medium to open a portal summoning an otherworldly deity.

– So spirits drop out of battle in the true ending? You’re saying we must absolutely sync?

Many users were outraged. Their carefully nurtured spirit heroines couldn’t survive alone and had to sync with others to endure.

But when they realized syncing legally allowed for a legitimate 1:2 threesome, their anger subsided.

– How can you sync with more than one person?! We’re pure love advocates!

For those advocating 1:1 pure love, Yuna “synced” with spirits on their behalf.


She sacrificed her own body willingly for the sake of the spirits. In this case, at the last moment, a spirit who reached mythic status emerged from Yuna’s body fully conscious.

Thus, the unspoken rule among players entering the true ending became “everyone must sync.”

Ten heroines and six spirits.


Many players invested time and effort to find the optimal combinations, eventually discovering all officially designated perfect pairs by the developers.

And the only spirit excluded from these combinations, Blazing Phoenix, sparked much debate about how she should sync.

– Isn’t Phoenix’s route somehow related to the conditions for the true ending?

It was connected. Taking the Phoenix route leads to the ultimate ending and the Goddess Yuinah battle.

– Does syncing with Phoenix require some special condition?

Filling Huan’s café recipe with strawberries seems to bring Phoenix directly to you.


At least that’s how it worked in the original.

* * *

“Feels like I just heard an incredibly messy story. Let me summarize.”

Deokbae frowned as if he had a headache after hearing my explanation. He looked ready to light up a cigarette if he had one.

“So, Seongju uses Yuinah to go berserk and absorb the spirits?”

“Yes.”

“So despite transforming cadres into spirits, they don’t survive?”

“That’s right.”

“And only by syncing can they avoid being absorbed by Yuinah and survive?”

“That’s correct.”

Deokbae scowled unhappily.

“Well, why don’t we just get rid of Yuinah? Even if she’s a goddess or whatever, isn’t your life more important?”

“As soon as you give up on living, Yuinah starts functioning as the vessel, and then she absorbs the spirits.”

That’s why I’ve been deliberately ignoring things while keeping a close eye on New Seoul’s movements.

I’m worried that if the other heroines, cadres, or important figures notice my concern for Yuna, it might cause problems.

“I was trying to keep a safe distance and watch over her.”

“Then why now?”

“Because safety measures are finally in place.”

Reason 1: Sun Icheol’s downfall.


Reason 2: Mo Taegyeong’s downfall.


Reason 3: The defeat of Nuclearian.

As of 2020, the only factors that could destabilize Yuna domestically or internationally have been eliminated. With all threats removed, I approached Yuna and revealed the entire truth to her.

Please stay alive.

“What if Yuinah suddenly dies?”

“Yuna’s threshold isn’t that low. She endured ridicule and contempt for a year but kept going. Her mental resilience is unmatched.”

So we need to ensure Yuna doesn’t die externally. New Seoul is the safest city in the world, which is why I focused everyone’s attention on Seoul.

“If Yuna dies, everything collapses, and the world resets. Got it?”

“Got it. But there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“If all seven of you sync, isn’t that the end? Why does a goddess or something show up?”

“It’s about balance.”

I rotated the seven flames appropriately.

“The container for the otherworldly god needed the balanced magical power of the seven spirits. If that balance breaks, the otherworldly god cannot fully possess Yuna. Since it involves summoning an extraterrestrial entity, even slight instability causes the magic to spiral out of control.”

I moved the red flame to the center. Yuna’s face began to burn with a red flame.

“In the future, Blazing Phoenix perishes, and the priest who inherits her Blazing power fights the final battle. However, Yuna temporarily takes her power—she absorbs it.”

Then I dropped the other six flames around Yuna.

“But if the spirits of other attributes sync? If even one reaches mythic status and equals the otherworldly goddess Yuinah, they won’t be absorbed, right? Then the container holding the seven attributes won’t collapse either. However…”

I extracted the red flame from Yuna’s body and enlarged it until it matched the size of the other attribute-indicating flames.

“All seven synced, and that ironically became the root of the problem. Because Blazing power wasn’t stolen, Yuna’s container maintained its stable original form.”

“So that’s where the otherworldly god possesses her.”

“Correct.”

It was a bitter tale.

Blazing Phoenix knew this and chose to sacrifice herself, refusing to sync and instead transferring her power to the protagonist.

To disrupt the balance and prevent Yuna from awakening as the otherworldly god—that was the fate assigned to Blazing Phoenix in the plot. And yet, I saved her.

“So basically, you’re saying you’ll survive and sync all the spirits too? Weren’t you yelling earlier that saving just your own life was enough?”

“…Kind of both?”

Ever since Cheon Gaeul, Blaze has hoped that everyone destined for tragic fates could find happiness. Awakening all spirits and syncing them in the end.

When reaching that conclusion, I wondered if Blaze’s relationship with me might change.

“So, are you planning to meet this priest guy last?”

“……?”

“No, logically you sync last. Meaning you’re probably trying to sync with this priest after getting the others to sync. Afraid the other spirits might sync with him first.”

“That’s… kind of accurate.”

Though subtly different since the target of syncing is ‘me,’ the protagonist. Still, Deokbae’s statement wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Then find this priest guy! Don’t mess around—just sync, sync! That should wrap it up! Syncing gives earth-shattering power, right?”

“Do you think it’s that easy? Unlike Yuna, I don’t even know where he is. All I know is he’s somewhere in America.”

“Then fly to America immediately. Are you weird or something? It feels like you’re avoiding meeting him. Oh, is he your boyfriend or something?”

Deokbae wiggled his pinky finger with a lecherous grin. Irritation welled up inside me.

“Who said that?”

“Well, otherwise there’d be no reason for such hesitation… Never mind. You’ll dig yourself deeper with excuses anyway. Hmm, I get it now. Looping through the story, constantly hanging out with girls, then falling head over heels for a guy at the end!”

“…The sun will curse your head.”

“Go bury yourself in a pile of girls.”

After exchanging well-wishes, Deokbae and I sighed simultaneously.

“Still, talking like this makes me feel a bit better. My head still hurts like hell though.”

“You should handle it yourself. Sync all six spirits as you wish, sync yourself last, save Yuinah, and everything will be fine.”

“Is it that easy?”

“You shouldn’t have chosen this path if it’s so hard.”

“It’s a terrible game—you can’t change the difficulty once set. Can’t undo jumping into the fiery pit trying to save everyone.”

“You should’ve set the difficulty properly from the start then. Tch. Fine. Stop glaring at me. I get how much you care about your exes.”

Deokbae waved his hand dismissively and tapped the armrest with his fingers.

“So, are you gonna keep dragging your feet? Huh?”

“I can’t move until the Round Table makes an official announcement. There’s still stuff to do within Korea. I’m going on a 2-night, 3-day vacation to Miss Baek Hee-a’s island, so I’ll rest starting tomorrow.”

“Who’s coming?”

“Um… anyone who wants to join? Just not Seongju.”

At my words, Deokbae frowned in surprise.

“So that purring Kim Penril chick is coming too? Ugh, last time she gave me the creeps. What was it… cuddly?”

“…You pick up strange rumors. Well, unless she comes with hostility, sure. Actually, welcome. SS Rank members will likely gather in numbers, so if anyone thinks they can handle it, let them come.”

“At this rate, Seongju will be invited too.”

“Seongju is off-limits. If Seongju says they’re coming, the vacation gets canceled. Why invite Seongju?”

If Seongju comes on vacation, everyone will be brainwashed, and Earth will perish.

“Rest while you can. Fully. Things will get crazy busy soon.”

“Why am I stuck listening to all this instead of resting?”

“That’s your role—to listen to my stories. Don’t repeat anything I told you today. Doing so will stress Yuna out unnecessarily.”

Currently, very few people know about Yuna. Most either have no direct contact with her or support her from afar.

“Once this vacation ends, I’ll move again immediately. After completely resolving issues with Galaxy University and North Korean territory, we’ll hunt down the spirits.”

“Will that be easy? Won’t they hide more once the Round Table announces it?”

“Cockroaches always come out when you spray pesticides. Even if we can’t kill them, they’ll reveal themselves. Then, boom.”

Once the Round Table shakes up the world, capturing exposed cadres will suffice.

“Alright… so this time, are you really going after it?”

“What ‘it’? Whales?”

“Ah, screw you and stop joking.”

Deokbae glared at me with disdain, but I couldn’t help but laugh at his expression.

“Yes. We’re going after it.”

I picked up the brown flame among the seven-colored flames.

“Hydra of Durability is our next target.”

“Ugh! Finally, durability!!!”

“But activating Hydra doesn’t mean I’m strengthening you.”

“WHAT THE HELL!!”

Deokbae lunged at me with murderous intent. I suppressed my laughter and waved my hands in defense.

“Alright, alright. Though I’m not sure Hydra will suit your taste. She’s quite particular.”

“Why? Doesn’t she like bald guys?”

“Not about baldness—it’s just that her tastes since the Durability era are unique.”

Hydra of Durability, whose preferences are polar opposites of Deokbae’s.

“Have you heard of Onee-Shota? Heheh.”

“………”

Deokbae was utterly confused.

That night.

I talked endlessly with Deokbae, and the conversation only ended when dawn broke.

Then I received a call from Baek Hee-a.

White Phoenix Isle.

The private property of the Baek family, a place absent from maps.

On the 25th, everyone was preoccupied preparing to head there.