Chapter 396

〈 Chapter 396 〉 Part 1, Chapter 17, Section 4

It was decided that Baek Hee-a would handle the synchronization with Azidahaka. Though it’s unclear what emotions she harbors, at least attribute-wise, her being a dark element user makes her the best fit for Azidahaka.

Then there’s Durability and Hydra.

I returned to the penthouse to discuss who would be synchronized with Hydra. Just as I was about to bring this up, I summoned Deokbae.

“Hey! This is my thing!”

Deokbae immediately started promoting himself once he heard the situation. Exasperated, I shot back right away.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Your hair’s falling out of your head!”

Deokbae responded with an unspoken torrent of curses on his face, but I had absolutely no intention of synchronizing him with Hydra.

“Why?! You said synchronization only requires matching hearts! And I match attributes too; my rank isn’t bad either! Is it because I’m a monster?!”

“Monsters didn’t stop Gaeul from syncing with Maamryong. You’re just not Hydra’s type. Besides, I have no plans to sync you.”

Synchronization is meant to be done by spirits and heroines—it’s a universal rule. It’d be a waste to hand over such a big brute, especially one practically indistinguishable from a villain, to Hydra. Both Hydra and Ji Ryun dislike Deokbae’s style. The only ones they might agree with are good-looking shota boys or well-built muscle men—categories Deokbae doesn’t fall into.

“So then, who are you going to sync with? Isn’t it Aruel, that British princess in charge of durability? She ran away before but now she’s back in England under house arrest, right?”

“That’s something I need to think about now.”

Aruel.

A member of the royal family destined to become the Queen of England, a hero capable of reaching S+ grade in durability alone, and also considered a villain. After wandering freely as a runaway princess, she appeared in Manchester due to the Azidahaka Gate incident.

No one knows exactly where or how she operated during her travels, but despite being known as powerless, Aruel showcased her A-grade durability power alongside Gawein, defeating the Dark Demon Dragon in Manchester.

“And through that process, Gawein awakened as an SS-class special ability user. Aruel faced questioning about her relationship with Inspector Catsey and her past runaways, eventually being confined to the palace.”

“Completely captured princess here! It’d be faster if I went to meet Hydra than waiting for her!”

“Are you asking me to guide Hydra to you?”

“That’s the plan. Even weapons would do. Just make sure she comes, alright?”

After singing praises of durability, it seems he’s gone completely mad. So I shattered his bowl to prevent him from drinking any more kimchi soup.

“Do you really want to sync with Hydra?”

“Yeah!”

“What’s your honest reason?”

“To break your face with SSS-class power… cough cough.”

Deokbae turned beet red all the way to the tips of his ears and looked away. While he used to charge at me like he wanted to kill, he’s softened up a bit now. His conscience may be sprouting fur, but his hair still hasn’t grown back.

“Alright then. I understand your desire to grow stronger by syncing with Hydra.”

“Oh, so am I finally breaking SS-class?”

“But Yuna will do it instead. Pfft.”

Deokbae gave another silent curse with his face.

“Yuna’s a goddess, right? An avatar of another world, right? Why does she need to sync with Hydra then?!”

Deokbae’s point wasn’t entirely invalid.

“Isn’t Yuna’s role exactly that? Someone capable of syncing with anyone. Among the six spirits, Yuna can sync with any of them. Right now, it’s insurance for the spirits without partners.”

Seok Harang, Jeolpung, Ji Ryun, Gaechonkwang, Maamryong, and Hikari.

Demogorgon, Satan, Yaldabaoth, Sathanael, Samael, and Aion.

These were Yuna’s alternate names when synced with each spirit. If she synced with Ji Ryun, she would become Yaldabaoth, an SSS-class special ability user specializing in durability.

“So, instead of insurance, strengthen me!”

“Wouldn’t you rather invest in endowment insurance than in stocks that are bound to be delisted?”

Of course, even though Hydra seemed to believe it belonged to Deokbae, I would never let him sync with a spirit under any circumstances.

“Grrr, frustrating! If Yuna syncs with Hydra, will the divine possession of another world not happen? Hmm? Then there’s no point in syncing her with Hydra!”

“As I’ve said, spirits that sync with Yuna will be rejected by her. The spirits remain sane, but Yuna becomes a sacrifice of consciousness to Seongju. Although Yuna might suffer, Ji Ryun should be fine.”

“Ahhh, Blazing Phoenix Revival!!!”

Jo Deokbae shouted some incomprehensible chant and slammed his fists on the table. Using magic power, I barely managed to save the snacks on the table. Fortunately, the strawberry jam toast didn’t fall to the ground.

“You’re hilarious. Are you saying you can tolerate watching your ex-girlfriends fight but can’t stand seeing her with other men?”

“Yuna is still a minor!”

“…Even if it’s among ex-girlfriends, they shouldn’t brawl!”

Deokbae hastily corrected himself. I took a large bite of toast while tapping on magical gear.

[Not necessarily, but it’s less risky for Yuna to sync with Hydra.]

“Why?”

I gave Deokbae a knowing look, and he glanced around, lowering his voice. Although we were surrounded by sound-blocking barriers, caution was always necessary.

[Would bringing Aruel to Korea cause problems?]

[Will Europe trigger World War III?]

[Why?]

I tapped on magical gear even more quietly than ever before and briefly mentioned another important object located somewhere in Europe to Deokbae.

[The cube has mixed with Hitler’s legacy.]

And the one who discovers this legacy is none other than Aruel, who traveled the world under the guise of running away.

[Aruel, code name <Thief Judge>.]

[Judge.]

I killed Deokbae. Then using strawberry jam, I wrote on his forehead.

[Outlaw, <Bandit Judge (Judge)>.]

At the revelation of the future Queen of England’s true identity, Deokbae, who resurrected almost instantly, stared wide-eyed at the words written on his forehead reflected in the mirror.

—

Still, Number Two insists on getting stronger. Can’t you expand his maximum level like everyone else?

Despite Deokbae’s persistent pleading, I held back my urge to vomit and sought Yuna’s permission. Fortunately, Yuna was studying alone in the dormitory, with a complete set of monster encyclopedias spread across her desk.

“What kind of monster studies are these?”

“Just finding new knowledge interesting. We’re heading toward the Blue Ocean soon, right? As long as Pluto doesn’t crash into Earth.”

Yuna remained calm and composed. Even in the face of potential world destruction in three months, she was focused on accumulating as much knowledge as possible.

“I thought you were studying for college entrance exams.”

“Phoenix Sir did say, didn’t he? You can take the exam only if Earth remains intact. College entrance exams are two years away, but the end of the world is right around the corner.”

Yuna’s expression was bittersweet. A newly uniformed high school girl already prepared to shoulder the weight of saving the world, ready to walk the path of a hero.

“Let’s save the world first and then take the exam.”

“Good idea. How about trying a more direct approach to saving it?”

I explained the relationship between spirits and Yuna. Yuna listened attentively, taking detailed notes on her practice book, quickly understanding everything.

“So, if I sync with Hydra, it fills the quota, right?”

“Yes.”

If Yuna refused, I’d have to convince Aruel. Likely, I’d have to ask the princess, who was friends with Inspector Catsey and Kim Penril for twenty years, to sync with Hydra and thus sever ties with Penril.

“Alright.”

Yuna nodded cheerfully.

“But, Phoenix Sir, do I need to join the Blue Wind Sect to capture Hydra? I haven’t even passed D-level training yet.”

Yuna pulled out her training results. All seven attributes were E. She had merely completed the minimum requirements of mandatory training for awakened special ability users.

“Great job. For now, you shouldn’t reveal your true abilities. After capturing both Hydra and Azidahaka, it’ll probably be okay to disclose.”

Fire Attribute SSS+, 101.

Currently registered as having a Fire Attribute magic power value of ’01,’ which is absurdly low. While students whisper about Yuna, fortunately, she doesn’t care at all.

“It’s fine even if I don’t reveal it.”

“You need to crush the egos of those you’ve chosen. They dare to act superior towards a goddess.”

“But wouldn’t that embarrass them?”

Yuna closed her book with an awkward smile, indicating her focus on our conversation while also putting aside her insane study habits.

“There’s no need to worry about them. Just focus on your own tasks.”

“They call me a failure and say I got lucky, but I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“…Teenagers can be a bit rough.”

“This is actually pretty mild. There’s a middle schooler who gets insulted more than me.”

Even while receiving envious criticism, Yuna worried about someone worse off than herself.

“People envy her because she entered the world’s strongest hunter guild as a special recruit at middle school age.”

“…She’s doing well in her own way, so don’t worry too much.”

Even though we started as the same team in the future but now have no interaction, it seems there’s some special bond among the original trio.

“Well, Yuna, for now, practice using your special abilities. Whether fire or durability, the methods should be similar.”

“Huh? Professors said that affinity differs by attribute, so the way magic power is used varies. That’s why dual-attribute users struggle to grow rapidly in either side…”

“You’re a goddess, so it’s fine.”

It really is fine. Despite being startled, Yuna adjusted her magic power and snapped her fingers.

Snap.

Inside my blue-flame barrier, Yuna’s unique bright yellow chick-like barrier emerged, its surface blazing with yellow flames.

“So, this is how it’s supposed to be used?”

“…Your growth rate is astonishing.”

We met personally just two weeks ago. Somehow, the sincere Yuna, who chose the hero’s path to prevent destruction, felt unfamiliar yet grateful and nostalgic.

“If you’re here, I’ll help you with your studies. Do you have any questions?”

“Really? Then I wanted to ask this: Regarding water-attribute A-class monsters, the <Mantis Shrimp>, what are the attack strategies based on their claw morphology…?”

By mentoring Yuna in her monster studies, I obtained permission for the Hydra synchronization.

Jo Deokbae sulked and stood silently by the window. Sunlight streaming in highlighted his balding head.

Perhaps if he reached S-rank naturally, his hair might grow back, but I decided not to offer comfort.

* * *

The cultivation of special ability users through Galaxy University Academy.

While focusing on nurturing heroes and hunters, I waited for Hikari’s research to conclude.

And approximately three weeks later.

Time flowed endlessly, and Pluto had just passed Neptune and reached Uranus’ orbit. Its speed varied unpredictably, stopping occasionally and accelerating at others, but its occasional corrections indicated Earth as its destination.

As Azidahaka continued opening portals worldwide every five days, I finally pinpointed the location of one of the two lieutenants.

Ji Ryun’s Hydra.

After the Great Maado Attack, this presumed Hydra hadn’t participated in any external activities. Thanks to Hikari, a distinct magic pattern resembling Hydra was detected among local monster reactions worldwide. These unusual patterns were either Azidahaka or Hydra.

Rome.

About 1000 km away from the Parthenon Temple, where Ji Ryun’s awakening battle occurred.

There, a reaction believed to be Hydra’s magic was detected.

After gathering the core members, I announced:

“The Baegnaroh departs.”

“Destination Mexico.”