Chapter 570

〈 Episode 570 〉DLC Prologue, [The Phoenix]

“Ah, this is impossible. It looks like a reroll situation, doesn’t it?”

The woman in commander’s uniform despaired as she looked at the squad displayed on the screen. Below her gaze, the small chat window was filled with messages agreeing with her assessment.

“It’s not just Yuna who isn’t responding, anyone at all! Seriously, what did I do to Seok Harang? If he’s going to rampage, why doesn’t he just blow up Busan nicely instead of dragging our S-Rank babies into mutual destruction?”

As the woman spoke, the chat window erupted with question marks. Some users typed ‘/controversy/manners’ while others used voice donations to criticize her behavior.

“What? A woman Satan would cry over? Come on, that’s an exaggeration. Seok Harang didn’t die, right? All our heroes are just in the hospital! Just… damn.”

The woman checked the calendar. D-day, November 11th was only a week away. She had to find a solution within that time.

“No way… calling all S-Rankers from the hospital? Really? Rather, I’ll go all-in with Yuna and try to survive the first phase somehow… Ugh. This is driving me insane.”

Clutching her hair in despair, the woman considered her options. The rampage of Seok Harang had been more devastating than expected, and her hero squad suffered heavy losses before subduing him.

[This is all because of the rice bowl meals.]

When someone sent this voice donation, the chat exploded with reactions. Some defended the rice bowls while others suggested mint leaves instead.

“Shut up already! When you were all calling me ‘sister,’ I thought you were some kind of goddess of Busan. How was I supposed to know his tastes are so fancy? Bourgeoisie! Eating alone at hotel buffets for every meal! Damn it! With the money for one hotel breakfast, you could eat three steaming hot rice bowls!”

The heated discussion subsided after the woman’s rant. Fortunately, she wasn’t the only victim. This initiation rite was common among most players who downloaded the DLC.

“No seriously… give me some advice here. There’s no way we can beat Phoenix with this squad, right? We can’t even pass the first phase, people.”

Clearing the previous message, the woman asked for help. But most viewers shook their heads, declaring it impossible.

[Just cut your losses and quit gg.]

“No way. I’ve come too far for that. Retiring is not an option. Rather, I’d rather get game over’d by Phoenix herself.”

Slapping her cheeks with her palms, the woman formed a new squad.

Except for Yuinah at S-Rank, the rest were barely trained B~C-Rank members. Fortunately, a few recently recruited A-Rank allies remained.

“Let me run a quick simulation.”

Using an external program, the woman entered her squad information. Since Phase 1 was notoriously difficult, programs now existed that calculated win probabilities based on stats.

Win rate 1%.

“…What? Isn’t 1% higher odds than the 0.3% limited character gacha? That means I’ve won. I’ve already won.”

Confused by the woman’s logic, the viewers struggled to respond. Her reasoning was flawed yet strangely hard to refute.

“Stop whining and help me out here. Who knows? If we break through with this trash squad, it might open the blocked Phoenix route in our guild. If we unlock the Phoenix route, I’ll really share 2 trillion won with all viewers N ways. For real.”

Inspired by her promise, thousands of viewers joined forces to optimize the squad. After about three hours of collective brainstorming, they managed to increase the win rate from 1% to 3%.

“Phoenix Route, let’s gooooooo!!”

With renewed determination, the woman slammed her fist down on the holographic button floating above the table.

* * *

Yeouido was engulfed in blue flames. Seoul was already in ruins, but due to the battle against the SS-Rank monster, Yeouido was completely consumed by the azure inferno.

“So this is where it ends…”

The woman couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Despite using every method possible to strengthen her allies and devise strategies, there was simply no answer against the overwhelming power.

“Who said 3% win rate was high? Damn bitch.”

Her self-deprecating comment left everyone feeling somber. The defeat of the hero squad led by the woman equated to humanity’s loss within the game, and externally, it was also the failure of all the viewers who had fought alongside her.

“Hmph, at least we’re dying to Phoenix-sama…”

[Are you giving up?]

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice struck the woman’s ears. Authoritative and resonant, it came from above as if looking down upon her. The woman instinctively swallowed hard.

“Wh-who…?”

[Are you ready to end it here?]

The chat window was once again flooded with question marks. This event occurring during the DLC was unprecedented since its release.

– It’s legit Hwakwon! Mr. Kim Chul-soo has descended!

– That’s not Kim Chul-soo’s voice. No one has a voice like that. Could it be a new character?

– Someone awakening in the middle of the Phoenix fight? Killing Phoenix? That’s blasphemy man

Speculations ran wild. However, the woman, momentarily forgetting she was streaming, slowly raised her head.

“Ah…”

The woman’s eyes met those of the collapsing blue phoenix. The world’s strongest monster (second place) was undoubtedly staring at her after toppling her and her companions with overwhelming force.

[Are you giving up?]

The monster, with nearly half its body shattered, was still spreading fire like blood. The flames dispersed across Yeouido.

Remaining HP 48%.

Through miraculous control, the woman had managed to reduce the HP of the average B- grade squad with a 3% win rate by over half, but it was clear that command alone couldn’t overcome this limit.

[Will you end it here?]

“…Give up? Shut up! Do you think I want a game over?! Even if I have to go back to Taechomul village, I’ll kill you first!”

Grabbing a metal bat lying around, the woman stood up. Though the dented aluminum bat was so weak that even a D-Rank hero could crush it with one hand, she gripped it tightly with gritted teeth.

“If you had come two days later, six S-Ranks would have recovered! Why today?!”

With bat in hand, the woman charged towards Phoenix. Determined to fight until the very end, she closed her eyes and swung the bat at Phoenix’s talon.

[With such resolve… perhaps it may be possible after all.]

“Eh…?”

The woman stumbled forward as the monstrous Phoenix turned into a pillar of fire, dispersing its physical form. Though enveloped in flames, the woman felt no fatal pain or sensation.

“What… is this…?”

[Purifying flames that burn away falsehoods. Also my original power as a spirit of blue flame.]

“Wait… could this possibly…?”

[Earth will see Seongju’s arrival in about 40 days… During that time, I’ll test you from close quarters.]

In front of the woman appeared a strange figure clad in black armor. Within the armor burned blue flames, and between the eyes of the helmet resembling a mix of a phoenix and eagle, blue light shone brightly.

[Before Seongju arrives on December 25th, defeat me. If you cannot surpass me, you won’t be able to defeat Seongju… or the one behind him.]

“Huh? Wait a moment! This is a spoiler! I need to turn off the stream!”

Caught between being a commander and a professional streamer, the woman was confused. Even though the game had been out for a year, information about interdimensional deities constituted serious spoilers.

[…Do you want to talk privately? Well, it’s not bad for me either.]

“Excuse me, but might you be…?”

Paaat.

The armored figure raised both arms to the sky, forming a Y with their body as they stretched their neck upward. Then began reciting something incomprehensible.

[Eternal blue flames burning forever, Blazing Phoenix Revival.]

“Huh?”

[Repeat after me, Blazing Phoenix Revival.]

“C-Changyeom Gaejin?”

What kind of bizarre chant was this? While the meaning of “Changyeom” was clear enough, what exactly did “Gaejin” mean?

– Turn it on immediately!

– Stream now or pay a million won!

– What is this? Is Phoenix real? Genuine? Could this be the legendary Phoenix companion route we joked about?

– The Living Buddha is Phoenix!!!!!!!

The chat room erupted in chaos. Some impatient viewers threatened to visit her personally if she didn’t show them immediately. However, the woman couldn’t bring herself to reveal the mysterious figure in front of her.

[Well… introducing me to your companions wouldn’t really matter. Didn’t you already make Jeolpung and Gaechonkwang your allies? So you should understand the current situation.]

“Ah… wait a moment. Calm down please. Hmm, hmm.”

Taking deep breaths, the woman resumed broadcasting. The viewers froze when they saw the unknown armored figure standing directly in front of the woman.

Though never seen before, the figure was eerily familiar. The blue flames burning through the black armor and the fiery wings spread behind made it impossible for anyone to mistake who this was.

“What is your name…?”

[Eternal and undying, the sole sun of this world, I have freed myself from my resting place to offer humanity its final hope.]

The armored figure extended a hand toward the woman. Clearly, it was a gesture for a handshake.

[Humans call me ‘Phoenix’.]

“Goodness…”

Trembling, the woman reached out and shook hands with the figure. Though the sharp gauntlets looked like they could peel flesh at a touch, the hand she grasped felt warm like sunlight.

“Is this… real?”

[…After seeing potential, I offered help, yet must I destroy you anyway?]

“No, no! The idea of you breaking free from your resting place is hard to believe, and it seems strange for an enemy we’ve been trying to kill to suddenly offer assistance…”

[…I feel the same. Even now, I’m suppressing my desire to kill you. But through fighting you, I regained myself.]

“Ah.”

The woman quickly reviewed the battle in her mind. However, no matter how many times she went over it, there seemed to be no trigger for the commander to awaken as a spirit.

“So… you’re really going to help us? Like other spirits?”

[Yes… Unfortunately, my situation differs from the others. Maintaining my hybrid form between human and monster allows me to preserve my self-awareness.]

“…”

The woman silently sighed. Though she had hoped Phoenix’s human form might appear, it seemed this feature wasn’t accessible yet.

But still. The woman shed tears of pride at her unprecedented achievement and waved her hand.

“Looking forward to working with you, Phoenix.”

[Though awkward to say… looking forward to working with you too, Commander.]

[Recruitment] Phoenix has become an ally!

World’s first.

The woman became the first person worldwide to recruit the monster Phoenix as an ally.

* * *

A blue meteor shower descends.

The rare spectacle of meteors covering the dark universe was breathtaking, yet most were fragments of Pluto brought by Seongju. Phoenix sat on the sandy beach, gazing blankly at the sky.

“You’re in a sorry state.”

Approaching with a bitter smile, the woman in a white coat stained red with blood looked worse for wear, but Phoenix’s condition was critical enough to seem near death.

[I am satisfied having killed Seongju and stopped the ritual.]

“But you might die because of that?”

[When I became a commander, I was already dead. The undead that had been polluting the world for so long should vanish now.]

Saah…

As the darkness gradually faded and the red sun rose beyond the horizon, Phoenix’s body began to dissipate like smoke touched by sunlight.

[From the day we met in Yeouido, I was already on borrowed time. Having never truly awakened, my fate was sealed with Seongju’s death.]

“…”

The woman silenced the wave of chat messages below. Though deeply grateful to her viewers, she wanted to keep this emotional moment private.

“Phoenix…”

Emotions welled up inside her. She prayed desperately for the daily rising sun to stay hidden. Yet Earth kept spinning, the merciless sun continued ascending, and her personal sun started dissipating into smoke.

[Many threats remain. There will be those who seek to harm you.]

Kwaek.

Phoenix drove her nails into her own heart. In the hand extended toward the woman, a blue flame burned.

[I was the sun among spirits… From now on, you will be humanity’s sun. Two suns cannot coexist in this world.]

“But…!”

[Protect humanity well. Our time together… wasn’t too bad.]

Click.

Phoenix slightly lifted her helmet. As the blue flames dimmed, beneath revealed the lower face of a young man smiling gently.

“It was a short but happy life, Yuna Panty Purple.”

“……!”

Hwaek.

Phoenix dissolved into flames and disappeared. Clutching the blue core in her hand, the woman collapsed to her knees.

“I-I-I…!”

Clutching the core, the woman screamed in anguish.

“Who named themselves after my commander name… ——–!!!”

That day, the woman’s broadcast video topped global rankings.

“Hmm, indeed. Talking about this in a DLC context, huh?”

A woman with blue hair watched the video while smirking in the shadows.