Part 1 Chapter 1 (1)

When I came to my senses, I was in magma.

‘What kind of start is this?’

There was no scene where I woke up to find myself being transported in a prisoner escort carriage, or where a doctor with authoritative knowledge of the world appeared and explained the worldview in detail.

If I had to say, the game usually starts at an airport.

The game begins with the protagonist returning to Korea from America.

But no matter where I looked, it was red. Red, red, and more red. I was standing in the middle of an entirely red world.

‘What kind of game start is this?’

‘I’ first raised my hand to open the status window, to grasp the situation.

‘Status window… huh?’

The hand that was about to open the status window and pause the game stopped in mid-air.

My fingers, so fair that the expression ‘delicate jade hands’ suited them, were as white as fresh snow, without a single blemish. And they were clearly different from the hands of my in-game avatar, or my rough hands in reality.

‘Are these really my hands?’

At will, I bent each finger, made a fist, and even raised only my middle finger while folding the others.

Aside from the difference in appearance, these hands were unmistakably mine.

‘Could it be a DLC-exclusive avatar?’

They were small and delicate, like those of a young girl, which felt a bit odd, but since it was an expansion pack sent by the developers for a change, I decided to wait with a happy heart.

Like an early adopter writing the first unboxing review of a new product, I waited for a new event to appear.

‘….’

‘…….’

‘……It’s late.’

I must have waited at least 10 minutes, if not more.

Yet, no interface or NPC to help with character creation appeared, and not even a prologue event was progressing.

‘An event where I have to find the helper NPC myself?’

Perhaps I had to find someone in this vast red sea, or maybe the story would only progress once I escaped this red sea.

‘Then at least give me a direction marker.’

I decided that if I logged out, I’d leave a review telling them to at least provide convenience with quest markers for guidance, and then I slowly started to move.

‘Something’s strange.’

My speed was fast for swimming in the sea.

But the strangest thing was how ‘realistic’ the current sensation was, to the point of being terrifying, far beyond what I could imagine from a VR virtual reality device.

‘I’m here.’

Several minutes passed as I ascended upwards.

Unlike the red sea just moments before, I instinctively realized that the slightly darker colored area I saw was the surface where this red sea ended.

“Phew-ha.”

I surfaced and took a deep breath. The air was a bit humid, but there was no major problem breathing-

“…….”

Bubble, bubble.

Bubbles rose. Bubbles? No. It was the heat-laden fire boiling. Where had I seen this before? It looked just like something from a disaster movie about a volcanic eruption.

“Aaaah!”

I thrashed in the water, swimming to find land.

Wasn’t it practically over if I was already in lava? Why was my body fine? I couldn’t even entertain such carefree thoughts.

Fortunately, I quickly found land. A small, hardened rock-like patch of land welcomed me.

“Haa, haa.”

I was out of breath. It felt like the tension that had clogged my veins was finally releasing. And suddenly, I felt like an idiot.

‘Right. I was in there just now, so there’s no way I’d die.’

From the visual graphics to the tactile sensation, the magma’s texture was perfectly implemented.

If VR was implemented to this extent, I thought that elderly people might even have a heart attack if they made a slight mistake-

“Is this really a game…?”

I touched the area where my vocal cords would likely be and spoke.

“Huh? Huh?”

The voice I heard only after emerging from the magma was clearly that of a young girl, different from my own.

And it was strikingly similar to the voice of the game character I had heard countless times while clearing the game just a little while ago.

“Ah-aah—Iced Americano—“

It was definitely a sound that came out at my will, but it wasn’t the voice I knew.

“…!!”

Oh, no way. It can’t be. Wasn’t the protagonist always fixed, no matter what?

‘My face.’

I touched my face here and there with my fingers, as if tearing at it. It wasn’t rough, poorly maintained skin, but smooth skin, like that of a newborn baby.

It wasn’t a mannequin-like face, but clearly the face shape of ‘some being’.

‘No way.’

And when I lowered my gaze, there was-

“!!”

My gaze instinctively turned to the two mounds that boasted a massive presence. No, is this my avatar right now?

“…Hmm.”

This was irresistible. It was merely an unavoidable verification process, absolutely not a perverted act driven by lust.

Squish.

My face flushed from the soft sensation I felt even with my eyes closed. But what was clear was that this ‘avatar’ had a distinctly female body.

‘It has to be an avatar. Yes, hmm. It’s an avatar. There’s no way it’s really ‘that thing’, right?’

I cautiously opened my eyes and shook my head, and something blue caught my eye.

I raised my trembling hand, picked up the blue object, and brought it before my eyes.

“It’s hair.”

A color that seemed to hold blue flames. At least it wasn’t black hair.

As I stared blankly at it, blue flames erupted before my eyes.

“Hieek?”

I was startled and fell backward, landing on my butt, but then I realized that the flames before me were, in fact, ‘something I had created’.

“Oh, no way.”

The sensation of ‘mana’ draining from my body. That sensation, which I had experienced countless times while playing as the protagonist, became real, now conjuring clear, blue flames before my eyes.

Azure Flame (蒼炎). The flame of purification that burns away corrupted mana.

And there was only one being in this world who could wield that Azure Flame.

“Me?”

The Azure Flame Phoenix.

* * *

Deathdinath of the Blue Sky.

This game, built upon common settings like mana, monsters, and superhumans, tells the story of a protagonist who defeats the ambitions of a world-conquering group called the ‘Dark Legion’.

Dark Legion (Dark Alliance).

This group, whose very name stimulates a certain flamboyant sensibility, is an evil organization that seeks to conquer Earth by controlling monsters and monstrous humans.

And the Azure Flame Phoenix is one of the group’s seven executives, holding the title of the strongest among the executive ranks.

According to official settings, they are ranked 4th in combat power within the game.

Considering that the 1st place is the awakened protagonist, 2nd place is the true final boss, and 3rd place is the fake final boss, Phoenix can practically be called the strongest in the story without exaggeration.

‘The problem is that I’m a subordinate of the final boss.’

And what’s more, a tragic existence whose brain would be pickled by the final boss and then die after successfully conquering Earth.

Have you ever heard of ‘discarding the hunting dog once the rabbit is caught’? That was the fate of the seven executives, including Phoenix.

‘Can I defeat them alone?’

It’s impossible. While Phoenix clearly has a significant advantage in combat power, the fake final boss, who is the leader of the Dark Legion and ranked 3rd, is the one who ‘brainwashed’ the executives.

‘They weren’t even executives of an evil organization to begin with.’

Spirits.

The fake final boss, a being called Seongju (Star Lord), invaded and conquered an Otherworld called ‘Terra’, brainwashing the ‘Spirits’ from that world and making them his subordinates. That was the beginning of the Dark Legion.

‘In other words, I was originally in a brainwashed state.’

Vanguards who, unaware that their original world was destroyed by Seongju, pledged loyalty to Seongju and went around destroying other worlds.

And by destroying Earth, they became tragic beings destined to be boiled in a pot.

‘They called it a Reincarnation Possession Record….’

Isn’t this too much? Of course, I’m grateful for being possessed into the body of Phoenix, the strongest being, but possessing me into a villain, not even on the protagonist’s side, was just too malicious.

‘Fortunately, Seongju isn’t active right now.’

If Seongju had been on Earth, I might have seriously hidden my identity under Seongju and worked to destroy Earth, but fortunately, Seongju isn’t on Earth.

‘Because he came alone, got his ass kicked by Earthlings, and ran away.’

Thank you, Earthlings! Now, as someone who has become an Otherworlder, I felt infinite gratitude to the Earthlings who found a way out for me.

‘If I want to survive without being discarded by Seongju….’

I have to find him.

The protagonist.

‘But Phoenix gets killed by the protagonist.’

“Aaaah!”

I screamed. Thanks to my shout, the calmly flowing magma in the cave surged. But Phoenix’s body suffered no harm.

“What should I do?”

The reason Phoenix hasn’t been conquered as a heroine until now is simple.

‘Because the story’s finale begins with Phoenix dying and passing her power to the protagonist.’

The six executives are defeated by the protagonist one by one, and finally, Phoenix, who steps forward last, defeats the protagonist’s allies one by one.

In the end, she battles the protagonist in a 1-on-1 match and reaches the brink of victory, but the brainwashing is undone by the aftermath of the battle.

‘She goes berserk, feels self-loathing, passes her power to the protagonist, and then vanishes.’

A character who must die.

A tragic heroine who must die for the story to progress, someone who couldn’t be conquered even if one wanted to.

That’s me now.

“Hoo.”

A sigh escaped me naturally.

‘There’s still a way.’

There isn’t no way to survive at all. Not by groveling like a dog to Seongju and begging for my life, nor by having my existence extinguished and living on as the protagonist’s power, but by living entirely as the ‘Azure Flame Phoenix’.

‘I conquered it, didn’t I?’

The Phoenix Route.

That path is the only way to survive.

‘I can’t die like Phoenix. I can’t kill Phoenix.’

I already recognized that the current situation wasn’t merely a hyper-realistic VR virtual reality game.

At the very least, my body might be imprisoned somewhere, trapped in the game in a full-brain state, or in the worst case, it might be the usual Otherworld possession.

“Hoo.”

This world was real, and I had become the Azure Flame Phoenix.

That was the undeniable conclusion after regaining consciousness, not sleeping, and running my brain circuits at full capacity, no matter how much I tried to deny it.

“They said it was a game made by grinding up aliens, but to think the GMs were really alien-like bastards….”

They were the only culprits.

The fact that they sent a message tempting me with an expansion pack right after I cleared the game, and that I immediately became the Azure Flame Phoenix as soon as I launched the expansion pack they sent.

I even wondered if I might be in a Truman Show-like situation.

A hidden camera prank where my trapped state as a character in a cleared game is streamed by the developers, and gamers worldwide enjoy watching it.

“Haha, ha.”

With a dry laugh, ‘I’ got up. Whatever the situation, there was only one thing to do.

‘Coax the protagonist into becoming an ally. And absolutely not get conquered as a heroine!’

Even if I became a heroine, being pinned down by a man and whimpering is something I’d refuse.

‘First, let’s get out.’

Since realizing I was the ‘Azure Flame Phoenix’, I had pretty much figured out how to use my powers.

Hwarureuk.

Wings of blue flame unfurled behind my back. Like Icarus escaping prison and soaring over the sea, I looked up at the ceiling and took a breath.

“Ah. Didn’t Icarus fall into the sea and die while flying?”

‘…Then, embarrassingly, I’ll correct it to an angel.’

The expression ‘angel’ isn’t entirely wrong. In Japanese communities, they jokingly say ‘Phoenix-nyang, truly an angel (PMT)’ because of it.

‘If they knew the truth, would they really say such a thing?’

I couldn’t help but laugh. Now that I had become that Phoenix, the original wouldn’t be found even if one tried.

“Whoaa.”

Taking a long, deep breath, I moved towards the central part where magma flowed down like a waterfall.

The only place where magma flowed downwards like a river within the cave. It was the only passage leading to the surface in this massive underground.

“…….”

When it actually came to crawling back directly into the magma, I hesitated.

I had simulated it countless times in my head, but I had no idea how far I would have to go against the magma upwards.

“…It’ll work out somehow.”

It wouldn’t be Mount Everest, surely. I lightly patted my cheek and reached my hand into the flames. It was warm, like soaking in a hot spring, but I couldn’t stay here forever.

“Let’s go.”

Shouting briefly as if to steel myself, I-the Azure Flame Phoenix-strongly flapped my wings upwards.

* * *

April 1, 2020, 4:00 AM, Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

The researcher in the white lab coat was dozing off in his chair, arms crossed. He hadn’t properly washed for days, judging by his bushy beard and haggard appearance.

“……Kool.”

The dark circles heavily beneath his eyes showed how hard he had been working.

“…Sigh. I dozed off.”

He had been working overtime for three days straight, and now he even had to pull a night shift. Senior Researcher Maxwell blinked his eyelids and stretched.

“Hwaaaaaaam.”

It was already four in the morning.

It was ironically sad that he had dozed off despite drinking coffee just thirty minutes ago, but it couldn’t be helped. There had been signs of volcanic activity from a dormant volcano that had shown no activity until now.

“It’s not going to erupt anyway, so why keep telling me to check……. “

Maxwell reached out his hand to drink the remaining coffee.

Deoldeoldeoldeoldeol

“Huh?”

Had I left my smartphone on vibrate? Maxwell was startled by the stronger-than-expected vibrating sound as he tried to pick up his cup.

“What the!”

The observation instruments began to move violently, albeit little by little.

A massive tremor was rising from deep underground. Until now, it had only been very weak seismic waves, but the tremor was gradually intensifying.

Jjaenggeurang!

A glass bottle on the shelf fell to the floor.

“Huh.”

It was clearly an item that had been secured to prevent it from falling. Maxwell turned pale and checked the temperature observation program window.

“It’s going to explode?”

The temperature was steadily rising from underground. Especially, the place where the temperature was rapidly increasing was the center of the towering mountain peak.

Kwaaaaaang!

With a massive explosion, a red light erupted outside the window. Maxwell hit the emergency alarm and stared blankly at the mountain peak outside the window.

“…Huh.”

A massive explosion of red magma burst through the rocky mountain. Within that magma eruption, a small human flapping blue wings became visible.

“A person?”

Though it was hard to see clearly with the naked eye from such a long distance, the form was clearly human. The shape of the wings was different, but it was similar to ‘Raishin’, his favorite hero-

“Damn it! This isn’t the time for this!”

Maxwell hastily gathered his belongings.

Since this dormant volcano, which had been inactive until now, suddenly erupted, other dormant volcanoes might also erupt, and sparks could even fly to this research lab, which he considered a safe zone.

“The helicopter…!”

It was already too late to ask for an emergency helicopter. Outside, it would surely be filled with volcanic ash, obstructing visibility-

“…Huh?”

It was clear. The night sky was so clear and transparent that constellations were visible, making it hard to believe a volcanic eruption had occurred.

“What in the-“

Maxwell, experiencing such an unusual natural phenomenon for the first time in his nearly 20 years as a researcher, was puzzled, then suddenly snapped out of it and turned his gaze to the summit of the volcano.

“Gone?”

The blue-winged human that had been hovering in the air moments ago was gone. Maxwell, feeling as if he were possessed by a ghost, lost his senses and simply collapsed onto the floor.

“Haha, ha.”

As if the initial amount that flowed out when the volcano first erupted was a mistake, the tremors gradually subsided, and the amount flowing out also decreased.

The volcanic activity stopped. Maxwell, seeing a helicopter flying towards the research lab’s helipad in the distance, lost consciousness in relief.