Part 1, Chapter 3 (5)

A moment later.

“Then, let’s make the contract that way. We supply the Cores and monster byproducts, and you send us supplies commensurate with their value. Agreed?”

Phoenix stood atop a drum barrel. The Chairman-nim meticulously read the contract with serious eyes.

“Something feels off.”

The contract displayed on the screen was a standard one prepared directly by the Milky Way side. Nevertheless, the Chairman-nim carefully reviewed it multiple times to ensure there were no errors.

It was natural for a contract involving hundreds of billions, even trillions, of won, but Phoenix simply signed her name on the signature line without hesitation. So much so that the Chairman-nim had to explain the contract to her from the beginning, step by step.

The Chairman-nim whispered to Sang-woo, who was standing behind him.

“Sang-woo. Do you think there might be some kind of trap? What do you think?”

“You can’t make a contract like this without absolute confidence in Core procurement. …I think it’s fine. We also won’t have to pay extra money to the Association and hunters to secure supplies anymore.”

“Right? That’s why I’m even more suspicious.”

The Chairman-nim turned his gaze and tapped the screen, speaking to Phoenix.

“Hey. Are you really confident you can procure this much Core within three months? This quantity is enough for South Korea to use for a year and still have some left over.”

“It’s enough. And if I can’t get it, I promised to give you an S-class Core, didn’t I?”

“That’s too much of a loss for you. How much would food, clothing, and relief supplies even amount to? Are you planning to set up a refugee shelter in Seoul or something?”

The Chairman-nim pointed out Phoenix’s proposed method of payment. Instead of a massive sum of money, Phoenix had requested regular shipments of food and relief supplies to Seoul.

“Refugee shelter? Seoul, you see, is going to be used as a forward operating base.”

“If you’re picking a fight with the Korean government, can I tear up this contract?”

Phoenix smiled and shook her head.

“I won’t fight with the Korean government. I’m Korean, why would I fight with the Korean government?”

“…You’re Korean?”

The Chairman-nim’s eyes filled with suspicion. While there weren’t no Koreans with the surname ‘Pi’, the girl in front of him, named ‘Nix’, didn’t look East Asian at all.

“Yes. Well, my identity… you can just think of me as someone who needs to wash away their past. Hehe.”

Phoenix vaguely glossed over it. The Chairman-nim’s expression turned serious.

“You don’t hold a grudge against the current president or anything, do you? Or have a tragic past. But returned to Korea for your homeland.”

“Not me. Think whatever you want. The important thing is that we’ve formed a partnership.”

Phoenix approached the Chairman-nim and extended her hand. The Chairman-nim shook it with a reluctant expression.

“I look forward to working with you. Young Chairman-nim of Yuseong.”

“…?!”

Dumbfoundedness appeared in the Chairman-nim’s eyes. At the same time, the female secretary next to the Chairman-nim quickly pulled out a gun and aimed it at Phoenix.

Bang!

The trigger was pulled without warning. The mana-infused bullet shot towards Phoenix’s forehead like a beam of light.

Swoosh.

The edge of the veil covering Phoenix’s head wrapped around the bullet. The 9mm bullet was caught by the veil and crumpled powerlessly.

“Good response. Did you bring two just in case?”

Whoosh.

Flames erupted from Phoenix’s hand and engulfed the Chairman-nim. The Chairman-nim, flustered, tried to pull his hand away, but the Azure Flame consumed his entire body even faster.

[Function… stopped….]

Sizzle. Sizzle-sizzle.

With the smell of burning oil, the Chairman-nim, now a skeletal figure, collapsed to the floor, only his mechanical frame remaining. Phoenix threw away the Chairman-nim’s mechanical arm that she had been shaking hands with.

Thud.

The crumpled mechanical arm grazed the side of the female secretary’s shoe, who was standing next to the Chairman-nim. Golden starlight twinkled in the eyes of the female secretary, who still had her gun aimed at Phoenix.

“……Who are you?”

“I told you. I’m Phoenix of the Azure Flame.”

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

“….”

Phoenix enjoyed the cool sea breeze as she greeted the female secretary. Small fiery wings were attached to her back.

“My Black Market nickname is the same, so feel free to contact me sometimes. Next time, I’d like to talk to you directly, not through a doll.”

With those words, Phoenix soared high into the sky. The female secretary lowered her gun, unable to follow her with the naked eye due to her speed.

* * *

“……What was that?”

The girl threw off her VR device and got up. The connection line, linked to the large male ‘Automaton-X-Loid’ via mana brainwaves, was severed.

“Baek Sang-woo. Did you know?”

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

The girl rubbed the sheets on the bed, lost in thought.

“Then that means they know my identity to some extent….”

[For now, I will deal with the mercenaries you brought as escorts.]

“No. Just erase their traces and retrieve the dolls. They fainted without being able to do anything, so cut their contract fee in half.”

[Yes.]

The girl cut the communication and collapsed back onto the bed. Her hair, like melted gold, scattered wildly.

“My head already hurts because of the company….”

She had only muttered to herself in surprise, but the other party, seemingly excited, blabbed out secrets about him. The unbelievable information she obtained by simply playing along was something that could cause a huge backlash if she rashly acted upon it.

“Hoo.”

The girl searched the Black Market and found the person. Phoenix of the Azure Flame. The Black Market SNS was already filled with all sorts of insults and criticisms.

The girl’s finger almost pressed the ‘Add Friend’ tab but stopped just in time.

“…Right. There’s no need to provoke them unnecessarily.”

The important thing was the massive amount of Cores he would supply. There was no need to dig into his past and stir up trouble.

If necessary, she could meet him directly someday and extract information. Perhaps he might excitedly blab out high-level information or secrets again, just like before.

If it was close to the truth, she would profit from it; if it was false, she would dismiss it as gossip. That was all.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Young lady. BH is calling.”

“What? Damn it. For what?”

“They’ve invited business figures, including Yuseong, KS, and UJ. It’s probably to request funding for the Seoul Reclamation Operation.”

“…Ugh. Alright. I’ll get ready.”

The girl got up from the bed. Golden starlight flowed in her right eye, now disconnected from all the dolls.

“Next time we meet, I’m going to make you pay for the dolls.”

* * *

The sun sets.

The view of Seoul from the rooftop of the 63 Building felt new again. Perhaps it was because I had just met the Chairman-nim of the group that would later be called the Yuseong Republic, and one of the heroines, but my emotions were once again in a flutter.

Whoosh-

So, as soon as I arrived in Seoul, I went to a high place to enjoy the breeze and the panoramic view.

‘If you look south, it still feels like a place where people live.’

The moment I turned my head north, facilities were heavily destroyed, reminiscent of a war-torn ruin.

The reason for the difference between the north and south, divided by the Han River, was a single monster that had coiled itself around the Seoul City Hall building.

‘The Master of Seoul.’

A great monster incomparable to the West Sea Weapon. The S-class great monster had taken residence in Seoul City Hall and claimed the entire northern part of Seoul as its territory.

Monsters naturally did not set foot in that monster’s territory. Instead, they avoided that area and came down south of the Han River via other routes.

Through the bridges.

Numerous bridges spanned the Han River. All bridges, except Mapo Bridge connecting Yeouido to Seoul, were destroyed.

Some bridges were destroyed by the aftermath of battles between heroes and monsters.

Other bridges were tearfully blown up by combat engineers to block the massive waves of monsters.

Ultimately, when the great bridges, built for human benefit, became land routes for monsters, the president at the time made a drastic decision to abandon New Seoul.

– Before withdrawing from New Seoul, blow up all bridges crossing Seoul.

There was much opposition to this shocking decision, which was even more extreme than the relocation of the capital to New Seoul, but the operation was pushed through due to the surging waves of monsters.

Seonui Cheol argued that at least one bridge should be left, and so all bridges except Mapo Bridge in Yeouido, where combat engineers could not be dispatched, sank to the bottom of the Han River.

Are you going to abandon the citizens who haven’t crossed the bridge yet?!

I take full responsibility and will step down from my position.

With the ruthless decision to abandon all residents north of the Han River, the president voluntarily resigned in New Seoul.

Seonui Cheol’s faction filled that vacant position, and Seonui Cheol, displaying ingenuity, became president.

“It feels more like a lifelong leader than a president, though.”

The abilities and charisma shown by Seonui Cheol were too outstanding for constitutional laws like term limits or re-election prohibitions to take effect.

Seonui Cheol’s faction, which had seized control of the National Assembly, attempted a constitutional amendment to abolish the re-election limit for the incumbent president, and with the support of many New Seoul residents, Seonui Cheol was currently enjoying his second term.

‘Though a serious lame duck period will come in five years.’

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

For 12 years until the original story’s 2025, Seoul could not be reclaimed, and even New Seoul began to become unstable, naturally making the president’s position precarious. But now it was 2020.

‘His power is still strong.’

He wasn’t called the King of New Seoul for nothing. And that king would pour all his efforts into reclaiming Seoul.

“Seolhwa Princess and Fire Fist.”

Seolhwa Princess, Seok Harang.

A female hero, S-class, and one of the main heroines. Like Unjang, she was an S-class heroine even before recruitment, making it awkward to fight her, but since she was now an enemy, I had to face her.

And Fire Fist. A hero named Lee Seung-hyung.

“…He was in a relationship with Cheon Gaeul.”

I took out my smartphone and re-examined my search history.

[General] Fire Fist Lee Seung-hyung, acted as chief mourner for the late Cheon Gaeul

[Yonhap] Who will take over the current area? Production company: “Nothing decided yet”

The hero in whose heart I had planted a bomb had been filming a melodrama with Cheon Gaeul until just before the dimensional gate opened, and they were even about to have a kissing scene.

Crack.

As I leaned, my left hand, resting on the railing, broke the rooftop railing.

I put down my smartphone and slapped my cheek.

“Snap out of it.”

‘Cheon Gaeul isn’t my ex-girlfriend.’

If I started worrying about all the heroines’ pasts, my head would explode. Encounters in the game were just games. So, absolutely no childish jealousy. Absolutely not.

Beep-beep.

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

“What’s up? You’re calling me.”

[Beacon found it. The place you were looking for.]

“Oh, really?”

I got up from the railing and jumped down. As I leaped over the railing, I spread my wings and flew towards the hideout in Guro.

It took about 10 seconds to hide myself in the lingering sunset glow and land at the hideout. Deokbae, who saw me enter through the broken window, hung up the phone.

“Where have you been? You’re finally here.”

“I was just enjoying the view of Seoul from up high for a bit. But where’s Kim Ji-hwa-ssi?”

No matter how much I looked around the Chairman-nim’s office, Beacon was nowhere to be seen. Deokbae pointed downstairs.

“She collapsed from overwork. I told you not to push her too hard, even if she is a monstrous human.”

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

“She used to be a deputy, you know. It’s abnormal for her not to collapse when she’s been given work to run an entire organization.”

Although I had given her an excessive amount of work for her abilities, she probably pushed herself due to an obsession to impress me.

“I should give her an A-class Core later. So, Mr. Jo Deokbae, you know the location?”

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

“After searching around the Gangnam direction you mentioned, this location turned out to be the most likely.”

In Gangnam, where a few heroes and hunters still resided and a very small number of people lived, the mark Beacon had placed was on a building familiar to me.

“Oh.”

It roughly matched the information from the original story in my memory.

The so-called ‘Villain Alliance’ preferred to hold meetings in places where people coming and going wouldn’t arouse suspicion, and the secret meeting place Beacon found perfectly fit that condition.

“And the man with the description you mentioned.”

A gentleman in a black fedora, as if attending a funeral, was seen entering the building from the parking lot.

“That’s him.”

Haneulseong, a member of the Villain Alliance and the leader of a large Gangnam faction.

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

6:30 PM.

“The meeting will probably be around midnight tonight.”

Villains’ gatherings, after all, usually happen late at night.

* * *

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

Eun Jaemin, the Chairman-nim of Yuseong Group, nodded with a pleasant smile.

“…Therefore, in this Seoul Reclamation Operation, we ask for the assistance of many of you from the business and political circles, and the Association….”

President Seonui Cheol’s long speech, delivered from the head of the conference table, ended. A short break ensued before the detailed agenda, and Eun Jaemin subtly rose from his seat.

“Oh? Jaemin-gun. Where are you going?”

The Chairman-nim of KS, sitting next to him, asked. The man who had stood in the photo line in a wheelchair was now sitting in the conference room with a very lively face.

The fruit of KS’s pharmaceutical company, which succeeded in infusing Core energy into various health foods and supplements, was immediately evident in its Chairman-nim, who was clearly benefiting from it.

“…I’m just going to the restroom.”

“Is that so? Haha. Alright.”

At Eun Jaemin’s cold remark, the KS Chairman-nim immediately turned to speak to the attendee next to him. Eun Jaemin subtly avoided the gazes directed at him and left the conference room.

“…….”

Eun Jaemin’s footsteps, heading towards the restroom, stopped. In front of him, a white-haired girl blocked his path.

“Where are you trying to run off to?”

“…Can’t I even go to the restroom?”

Seolhwa Princess, Seok Harang, who was blocking the way while loudly chewing bubblegum, pointed towards the men’s restroom.

“Unnie, you know it’s a minor crime if you go in there, right?”

Eun Jaemin’s gaze quickly swept her surroundings. Confirming that only the two of them were present, Eun Jaemin sighed deeply and said,

“…Harang. I think I told you to play along when Unnie uses her ability.”

“It’s just the two of us.”

Light flowed from Eun Jaemin’s eyes. On the screen projected from her mechanical eyes, a tired-looking blonde girl appeared.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet for a moment. It’s not really a place to talk here.”

Eun Yuha, who was remotely controlling the doll that looked exactly like Eun Jaemin, pointed to the lounge at the end of the hallway. Harang, with a mischievous face, pointed to her smartwatch.

“Unnie, do you want another scandal with me?”

“Quiet. I don’t have the energy to play along with your pranks today, so hurry up and follow me.”

Harang followed Yuha’s doll, which was walking with heavy steps, into the lounge. Fortunately, there were no other guests in the lounge.

Gurgle.

The pungent aroma of coffee from the high-end coffee machine filled the lounge. Harang spat her chewed gum into a tissue, threw it in the trash, and sipped her coffee.

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

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

“If it’s coffee, can’t I just drink canned coffee? Mixed coffee tastes good enough to me.”

Yuha’s hand, reaching for the coffee cup through the screen, trembled. Harang, who had unconsciously blurted out a dialect, cleared her throat with a cough.

“Listen carefully. You probably don’t know much about coffee, but….”

“Yes, yes. I’m a country bumpkin, so I don’t want to know about that world.”

“If I become S-class, you’re dead. I’ll control you with mana and make you drink only coffee instead of water for all three meals.”

“Pfft. You, Unnie? …No, alright. I’m sorry.”

Yuha’s anger subsided at Harang’s posture, who bowed her head with her hands clasped together. Harang was very playful, but she knew her limits.

“How did I end up having my identity exposed to a kid like this….”

“I bet I’m not the only one who knows. Gwanggeom-nim knows too. Any S-class who meets Unnie would immediately feel it.”

Harang clenched and unclenched her hands, releasing mana.

“When you become S-class, you can’t help but read people’s mana. But the dolls Unnie controls have mana, but they don’t feel like they have life. No matter how precisely made a doll is, an S-class would immediately know. ‘Ah, something’s strange about that.’ Then, if they touch it, they’ll know right away. Unnie, you got caught when you shook my hand.”

“Ah.”

Yuha, as if realizing something, put down her cup. The Azure Tyrant had indeed offered to shake her doll’s hand as soon as they met.

“…Then, really?”

As Yuha fell into her own serious thoughts, Harang moved her mana to purify the water in the air and poured it into her cup. The concentrated espresso was turning into a coffee-flavored drink.

Just as Eun Jaemin’s doll also assumed a thoughtful pose, the lounge door opened.

“Ah. You were here. As expected… Chairman-nim of Yuseong?”

The man who opened the door and entered was Lee Seung-hyung. Harang quickly shouted in a loud voice.

“Oh, just in case you’re wondering! Chairman-nim Eun Jaemin and I are absolutely no~~~thing to each other!”

“No. That’s not it….”

Seung-hyung’s eyes were half-closed. At the white-burning glare, Harang quickly got up from the table and spilled coffee on the floor.

Smash.

The cup shattered on the floor, splashing coffee across the lounge floor. Harang froze in place.

The coffee, splattered from hitting the floor, wet the hem of Eun Jaemin’s white suit pants.

“……Huh?”

Golden starlight flashed and disappeared from Eun Jaemin’s dazed eyes. Eun Jaemin’s expression hardened as she alternated glances between Harang, the floor, and the newly arrived Seung-hyung. Lee Seung-hyung. S-class.

“Just a moment.”

Seung-hyung generated mana and conjured flames in his hand. Eun Jaemin stared, mesmerized, at the White Flame that had instantly incinerated the Fire Dragon.

The White Flame completely incinerated the coffee and the coffee cup on the floor. There was no ash or soot, as if it had burned away their very existence.

“Excuse me.”

Seung-hyung’s White Flame also touched Eun Jaemin’s pant leg. The pure white flame precisely burned away only the coffee stain without leaving any soot.

“Oh, it’s real. What an amazing incident.”

Harang clapped in surprise. Yuha, who was observing the situation through Eun Jaemin’s doll, also inwardly clicked her tongue.

“There really is another color of flame inside? It’s pretty.”

“Right? You can see it too, as expected.”

“…Pardon?”

At Yuha’s question, Seung-hyung smiled and conjured the flame on his index finger again. The flame, seen through the doll’s eyes, was clearly pure white without a single blemish.

“It seems like you can see this when you become S-class. Haha. Oh, right. Harang. The Vice Chairman-nim was looking for you urgently.”

“Really? Still time… Ugh. I’m doomed.”

Harang tidied her clothes and was about to open the lounge door when she grabbed Seung-hyung’s clothes. With the mana infused into her grip, Seung-hyung was pulled out of the lounge.

“Huh? Huh? Hey, Chairman-nim is-”

“Chairman-nim said she has something to think about for her business! Mister, come with me and help me out! If I go in alone, they’ll give me so much grief!”

The two S-class heroes quickly walked out of the lounge and towards the conference room.

Left alone, Eun Jaemin, or rather Yuha, continued to ponder with a serious expression.

The words Phoenix had spoken kept echoing in her mind.

“Playing with those two with one hand?”

The villain, who had shown arrogant confidence against those monsters of talent she couldn’t even approach, suddenly made her feel very uneasy.

What if he really ruined the Seoul Reclamation Operation and planted his flag in Seoul?

The image of the three of them fighting in the middle of Seoul kept forming in her mind. Yuha, lost in thought, nodded and made the doll stand up.

‘The side that makes money is my side.’