Part 1 Chapter 8-12

The entirety of China was abuzz.

A musical sound, heard for the first time in their lives, echoed ceaselessly across the sky, and ability users shuddered at the alarm sound that rang out whether they were sleeping, eating, or hunting monsters.

Ding-ding-ding. Good morning. Ding-ding-ding.

“Aargh! It’s evening right now!”

One Hero covered their ears and rolled on the floor. But even with their ears covered, the sound was audible. The core of their heart vibrated with a “bba-bba-bba-bba” sound, and they were on the verge of going insane.

“Good morning, good morning! Goddammit!”

“Aaaah!! Who the hell is it?!”

The Heroes convulsed. The irregularly ringing a cappella harmony was enough to naturally induce a hatred for mornings.

“We can’t hear it at all. Is it only audible to ability users?”

“Seems so.”

Unlike the Heroes, ordinary people couldn’t hear the sound at all.

If sound was transmitted through air as a medium, then the ‘Good Morning’ currently stirring up all of China was a manifestation of an ability transmitted through mana as a medium.

“Uh… I think I can hear it a little too.”

“What? They said only ability users can hear it. Are you, by any chance?”

Accordingly, those who hadn’t yet awakened their abilities began to realize, ‘I’m an ability user too.’

At this, the Central Party, especially Dongchang, became divided.

“Father-nim! Please, make this terror stop!”

Munhwa personally stepped forward, taking the lead, before Mao Zeping. His already haggard appearance was now skin and bones.

“Ability users are complaining of pain! They say they’re going crazy from the auditory hallucinations that they hear not just during naps, but even when carrying out operations!”

“Since when have you dared to rebel against me like this….”

“Father-nim!”

Mao Zeping frowned and grew angry, but Munhwa reacted even more violently. Feeling as if he shouldn’t provoke him further, Mao Zeping backed down a step and tried to persuade him rationally.

“Existing ability users might feel that way. But Munhwa, isn’t it called ‘Good Morning’? It’s about giving a new morning to ability users who haven’t yet awakened.”

Mao Zeping presented videos from the Association’s examination centers, built in every city, as evidence. Those who actually came forward, claiming to hear ‘Good Morning’ in their ears, were previously non-ability users and were newly registered as ability users.

Their number was a staggering thousand.

Considering that less than half a day had passed since ‘Good Morning’ began, it was a very effective means of finding ability users who didn’t even know they had awakened.

“But we don’t know how long this auditory terror will continue! Not just Dongchang, but all the Heroes are complaining of pain, saying they feel like shit, no, like they’re going crazy!”

“Bear with it. Why are you making such a fuss over just hearing some auditory hallucinations?”

It was unfortunate news for the Heroes, but Mao Zeping couldn’t hear the sound at all. If Mao Zeping could hear ‘Good Morning’, he would have immediately used all available forces to stop the auditory terror.

“Think of it positively. How good is it that the number of ability users is increasing? It’s all for the prosperity of this nation-“

Bzzzzzt!

A direct call came into the Director’s office. Mao Zeping frowned at the call, which came without any relay, but cleared his throat and answered the phone.

“Yes, this is Mao Zeping, Director of the Monster Management Bureau.”

[D-Director. It’s a big problem.]

“……Your Excellency?”

The caller was the Chairman, the only person higher than him. For now, he was someone Mao Zeping had to show respect to.

[Th-There’s a strange sound in my ears… a ding-ding-ding sound….]

Thud.

Mao Zeping ended up dropping the receiver.

[Director? P-Please help me. It’s so loud, I feel like I’m going crazy….]

It was the moment Mao Zeping’s plan, to formally ‘cede’ the Chairman’s position to him at the next party congress by making him the epitome of incompetence, cracked.

* * *

“This is deviating from the plan.”

I couldn’t help but be astonished by the number of ability users beginning to awaken across China.

Perhaps because the population is 1.3 billion, the number of people who have awakened abilities but aren’t aware they are ability users has already exceeded a thousand.

“If we include unregistered individuals, it’ll probably be several times more, right?”

“What do we do? Isn’t this just completely fattening up the enemy?”

“If we only depose Mao Zeping, they’re not enemies. If Heroes increase, it’ll be good when we fight a major battle with Seongju later. It is good, but….”

The Chaos Phantom Dragon hasn’t appeared yet. It’s a crossroads situation whether to take the risk and let the Phantom Flame Spirits continue singing, or to stop the operation immediately.

“Deokbae-ssi. Where are the ability users registering?”

“At the Hero Association’s examination centers. Almost 99%?”

“So, it’s the Association. …Pffft.”

In that case, there’s no problem for now.

“Keep singing.”

I gave orders to the Phantom Flame Spirits roaming across China. Beside them, Mini Phoenixes that had flown from their nest in the Amnok River were flying along.

“Sing as unpleasantly as possible, as if waking up to the sound of a sobbing woman outside while sleeping at night. Our goal is ultimately one.”

I gave clear instructions to the Phantom Flame Spirits through the Mini Phoenixes.

“We need to wake up the sleepyhead.”

“Will they really wake up from this?”

Deokbae tilted his head, scanning live videos from all over China.

In most places, ability users were suffering from ‘Good Morning’, but there was no sign of the Chaos Phantom Dragon, let alone a Phantom Bandit.

“Don’t worry. We have a lot of repertoires. If they still don’t wake up, we’ll have to start phase 2 of the operation.”

“What’s phase 2 of the operation?”

“If a morning call doesn’t work, of course, we have to blow the reveille.”

“……Such trashy songs.”

“……Is that not considered an insult? Anyway, Deokbae-ssi. Quickly, find some songs.”

Let’s see how long they can hold out without waking up. I was naturally excited at the thought of the Chaos Phantom Dragon awakening.

“The sound of reveille from various armies around the world, there must be at least one uploaded on YouTube, right?”

The second phase of the operation began.

* * *

The borders were sealed, but news from within China naturally flowed out.

“Do I have to listen to this fucked-up sound here? Which bastard is blowing a Marine Corps bugle in China?”

Oracle radiated killing intent, as if ready to kill someone if things went wrong. He was currently driving to the airport where his private jet was, due to the bugle sound coming across the West Sea.

[It seems ability users near China can hear it. Especially those of S-rank or higher.]

Sir Gawain smiled bitterly from beyond the screen. He had long since returned to England to assist the Queen.

“Hey! Newbie! You can hear it too, right!”

[……Yes, I can hear it extremely well.]

Seolhwaryeong, Seok Harang, let out a hollow laugh with a haggard face. The maddening harmony of alarm sounds and military songs, heard from hundreds of kilometers away, was shaking the heart of an SS-rank Hero.

[……What in the world is Unjang doing? Still no contact?]

Undine, Anastasia, radiated even more killing intent than Oracle.

No one pointed out why Anastasia had no clothes above her chest, but they guessed the reason and quietly shut their mouths.

[Unjang has gone into hiding. It seems they’ve even taken off their watch.]

[Ha. Really. Then quickly take some action. How long do I have to listen to this squawking noise?]

[Squawking?]

[……It’s just a figurative expression.]

Even amidst the noise, Oracle felt that the expression was quite accurate. The singing was irritating to the ears, but it didn’t sound like dozens of birds chirping, but rather squawking.

[More importantly, to the Round Table members in Korea.]

Gawain hardened his expression and earnestly pleaded.

[At this point, with Beast Tamer-yang missing, the important thing is to put the Black Flame Dragon in Seoul to sleep. You must absolutely not awaken it. Do you understand?]

“Is it because it’s a dragon? It sleeps incredibly well. Doesn’t it worry about its owner? I heard her body hasn’t even been found yet.”

[…Perhaps the owner feels safe?]

Seolhwaryeong fiddled with her butterfly hairpin and averted her gaze.

[It’s probably because the owner is still safe, so there’s no particular reaction.]

[Or perhaps she’s already in a dangerous state.]

The brown-skinned man who had been silent, Saladin, twisted the corner of his mouth.

[Who knows if she’s somewhere in a corner of China, dismembered and pickled in chemicals? I’ve watched some Chinese movies, and there are guys who stretch their arms forward and run around like zombies-]

[Saladin.]

Gawain reprimanded him in a stern voice.

[For Beast Tamer-yang to be safe, the entire Earth must be safe. Have you forgotten the prophecy?]

[……Those SS-rank monsters? I don’t believe it. Hmph, I can only believe it if I see it myself.]

[SS-rank monsters?]

“Ah, I haven’t explained it to the newbie yet.”

Oracle briefly explained the seven monsters he had seen through his ability.

“They are monsters that will appear worldwide five years from now. We currently suspect them to be the true forms of the Demon Dragons. We anticipate one of them will emerge from Korea….”

[It was a giant moth that would drown millions of people in water. We think that will probably be in Busan….]

[Huh?]

Seolhwaryeong’s face turned pale. Gawain raised the corner of his mouth and shook his head.

[It’s alright. Don’t worry. Aren’t we putting in effort in various ways to stop that?]

“Right. So, newbie, train your abilities well. A moth made of water, you can just freeze it, right? Haha.”

[Ha, haha. Yes….]

Seolhwaryeong was laughing awkwardly. Oracle thought something was strange, but he didn’t dwell on it. It was only natural to feel bad upon hearing that millions of people in the city he protected would be drowned.

“More importantly, first, the China problem-“

[Sorry I’m late.]

Chzzzt.

A screen suddenly popped up. A doll-like woman with long black hair flowing down appeared, her gray eyes shining.

[Unjang?!]

[Where in the world have you been doing what until now…?]

[Explanation later. Oracle, is your private jet in Korea right now?]

“Uh. I was planning to take that to America….”

[Let’s go to China. I’m in Korea right now too.]

“What?”

He hadn’t heard anything about it. Oracle’s lips trembled at Unjang’s unpredictable actions.

“Where in the world have you been doing what, only to appear now?!”

[I’ll explain later. I’ll fly ahead first.]

“No, fly ahead?! What?!”

Kyaoooo—!!

“Fuck, you scared me!”

A beast’s roar echoed in their ears. The Round Table members participating in the meeting flinched in surprise at the monster’s roar.

“What?!”

[Wow! This is awesome! The ride comfort is killer?! Yahooooo!]

Jilpungek, who suddenly appeared on the screen, was screaming, his long hair fluttering. His face was visible behind Unjang’s screen.

“Are you two together right now?!”

[Yes. We’ll depart first.]

Unjang was grasping something like reins. The Round Table members were unsure if they were Red Hare’s reins, but the beast’s cry that had just echoed was definitely not the sound of a horse.

“……?”

[No, wait a minute. What is this…?]

Seolhwaryeong was flustered, her hand on her butterfly hairpin. And the other Round Table members couldn’t hide their bewilderment at the information coming in moment by moment.

[The Black Flame Dragon…?]

“It woke up.”

Kraaaaaaak!

The S-rank monster, the Black Flame Dragon, roared.

Two Round Table members were riding on its back.

[We’re going in first!]

[I’m following because it looks fun!]

Beep.

The two signals cut off. Oracle squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m going to sleep.”

Beep.

Oracle also turned off the Round Table’s signal. What was important to him right now was gathering information.

“What in the world is happening in China…?”

There was no such event in the prophecy.

Oracle gradually began to doubt his own ability.

* * *

The Black Flame Dragon obeys no one’s command. Except for its owner, me, the Azure Flame Phoenix.

That’s why the one who summoned the Black Flame Dragon, which is currently crossing the skies above the West Sea, is me, the Azure Flame Phoenix.

“The Mini Phoenixes will be telling us the location. Then we just finish the job immediately and escape by riding the Black Flame Dragon.”

I took Deokbae and exited the stone chamber. Deokbae, who had become a weapon by me, was now a stone club again.

“They don’t wake up even with a morning call, and they don’t get up even when the reveille is blown. Then there’s only a third method left.”

I ran my palm over the stone club.

“Let’s see if they keep sleeping even if a bomb drops in their front yard.”

I began the third phase of the operation.

An S-rank monster.

By detonating the Black Flame Dragon in the center of the continent.

Until then, I never imagined that two Round Table members would be riding on it.