Part 1, Chapter 8, 24

June 12th, 10 PM. Azure Syndicate Hideout, Phoenix Penthouse.

The night before departing from Seoul.

Phoenix originally had no intention of bringing anyone to China. Although there were various issues, he still believed he could handle it alone.

That would have been true for Phoenix when he first started his activities. However, he now had the Azure Syndicate, and he had gained trustworthy allies. Among them, the most prominent were those Phoenix considered heroines, and among them, Cheon Gaeul was undeniably close to Phoenix.

So, Phoenix entrusted Cheon Gaeul with an important role.

“You persuade the Chaos Phantom Dragon.”

“Me? How?”

Cheon Gaeul couldn’t help but be flustered by Phoenix’s request, which she heard as soon as she was summoned to his room.

The command to persuade an executive named Chaos Phantom Dragon, whose name alone sounded quite powerful, sounded like an order to commit suicide.

“You said it’s a being that possesses others? What if it possesses me?”

“That’s why I’m entrusting it to you.”

Phoenix pointed out the key to dealing with the Chaos Phantom Dragon: attacking both its body and mind simultaneously. That was the Chaos Phantom Dragon’s method of awakening, different from other executives.

“The Phantom Dragon is currently residing within Chaos. In other words, it doesn’t want to leave its monster body. So, we intentionally make Chaos go berserk to separate the Phantom Dragon.”

“So, you’re saying we separate its body and mind?”

Cheon Gaeul quickly understood the explanation. I freely used my original work knowledge to compile phrases to persuade the Phantom Dragon, and Cheon Gaeul ingrained them in her mind as if memorizing a script.

“But about this…”

“Yeah.”

“It sounds like inner thoughts a woman would only reveal to the man she loves?”

“……..”

“Is she like that too?”

“……I won’t deny it.”

Cheon Gaeul got sulky. In the end, I left Seoul by keeping Cheon Gaeul in the safest place: right next to my Core.

A super-ability user with the strongest talent in the phantom attribute and the Chaos Phantom Dragon, which is the phantom attribute itself.

The Cheon Gaeul and Phantom Dragon combo was a recognized pairing among all players worldwide. To what extent? It was an original work-guaranteed combination that even led to 3P scenes depending on the event.

For the synergy of those two, I personally deployed Cheon Gaeul.

…I definitely didn’t pick Cheon Gaeul as a joker card aiming for 3P.

***

“It’s complete chaos.”

Cheon Gaeul slowly moved through the body of Chaos. Unlike its monstrous exterior, a 100-meter-tall behemoth, its interior was strangely static and bizarre, like something from another world.

“It’s not even a maze.”

All directions were filled with doors. In a world entirely gray, the only one with color was Cheon Gaeul, with a slight mix of black.

“So, I have to find the Spirit inside this?”

There were hundreds, thousands of visible doors. Cheon Gaeul carefully pushed open one door.

Kyaaaak!!

Legions of ghosts adorning the sky screamed. The deformed banshees resisted stubbornly, emitting mana, but they fell powerlessly before a staff wielded by a black-robed figure.

Kigik. Kigigik.

The banshees, touched by the black robe’s purple mana, all began to go mad. They started tearing apart their comrades one by one, biting each other and engaging in cannibalism.

Stop, stooop!!

The gray-haired girl who commanded the ghost legions knelt and wailed. With disheveled hair and shedding tears of blood, the girl glared at the black robe with eyes full of rage and hatred.

What the hell! What is it?!

The black robe merely pointed his staff at the wailing girl. The purple mana flowing from his staff restrained the gray girl and lifted her into the air.

This is the fifth time.

“…?!”

Cheon Gaeul covered her mouth. Just hearing it made her head spin and nausea well up. The girl struggled, held by the black robe.

“Become the slave of Lord ■■■, □□.”

The black robe reached out and kneaded the girl’s head. Sharp Tentacles like things burrowed into the girl’s head, kneading her brain.

Ugh, aaahhh!!

The girl screamed, then went limp. Cheon Gaeul squeezed out all her remaining energy and closed the door.

“Haa, haaah!”

It was a shocking scene. At the same time, Phoenix’s warning vividly came to mind.

-Never open any other door. If you don’t listen to me again, I’ll really not let you off the hook.

“……He wouldn’t know, right?”

Cheon Gaeul wiped away her cold sweat and caught her breath. Then, she obediently scanned the doors Phoenix had told her about.

“It’s not here?”

No matter how much she looked, there were only square doors. Cheon Gaeul kept searching, but she couldn’t find the pattern in question no matter what.

“……He clearly said it would be visible as soon as I entered.”

But it wasn’t visible. Cheon Gaeul wondered if she had missed something and meticulously counted each door in all directions, front, back, left, and right, searching for the black and white emblem.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

Surely, it wouldn’t appear if she opened all of them. Cheon Gaeul stood where she first entered and scanned her surroundings.

“……..”

Cheon Gaeul put a hand to her forehead. Below where she had opened the door out of curiosity, on the floor she had just been standing on, a small Taegeuk pattern was drawn. The black and white pattern, seemingly depicting the harmony of Yin and Yang, was strangely twisted.

Knock, knock, knock.

Cheon Gaeul squatted down and knocked on the floor. But there was no response, and her brow furrowed.

“If he had just told me properly… Oh, it was a door handle.”

Cheon Gaeul poked the pattern with her finger and twisted it. At the same time, the thousands of doors surrounding Cheon Gaeul crumbled down, leaving only the door Cheon Gaeul had first opened.

“……Do I have to open this again?”

Cheon Gaeul swallowed hard. With no contact from Phoenix, Cheon Gaeul had to make her own judgment based on the information Phoenix had given her.

“…Ugh, I’ll just open it and die! Fine! To become S-rank and get rid of the Tentacles, I need this much resolve!”

Smack! Cheon Gaeul slapped her cheek hard with her palm, composing herself. Surely, if only one door was left, such a scene wouldn’t appear again. She’d refuse if it did.

Kii-iik.

Cheon Gaeul opened the door. And Cheon Gaeul was finally able to face the gray girl.

“……You’re Azure Flame’s minion. You came all the way here after all.”

The girl, Phantom Dragon, read Cheon Gaeul’s mana and lamented. Then, she tore at her hair on the bed and gnashed her teeth.

“Do you want to torment me that much? Huh? Can’t you just leave me alone? What did I do wrong…!”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You.”

Cheon Gaeul spoke with sincerity. Phantom Dragon stupidly raised her head.

“What?”

“I said you didn’t do anything wrong. Because that’s the case.”

Cheon Gaeul sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Phantom Dragon’s head and smiling.

“Almost all the problems are that loudmouth’s fault. You just got caught up in the mess he made. I’m one of his victims too.”

“…Aren’t you a monstrous human created by Azure Flame?”

“Yes. I’m a monstrous human. Do you know how I became a monstrous human?”

Cheon Gaeul completely ignored the method Phoenix had told her and began to tell her own story. Phantom Dragon slowly listened to Cheon Gaeul’s voice.

* * *

Black Flame Dragon Repelled.

Humanity’s first (official) SS-rank Hero subdued the Black Flame Dragon after a fierce battle. The ice shields piled on the ground didn’t break even when hit directly by the breath the Black Flame Dragon shot out, and Seok Harang became a solid wall protecting Beijing’s 20 million citizens.

The Black Flame Dragon, unable to break the unbreakable ice wall, launched a physical attack. It tried to break into Beijing city somehow, but in the end, it turned into ice fragments and disappeared at the hands of Snowflake Spirit.

The citizens, who had regained safety with the help of the Round Table, fell into doubt.

-Why did the Black Flame Dragon, which was in Seoul, rush to Beijing?

If the monster controller had gone missing and died, the Black Flame Dragon would have rampaged in Seoul. However, the moment the Black Flame Dragon swept over land after flying over the West Sea, it sharply changed direction and headed north towards Beijing.

And foreign media began to spread significant articles.

-Isn’t it that the Beast Tamer wasn’t missing, but was kidnapped and detained in Beijing?

It was a plausible speculation, but there was no evidence. However, to explain the Black Flame Dragon’s unusual behavior, its actions were simply too strange.

Speculation spread quickly through third-rate tabloids, entertainment magazines, and gossip, and soon that hypothesis became a certainty.

If an off-the-charts monster reaction hadn’t appeared in the middle of the Yangtze River, people would have been in a huge commotion trying to find the culprit.

“Oh. Yuha. It seems there won’t be any problems here.”

[Okay. Got it. I’ll keep running the program too.]

After finishing her call with Eun Yuha, Seok Harang dropped a chunk of ice onto Chaos, which was trying to emerge from the water.

Ka-gaeng!

Chaos, hit directly on the head with a house-sized chunk of ice, made a groaning sound and sank into the water. Seok Harang, keeping Chaos trapped in the water, checked the screens displayed on her watch.

[Breaking News] S-rank Monster? Snowflake Spirit Subduing.

[Association] Unique Monster’s Rank Set to SS. Named Chaos.

[General] As expected of the Round Table… “Borders are meaningless for citizen safety.”

“So it’s Chaos, huh.”

She didn’t know what was so chaotic about it, but Seok Harang thoroughly blocked Chaos from escaping.

Boogle-boogle.

“Oh, wow.”

The water began to boil. Chaos struggled even while trapped in the water, shooting out its breath.

“Weak.”

Seok Harang created an ice path in the trajectory of the breath. The ice path, drawing an arc, made the breath curve, and it grazed Seok Harang’s head, shooting into the air.

Wheee-ing!

A hole was pierced in the rain clouds, but Seok Harang didn’t care. The area where Chaos was restrained was overflowing with moisture.

“He really set the stage perfectly and left, didn’t he.”

Seok Harang raised her hand. The rain clouds were still dropping heavy rain, and those raindrops were the water from the Yangtze River that Phoenix had evaporated.

“If the restraint breaks, I won’t be able to face him.”

Seok Harang recalled Phoenix, who had patted her shoulder and flown off. He had built the battlefield for her, even while getting injured all over his body, and all Seok Harang had to do was hold Chaos down.

“But how long do I have to do this…?”

Seok Harang touched her hair clip and called out to Phoenix. But there was no response at all, as if he had gone to do something else.

“……I guess I’ll just wait for now?”

Spirit. Phantom Dragon.

Seok Harang eagerly awaited her new family member to open its eyes quickly, and hit the head of Chaos, which had poked its head out above the water, with a stream of water.

“So you, hurry up and hand over the Phantom Dragon!”

Kereureuk!

Seok Harang made Chaos drink water again.

* * *

“Something like that happened?”

Phantom Dragon was horrified by the actions of Azure Flame Phoenix. From the moment he saved Cheon Gaeul until now, Phoenix’s disastrous actions were shocking to Phantom Dragon in many ways.

“She’s not that kind of woman….”

“Well. You might be right about the person you know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just a guess. There are a few others who fell into his evil influence besides me.”

Cheon Gaeul smiled bitterly. Whether intentional or unconscious, there were already three people, including herself, whose hearts were stolen by Phoenix. Whether it was love for a lover, love for a companion, or familial love, it didn’t matter.

“Isn’t it absurd? He goes around ‘conquering’ all sorts of people, and then he’s seducing women too? You be careful. You can be charmed without anyone knowing.”

“……..”

Phantom Dragon closed her eyes in Cheon Gaeul’s embrace.

“Why do you follow him?”

“Because I like him.”

Cheon Gaeul’s calm confession made Phantom Dragon even more embarrassed.

“Regardless of gender, I just came to like his very existence. He’s foolish, stupid, and frustrating, but… he tries hard to do something, doesn’t he?”

“……..”

Phantom Dragon felt envy. Cheon Gaeul embraced Phantom Dragon to her chest and patted her back.

“Because of that, I couldn’t just leave him alone. I don’t know where he might cause trouble next. I have to help him by his side. I have to keep his mental state in check so he doesn’t do strange things again. And while I’m at it, save the world too.”

“……You’re foolish.”

Phantom Dragon shook her head.

“You’re having a one-sided love even knowing you won’t be loved? That’s stupid. What if you’re not chosen? What if he ends up loving someone else, and you’re discarded like an old shoe? Can you endure the pain you’ll experience then?”

“……I guess I’ll know when that time comes? But right now, this is what I want to do.”

Cheon Gaeul poured out her true feelings.

“To do my best in the present. To pour everything into trying to ‘conquer’ him. Then I just have to win in the end, right? Don’t you think so?”

“……You’re really foolish. The ending is already set. For everyone to be ruined together.”

“I’m just struggling until then. I can’t just sit still and die, can I?”

“……..”

Phantom Dragon turned her head. Her pride was hurt by how shabby she, a Spirit, looked in comparison to the pathetic human looking down at her.

“……Then you guys struggle. I’ll just watch the show and eat the rice cakes.”

“I came to you because I need your help. He wouldn’t have even cared if he didn’t need you.”

“……Then he should have just kept not caring. What changes if I’m here?”

“It changes a lot.”

Cheon Gaeul pointed to herself and raised her head.

“He said you could make me S-rank.”

“…How much did that crazy bitch blabber about? That crazy bitch, seriously. …Haa.”

Phantom Dragon tore at her hair. Cheon Gaeul couldn’t understand what she was saying for a moment, but she patted Phantom Dragon’s back, comforting her.

“Yeah. She’s a crazy bitch.”

“She’s uselessly strong, but she’s an incompetent bitch whose head is lacking. I don’t know what she’s thinking, and everything she says is strange and eccentric, like a lunatic.”

“I admit that too. But what she does is fun and cute, you know?”

“……And you like that kind of woman…. Haa.”

Phantom Dragon squeezed her eyes shut then opened them.

“I’ve decided.”

“What?”

Cheon Gaeul smiled with relief at Phantom Dragon, who was starting to show enthusiasm. Phantom Dragon’s eyes, which had looked like rotten pollack, slowly began to sparkle with life.

“You seem too good for that idiot.”

“……Huh?”

“I have to have you.”

“Wha- wait, just a second?!”

Jjok.

Phantom Dragon kissed Cheon Gaeul’s lips. The gray world crumbled.

It was the moment the second Spirit, Phantom Dragon, awakened, following Snowflake Spirit Seok Harang.