Part 1, Chapter 9, 12

At the moment Phoenix soared for a new objective, the 10-member Hwanryongdan death squad, led by Bonghyo, raced towards the Divine River where Heuksagal was presumed to be sleeping.

“Are you truly alright? Isn’t provoking him just….”

Sajae, traversing the forest with lightfoot skill, expressed his concern. Although they had rushed to the Divine River prioritizing speed, attacking Heuksagal with their current strength was still too much.

“Strictly speaking, I suppose this is an act of filial impiety for me.”

The Emperor chuckled bitterly, fiddling with his carapace. As a monstrous human born from the core of Heukjeongal, Heuksagal’s child, his heart wavered slightly at the thought of his own tail stinger piercing Heuksagal.

“Strictly speaking, yes. But thanks to your help, Emperor, we did gain one thing, didn’t we?”

Bonghyo pulled out a core that shimmered with a vivid yellow light. The core of the Jiparyong, which they had barely subdued by mobilizing the entire Hwanryongdan, the Emperor, and 500 Hwanryeomryeong, now belonged to the Hwanryongdan.

“Sajae. Take this to Beijing.”

“Excuse me?”

“Go and present it to our Lord.”

“But if I leave, our strength….”

To confuse Phoenix’s vision, they had left all the Hwanryeomryeong with the Jiparyong’s corpse. They had split their forces in two, sending half to capture Muljigi. In fact, the force heading to capture Heuksagal consisted of only 10 people, including Bonghyo.

“If he succeeds in catching up to us, I’ll be out of commission too. I’ll become an enemy, rather.”

The Emperor stated that Phoenix held absolute command over him. But Bonghyo seemed unconcerned nonetheless.

“It would be even better if Xiaolin helped, but unfortunately, our Lord granted Xiaolin freedom.”

“So, Admiral. Attacking Heuksagal too is impossible-“

“Actually.”

Bonghyo covered his mouth first and chuckled softly.

“By subduing the Jiparyong, this operation has achieved 100% of its objective. The monsters after that are merely additional targets.”

“Huh? Then why are we going to Heuksagal?”

“To divert attention. Specifically, for you, Sajae.”

Bonghyo tossed the Jiparyong’s core to Sajae. Sajae instinctively caught the core and trembled.

“Handle it carefully. Hehe.”

“Ah, no, Admiral! Even so, such an important mission….”

“It’s precisely because it’s you that I’m entrusting it. Sajae. There’s no one else I can entrust such an important mission to but you.”

“Admiral…!”

Sajae wrinkled his nose. Tears welled up, thinking he was finally being recognized, yet at the same time, he suddenly felt afraid if he could even carry out this mission. More than anything, he feared being held responsible if he failed the mission.

“It’s alright, Sajae.”

Bonghyo patted Sajae’s arm, defending him.

“I know it’s a dangerous mission. So there must be appropriate compensation, right? Sajae, do you remember Cheonghwadan’s ?”
“Yes. Of course, I know.”
Sajae had met Phantom Cheon Gaeul twice. Once, she was A-rank Cheon Gaeul who had restrained Xiaolin with tentacles on the bridge over the Yalu River, and the other time, she was S-rank Cheon Gaeul who had come to spend the night at the Hwanryongdan’s secret base last night.
“And the monstrous human women… they were quite good, weren’t they?”
“C-cough!”
Sajae cleared his throat, his face reddening. The chaotic festival the ghosts had held last night was an unforgettable memory, but it was quite embarrassing to speak of again.
“W-well, it was good, but what does that have to do with this mission?”
“I will earnestly request our Lord. To use this S-rank core for the lover who will become your partner.”
“……! Admiral! That’s not right!”
Sajae flared up, rebelling against Bonghyo.
“Isn’t this core meant for our Lord to turn into a monstrous human?! How can such a core be used for personal reasons?”
“Can’t we just turn them into a monstrous human and use them as if they’re a Hero?”
Bonghyo pointed at the Emperor.
“We can do the same as we did with Unjang. It would even be interesting. We can create a culture where S-ranks disguise themselves as armed forces, and then reveal their true identities when they reach a higher stage. If they’re ever exposed, we can just say it’s due to their supernatural abilities. Isn’t Yuhwangsook a rabbit-human right now?”
“Admiral. Are you perhaps thinking this because you’re concerned about Xiaolin-yang?”
“Hehe. Well, I wonder.”
Bonghyo smiled an enigmatic smile. He was calculating numerous advantages by messing with Phoenix.
“Admiral. What if, hypothetically speaking….”
Sajae swallowed hard and asked.
“What if Phoenix-nim gets enraged and tries to kill everyone? Even if he humiliates our Lord?”
“I am here to ensure that doesn’t happen. Don’t worry.”
Bonghyo smiled slyly.
“I have a trump card. So don’t worry and go. I trust you.”
“……Yes. Understood.”
In the end, Sajae was pushed into accepting the mission. The glass orb he held in both hands was lighter than a plum in terms of weight, but it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
“I’ll do it, but….”
How far was it from here to Beijing? Even at a conservative estimate, it had to be well over 600km.
“…….”
Sajae turned into a spirit body to try a trick. If he flew as a ghost, his body would be comfortable-
Thud. Roll.
“Aargh?!”
As soon as Sajae became a spirit body, the core fell from his hand and rolled on the ground. Sajae hastily returned to his physical form, grabbed the core, and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Ugh…! Admiral, seriously!”
Why did he choose him out of all the other members? No matter how he thought about it, this felt less like an important mission and more like a punishment telling him to go screw himself.
“Was it because I was caught acting like an idiot? Because I came back after screwing a woman and messed with the Admiral? Because I beat 100 Hwanryeomryeong? Ugh! I really don’t know!!”
If this was truly entrusting him because they believed in his abilities, then he would politely decline next time. Sajae had to run eastward, tears in his eyes.
Eastward, and further eastward.
“So why did you entrust such a mission to that fellow, of all people?”
“Excuse me? His alias is , isn’t it? Ah, Emperor-nim probably wouldn’t know. The owner of that alias is a man named Deng Ai, and the way he defeated his enemies was….”
Sajae, who never imagined it would be because of his alias.
***
moment, the Central Party Headquarters in Beijing.
The Black Flame Dragon roared. The Jiparyong sank into Dongting Lake.
The Black Flame Dragon roared. Muljigi’s heart split open and began to rampage.
There was a saying that one could make a flying bird fall with a single gesture, but no one could have imagined that someone could sink an S-rank monster, the Jiparyong, with a single flap of their wings.
The Black Flame Dragon did it. The Black Flame Dragon visited Dongting Lake, shot something like an invisible mana bullet, and at the same time, made the Jiparyong’s shell cave in. Simultaneously, the Jiparyong’s body sank into the water.
‘Then what about the core?’
The question arose only for a moment. The Black Flame Dragon immediately turned northeast, spread its wings, and engaged in battle with Muljigi, who had just woken up and was causing a ruckus.
People were bewildered by how much trouble it seemed to have, or how long it took, unlike with the Jiparyong.
‘??? Why can’t it deal with that one easily? What is it? What the hell is it?’
“It’s going crazy again. Ugh. You can’t see the spirit bodies in the video, can you?”

Seok Harang clicked her tongue, observing the traces Phoenix left and its movement path. Phoenix moved the Black Flame Dragon, rampaging wildly, and the S-rank monster Jiparyong died instantly upon contact with the Black Flame Dragon.
“I don’t know if it was a one-hit kill or just the finishing blow…. There’s no way to tell.”
Video equipment couldn’t detect the movements of spirit bodies. Since it happened to be a clear day with sparkling sunlight, Phoenix could also conceal its body. As a result, no one knew the movements of the ghosts, and only the physically manifested monsters became the subject of speculation.
“Ah, I’m bored. Should I just go back to Korea?”
With the conference effectively suspended, Seok Harang didn’t need to remain alone and discuss things. She used “poor condition” as an excuse and returned to the waiting room by herself.
“If I intervene, it’s overstepping my authority….”
Seok Harang’s body was itching. Seeing Phoenix beating up S-rank monsters, she also wanted to beat up monsters and show off her power.
“But when will that negotiation expert arrive?”
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock echoed in the waiting room. Seok Harang quickly straightened her posture from lying sprawled on the sofa and cleared her throat.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me. Seolhwaryeong-nim. A person claiming to be an associate of Cheonghwa-yang, a negotiation expert, has arrived….”
The association staff member looked visibly troubled. The only one who could verify his identity was Cheonghwa, but Cheonghwa herself was currently absent.
“Then send him to this room.”
“Excuse me? But…. He’s a man, are you sure it’s alright?”
“Heh. There’s only one man in the world who can beat me, so it’s fine.”
Seok Harang created an ice shard on her raised index finger. The staff member breathed a sigh of relief at her implied intention to stab him if necessary.
“Then I will call him in.”
After the staff member disappeared, Seok Harang tapped her knee with her hand, waiting for the negotiation expert. Who would it be? If it was a man from Cheonghwadan, there was the bald one, the sunglasses one, former congressman Ryu Cheon-seong, and a foreigner whose name she didn’t know.
Thump. Thump.
With heavy footsteps, a large man entered. Dressed in a suit, the man looked exactly like a salaryman who would pull out an insurance brochure from his briefcase.
“Who are you?”
Seok Harang had never seen this man before. Was there a Villain in Cheonghwadan she didn’t know about? The moment Seok Harang tilted her head in confusion, the man extended his hand for a handshake. A strong aroma of Arabica coffee beans wafted from him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ha Yujun.”
“Ah, yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you too….”
Seok Harang felt something strange as she shook hands with Ha Yujun. A familiar mana, yet at the same time, a feeling of something not quite alive. It was similar to the feeling she had when shaking hands with Eun Jaemin at the Busan government invitation event in the past.
“Oh…?”
“Are you, are you really sure you know him?”
When Seok Harang showed no sign of knowing Ha Yujun, the association staff member took a combat stance, attempting to restrain the man.
“Ah, no! I didn’t know this person would come. Long time no see, Yujun-ssi.”
“Indeed. It’s good to see you again here after Busan. Ah, this is who I am.”
Ha Yujun took out a business card from his wallet and politely handed it over. The dazzling business card had ‘Manager Ha Yujun’ printed on it.
“…?”
“Haha. Our Yuseong Group, a company that constantly changes to adapt to the global era, has recently reorganized its core business, and….”
“Ah, I understand. Since Seok Harang-nim vouches for him, he must be reliable. But….”
The staff member backed away from Ha Yujun, creating distance. Ha Yujun remained frozen in the posture of handing over a business card, bowing nearly 70 degrees, but the staff member simply fled in a hurry.
“The, the conference is scheduled to take place in thirty minutes. Even if Cheonghwa-nim has delegated full authority, there will still be difficulties without her personal confirmation….”
“I’ll take responsibility.”
Seok Harang cut off the staff member.
“Could you wait outside for a bit? We need to talk alone first.”
“Ah, yes.”
The staff member hastily went outside and closed the door. Seok Harang flowed mana to form a Barrier, then collapsed onto the sofa.
“……I’ve lived long enough to see this. Unnie, what is this now?”
[My first doll. How is it? Quite convincing, isn’t it?]
A woman’s voice came out of Ha Yujun’s mouth. It was a voice all too familiar to Seok Harang, the voice of the true negotiation expert whom Phoenix had entrusted with ‘all negotiations related to money.’
“I should have known when I smelled coffee.”
[If you’re SS-rank, you should be able to tell just by looking at the mana.]

Ha Yujun, the first doll of Eun Yuha, shrugged its shoulders. The naturalness was incomparable to Eun Jaemin or the Black Market owner.
[Hehe, then could you briefly tell me how the conference proceeded? As for blowing up the plane, I feel like I need to personally extract it to vent my frustration.]
Ha Yujun.
Flipped backward, it’s Jun Yuha.
Jun Yuha.
The best negotiation expert, whom Phoenix trusted without a doubt, took over the baton of the conference.