Part 1, Chapter 9, 15

The Black Scorpion was a monster with mid-to-high A-rank specs, excluding its core, but due to their sheer numbers, they were classified as S-rank based on their cores.

It was a monster that appeared frequently, about once a week, in the inland regions of western China, and the cores obtained from hunting Black Scorpions brought significant surplus to China in core trade.

So people hoped.

Perhaps there was a Black Scorpion nest somewhere? People wished to raid that nest and procure countless cores, but the Chinese Central Party had no intention of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

What country could produce one S-rank core a week? The Central Party kept quiet about the massive monster reaction in Xinjiang and was relieved when there was no particular movement.

Scritch scritch scritch scritch

But it seemed that nest had collapsed. The Black Scorpions, varying greatly in size from small hatchlings to creatures even larger than previously known ones, rapidly advanced eastward.

As if chasing something.

Scritch scritch scritch scritch

They crossed the desert and reached a forest path. At the appearance of the scorpion swarm covering the ground, a man on his apartment balcony dropped the cigarette he was holding.

“U-ugh, aaaaaaah?!”

The monster alarm had already been ringing for a while. But because S-rank monsters named Jipalyong and Muljigi had appeared, the man didn’t pay much attention, assuming the monster alarm on his watch was just those guys again.

“W-what, what is this cra…! Huh?”

Scritch scritch scritch scritch

The Black Scorpions passed by the residential areas. They possessed the power and mana to destroy a city like the one the man lived in in an instant, but they moved in perfect order, avoiding the residential areas as if even that time was too precious to waste.

“A controlled… army?”

Was it the man’s delusion that it felt like an ant army following the command of a queen ant? The Black Scorpions, covering the horizon, seemed solely intent on advancing eastward.

“F-first, I need to report this!”

The man switched his watch to video recording mode and aimed it at the Black Scorpions. Most of the people who came out onto their balconies, including the man, felt fear at the Black Scorpions’ unusual behavior of ignoring residential areas and passing by.

What on earth were the Black Scorpions chasing?

The man unconsciously turned his head eastward.

“Only the sun is shining…?”

Surely the Black Scorpions weren’t chasing the sun. The man was simply bewildered. The tremors caused by the Black Scorpions’ movement gradually subsided, and the man, as if his soul had left him, stood blankly, staring after them.

“Did I get my house deed stolen or something…?”

It was simply baffling. The man quickly reported the video to the Party and the Association.

It was the moment the massive movement of the Black Scorpions became officially widely known.

* * *

The Oracle makes prophecies through dreams.

Just half a year, no, even three months ago, his prophecies were close to revealing heavenly secrets, boasting an accuracy rate of 99%, and indeed, the Round Table dispatched key figures according to his prophecies and exterminated monsters.

“Haa, hah, haah!”

The Oracle woke up, gasping for breath in bed. His white silk shirt was drenched in sweat, and the Oracle’s pink hair was slightly faded.

“C-crazy…!”

The Oracle beat his chest and regulated his breathing. In his dream, a flock of blue birds still appeared, covering the sky, and the Oracle could only watch as those birds destroyed Earth in various ways.

“Water, water….”

The Oracle, his throat parched, ran to the refrigerator. The special room provided by the Association had its own refrigerator, and the Oracle gulped down the water from the bottle-

“Pwoooop!”

It was alcohol. It was bitter and tasteless, as if industrial alcohol had been poured in. The Oracle quickly realized what the liquid was.

“What crazy bastard poured soju into the water bottle?!”

The culprit was a certain drunkard who had frequently used the room before, but the Oracle had no way of knowing. Since alcohol was still liquid, the Oracle, having at least quenched his thirst with it, gasped for breath and slumped onto the edge of the bed.

“Hoo-ah, haa. Damn it. Crazy.”

The Oracle couldn’t believe the sight he had seen in his dream.

A woman’s body, larger than any ordinary building, exploded, and cockroach-like scorpions teeming inside poured out. Every one of the monsters, with their sharp stingers glinting, was chasing something.

“Th-this, this is definitely going to happen soon!”

The Oracle urgently convened the Round Table. As always, Sir Gawain received the call first, and soon after, others responded to the Oracle’s urgent summons one after another.

[Did you have another dream? Your predictions haven’t been accurate lately, so why don’t you just sleep-]

“Scorpions!”

The Oracle briefly recounted what he had seen in his dream. The expressions of the Round Table members who responded to the summons grew serious, and Anastasia nodded as if something had occurred to her.

[China. There’s an S-rank monster called the Black Scorpion in China. I believe Unjang often caught them.]

[What is Unjang doing right now?]

The three Round Table members in charge of East Asia were completely out of touch. Seok Harang, well, she apparently went into the conference hall with some salaryman-like guy from the neighborhood, so that’s that, but for some reason, Unjang and Jilpungek didn’t respond to the call.

[Wasn’t Unjang also participating in the meeting?]

[I don’t know. They might have gone to catch Muljigi with Cheonghwa-yang.]

[Then what about Jilpungek?]

[…It’s probably better to just exclude Jilpungek from our thoughts.]

“First, contact the Chinese side! Damn it, whether it’s Black Scorpions or whatever, thousands of them are pouring out, I tell you!”

The Oracle slammed his hand down on the bedsheets in frustration. As someone affiliated with the Round Table but lacking combat ability, he always had no choice but to ask others to fight in his stead like this.

[C-calm down, Oracle. China is currently experiencing immense chaos.]

“Chaos? Already?”

[No. Two S-rank monsters are rampaging. Black Flame Dragon and Muljigi. Everyone was watching that right now.]

Anastasia shared a video. His soul as a Hollywood studio executive boiled at the monster clash between the Black Dragon and the Lightning Gorilla unfolding on the water’s surface, but for now, dealing with the problematic Black Scorpions was the top priority.

“F-first, an emergency preparedness request to the Association….”

[Why are you in such a hurry? With a prophecy that might happen at any unknown time.]

[Geronimo…. The Oracle’s prophecies are absolute.]

[His predictions have been way off lately, so what do you mean ‘absolute’? Isn’t it just a silly dream?]

Geronimo provoked the Oracle. Lately, the Oracle’s prophecies had either been completely wrong or mistimed, leading to this distrust. But the Oracle didn’t back down.

“What are you going to do when the Black Scorpions pour out, huh?!”

[Hah, then I’ll appear in that movie of yours I mentioned last time, for free. The idea of thousands of S-rank monsters like Black Scorpions appearing in the first place-]

Wiiing. Wiiing.

An emergency signal rang out. Geronimo turned pale, and the Oracle twisted his lips, then tore at his hair and screamed.

“Damn it! This isn’t the time to be happy! Where is it?!”

[……China, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.]

The satellite footage quickly zoomed to that location. At the endlessly increasing number of red dots, the heroes of the Round Table held their breath.

“……How many S-ranks are there?”

The Oracle’s prophecy had come true.

Except for the fact that the prophecy came true less than 10 minutes after he woke up from his sleep, his prophecy was still perfect and absolute.

Scritch scritch scritch scritch scritch!

The Black Scorpions spread out in all directions, then began to run across the ground towards one side. The Round Table quickly checked that direction.

“East!”

The Black Scorpions just ran and ran eastward. At the end of that eastward path lay Beijing, the capital of China.

* * *

Whether the Black Scorpion led the Black Scorpion army and chased me or not.

Whether people were startled and fell over at the Black Scorpions’ mass migration or not.

I left traces of my mana and traversed the skies of China, carrying Changyeom with very leisurely wingbeats.

[They don’t call it a continent for nothing, do they? It’s quite vast, isn’t it?]

“Hmph, it’s still a world that will perish. It’s a world that will be destroyed anyway.”

[That’s why I’m trying so hard to stop it. So, won’t you synchronize with me?]

“Do you even know what ‘synchronize’ means?”

Changyeom poked my chin from below with a finger, acting sulky. I tightened my grip on Changyeom and shook his body.

[It means you and I become one in mind and body.]

“What could you and I possibly agree on 100%? You don’t even like strawberries.”

[……I’m trying to like them. I’m trying. Isn’t that why I try to get used to them by drinking and eating them whenever I get the chance?]

“Hmph. It’s no use anyway. My preferences change too, you know. …Why did you suddenly stop?”

Changyeom poked my armor, urging me to move. But I couldn’t help but stop my wingbeats at Changyeom’s words.

[Your preferences have changed? What do you want? Just say the word. I’ll get you anything that can be found on Earth.]

“……It’s a secret. If you’re curious, try to guess~ Hehe.”

[Another quiz game? Haa. You really know how to annoy someone.]

I shook my head and moved my wings again.

[It’s fine. Anyway, if you eat anything with your body, there’ll be a reaction. Right. Once this business in China is over, I should go to a buffet.]

“That place where they serve a tremendous amount of food? Hehe, I’ll really… Oh. Wait a minute. So when are you planning to go to the strawberry buffet?”

Changyeom pressed me. I turned my head, avoiding Changyeom’s glaring gaze.

[……There’s no such place created yet, so what can I do? Instead, I promise you this. July 1st. I’ll give you an amazing gift then.]

“What is it?”

[It’s a secret.]

“……How about we just reveal one card each? Tell me. Right now. Before I stab you.”

Changyeom sharpened his claws and scratched my armor fiercely. White claw marks were deeply embedded in the black armor, but I had no intention of telling him about my gift. Instead, I decided to give him a hint.

[It’s also the day when the key to conquering another Spirit appears. Hehe.]

“……???”

Changyeom seemed not to understand my words. I just shrugged and patted Changyeom.

[Don’t worry too much. You just need to enjoy yourself inside me.]

“……You’re not planning anything weird, are you? That kind of thing.”

Changyeom gripped my neck. With a ‘kadeudeuk’ sound, the armor on my neck crumpled, but I didn’t mind at all.

[There’s no way I’d do such a thing to you, is there?]

“For someone who says that, you seem to fall for them quite easily. Starting from Cheon Gaeul, then Eun Yuha, Seok Harang, Xiaolin, and now even Hwanryong. Did you forget last night? You almost completely fell for it, didn’t you?”

[…I admit that. I almost fell for Cheon Gaeul by mistake. Still, I’m devoted to only one.]

“To whom?”

[You.]

“…….”

Changyeom fell silent again. As the conversation didn’t continue, I just kept voicing my thoughts.

[Perhaps the moment I fall for another woman will be the end of ‘me’ as a being. Don’t worry. I will never change. It’s a bit regrettable that I’ve suddenly become a trashy person who manages a harem and plays with women’s hearts, though.]

“And yet you were so eager to see Xiaolin SR-6974? Huh?”

Poke poke. Changyeom poked my chest with his claw. It felt like my conscience was being pricked, and it hurt quite a bit. I had bluffed to Bonghyo that I didn’t need it, but in truth, I did want to see it, just as Changyeom said.

“Everything you said in front of Bonghyo was just a bluff, right? In reality, you’re dying to see it, aren’t you?”

[…I found out about an Easter egg, so I can’t just not watch it. Aren’t you curious too? The common saying is, ‘If Xiaolin’s video had been included in the game, Changyeom’s Phoenix would have been second place.’]

“……This is Bonghyo’s core, isn’t it? Alright, let’s go straight to Hwanryong. I need to see for myself just how amazing this video is to earn such a reputation.”

Changyeom pointed eastward, urging me on. While pretending not to, he seemed to secretly take pride in being ‘number one,’ and Changyeom seemed quite offended that he was being compared to Xiaolin.

[Then shall we pick up the pace a bit? That Black Scorpion bastard is faster than I thought.]

“Of course, since he had his cube stolen. Poor kid. He doesn’t even know that cube is already gone. Tsk.”

[That doesn’t sound like something the person who burned that cube without a trace should say.]

“That doesn’t sound like something the person who used that cube to go on a date with a woman should say.”

[…….]

“…….”

We exchanged pleasantries with each other. While it wasn’t bad for this kind of relationship to continue, I still sincerely wished that Changyeom would change his mind.

[Are you really not going to synchronize?]

“No. I won’t do it even if I die. So just kill me. Then all your restrictions will be lifted, and you yourself can ascend to myth.”

Changyeom provoked me, trying to get under my skin. But I had no intention of following his lead at all.

[There’s still plenty of time, so I’ll think about it gradually. We’ll arrive in Beijing soon, shouldn’t we start heading in?]

“Hehe, well. It seems there’s still some time left until I completely fall asleep.”

Changyeom narrowed his eyes and whispered into my ear.

“Since we’re out like this for once, let’s talk a little more…. Huh?”

Changyeom still enjoyed talking. I hugged Changyeom tighter and increased the speed of my wingbeats.

[Alright. What do you want to talk about?]

“Well. Ah. Besides me, and besides your number one, who’s the heroine you want to see next?”

[Lee Yuna.]

I answered immediately. Changyeom’s expression vanished.

“Why?”

[Because I owe her the most. In many ways.]

“……Pervert.”

Changyeom blushed and turned his head. Since he would have read my game playthrough process through my memories, he would know well what actions I took with Lee Yuna. And where and how much.

“Then why don’t you go call Lee Yuna right now and do it?”

[She’s a minor right now, so I can’t.]

“So if she weren’t a minor, you would have done it, huh? Puhuhu.”

[……That’s not what I meant. I’m just-]

“Wow, you really are a pervert. Tell me honestly. You’re building that academy training facility just to bring Lee Yuna and Kim Nuri, aren’t you? To pull some dirty tricks.”

[No, you can’t call that dirty tricks. It’s purely to keep the heroines in a safe place to reach the true ending.]

“Wow~ There’s a criminal here trying to seduce minors with someone else’s body~”

Reasoning didn’t work.

Until I arrived in Beijing, I became Changyeom’s plaything.

“Puhuhu. So tell me your true feelings. Because if you lie, I’ll kill you. Honestly, who do you want to do the most right now? If you tell me truly honestly-“

[You.]

“…….”

[Of course it’s you. I threw away 200 billion won and ended up like this just to try ‘that thing’ with you-]

Thump.

Ah.

A critical hit landed.

Until I arrived in Beijing, I had to sneak into the Central Party headquarters, staggering like a fly that had lost one wing.

Changyeom didn’t say a word until we arrived.

And then he ran away.

“To use up a cube for a date like this, it’s the worst….”

Changyeom’s consciousness subsided, and I, now the Phoenix, despaired.

Did I speak too honestly? What should I do next time I summon him with a cube and meet him? What am I supposed to do if I make him furious when I’m supposed to be appeasing him?

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped me, but what was already done couldn’t be undone.

I gathered my mana and greeted those entering the waiting room. Seok Harang, Ha Yujun, and Mao Zeping.

“Welcome. Seok Harang, Eun Yuha. …And Hwanryong.”

And even Cheonghwa, who was waiting inside the room.

It was the most awkward combination in the world.