Part 1, Chapter 11, 22

A little later. Having arrived at Hwanryong’s estate, I took a walk in the garden with Hwanryong, its owner. The garden, devoid of people, was spacious enough for the two of us to talk privately, and Hwanryong even cast a Barrier with mana to prevent our conversation from leaking out.

The two of us walked in silence for a while. Hwanryong, as if wanting to savor this brief moment, walked beside me, matching my pace, and I walked very slowly for Hwanryong, whose steps were slow.

Thirty minutes passed with us just walking without a word. Finally, I was the first to speak.

“No matter who you are, I will protect your side.”

“That’s right. I told Baek Cheongyeong to relay that.”

I cut straight to the chase, and Hwanryong didn’t try to test me either. The two of us stopped, facing each other under the shade of a large tree.

“What does that mean?”

“You. You, the nameless one. It means I’ll protect your side. Just like Gaeul protects your side.”

“…….”

For the first time since coming to this world, someone had appeared who recognized ‘my’ existence. Cold sweat spontaneously trickled down my back, and I had to consider every possible scenario internally. Was it because Hwanryong was a Spirit, or was Hwanryong special? As my worries deepened, Hwanryong merely wore a faint smile, as if enjoying my distress.

“You’re testing how much I know, aren’t you?”

“Yes. If you know, tell me. How much do you know?”

I pressed Hwanryong to reveal their hand first. Depending on how much Hwanryong truly knew, my response would change. If they simply thought I had entered Changyeom’s body, I could respond accordingly, but if they knew the truth of this world…

‘Can a Spirit also be made into a monstrous human?’

“You have a very scary look on your face right now.”

As if guessing my inner thoughts, Hwanryong smiled faintly and began to probe me.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but what are you planning to do to me?”

“Yes. If you don’t answer, I won’t leave you alone.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you.”

Despite my demand, which was nothing short of a threat, Hwanryong readily revealed their hand.

“That someone else has possessed the Azure Flame Phoenix, the fire-attribute Spirit? That’s all I know. I don’t know anything beyond that.”

“…….”

Was it a lie, or the truth? Hwanryong’s expression, demeanor, and the mana flowing from them proved that their words were the truth, not a lie. But I had to doubt, and doubt again. In Hwanryong’s eyes, I saw my own stiffened reflection.

“Don’t be so tense. I just figured it out on my own.”

“Figured it out?”

“Because your actions are different from the one I know.”

Hwanryong shrugged their shoulders.

“Other humans met you as an executive of the Dark Legion, but I didn’t, did I? It’s the same with Ru unnie, who became self-aware through death. In short…”

Hwanryong poked my chest with a finger, aiming for my heart, where the Core was burning.

“You might think you’ve been acting recklessly, but the one I know is even more of a piece of trash than that.”

“……A piece of trash, you say.”

I genuinely wondered how much outrageous behavior Changyeom had committed when they were in Terra.

“They’re not the type of person to act so recklessly as to be called a piece of trash by you.”

“Oh my, look at you defending them. Are you smitten? Goodness. Is it because you feel bad for taking someone else’s body?”

“Taking? That’s…”

Could it be that they realized I was possessed? Hwanryong shook their head.

“It’s the discerning eye of an expert in taking over others’ bodies. You don’t have to be so tense. I’ve already had a good talk with the ‘owner’.”

“What?”

What was this supposed to mean? I was startled and grabbed Hwanryong’s shoulder.

“Explain in detail.”

“……It’s nothing much, I just tried to possess your body.”

Hwanryong, who had been avoiding my gaze, let out a sigh and revealed a shocking truth. I was dumbfounded by Hwanryong’s words. I had no memory of Hwanryong attempting to possess my body.

“When?”

“The day before you left China. I was convinced that Gaeul loved you, and I thought, if I took your body, wouldn’t that love come to me? So I tried. But then…”

Hwanryong shivered.

“I met them, who was in your mind. And there… I was beaten severely and subdued. I never knew they harbored such feelings for you.”

“Such feelings?”

“You already have a hunch, don’t you? How they feel about you.”

“…….”

If that was truly the case, it was a relief, but at the same time, a question arose. I recalled the warmth Changyeom had left on my lips during the sunrise at Jeongdongjin.

“Judging as a Spirit, what do you think? About Changyeom refusing to synchro with me.”

“I know the reason, but I won’t say it. I promised not to utter a single word of it. On my soul.”

“……So, the key is ultimately held by Changyeom.”

I couldn’t be sure what Changyeom was thinking. Were they treating me with love-hate, pretending to help me only to drag me into the abyss at the end, or did they want to help me but were acting stubborn for some reason?

“Alright. Anyway, the answer is simple. If I awaken all the Spirits and collect all the Cubes, they’ll tell me.”

Ultimately, nothing changed. Changyeom would also tell me the hidden truth someday, once I completed all my missions.

“You’re taking it quite easy. Aren’t you annoyed with them? They must be hiding a truckload of things from you right now.”

“It hasn’t been long since I even realized my memories were being taken. And…”

I self-deprecatingly pushed away Hwanryong’s arm that was resting on my shoulder.

“I know all that. Well… I don’t know how much they’ve hidden, though.”

“Your relationship is quite… complicated, isn’t it?”

“Could you be more specific about what you mean by ‘complicated relationship’?”

Since everything was already exposed, I revealed my true colors.

“You haven’t told anyone, have you? Do Xiaolin or Baek Cheongyeong know? If you tell anyone else about this, I won’t let it slide.”

As if reading my anxiety, Hwanryong shook their head and grabbed my hand.

“I haven’t told anyone yet, and I won’t tell anyone. Not even Xiaolin. That’s the promise I made with them. Hmm, why don’t we sort out our titles?”

Hwanryong seemed quite troubled distinguishing between me and Changyeom. I first pointed to myself with my thumb, then to my heart with my index finger.

“Call me ‘Phoenix’. That child is ‘Changyeom’.”

“Changyeom…. Hmm, I see. Now I understand. Changyeom, Changyeom.”

At my words, Hwanryong kept repeating the name Changyeom. I desperately shook Hwanryong’s shoulder.

“Stop acting like you know everything by yourself and tell me what happened, won’t you? Even just the parts you can talk about.”

“No. If I do, I’ll die. You know their, I mean, Changyeom’s temper, don’t you?”

“Surely they wouldn’t kill you for that much. Absolutely-“

“They absolutely would kill me. They would.”

Hwanryong cut me off. Hwanryong, with their head bowed, was trembling like an aspen tree.

“They’re probably talking to me from inside right now, aren’t they? Saying if I utter a single word, they’ll immediately rush out and burn me to ashes.”

“Huh.”

I couldn’t understand.

“That can’t be. Changyeom doesn’t go that far.”

“You really don’t know anything, do you? Fine. If you want to know, ask them directly later. I can’t say anything more here. Not to you.”

Hwanryong squeezed their eyes shut, then opened them, and grabbed my hand.

“But…”

Step, step.

Hwanryong approached me and embraced me. Our heights were similar, and Hwanryong and I were so close that only a fist could fit between our faces.

“A declaration of war is possible, though. Hehe, yes. To that ‘Changyeom’ bitch inside you.”

Unconsciously, I dug my fingernails into Hwanryong’s back. The nails digging into their skin were not of my own will. Hwanryong endured the pain, stroked my face, and smiled alluringly.

“Are you scared your toy will be taken away? Then come out. Come out and talk. What, are you going to threaten to kill me again? I won’t run away this time. Or should I go in again?”

“What on earth are you…?”

Hwanryong was staring directly into my eyes. Gray mana began to boil in their murky pupils, and Hwanryong attempted to possess my body.

“Stay right there, ■.”

My consciousness cut off.

***

“……Oh.”

When I came to, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. I regained consciousness lying on a bench.

“Are you awake?”

Hwanryong looked down at me and smiled gently. Their hair was somehow quite disheveled. Their clothes were torn in places, and their body was covered in wounds.

“What on earth happened?”

“I went into their home turf and fought, and I lost. They were amazing. That crazy bitch, really.”

“Don’t curse them.”

“…….”

Hwanryong looked down at me with a bewildered expression. Regardless of Hwanryong’s injuries, I spoke firmly to Hwanryong again, putting force into my voice.

“Don’t curse Changyeom.”

“……Yes, yes. Understood, Mr. ‘Phoenix’. I won’t curse the one you love. Is that enough?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t ask them to apologize. Even I thought Changyeom was indeed that kind of being. So I changed the subject, fearing that if the conversation continued, it would only be disadvantageous to Changyeom.

“So, what did the two of you talk about inside someone else’s head?”

“Just about you. We didn’t talk for very long. Look. It’s only been 10 minutes since you fell asleep.”

Hwanryong pointed to my magic gear with their eyes. Indeed, barely 10 minutes had passed since I lost consciousness.

“Ten minutes would be enough for the two of you to talk plenty.”

“Yeah. Though Changyeom did all the talking unilaterally.”

Hwanryong covered their ears with their hands, then removed them, as if their ears hurt.

“As soon as I went in, they threw me down, sat on me, covered my mouth, and just kept talking about whatever they wanted without stopping.”

“…….”

I couldn’t imagine it. Even if they disliked each other emotionally, I wondered if one Spirit could really half-kill another like that.

“How about it? Aren’t they bad?”

“No, you’re bad for making Changyeom angry.”

“In this situation, you’re the worst for taking Changyeom’s side, then.”

Hwanryong flicked their thigh in annoyance, and I sprang up and sat facing Hwanryong.

“Alright. I admit I’m trash, so let me ask you something.”

“You’re not even hiding it anymore?”

“What’s the point when you already know everything?”

I was curious about how much Changyeom had told, but it seemed Changyeom hadn’t bothered to mention that this world was a ‘game’.

“It seems you have a lot of questions, so ask them one by one. I’ll answer what I can.”

…Now that the stage was set, my head was spinning with too many questions. My head was already throbbing from the issues related to Karna and Rusalka, and now with Hwanryong and Changyeom bothering me, it felt like my head would explode.

“Changyeom said, ‘Did you really think you could live comfortably after trying to conquer 16 people, including me?’ …Mr. Phoenix, you’re truly amazing.”

“This is a scheme to make me die of shame.”

“Yep. That’s right. You did something very embarrassing. To me.”

Hwanryong rubbed their temples.

“……You saw it?”

“Yes. From beginning to end. My goodness, for my future self to tempt you in that state. It’s unbelievable, insane.”

“…….”

“You’re truly incredible. In the future, you declared your love for me like that, and now you’ve switched to Changyeom. Ah, am I your past woman now? And Gaeul, and the other women too-“

I reached out and covered Hwanryong’s mouth.

“It’s embarrassing, so stop.”

“I’m more embarrassed, you know? Ahem. Still, I only saw my own part. Changyeom didn’t show me anything else.”

“Ah.”

They saw me making love with them in my protagonist state. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t say anything.

“There was a reason you made the monstrous human form male, wasn’t there? Hehe, ah. I like either way. Whether you keep using that body, or change to a male one. I’ll adjust to you.”

“……What’s that supposed to mean now?”

“Should I be direct?”

Hwanryong whispered softly into my ear.

“It means I’m going to steal your heart. And make you live by my side forever. As an eternal, immortal partner.”

“……What did Changyeom say?”

“……They said, ‘If you can take what’s mine, try to take it?'”

“Is that so.”

I flicked Hwanryong’s forehead with my finger.

“You’ve got the wrong address, find someone else.”

“Damn it, that hurts! You said you wanted to synchro! I’ll do it for you! Come here!”

Hwanryong’s face flushed red as they spread their arms. If I were to fall into their embrace, I would obtain Changyeom’s essence and very easily synchro with Hwanryong.

Changyeom, who refused to synchro with me, and Hwanryong, who was ready to give me everything immediately.

My choice, of course, was only one person.