Phoenix of the Flame – Chapter 2

〈 Episode 2 〉 Part 1, Chapter 1 (1)
When I regained consciousness, I was in magma.
‘What kind of start is this?’
There was no scene of being transported in a prisoner carriage upon opening my eyes, nor did a doctor with world-renowned knowledge appear to explain the world’s lore in detail.
If I had to compare it, the game started at the airport.
The game begins with the protagonist returning to Korea from the United States.
But no matter how much I looked around, it was red. Red, red, and more red. I was standing in the middle of a completely red world.
‘What’s with this game start?’
To understand the situation, ‘I’ first raised my hand to open the status window.
‘Status window… huh?’
The hand that was about to open the status window to pause the game stopped in mid-air.
The snow-white fingers, so flawless they could be described as delicate, were as white as snow without a single blemish. And it was clearly different from my game avatar’s hand or my rough, real-world hand.
‘Is this really my hand?’
I bent each finger one by one according to my will, made a fist, and raised only my middle finger while folding the others.
Except for the different appearance, this hand was definitely mine.
‘Is this some kind of DLC-exclusive avatar?’
It was a bit unsettling that it was small and delicate like a young girl’s, but I decided to wait with a happy heart, considering it was an expansion pack sent by the developers.
Like an early adopter writing the first unboxing review of a new product, I waited for a new event to appear.
‘….’
‘…….’
‘……It’s late.’
I had waited for at least 10 minutes, even by a conservative estimate.
However, no interface or NPC to help with character creation appeared, and not even a prologue event was in progress.
‘An event where you have to find a helper NPC yourself?’
Perhaps I had to find someone in this vast red sea, or I had to escape this red sea for the story to progress.
‘Then at least give me a direction marker.’
I decided to leave a review demanding convenience in guidance with at least a quest marker upon logging out, and I moved my body little by little.
‘Something’s strange.’
The speed was fast for swimming in the sea.
But the strangest thing was that the current sensation was so ‘realistic’ that it was chilling, unimaginable as a VR virtual reality device.
‘Almost there.’
After ascending for several minutes.
Unlike the red sea just before, I instinctively realized that the place where I saw a slightly dark color was the surface where this red sea ended.
“Phew-ha.”
I came up above the water and took a deep breath. The air was a bit humid, but there was no major problem breathing-
“……..”
Bubble, bubble.
Bubbles were forming. Bubbles? No. It was the heat-filled flames boiling. Where and when had I seen this before? It was just like something I’d seen in disaster movies about volcanic eruptions.
“Aaaagh!”
I splashed around, swimming to find land.
I couldn’t even afford to think calmly, like, ‘If I’m already in lava, isn’t it basically over? Why is my body normal?’
Fortunately, I found land quickly. A small piece of land like hardened rock welcomed me.
“Haa, haa.”
I was out of breath. It felt like the blocked blood vessels due to excessive tension were being released. And suddenly, I felt like I had become a fool.
‘Well, I couldn’t have died when I was in there until just now.’
From the visual graphics to the tactile sensation, the texture of the magma was implemented.
If VR was implemented to this extent, I thought that older people could have a heart attack if they weren’t careful-
“Is this really a game…?”
I touched the part where my vocal cords should be and made a sound.
“Huh? Uh-oh?”
The voice I heard only after getting out of the magma was clearly the voice of a young girl, different from my own.
And it was too similar to the voice of the game character I had heard countless times while clearing the game.
“Ah-ah—Iced Americano—”
It was clearly a sound that came out according to my will, but the voice was not the one I knew.
“…!!”
No way. It couldn’t be. No matter what, wasn’t the protagonist fixed?
‘Face.’
I grabbed my face with my fingers and touched it roughly. Instead of rough skin that hadn’t been properly cared for, it was smooth skin like a newborn baby.
It wasn’t a mannequin-like face, but clearly the face of ‘some being.’
‘No way.’
And when I lowered my gaze, there-
“!!”
I instinctively turned my gaze to the two mounds that boasted a huge presence. No, is this my avatar right now?
“…Hmm.”
This is an irresistible force. It’s just an unavoidable confirmation process, absolutely not a perverted act filled with impure thoughts.
Squish.
My face was burning up with the cozy sensation I felt even with my eyes closed. But what was clear was that this ‘avatar’ was a distinctly female body.
‘It has to be an avatar. Yes, um. It’s an avatar. Could it really be ‘that’?’
I opened my eyes slightly and shook my head, and a blue something caught my eye.
I raised my trembling hand, picked up the blue something, and held it up in front of my eyes.
“It’s hair.”
A color that seemed to contain blue flames. At least it wasn’t black hair.
As I stared blankly at it, blue flames flared up in front of my eyes.
“Eek?”
I was so surprised that I fell backward and landed on my butt, but I realized that the flames in front of me were actually ‘made by me.’
“No way.”
The sensation of ‘Mana’ leaving my body. That sensation, which I had experienced countless times while playing as the protagonist, became real and created clear, blue flames in front of my eyes.
Azure Flame. The purifying flame that burns contaminated Mana.
And there was only one being in this world who could wield that Azure Flame.
“Me?”
Azure Flame Phoenix.
* * *
Azure Sky Desdinus.
This game, created with the common settings of Mana, Monsters, and Espers, is the story of a protagonist who defeats the ambitions of a world-conquering group called the ‘Dark Legion.’
Dark Legion.
This group, whose name alone stimulates a flamboyant sensibility, is an evil organization that tries to conquer the Earth by controlling Monsters and mutants.
And Azure Flame Phoenix is one of the seven executives of that group, holding the title of the strongest among the executives.
Officially, the 4th strongest in combat power in the game.
Considering that the 1st is the awakened protagonist, the 2nd is the true final boss, and the 3rd is the fake final boss, Phoenix is virtually the strongest in the story.
‘The problem is that I’m a subordinate of the final boss.’
Moreover, I’m a doomed existence who will have my brain fried by the final boss after successfully conquering the Earth.
Have you ever heard of being discarded like a hunting dog after the hunt? That was the fate of the seven executives, including Phoenix.
‘Can I take him down alone?’
Impossible. Phoenix is clearly superior in combat power, but the leader of the Dark Legion, the fake final boss who is only 3rd in combat power, is the one who ‘brainwashed’ the executives.
‘They’re not even executives of an evil organization in the first place.’
Spirits.
The Dark Legion began when the fake final boss, a being called ‘Star Lord,’ invaded and conquered another world called ‘Terra,’ and brainwashed beings called ‘Spirits’ in that world to make them his subordinates.
‘In other words, I’m originally brainwashed.’
They are vanguards who destroy other worlds, loyal to Star Lord, without even knowing that their original world was destroyed by Star Lord.
And they become doomed existences who will be boiled in a pot by destroying the Earth.
‘A Reincarnation Log, they said….’
Isn’t this too much? Of course, I’m grateful for being reincarnated into the body of the strongest, Phoenix, but reincarnating me into a villainous character instead of the protagonist is too malicious.
‘Fortunately, Star Lord isn’t active right now.’
If Star Lord was on Earth, I might have seriously hidden my identity under Star Lord and worked hard to destroy the Earth, but fortunately, Star Lord is not on Earth.
‘Because he came alone and got beaten to a pulp by the Earthlings and ran away.’
Thank you, Earthlings! As someone who has now become an otherworlder, I felt infinite gratitude to the Earthlings who had given me a way out.
‘If I want to survive without being discarded by Star Lord….’
I have to find him.
The protagonist.
‘But Phoenix gets killed by the protagonist.’
“Aaaagh!”
I screamed. Thanks to the scream, the magma flowing gently in the cave surged. But Phoenix’s body was unharmed.
“What should I do?”
The reason why Phoenix has never been targeted as a heroine until now is simple.
‘Because the story’s finale begins with Phoenix dying and passing her power on to the protagonist.’
The six executives are defeated by the protagonist one by one, and Phoenix, who finally steps up, defeats the protagonist’s companions one by one.
In the end, she fights the protagonist 1:1 and is about to win, but the brainwashing is undone by the aftermath of the battle.
‘She goes berserk, feels self-loathing, passes her power on to the protagonist, and disappears.’
A character who must die.
A tragic heroine who must die for the story to progress, who cannot be targeted even if you want to.
That’s me now.
“Hoo.”
A sigh came out involuntarily.
‘There’s still a way out.’
It’s not that there’s no way to live at all. Not groveling like a dog to Star Lord to beg for my life, not living on as the protagonist’s power after my existence is erased, but living as ‘Azure Flame Phoenix.’
‘I targeted it.’
Phoenix Route.
That’s the only way to live.
‘I can’t die like Phoenix. I can’t kill Phoenix.’
I already realize that the current situation is not just a realistic VR virtual reality game.
At the very least, my body is imprisoned somewhere and I’m trapped in the game in a brainwave state, or in the worst case, it might be the usual otherworld reincarnation.
“Hoo.”
This world is real, and I have become Azure Flame Phoenix.
That was the conclusion that I couldn’t deny no matter how much I tried, as a result of fully operating my brain circuits without sleeping since regaining consciousness.
“They said it was a game made by grinding up aliens, so I guess the GMs really are alien-like bastards….”
They’re the only culprits.
Sending me a message as soon as I cleared the game and tempting me with an expansion pack, and becoming Azure Flame Phoenix as soon as I ran the expansion pack they sent.
Maybe I’m in a situation like The Truman Show.
The production company is streaming my trapped appearance in the cleared game character, and gamers around the world are enjoying watching it, like a hidden camera.
“Haha, ha.”
With a dry laugh, ‘I’ got up. No matter what the situation, there’s only one thing to do in the end.
‘Seduce the protagonist and become his companion. Absolutely don’t get targeted as a heroine!’
Even if I become a heroine, I refuse to be pinned down by a man and moan.
‘First, let’s get out of here.’
Since realizing that I am ‘Azure Flame Phoenix,’ I have roughly grasped how to use my powers.
Whoosh.
Wings of blue flame spread behind my back. Like Icarus escaping from prison and flying over the sea, I looked up at the ceiling and took a breath.
“Ah. Icarus fell into the sea and died while flying, didn’t he.”
‘…Then, I’m embarrassed, but let’s correct it to an angel.’
The expression ‘angel’ isn’t completely wrong. In Japanese communities, they jokingly say ‘Phoenix-nyan Maji Tenshi (PMT).’
‘If they knew the reality, would they really say that?’
I couldn’t help but laugh. Now that I have become that Phoenix, the original cannot be found even if you want to.
“Hoo-ah.”
Taking a long, deep breath, I moved towards the center where the magma was flowing down like a waterfall.
The only place where the magma flows downwards in the cave like a river. The only passage leading to the surface in this vast underground.
“……..”
When I actually tried to crawl back into the magma, I hesitated.
I had simulated it countless times in my head, but I had no idea how much I would have to go against the magma to get to the top.
“…It’ll work out somehow.”

It wouldn’t be as big as Everest. I lightly tapped my cheek and reached into the flames. It was as warm as soaking in a hot spring, but I couldn’t stay here.
“Let’s go.”
I shouted briefly as if making a resolution, and I—Azure Flame Phoenix—strongly flapped my wings upwards.

<April 1, 2020, 4:00 AM, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.>
A researcher in a white coat was sitting in a chair, arms crossed, dozing off. He hadn’t showered properly for days, and he looked haggard with a thick beard.
“……Snore.”
The dark circles under his eyes showed how hard he was working.
“…Ugh. I dozed off.”
It was already his third night shift, and he was even on duty. Senior Researcher Maxwell blinked and stretched.
“Haaah.”
It was already four in the morning.
It was bittersweet that he had fallen asleep even after drinking coffee only thirty minutes ago, but it couldn’t be helped. There were signs of volcanic activity in a dormant volcano that had shown no activity until now.
“Why do they keep telling me to check when it’s not going to erupt anyway…”
Maxwell reached out to drink the remaining coffee.
Rumble rumble rumble
“Huh?”
Did I turn on the vibration on my smartphone? Surprised by the stronger-than-expected vibration, Maxwell was startled and almost dropped the cup.
“What!”
The observation gauge began to move, albeit slightly, but violently.
A huge vibration was rising from deep underground. Until now, it had only been a very weak seismic wave, but the vibration was gradually getting stronger.
Clang!
A glass bottle on the shelf fell to the floor.
“Huh.”
It was something that had been secured to prevent it from falling. Maxwell turned pale and checked the temperature observation program window.
“It’s going to explode?”
The temperature was gradually rising from underground. In particular, the place where the temperature was rising rapidly was the center of the towering mountain peak.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a huge explosion, a red light bloomed outside the window. Maxwell rang the emergency alarm and stared blankly at the mountain peak outside the window.
“…Huh.”
A huge explosion of red magma erupting through the rocky mountain. In the eruption of magma, a small human flapping blue wings was visible.
“A person?”
It was hard to see clearly because it was a very long distance to see with the naked eye, but the shape was definitely human. The shape of the wings was different, but it was similar to his favorite hero, ‘Thunder God’-
“Damn it! This is not the time for this!”
Maxwell hurriedly packed his bags.
Since the dormant volcano had suddenly erupted, other dormant volcanoes might also erupt, and even this research institute, which he thought was a safe zone, could be affected.
“The helicopter…!”
It was already too late to ask for an emergency helicopter. The outside was clearly full of volcanic ash, obstructing the view-
“…Huh?”
It was clean. The night sky was so clear and transparent that the constellations were visible, making it hard to believe that a volcanic eruption had occurred.
“What is-”
Maxwell, puzzled by the unusual natural phenomenon he was experiencing for the first time in his nearly 20 years as a researcher, suddenly came to his senses and turned his gaze to the top of the volcano.
“It’s gone?”
The blue-winged human who had been floating in the air a moment ago was gone. Maxwell felt like he was possessed by a ghost and collapsed to the floor.
“Haha, ha.”
The amount of magma that had been flowing out when the volcano first erupted seemed to have been a mistake, and the earthquake gradually subsided, and the amount of magma flowing out also decreased.
The volcanic activity stopped. Maxwell watched the helicopter flying in from the research institute’s heliport in the distance and lost consciousness with relief.