Phoenix of the Flame – Chapter 15

〈 Chapter 15 〉 Part 1, Chapter 2 (1)
How did it come to this?
“…Kuh-ooh.”
I stared at the black-haired beauty lying on the sofa in front of me, sleeping like the dead, and dropped my head in frustration.
How on earth did things get to this point? If I could turn back time, I would go back 10 minutes, no, even just 1 minute ago.
“Why are you here?”
She wasn’t supposed to be here at this time. She wasn’t supposed to be a character appearing at this timing. So, I just helped her without thinking when she was being attacked by the Monsters.
But I guess that was a flag.
One of the main heroines was supposed to fall into distrust of humanity and awaken her powers in an awakening event.
But because I saved her, she couldn’t awaken.
“The original story is twisted….”
Because of me.
How did this happen? I retraced my memories from this morning.
* * *
<April 4, 2020, 9 AM, a shabby office near Incheon City Hall.>
“So, you want me to exchange all of this for cash right now?”
Baek Sang-woo frowned as he looked at the various beads in the crossbody bag.
“Yes. Can you do it right away?”
The person who brought the trouble, Phoenix, grinned and pointed to the beads on the table.
“They’re fresh goods that haven’t even been made into Cores yet. Look. They’re lively, right? Not a single scratch, right?”
“Yeah. They’re all so clean that it feels like a Monster is going to attack this place any minute now.”
When Sang-woo saw Phoenix take out the Monster Cores, he seriously considered running away immediately. With his years of experience as a fence, he had reached the point where he could identify the grade of a Core with his naked eye, and his intuition assured him that the Cores in front of him were C to B grade.
If this wasn’t near City Hall, which was guarded by A-grade heroes, Monsters smelling the Cores would have rolled their eyes and rushed into the city.
“The quantity is….”
If a B-grade Monster ate all of this, wouldn’t it evolve into an A-grade soon? Sensing Sang-woo’s concern, Phoenix waved her hand and laughed.
“Oh, no. That will never happen. Right, Deok-bae?”
“…Yeah.”
Deok-bae, who was standing behind the sofa where Phoenix was sitting, took off his hood. Inside the raised hood was a grotesque figure whose entire skin was covered in rock.
“A villain?”
Of course, since grotesque figures hadn’t been revealed to the public yet, Sang-woo mistook Deok-bae’s skin for a villain showing off his abilities. Phoenix nodded and explained.
“As you can see, my bodyguard is an ability user. If you just go to northern Incheon, there are plenty of places to hunt Monsters, you know?”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
Sang-woo looked suspiciously back and forth between Deok-bae and the bag of Cores. He seemed too weak to have collected this many Cores.
“Then, maybe you too?”
“You could say that.”
Phoenix shrugged. Sang-woo racked his brain to remember if there was a woman with abilities in front of him.
Distinctive blue hair.
Among ability users, whose hair color tends to change upon awakening their powers, it was a particularly unique color.
But he didn’t remember such an ability user. Could she be a rookie who recently awakened her powers?
“Well, whether you killed someone who caught Monsters and stole them, that’s not important.”
“You quickly grasp the customer’s needs. Hehe.”
“If you were a properly registered hero, you would have gone to the association’s window, right? If an ability user brings something like this here, it’s obvious.”
In the first place, this was a place that sold things through illegitimate routes. Sang-woo put on white gloves and examined the Cores one by one.
The white gloves moved among the dark gray beads, stroking the surface.
“They really seem to be C-grade. And this one.”
Sang-woo carefully took out three Cores placed inside the bag. They were larger than the other Cores at a glance.
Above all, unlike the C-grades, they had a slight ‘color’. The form of green lines twisted like a DNA sequence and emitting light was clearly the Core of a B-grade Monster.
“B-grade. It was hard to catch.”
“It must have been tough for the two of you to catch a B-grade. Didn’t you get caught by any heroes or hunters? If you stole it from a guild, I can’t do business.”
“It’s okay. There’s no way we’d get caught. We got it from Yeongjongdo.”
Pfft!
An employee who was drinking coffee at another desk sprayed coffee on the monitor. The stuffy smell of coffee spread throughout the room.
“Did you just say that as a joke?”
“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. So, how much will you give me?”
“Hoo. This is frustrating. Can I have a cigarette?”
Phoenix nodded. Sang-woo took out a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and looked for a lighter.
Fwoosh.
“…Huh?”
Gray smoke rose before his eyes. A tiny flame was burning like a dance on Phoenix’s index finger.
“Oh. I thought you were looking for a lighter.”
“Hehe.”
Sang-woo took a puff of the cigarette and swept his hair back with his hand.
“Is this like saying you’ll kill me if I don’t give you a good price?”
“Do you think it’s a threat? It’s kindness.”
“Just because a tiger plays with a rabbit doesn’t mean they’re friends.”
Sang-woo tapped the ash into the ashtray. It seemed like the cigarette was burning faster than usual, but it wasn’t just his imagination.
“…To get to the point, I can’t give you cash.”
“You can’t give it to me ‘in cash’?”
Phoenix tilted her head.
“Of course. How much do you think all of this is worth? The market price for D-grade is around ten million won.”
“Isn’t it thirty million won?”
Deok-bae, who had been silent, chimed in. Phoenix clicked her tongue, and Sang-woo flicked his index finger with a more relaxed face.
“That’s when you sell it through the official association route. If you sell it to a fence like me, it’s obvious you won’t get the full price.”
“The value has decreased by 1/3, Deok-bae.”
“Tch.”
Deok-bae frowned at Phoenix’s sarcasm. Sang-woo took a puff of his cigarette and continued.
“So, I’ll give you 5,000 per C-grade. And 500 million for the B-grade.”
“…? You’re giving me that much extra? How does that make business sense?”
When Phoenix asked with a puzzled expression, Sang-woo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. He barely managed to hold back a sigh and sneered at the employee who was busy wiping up the coffee.
“See? I told you she’s a pro. We’d all be dead if she had ripped us off.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t kill you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure. So, we’ll give you 2.2 billion won, leaving us with the bare minimum of profit. Is that okay?”
“Okay.”
When Phoenix coolly nodded, Sang-woo glared at Phoenix with a wary look and took out the contract.
“No more negotiations? I’m recording? Put your stamp on the contract?”
“I’m not interested in that. More than that, it’s only 2.2 billion won? And you can’t give me cash?”
“Yeah. I sent a large sum of cash to New Seoul a while ago.”
Sang-woo took a sip of his instant coffee. The smell of cigarettes and instant coffee mixed together, creating a rotten smell.
“If you’re going to be our customer in the future, you should know this. The money earned in this remote office all goes to the headquarters in New Seoul, except for the minimum expenses. The transaction money is also paid from the headquarters. We’re just like a brokerage.”
“Oh ho. So?”
Sang-woo pressed down on his throbbing head and pointed to the Cores.
“I think you’re making a big mistake, so let me make it clear.”
Sang-woo twisted his lips towards Phoenix with a pathetic expression and pointed to the smartwatch on his wrist.
“Who carries cash around these days? Everyone puts it in here.”
“Ah.”
Phoenix frowned for the first time, looking troubled. Sang-woo licked his lips and smiled like a snake.
“Customer, don’t tell me you don’t even have a virtual account? No, in this 21st-century smart era, were you really going to carry around bundles of cash and scatter paper? You might get away with that in New Seoul, but if you do that in Gyeongin, you’ll get dragged somewhere shady and ripped off.”
“Just a moment for a strategy meeting.”
Phoenix raised her hand to buy time, then turned her head and gestured to Deok-bae.
“Do you have an account on your smartphone?”
“I do, but it’s Hyung Ho-cheol’s account. If you don’t do biometric authentication, the account will be frozen immediately. The police will track it right away.”
“What about your account?”
“I don’t have one. I didn’t make one.”
“…Ah, damn it. I should have cut off a finger or something.”
‘Shouldn’t have burned it.’
Phoenix smacked her lips regretfully and made eye contact with Sang-woo again.
“Okay. Since we’re doing business anyway, can you give me some extra service?”
“This sounds like it’s going to be a very troublesome story for me.”
Phoenix clapped her hands.
“Resident registration card. Virtual account. A smartphone in that name. We’re going to be doing business together in the future, so you can do that much, right?”
“Isn’t that your real purpose?”
“It’s a bonus. Hehe. So, you can’t do it?”
Sang-woo shrugged his shoulders and acted cocky.
“200 million.”
“Deal.”
“??”
“????”
Cognitive dissonance occurred in Sang-woo’s brain. Did I just mishear?
“Did you misunderstand? Did I say it too briefly? Instead of doing it under the conditions you said, I’m going to reduce the value of the Cores in this bag to 2 billion won. I just ripped you off for 200 million won. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”
When Phoenix asked as if she really couldn’t understand, Sang-woo looked back and forth at the others in the office. Deok-bae, who was with her, turned his gaze away as if he wasn’t interested, and the employee had already stopped all actions since earlier.
“Hoo.”
Sang-woo lit another cigarette. Naturally, a blue flame rose and the cigarette burned. It was a small consideration, but he didn’t want it.
“……Hey. It’s funny for someone in the money game to say this, but I’m telling you because we’ll be seeing each other in the future. Listen carefully.”
“Then you don’t have to tell me.”
Sang-woo pointed at Phoenix with his cigarette.
“Know the value of money. Huh?! Even if the world is dominated by heroes, the value of money remains the same. No, it’s gone up even more! New Seoul is now a place you can’t enter without money. 2 billion won? It’s not even enough for a 10-pyeong apartment on the outskirts of New Seoul. And honestly, would it cost 200 million to create a fake identity? If you try to make it through Chinese routes here in Incheon, it won’t even cost 100 million. Miss, you don’t know the world too well….”
“Wow. Is this what they call a boomer?”
Sang-woo barely managed to stop himself from throwing the cigarette. Anyway, the other person was an ability user. He was powerless.
“Can I get angry now? Now? She’s really living life recklessly. Wow, I really have a lot of money, but I’m holding back because I don’t have power.”
“I’m just kidding, heehee.”
Phoenix covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled, then straightened her posture and answered with a serious face.
“I don’t care if you rip me off for 200 million or strip me of all 2.2 billion won. I only need to earn as much money as I need. So, can you get me an ID card, an account, and a burner phone right away? I’d like to receive it by this afternoon at the latest. Oh, I almost forgot. While you’re at it, please create a ‘Black Market’ account for me too.”
“Haa, that’s it. You’ll only come to your senses when you’re starving and struggling because you don’t have money. Ye-seong! Bring the documents!”
“Yes, CEO!”
The employee who had been wiping between the keys on the keyboard with a wet tissue stood up from his seat and started rummaging through the cabinet. Sang-woo put out his cigarette, glanced at his watch, and muttered.
“Hmm. If I spend 100 million more, I can make it before 3 o’clock….”
“Then please do that.”
“Ye-seong!! When you order lunch today, add a large sweet and sour pork dish!!”
“Yes!!!”
Ye-seong smiled brightly and ran around the office, gathering various things.
“The city is in this state, but they deliver?”
“It might be different in Seoul, but this is Incheon. Haha. Okay, then, customer. Would you please wait a little bit? I’ll put the remaining 1.9 billion won after deducting 300 million won into your account. If you need anything else, please tell me. I’ll bring it to you right away.”
“…Didn’t he suddenly change?”
“Hahaha! I can do anything for our sucker, no, our customer, who gave us a 300 million won discount! I could even kiss the end of your shoes if I wanted to! Hahaha!”
“Oh? Did you just say you can do anything?”
Phoenix’s eyes sparkled as she put her hands together.

Baek Sang-woo felt a chilling sensation running down his back, and his fingers trembled involuntarily.
“So, within the scope of what I can do—”
“We’ll be trading often in the future, so would you mind selling these as well?”
Phoenix grabbed the three Cores from his pocket and pulled them out. They were Cores with a clear color that was distinctly different from C-grade and B-grade.
“Pretty, right? If it’s an A-grade Monster, the Core strongly reveals each attribute and covers the whole thing in its own color… Huh? Hello? Are you listening?”
Baek Sang-woo rubbed his eyes, wondering if what he was seeing was real. An A-grade Monster’s Core, raw and intact, was right here in the middle of Incheon.
“CEO Baek Sang-woo~ Are you listening?”
“Why.”
“Pardon?”
“Why isn’t the Monster alarm going off? At this level, Monsters should be smelling it from Yeongjong Island and flying over here, shouldn’t they?”
Lee Yeseong had already fled the office. Phoenix, who had been blankly fiddling with the beads for a moment, pondered Baek Sang-woo’s words and understood his thoughts.
“Ah. Why aren’t Monsters attacking this place when there are this many Monster Cores?”
Phoenix smiled brightly, slapped his shoulder with his palm, and tossed the Cores into his bag.
“I told you. There’s ‘absolutely’ no chance of a Monster attacking this place.”
Baek Sang-woo met Phoenix’s eyes.
Blue flames were burning in his round pupils.