1부 2장 (11)

“Wow. It’s a fake.”

As I climbed halfway up the hiking trail, I marveled at the purple monstrous bird-the Shadow Phoenix-floating in the sky.

Seongju brainwashed Spirits in Terra, extracting their mana to create degraded versions of monsters. In the original story, these were the trash mobs that appeared as enemies of the respective Spirits when entering individual routes with recruited executives as companions.

Even though each one was B~S-rank, by the time one entered an individual route, the game was already in its very late stages, so these replicated fake monsters were merely experience points for the protagonist’s party.

‘But I didn’t expect there to be a Phoenix one too.’

I never imagined I’d have a new experience that wasn’t in the original story. I felt a bit awkward watching the Shadow Phoenix proudly spread its wings.

‘Isn’t that exactly what I did in the West Sea?’

The Shadow, doing the exact same thing as showing off its wings against Unjang Shaolin, suddenly made me feel embarrassed.

I put my hand to my ear and infused mana.

“Jo Deokbae-ssi? Can you hear me?”

– What?!

Seeing him surprised, it seemed to be properly connected. I confirmed Deokbae’s location, who had become a fire giant, and waved my hand.

“You know where I am, right? Run this way.”

– There’s something weird over there? It looks super strong at a glance?

“Ah. It’s nothing much. Just a fake version of me. No need to be so scared.”

– …If it’s your fake, isn’t it terrifyingly strong?

At Deokbae’s words, I swallowed my own. The estimated mana level felt from the heat carried on the air was top-tier among S-ranks.

“…Hmm, it’s probably Fenrir-level? But compared to me, it’s not *that* strong. I could beat it even if I just played around for 5 minutes?”

– I still don’t know what you’re talking about, but I get the gist. It’s damn strong, stronger than me, anyway.

“Well, yes, it is, but it’s not like it’s ridiculously strong or anything….”

It just felt a bit unsettling that my fake had the power level of other executives. Where on earth would a Shadow even come from-

‘Is it me again?’

Shadows appear, drawn by the mana of their original Spirits beyond the dimensional gate.

The instinct of copies to eliminate the original, take its Core, and surpass it.

The Shadow Phoenix must have also read the traces of Changyeom that I had continuously spread and forcibly broken through the dimensional gate to cross over.

‘Fighting is a hassle.’

I could win, of course. But right now, rather than fighting, I needed to calmly think and worry about the future in a quiet place somewhere. I also didn’t want my appearance to be exposed due to combat.

‘The dimensional gate closed.’

Not only the initial dimensional gate but also the dimensional gate the Shadow came through burst, unable to withstand the Shadow’s mana. Now, the only threats remaining in Seoul were effectively the small fry monsters and the Shadow.

I thoroughly hid my mana and concealed myself behind a tree near the mountaintop. The owner of the fire-attribute mana who had chased after me was now staring blankly at the Shadow, their mental state shattered.

“What. It’s not it.”

– What? It’s not? Is it stronger than you?

“I wasn’t talking to you. Just run this way for now.”

The fire giant-Deokbae-hesitantly standing at Doksan Station caught my eye. While Deokbae ran, carefully avoiding buildings, I searched my memories, looking at the man who was almost on the verge of tears.

‘He’s definitely not the protagonist.’

Even assuming the original story was twisted, the premise itself was wrong. The protagonist was currently a powerless individual who had lost all their abilities. So, they would likely be walking the path of a commander, able to contribute to defeating monsters despite being powerless.

Still, I wondered if it might be. Fortunately, it wasn’t.

‘Then is he just an unappearing character?’

An A-rank fire-attribute male hero. I had recruited over 1000 companions, but none of them were like him. He must have either died or retired before the original story began, which was five years later.

‘I ran here for nothing.’

Now that I’d confirmed it, there was nothing else to do. I quickly descended to the western base of the mountain and met Deokbae, who was running towards me.

“Stop now.”

What the-?!

Deokbae, who was just about to step, was startled to find me right below him. The fire giant, stumbling as he tried to stop in a hurry, fell over at the foot of the mountain.

Kwoong!

A giant human shape was imprinted on Gwanaksan Mountain. Unlike the Shadow’s flames, Changyeom did not set the surrounding trees on fire.

Jjak.

As my two palms met, the fire giant’s blue flames quickly subsided. In the short time it took to take a single breath, the fire giant vanished, leaving only a gray boulder rolling down the slope.

Bwoooong.

Residual mana, invisible to the eye, flowed on the wind and entered between my palms. The Spirit Stone, which had been forcibly fitted to Deokbae and used purely its own power, solidified into an empty crystal.

‘It’s completely empty.’

I fiddled with the solidified mana crystal between my palms as I descended the mountain. A gray boulder was caught in a large pine tree below the slope.

Tong, tongtong.

“He’s solid. If he doesn’t pop out in 3 seconds, I’ll smash him like a watermelon-“

“Uwaaaah!!”

A fist shot out from between the gray rocks, and Deokbae sprang up. His gray skin had already softened.

“Oh. He’s probably C-rank now. You evolved?”

“More importantly, that thing seems to be looking this way right now?”

In the direction Deokbae pointed, the Shadow Phoenix was glaring towards where they were, specifically around the direction the fire giant had disappeared.

“Aha. It’s looking for my traces.”

“Then aren’t we going to get caught now?”

“Ultimately, yes, we will.”

I let out a deep sigh and clenched my fist. If I were to erase my presence and hide for no reason, Mini Phoenix and Cheon Gaeul (presumed) left in the S University building might be attacked by the Shadow.

“It’s fine. We just need to finish it quickly.”

“Didn’t you say the Azure Syndicate needs to lay low for a while?”

“Yes. I won’t fight it.”

“…??”

I clicked my tongue and pointed to the mountaintop.

“Basically, Shadows have simple brain structures, so they often perceive the strongest original’s presence as the original itself.”

“So.”

Deokbae replied.

It seemed he was slowly giving up on arguing now.

“Since I’m hiding my mana to the extreme, it won’t be able to find me, and it’s mistaking the fire giant that just fell and burst, Jo Deokbae-ssi, for me, you see?”

The Shadow flapped its wings in the air, still searching for its prey-me. Its gaze slowly began to approach the lower part of the mountainside.

“So we need another target to draw aggro. We have to take someone and escape to Gangwon-do now. And stop by Yeouido on the way.”

“Going to Gangwon-do? That dangerous eas… No. Could it be more dangerous than you? More importantly, one person?”

“Puhuhu. Yes. Someone I know… no, someone I *knew*? Anyway, I have to take one woman with me. That’s why I’m not fighting that thing right now.”

I grabbed Deokbae’s hood and ran towards the mountaintop. I entered the Shadow’s line of sight precisely, and the Shadow recognized me.

Screech!!

The Shadow shrieked and flew towards them.

“Hey! You said you wouldn’t fight!”

“Yes!”

“Then why are you rushing at it?!”

“It’s trying to get a first strike in right now, I can’t just take it!”

The Shadow precisely targeted me and conjured flames. The fiercely burning purple color was clearly my copy, corrupted by the influence of the Otherworld God. Though weak.

“Hoo-eup!”

I threw Deokbae forward. While Deokbae, suddenly thrown forward, struggled in mid-air, I firmly grabbed both of Deokbae’s ankles and infused mana.

Hwarururuk!

Deokbae’s rock skin rapidly activated, and blue flames erupted from the mana within its crevices. As a monstrous human infused with my mana, my mana was easily transferred. Deokbae, infused with mana, stiffened like a statue in an attention pose.

Screeeeech!!

Watching Deokbae burn brilliantly, as if jealous of these beautiful blue flames, the Shadow flapped its wings even harder and descended from the air.

“Sorry, but!”

A pitiful artificial Spirit driven mad by Seongju. Nevertheless, I couldn’t overlook its audacity in daring to devour a Phoenix and try to become one itself.

I swung Deokbae behind my shoulder like a baseball bat and leaped up.

Screech!

The monstrous bird opened its sharp beak wide. A disgusting viscosity thinly snapped between its beak.

“I’m a bit busy!”

“Uwaaaah?!”

Deokbae covered his face with both arms. I spread my wings and subtly dodged to the side.

Kwajik!

The Shadow bit the empty air. In that brief moment as we passed each other, the Shadow and I made eye contact.

“Oh, really?”

Purple flames blazed fiercely within its translucent eyes. I returned its clear hostility with a wide smile.

“How dare you!”

I swung Deokbae diagonally and slammed him down onto the Shadow’s back. Deokbae’s shoulder slipped, scraping the Shadow’s wing joint.

Kwa—ang!

A solid impact sound like an explosion. The Shadow, whose back was deeply dented by the burning rock bat swung by my mana, was impaled on the mountainside and began to roll. The blue flames that followed the impact point touched the Shadow’s wing joint and began to burn its wing.

“It’s rolling well.”

I chuckled derisively at the Shadow, which couldn’t control its speed and endlessly rolled down the mountain due to inertia, then placed the bat-Deokbae-that I held in my hand on the ground.

“Haaah, haaah, haaah!”

Deokbae, whose mana had been released and regained control of his body, panted roughly. I shrugged my shoulders.

“You’re fine, right? This is a system called ‘weaponization of monstrous humans’….”

“Hey, you motherfucker!! Does it make sense to swing a person around like a bat?! Would it kill you to just say something first?!”

Deokbae got angry. I was surprised and clapped my hands at him getting angry, even overcoming the command not to curse-though it was filtered.

“If I tell you, can I do it more in the future? I still have 13 more things to experiment with.”

Deokbae’s jaw dropped, and he was speechless. I patted Deokbae’s shoulder and laughed.

But he flinched again.

“It’s fine. One of them isn’t for you to experiment on.”

I walked up the rocky path and pointed at the unconscious man.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to put aggro on him and bail.”

If I just buy time with that, Gwanggeom will take care of it. I smiled broadly, infusing mana into the empty Spirit Stone.

“Jo Deokbae-ssi, do you like plays?”

* * *

– My son. One day, you must grow great and become a pillar of this nation.

In his hazy consciousness, Seung-hyung recalled his father’s face. The man who held and hugged Seung-hyung with hands as big as pot lids was deployed to the Pyongyang incident and killed by a monster.

– You’re like your older brother, your ability is good. Contact them and say you’d be good as a figurehead for the party.

A face resembling his father’s came to mind. The King of New Seoul, whose prestige had fallen greatly, but whose name could no longer be dared to be spoken. He seemed to cherish Lee Seung-hyung, yet used Lee Seung-hyung as he pleased.

– You were that person’s nephew? Well, I’ll be.

Yoo Young-ho, his teacher and mentor, was dumbfounded by Seung-hyung’s background but treated him as a hero, not the president’s nephew.

For Seung-hyung, Young-ho was like his father who had passed away in his childhood. Under him, he began to save people and become a true hero.

– Nice to meet you. I’m Cheon Gaeul.

And Seung-hyung realized love. At some point, the man in the mirror had the same look in his eyes as the women who had rushed at him, claiming to have fallen in love at first sight.

– Are you listening? How dangerous your position is in the acting industry? A handsome hero, ahem ahem! A rookie actor with solid acting skills is just targeting senior actors’ roles, so….

He stole roles because he wanted to be in the same drama as Cheon Gaeul. Her words of concern as a senior, even while grumbling, were lovely,

– Are your legs okay? Tell me if filming gets tough.

And he wanted to forever cherish her worried gaze, somehow knowing he’d been injured during monster subjugation,

– I love you, Minsu.

He wanted to be the ‘Lee Seung-hyung’ who heard the words “I love you” from Gaeul’s lips.

He had thought about blocking the dimensional gate, returning to confess, and even marrying her if she accepted.

Screech!

But all those dreams were engulfed in purple flames and withered away. Seung-hyung felt deep terror and succumbed to the monster that newly appeared above the dimensional gate.

‘Because I hesitated.’

He hesitated, weighing his mission against his love. During that wasted time, monsters blocked Seung-hyung’s path.

‘Because I had no power.’

He thought A-ranks, whom everyone praised and uplifted, were amazing. But dangerous species that appeared intermittently pushed Seung-hyung back and blocked his way.

‘Because I… was weak.’

The giant monstrous bird that tore through the dimensional gate. The form of the purple phoenix was a dangerous species that had gained notoriety in dimensional gates worldwide, including the Dodgers Gate-among them, an ‘Evil Species’ boasting a danger rating of S-rank or higher.

‘I’m sorry.’

The Evil Species didn’t even glance at Seung-hyung. Lee Seung-hyung felt incredibly relieved that it hadn’t killed him amidst that humiliation, yet he was also angry at himself.

‘Because I had no power….’

– Do you desire power?

At the deep male voice, Seung-hyung raised his head.

A giant man in a gray hoodie and jeans. But bright blue flames obscured the giant’s face.

– The power to defeat that demon. If you desire it, I can give it to you.

‘Who are you?’

The giant knelt on one knee, meeting Seung-hyung’s eyes.

– …An apostle of the sun. A knight of Changyeom who illuminates the dawn. The world calls me the ‘Azure Colossus’.

“Ah.”

Seung-hyung was captivated by the blue flames, losing himself. Beside the giant, a woman who appeared to be the giant’s attendant bowed respectfully. The woman, her face covered by a blue veil, wore a blue-white priestly robe.

-…….

Without a word, the giant took the Spirit Stone placed on the woman’s two hands and offered it to Seung-hyung. Seung-hyung unconsciously placed his hand on the blue flames boiling within the transparent gem.

– Do you desire this power?

“If I have this power, can I kill that demon?”

The giant’s gaze briefly returned to the woman. The woman, who had been bowing, straightened up and gave a faint smile.

– Of course. Changyeom will reside in your heart and become the heart that burns your body. It will become a flame of purification that burns even the corrupted mana emitted by that demon.

“The price, what is the price?”

Seung-hyung asked, gripping the Spirit Stone tightly with both hands. The giant turned his gaze back to the woman. The woman raised the corners of her lips even further.

– World peace.

The giant stood up. A massive tremor began to reverberate from beyond the mountainside.

Screech!!

The monstrous bird, with one wing torn off, ran up the mountain like an ostrich. Blue flames continuously burned at its dangling wing joint.

When the giant gave the woman a nod, the woman bowed and disappeared.

Screech!!

The monstrous bird began to scour the mountain, chasing after the woman’s traces. The giant seemed to ponder something for a moment, then looked at Seung-hyung and continued speaking.

– If you don’t intend to eat that, I recommend dying right here. Seriously.

“Huh?”

Was it Seung-hyung’s imagination that a somewhat pitiful gaze was seen beyond the blue flames obscuring the giant’s face? The giant shook his head and walked down from the summit.

“W-wait a moment! Azure Colossus-nim!”

The giant’s steps halted abruptly. Seung-hyung stood up, planting his feet on the ground, and bowed deeply.

“Thank you! I won’t forget this grace!”

-…Hmph.

The giant-the Azure Colossus-vanished down the mountain after those words. The Azure Colossus disappeared so elusively that Seung-hyung, sensitive to presences, couldn’t even notice.

“…Right.”

He had doubts. But Seung-hyung wanted to put aside his doubts and believe the giant-the man who called himself the Azure Colossus.

‘For world peace.’

Seung-hyung poured the nameless gem held in both his hands into his mouth.

“!!!!!”

Heat erupted from his esophagus. The blue flames inside the gem that had gone down into his stomach fiercely blazed, as if to burn Seung-hyung’s body from the inside out.

“Ugh!”

Seung-hyung gritted his teeth and moved all the mana in his body. The red flame bear burning behind his back absorbed Changyeom and grew even larger.

Guooooooooh!!

At the summit of Gwanaksan Mountain, the flame bear roared as if to overturn the world. The bear, its blue eyes glowing, burned with hostility towards the monstrous bird climbing up the mountain.

Screech!

The monstrous bird shrieked and ran to devour Seung-hyung, reaching the mountaintop.

Flash. Seung-hyung’s two eyes began to glow blue.

The flame bear, which had grown large enough to overturn the mountain, was rapidly sucked into Seung-hyung’s body. It was the moment when the limits of his ability, which had previously forced him to wear flames outside his body like a coat because he couldn’t contain them internally, were broken.

Awakening. The stage where an ability that had long been stagnant advanced to the next realm.

“Hwoooo….”

Seung-hyung stood on the rocky path where a single misstep would send him tumbling down. The monstrous bird burned the hiking trail as it charged at Seung-hyung.

“Just wait a little longer, Gaeul-ssi!”

He was no longer afraid. Seung-hyung’s fist blazed red and collided with the monstrous bird’s beak.

Kwaaaang!!

A pillar of red flame soared into the sky above Gwanaksan Mountain.