Chapter 32 : Heavenly Fire Part 2

Kang Hana, a new researcher at FPL, threw her smartphone onto the makeshift bed.

Whether it was a game or the internet, nothing felt enjoyable.

Well, of course.

Being able to focus on entertainment even when her heart suddenly ached would be impressive in its own way.

“I need something healing, not this… Like, IF-017.”

Just looking at IF-017 made her happy.

Even Kang Hana had noticed that just thinking about IF-017 spread warmth through her otherwise cold heart.

Though, if it had been any other mysterious phenomenon, she would have found it suspicious.

“But IF-017 is adorable, so it makes sense… Hehe.”

That was all she said before brushing off the thought.

However, Kang Hana was worried—IF-684 had suddenly escaped.

‘Would IF-017 be safe?’

Then, suddenly, A thought crossed her mind, and she placed a finger on her lower lip.

“The name ‘IF-017’ feels too impersonal. Sure, it’s the only one of its kind, but calling it a ‘dragon’ also feels more like a species name. There must be a better name for it…”

Something about continuing to call IF-017 by that designation just didn’t sit right with her.

It felt as if there was a “real name” that perfectly suited IF-017.

But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t seem to figure it out, as if something was blocking her.

Kang Hana clutched her head in frustration.

Trying to recall something without any clues was more an act of creation than memory retrieval.

It would’ve been easier to remember what she had for breakfast exactly four years ago.

As Kang Hana struggled pointlessly—

“Ugh, why is it suddenly so hot?”

The air around her grew stifling.

It felt like someone had turned on a heater in the middle of summer.

Even after taking off her outerwear, sweat beaded on her skin.

Unable to endure the burning floor, she retreated into the makeshift bed.

Then—

***

A flash of light erupted.

In an instant, half of the containment chamber was obliterated.

Staring at the scorched, crackling remains, Kang Hana let out a dazed noise.

“…Huh?”

She couldn’t comprehend the sudden change in her surroundings.

She was sure they had said that IF-017’s containment chamber was unbreakable because of some spatial anomaly!

It was only after three full seconds that she realized she had just narrowly escaped death—and started panicking.

“Ahhh?!”

It made sense that her reaction was delayed.

Despite her rational mind ringing alarm bells, warning her that she had nearly died, her heart remained strangely calm.

She had almost been swallowed by the flames that stretched up to the heavens.

And yet, she felt no sense of crisis.

Where the flames had passed, small embers flickered on the broken surfaces.

To Kang Hana’s eyes, they looked just like tiny IF-017s—adorable little flames.

She instinctively reached out but hesitated.

It was fire, after all—’touching it would definitely burn her!’

“Wait, huh? Why was I about to touch that?”

Touching fire with bare hands would obviously cause burns.

That was an elementary fact Kang Hana knew well.

She was flustered, unsure why she had reached out in the first place.

“There’s absolutely no reason for me to touch it.

But… if I don’t, I feel like I’ll regret it.”

Even though no one was listening, she muttered as if making excuses.

Somehow, she just felt like it would be okay to touch it.

That was the only way to describe it.

So, Kang Hana reached for the flame.

Expecting pain, she tightly shut her eyes.

As expected—it was hot.

“…But it’s fine?”

Strangely enough, though.

Her hand was definitely inside the fire, yet she could endure it.

Just like how plunging into boiling water would be disastrous, but stepping into a 100-degree sauna was bearable.

The flames looked scorching, but her hand did not burn.

“Whoa… it’s warm.”

Amazingly, the flame danced in her palm as if playing.

Something about it felt oddly familiar.

The warmth she always felt when thinking about IF-017—if that was like a comforting snack, Then this flame had the weight of something heartier, like a rich, steaming bowl of pork bone soup.

But aside from that, they were the same.

Curious, Kang Hana brought the flame closer to her chest.

And then—whoosh.

The flame was absorbed into her body.

It felt like swallowing piping hot soup—searing, yet filling her heart with warmth.

…

“Heh… It really is so warm.”

Kang Hana chuckled softly.

Looking around, she realized that all the remaining embers gave off the same sensation.

Mesmerized, she reached out.

Her hand trembled.

She missed.

The surroundings trembled uneasily, and she lost her balance, collapsing onto the floor.

“Hyek!”

What Kang Hana didn’t yet realize—

With half of the containment chamber gone, its spatial stabilizers had failed.

For a short while, the remaining half had managed to hold its place.

But now, even that was no longer possible.

The IF-017 containment chamber, which had stood firm while everything else disintegrated, began to plummet.

“Wait, what?! No way!”

She hadn’t even played with the flames for long—

And now, her mind and instincts finally aligned, screaming at her—

“You’re going to die!”

At last, Kang Hana let out a raw, primal scream.

“No!”

“Nooooooo—!”

Just before the containment chamber completely lost its anomaly and went into freefall, The tiny flames gathered together, rushing toward her.

But by then, Kang Hana had already blacked out.

***

“No!”

“Noooo—”

“Crash.”

“Ugh.”

“So noisy.”

“What the hell?”

This voice… It sounded familiar.

I opened my eyes.

“Ancestor.”

“Not yet.”

“Wake up, forbidden!”

“Rest!”

“Rest!”

As I slowly sat up, a plump little snake licked my hand insistently, urging me to lie back down.

‘Hadn’t it hated being used as a pillow before?’

‘Why was it suddenly so pushy?’

‘What, did it think I was a patient or something…?’

“722…”

Tch. ‘It’s not like I want to get up.’

I just need to check something.

I placed a hand on my chest and focused on the heat inside.

Buzzzzzz…

Strange.

‘Why did it feel a little calmer than before?’

‘Did I just feel better because I took a break?’

No way.

By my own estimation, this heat should’ve taken at least a few hundred years to start calming down.

‘If it were just ordinary fire, sure, but celestial fire isn’t called celestial fire for nothing.’

‘Did someone mess with me while I was resting?’

That suspicious thing that humans left behind earlier…

It calmed me down even more than that so-called holy offering I swallowed, the one that felt like drinking a sharp, ice-cold soda.

Now that I think about it, the ringing in my ears has faded, too.

My body felt… clean.

Ah.

So that’s why I couldn’t hear the crumbling sounds for a while, and then suddenly could again.

‘Hmm.’

‘I’m not sure what happened, but…’

‘Well, whatever.’

‘It’s a good thing!’

Now then.

‘Should I rest again, using this now well-behaved little snake as my pillow?’

Before that, I reached out to pet the snake, who had endured the heat so well.

Poor thing—it was completely exhausted…

“Ancestor… good… but… rest, quickly.”

Even as it happily squeaked under my touch, it kept urging me to lie back down.

“Heh.”

“Good, good.”

“But you know…”

“This spot kinda sucks.”

I had been in such a hurry that I hadn’t checked where I was lying down, and now rain was pouring on me.

Damn it.

Looks like I need to move.

Earlier, I might have been in danger of stepping in the wrong place and gagging from the chaos, But now, I should at least be able to pick a decent spot.

Hugging the little snake, I hopped to my feet.

Alright, time to find a better place.

— Sssizzle.

“Gyao?”

“Hey, little snake.”

“I didn’t check my surroundings before lying down, so let me ask you something.”

“Was it always this bubbling and sizzling around here?”

It looked like everything had melted—like it had been hit by a meteorite…

“Negative.”

The snake instantly answered that it hadn’t been like this before.

“Oh, crap.”

“No way…”

I was sure that only a tiny bit of celestial fire had leaked from under my chin.

And yet… it caused this?

That doesn’t make any sense!

“If it had been my own lake, this much heat would’ve been neutralized without a problem…!”

Now stopping Kwangcheol had been pointless.

In the end, whether it collapsed or melted down—it was just a matter of how.

If this continued, I knew exactly what would happen to this building.

“No.”

“Not yet.”

‘It hasn’t completely collapsed yet, so if I act fast, I can still fix it.’

…

‘I can fix it, right?’

I set the little snake down in a spot where the rain wasn’t falling.

I also told it to hide and wait.

— Tap tap tap.

I ran harder than usual.

Celestial fire that had fully escaped my body and lost control wouldn’t listen well from a distance.

There was no choice.

Before it burrowed into the walls or the floor, I had to grab it directly and pull it out.

And after pulling it out?

There was no way in hell I was swallowing it again.

For now, I’d just have to keep it wrapped around my body.

As long as I was awake, it could burn but wouldn’t spread.

As long as no one got too close, humans would be safe.

Many of them looked like they were moments away from becoming stars in the lake.

I moved through them, collecting every flame I could see.

Running, grabbing, wrapping.

Whew.

At this rate, I’d gather them all soon.

After all, only a tiny bit had leaked out.

That tiny bit had nearly caused a catastrophe, but thankfully, I’d noticed in time.

‘Ah.’

“Over there—a human.”

“How far is the fire spreading?!”

“No!”

“There’s no escape route!”

“They looked like they were in real danger.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Your god is here.”

I snatched the celestial flames heading toward them and coiled them around myself.

“Gyao.”

“There.”

“Now you’re safe.”

Now, the next prayer…

“Oh, right.”

There was no prayer.

I was exhausted and still struggling, but I had already saved quite a few humans.

I didn’t expect prayers.

“But shouldn’t I at least receive some gratitude?”

Even if it wouldn’t help much…

I turned to the humans.

“What the hell is that flaming thing…?!”

“Is that IF-017, ascended?!”

“The path is clear!”

“Run!”

“…What?”

‘Wait, what kind of reaction was that?’

‘They weren’t so shocked they couldn’t recognize me, right?’

They knew that whenever I released celestial fire, it rained.

They knew that as long as I was awake, the fire wouldn’t spread.

They knew all of this so well, so why…

I reached out helplessly toward them—but then, I let my hand fall.

“…Gyaaak.”

I see.

I get it now.

My body was in rough shape, my mind wasn’t working properly, and everything still felt uncertain.

But one thing I could grasp—

There are no worshippers who treat their god like a monster.

Those people weren’t my followers.

Yeah.

I had been mistaken this whole time.

If someone can’t even offer a prayer, they aren’t a follower.

And even if they were once my followers…

As their god, I cast them out.

I stood still for just a moment, quietly watching those insolent fools.

Then, without hesitation, I turned toward the last remaining embers of celestial fire.

— Step, step.

Next…

That place.

Where I heard a familiar voice—

And the sound of something collapsing.