Part 1 Chapter 10 30

After receiving Changyeom’s unwelcoming welcome, I could finally see with my own eyes the reason why Changyeom had called me.

“This is the process of your battles so far. Can you see?”

Changyeom pressed the TV remote control and changed the channel. Starting from 001, the channels going up exceeded a whopping 200.

“Just how much fighting and brawling have you done in only about three months since you started your activities? Anyway, I’ve picked out a few of them that I need to nag you about.”

Changyeom flipped through channels here and there before stopping at one. By Changyeom’s command, I was subjected to the torture of having to sit her on my thigh and stroke her.

“First, when did you fight this?”

“Was it when I fought Gwanggeom?”

The video showed my field of vision as the screen itself, and Gwanggeom, before unleashing Rusalka’s power, was swinging twin swords at me.

Blood splattered everywhere, and my fist grazed Gwanggeom’s collar.

“I fight well, as expected. That’s me, alright.”

“I’m not talking about your fighting technique right now. Look.”

The battle paused for a moment, and I started chattering loudly.

“Are you getting mad because I talk too much right now? I talk less than you, though?”

“That’s not it.”

Objectively speaking, I wondered if I really talked that much, but what Changyeom was pointing out wasn’t that, it seemed.

“Why are there so many injuries?”

“Ah.”

I thought of a hypothesis I’d been half-expecting. But until Changyeom said it herself, I decided to just stay quiet.

“Next channel.”

Changyeom quickly changed the channel to another screen. It was the battle in Janggang, the moment I charged in to exploit the weakness of the rampaging Chaos.

“See?”

“Hmm, I see it clearly. How easily Phoenix exploits Chaos.”

The sight of me repeatedly being thrown into the Janggang’s waters by Chaos, only to burst out and challenge it again, was impressive. But as if my answer was wrong, Changyeom pushed up the back of my head and tapped my chin repeatedly.

“You know what I’m trying to say, but you keep pretending not to know. Alright. Let’s go all the way then.”

Finally, Changyeom played the last channel. It was the battle with the three executives I had just fought.

“When I fought th-those bastards, well, I’m not saying anything about what you did to the Hydra.”

“Then what?”

“Do I really have to say it myself?”

In the video, I-Phoenix in monstrous human form-had my wrist sliced off by a blade-like wind, dozens of obsidian swords were stuck in my chest, and stone snakes were wrapped around my ankles, sinking their fangs in.

“Are you a masochist? Why do you fight so recklessly?”

“Reckless, you say? Is there a problem with getting injured like that?”

I couldn’t understand the part Changyeom was worried about-is she actually worried, no way?

“I can just regenerate anyway.”

“Hey.”

Changyeom pinched my arm that was wrapped around her waist. When the world’s strongest superpowered individual pinched my arm in her domain, it hurt beyond words.

“It’s not like you can’t feel pain, and those are painful enough to cause shock and death, you know?”

“That’s true.”

“How many times have you blacked out?”

“…I haven’t bothered counting since I fought Gwanggeom.”

“See? You just do whatever you want, don’t you?”

Changyeom turned her body. We ended up sitting facing each other on the sofa, but Changyeom twisted her body around to grab me by the collar.

“What did I say when I first appeared? I told you to take care of my body, didn’t I?”

“That’s why I kept fighting in monstrous human form.”

“Did it ever occur to you to fight without getting hurt?”

“…Ah.”

I couldn’t believe it, but it was true.

“Were you saying that because you were worried about me? Telling me not to get hurt?”

“If I try to change the subject, the conversation will just go off on a tangent again, so I won’t deny it. Whether I like it or not, you’ve become the owner of my body, and it’s one thing to let my body get tossed around recklessly, but I also don’t want to see it constantly suffering pain.”

Changyeom grumbled and shook me by the collar.

“Don’t you know that the pain you feel flows into me from inside?”

“…Really?”

I didn’t know that.

“Wow, that’s absurd.”

Changyeom snorted in disbelief.

“So you didn’t know that until now?”

“Because you didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me if it hurt?”

“You misunderstood completely, and now you’re talking nonsense?”

“I don’t know unless you tell me directly. As someone said, I’m dense, so I can’t understand unless you speak plainly.”

“…….”

Changyeom let go of my collar. With her arms crossed, she stared intently at me.

“Hey, tenant-nim.”

“Oh, I got promoted from unauthorized occupant to tenant.”

“Stop interrupting me with nonsense.”

“Yes, landlord-nim.”

Changyeom poked herself with her finger and said,

“Shall I talk about the fighting style of the Azure Flame Phoenix that you love so much?”

“…Ah, no. I can’t concede on that.”

I realized what Changyeom was trying to say and made my move first. At my irrelevant answer, Changyeom realized what I meant and was dumbfounded.

“You understand things like this perfectly well, don’t you? Do you want to punch so badly? Huh?”

“Well, what’s-his-name, since I’ve already possessed the strongest being, isn’t it only natural that I’d want to fight in the way I know best?”

“That’s fine and all, but why do you have to do it with my body, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Well…”

I alternately pointed at myself with my thumb and at Changyeom with my index finger.

“If I die, I’ll revive. Because it’s Phoenix.”

“So you’re going to fight while taking hits because you can revive even if you get stabbed and your neck is cut off?”

“That’s right. Shall we go back to that channel?”

I requested to replay the video of the scene where I climbed onto the Hydra’s butt and pulled out the heads growing from its back. Changyeom didn’t hand over the remote, and she changed the screen herself.

“Look. If I had only dodged and tried to attack from a distance, right? It would have taken at least an hour. But if you look now.”

“Rather than taking an hour, you’d rather just pull them all out in 5 minutes?”

“Exactly. How much time it saves, and how good it is.”

“Thanks to that, you experienced pain you didn’t have to. Your wrist got sliced off, you got stabbed in the body, and got poisoned by an extreme toxin that melts mana.”

“…….”

My conversation with Changyeom showed signs of going in parallel lines again. As always, I was the first to give up.

…Always?

“Alright. I’ll be careful from now on. But I can’t completely avoid everything. Unlike the other three, close-quarters combat is essential against Gaetcheongwangma.”

“Block, deflect, and counterattack. Don’t just get beaten up saying, ‘I’ll give up flesh to take bone!’ Understand?”

“…Nagging is Baekhee-a’s specialty, though.”

“Don’t talk about other women.”

Changyeom flicked my philtrum. It was clearly a mental state, but it hurt terribly. Mostly, my heart hurt.

“Alright. I’ll be lenient.”

“Swear an oath.”

“Alright.”

“Ahem.”

Changyeom cleared her throat and pushed my forehead with her finger.

“You human who arbitrarily entered someone else’s body, temporary designation Phoenix-nim, do you swear to fight while taking care of my body?”

“…….”

Despite the playful nature, the atmosphere was somehow solemn and serious, and I swore to Changyeom without a word of complaint.

“Yes. Except in unavoidable circumstances, I will fight while taking the utmost care of my body.”

“…Then, the proof of your oath here.”

“Proof of oath, what-“

Changyeom suddenly covered my eyes.

And my consciousness cut out again.

* * *

“Then, let’s begin the strategy meeting now.”

“Suddenly?”

“You’ve rested enough, haven’t you?”

Changyeom spread her arms and gestured around. We walked along the promenade on the embankment of Yeouido Hangang Park, feeling the wind.

“Waking up the Spirits feels like helping you, so it’s a tiiiiiiny bit annoying, but what can I do? They’re my poor family members after all.”

“The ‘unnie, unnie’ thing, was that because you’re really blood sisters?”

“No, that’s not it. You don’t need to know the details. Really, that’s our own private matter.”

“…Is there a hidden background I don’t know about, or are you intentionally hiding it?”

When I stopped walking and asked, Changyeom, who had been walking with her hands behind her back, also turned towards me.

“It’s both. It’s a setting that was intentionally concealed even in the original work you speak of, and I have no obligation or need to tell you.”

Changyeom made a gloomy expression for a moment, then frowned and got angry at me.

“Ugh, I’m trying to explain it in a way that’s easy for you to understand, but you’re belittling me like this again. Listen carefully. I’m telling you clearly, I’m not some game character you used to play. Understand?”

“I already fully understand, so it’s fine. You are you. I understand completely.”

“…It’s actually annoying how readily you accept it. Anyway, about that hidden background… Ah.”

Changyeom frowned as if remembering something.

“Once you reach the myth, you’ll naturally find out.”

“Are you intentionally dropping hints like that, telling me to reach the myth?”

“No, I’m just saying. We can’t hide anything from each other anyway while we’re here. It’s more embarrassing than being naked, isn’t it?”

“Even though only I’m being exposed unilaterally.”

“Pffft. I saw it all. What positions you used with my younger sisters. Well, there was one who escaped your clutches!”

“I guess seeing Gwanggeom and his wife’s lovemaking with my own eyes counts as completing everything, doesn’t it…?”

Now that Changyeom mentioned it directly, I felt even more embarrassed. Changyeom had all the data from my gameplay, so she also had all those kinds of acts I had done with the heroines.

“…Are you perhaps replaying those on the TV too?”

“Collecting them was quite fun, you know. I understand why you’re so obsessed with 100% completion. Oh, and just to mention one thing.”

Changyeom made a gesture as if putting on a visor over her face, and meaningfully curled up the corners of her lips.

“I had a good indirect experience. Of how men do it.”

“…This is NTR, right? Right?”

“Always thinking like that. So, I’m warning you in advance.”

Changyeom raised her index finger and wagged it left and right at me.

“If you try to do anything to me with sex techniques, it’ll be useless. I know all your patterns. From the start…”

Changyeom only raised and wagged her pinky finger.

“Just by looking at what you did with Lee Yuna, I know everything, you know? Pffft.”

“St-stop.”

I couldn’t bear the embarrassment any longer. I lunged at Changyeom to cover her mouth.

“How can the number of times you did it with Lee Yuna be more than with 15 people, Ang.”

When I covered Changyeom’s mouth with my hand, Changyeom bit my finger and ran away.

“Hmph, how dare you try to interrupt me.”

“…No, it was just one finger that got bitten, but why does it hurt so much?”

“It seems there’s one sore finger among the ten, doesn’t it? Ah, the conversation got sidetracked again. So, where were we…”

“Strategy meeting.”

Changyeom snapped her fingers and brightened up.

“That’s right! I needed to say that. Ahem, then, shall we discuss how to approach each Spirit?”

“In this situation? All my plans were ruined from the start, weren’t they? Because someone set a trap 20 years ago.”

“…….”

I spoke with genuine sarcasm, and Changyeom just subtly raised the corners of her lips and said nothing.

“Well… I’ll explain that later. Though it’s a funny thing to call an explanation in the first place.”

“…Indeed, if I found out some insignificant human had come to take over my body, I’d raise hell too. Alright. But make sure to tell me later. At least I don’t want to experience something like today again.”

“Of course. But I’m only helping you in ‘situations where you’re approaching the Spirits’. If you weren’t trying to awaken Fenrir or Azhdahak, but were just putting a ring on Baekhee-a like last time, I’d keep my mouth shut.”

“…Understood.”

Changyeom mentioned that she would keep her mouth shut herself. That was sincere. Therefore, I acquiesced without a word of complaint.

“Then, let’s officially start the strategy meeting now. Before that.”

“What else is left?”

“Yes. I want to test how well you listen to me first.”

“…I thought it was a bit twisted from the moment you made the surroundings like this.”

The place we were standing on was Yeouido Hangang Park.

Although it was a space manifested within a mental world, its symbolism remained unchanged.

“Yes, it’s the place where I die. And it’s also the place where I fight against the ‘protagonist’ you speak of.”

“But the protagonist only fights by mouthing off from behind.”

“Stop talking nonsense and raise your arms. It’s a rare opportunity, isn’t it? You’ve been saying you wanted to hit me for a while now. Pffft.”

“Wasn’t fighting one’s inner self in a mental world a characteristic of protagonists?”

I dutifully raised my guard as Changyeom said. Changyeom lifted the hem of her clothes on both sides and bowed her head to me.

“Don’t think so little of yourself. Because in this world, you are the protagonist.”

“That’s not comforting at all. In the first place, what’s-his-name, fighting the Azure Flame Phoenix was in the very late stages of the original work. It’s a battle that requires a minimum of 7 SS-rank individuals. And you’re telling me to do that alone?”

“Oh my, are you scared? Do you need some motivation?”

Changyeom conjured a flame on her right hand, which was extended over her left shoulder. Her usually confident face became infinitely serious.

“I’ll give you a very good gift if you win against me. How about a kiss?”

“That’s very appropriate motivation. I’ve gained about 70% motivation.”

Changyeom knew me too well.

“70%? Even if it’s a kiss bestowed by me?”

“Since we’re kissing anyway, to get it up to 100%, se-“

Changyeom launched a preemptive attack. Unable to finish my sentence, I had to enter combat with Changyeom.