Part 1 Chapter 3 (1)

A short while later, a high-rise building in Guro Digital Industrial Complex.

“Aargh! They’re coming!”

The man covered his eyes, which had been shining towards Yeouido, and hid under the desk. The special ability of the Beacon, forcibly enhanced by someone, reached beyond Guro all the way to Yeouido, clearly showing the National Assembly Building blazing fiercely.

“That crazy bitch who set the National Assembly Building on fire is coming!”

Beacon, Kim Ji-hwa, fell into terror, recalling the monstrous humans who had raided his territory the day before yesterday.

It’s time to become a monstrous human!

They, who had broken through the window and intruded while Ji-hwa was sleeping in broad daylight, instantly turned Ji-hwa into a monster and subjugated his organization. And they gave all sorts of orders to Ji-hwa-now the man who had become the monstrous human Beacon.

– I’ll light a signal fire when I return, so be aware of that and prepare lunch.

‘Who sets a national building on fire with a signal fire!’

Even if New Seoul had newly emerged, for Ji-hwa, Seoul was still the capital. Although his territory was limited to Guro, he had not destroyed or touched the nation’s foundational buildings.

The man, who had been called ‘Chairman’ in Guro, was now back to his days as an ordinary office worker, overwhelmed by overtime, thanks to the unfathomable monstrous human.

Crash!

At the sound of the glass breaking, Ji-hwa buried his head between his knees. In Ji-hwa’s memory, there was only one person who would break through the window to enter the top floor of a 20-story building.

“Huh? Where did he go?”

Ji-hwa’s heart sank at the voice carried on the cold wind. It was that bastard’s voice, as expected.

“Kim Ji-hwa-ssi~ You’re not trying to play hide-and-seek with me right now, are you?”

‘Please, just get lost!’

Kim Ji-hwa even covered his ears with both hands. That’s why he didn’t hear the sound of sparks flying.

Snap.

That heart-stopping finger snap sound. Ji-hwa instinctively kicked away from the table.

“Haa, haah!”

As expected, blue flames were burning on top of the table. The desk, made of the finest ebony wood, had turned into ashes in an instant.

“Monstrous Human No. 3 is talented at being the ‘it’ in tag, but he’s absolutely terrible at hiding.”

“H-Heek!”

Ji-hwa was utterly terrified of Phoenix, who was perched on the chairman’s chair. A slender, white hand rested on Ji-hwa’s shoulder.

“Don’t scare him. Didn’t you say he’s your subordinate?”

“G-Gaeul-nim…!”

Ji-hwa’s eyes sparkled brightly as he looked up at Gaeul like a savior. Gaeul subtly shifted her gaze to Phoenix, whose demonic eyes had their black and white parts reversed.

“No, it’s not like I deliberately scared him or anything….”

“Considering how you killed him, it’s nothing short of trauma.”

Deokbae shuffled over and plopped down onto the sofa. Perhaps that stimulated Ji-hwa’s trauma even more, as his body trembled even harder.

“Still, since he died instantly, if he dies again, it’ll probably hurt less than the first time, won’t it?”

“He’ll only know how it feels if he dies himself.”

As Deokbae sneered, Phoenix brought his middle finger and thumb together. Just as he was about to snap them, moving mana, he caught Gaeul’s glare.

Phoenix subtly rubbed the two fingers he had brought together and pushed off the floor with his foot.

Screech.

The chair scraped across the marble floor and approached Ji-hwa. Ji-hwa’s intense trembling reached Gaeul through her hand.

“Hey, Beacon-ssi. How far can you see now?”

“I, I can see all of Guro and the Yeongdeungpo area! If I push myself a bit, I can see about an 8km radius!”

“Not bad. You can put a little more effort into growing.”

Phoenix pulled out a monster’s core from his pocket. The un-cored cores sparkled in the sunlight.

“Then it’s ‘Strange Candy’ grinding time.”

“Yes, yes!”

The trembling Ji-hwa changed his posture, even snorting. Kneeling and panting, he looked exactly like a dog waiting for a treat.

Phoenix reluctantly handed a core to Ji-hwa. Ji-hwa took the core, inhaled its scent deeply as if it were a drug, and then put it in his mouth.

“…So, are your subordinates preparing well?”

“Haa, yes! They still consider me ‘Chairman’ and aren’t particularly suspicious yet.”

Seeing Ji-hwa, who was fawning over Phoenix out of fear of death, Deokbae recalled the events of the past few days.

As soon as Phoenix entered Guro, he flew to this floor where Beacon was located and attacked Ji-hwa. The window shattered, and its fragments covered the sleeping Ji-hwa, who then writhed in pain, grabbed by Phoenix’s collar.

Phoenix mentioned that Beacon was an indispensable talent for him.

P-Please, just spare my life, *cough*.

His personality was a typical example of ‘strong to the weak, weak to the strong,’ so he tried to subdue him by force, but the grip on his collar was so strong that he inadvertently killed Ji-hwa.

– So, I made him into a monstrous human with a B-grade monster core I picked up while passing by.

Ji-hwa, who had suddenly become a monstrous human from being the Chairman of Guro, was flustered but quickly submitted.

Before awakening his special abilities, he was merely a cog in the company, and he couldn’t resist the immense, irrational violence of Phoenix.

“Hmm. Are they doing everything according to the orders I gave?”

“Yes! They were flustered at first, but everyone hunted monsters smoothly. Yesterday, they even caught a D-grade one. The flame mages awakened by the Commander-nim are following orders the best.”

“Good. Keep helping them grow like that. They’re going to be utilized as low-ranking combatants for our Azure Syndicate.”

“Th-Then if my subordinates are low-ranking, what am I…?”

Though somewhat hesitant, Ji-hwa’s eyes were clearly filled with expectation. Phoenix sighed and promised.

“If you can just find out the location of this ‘meeting,’ I’ll create an executive position for you.”

“Thank you, Commander-nim!”

Ji-hwa bowed deeply and left the room. Deokbae watched Ji-hwa and couldn’t understand him.

“Why on earth is he so happy about that? Is being an executive in an evil organization really that good?”

“Even if his entire organization was taken from him, he wants to be in a higher position than his subordinates. Just like how everyone under the CEO is an employee, but there are still ranks among those employees.”

“…That’s not it.”

Gaeul shook her head.

“He’s doing it because he knows he’ll die by your hand again if he doesn’t act like that. Because he’s scared.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“You see? You just killed someone, and you’re saying that?”

Gaeul retorted. Phoenix tilted his head.

“Huh? Why? I tried to negotiate with Beacon at first, didn’t I? It was that man who immediately ignored that and sent his subordinates to kill me.”

“Even so, it doesn’t mean you didn’t kill someone!”

“…It feels really contradictory coming from that face of yours, but I’ll tell you anyway.”

Phoenix kept spinning the chair before stopping it towards Gaeul.

“The place where the future Cheon Gaeul experiences a terrible future is right here, Guro. The vagrants who picked you up are refugees from this Beacon. You spent several years crushed under Beacon. I’ve effectively prevented you from experiencing such things, haven’t I? In the end.”

“Effectively, yes. But.”

Gaeul clenched her fists and glared at Phoenix.

“Even if that’s the case, I think it’s a contradiction for someone who treats killing people as an ordinary matter to talk about world peace. No matter if they’re a Villain or not.”

“…Hmph.”

Phoenix snorted and leaped out through the broken window. Seeing the blue wings spread behind his back, he must be heading to the rooftop again.

“Haa.”

As Gaeul let go of the tension, her legs gave out and she slumped down. Deokbae rose from the sofa.

“See? Why bother trying to persuade him? He’s not the type you can reason with in the first place.”

“Exactly. The more I talk to him, the stranger I feel I’m becoming.”

Gaeul was terrified by the sincerity she felt in Phoenix’s expression. It wasn’t a statement made out of feigned evil; Phoenix truly regarded human lives as trivial.

“Deokbae-ssi, are you okay? You’re being tormented so much.”

“…First of all, I’m also in the position of being a monstrous human, so I can’t refuse orders. I’ve already given up.”

Deokbae shrugged his shoulders. He had already given up everything a long time ago, ever since the moment he had burst all those who lived with him with his own hands.

“Rather, I’m curious why he hasn’t killed you yet. What on earth are you to him? Are you like a lover from a past life or something?”

“How would I know that? He’s acting like this, claiming he knows the future.”

Gaeul ruffled her hair, pulling at it. She had been deceived, falling for his angelic appearance when he saved her in the S University parking lot.

Phoenix was a murderous fiend in an angel’s disguise.

“Why did I make such a foolish bet….”

Gaeul resented herself for the day she was charmed by Phoenix.

That absurd bet that he would send her to New Seoul if she awakened as a special ability user.

Gaeul had not yet awakened as a special ability user.

* * *

“……Not knowing what’s on someone else’s mind.”

I lay back, still perched on the railing. The sky was heavily overcast with dark clouds, looking as if it would rain at any moment.

“I’m already feeling down, and now the sky is gloomy too.”

I stretched my hand towards the sky. Phoenix’s hand was as white and beautiful as jade.

“How much blood will stain this hand in the future?”

Those who block my path, those I must fight against, those I must kill.

Dozens of people immediately come to mind. They don’t know that the fragments of God are seeds that bring ruin, and they won’t let go of them. I had to snatch them away, even if it meant cutting off their hands.

That’s why it felt so awkward and strange that Cheon Gaeul, of all people, kept interfering.

I could die for you.

Though their appearances are different, their essence is the same. Cheon Gaeul, as Masquerade, followed my opinions without any objection. To the point where she might have truly died if told to.

‘No. Get a grip. The current Cheon Gaeul isn’t the woman you knew.’

She’s a human from a pure time before experiencing a terrible past. And the one who made Cheon Gaeul into such a human was none other than me.

‘I have to understand. Understand.’

I stood up and stepped onto the railing. The sun setting in the west had not yet disappeared below the horizon.

“Huu.”

Let’s think about my relationship with Cheon Gaeul later. Right now, it’s time to focus all my attention on the information that came through the Black Market.

“As expected, it’s starting.”

Seoul Reclamation Operation.

There are four days left until April 15th, the execution date of the operation purchased from Baek Sang-woo.

* * *

At the same time, New Seoul Government Complex.

“Please come this way, Lee Seung-hyung Hero-nim.”

Following the Head of Security’s guidance, Seung-hyung walked down the corridor. From the moment he entered the government complex, everyone who noticed Seung-hyung whispered about him.

– Oh my god, it’s Lee Seung-hyung! Why is he here?

– He’s the President’s nephew! He must have been called because he became S-grade.

– He’s really handsome.

– What’s he doing, acting like he’s mourning Cheon Gaeul?

Surprise. Envy. Aspiration. Hatred. The voices and emotions of the people pierced Seung-hyung even more intensely.

“……Huu.”

Seung-hyung took a deep breath, calming his seething emotions. The man he was about to meet was someone he absolutely had to face with composure.

“He’s inside.”

The Head of Security pointed to a small room beyond the door. Seung-hyung entered the room with familiar steps.

“You’re here?”

The man who had been moving his pen in the small office, Seonui Cheol, closed his file and stood up.

Seonui Cheol’s height was short, only reaching Seung-hyung’s chest, but he had already become the top leader of New Seoul.

“Sit.”

“Yes.”

Naturally, Seonui Cheol sat in the main seat, and Seung-hyung sat beside him.

“First, congratulations on becoming S-grade.”

“Thank you.”

Seung-hyung bowed his head, showing his respect. Although it had already been a week since he became S-grade, Seung-hyung had not yet directly met Seonui Cheol. No, he hadn’t wanted to.

Seonui Cheol frowned, looking at the name tag hanging on Seung-hyung’s chest.

“Are you still going to insist on using your maternal family’s surname?”

“…It is also my father-nim’s wish.”

His name, originally Seon Seung-hyung, came to adopt his maternal family’s surname according to the will of his deceased father after the Pyongyang incident.

Seonui Cheol had never been pleased with that, even to this day.

“People’s imaginations are truly amazing. An uncle and nephew with different surnames. Some even chatter about illegitimate children and such.”

“…….”

Seung-hyung simply remained silent. It was also a silent protest, urging him to get to the point quickly.

Seonui Cheol clicked his tongue and swiped through the screen of his smartwatch.

“Sign it.”

“I refuse.”

Seung-hyung met Seonui Cheol’s gaze. Seonui Cheol’s sharp sanpaku eyes flashed as he shouted.

“Sign it!”

“I refuse. I am a Hero affiliated with the Association. I am not affiliated with the Republic of Korea government.”

“Are you trying to strong-arm me now, relying on the Association?”

No matter how transnational the Hero Association was, it couldn’t completely ignore the influence of a country’s government.

Especially in Korea, the government’s power was still greater than the Association’s. After the Pyongyang incident, as the Association reduced its support for Korea, paradoxically, the government’s power grew even stronger.

“It’s a chance to reclaim Seoul! With the new Gyeongbu Line connecting Seoul, New Seoul, and Busan, we can rise again!”

“I understand the intention. The plan to deploy me to Seoul, which has become a monster’s land, and revive Seoul. But, you see.”

Flames blazed in Seung-hyung’s eyes.

“Does President-nim truly intend to reclaim Seoul to save the refugees there? Or is President-nim thinking more about the other benefits to be gained from reclaiming Seoul?”

“I won’t deny it.”

Even against the S-grade Hero’s momentum, Seonui Cheol didn’t bat an eye.

“Boosting the morale of the entire nation through Seoul’s reclamation, the monster cores scattered throughout Seoul, a President who successfully reclaimed Seoul. There are immense benefits beyond that.”

Seonui Cheol tapped the armrest with his finger and continued speaking.

“But those are merely incidental benefits. The ultimate goal is the prosperity and military strength of this nation, the Republic of Korea.”

Resentment began to mix in Seonui Cheol’s voice.

“Do you understand how it feels to know perfectly well that China launched missiles and yet be unable to say anything? How long must we live, caught between China and Japan, being ignored? If we reclaim Seoul, the whole world will pay attention to us again.”

Seonui Cheol’s finger pointed at Seung-hyung.

“Just like you’re being mentioned as the master of the vacant seat on the Round Table.”

“…That’s an absurd thing to say.”

The spark that had been burning in Seung-hyung’s eyes extinguished.

“I am merely a greenhorn who couldn’t even properly save one person. Therefore, I ask that you cancel this operation, which was planned around me.”

Seung-hyung closed the screen. Seonui Cheol nodded as if he had expected it.

“Alright. But remember this.”

Seonui Cheol twisted the corner of his mouth upwards.

“You will undoubtedly be at the vanguard of the forces advancing into Seoul four days from now.”

“That will absolutely not happen.”

Seung-hyung abruptly stood up and exited the door. Their conversations always ended like this, with their feelings hurt in a short amount of time.

“…….”

Seung-hyung, noticing the Head of Security’s gaze, idly left the government complex.

The sky of New Seoul was as gloomy as Seung-hyung’s heart.