Part 1, Chapter 6 (3)

And so, Seok Harang’s date-winning coaching ended.

It seemed the skin was subtly to her liking, as she didn’t revert to her original trench coat, and I had no intention of reverting it either.

Just as a priest’s robes or a veil act as armor, Seok Harang’s clothing, transformed by my mana, could also provide a certain degree of protection.

Because of that, it was convenient not to have to change clothes for what was to happen after a simple meal at the cafe.

Since there was no risk of clothes tearing, I could strike with peace of mind.

* * *

[Slow.]

At Phoenix’s gesture, the ice butterflies turned to dust. The butterflies vanished without dealing any damage to the opponent, but their dust remained in the atmosphere and clung to Phoenix’s body.

*Crack*. Frost formed on Phoenix’s armor.

[Indeed. You made sure not to just die.]

[Of course!]

Seok Harang flapped her butterfly wings above Phoenix. Ice dust scattered from her wings, filling the area around Phoenix.

[Certainly, you’ve gotten heavier than during Gwanak.]

[That’s sexual harassment!]

[I’m talking about mana, you idiot.]

The mana contained in each butterfly slightly surpassed Phoenix’s fireballs. The ice butterflies shattered the fireballs Phoenix shot out and flew towards Phoenix.

With their power slightly diminished, butterflies flew in from all directions. Phoenix darted through a very brief opening.

[I’ll need to reinforce my speed.]

Phoenix rammed into the butterflies with her armor still on. Parts of the armor froze and dented, but she soon generated fire to melt the ice.

[Awakening as a Spirit makes you better than before.]

[Of course. Did you think I’d just stay stupid after suffering that humiliation?]

Seok Harang smiled, her blue-gray eyes shining. As proof that she was fully drawing out the Spirit’s power, mana solidified like ice crystals and glowed within her pupils.

[Your growth rate is fast too. At this rate, you might even kill me soon.]

[Not ‘soon,’ but now!]

Seok Harang stretched her hand towards the sky. All the moisture in the atmosphere turned into ice. Phoenix surrounded herself with mana, securing a safe distance.

A space with a radius of approximately 5m formed around Phoenix. Ice crystals formed in all other spaces, rapidly rotating and creating a blizzard.

[It reminds me of the fight with Gwanggeom.]

Phoenix replayed the battle with Heo Yun-hwan in her mind. He freely created waves, trying to drown Phoenix.

[Die!]

Seok Harang created a massive chunk of ice above her hand, raised high to the sky. The enormous ice chunk, large enough to fill nearly half the Barrier, resembled a glacier brought from the Arctic.

Phoenix ignited fire in each of her hands.

[It’s still not enough. Half-wit.]

[Again, again!]

Seok Harang threw the glacier, annoyed. The colossal glacier, obscuring even the sky, fell towards Phoenix like a meteor.

[At this rate, I won’t be able to educate you.]

Phoenix shook her head, raising her hand,

[Today’s lesson ends here, Seok Harang student.]

She brought her hands together as if in prayer. Two flames, merged within a blue membrane, rotated violently, causing mana to surge.

[What kind of mana?!]

Seok Harang flapped her wings and fled to the edge of the Barrier. She pulled her wings forward to create a shield towards the front.

[Go home, reflect, and review.]

Phoenix tore apart the mana membrane. The Azure Flame, which had been endlessly dividing, burst forth.

*BOOOOOOM—-!!*

With an explosion that seemed to tear eardrums, the inside of the Barrier was dyed blue.

* * *

4 PM, Seok Harang’s residence in Busan.

“There’s no homework.”

“…….”

Seok Harang slammed her forehead onto the table and collapsed. I lay on the beanbag and poked Seok Harang’s side with my foot.

“Snap out of it. I was originally going to do two more hours, but I ended it early.”

“Even college entrance exam tutoring wasn’t this intense….”

“Do you want to mess up your college entrance exam, or have the world be destroyed?”

“……If I were a senior in high school, it would definitely be the former.”

Should I be grateful that Seok Harang is a sophomore in college? I sucked on the straw of the packaged drink in my hand.

“Do well. When I go overseas, you’ll have to protect the house.”

“Of course. Fire Fist ahjussi coughs up blood every time he goes to Seoul, so he’s completely unreliable….”

Seok Harang turned only her head, her face still buried in the table. Her expression was full of doubt and uncertainty.

“Now that I think about it, your color was a bit in ahjussi’s flames.”

“Ah, I awakened him.”

“…Really? No wonder. I wondered why that slacker, who used to just follow celebrities around and not train, suddenly became S-class.”

Seok Harang fell off the table and crawled towards me.

“Then can’t I just awaken the Association’s heroes too? Even if it’s not anyone else, I bet Wusa ahjussi would immediately become S-class.”

“If you want to marry Wusa, go ahead and try. Did you forget what happened in Seoul?”

“……Ugh.”

Seok Harang clutched her forehead and rolled on the floor.

“You probably hold the Guinness record for falling for so many people in two days. 5,000 people? *Pfft*.”

“Do you wanna die?”

“Will you be okay without me? You’re the type to go all *hebeolle~* if someone you meet has even a slightly high water affinity rate.”

“……That’s not good.”

Seok Harang struggled, then placed her head on my lap. It was heavier than I expected.

“Hey. You’re lucky. There are hardly any fire-attribute ability users in the world, aren’t there?”

“Instead, my judgment gets clouded. Originally, I was just going to ignore or kill Lee Seung-hyung, but since he was the first fire-attribute user I met, I was happy to see him….”

“…Then what would you have done if ahjussi had a different attribute?”

“Why are you asking something so obvious?”

I drew my thumb across my neck. Seok Harang made a disgusted expression. Then she soon widened her eyes and asked.

“Did you perhaps fall for ahjussi? Is that why you even made him S-class!”

“Me? Is she crazy?”

I bounced my thigh, making Seok Harang fall off. Seok Harang, who had rolled 360 degrees to the side, climbed onto the beanbag next to me and brought her face close.

“See?! That’s why you’re letting him live. There’s no other reason for a vicious bastard who killed my dad to let Lee Seung-hyung live!”

“Excuse me. While there’s no reason to let him live, there’s also no reason to kill him. More than anything…….”

I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her. Seok Harang rested her chin on my shoulder and poked my side with her hand. She swayed her head left and right where her breath touched me, laughing playfully.

“What is it, what is it? Is there another episode I don’t know about? Tell me. If you tell me, I won’t kill you today. Huh?”

“…….”

If an ordinary person committed such an outrage on Phoenix’s body, their touching body part would have been incinerated. But remembering my connection with Seok Harang, I just left her be.

“…I don’t have that kind of taste.”

*Thump, thump*. I could hear Seok Harang’s heartbeat from where our chests touched. The scent of a living human’s skin, different from a monstrous human’s Core pulsation, tickled my nose. Seok Harang’s cool breath brushed my forehead and cheek.

“Why? Ahjussi is handsome, isn’t he? Don’t you know Lee Seung-hyung, the Heart Bomber?”

“Right now, my heart is being bombed, you know?”

Seok Harang always liked to stick close like this and chat about trivial things. She claimed that because she was ice-attribute, she could feel body heat well or something. My hand habitually stroked Seok Harang’s head. …I couldn’t endure it any longer.

“Hey, Seok Harang-ah.”

“……?”

“Don’t you try to conquer me too.”

Seok Harang was dumbfounded and couldn’t say anything, then grabbed my collar and shook me.

“Is this crazy? You’re so full of yourself, you psycho? Last time you said you liked yourself the most, but this is full-blown delulu, isn’t it? Don’t you try to charm me.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

I removed my hand from Seok Harang’s head.

“……Do you know Cheon Gaeul?”

“Yeah. Lee Seung-hyung’s dead crush, isn’t she? I cried so much. Her last love ended up like that, and the viewership ratings dropped to single digits.”

“She’s alive. In Seoul. With the Azure Syndicate.”

“……OMG. What a huge event.”

I grabbed Seok Harang’s lips, shook them, then let go.

“So don’t go telling anyone. I don’t want to bother Gaeul-ssi by killing Lee Seung-hyung for no reason. Even if you say you won’t tell anyone, I don’t trust you one bit.”

“…No, shouldn’t you at least give me a chance? Do you think I’d go around talking?!”

“Well, I think you’d blab about it from the start if you met Eun Yuha.”

“Do you think I’m a blabbermouth like you!”

Oh, you. I grabbed the top of Seok Harang’s head and shook it.

“I trust that your mouth is as heavy as your body. If you tell anyone….”

I put my mouth to Seok Harang’s ear and whispered.

“Eun Yuha will become my wife.”

“……I swear on Gwanggeom’s honor. I won’t utter a single word.”

I sighed and got up from the beanbag. Seok Harang made a zipping motion over her mouth with a determined look.

“I enjoyed the drink. I’m heading back to Seoul now.”

“Huh. But why are you leaving so fast? Why not stay a bit longer?”

“You’re trying to extract more information about me liking Eun Yuha, aren’t you? No way.”

“Damn, your intuition is disgustingly good. Fine. Get lost quickly. This girl is no help at all.”

Seok Harang, still lying down, poked my thigh. I grabbed her ankle, threw Seok Harang onto the beanbag, and flew out the window.

*CRASH!*

“You motherf*cking b*stard!!!”

It’s unknown.

* * *

7 PM, New Seoul Government Office.

Seonui Cheol drank herbal tea while signing numerous approval documents on the table.

“Your Excellency. Ryu Cheon-seong has returned to Seoul. Seok Chan is….”

“Enough. Would he even want to share a meal with me?”

Jang Hu-jeong, the Minister of Monster Countermeasures, did not hide his displeasure. The villain had laundered his identity and become the mayor of 60,000 Seoul citizens. Prime Minister Baek Se-jun asked with a voice full of concern.

“Shouldn’t we dispatch at least a vice-mayor? If the government has no way to check Seoul, then Seoul will almost….”

“Isn’t it all the same Republic of Korea? Enough.”

Seonui Cheol raised his hand to stop Baek Se-jun. His appearance was somewhat like an enlightened Taoist.

“If we meddle unnecessarily, it’ll be a hindrance. Who would benefit if Seoul is recovered quickly? It’s all for the good fortune of the Republic of Korea.”

“Your Excellency, *gasp*!”

Jang Hu-jeong was deeply impressed. Baek Se-jun also swallowed hard.

“Ryu Cheon-seong, four-term, no, Mayor Ryu Cheon-seong, and all of us, aren’t we all former assembly members? Hahaha. I miss the days when we used to fight it out in Yeouido.”

Seonui Cheol stroked the scratch on his glasses and laughed.

“Once Seoul stabilizes, shouldn’t we go up there at least once? Gwanghwamun, Seocho, …and Yeouido too.”

“That’s right, Your Excellency. But….”

Jang Hu-jeong hesitated, pointing to the document Seonui Cheol was about to sign.

“What will you do about Japan’s request?”

“Dispatching S-class?”

When Baek Se-jun asked, Jang Hu-jeong nodded.

“The monster in Okinawa is said to have disappeared while moving north. We are trying to ascertain its whereabouts, but it hasn’t been found yet.”

“…Then there’s no reason to dispatch anyone, is there?”

Seonui Cheol picked up the document. Seonui Cheol tore the document, which had officially come through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, into pieces with both hands.

“Let those Japs handle their own affairs. Don’t they have the Round Table over there? *Heheheh*.”

“…Your Excellency, with Gwanggeom absent, if a dimensional gate were to appear as it did during the fight-“

“My nephew will take care of it. Hahaha!”

Seonui Cheol laughed heartily. Baek Se-jun and Jang Hu-jeong echoed his laughter with awkward smiles.

“It seems you’ve grown much closer recently. You even helped Lee Seung-hyung escape the Association dormitory and found him a house near the government office, didn’t you?”

“That’s right. Seeing Your Excellency care for your nephew, I’m truly envious.”

“Is that so? Hahaha!”

Ever since Gwanggeom’s first battle with the murderer in Daejeon, Seonui Cheol had cherished and doted on Lee Seung-hyung even more. Seonui Cheol grabbed Baek Se-jun’s shoulder, shook it, and laughed.

“Prime Minister! Isn’t your daughter of marriageable age now?”

Baek Se-jun brightened and turned his body towards Seonui Cheol.

“M-my child is lacking. I’m ashamed to present her anywhere, but….”

“Let’s invite her here for a meal sometime! Hahaha, I’m truly blessed with good fortune to meet and receive help from such a good person as the Prime Minister. Sometimes, it feels like we’re family!”

Watching the President and Prime Minister exchange pleasantries, Jang Hu-jeong swallowed his words inwardly.

‘Even though they don’t know where Lee Seung-hyung is right now.’

Jang Hu-jeong subtly hid the message that came to his smartwatch. Since Team Leader Kang Soyeon’s disappearance, the Praetor had been monitoring the movements of all heroes in real-time.

‘What kind of accident will happen next?’

The night in New Seoul deepened.

* * *

8 PM, S University, Seoul.

Lee Seung-hyung stood on the grounds of S University, where no one else was.

Without anyone knowing he had come here, Lee Seung-hyung had taken off his smartwatch and crossed Gwanak Mountain alone.

“…….”

Lee Seung-hyung placed the chrysanthemum he held in his arms in the middle of the ruined parking lot. There was no tombstone, not even a burial site, but Lee Seung-hyung placed the chrysanthemum on the asphalt ground and offered a silent prayer.

“Hmm, so it was you.”

Someone jumped down from the building’s rooftop. The sound of high heels echoed on the asphalt, and the woman’s skin, illuminated by moonlight, was pale and bloodless.

“Who are you praying to?”

“……You don’t need to know that. Villain.”

“Phantom, actually?”

The corners of the mouth beneath the mask curved like a crescent moon. Lee Seung-hyung endured the stabbing pain in his chest and gathered his mana.

“They say a gumiho’s organs transform into a human.”

The lips beneath the mask were remarkably similar to Cheon Gaeul’s. Lee Seung-hyung, who had researched Cheon Gaeul countless times for kiss scenes, was so dazed by the remarkably similar lips.

“Oh my. Are you calling me a gumiho? That’s kind of you.”

Nine amorphous tails swayed behind Phantom. As Phantom, dyed grayish-white from head to tail, raised her mana, Lee Seung-hyung took his stance.

“Although you’re called by other names, I cannot hurt a lady’s feelings.”

“Are you going to make people curious and then do that? That’s too much.”

“…Because I can’t understand the mindset of those perverts.”

The perverts, calling themselves gentlemen, called Phantom ‘Tentacle Woman’ on the network. Lee Seung-hyung couldn’t bring himself to call a lady such a disgraceful name. Phantom snorted.

“What does it matter? Anyway, why are you here? Overtime is the enemy of good skin. Quickly state your business. This unnie is a busy person and needs to get her bed warmed up quickly.”

“…I came to find someone.”

“You can just look at the list of resurrected residents, can’t you?”

Lee Seung-hyung shook his head.

“……She might still be somewhere in Seoul. I have to find her. So please move aside.”

“I’m sorry, but at this hour, a hero like you cannot set foot in Seoul. To the citizens, Seoul’s heroes are scarier than smallpox.”

“……I must find the person I couldn’t protect!! Cheon Gaeul-ssi!”

At Lee Seung-hyung’s desperate cry, Phantom’s hand flinched. Lee Seung-hyung’s sharp eye immediately noticed it.

“H-hold on, could it be?!”

“……Curious? Where Cheon Gaeul is?”

Lee Seung-hyung nodded vigorously. Phantom raised her hand over her mask.

*Whoosh*. Phantom’s mask disappeared, and her body was enveloped in gray mist. As the mist soon settled, Lee Seung-hyung appeared, sporting nine amorphous tails.

To the astonished Lee Seung-hyung, Phantom spoke in Lee Seung-hyung’s voice.

“My ability is to copy an opponent exactly after seeing them once. As you can see, the t-tails remain, so it’s easily noticeable, but….”

Phantom, who had somehow put the mask she held in her hand back on her face, swept her hand again. The mist shimmered, revealing a woman’s silhouette.

“!”

Lee Seung-hyung’s expression stiffened.

The woman he had longed for and buried in his heart for nearly two months appeared with the same face and the same clothes. With nine tails, right at the very spot where they had last parted.

Phantom chuckled softly. The déjà vu that her smile was so similar to someone else’s made Lee Seung-hyung’s head ache momentarily.

“Ha…!”

However, Lee Seung-hyung calmed his wavering mana and wrapped white flames around his fist. The hint the opponent gave. Anyone who heard it would immediately understand.

“Alright. Fine. Oh, great Fire Fist-nim. Go on, try to defeat me. Then I’ll tell you where the person you desire so much is.”

Phantom, Gaeul, sharpened the blades of her nine tentacles.

“Where the woman you couldn’t protect, Cheon Gaeul, is.”

“Uwaaaaaah!!”

With Lee Seung-hyung’s battle cry, his fist and the tentacles clashed.