Laughter on the Rooftop, Birth of the Fire Fist
"Ahahaha!"
Descending the mountain path to the rooftop of a building in Gangdong, Phoenix laughed so hard it seemed like the whole structure might flip over. Jo Deok-bae, following behind, had his grayish skin flushed red to the point of bursting.
"Cheonghwa's Colossus, puhuhu. Oh man, that's hilarious!"
"You even prepared your own lines and everything. Did I say that?"
"I didn't say a word. Everything that came out of a mouth was from you, Jo Deok-bae."
Deok-bae muttered a timid retort. But Phoenix, unfazed, leaned against the wall giggling before putting on a solemn expression and extending a hand to him.
"Do you want power?"
"Sure. If it's the kind that lets me sew up that mouth of yours, I'll take as much as you got."
"Eh, maybe not that."
Phoenix straightened up and waved it off. Deok-bae silently vowed to one day stitch that foul mouth shut, then pointed toward the peak of Gwanak Mountain.
"So you're really gonna leave that thing in charge and run?"
At the summit, the Shadow Phoenix was clashing with Lee Seung-hyung. Even with one wing lost, it flaunted its overwhelming power, forcing Seung-hyung to dodge desperately while waiting for an opening to strike.
"Yep. They're fighting pretty well, right? Fire attribute after all. Should buy us plenty of time."
Phoenix clicked her tongue, impressed by how deftly Seung-hyung was deflecting attacks—better than expected.
Not for nothing did the protagonist get strong after gaining Phoenix's power.
Phoenix's essence was Azure Flame itself, pure fire mana. The tiny spark passed directly from that source had awakened Seung-hyung's potential and cleared his blocked mana pathways.
He might even hit S-rank at this rate.
His latent abilities were blooming rapidly in the fight with the Shadow. Absorbing the Azure Flame stored in the spirit stone like an elixir, Seung-hyung was now clashing fists directly against the Shadow's talons.
"Isn't that guy getting too strong?"
Deok-bae muttered worriedly. Phoenix grinned shamelessly and tapped her chest.
"That's why I planted a bomb in his heart. I can blow it up anytime I want. Boom!"
The Azure Flame embedded in his heart burned steadily, lending strength to Seung-hyung's flames. But it was Phoenix's unique mana—he could never control it on his own.
Snap.
Phoenix flicked her fingers, and Seung-hyung clutched his chest, stumbling. The Shadow Phoenix seized the moment, swinging its remaining wing to send the airborne Seung-hyung tumbling down the mountainside.
Crack!
Seung-hyung crashed through trees, uprooting them entirely, but gathered his mana and leaped back up the slope. Reorienting himself midair, he surged forward again with renewed mana toward the Shadow Phoenix.
"See? His mana flow just got disrupted by the Azure Flame. Until I release it on purpose, he'll carry that thing for life."
"The real devil's right here. What the hell's God doing, not dragging scum like you off?"
"?? I am God, you know?"
"You are?"
Deok-bae prepared a torrent of blasphemous retorts in his head. Phoenix blinked for a moment, then laughed.
"Ahaha. The creator god who made you, Jo Deok-bae. So hurry up and praise me. Number Two Apostle."
"Just kill me instead."
"Aw, come on. Why would I toss you aside when there's so much more use left? I'll squeeze every last drop out of you. Puhuhu."
"Until when?"
Deok-bae asked with a hardened expression. Phoenix wiped the grin away at his serious tone and answered straight.
"Until this world's peace is secured."
Deok-bae couldn't grasp her words at all. He had no clue what her intentions were—and didn't want to—but one thing he was dead certain of: this monster before him was genuinely pursuing "world peace."
"...Forget it. I shouldn't even ask."
Deok-bae sighed heavily, and Phoenix's smile returned as she clapped her hands.
"So, shall we head to Yeouido now? I don't wanna linger here any longer."
"You're really just gonna ditch that thing?"
Deok-bae pointed at the Shadow Phoenix rampaging like it would burn the whole mountain and Seung-hyung tussling with it.
"What if it turns him into an S-rank hero? What if he gets so strong the constraint in his heart breaks free? You got a plan?"
"Why think like that?"
Phoenix tilted her head.
"A stronger Korean hero is a good thing, right?"
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
"Where do you think another S-rank would go? Won't people start saying it's about time to reclaim Seoul? And what happens to the villains still lurking there, too attached to leave—besides the ones who run?"
Phoenix glanced toward Guro, licking her lips.
"...They'll need a strong central figure, huh? Heh."
National emergency.
By the manual, the emergence of a "Demon Species" warranted declaring a national emergency—and then some.
"Multiple hero signatures beyond the Yellow Sea territorial waters! Chinese heroes!"
"Reactions near Dokdo in the East Sea too! Japan!"
Yu Yeong-ho crushed his can and hurled it to the ground.
"Just handle it within the hour! Those damn vultures!"
The global pact forged after the Dallas Gate incident. If a dimensional gate couldn't be closed and a Demon Species emerged, any foreign power could intervene regardless of borders—a tyrannical clause. Korea had signed on too.
"Executioner order! All heroes, converge on S8 point! We hold at Anyang!"
Yeong-ho's spittle-flying command was relayed by operators. Hero signals scattered across southern Gyeonggi began converging on Uiwang City.
Even if Anyang gets totally wrecked...!
He wanted to evacuate every last civilian first, but the merciless timer ticking at the top of the monitor showed only 55 minutes left.
China and Japan can't intervene!
History proved it. The neighbors sharing borders would seize any pretext to harass Korea and pull it under their influence.
Amid transport planes in the Yellow Sea skies, he spotted the armored figure riding Red Hare.
Even Unjang is here. China means business.
As heroes gathered at the designated point, a grating signal buzzed in Yeong-ho's ear.
"What?!"
"Monster Countermeasures urgent dispatch! Gwanggeom deployment denied...!"
"Those crazy bastards?!"
Yeong-ho exploded in genuine fury, spewing curses. Cutting off the minister's call citing poor signal, just to get revenge like this?
"Kang So-yeon! Contact BH directly—get Gwanggeom here however!"
"Yes?! But if Countermeasures denied deployment—"
"You think I don't know Son Jin-gwang, that prick?! He'll lie to BH it's fine and bolt to Busan for a Japan flight—that trash!"
Yeong-ho's language grew harsher. His old field-hardened temper from before Tactical Planning was surfacing.
"Anomaly from the Demon Species?!"
An operator monitoring the mana detection screen shouted. Yeong-ho tapped his watch to enlarge it.
The image revealed the Demon Species' form. The analyzing radar showed severe damage to the monster bird's left wing.
"Who?!"
"No hero signature! Not a Hunter either!"
A Demon Species wouldn't injure itself flailing alone. But where in Seoul was an ability user strong enough to wound an S-rank or higher monster— a Demon Species?
A villain?
A villain off the Association's radar in Seoul, wounding a Demon Species now? Unbelievable. He needed some basis to judge.
"Satellite! Pull up the satellite feed!"
If it took damage, satellite imagery should catch it again. As Yeong-ho predicted, the Demon Species' mana waves faded, and a blurry satellite image emerged.
"What... the..."
One wing of the Demon bird was snapped. It tumbled down the slope but righted itself, charging toward the peak.
Gwanak Mountain's summit. Yeong-ho realized who was there.
"Lee Seung-hyung!"
No trademark fire bear form. But flames rising from his entire body signaled a new realm.
"Check Lee Seung-hyung's mana—now!"
Operators scrambled. The result on screen brought tears of joy.
"Estimated S-rank! Agent Lee Seung-hyung has awakened!"
Roooaaar!!
The headquarters erupted in cheers. Yeong-ho subtly pumped his fist.
"Lee Seung-hyung! Respond, Lee Seung-hyung!"
[This is Fire Bear—urgh!]
Seung-hyung's voice echoed through HQ. Dodging the Demon Species' attacks, he'd strained to maintain contact—and succeeded.
[It's strong! Can't handle it alone!]
"Can you lure it?"
Yeong-ho marked a route south of Gwanak. At the end of the descent: a half-ruined sports complex.
"Forty heroes on standby near Anyang!"
[Yes! Possible. This thing—definitely!]
Seung-hyung leaped back hugely. The Demon bird rolled off the cliff but flapped its other wing, pursuing.
[It's targeting me! No idea why!]
"Instinct?!"
[Yes!]
"Then follow my route—lure it!"
Yeong-ho trusted the inexplicable instincts of S-ranks from countless battlefields with Gwanggeom.
"Request Hunter support! We'll handle the Demon Species at Anyang—tell them to take out the rest of the surviving monsters!"
With the Demon Species down, Hunters could keep hunting. As expected, it torched the mountain pursuing Seung-hyung southward.
"Raid prep! A wing-broken bird-type is just chicken! Don't fear the Demon Species!"
Yeong-ho drew a deep breath. Naming an awakened hero's new moniker was the commander's duty.
He recalled the epithet he'd prepared long ago.
"We have a new S-rank hero: Fire Fist!!"
"Oh. It's heading down. Can't see anymore. What a shame."
I offered condolences to the fake Phoenix vanishing beyond the mountain and hopped off the rooftop railing. Mana fixed my fluttering priestess skirt, preventing any mishaps.
Four stories high, but I landed flawlessly in the flower bed and slipped through an open window.
"Alright then."
Clap.
Azure Flame incinerated the dirt on my clothes and smoothed the wrinkles. The priestess outfit, designed to hold the flames themselves, settled neatly.
Skins for the win.
The DLC with cosplay outfits for main heroines, tailored to their personalities across various classes. One per heroine, 17 total—revealing an 18th heroine beyond the 16 known.
Phoenix of the Azure Flame had the "Saintess" concept priestess skin.
Didn't know how to equip it, so I just wore the uniform.
Deok-bae proved useful in so many ways. Experiments on him boosted my Azure Flame proficiency, letting me recreate game elements bit by bit.
Like weaponizing kaijin by infusing mana into Deok-bae, or imbuing clothes with Azure Flame to shift to skin forms.
The uniform wasn't gone, of course. Release the tight mana weave, and the priestess outfit reverts to uniform.
Viva, magic.
With magic ignoring natural laws, anything seemed possible. I cycled mana, switching back to uniform, and grinned as I carefully opened the door.
Creak.
Even opened meticulously to avoid hinges, the worn door rattled.
Snore, snore.
"Sleeping like a log."
Cheon Ga-eul hugged her veil like a pillow. I sat by her head, gently stroking her tousled hair.
Takes me back.
13th run? No, 14th? Getting fuzzy. Just then, Deok-bae strode toward the door.
"When we leav—"
"Shhh."
I raised a finger to my lips. Deok-bae scowled at the sleeping woman beside me.
"Face I recognize from TV."
"Know who she is?"
"Nah. But why'd you kidnap her?"
I shoved mana into his mouth.
"Kidnap? I saved her life."
"Guh—ack. Fine, say so. So now what? Sling her over your shoulder to Yeouido?"
"No. Waiting till she wakes. I can spare that much."
I brushed her hair.
"She's precious to me."
The first piece for the true ending. Second only to my own life in value.