Missile Deception and Submerged Flames
The branch chief watched Unjang's battle with a furrowed brow. Her opponent was a "villain fire mage disguised as reacting to a monster." Probably some idiot trying to smuggle in a monster core. And now that idiot was clashing with Unjang.
Gritting his teeth as he stared at the footage from Red Hare's magiarmor, the branch chief thought, 'Is she struggling on her own?'
His years of commanding hero-monster battles told him the truth: Unjang and Red Hare were being toyed with by this nameless villain.
"As expected of Unjang!"
But the oblivious staff mistook it for Unjang overwhelmingly dominating the villain. Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions echoed through the situation room every time Unjang hammered the villain's barrier. Her subordinates chanted her name, convinced of her victory.
'If I even hint that things are going south here...'
Unjang was a "hero" in China's hero world—or more accurately, a propaganda tool for the Party. Ordering a retreat or calling for backup would bring the Public Security Bureau knocking on his door, accusing him of tarnishing her prestige.
'And if Unjang actually dies?'
It wouldn't happen, but with even a 1% chance, anxiety was inevitable. Just as the branch chief stewed in worry, Unjang sliced off the villain's wings.
A thunderous roar shook the area, so intense that the relay drone broadcasting the fight malfunctioned.
"What happened?!"
"The explosion just took out the relay drone! Switching to Red Hare's magiarmor feed!"
The monitor operator hurriedly flipped the feed to Red Hare. The helmet camera showed the girl readying a fireball.
"Th-this is..."
"Damn it!"
The branch chief slammed the table in fury. At that moment, his terminal blared with an incoming call.
His rage faltering at the breach in this crisis, the branch chief straightened up and answered. "Yes! This is Ryu Yo-ho, Hero Association Branch Chief!"
[No need for greetings. Issue the orders immediately.]
The caller's arrogant interruption left the branch chief no choice but to listen submissively. This was the man known as the top power under the Chairman himself.
[Fire a missile at the 'monster' fighting Unjang. Handle deleting the battle footage yourself.]
"Pardon? Monster? The enemy is human—"
[A monster. I said it clearly.]
What had he just heard? The branch chief panicked and reflexively questioned it.
[Why the surprise? It was your idea to casually blast a monster over the border to another country.]
Click. The line went dead. The branch chief stared blankly at his terminal.
A scheme to chase an overwhelming monster from the border zone onto another nation's territory. It was exactly the plan he'd proposed to HQ.
'But a missile? Already fired?'
His fists trembled as he clenched them tightly.
'The Party finally recognizes me!'
Exiled to this remote post, his body might be in the Association, but his heart had left long ago. Swallowing dreams of rising to the Party's center, he barked orders to his staff.
"Cut the feed! Unjang's about to use her ultimate technique!"
"Yes, sir!"
Unjang's ultimate was a strategic state secret managed directly by the Party, so the staff unquestioningly halted the broadcast without suspicion.
"Huh?"
One monitor operator paused mid-cut. The villain was filling the sky with fireballs, toying with Unjang.
The branch chief rushed over and stopped it himself. "You."
"Y-yes, sir?!"
The staffer paled.
"Remember that reporter who tried filming Unjang's ultimate for the news? You know what happened to him."
"...Eek."
Even amid monsters and the Hero Association's rise, the Public Security Bureau's power in China was terrifying. The branch chief patted the man's shoulder with a kindly smile.
"It's fine. You stopped it in time. See more, and even the Association won't save you."
Leaving the nodding, ashen-faced staffer, the branch chief addressed the silent room. "Unjang will crush the enemy with her ultimate! Now, figure out where and why that thing appeared in our seas!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the staff snapped back to their duties, the branch chief glared coldly at the one sorting footage.
'Just delete it later.'
Imagining himself adorned with Party medals, he smacked his lips.
"Snap out of it! Red Hare!"
Xiao Lin yanked the reins of the excited Red Hare. Neighhh?! Even squeezing out remaining mana to reinforce them, Red Hare wouldn't calm.
Realizing Red Hare's frenzy was the instinct of prey before a predator, Xiao Lin hesitated to turn it around aggressively.
'Scared? Me?'
She, who always burned fiercer against the strong, had dropped her weapon before this foe. Her pounding heart showed no sign of slowing.
'But I can't run now.'
Xiao Lin gripped her crescent blade with trembling hands. If this overwhelming enemy landed in a coastal city? If the villain vented on another after escaping her?
'I have to stop it.'
She might die, but she had to. That was a hero's duty facing evil.
"Red Hare, please! ...?!"
Pulling the reins again and turning toward the phoenix, Xiao Lin blanched at an object streaking overhead.
"That?!"
Sensing the Party's extreme call—unable to handle the villain alone, they'd fired a missile to drive it off—she realized.
"Ah."
Red Hare still fled blindly. Xiao Lin couldn't look away until the warhead struck.
'She's... smiling?'
The blue-haired girl smiled even as the missile hit. Then—
KABOOOOOM!! The missile burying into the girl's gut ended it for Xiao Lin, who blacked out in the mana explosion.
It was utterly ridiculous no matter how I thought about it.
'These guys are insane.'
Conventional weapons don't work on monsters—that's common sense in this world. Monsters are born from Earth's "magi," influenced by the dimensional gates the castle lord spews to find a new world to destroy. A thin mana film on their hides grants invincible barriers against pure Earth forces.
'Only ability users can take down monsters.'
Earth countered by birthing heroes attuned to that magi. Modern militaries handled policing, evacuations, and stalling until heroes arrived.
'And they fired a missile at me?'
I cooled my head in the cold seawater. Breathing fine in magma before, the ocean depths posed no issue.
'Got to test a defense skill too.'
Enveloping my body in blue flames—Azure Flame—the technique Veil of Azure Flame blocked external attacks. Absorbing and storing fire-attribute hits, it now cocooned me like a cannon shell.
'Stuck lugging a missile now.'
Phoenix alone was threat enough; releasing the veil downtown would cause havoc.
'Not like I'm a suicide bomber.'
Holding the veil tight, I checked my internal mana flow.
'Don't act rashly.'
Poor grasp of Phoenix's powers led to eating a missile. Toying with one of the 12 heroes without realizing her strength meant the world would soon know of Phoenix.
'No good. Mystery is key for Phoenix.'
She stayed hidden until cadres fell, a mystique character. Her debut was unfolding wings from a U.S. carrier before the boss fight.
'Gotta lay low now.'
If I stayed submerged post-explosion, they might assume drowning.
'Hide mana first.'
I sealed leaks, burying power deep to undetectable levels.
'No one'll notice now.'
Harder for instant use, but better than alerting Xiao Lin again.
'Time to move.'
The seafloor sloped up. Follow it to land. I stepped lightly, parting currents.
'Feels like scuba diving. Novel.'
Possession let me swim magma, fly jet-like.
'Who body-tanks a missile anyway?'
Chuckling at the absurdity, I pegged the shooter as China's No. 2, Xiao Lin event's main villain: Monster Countermeasures Director Mo Taek-pyeong.
'Who else pulls this madness?'
Ambitious to unify the world via monsters. He'd use the missile's fallout as war pretext, later ignoring excuses to launch barrages—a warmonger. Hard to believe such a dutiful daughter came from him—
"Huh?"
Something odd underfoot. A bump, damp sand texture.
'Wait.'
Freezing, I recalled the original game. Playthrough 7: A female ally I'd nurtured died to a sea trap during a mission. Enraged, I exterminated it next run too.
West Sea Worm. Hides in sand, engulfs prey, sprays acid.
'Just A-rank though.'
Phoenix of the Azure Flame was S+ officially. As a beast at core, the worm should instinctively fear—
'Am I an idiot?'
Hid mana too well fearing Xiao Lin. Detectable to her level, but mid-tiers saw weak prey.
'Just a little release—'
Whoosh! Floor collapsed, walls rising into a dome. I dropped my head at my stupidity.
'Nothing goes right from the start.'
Phoenix's luck stat was E officially. Irritated, I hurled fireballs into the worm's maw.
Boom! Kaboom! Boom!
"Shut up and di—"
Ah. Water in my mouth.
Hero Association New Seoul Branch, Monster Observation Network.
A staffer, steeped in cigarettes and coffee, glued to radar 24/7, spotted an anomaly.
"West Sea?"
Far west of Incheon. A faint but intense monster ping flickered briefly.
"......?"
Blinking in disbelief, the staffer eyed the expanding circles—clearly S-rank or higher.
"Huh? Gone now?"
Hallucinating? As he reached for his paper cup, another ping.
"Gah?!"
A-rank. Enough to raze a city, heading from sea to West Sea land.
"Emergency, emer—"
Beep. Then the A-rank vanished too. Both signals—S and A—evaporated.
"......What the hell?"
Debating a report, he pondered, then shook his head and dozed off.
"Just sleep-deprived... sleep..."
Head dropping, he resumed snoring.