Chapter 4 : Haran’s Upgrade and the Phoenix Revelation

“Bbyak, should we grill some meat tonight?”

I’m in a good mood.

My part-time job ended early, and I have nothing scheduled for a while.

Since it’s like this, I might as well go to the mart and do some shopping.

Today is a pork belly party.

Bbyak bbyak!

Looks like Bbyak likes the idea too, answering from inside my pocket.

“But you have to behave yourself inside the mart, okay?”

Bbyak bbyak!

As expected, my Bbyak is so smart.

Definitely a genius even among Phoenixes.

With that, I arrived at the mart next to the convenience store.

Standing at the entrance, I stared at the red cart, thinking.

Should I take the cart? It’s convenient, but…

Eh, I’m only buying pork belly and some lettuce, so why bother with a cart?

I’ll just take a basket.

I strolled around the mart, checking things out. As usual, it was crowded with ladies shopping for groceries.

But what really caught my eye was something else.

The still-terrifying prices.

Nearly 3,000 won for just 100 grams of pork belly.

Lettuce? 4,000 won.

No wonder my parents always complain.

What, this is all I bought and it’s 30,000 won?

My hands and feet tremble.

And this is just for home cooking—try eating out.

It’d be at least 50,000 won.

Well, it’s for a good mood, so let’s not feel bad about it.

I handed my card to the cashier and, in five seconds, the payment was done.

Earning money is hard, but spending it is over in a flash.

For some reason, I let out a deep sigh at the emptiness.

That’s when it happened.

Wriggle, wriggle.

Bbyak started squirming in my pocket.

Like it wanted to go outside.

“What’s wrong? Feeling stuffy?”

I moved to a corner where no one was around and opened the pocket.

Then—

Flap-flap—

Bbyak suddenly flew off somewhere.

Before I could stop it, Bbyak darted around the corner.

I hurried after, and a white light appeared before my eyes.

A Gate.

It’s similar to a Tower, but a completely different space.

The Tower is a place where Players regularly climb and grow stronger.

But a Gate?

That’s the real deal.

Using the items and abilities gained from climbing the Tower, you fend off the monsters pouring out of the Gate.

Gates are mainly divided into three types and further classified into five levels.

There’s the General Gate that appears randomly in everyday places.

Then, once a month, the country-level Runaway Gate.

And finally, the Collapse Gate that occurs when a Tower climb fails.

As for the grades—

White is the lowest risk, about the difficulty of the 10th floor.

Blue is recommended for B-Rank Players and above.

Orange is for solo A-Rank Players, and Red is a national disaster.

Lastly, Black.

That’s end-of-the-world level.

The one before me now is a White Gate.

Since it just appeared, it must be a General Gate.

I heard that, at most, it’s about the 10th floor in difficulty.

Bbyak bbyak!

Bbyak kept urging me on as I hesitated.

There must be something inside.

But…

“I’m a bit uneasy.”

I felt nervous about going in.

It’s not that I don’t trust Bbyak.

But it never hurts to be careful.

Honestly, I’d rather climb a bit higher in the Tower before entering.

Safety first, self-preservation.

It’d be nice to have solid gear and plenty of potions.

I can’t always rely on Bbyak for everything.

But look at my Bbyak.

With a face full of confidence, as if telling me to trust only it.

Come to think of it, I’ve heard you can get special items from Gates.

It’s just a White one anyway. Should I give it a try?

If I leave it alone and a monster comes out, that’d be a disaster.

If I feel uneasy after entering, I can just come back out.

I’ll just check from the entrance.

Anyway, Bbyak will take care of any monsters.

It’s definitely not because I’m greedy for items or treasure.

It’s all for the good of the village.

“Alright. Let’s go in.”

Despite saying it loudly, this was my first time entering a Gate.

I’m more nervous than I thought.

I squeezed my eyes shut and carefully reached my hand forward—my body was sucked right in.

A strange feeling.

Not bad, but not exactly good either—a vague border between the two.

As soon as my whole body passed through the Gate, a wide plain spread out before me.

That’s when a giant hornet appeared.

A yellow body, a sharp stinger.

Its wings buzzed so powerfully, it felt like a helicopter was nearby.

But still, it’s just a bug.

Before my Bbyak, it’s nothing.

Bbyak!

With its wings spread wide, Bbyak flew up and sliced the hornet in half in an instant.

As expected.

Even if a hundred of those things showed up, would I even bat an eye?

One Bbyak is worth a hundred, no, a thousand!

My smart Bbyak didn’t forget to pick up the defeated hornet, either.

Even after eating breakfast, it’s still eating well.

Well, a growing child needs to eat plenty.

Chew well and grow up strong.

No matter when I see it, it’s reassuring.

More reliable than most Rankers.

My father always said.

Don’t trust people.

You never know when they’ll betray you and stab you in the back.

But Bbyak?

Absolute trust in me.

Never betrays me.

It really feels like I’ve gained a thousand troops.

Cute and lovable, but also dependable.

You’re the best, Kim Bbyak!

I patted its head, feeling proud.

Then—

Bbyak?

Bbyak tilted its head suddenly.

Then it started flying off somewhere.

***

Bbyak shot off at an incredible speed.

There, a horde of grasshoppers and giant mantises were screeching in a frenzy.

The mantises were one thing, but the countless grasshoppers would make even a seasoned Player hesitate.

But Bbyak was different.

Its wings flared wide, its whole body bursting into flames as it charged into the swarm.

Grasshoppers rained down from the sky.

Just brushing past them turned them into crispy fried grasshoppers.

Next up, the mantis.

What’s there to say?

Of course, it’s a one-hit finish.

A mantis is no different from a grasshopper.

Bbyak bbyak!

Wings fluttering in happiness.

As expected, the best health food is giant mantis meat.

Not only is it big, but it tastes great too.

“Ph- Phoenix.”

That’s when it happened.

A surprised woman’s voice rang out.

A woman with black hair, wearing a skin-tight bodysuit.

It was Seo Rin.

Bbyak?

Just in time, Woo min arrived and quickly hid Bbyak in surprise.

“Wh-who are you?”

“That was a Phoenix just now, right?”

This is bad.

I never thought someone would come in before me.

There’s nothing good about having Bbyak’s identity exposed.

A Phoenix, after all.

An immortal bird.

The beast of all beasts with incredible power.

“Uh, no.”

I hurried to deny it.

But Seo Rin’s eyes were already sparkling.

“I knew it! I thought there might be a Phoenix among the undiscovered beasts. Are you a Tamer Lineage, like me? Then was that Phoenix a beast you tamed?”

She started spouting words I didn’t understand.

What’s a Tamer, and what’s taming?

“Ahaha, y-yes. Tamer.”

“Ah, I knew it. I figured there’d be more in Korea.”

Seo Rin, overjoyed, suddenly grabbed my hand.

Woo min, not used to women, blushed.

I’ll just have two kids.

One boy, one girl.

Their names will be Seram and Sein.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Yoon Seo Rin.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Kim Woo min.”

In the awkward silence, Seo Rin spoke first.

“More importantly, how did you tame a Phoenix? That’s an incredibly strong beast.”

“Well, it just sort of happened, haha.”

I can’t exactly say I gave it a kimbap in front of the convenience store.

“This White Fang White Tiger here is the beast I tamed. His name is Haran.”

“Ahaha, he looks cute.”

He looked a bit scary, but since he was sitting quietly, he must not be fierce.

“Would you like to pet him?”

“Huh?”

A sudden offer.

Pet this huge tiger?

If it bites my hand, it’ll be more than just painful.

But if I refuse now, she’ll be disappointed.

Just once.

I squeezed my eyes shut and patted Haran’s head.

Grrr.

He made a pleasant sound.

So fluffy.

Much more docile than I expected.

No wonder she’s a beast tamer.

They say all beasts love her.

See, even this giant tiger likes it.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, a Status Window appeared.

[White Fang White Tiger]

[Grade] C–B+

[Favorite Food] Meat

I can see information on a beast tamed by someone else?

I didn’t expect that.

Then what’s Seo Rin’s Harang’s current grade?

“What grade is Haran?”

“He’s C-.”

Seo Rin said proudly.

Is C- high?

My Bbyak is S-Rank, so I’m reminded of the Phoenix’s greatness.

“If it’s a Phoenix, it must be S-Rank, right? Wait, does that mean Woo min, you’re an SSS-Rank Player?”

At that moment, Seo Rin’s pupils grew wider as if she realized something.

To tame a beast, a Tamer must defeat it in battle.

But the opponent is a Phoenix.

A legendary beast.

At the very least, it must be S-Rank.

And if Woo min tamed a Phoenix?

If he isn’t an SSS-Rank Player, it doesn’t make sense.

And so far, there’s only been one registered Tamer Lineage Player in Korea—Seo Rin herself.

Now it all makes sense why he hasn’t been seen until now.

He awakened yesterday and happened to tame a Phoenix!

Everything clicked together in her mind like puzzle pieces.

Meanwhile, Woo min, flustered, hurried to cover up.

There’s nothing good about people knowing I’m SSS-Rank.

I didn’t even register with the association on purpose—can’t be found out like this.

“A-actually, Bbyak isn’t a Phoenix!”

“Huh?”

“Uh, ah. Fire Chicken? Yes. It’s a Fire Chicken.”

I just blurted out whatever came to mind.

There are so many types of beasts—she’ll get it.

“The grade is B. Haha.”

“Oh,”

Seo Rin looked disappointed.

Well, of course, she’d be disappointed after thinking I was an SSS-Rank Player.

“I see. Sorry, I got too excited and was rude.”

Seeing Seo Rin looking downcast pricked my conscience.

It feels like I lied.

Well, I did, but it wasn’t for a bad reason.

“B-but I have another skill. I can tell what food a beast likes?”

“Huh?”

“Haran likes meat.”

Seo Rin tilted her head at my words.

I mean, who would ever think to feed a beast? No one’s ever given them anything.

Just be glad you don’t get eaten.

“Oh, right. I just happened to buy some pork belly.”

She still looked doubtful.

Then I’ll just show her.

I was planning to eat it with Bbyak for dinner, but I can always buy more pork belly.

I tossed some meat to Haran, who was sitting quietly.

Chomp.

In an instant, Haran devoured the entire pack.

Then—

Grrrr—

An enormous energy surged out.

[The grade of White Fang White Tiger has increased.]

Haran’s grade suddenly rose!