I Will Become a Phoenix More Noble Than the Emperor - Chapter 58

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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58.

Sensing that Hwan’s expression had turned strangely cold, Seon-o hurriedly tried to change the subject.

“I spoke carelessly. You don’t need to worry about it. It’s just that I…”

“I’ve done Dragon Transformation recently too. There are places where flying is more convenient.”

“Ah, I see. Then… is there anything special needed to perform Dragon Transformation? Perhaps difficulties you experienced when first attempting it?”

“Nothing. If you have the will to do it, that’s enough.”

The simple answer cruelly crushed Seon-o’s hopes. If that was the case, then Cheong-eum truly had some problem preventing him from performing Dragon Transformation. If he asked any more, it would obviously become suspicious, so Seon-o decided to end the conversation here.

“I hope I can see your Dragon Transformation someday.”

At that, Hwan tilted his head slightly.

“We agreed to call each other differently next time.”

As he murmured quietly, Seon-o recalled their previous agreement and readily nodded.

“If you tell me what you’d like to be called, I’ll address you that way.”

“We’ll both do so?”

Both? So Hwan would also call him by something other than ‘Great One.’ Since it didn’t matter, Seon-o nodded again.

“That’s fine.”

“Seon-o.”

As soon as Seon-o finished speaking, he called out Seon-o’s name. When Seon-o looked at him in surprise, Hwan stared at Seon-o as if waiting for something.

‘My… name…?’

At the unexpected form of address, warmth rose to the back of Seon-o’s neck.

‘Ah. I didn’t expect this.’

Seon-o had been thinking of something like ‘Great Hero’ or ‘Super-Deity,’ or some other title more fitting for this world.

However, Hwan was gazing steadily at Seon-o with eyes that showed no intention of retracting his suggestion.

Seon-o’s lips trembled uncertainly, wavering as if they might or might not grant his wish.

His name…!

That was an overly familiar form of address, and since Hwan happened to be a single syllable…

“Yes, Hwan.”

It was maddeningly embarrassing.

Seon-o cut it off sharply after saying it, then pressed his lips tightly shut to prevent the terrible situation of accidentally saying ‘Hwa-an…’

When Hwan chuckled at that blunt syllable, heat rose to Seon-o’s ears as well, feeling like his intention had been read.

“I’ve never heard such a blunt way of calling my name before.”

“I call everyone like this… if you don’t like it, I can use a different form of address…”

“No, it sounds good.”

Hwan answered decisively.

“Please call me that way, Seon-o.”

When Hwan playfully called Seon-o’s name again, Seon-o’s ears tickled. His own name pronounced in that low voice felt very embarrassing. But since he had promised, he couldn’t take it back.

“Very well, Hwan. As I understand it, you need an invitation to enter the Monster Fighting Arena, Hwan.”

Seon-o deliberately kept adding Hwan’s name to get used to this embarrassment.

Seeing through his obvious ploy, Hwan nodded lightly with a faint smile.

“Have you obtained one?”

On Gang couldn’t obtain an invitation, so he disguised himself as a man and infiltrated as a worker at the Monster Fighting Arena. Seon-o had been planning the same method, but now that he would be accompanying Hwan, he couldn’t use that approach.

For both of them to enter together without arousing suspicion, they would need to use the normal method of entering with an invitation.

“I have, but to properly obtain the invitation, we’ll need to change our forms of address once more.”

When Hwan hinted subtly as if drawing things out, puzzlement appeared in Seon-o’s eyes.

‘What does form of address have to do with an invitation?’

Seon-o looked at Hwan as if demanding an explanation.

He gazed steadily into Seon-o’s eyes and parted his lips.

“In the North Sea, we will be…”

The sunset light filtering through the window fell across the face of the man wearing a faint smile.

“A married couple.”

* * *

The North Sea, located at the northern end of the Continent, was a cold and barren place.

It was also a place teeming with demons, thanks to the Yin Power that had become even sharper when mixed with the cold air.

The North Sea was once considered a place too harsh for human habitation, but when demons began pouring in excessively, it ironically started to prosper.

This was because demon hunters targeting demons, various superhumans seeking to expand their Yin Power, and merchants doing business with them all flocked there swiftly.

Once money gathered, the cold became nothing special. Rather, the North Sea became an excellent place for secretly plotting something, so all kinds of gamblers and criminals continuously flocked there.

This was thanks to being far from the Imperial Palace and having no weak humans living there, making it a place where even the Prime Gods had little reason to pay much attention.

‘Wang Ho-bang’, a natural merchant and successful businessman, also greatly favored that aspect of the North Sea and had settled here a year ago to develop a new business.

It was the monster fighting business of capturing demons and making them fight each other.

He was able to start this precarious and dangerous business because he himself was a superhuman and former demon hunter.

Originally, Wang Ho-bang had been in the business of capturing and selling demons alive.

Wealthy people who had awakened but disliked the danger to their lives would purchase demons from him to easily acquire Yin Power.

However, a few years ago, when Wang Ho-bang saw one immature and vicious rich young master buy two demons and make them fight, his mind lit up brilliantly.

The demon that brutally tore apart its opponent after hearing “I’ll spare the winner” met a futile death at the rich young master’s hands, but that day Wang Ho-bang was reborn.

Wang Ho-bang realized what method could open the pockets of vicious and cruel humans, and immediately started the monster fighting business.

The popularity of the monster fighting business he started was truly explosive. All wealthy people with money were desperate to watch these monster fighting matches. Since he held them in different locations each time and targeted nobles and wealthy people with much to lose as his customer base, avoiding the Imperial Palace’s attention wasn’t difficult either.

The business was smoothly going from strength to strength. The business particularly began to flourish greatly starting exactly two years ago, and that year could truly be called the year when benefactors that would never come again in Wang Ho-bang’s life entered it.

That year, Wang Ho-bang met precious business partners that couldn’t be found anywhere else on this continent and successfully concluded deals with them. The process of describing this would be so arduous that even ten-odd books wouldn’t suffice, but since the important thing was the result, the process didn’t matter much.

However, this year, Wang Ho-bang faced his first crisis exactly two years after the monster fighting business reached its peak.

This was because one of his most important business partners had suddenly gone bankrupt.

‘Damn it, for crying out loud. Stupid fools! How did they get caught?’

When those who had such great business sense collapsed so futilely, Wang Ho-bang also suffered a blow.

Wang Ho-bang had guaranteed this business would last for several years and expanded operations greatly, thus investing all the money he had on hand. Not only that! Since debt was unavoidable in business, the ledger attached to him now boasted a tremendous length.

However, there was something more frightening than debt. Wang Ho-bang couldn’t sleep at night because of that disaster that would surely befall him.

In any case, Wang Ho-bang was facing a crisis where the foundation of this monster fighting business could crumble.

But they say even when the sky falls, there’s a hole to rise through!

Just when it seemed Wang Ho-bang’s life would be broken, second benefactors came to visit and knock on his door.

Until now, there had been several people who hovered around the monster fighting business offering to invest, but Wang Ho-bang had rejected them all. This was partly because Wang Ho-bang could continue the business alone without such small change, and partly because such trials hadn’t existed for Wang Ho-bang until then.

However, at this point in time, Wang Ho-bang could no longer refuse the two investors who had made tremendous proposals he had never received before.

Thus, Wang Ho-bang invited those two benefactors to his business establishment.

That was today.

“Come on, hurry up!”

Thanks to this, Wang Ho-bang’s private residence hidden in the North Sea was busy preparing to receive distinguished guests.

While Wang Ho-bang was directing the servants enthusiastically decorating the house, one servant urgently approached and reported.

“Master! The guests will arrive soon!”

At those words, Wang Ho-bang handed the stick he was holding to the servant, quickly put on his fur coat, and went outside the main gate.

As the servant said, when he saw the ghost carriage gliding toward them from far away, Wang Ho-bang’s face brightened with joy.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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