The baby phoenix was trapped inside a brazier located at the center of the Altar of Resurrection. A barrier made up of some kind of spiritual energy surrounded the brazier, making it impossible for the fledgling to escape. The baby phoenix let out pitiful chirps while lying weakly inside. Patches of its feathers were missing, which was clear evidence that it suffered extreme abuse at the hands of the angels. “I’ll get you out of here,” Siegfried said, raising his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp, ready to smash the brazier apart. ‘Wait a second... wouldn’t this be a waste?’ Siegfried hesitated when a sudden idea crept into his mind. The angels had exploited the baby phoenix’s ability to achieve their infinite resurrection strategy, and it was truly a broken ability. What if he took that ability for himself instead? ‘I won’t lose anyone!’ It wouldn't be just himself; even his NPC comrades, who would be gone forever once dead, could be resurrected. Even if someone as precious as Brunhilde or Verdandi were to die, he could resurrect them as long as he had the baby phoenix. ‘Maybe... I should keep it for myself?’ It was indeed a tempting dilemma. Once he had obtained the power to resurrect his allies en masse, even the mighty Marchioni Empire wouldn't be a threat anymore. Just then, a system prompt popped up before his eyes. I made a promise to the mother phoenix. I should save it. This power is mine now! He was given two choices. Just as Siegfried was having a huge dilemma— “Kyuuu! What are you waiting for, owner punk! Aren’t you going to save the baby phoenix?!” asked Hamchi upon noticing his hesitation. “Ah, well... I was wondering if I really have to save it?” Siegfried asked in response. “Wouldn’t it be better if I took the power of resurrection for myself?” Wielding the power to resurrect the dead was no trivial matter, even if this was just a game. Passing up on such an opportunity was hard to pass up, as even NPCs believed that raising the dead was nothing short of a miracle. “I understand why you’re hesitating, owner punk! Kyuuu!” “Do you agree with me?” “But Hamchi thinks otherwise! Using that baby phoenix to obtain the power of resurrection is not a great idea! Kyuuu!” “This world has a natural order! Abusing that baby phoenix to mess with that flow of natural order is extremely dangerous! Kyuuu!” “Kyuuu! You will be cursed if you do that, owner punk!” “Think about it! You will be struck hard by divine punishment if you do bad things! Kyuuu!” “If that were true, wouldn't I have been punished by now?” “Kyuuu?!” Hamch froze with his eyes widened. Now that he thought about it, Siegfried was not exactly the evil type of person, but he had done his fair share of shady things. “K-Kyuuu! That's true, but you still need to try and be a decent person! Think about it! Every time you did a good deed, something good always happened in return, right?!” Siegfried recalled how his acts of kindness had come back to bless him with immense fortune time and time again. Well, most of it was done without much thought, but still... “Even if you’ve decided to walk down that path, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed! Kyuuu! You can’t stoop to the level of those angels, right?!” “I guess you’re right,” Siegfried replied with a nod, deciding to heed Hamchi’s advice. His own experience proved that good deeds always rewarded him somewhere down the line, and the temptation before him wasn't worth straying from doing what was right. ‘This isn’t any different from using dark magic. Besides, they couldn't even test it properly to see whether there are any side effects or not.’ With that thought in mind, Siegfried swung his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp and shattered the brazier. Freed at last, the baby phoenix flinched in shock and looked around frantically. “It’s okay, buddy. Let’s go see your mom,” Siegfried smiled at the little fledgling. “Come here,” Siegfried said, extending his right arm toward the baby phoenix. [Alert: You have chosen “I made a promise to the mother phoenix. I should save it.”] [Alert: You resisted temptation and chose to do the right thing! This decision will bring you great fortune in the future!] Upon reading the notifications, Siegfried couldn’t help but smile. It felt as if the system was acknowledging him for doing the right thing. After making his decision... The baby phoenix instinctively recognized Siegfried as its savior and carefully approached him. Instead of perching on his arm, the baby phoenix flapped its wings and lunged at him. “W-What the heck?!” Siegfried jumped and flailed his arms. However, the baby phoenix didn't attack him. Instead, it nested on his head. “Hey! You! Get down from my head! Oi! I said, get down!” Siegfried shouted at the fledgling perched atop his head. Siegfried tried to pry the baby phoenix off his head, but the chick expertly balanced itself and clung for its dear life, refusing to budge at all. “Ah... I should’ve just boiled this damn thing when I had the chance...” Siegfried muttered. Who could have predicted that the chick would perch on his head? “Kyuuu! You got a bird on your head, owner punk!” “Hey! Shut up! Don’t laugh!” “Kyuuu! Owner punk is now a birdhead! Keke!” Siegfried tried scaring the baby phoenix away, but the fledgling stubbornly remained perched on his head. In the end, Siegfried had no choice but to leave the Altar of Resurrection with the chick firmly planted on his head. Even his comrades tried their best to hide their laughter as they watched him walk with a bird on his head. Even though it was impossible to hold their laughter back, they still tried their best to do so. They knew all too well how petty Siegfried could be, so they tried their best not to mock him openly. After all, there wasn't any reason to volunteer as his punching bag, was there? ‘Damn it... Why do both mother and chick have the exact same annoying personality?’ Siegfried grumbled. As he walked, he couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that the phoenixes were just naturally inclined to be annoying creatures. About ten minutes later... They finally reached the edge of the barrier protecting the Altar of Resurrection, where the mother phoenix had been anxiously waiting for them. The moment the phoenix spotted her chick perched atop Siegfried’s head, she flapped her wings and soared toward them. The baby phoenix immediately took off and finally left Siegfried’s head, flying straight into the mother phoenix’s embrace. “A mother and son reunion? No, is it a father and son? Hold on, I think it said that it was the mother phoenix, right? Could it be a mother-and-daughter reunion? Ah, whatever, it’s not my business anymore.” Since he had no way to tell the gender of the phoenix, he just decided to call it a heartwarming reunion. “Kyuuu! You did a good deed, owner punk! You reunited them!” “Yeah, I guess I did.” Siegfried felt his irritation fade a little after watching the phoenixes' embrace. “They must’ve been worrying about each other all this ti—” Before Siegfried could finish his words, flames erupted around the phoenixes. “W-What the hell is going on?!” Siegfried exclaimed, staggering back in surprise. However, what happened next shocked him even more. The blazing phoenixes merged, their forms twisting and combining into a single entity. “W-What...? Are they a hermaphrodite...?” Siegfried muttered while his mouth was agape. He couldn’t help but be stunned at the sight of one plus one becoming one. “Kyaaak! A hermaphrodite is when both sexes exist in one body! You dumbass! Kyuuu!” “Hey! Who cares about that right now?! What the hell is going on?! Why is the mother and child fusing into one?!” “How the hell should Hamchi know?! Kyaaak!” As the two bickered like they always did— The phoenixes that merged into a single entity gave a slight bow to Siegfried before spreading its wings and soaring southward. An apparition of the blazing phoenix split off from its body and flew toward the peak of Mount Amon. [Alert: You have completed the Quest – Rescue Baby Phoenix!] [Alert: You have received the Phoenix’s Gratitude as a reward!] A quest completion notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes. And then, almost immediately afterward... [Alert: You have completed the Quest – Melt the Cursed Sword!] It seemed that while he was busy defeating Archangel Auriel and destroying the Altar of Resurrection, Brunhilde and Draculis led their forces toward the mountain’s summit. Based on the quest completion notification, Siegfried assumed that they had wiped out the angels and reclaimed Mount Amon’s summit. “Hmm... But was it necessary to destroy the sword...?” Siegfried muttered to himself. With Archangel Auriel gone, there was no reason to destroy the Holy Sword: Phoenix anymore. However, Brunhilde now had a new weapon, one specifically designed to kill angels, so destroying the Holy Sword: Phoenix was not that big of a loss. Besides, even though Archangel Auriel’s soul was annihilated, his body still existed in the Celestial Realm. It was nothing more than an empty shell now, but it was better to be safe now than to be sorry later. Regardless, destroying the Holy Sword: Phoenix still seemed like a reasonable choice. “Kyuuu! Let’s go, owner punk! Looks like we’re done here!” Hamchi exclaimed, tugging at him. “Yeah, I think so too. Let’s go,” Siegfried agreed. With that, Siegfried, Hamchi, and their comrades made their way toward Mount Amon’s peak. Siegfried’s journey to Mount Amon was almost over, but his mind was still swirling with questions. ‘What the hell are they? How can a mother and child fuse together...?!’ He couldn’t wrap his head around the phoenixes at all, but that was not the only question he had. ‘And what exactly is this Phoenix’s Gratitude supposed to be? They didn’t even leave any reward behind!’ Siegfried couldn’t help but be upset at the phoenixes. After all the trouble he went through to save them, the least they could have done was offer him something nice. Instead, they just gave a quick bow and flew off... ‘Everything about them pisses me off. I should’ve just cooked them. At least I would’ve gotten a decent meal out of them.’ Just as Siegfried was having those thoughts... “Kyuuu! There they are!” Hamchi exclaimed, pointing at the summit. Brunhilde, Draculis, and the other Adventurers were making their way down. Siegfried dropped his grumbling about the phoenixes and ran straight toward Brunhilde. ‘Ah, I really have no excuses this time...’ He felt incredibly guilty. He was hoping to go on a mini-honeymoon trip and get some fresh air with her, but all he had done was make her go through days of grueling hell where she had to fight for her life. However, none of this was technically his fault, as he did not want any of this to happen. ‘Now that everything’s settled, we’re taking at least a week off for a vacation,’ Siegfried made up his mind. Upon leaving Mount Amon, Siegfried decided to take Brunhilde on a proper trip. “Thank you for your hard work, dear!” he exclaimed, smiling brightly. Just as he got near her, he sensed something strange about her, and it made him tilt his head. He narrowed his eyes and inspected her from head to toe and... ‘W-What the heck?! L-Level 449?!’ Brunhilde was only Level 299 just a few hours ago, but for some bizarre reason, she was now Level 449, making her an ultra-high-level NPC.