---

Chapter 246: An Unexpected Companion (2)

The front line.

A land that was once fruitful, now perished due to the unresolved Demonic Gate.

It has now transformed into a habitat for Demon Beasts.

Additionally, the continuous opening of the Demonic Gate has left the land unceasingly dry, proving it to be a desolate place.

This only deepens the question.

Why is there such a dense forest behind the barren plains?

A land that has died without leaving a single drop of water, yet there exists a lush forest.

Many harbor doubts, but few delve deep into the issue.

For generations, the clan forbade casual entry into the forest.

Entering the forest required the permission of the Gu Clan.

Isn’t that ridiculous?

A martial world organization that commands numerous factions now finds itself needing the Gu Clan’s permission just for the front line.

This tacitly marked the forest of the front line as undeniably belonging to the Gu Clan.

‘Because of that, I had to trek back and forth here endlessly.’

The management of the forest fell to the Gu Family’s Bloodline.

Originally, it was the task of the Noble Ogeom Family, which Gu Hi-bi belonged to.

But now that I was sitting in the position of Lesser Clan Leader, I had inherited this responsibility.

Does this life feel vastly different?

Not at all.

As long as I don’t run away from my duties as Lesser Clan Leader, this part will remain unchanged.

Damn it.

Crisp.

I stepped cautiously, crunching the twigs underfoot.

It was a night when the moonlight was fully bright.

In terms of time, it was probably around the peak of midnight.

‘It would be nice to return by morning.’

The path leading deeper into the forest wasn’t exactly peaceful.

Not only had it not been properly cleared, but entering at all was a cumbersome endeavor.

[Growl…]

A muted crying sound reached my ears.

Was this little creature aware that my actions were for its sake?

‘Better just drop it already.’

[Growl.]

The cry echoed again, filled with an almost certain disbelief that it could get away with such behavior.

Annoyingly.

Leaving that behind, I let out a deep sigh.

I’ve been feeling particularly burdened by my sighs lately.

Whoosh.

The wind swept by.

Though summer was approaching, the night breeze remained chilly.

I couldn’t help but be distracted by the woman quietly following behind me.

“Hey, you…”

As I turned to speak, our eyes met.

It seemed she had been watching me all along.

“Yes…”

Moyong Hi-ah, replying briefly, had slightly flushed cheeks.

Is she cold?

The weather shouldn’t be chilly, yet given her condition, it made sense.

Right before my eyes, she was dressed way too warm for the season.

I frowned momentarily at that and grabbed Moyong Hi-ah’s wrist, pulling her along.

“Ah…!”

Startled by the sudden contact, she widened her eyes.

Ignoring that, I blew warmth into the hand I held.

99

Perhaps due to the heat entering her body, she twitched slightly.

Observing her reaction, I asked, “Why are you following me?”

“…It’s about the Heat Blade.”

“Don’t make excuses. Do you really think I’m that foolish?”

As I interrupted her, she turned her gaze away from me.

Now not just her cheeks, but her ears were also turning red.

Is she truly embarrassed?

“It’s odd that he hasn’t come. It’s not like I would have asked you to step in for him,” I pressed.

“…I’m only sharp when it matters.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

The atmosphere around Moyong Hi-ah, which once felt like a well-sharpened blade, gradually crumbled.

For some reason, as time passed, I felt increasingly uneasy.

She, a woman who was ferocious about deceiving others or hiding herself, had recently appeared quite dull.

“…I didn’t do much. I just asked politely.”

“You asked politely?”

“I ‘politely’ asked if I could substitute for him. The Heat Blade accepted that.”

“That… doesn’t make sense? What do you think would happen if you send me instead?”

Gu Jeolyub certainly wouldn’t be that foolish.

As I stared at Moyong Hi-ah with suspicious eyes, she bit her lip and fidgeted.

“…It would be fine if we pretended to be ignorant together.”

“Now you’re even getting shameless?”

“The Prince would be more comfortable with me along, anyway.”

What on earth does that mean?

How would it be more convenient for me to go with Moyong Hi-ah?

I was about to show my confusion when she answered.

“Fewer people to worry about, and if possible, alone.”

“Isn’t that what you think the Prince desires?”

Moyong Hi-ah’s words left me momentarily speechless.

Having pretended to be dull, she was sharp in that moment.

‘How do I even respond to that?’

In any case, she’s a woman I can’t let my guard down around.

How did she figure it out?

Confirming the situation in the center wasn’t particularly hard.

Oddly, the farther into the center I went, the fewer Demon Beasts appeared.

I just had to check what was inside the center and come out.

In fact, even when Gu Hi-bi moved directly, she preferred to go with only a small number of people.

That was actually more convenient.

‘Of course, my intentions were somewhat different.’

In my case, even when I was with Gu Jeolyub and Muyeon, we only went together as far as we had to, with no intention to stick together at the entrance.

It was better not to reveal something I couldn’t show.

In principle, I wouldn’t be allowed to enter this space since I’m not of the Bloodline.

But now, the issue was Moyong Hi-ah.

“What do you gain from this?”

Taking over for Gu Jeolyub must be annoying.

About Muyeon, I couldn’t be sure, but probably she’d worked it out for them to go up together.

What could Moyong Hi-ah possibly gain?

“Are you asking what I gain?”

At my questioned, her sky-blue eyes focused on me.

She brushed away her flushed cheeks and replied.

“Time.”

“Time?”

That was an unexpected answer.

Gaining time…

While still holding her wrist, she spoke again.

“Time to be doing this with you.”

“…What?”

“Do you know what I hated the most?”

What did Moyong Hi-ah hate the most?

“Wasting emotions unnecessarily, longing desperately for something without gaining anything. I despised that.”

Her cold words carried a subtle emotion.

“It’s pointless. That changes and ruins a person. My father was ruined because of my mother.”

Her voice, saying ‘because of’ without a moment of hesitation, felt contradictory yet slightly shaky.

Is she talking about the North Sea Princess?

I somewhat agreed with Moyong Hi-ah’s words.

I knew better than anyone how frightening it is to be swayed by emotions.

“Yet ironically…”

As Moyong Hi-ah continued, the corner of her lips curled up slightly.

It was as if she were a frozen entity being shaped into a human, smiling.

“I came to realize I was doing just that.”

Swoosh.

The grip I had on her wrist fell away.

Moyong Hi-ah had pulled herself free.

“Yet, trying it turned out to not be so bad.”

“You…”

“So, this is quite important for me as well.”

The weight of her words landed heavily on me.

‘…Why?’

Even I could recognize that she was showing feelings for me.

The problem was why she was doing this for me.

‘Have we been too close?’

Under our agreement to share warmth, we had met perhaps once a week or every few days.

As myriad thoughts raced through my mind, a soft chuckle echoed.

It was Moyong Hi-ah laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, perplexed.

She covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling softly.

“I knew the moment I said that, you’d make that expression.”

Pffft…

“Don’t mistake it for me asking for a reply. I wanted to see if you’d catch on. You’ve been quite slow on the uptake lately.”

Moyong Hi-ah moved past me, her faint fragrance mixed with a coolness brushing by.

“I know it can be burdensome.”

Each word pierced at my heart.

There was no way to escape.

“Despite that, I needed even that burden.”

After stating that final line, Moyong Hi-ah took another step ahead.

As if struck by lightning, I stood there in a daze, watching her leave.

She glanced back slightly and said, “Hurry up. We can’t be late, can we?”

Seeing her walk calmly as if nothing happened made me all the more flustered.

This day might just be the most bewildering of all that had happened this year.

After that, we walked through the forest in silence until we reached our desired location.

Honestly, I thought I was going to die from the awkwardness.

Moyong Hi-ah, however, seemed unfazed.

What a weird character!

I was at a loss for thoughts, yet she appeared as calm as ever.

‘…For now, let’s ignore this.’

I had things I needed to do at the moment.

Focusing on Moyong Hi-ah wasn’t possible.

I mean, I couldn’t completely ignore it, but what else could I do?

When we finally reached the entrance, she halted her steps.

“Come back soon.”

“…Oh, okay.”

She stood there waiting, as if she expected me to say that.

I had intended to tell her to stay here.

It seemed she sensed that unsaid command.

In a forest teeming with Demon Beasts, could I really leave her alone at night?

But if we were this close to the center, the number of Demon Beasts should be lower.

In fact, it could be said that none were present.

I didn’t know why.

I just knew that it had always been that way.

I slowly moved toward the entrance, leaving Moyong Hi-ah behind.

At that moment.

Wooong—

As I entered the entrance, a faint humming filled the air.

It was the recoil felt when penetrating the formation.

It’s similar in principle to the barrier embedded beneath the Gu Clan.

“It’s fascinating every time.”

The fact that it recognizes bloodline for passage itself was a formation that couldn’t be found anywhere else at this point.

I’d heard that only non-bloodline individuals would be repelled.

I knew there would be a recoil.

After all, I’d seen it happen to others.

‘Would Gu Jeolyub be able to pass?’

That thought crossed my mind.

Gu Jeolyub might be a collateral line, but he shares the blood.

So couldn’t he potentially get through?

‘Surely it wouldn’t investigate if they were a clan leader’s child.’

It wouldn’t be such a strict formation.

The center was literally the heart of the forest.

As I stepped further in, amidst the dense trees and grass, a small circular clearing appeared.

In stark contrast to its name, the view was stunning.

It was such a harmonious sight that one might wonder if it was naturally formed.

As I focused my gaze at a distance, I spotted something hovering above a small puddle.

It was the same black Demonic Gate I had previously destroyed.

‘What rotten luck that this showed up here.’

Should I call it good luck or bad luck?

‘It’s definitely bad luck.’

Even now, I had the worst luck.

[Growl….]

As soon as I discovered it, a reaction roared within me.

It urged me to go and devour it.

Screaming for its own, my entire body vibrated with intensity.

‘Shut up; I’ll give it to you anyway.’

[Growl….]

Plop.

Slowly, I placed my foot into the puddle, approaching the crack.

As I moved closer, I noticed a massive orb sitting at the center of the puddle.

That was one of the reasons the Gu Clan kept watch over the heart of this forest.

I had to check if it hadn’t fallen from that pillar.

Or whether it had been damaged at all.

Even if a typhoon hit, it should remain intact, so why would I need to keep checking it?

I couldn’t figure that out.

Even if it was the command of the Se Clan.

What sort of significance does this orb hold?

I wasn’t sure what it was meant to do, but it was a relic that the original ancestors discovered and brought here.

My father called it a seed.

Although, no matter how one looked at it, it did not appear to be much like a seed.

Where on earth would you find a seed of that size, anyway?

‘It seems alright.’

However, I still decided to inspect it under the pretense of confirming it.

When I lightly touched the orb, luckily, there appeared to be no issues.

It was an important object.

The reason I merely tossed it aside and checked it was simple.

The barriers spread around were extremely powerful.

To rip through it would require at least the strength of a previous life’s Heavenly Demon.

‘…Though, that Heavenly Demon did manage to tear in.’

Just looking at how it had to exert itself completely to do so suggested that it wasn’t an ordinary barrier.

‘Why did it want to come here?’

The Heavenly Demon from my previous life had tried to enter the center.

Not just here.

It sought changes in the treasures of the world or any variables in the realm and had rummaged everywhere.

I couldn’t understand why the Heavenly Demon held such interest in those matters.

In the end, though, the Heavenly Demon had managed to get inside but had not taken the orb.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say it “didn’t” take it.

Upon reaching the orb, it displayed an immediate disinterest, as if saying—

-This is meaningless to me.

That was the end of it.

After all that, it had endured a great ordeal.

“…Tsk.”

Shaking off my thoughts regarding the orb, I slowly reached my hand toward the crack.

Just like last time.

As my hand reached into that crack, it gradually began to fade into the void.

The crack shrank, and everything promptly disappeared, leaving an empty void.

[Growl.]

Satisfied, the entity let out a belch.

“Feeling full?”

[Growl.]

Ah…

After putting it through this troublesome ordeal, now it was satisfied all by itself.

It felt like raising a beast.

I wasn’t particularly fond of raising animals.

I smacked my lips, closing my eyes.

‘Is anything different now?’

I opened and clenched my hand repeatedly, trying to sense any changes in my body, but none emerged.

If anything, it was a relief that I didn’t feel any significant change.

In any case, having completed my task without incident, I turned back to exit the puddle.

“…Hmm?”

Suddenly, the orb I had seen earlier caught my eye.

It maintained its original form and considering that only a few seconds had passed, there shouldn’t be any difference.

Yet somehow, it distinctly caught my eye.

‘What’s going on?’

It was a strange sensation.

It felt oddly ticklish at my fingertips.

A feeling that urged me to touch the orb… as if I must.

For the record, touching the orb had brought no consequence.

In fact, I had touched it a few times before.

I had no clue why.

I stared at the orb and reached out my hand.

I intended to dispel this peculiar sensation.

Though it was just a simple thought, at that moment—

[…No way.]

My hand was about to touch the orb when it abruptly halted mid-air.

The entity suddenly intervened.

In a posture reminiscent of curling inward, it opened its eyes again, as if it had become aware of my intention to touch the orb.

‘Not allowed?’

[It’s… dangerous…]

I had to think carefully about its words.

It was the first time I saw it display such a reaction.

‘Are you saying it’s dangerous for you or dangerous for me?’

[…Both.]

Every time I tried to inquire, it would go silent, but now it felt as if it was urgently warning me against touching the orb.

What’s going on here?

[…Not yet… don’t touch… yet.]

With a strained voice, it answered in fragmented phrases.

I was puzzled by the meaning behind it.

Is there any reason not to touch it?

The orb doesn’t mind if I don’t.

Yet for some reason, the entity’s words ignited a defiance within me.

‘What’s this?’

A desire to do exactly what I was forbidden to do, like a child wanting something forbidden.

Or perhaps it was something entirely different.

I felt an unsettling sensation.

Swoosh.

Unable to contain my emotions any longer, I stretched out my hand to touch the orb.

Though I felt disgusting for not following its warning, the sense of danger also buzzed within me.

[If you eat… it will burst.]

What will burst?

My body?

Or the orb?

“Phew….”

I didn’t know what it all meant.

Heeding its warning yet again, I turned my body away from the orb.

“Explain.”

There was no way I could simply walk away.

[Growl….]

“If you don’t provide a convincing reason not to, I’ll just touch it and see what happens.”

Are you saying I should follow your whims just because you tell me?

That’s not my style.

So I needed to hear why.

Why shouldn’t I touch it?

With my resolute words, I felt the area below my lower Dantian start to tremor.

Was the entity—a curled one—causing some sort of ruckus?

Thump! Thump!

I felt a massive vibration, but thankfully it didn’t feel like the agonizing pain I experienced last time.

Standing still as the vibrations ended, the tumultuous sensation gradually eased down.

Then.

[Seed….]

Realizing it couldn’t escape the situation, the entity uttered a brief phrase.

[A Seed of the Great Tree….]

A seed of the Great Tree.

‘…Huh?’

The name was exceedingly simple.

Its literal meaning was just “a gigantic tree,” yet the words passing through my mind illuminated a scene I unwittingly recalled.

‘Could it be?’

On the day the Late-Stage Talents fell into the Demonic Realm en masse…

Right before I was cast as bait and chewed alive by countless Demon Beasts, I had seen a towering tree that seemed to obscure the skies.

For some reason, upon hearing the term ‘Great Tree,’ the image popped into my head.

 

---