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The first emotion I felt upon hearing Pildu Ma’s words was disappointment.

‘What’s this?’

I thought something impressive was about to happen.

What was he going to do?

‘Revive a White Grade Demon Beast?’

That was quite unexpected.

And a little concerning, too.

Not that it wouldn’t have surprised me a little under normal circumstances…

‘But there’s not really anything exciting right now.’

Maybe it was because I just came from seeing a bunch of random things, but hearing something huge, I didn’t feel all that impressed.

‘It’s indeed a significant situation, though.’

It wasn’t just any old thing; a demon beast was sealed beneath the land of Hanam, and Pildu Ma wanted to revive it.

If you just listened, it sounded incredible.

‘Things have gone to Hell, seriously.’

They’re hiding everywhere. If that’s the case, how come they’re sealed up evenly across different regions?

My head was starting to ache unintentionally.

‘If what he said is true.’

Why is it buried in the ground? How did he know about it, and how on earth is he planning to resurrect and utilize it?

I had to question all of that.

No, even beyond that.

‘I need to remind myself that this wasn’t the case in my previous life.’

From the start, Pildu Ma was a survivor of the Jiegal Clan.

It was also unexpected that they were preparing something in Hanam around this time.

‘In my previous life, Pildu Ma was just one among the Demonic Sect Martial Artists.’

He was starting to make a name for himself as a recluse.

Upon his appearance, he demonstrated his strength by taking down two of the Clan’s leaders right off the bat.

Later, he joined the Heavenly Demon and began ruling over the Cheonla Black Tower.

‘Looking back now, that’s odd.’

At the time, I didn’t even know he was dreaming of revenge against the Martial Alliance and the revival of the Jiegal Clan.

Even if it had existed, it was hidden knowledge, which meant…

‘That this means he failed.’

It was proof that Pildu Ma couldn’t succeed in his ambitions.

‘So does that mean what this gentleman plans to do now will also end in failure?’

I don’t know.

A lot had happened that was different from my previous life, and what Pildu Ma intended to do might very well be a consequence of my actions.

You can never be too sure of anything.

‘It’s not going to be easy.’

It seems like he handled things well, but the tasks he meant to carry out were somewhat ambiguous.

I thought he might be trying to utilize some foreign powers like sorcery, but—

‘So he thought to use demon beasts, huh?’

Of course, a White Grade Demon Beast would certainly cause a significant upheaval, if what he said were true.

‘The situation in the North Sea hasn’t spread yet.’

The fact that the North Sea is at war and their top force, Gungju, is in poor condition is confidential.

The moment that info leaks, who knows how the Martial Alliance will respond?

That’s why it’s safe to assume that the news of a White Grade Demon Beast appearing in the North Sea hasn’t circulated either.

‘The Central Plains are already noisy with reports of a Red Demon Beast.’

Three years have passed since the Red Demon Gate, which hadn’t appeared for hundreds of years, triggered an outbreak.

At this point, the Martial Alliance was barely patching up the widespread chaos as if everything was “fine.”

But what if a White Grade Demon Beast were to show up now?

It would surely turn into total pandemonium.

‘What if he’s deliberately trying to stir things up?’

Given the current situation, he might want to revive a White Grade Demon Beast.

If that happens, it could shatter the false peace the Martial Alliance has tried to create.

‘Then what’s the reason for not doing this in my previous life…?’

The emergence of the Red Demon Beast happened much faster than before.

Things that should have appeared alongside the Heavenly Demon now burst forth.

With disasters occurring at Shinryong Temple, the Martial Alliance’s role is faltering.

Is it possible Pildu Ma showed up at this exact moment to take advantage of that?

‘If that’s the case, does this mean I also have a stake in this?’

I glanced at the elder behind the mask.

For some reason, he looked more tense while facing me.

Did he plan all this and act like this while being way more nervous than I expected?

Why is that? It’s not like I did anything special today.

Could it be that his expression is off because I’ve broken through some barriers or whatever?

If that’s the case, I can understand…

‘…Who could have known it would rupture like that?’

Who would’ve thought it would tear this easily?

Maybe it’s their fault for not making it properly over there?

Yeah, that’s probably it.

‘Regardless.’

In the end, the reason this situation has unfolded also lies partly with me.

‘Well, hasn’t it always been my fault in some way?’

I don’t feel guilty about it.

No, I’ve tried not to.

[…A dragon, you say, beneath the land of Hanam?]

“Yes.”

[How did the Great Lord know that?]

“…It’s part of the information left by my ancestors.”

‘Ancestors?’

The term ‘ancestors’ implies information from the already perished Jiegal Clan.

Given they’re reputed to be knowledgeable about formations, there’s some credibility to it.

‘But verifying whether this is true is another matter.’

Right now, I needed to shift my focus to something else.

‘White Grade Demon Beast.’

Assuming Pildu Ma’s words are true, thinking about what would happen should that beast drop…

And what advantages can be garnered from that.

I visualized the comforts that would come when I set these guys to use.

‘Pildu Ma isn’t a fool.’

Hanam stays safe because the Martial Alliance is here.

Especially since the martial arts tournament is just around the corner, quite a few martial masters have been gathering.

Top-notch families from deep-rooted schools would surely be there, too.

‘What’s the point of summoning a demon beast on such a land?’

I know from experience how strong a White Grade Demon Beast is.

It was definitely formidable.

Way beyond the power of any Red Demon Beast.

However.

‘That doesn’t mean it would be impossible to take it down.’

It may have been because my father was present, but I could win; that being said, a plethora of masters together wouldn’t make it unbeatable.

‘There would be casualties, but toppling the Martial Alliance would be a stretch.’

Unless their strength was exceptional. Outside of Pildu Ma, there aren’t many martial artists around who are that strong.

Does Pildu Ma not know this?

I’m certain he must know.

He’s not incapable. At least, that’s the impression I had of him.

‘If he’s trying despite knowing, it surely means he has something up his sleeve.’

There must be something he can push even after triggering this tumult.

[Hmmm.]

I pretended to think for a moment, resting my chin on my hand.

I could see his brow twitching with my actions.

His excessive tension looked quite weird.

But.

‘I don’t care. In fact, it’s a comfort.’

If my opponent sees me as a threat, that could be an advantage.

‘If Pildu Ma’s plot succeeds, and a demon beast appears on the land of Hanam…’

Thud-thud-thud.

I lightly tapped the wine glass on the table with my fingertips.

Aside from that sound, the surroundings were eerily quiet, as if everyone had stopped breathing.

After about a minute passed,

Tap.

The fingers that had been tapping finally came to a halt.

Calculations complete.

[So.]

I spoke directly to Pildu Ma.

[What is it that I can assist you with?]

The end of this plan doesn’t seem bad for me.

No.

It’s not just that.

‘Seems like it could work out nicely.’

If I leverage this, it looks like I can execute my plans a little faster.

When I exited the cave, it was still night.

Not much time had passed.

I guess it was thanks to not dragging out the story.

I wandered through the grassy field, surveying my surroundings.

The sounds of insects that were previously audible had vanished.

Something about the energy I disturbed earlier must have affected them.

‘Not just the sound.’

The terrain seems subtly warped.

To be precise, it wasn’t warped but rather returned to its original state.

‘Did it even alter what was visible?’

Did they overlay some illusion on the terrain to conceal its location?

The bizarre method reminded me of something from long ago.

‘It was just like that thing I saw in Sichuan.’

Not long after my reincarnation, I visited Sichuan and witnessed the Biwaegun.

What I saw there was similar to this.

Disguised as cliffs, I found a tree whose white leaves would fall when approached.

‘…’

Recalling that, I felt the ring on my heart.

‘If this is sorcery, does it mean what I saw at the Biwaegun was sorcery too?’

I thought it felt too different from formations, and could it have truly been sorcery?

‘They said sorcery was brought by a dragon. How was the Biwaegun able to hide that place using sorcery?’

The Biwaegun was covered by the dragon’s power.

And its descendants were cursed, turning into half-dragons.

How did it come to be like that?

As I frowned at the strange connection points,

“Master.”

Nahi, who had followed behind, called out to me.

I turned my back and simultaneously removed the mask I had been wearing.

Suddenly, bones and muscles began to twitch, and as energy was regained, my body returned to its original form.

Thanks to the improvement in my realm, the duration and delicacy of my Body Transformation Technique had enhanced.

Stretching my restored body, I spoke to Nahi.

“What is it?”

“…Are you really going to do as the author says?”

“Hmm?”

That was an unexpected comment from Nahi.

I narrowed my eyes upon hearing it.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think the author is a trustworthy figure…”

I nodded at her words.

Indicating she should elaborate.

“There’s a feeling about it. There are numerous suspicious aspects.”

“Grounds?”

“…The biggest among several grounds is that he twisted the information instead of laying it all out.”

I nodded at her statement.

That makes sense.

Pildu Ma hadn’t given me full information.

He seemed scared of me while trying to align with me, all while discreetly weighing something in the background.

Thus, Nahi must have perceived it as a problem worth mentioning.

“I already know.”

I had been well aware of that.

“He didn’t tell me everything. I expected him to try to play tricks on me.”

“Then….”

“Still, I don’t mind. I plan on using him just to discard him later.”

“…!”

Nahi’s eyes widened at my nonchalant remark.

Is this really something that startling?

“Why?”

“That’s….”

“Did you think I would carry that old man around forever?”

“…”

If you thought that, I’d be pretty disappointed.

“Ah, no way.”

I had no intentions of doing so at all.

Pildu Ma is an old dog.

An old dog with ambitions, at that. Trusting such a fellow would be a fool’s errand.

I had been taken for a ride before, haven’t I?

I had no intention of trusting Pildu Ma.

I only planned to test the waters since he seemed useful at the moment.

Moreover.

‘When it’s all over, I’ll have to take care of him too.’

Once the plan reaches its end, I’ll eliminate him as well.

While the Heavenly Demon had managed to utilize him…

‘Still, I don’t fancy eating something that’s spoiled.’

I was different from the Heavenly Demon.

“Nahi, while your concern wasn’t bad, it was slightly out of line…”

I said, looking at Nahi.

“That comment was a bit too forward.”

“…!”

Nahi quickly knelt at my words.

I continued speaking while watching her.

“Since when did you start advising me without my prompting? Or is it a command?”

“…I-I’m sorry…”

Nahi trembled, even though I hadn’t said anything to her yet.

Looking at her made me want to click my tongue internally.

“Get up.”

As I commanded, Nahi stood up immediately. I thought about teasing her further but decided against it.

My relationship with Nahi was born from sorcery.

She isn’t someone I can fully trust either.

I trust no one.

I have cards I can discard at any time.

That is the worth of having a demon as my subordinate.

As such, I wasn’t fond of these kinds of unnecessary actions.

Though that won’t happen, if Nahi were to develop a sense of loyalty, I’d be even more uncomfortable.

Ignoring that uneasy feeling, I pulled out a letter from my pocket and handed it to Nahi.

“Send this to Hyuk. Also, tell Jiseon to come to Hanam if he’s not busy.”

“…I’ll obey.”

“Oh, and.”

As soon as Nahi took the letter, I stopped her from disappearing.

“Tell the spear man to come here.”

“…!”

Nahi’s expression showed a flicker of shock at my mention of someone.

“Should I relay the message immediately?”

“Right, tell him to come by next month at the latest.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

After executing her command, Nahi disappeared in an instant, turning into smoke.

Once she vanished, I scratched my cheek.

It’s because of my mentioning of that “spear man.”

‘Honestly, I don’t really want to call him.’

Over the past few years, I had made a few more demons to tame as my subordinates.

The spear man was one of them.

However.

‘He’s quite troublesome to manage.’

Among the demons I would end up amassing, he was particularly crazy.

He reminded me of the Sword Demon from my previous life.

I don’t know if he’s crazier, but he felt just as insane.

‘Because of that, I’d rather not call him…’

Since he’d be ideal for the tasks at hand, I’d have to use him.

‘Even beyond that, it’s time to gather all of them.’

I had scattered demons around everywhere.

It was time I gathered them all.

As everything I planned was coming together, it was high time to assemble the forces.

‘…Will it be okay?’

Each one of them is a lunatic, so even for me, I can’t help but hesitate a little.

‘But it has to be done.’

There is no other way, hence I had to move.

I had to ensure that my plans came to fruition.

Swoosh.

‘Plans…’

As I tried to reflect, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.

I turned my back.

In front of me stood Seongyul, who had been waiting outside.

Looking into his dull yellow eyes, I spoke.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

As I started walking, Seongyul slowly followed behind.

I lifted my gaze. I could see a crescent moon rising in the sky.

Seeing that, I moved onward.

The first night since returning to Hanam was gradually passing by.

There’s less than a month left until the Martial Arts Tournament.

‘…When that time passes.’

I must become the villain feared by the world.

At the very same time.

I also plan to become the brightest hero of all.

 

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