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Drip.

Something was flowing from my mouth.

Il Cheonggeom wiped the corner of his mouth with trembling hands. It was blood. Blood was trickling from his lips.

How agonizing it was. His swollen cheek felt like it was tearing apart. He felt a heat rising, an intense burning sensation.

What kind of situation is this? Il Cheonggeom couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

He was sprawled on the ground. Why was he lying there?

And what was that gaze?

Il Cheonggeom looked up, meeting the piercing gaze above him. Blue eyes were staring down at him.

The expressionless face hidden in shadows betrayed no emotion.

Grrrg. The goosebumps on his body slowly tightened around his neck. The energy of killing intent surrounding him was affecting his diminishing strength.

‘Cough….’

His body stiffened in response to the killing intent. It was a nauseating sensation.

He somehow managed to gather his thoughts. As energy began to spread through him again, his breath returned, but the pain remained.

‘…What just happened?’

What on earth occurred? He kept replaying it in his mind, yet he still didn’t understand. How could it have ended up like this…?

With wide eyes filled with shock, Il Cheonggeom asked Gu Yangcheong,

“…You were hiding your strength.”

Bang-!

“Cough!”

The impact shook his head.

Again, he had no idea what he had been struck with.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Gu Yangcheong grasped Il Cheonggeom’s disheveled hair, holding him in place.

“Don’t you know?”

“…What…what do you mean…?”

What could that mean? Il Cheonggeom couldn’t grasp it. The only instinct he felt was:

‘Something’s off.’

Gu Yangcheong seemed unusual. He wasn’t wearing his usual sneer. He merely stared at Il Cheonggeom with an impassive expression.

Yet.

‘Wha…t is this?’

Why was this so terrifying? Recognizing the fear rising within him wasn’t that difficult.

“Phew…huff…”

He couldn’t hold the gaze for long. He felt he couldn’t bear to look at those eyes too long, as it seemed like he would be devoured if he did.

Finally, Il Cheonggeom averted his eyes from Gu Yangcheong.

“Hmm.”

Seeing that, Gu Yangcheong nodded. And then—

Bang-!

“Ugh.”

His fist swung down, striking Il Cheonggeom’s head once more. This time it was stronger. Whether it was because of the energy infused within the blow, the shockwave hit him immediately.

Thud. Il Cheonggeom’s body went limp as he fell to the ground. Blood flowed from his nose, soaking the ground.

The onlookers held their breath at the sight.

Could it be…?

‘Did he kill him…?’

‘He killed him, didn’t he?’

‘Did our Great Lord just kill Il Cheonggeom…?’

Everyone shared the same thought. Blood was gushing out, and with Il Cheonggeom lying motionless, it seemed undeniable that he was dead.

However, Gu Yangcheong kicked Il Cheonggeom’s body lightly with his foot and said,

“He’s not dead, so take him away.”

“Excuse me?”

Not dead? After that display…?

“Take him and keep him alive. He can’t die right now.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Don’t do it?”

“…”

‘He can’t die right now.’ That phrase echoed in everyone’s ears.

There was stillness. Yet even so, it felt eerie.

How could words spoken with such an expressionless face be so chilling?

He had always had an air that instilled fear, but Gu Yangcheong felt drastically different now.

‘A different person.’

He was entirely not like the Gu Yangcheong they knew.

The aura of killing intent surrounding him, the look in his eyes while surveying those around him—it all felt so different.

While he used to treat people roughly, he at least acknowledged their humanity.

Now, it seemed as though….

‘He was looking at us like we were livestock.’

Something that didn’t even resemble a human. His eyes seemed to look at them like pebbles on the ground.

That thought sent chills down their spines.

Il Cheonggeom was being dragged away by the members of the group. His hands, now limp, indicated he was truly unconscious.

Observing that, Gu Yangcheong turned his head away.

Not a hint of interest showed on his face.

As he surveyed the surroundings, those who met his gaze trembled or even lost strength in their legs.

Though his killing intent had diminished a bit, it was still palpable.

“Continue the search.”

His quietly spoken command sounded unnaturally loud.

The members couldn’t easily respond.

Without waiting for answers as if they weren’t needed, Gu Yangcheong fixed his gaze elsewhere and slightly bent his knees.

“Great Lord…! Wait…!”

Tang Soyeol, seeing his actions, hurriedly tried to call him.

Boom–!!!

With an incredible force, Gu Yangcheong leaped, raising a cloud of dust around him.

As he distanced himself, the killing intent surrounding him began to dissipate.

Only then did the others begin to breathe heavily.

“…Great Lord….”

As Tang Soyeol sensed Gu Yangcheong’s presence fading, she bit her lip.

Why did it have to be like this? She thought deeply.

It shouldn’t have happened that way. Simultaneously, she blamed herself.

‘I shouldn’t have called him.’

She knew Il Cheonggeom had been watching. Therefore, she shouldn’t have called out to him at all.

Was it that he came to check because of the emitted killing intent; or did he have some other reason to approach?

That should have been identified first.

Even if she had called out, it still wouldn’t have mattered. She shouldn’t have shown that guy her strength.

She shouldn’t have pressed him, asking if he knew something. Also, she shouldn’t have snapped at him just because she found his tone irritating.

She had a plan for today all along. She had firmly outlined the plan to utilize Il Cheonggeom.

‘Why did I do that?’

She had just squandered everything she had prepared until now.

Why on earth did it happen? She couldn’t comprehend herself.

Simply put.

Really simply.

‘It was bothersome.’

Everything felt bothersome.

Thinking about something. Making a plan and dealing with it one step at a time.

In an instant, she dropped the rationality she had been desperately holding on to.

What kind of eyes had been on her at that moment? Probably fearful eyes.

Yes, just like in her previous life. The eyes of those who had looked at her back then resembled this.

Not to mention Tang Soyeol felt the same.

That she couldn’t even look at her properly came to mind.

Though she had unconsciously tried to live differently—she had now abandoned even that.

Why did it have to be like this?

She had promised herself she wouldn’t fall into such a trap.

How did she so easily give up?

The justification burned away. Everything she had done had solely been for that justification.

Even if she proceeded with the task, it had to be without repercussions. That was the only motive behind everything she had done so far.

‘I don’t understand.’

Now, she didn’t even want to think about that.

In this situation, there was only one thing she could do.

To keep Il Cheonggeom alive without killing him.

That was the only thing she could barely manage to do.

No, she didn’t even want to do that. Why should she keep such a wretched guy alive?

The others around her were the same.

There was no need to keep them alive. And, she didn’t have to take them with her.

Wasn’t it enough to just kill them all and go her own way?

That was the thought that crossed her mind at that moment.

Ironically, she was still thinking back on that notion.

Something was definitely wrong. Even though she instinctively recognized it as different from usual, she couldn’t help but question—was it indeed wrong?

‘This was who I originally was.’

When had she become so altruistic and rational? It wasn’t like her to destroy things that didn’t sit right with her without a second thought.

Without harboring anything.

Without holding onto anything.

No, she should let no one realize she had kept anything.

It had certainly been that way….

– Do you think you’ve changed? No. You haven’t changed at all.

Recalling those words, her eyes began to gradually drop.

That was true. Seeing this state, she hadn’t changed.

She was just living as if she had changed.

Thud-!

As she hit the ground, the shock erupted. The center of the forest was in complete disarray.

This wasn’t the western forest. It was practically the opposite side. She had intended to locate the children, but the reason she ended up here was quite different.

“Is this the right place?”

– Yes.

She squinted her eyes at the transmission. It was the King of Demons.

– I can’t say for sure, but this was the last known location around here.

“…Understood.”

This was indeed where Nangong Bi-ah and Wi Seol-Ah had likely been.

Although the King of Demons and the others hadn’t been monitoring them continuously, it was enough to know that they were in this vicinity.

Given that it involved no one other than Nangong Bi-ah, it was impossible for things to have proceeded normally. Even with Wi Seol-Ah involved, she would have definitely bent her will to Nangong Bi-ah’s thinking.

While it seemed the two weren’t entirely alike, they also had a certain resemblance.

With a rush, blood flowed throughout her body from the center of her heart. The bloating blood energy was painful, yet she paid it no mind.

She extended her Qi perception to maximum. An abundance of information flooded in through her ears and nose.

She ignored it entirely. That wasn’t what she was looking for.

‘Where is it?’

A faint trace. The tiniest hint of anything left by Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah.

Or perhaps the presence of the two.

If nothing happened, it would be splendid, but she already knew otherwise.

The two had entered the Transformation Realm. Moreover, they had even achieved a faint level of Heart Sword, making them tough opponents to defeat.

‘Something’s there.’

Gyecheon Sect Leader was scheming something, and she recognized it was no ordinary matter.

As she attempted to approach more cautiously, such thoughts faded away the moment she realized how dire the situation was.

Hooong—!!

She sent her Qi perception to the limits once more. This was truly the limit. After consuming the White Horse Stone, her Qi perception had dramatically increased, and she pushed it to the final level.

Her head throbbed and her heartbeat quickened.

“…Do you sense anything?”

I steadied my breath and asked the King of Demons.

[Not yet.]

Even the King of Demons couldn’t easily grasp the situation.

Should they conclude there was nothing present?

‘No.’

Something was definitely there. She held on to that conviction.

It was purely intuition, but she believed it.

“Leave this to me, and could you search the other side?”

[Understood.]

In preparation for any potential situations, she sent the King of Demons towards the west while maintaining her Qi perception.

The pain grew in intensity, and a wave of fatigue washed over her body.

Drip. A stream of blood flowed from her nose.

She had still yet to get accustomed to the swollen blood energy, and it had become excessively exerted.

‘Was I mistaken?’

Was the gut feeling that this place was right, wrong? She wouldn’t know.

‘…Then just focus a bit more.’

Even if this wasn’t the right place, she would still do everything she could.

That way, she might be able to head somewhere else.

Little by little.

Even just a tiny amount more.

More than maintaining her Qi perception at its limits, she would increase it instead.

The burden on her body? She didn’t care.

As she kept staring for some time.

Boom.

“…”

Inside, she felt something finely stir. Instantly, she withdrew her Qi perception.

At the same time, wiping the blood that flowed from her nose and mouth, she lit up her eyes.

“I found it.”

Indeed, this was where it was.

A humid and quiet space. The air she breathed felt slightly moist.

The area was both vast and dark.

What kind of space was this? It didn’t seem like a naturally formed cave.

After all, a natural cave would never have such angular walls.

Thus, with her back against the shadowy wall, Wi Seol-Ah said,

“Sis, we’re going to get scolded so much when we get back, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Nangong Bi-ah agreed with Wi Seol-Ah’s words, certain that they would be in trouble.

They would likely be scolded a lot this time, wouldn’t they?

“…This is bad.”

“Yeah….”

“Isn’t it time we could just go back now…?”

“Seol-Ah….”

“Yes?”

“…Do you know the way…?”

“…”

At Nangong Bi-ah’s words, Wi Seol-Ah fell silent. It was right on target.

While she wasn’t as directionally challenged as Nangong Bi-ah, this place felt odd.

‘At some point, we lost our way.’

Where were they? How deep had they gone? That wasn’t something they could nail down.

“…This space feels as if something has been overlayed onto it.”

“Yeah….”

Nangong Bi-ah nodded. Seeing her, Wi Seol-Ah let out a soft sigh.

“…Really, it was you who said we’d get scolded for this, but how can we just walk in and be okay?”

“…I’m sorry….”

Nangong Bi-ah chose to apologize rather than make excuses. After all, it truly was her fault.

Upon hearing the mention of Gu Yangcheong, she had rushed out ahead, and that was—

“No, it’s okay. I’m sorry too… I shouldn’t blame you.”

Wi Seol-Ah felt the same. After all, if Nangong Bi-ah hadn’t gone, she would have rushed ahead regardless.

“The problem is… we don’t even know how much time has passed.”

They probably exceeded their return time long ago.

Since the two hadn’t returned, others would take action too.

“I hope the Prince doesn’t move…. But that’s unlikely, right?”

“Yeah.”

Both girls felt certain. If it were him, he would surely be searching for them.

That was what worried them.

What trouble would he cause by recklessly searching? What if it became their fault?

“We need to get out of here quickly.”

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes sparkled as she scanned the darkness.

‘If this side isn’t it, then where on earth is it?’

They had already taken numerous paths.

They had gone down as well as up.

If they descended, how far had they descended? If they ascended, how high had they risen?

How could such a gigantic space exist underground in the first place? That was the root of her confusion.

‘Even those who had been following us are now lost.’

It was voices that had stealthily tailgated them. Yet, by the middle, they had lost track of those who were stalking them.

With no way out in sight, they were in despair.

At that moment.

Tug.

“Sis?”

Nangong Bi-ah tugged at Wi Seol-Ah’s sleeve. When Wi Seol-Ah looked over, questioning what was wrong—

“Let’s go check.”

She pointed slightly towards the front.

Before them stood a massive iron door. The door seemed inexplicably huge compared to the walls and ceiling around it.

This was a door discovered while looking for a path. The two of them hid their presence before the door.

Should they finally check inside? Wi Seol-Ah contemplated for a moment.

“…”

Nothing particularly came to mind. On top of that….

‘Something….’

Something was bothering her. The moment she laid her eyes on the door, that’s what she thought.

There was something hidden in that door. More specifically, it felt that something lay on the inside.

“Shall we go check?”

“Yeah.”

Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah began to move cautiously, keeping their guard up.

Before long, they arrived at the iron door and started examining it from all angles.

It merely looked like a rusted, old iron door. Nothing seemed particularly special about it.

Especially.

“There’s no doorknob.”

There was no knob needed to open the door. How on earth were they supposed to open it then?

Should they push it? Wi Seol-Ah tried to fit her hand on the door in disbelief.

The moment she did—

Whoosh—!! The door suddenly radiated light.

Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah immediately grabbed their swords.

Creak.

The door emitted a sound as it began to slowly open.

Through the tiny gap, the inside became visible.

“Uh?”

Seeing that, Wi Seol-Ah released a huff.

 

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