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Chapter 8: The Night Unfolds

The sunset passed, and the night arrived.

As always, a rich crimson backlight filled the scene.

Not just one, but multiple moons occupied the night sky.

Passing by stars, I glided towards my destination.

Time in Mankye flowed unusually slowly, yet I noticed something peculiar.

The transition from sunset to night felt suspiciously brief.

It was truly a blink of an eye.

Before I realized it, the sunset was gone, and night had already descended.

While observing this strange situation, I continued to soar.

Not long after, I arrived at my destination.

Hiding my presence played a part, but perhaps it was the aftermath of sorcery that made the entrance so easy.

It might be a delusion, but the defenses around Yawol weren’t particularly strong.

Despite several previous ambushes, entering like this was surprisingly simple.

‘It feels like there’s a hidden reason for this.’

It wasn’t merely about how the personnel were arranged.

There were clearly people present, yet they weren’t establishing a Qi Perception domain.

This meant it was easy to infiltrate, which was quite convenient for me.

‘That’s odd.’

Such a lack of vigilance was puzzling.

Normally, after something has occurred, one would either assign additional personnel or solidify the Qi Perception zone.

But this place had neither.

What could be the reason for that?

While contemplating this peculiarity, I slowly descended.

I had reached my destination.

Thud.

My toes touched the ground.

It was a sprawling mansion.

Having visited once before, finding my way back wasn’t difficult.

After landing, I scanned the surroundings.

I sensed a presence above the mansion.

I directed my feet towards it.

Flame Burst! Sparks flickered as my body moved.

The location I aimed for was where I felt the presence.

Just a little lower, and someone came into view.

They seemed to have spotted me as their eyes widened.

“What the?!”

It appeared they were about to shout something.

“Intruder—!”

But.

Wham—!

“Ugh!”

I lunged forward and covered their mouth with my hand.

And then—

Bang—!

“Gah!”

I slammed their head into the wall, knocking them out.

They crumpled to the ground, incapacitated.

Zing.

I sensed more energy signatures within the Qi Perception.

It would be bothersome to handle them all, so I just picked off the ones in my path.

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

They couldn’t even let out proper sounds as they fell one by one.

While the numbers were small, they certainly weren’t negligible.

After taking down more than a dozen of them.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and sighed.

“This is annoying.”

Moving in this cautiously was quite bothersome.

To be honest, if it weren’t for the current situation, I wouldn’t have resorted to such tactics.

‘If I acted too grandly…’

Knowing that Yawol is not just a mere similarity, it was wisest to hold back for now.

However.

‘That said.’

Holding back too much was quite frustrating.

‘Shall I try a little?’

Flame Burst—!!!

I wrapped my hand in Black Flame.

As always, seeing the black flames made me uneasy.

They served as a link between my previous and current lives.

I still felt as if I hadn’t changed from that time.

It made me feel very uncomfortable.

But for now, I had no choice but to utilize this.

‘The location is probably…’

One floor directly above this, that’s likely where they would be.

It was the same as last time.

Thinking that, I stretched my hand upward.

Flame Burst—!!!

Crash—!!!

The black flame shot from my hand, piercing through the ceiling.

At the same time, I surrounded the area with air pressure to muffle any sounds.

Boom—!!!

I had broken through to the desired location.

After confirming, I retracted the flames and swiftly jumped into the hole I created.

In an instant, I soared upward and arrived at my destination.

“…What the…!”

As soon as I ascended, someone stared at me in shock.

They appeared to be an adult, possibly past the age of adulthood, but far older than they seemed.

I couldn’t gauge their age, but it was surely beyond mine.

The creature known as a 월야 seemed to possess a longer lifespan than humans, making any guess impossible.

‘Anyway, they must be older than me.’

Whatever they imagined, it was definitely clear they were older.

With blue hair and a handsome face, topped off with mismatched rabbit ears.

Once again, I found it hard to adapt, no matter how I looked at it.

The ears and tail of other beasts were intense, but the rabbit ears were particularly so.

“…You—!”

The leader of the Blue Family, who was with those similar to them, exclaimed upon seeing me.

Thank goodness.

‘There they are.’

The fact they were unharmed here made landing easy, and I adjusted my stance.

With my hands behind my back, I glared at them, and they turned red.

“Why have you dared return to this place…?!”

[Hmm?]

I tilted my head, showing a look of utter confusion.

[What do you mean by that?]

“What…?”

[I have no place in this land that I cannot visit.]

Arrogant as ever.

Every word they said was deliberately chosen. I didn’t need to assess their expression since it was hidden from view.

Stiffening the hands behind my back, I walked confidently.

An air of invincibility surrounded me, possessing an unfaltering demeanor that promised not to yield.

This posture I assumed was close to mimicry.

As if following what I had witnessed.

I took on the actions of those I wished to emulate with my body.

It goes without saying who I was imitating.

For I was the original owner of the form I now projected.

[I came to greet you as I hadn’t previously. Are you ready?]

“…You insolent…!”

[Regrettably, it seems the General is absent…]

I chuckled lightly as I spoke to them.

[It wouldn’t be too bad for entertainment.]

Hehehe—!!!

Upon hearing my words, the Blue Leader’s face soured even more.

Their well-crafted look didn’t change much, but it was decidedly irritating.

“…You are insufferably arrogant. Do you even know where you are…?!”

Kaboom—!!

Their body reacted violently.

Unlike the sudden changes of Baeksaek or Gu Bong, this was merely an increase in the ratio of fur on their body. Moreover.

‘Muscle mass is increasing.’

I observed as their physique enhanced significantly, particularly in the lower body.

[Hmm.]

I watched with interest.

At the same time, I took a look outside through the window behind me.

The night descended, and the moon rose.

The darkened sky was said to symbolize the existence of a 월야.

‘This is a gamble in its own right.’

I lightly clenched my fist.

Partly to raise the tension and partly to activate my own body.

[Aiming to put on a show?]

Crack—!

The energy contained within my step shattered the ground.

[Let’s see what you’ve got.]

The 월야 of the night.

Among them, a leader-tier existence.

Could I truly win? As I swallowed that question whole, I wrapped my energy around me.

And in that very moment.

Crash—!!

The Blue Beast lunged at me.

 

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