To cut to the chase, I didn’t catch Giha Moon.
“Gasp… gasp…”
“What a madman…”
He ran away like a lunatic, dodging the practitioners. He was so fast that he outpaced even me, who was cloaked in Infinite Completion.
When I reached the end of space while chasing him, I found Giha Moon had ended his own life.
“Whether it was really ‘on his own’ or not, I can’t say.”
What I do know for sure is that his body was severed in two, and with his Origin Spirit and Golden Short also chopped off, there was no chance of revival.
The surrounding walls were adorned with grotesque ‘eyes,’ enough to make even the practitioners, who were used to corpses and bizarre things, wince.
“What disgusting eyes…”
“Lord Hwangwiganju. I can’t believe he did something like this…”
Cough!
“What a truly dreadful end.”
“Everyone, come here! What on earth should we do about this…?”
“Um…”
While the practitioners examined the eyes, I quietly opened my mouth in a voice that the people around couldn’t hear, but the viewers could.
“Mokmujin…”
The name of the unidentified being Giha Moon mentioned.
From the way he seemed terrified just calling the name, it’s certain it’s at least a being of Junseon’s level.
After all, I’ve heard the title ‘Jingun’ isn’t just given away.
[Ugh]
[Gross]
[Why are there so many eyes?]
[Who is Mokmujin?]
[Isn’t Jingun a high rank?]
[Did he just die?]
[ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
[You say it’s disgusting, yet you’re still touching it?]
[What now?]
As the practitioners got lost in the eyes, Nua Hyogyeom approached me.
Nua Hyogyeom’s eyes, which were supposed to manage this situation, seemed a bit hazy.
“I will collect them all. If we use the Magic Technique for searching, we might get a vague idea of the source of these eyes.”
“……”
“Surely, this person didn’t act alone, so we must take appropriate measures—”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Crackling!!
From the Dragon Heart, Infinite Completion burst forth.
Dozens of infinities swiftly began to melt the eyes, and the strange energy flowing from them was also reduced to nothing by the Infinite Completion.
As the practitioners seemed to snap back to their senses, they turned to me in surprise.
“It’s no ordinary existence. Recklessly touching it seems like a poor decision.”
A being of high rank can shatter a lower being’s mind just by being present.
Giha Moon’s manic behavior is a prime example.
If Mokmujin is as strong as I think, it’s best to burn it right away.
‘That was a bit dangerous too.’
I glanced back at the somewhat disappointed practitioners and checked the corpse of Giha Moon for the last time.
It’s the same power that was thrust upon me by my eyes.
“Shut it.”
“Let’s go back.”
■
“Ugh… this is tough, meow…”
“You must get used to it, even if it’s hard. Only then can you solidly wield the power of the Avatar.”
“Why is it so complicated? If you just do it like this… Lily!”
As we returned to the Castle of Jeokmu-hyang, Hayoung and Yena, who had been studying hard, rushed toward us.
They looked quite tired, as if it had been rather difficult and boring.
Yena tilted her head.
“Where did you go, meow? I heard you went out to handle some business, but meow…”
“I’m still dealing with things with the Lord of Jeokmu-hyang. Want to see?”
“What do you want to show me, meow?”
“Just hold out your hand. I think it’s okay for you, even if others can’t handle it.”
I handed over something about the size of a handball to Yena’s curious hand.
She seemed to like the squishy texture and started to squeeze it.
Yena’s gaze shifted to her hand.
“Oh, is this a bouncy ball, meow? It’s so squishy… eek! Meow!!”
Upon seeing the ‘something’, Yena jumped and hurled it away.
What Yena caught was an eye.
With an eerily dislocated focus, the eye pivoted 180 degrees to stare back at Yena.
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[Wait, you melted it all!]
[Lily is such a menace.]
[That’s dangerous, LOL.]
[Yena’s reaction is hilarious!]
[So cute, LOL.]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
“Shut it.”
“You can’t just throw things haphazardly. It’s dangerous.”
“Hey! Who suddenly hands over an eyeball like that, meow!”
“I just needed to check something. Sorry if I startled you.”
“…Hmph. If it weren’t for Lily, I would’ve really unleashed the rituals of the Myeosin art, meow.”
Crossing her arms, Yena glared at me, clearly sulking as I snatched the eye back.
It hadn’t been long since she took the penalty suppression potion, yet her behavior was already close to a cat’s.
“Looks like she’s fine.”
“Meow? I almost had a heart attack, you know?”
“Not that.”
“What?”
Mokmujin’s eye, merely by existing, had stirred the practitioners’ minds and bodies.
At first, they reacted with great discomfort, but as it gradually became exposed, they felt an inexplicable greed.
If I hadn’t intervened, they would have either lost their minds or, in severe cases like Giha Moon, ended their own lives.
However, Yena, even while holding the eye directly, showed no significant change.
“Certainly, the advantage of being a user is enormous. A willpower that can even touch beings beyond Junseon…”
“Surely, the user’s advantage is significant. A mental power that even beings beyond Junseon cannot touch…”
“Meow?”
“It means the System’s ‘Soul Protection’ is definitely working. The raccoons won’t let a situation like the Kraken incident repeat.”
“So you experimented on me?”
“Rather than an experiment… a confirmation process? It might just be me, so I need to check…”
“……”
[Hahahahaha]
[Really big L]
[Yena’s sulking now]
[Yena got experimented on]
[Hahaha]
[She’s upset]
“Miss Yena, shall I give you a gift?”
“If it’s another eye, I’m not taking it.”
“This time, it’s a real gift.”
As Yena turned away, she glanced at me with narrow eyes.
What I handed over was a book covered in neat leather.
“I’ll take it.”
“What is this?”
“I’ve written down the public techniques and understandings of the axes that suit you, Miss Yena. I consulted with the Axis of Transition Device Practitioner from the Myojok (cat tribe); you’ll need it.”
“Oh, really?”
“And I’ve contacted the Myojok. If you don’t understand the public techniques, you can learn directly from the Myojok’s leader.”
Though it wouldn’t be as good as the Myeosin’s level.
But still, in terms of swordsmanship and understanding of the axes, the Myojok’s leader would be much more helpful.
Yena glanced back and forth between the book and me, then cleared her throat and tucked the book into her pocket.
“Hmph! I’ll overlook the scary look you gave me earlier.”
[Hahahahaha]
[What’s with the carrot and stick?]
[Yena is so cute]
[Yena’s a bit materialistic]
Beside the suddenly excited Yena was Hayoung, who waited until my conversation with Yena was over.
“Hayoung.”
“Yes?”
“I examined the eyes, and it turns out there were more practitioners who knew about the plans besides Lord Hwangwiganju Giha Moon.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Were there any of Lord Jeokho’s closest aides?”
“There are a few that can be called close aides, but… aside from Lord Hwangwiganju, all have not left Lord Jeokmu-hyang.”
Most of the closest aides, including Ascension Lord Won-gyeom, decided to work under me again.
Of course, there were a few who left or were trapped in an underground prison, but it was hard to consider them close aides.
However, during my search for the ‘eyes,’ I clearly sensed there was someone there.
Someone who executed evil magic arrays alongside Lord Jeokmu-hyang.
At first, I thought that someone was Giha Moon, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t him.
I thought it was Giha Moon, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t Giha Moon.
‘Giha Moon is a decoy. The real entity is someone else.’
“Maybe, like before with Giha Moon, it has been erased from the practitioners’ memories. That person must have borrowed power from an existence at Junseon’s level.”
“That could be the case. If they awaken like Lord Hwangwiganju, I will report it immediately.”
“Right. How was teaching Miss Yena?”
As the serious talk about Junseon and wicked eyes shifted to a personal topic, Yena’s ears perked up.
Hayoung nodded.
“Since Miss Yena has remarkable talent, given time and resources, she could reach the Record Phase.”
“Hmm!”
“That’s a relief.”
I was already aware of Yena’s talent from the beginning.
Even if the Display Case is nearly impossible, with help from me and Lord Jeokmu-hyang, how could she not reach the brink of the Record Phase?
After that, it might get a bit difficult, but she could reach the limits available as a User.
“By the way, were there any other news?”
“Other news… you mean?”
“Yes. I heard something while at Unryusan, about Unsa…”
“Lord Hyangju!”
Slam─!
[?]
[???]
[What the hell?!]
[Huh?]
[Eh?]
Someone hastily stormed into the top floor.
One of the Master of Avatar practitioners, holding the same position as Hayoung, but it wasn’t a place one could just barge into.
Naturally, one needed formal procedures and permissions to enter.
Barging in like that, it wouldn’t be strange to end up locked in the underground prison for at least a dozen years.
“Cough! Apologies!”
However, the practitioner knelt abruptly as if in a hurry.
“What’s going on? Why suddenly…”
“Ch-Chonmuhyang’s…”
“Lord Cheongmu-hyang, please.”
Someone interrupted the man’s words.
Behind him, a giant entered naturally.
The giant stood over 3 meters tall, dressed in a blue robe, with the Cosmic Spirit swirling like clouds around him.
One of the only four Display Case practitioners in the land.
‘Lord Cheongmu-hyang’ looked down at me with arrogance.
“Nice to meet you, rookie.”
“…Rookie?”
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