Chapter: 361
“What does this have to do with a Love Song?”
The Dark King’s voice is rather soft.
It’s so soft that you might not hear it unless you pay close attention. Perhaps it’s related to his presence being so subtle.
In contrast, his words resonated clearly in my ears.
‘Love Song?’
I try to grasp the words the Dark King just uttered.
Yeon-ga, the Dark King definitely just called me Yeon-ga.
In this vast land, there are surely several families associated with the Yeon name, but if the Dark King is mentioning Yeon-ga, I could only think of one possibility.
“Are you referring to Geumcheon Yeon-ga?”
The first clan that was declared exterminated after the bloody calamity caused by the Blood Demon.
That’s the place where the world’s best, the returnee Yeon Il-cheon, was the head of the household.
If the place the Dark King was referring to is indeed that…
‘What does love have to do with me?’
No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t understand why he was asking me such a thing.
Meanwhile, the Dark King, upon hearing my question, simply stared at me without uttering a word.
“L-lie…”
“Are you trying to pretend you don’t know?”
“…!”
Dread Dread. A strong pressure emanates from the hand of the Dark King gripping my arm.
I tried to shake it off urgently, but judging by this human’s strength, that was no easy feat.
Why is this assassin so freakishly strong?
“No, what do you mean pretend…!”
“You’re trying to lie about ‘the curse’ right before me, of all people.”
“Curse…?”
Setting aside the pressure on my arm, the words from the Dark King were downright irksome.
The moment I frowned, the Dark King moved the hand he was holding.
As my arm stretched out, the changed skin areas became glaringly obvious.
“Are you really going to lie about this?”
What I gleaned from that statement was straightforward.
The Dark King mentioning the Love Song was due to my skin.
I don’t know how he knew about this skin of mine, but that implication was clear.
‘What does this skin have to do with a love song?’
Though the area was only the size of a thumb, the skin had changed to resemble that of a reptile, no matter how you looked at it.
Does the Dark King understand the reason behind that?
‘That doesn’t mean…’
It was going to be difficult to explain everything to the Dark King.
“I don’t know either. It just happened at some point…”
Crunch.
“Urgh…!”
Just as I was about to make an excuse, the world flipped upside down.
The pressure on my arm evaporated, and the Dark King seized my neck, smashing me against the wall.
‘Mad…!’
The pain in my neck was excruciating.
But even more overwhelming was the shock.
I didn’t know how strong the Dark King was, but even if he was imperfect, I never imagined he could so easily subdue me, who had reached the Hwagyeong stage.
“Kuagh…”
“Kid. You may fool others, but you won’t fool me. Do you truly want to die?”
The murderous intent radiating from the Dark King made my body instinctively react.
Sweat started pouring down without my consent.
A restrained life, and an absurb richness felt within it.
I realized he could control his murderous intent this precisely.
‘… Realization in the middle of this is absurd.’
Reaching the Hwagyeong stage must have soaked into my brain as well. I can’t believe I’m even aware of my current state.
I can sense a clear will to break my neck at any moment if I don’t tell the truth.
Ah, damn it, my head is already spinning. Why is this guy messing with me too?
The pressure on my neck grows stronger and stronger. It seems impossible to shake this off…
‘Maybe using demonic transformation could work…’
Fighting back is hopeless, but it feels like I could at least flick off his clenched hand.
Of course, the aftermath of what would follow would be disastrous, so I held back.
But more than that, the real question was.
‘…Why on earth is this crazy person acting like this?’
From his remarks about pretending and all that, he seemed quite certain of something.
What on earth do I have to do with a love song…?
‘…Huh?’
The skin resembling that of reptiles, such as snakes or lizards…
And then, the Love Song…
‘Oh, no way.’
Damn it, my head works so well in moments like this.
The World Tree mentioned that the awakening of the beast was caused by the giant snake bead I received from the Love Song.
That implies…
“…Vigora.”
As soon as I barely managed to squeeze those words out, the pressure on my throat dissipated.
Simultaneously, the body that had been hanging in mid-air landed on the floor.
Luckily, I didn’t crash down ungracefully and managed to maintain a sturdy stance.
“Cough… cough….”
As I struggled to catch my breath, I felt an intense gaze directed at me.
I lifted my head slightly.
‘The eyes….’
The Dark King’s eyes had transformed.
Gone were the darkened eyes from his mask; they now shone bright white, just like when we first met.
It seemed he had taken off the mask, but that wasn’t the case.
I don’t know how, but he seemed to be able to control it at will.
“What did you just say?”
“…Phew….”
“Kid, I asked what you just said.”
Hey, I was out of breath and stumbled over my words, and he asked me again with a tone dripping with killing intent.
This guy sure knows how to play the gallant hero act.
Even though the Dark King’s eyes were brightening with a certain light, I knew that the energy crawling inside wasn’t positive.
No matter if he knew my grandfather or not, that was none of his concern.
‘It’s cold.’
Of all the people I’ve encountered, he gave off the most chilling and indifferent vibe.
What kind of person is this?
‘Should I even say anything?’
I couldn’t say for certain whether this bump on my arm was related to him or not.
Every time I thought about it, that was still the only connection I had with Yeon-ga.
‘…Even if that’s the case, it’s strange.’
It had been several years since I visited Bigo.
So much had transpired during that time. If such a change was going to occur in my body, it should’ve happened long ago.
I just couldn’t wrap my mind around why this was happening now.
Let alone…
‘Wasn’t it referred to as a curse?’
The Dark King seemed to imply he knew everything regarding this change.
What on earth could this be?
While pondering over the reasons and identity of all this, I was suddenly interrupted.
“Kid.”
The Dark King called me once more.
“This happens to be the third question.”
While he spoke, I felt something touch the tip of my neck.
It was the tip of the Dark King’s finger.
I had no room for useless thoughts about what he was trying to do.
Because it looked quite dangerous at a glance.
“I generally don’t ask the same question twice. I don’t particularly enjoy torture either.”
“…”
“It means I’m not a fan of being bothered. It’s a problem that can be resolved with someone’s death.”
It’s even scarier seeing how he expresses that without batting an eye.
If we’re talking about someone who’s killed before, I’m no push-over either.
Yet the figure before me couldn’t even be compared to that.
Death.
He felt like a manifestation of death itself in human form.
“So, for me to ask you three times, this is indeed quite an unusual situation.”
He’s really making a big deal out of it.
I ended up thinking that way without realizing it.
The good news was that I managed to keep myself from saying it out loud.
If I hadn’t, I definitely would’ve snapped back, given my personality.
“So tell me.”
The Dark King seemed unaware of my thoughts as he continued.
“Since there’s nothing I should not know about that place.”
“…”
The pressure from his fingertip intensified.
He clearly wasn’t intending to wait for my internal dilemmas.
Should I just lash out?
I contemplated that four times in an instant.
I had already surpassed the three-visitation count, so I wondered if it wouldn’t be right to just lash out.
‘Useless pride needs to be put aside.’
This wasn’t an opponent I could take on without being smart about it.
Thus, I had to restrain myself.
I’m the type who can’t kill my pride even when faced with death.
Yet going out like this without reason wasn’t an option.
Since I had too much at stake to lose.
Eventually, I couldn’t hold back and poured out the story about my visit to Geumcheon Yeon-ga.
“…”
Immediately after hearing everything, the Dark King rubbed his lips with his hand, appearing lost in thought.
“…Bigo.”
When asked how he knew, he recounted attending the general meeting.
Then he claimed he stumbled upon it ‘by chance’ while hiking up a mountain.
As is the custom with all miraculous encounters, coincidences tend to be connected.
The important part is how things were there, what I saw, and what I acquired.
Having finished his contemplation, he quickly glanced at my arm.
Then, he shifted his gaze to where my danjeon is.
“Even if it’s not true, the energy within your body is definitely genuine.”
Hearing that infused me with a sliver of relief.
It seemed I wouldn’t be meeting my end right away.
It wouldn’t make any sense to kill someone here, yet the Dark King could likely do just that without facing any repercussions.
“Are you referring to energy?”
It struck me as odd; out of the blue, he was talking about energy.
Did he mean the energy obtained from Bigo…?
‘But didn’t everything gained from there vanish already?’
It’s true that I received the miracle, and it’s also true that my bet has increased.
However, I never deemed it a substantial opportunity.
The increase in bets wasn’t that significant either.
But what kind of energy did the Dark King sense coming from me?
There.
‘The Dark King knows about the changes that have occurred in my skin.’
That’s why he’s reacting this way.
“Senior.”
At my calling, the Dark King shifted his gaze toward me.
“…Is my change related to the Love Song?”
His eyes widened upon hearing my question.
I didn’t think I’d asked something so outlandish; why the startled reaction?
“I didn’t expect you to ask me that here.”
Oh, so that’s what surprised him.
“…I’m genuinely curious. It’s an unexpected change, and as the senior searching for traces of a long-extinct Sega…”
“Wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
Just when I was about to spill out my excuses, the Dark King cut me off resolutely.
What does he mean wrong? My questions amplified my dread.
“Yeon-ga has indeed been exterminated. That took place a long time ago.”
We’re talking centuries at this point.
That was a standing question for everyone.
This far into the narrative, they are now referred to as the Four Great Families.
Back then, Geumcheon Yeon-ga was hailed as the top clan.
Only one clan.
The strongest clan with the best individuals and nearly all major factions in the Central Plains connected to it.
For reasons unexplained, Geumcheon Yeon-ga vanished in an instant.
The mere fact that such a powerful clan could collapse so swiftly was incomprehensible to most.
All that anyone knew was simply from the records; nobody trusts those entirely.
There aren’t detailed accounts written, and since I’m not someone who cares much for history, that’s all I truly know.
“So then…”
Just as I was about to ask what was the mistake noted by the Dark King.
“Though the clan was destroyed, the descendants survived.”
I felt the urge to question the Dark King internally.
What he meant implied that while Geumcheon Yeon-ga was extinct, their offspring remained unharmed.
As I hesitated for a moment, considering the Zhuge clan, it might be possible.
“Eh?”
A flitting thought passed through my mind, and I stared wide-eyed at the Dark King.
The words he had uttered resonated late in my mind.
“I have to know everything there is about that place.”
That’s what the Dark King had warned me while threatening me.
Furthermore.
“They weren’t extinguished.”
To speak so confidently…
“Are you…!”
I hid my trembling voice as I directed my gaze at the Dark King.
“…Are you one of the successors of Yeon-ga?”
Upon hearing my words, the Dark King remained silent.
He simply looked at me, lips tightly pressed together.
But for some reason.
This silence felt like an answer to me.
A thought sprang to mind.
‘Ah, hold on… If I screw this up, I might actually end up dead…?’
From every angle, it felt like a precarious situation.
Flap.
In a mansion overlooking the Sea of Magic, a bird adorned with beautiful feathers landed gently on the window.
There was a thin letter tied to the bird’s leg.
Upon confirmation, a hand carefully untied the letter from the bird’s leg and claimed it.
The owner of that hand was none other than the master of this grand mansion, a man known as the master of the sovereign.
Rustle.
The man slowly unfolded the letter.
The first part bore a seal.
This seal belonged to the direct line of the Moyong clan.
It was a special seal crafted specifically for messages to the head of the household.
“…”
Reading through the few cryptic words word by word, he reached the end.
“Hmm.”
With his gaze now radiant, the man frowned as if displeased by the contents.
Squeak.
Whooosh…
As the man rose from his chair, a soft gust of wind swept through the room.
“I entrusted my precious daughter to someone else, expecting care… only for this level of mishandling.”
His deep voice resonated with barely contained fury.
The sharp sharpness typical of masters had flooded into his demeanor.
As the man strode toward the door, those waiting at the threshold approached and bowed their heads.
“General.”
“…Yes, my lord.”
“I’m heading straight to Hanam.”
At the inquiry from the master of the mansion, the general’s shoulders quivered slightly.
“One… I have a schedule with the Baekhwasangdan in a few days…”
“Cancel it.”
“Bu-but my Lord…!”
“If they claim a reward for this job, then they should surrender it all.”
“That’s…!”
The general attempted to say more, but the master of the Moyong clan dismissed him entirely and continued his stride.
Then he abruptly halted in his tracks.
“Oh, perhaps it doesn’t matter.”
“Excuse me…?”
The general, who had been rushing to keep pace, voiced a puzzled response to that.
“It’s bound to be the same for them as well.”
“My Lord, what do you mean by that…?”
“I won’t need a carriage. My feet will far outrun yours.”
“B-but…!”
“If anyone dares debate this, they should relay it.”
In that very moment, when the general was taken aback and tried to grasp the master…
“I’m setting off to retrieve my daughter; I’ll also confront the one facing my dear daughter,”
the master of the Moyong clan declared, leaping through the window frame.
As the elderly general gazed outside, his expression was one of sheer disbelief.
The master of the Moyong clan had already transformed into a speck in the distance, disappearing entirely.
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