Chapter: 840
Knock knock. I shook my body here and there.
The pain still lingered in my body.
It doesn’t usually hurt this much, but this time the recoil was severe.
Ugh.
I endured the recoil while drooling.
My bones still ached and my muscles were screaming.
Oh, crap.
This is something I definitely cannot do. I thought about trying it once and now I’m regretting it greatly.
“Is it too much to imitate someone else’s body?”
I can transform my own frame, but changing it into an entirely different one seems to be difficult.
Not only do I need to change my height, but I also have to adjust the wrinkles and physical characteristics, consuming a tremendous amount of energy to maintain it all.
I probably would have lost the gas transformation technique if I were just a bit slower.
No, it definitely would have been released.
…Hooooo…
I sighed and wiped the sweat off my brow.
I thought my skill level had improved, but as soon as I tried to make a change, this was the result. Does this mean I’m not yet ready to use that level of power?
While this part was somewhat disappointing, there was a silver lining.
‘…It’s not yet, is it?’
I can’t use it yet. So, wouldn’t it be possible someday? That was my hope.
Crack! I touched my shoulder and aligned my bone.
The parts that weren’t done properly were due to not keeping up with the returning speed.
This also meant that my recent disguise wasn’t exactly flawless.
And quite poorly done at that.
‘If I had pushed further, there would have been a higher chance of being noticed, not to mention being released.’
Since it was all put together hastily, Ilcheonggeom would have certainly noticed.
That’s because he’s got better intuition than you’d think.
‘He mentioned he sensed it right as soon as he arrived.’
The moment he stepped into this forest, he immediately sensed the unusual changes going on.
Just that alone indicates he’s quite the perceptive individual.
And rightly so, since the one causing trouble in this forest is none other than the Dark King.
…You can come out now.
“Yes.”
The response to my words came from right next to me. No need to look, it was the Dark King.
“Thanks to you, things went well. I appreciate it.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
As always, the Dark King brushed it off like it was no big deal; if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have even tried this in the first place.
As mentioned earlier, transforming into another character was done rather poorly.
Even if I managed to make it look somewhat similar, the details were different.
The number of wrinkles, the delicate arch of my eyes, and even the lines of my body.
Not everything can be perfect, and it could create quite a dissonance for experts who keep a constant awareness of their opponents’ physiques.
So what should I do?
Should I consider trying another method? I thought about this, but thankfully, a solution appeared.
The method was simple.
If the low completion makes it easy to be noticed, why not just cover it up so no one can tell?
‘Of course, you still can’t wear exactly the same disguise.’
The method I chose was not to cover my face but to obscure Ilcheonggeom’s eyes.
To be precise, rather than hiding the real eyes…
‘It’s better to blur the five senses.’
Lowering his sensory clarity so he cannot correctly perceive what’s happening.
That was what I wanted.
There are several ways to accomplish this.
I could use formations, spread air pressure to suppress his spiritual senses, or even resort to poison.
There are countless methods to try, but none were options for me.
I don’t know how to use formations well. Spreading air pressure would make Ilcheonggeom sense it right away.
Poison wouldn’t be any different.
So, what was left? The answer was simple.
‘If I can’t do it, I ask someone who can.’
Since it would be obvious if I tried, I needed to ask someone who could do it without a hint of suspicion.
Fortunately, I had an expert in this field right by my side. I immediately turned to the Dark King and requested his assistance.
I asked if he could lower Ilcheonggeom’s awareness without making it obvious, and the Dark King promptly went to work.
At first, it looked like he was doing something around the mountain, but I couldn’t decipher the details.
What’s important here is this:
‘Whatever was happening, Ilcheonggeom wasn’t able to keep his wits about him.’
The moment he stepped foot in this mountain was the turning point.
He entered this place and slowly became less aware. So gradually that he didn’t even realize it.
‘I got a little anxious when you said you noticed something was off.’
I heard he spotted something strange, but luckily, he didn’t seem to process it deeply.
‘Thanks to that, things went smoothly.’
With Ilcheonggeom’s senses dulled, he couldn’t properly realize my subpar disguise.
I was able to leverage this to cover up my poor acting skills. And also.
‘I realize I can’t pull this off a second time.’
I confirmed that this trick couldn’t be reused immediately.
‘Not bad.’
I attempted it and didn’t fail.
Furthermore, I even gained something significant from it.
However, if there’s one thing I’m concerned about…
‘I wonder if he believed it completely… Probably not.’
Even if he didn’t believe it, his reactions would suffice. What’s crucial is that Ilcheonggeom was shaken enough.
I recalled Ilcheonggeom’s eyes wavering just moments ago.
‘How far will you fall?’
It might sound odd to say he was on a higher plane in the first place, but if he believes he’s flying on his own, I’m just left curious.
How far will Ilcheonggeom, who’s just cut off my wings, plummet? Will he crash to the ground and meet his end?
‘Or….’
Will he realize he was never flying and choose to self-destruct?
Of course, either way.
It won’t change the outcome for this fool.
The dawn was approaching a little too early.
Night had fallen, and the lanterns lit up the compound.
Rustle.
I was sitting in my room, examining two letters as if comparing them side by side.
“… It seems to be east… The identified direction seems similar…”
Is there something else that’s different?
Or perhaps what’s the same? I scrutinized this closely.
The letters were mission reports, sent by those tasked with reconnaissance and gathering intelligence.
The difference was one letter was from the members who supported us while the other was from those who went solo.
I’ve been receiving reports like these since the mission started.
“Hmm….”
After checking the contents, I frowned as if feeling uncomfortable.
‘The information is too similar.’
The reports sent from both sides were quite alike, which was the reason for my concern.
“It seems like you’ve noticed this.”
I chuckled and folded the letter.
Having overlapping reports isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem lies in the fact that I have to consider various implications.
Initially, I had taken measures to avoid overlapping information.
The reason was:
‘It’s simply easier to obscure the info.’
Most of the information sent by the Meng faction is fake anyway. More than half of it is.
I don’t find it strange. It’s what I instructed them to do.
This method was convenient for filtering out those who were causing issues.
I could weed out all the incompetent ones.
However.
‘Now that the information is becoming increasingly similar.’
It boils down to one of two possibilities.
The first is that they felt threatened and backed off. Or.
‘I discovered a little too late.’
If they realized I had asked multiple people to gather information.
In my view, it could only be one of these two scenarios.
‘Hmm.’
Since I already sifted out the ones who had to go, there wasn’t much need for extra effort, but one thing still lingered in my mind.
‘How did they manage to figure it out?’
How on earth did they catch on? That’s a little annoying.
No one aside from me knew that I had several people on intelligence gathering duties.
Furthermore, I had tied everything up so that no one could inquire among themselves.
What I realized in this situation was…
‘Did someone leak the information?’
The thought crossed my mind that someone might have intentionally spilled this information.
And if the information was leaked…
“Was it you?”
With a suspicious face before me, I stared him down and asked.
“…Yes?”
The man was taken aback by my question. This man’s true identity was none other than Moon Do-hyeok.
“About this letter. Were you the one blabbing about it?”
“Oh, no…!”
Moon Do-hyeok was startled and replied:
“Not me?”
“Really? I had no idea about the report.”
“Hmm….”
Swish.
I waved the letter I was holding like a fan, directing my gaze towards Moon Do-hyeok. He froze, letting his head drop to the ground.
I could sense his tension quite clearly.
“Whether you did or didn’t, it doesn’t change much. I was simply asking, after all.”
As I said before, the window for inquiry has closed. Those who needed to know have already pieced things together.
And that includes him as well.
Thus, the situation turned even stranger.
“Honestly, this is quite unexpected.”
“Yes…?”
“Why did you betray me?”
“…”
Why did that guy even come to my side?
No matter how much I tried to rationalize it, I couldn’t comprehend the motive behind it.
“…That… as I mentioned…”
“No, I genuinely don’t understand.”
I did hear him, but understanding it remained elusive.
“To say you couldn’t remember my name… that seems a bit fishy, doesn’t it?”
“…”
Moon Do-hyeok’s reason for leaving Ilcheonggeom behind to inform me was merely that.
The fact he couldn’t remember my name was the reason he gave.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
It was absurd.
How do you call this betrayal just because you forgot my name?
Ah, so being a spy made it irrelevant to him? Still, if that’s the case, why did he ditch the Blue Dragon Corps to join my side?
Because from an outside view, it would seem this side is significantly losing.
At that moment.
“…I…”
Moon Do-hyeok cautiously summoned the courage to speak.
“… I have been a part of the Cheongryongdae for the past few years.”
“I’m aware.”
He mentioned it was around four years.
Not a short period, yet not exceedingly long.
“Though I was only at the bottom of the hierarchy, I considered myself dedicated and worked hard… but.”
“Ilcheonggeom didn’t recognize your name?”
“…Yes.”
Listening to his tale made me chuckle in disbelief.
Can you really call that a complaint?
I’m sure that’s not the response he envisioned, but after hearing it, there’s only one thing I could say.
“Well, that’s probably because you were so unremarkable he didn’t need to remember you.”
“…”
Moon Do-hyeok’s head hung even lower after hearing that.
Seeing an older man in that state was pitiable, but…
“Just look at yourself now. The fact that you switched sides over something so trivial means you’re not a very trustworthy person.”
The notion that he rallied to my side simply because he couldn’t remember my name was too trivial to justify calling it betrayal.
Did he think I would welcome him for defecting and coming to me?
I might appreciate his utility, but as a person, I find it utterly distasteful.
That displeasure must have shown on my face. Moon Do-hyeok glanced at me then swiftly continued his discourse.
“W-Well, that’s not all.”
“Then what is?”
“…Ah, well, I’m not entirely sure but…”
Hesitant, he stammered as if about to say something. Eventually, he hesitantly spoke to me.
“…I thought it would be better to align with the Lord.”
“With me? Instead of Ilcheonggeom?”
“Yes…”
“Why?”
“…I’m sorry. It was purely a hunch.”
I nodded after hearing that.
The reasoning boiled down to merely a feeling. Along with not remembering names, he felt drawn to me.
I nodded at those words.
‘Hmm.’
He might possess more intuition than I initially thought.
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
And there’s more to come…!!
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