A massive snake, emitting a bright white light, was looming over us.
“It—it’s a huge snake…!”
I bit my lips at Wi Seol-Ah’s exclamation.
We were in a very bad situation.
‘…Is it a demon?’
There was no way such a colossal snake wasn’t a demon.
And if it could actually speak to us… was it a demon with intelligence?
I had never even heard of such a thing.
Let alone a demon of that size.
What was I supposed to do? With my current state, I wouldn’t even be able to give it a scratch.
At the very least, I needed to make sure Wi Seol-Ah escaped.
So how could I distract it…?
As if reading my thoughts, the snake spoke.
— Calm down, child. I am not very hungry right now.
‘…It’s not hostile?’
With that, I wiped my cold sweat and asked.
“Can you understand me?”
— Well, we are having a conversation, aren’t we?
“How can a demon speak human language?”
— A demon… How amusing.
The snake flicked its tongue.
Even its tongue looked way bigger than me.
— It seems we have entered an age where beings like me are called demons, hmm?
There was a bittersweet tone to its voice.
It didn’t seem hostile, but I still couldn’t trust a demon, so I kept my guard up.
The snake’s golden eyes glinted as it asked me a question.
— …I am curious, child. How did someone like you, who isn’t from the Golden Nature, manage to come all the way here?
“Golden Nature…?”
Is it referring to the Golden Nature Clan?
“…The Golden Nature Clan disappeared centuries ago.”
Upon hearing this, the snake’s eyes widened.
Then, it slowly closed its eyes.
Shhhhh
The gigantic snake coiled its large body tighter.
It barely moved, but given its size, the room seemed to sway.
— …I see. It seems inevitable after all.
The massive head slowly descended closer to the ground.
— But still, I am curious. Even if my power wanes, how is it that you reached this place?
‘…When it mentions power, does it mean the spatial magic I sensed here is somehow linked to this demon?’
A demon possessing such impossible power… what a terrifying thought!
How was I supposed to answer the demon’s question?
In truth, it was almost entirely Wi Seol-Ah’s doing; she had led me here, after all.
“I just happened to find it.”
— …What?
The snake, which had been prepared to respond to my bizarre answer, froze and shifted its gaze toward Wi Seol-Ah.
It was looking at her intently with glimmering golden eyes.
Due to its immense size, just the sight of that massive head watching us instilled a terrible fear in me.
Wi Seol-Ah must have sensed my trepidation; she pressed herself a bit more against my back.
After a few moments of observing her, the snake finally pulled back slightly to provide us some space.
— I see… So that’s how it is.
Huh? What has it figured out?
— Child, what was your aim in coming here?
The snake suddenly asked.
I was taken aback momentarily by its question.
If this snake had a connection to the Golden Nature Clan, would it spare us while we raided the secret vault?
“I ended up here by coincidence, sir.”
I unintentionally spoke respectfully.
The snake flicked its tongue at my response.
Whether from fear-induced hallucination or not, it seemed like the snake was smiling.
Then it said.
— Unfortunately, whatever you seek no longer resides here.
…Dammit, it’s caught on to the fact that we came for the secret vault.
With that realization, my back was soaking in sweat.
The snake continued.
— My time is running out, and this place will soon disappear with it.
‘…It’s running out?’
That shed some light on how the Tang Clan stumbled upon this place in the first place.
If the snake was telling the truth, then the Tang Clan must have found this place after the spatial magic dissipated.
‘Now I see why no one managed to find such a unique tree for so long.’
But could it be true that there’s nothing left here?
If so, what did the Gaecheon Clan’s lord gain from this place?
— Child.
“…Yes, sir?”
I responded nervously to the snake’s call.
My pride was hurt speaking so formally to a snake, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
— What do you think fate is?
“What kind of ridiculous question is that… sir?”
My normal manner of speaking slipped out in response to the absurdity of its question.
‘You fool, why say that in this type of situation!?’
— Hahahaha!
The snake burst into laughter at my reply, causing the whole room to shake.
— You’re right… I suppose that was a rather foolish question of mine.
Thankfully, the snake didn’t appear angry.
I wanted to object to it being the only one asking questions, but I restrained myself.
This wasn’t a situation where I could afford to lose control.
The snake quietly unfurled from its coiled position.
— …Why endure for so long when it’s destined to vanish someday?
It didn’t seem like it was speaking to me.
Who could it be talking to? Suddenly, the snake came alive with a bright glow.
It wasn’t the same white light from before; it emanated a golden hue like its eyes.
I was just thinking of making a break for it with Wi Seol-Ah when something shot out from the snake’s mouth.
It was a golden marble.
I reached down to pick up the marble that had rolled to my feet.
Then the snake spoke.
— Take it.
“…What is this?”
— It’s the reward for dealing with a monster like me. Since it will soon end up in someone’s hands anyway, it’s better it goes to you… Such is fate.
Even though the marble came from the snake, it was completely free of any mucus.
If I had to compare it, it looked like a demonic stone, but it didn’t exude any ominous vibes like a typical demonic stone.
Instead, it felt almost luxurious and radiant.
— It seemed… holy?
— If you possess it within you, you will likely absorb it easier than others.
‘“Possess what”? What does it mean by that?’
Before I could ponder it further, a surge of fiery qi crashed into my body without warning.
“…Gah!”
I dropped to my knees due to the sudden onslaught of pain.
Once again, my ability to absorb demonic energy activated against my will.
I had let my guard down; maybe it was a real demonic stone after all.
Oddly though, I felt no demonic energy within the influx.
The problem seemed to be the sheer volume of energy flooding into me; it was overwhelmingly excessive.
While I struggled against the pain, I felt Wi Seol-Ah’s hand on my back.
Strangely, the ferocious qi streaming into my body softened all at once.
Yet just as I thought I could breathe easier, the qi met my own fiery qi inside, and together they rampaged throughout my body.
“Aagh…!”
The pain returned with a vengeance, more intense than before; I felt like I’d die.
Was the snake really trying to kill me? If it wanted me dead, wouldn’t it be better to just swallow me whole in one go instead!?
Slowly, then rapidly.
— Boom!
All I could hear was my own groans, but somehow it felt like something had exploded in my head.
Was this just a trick of the mind brought on by the pain?
Eventually, the swirling qi merged into a single thread.
As that combined qi reached the core of my body, it suddenly radiated and spread throughout my entire being—without any regard for my attempts to control it.
It felt like something had suddenly burst inside me.
As the pain escalated to an unbearable level;
I lost consciousness.
*
Right after Gu Yangcheon collapsed.
Only the snake and Wi Seol-Ah remained conscious in the room.
The snake chuckled upon witnessing what had transpired.
— I guess it was a bit too much for him to handle.
The power of a snake about to become a dragon.
Having absorbed such power, Gu Yangcheon now possessed an qi that surpassed most others.
Wi Seol-Ah gently rested Gu Yangcheon’s head on her lap and began to rub his back tenderly.
The snake then directed a question at her.
— Are you satisfied with this?
Wi Seol-Ah raised her head at the snake’s inquiry.
Her eyes, usually a deep black, now shone with a golden hue.
She spoke.
“It’s not up to me to decide if I’m satisfied.”
Her tone was a far cry from her usual soft-spoken nature, devoid of any naivety.
The snake responded, sorrow creeping into its voice.
— You’ve come so far, twisting so many things. Was this your desire?
“Why? Do you think I can’t understand it?”
— No, rather I understand it too well, and it pains me.
The snake slowly lowered its body against the ground.
Its once bright scales began to dull.
Wi Seol-Ah maintained her gentle caress on Gu Yangcheon’s back and asked.
“Why would you hand over the jewel you cherished so much to someone you just met?”
— It was simply a whim. Waiting for someone who will never arrive is a lonely affair, so I too let it go.
A golden-haired young man, with a bright smile, flashed across the snake’s mind.
Someone it would never see again.
— …Fate is such a cruel mistress.
As the scales continued to fall, they crumbled upon touching the ground.
Just like the leaves of a white maple tree.
Soon, the massive snake would vanish without leaving a trace.
These were the last moments of the being that had granted the jewel.
Wi Seol-Ah gently patted Gu Yangcheon’s head.
“You foolish person. Even in this predicament, you were only thinking of protecting me…”
— drip-drip.
Tears fell steadily onto Gu Yangcheon’s face.
‘You could have just run away.’
Even though he trembled, Gu Yangcheon had remained steadfast in front of her.
‘I just don’t understand. Why do that for me?
For someone like me, who only clings to grudges and has nothing else…’
Thoughts of the person who never opened her mouth for anyone but herself surfaced.
I had despised her. I hated her with a passion and wanted nothing more than to kill her.
That person was none other than myself.
— …Give it back now.
A voice echoed in my ears.
Wi Seol-Ah wiped her tears away with the back of her hands.
“Sorry, but I’ll borrow it a little longer.”
Now wasn’t the moment.
It was still too dangerous.
Just a bit more.
With care, Wi Seol-Ah laid Gu Yangcheon’s head on the ground and slowly rose to her feet.
She wished she could pet his head a while longer, but she was acutely aware of her place.
And it felt wrong to indulge in such selfishness while ignoring her guilt.
Wi Seol-Ah began to stretch herself out.
Despite her still-young and delicate frame, she wielded sufficient control over the massive body that held her.
Once she was done stretching, Wi Seol-Ah glanced towards the door through which they had entered.
“Come out now.”
Her voice, sharp like an awl, rang through the air.
A startled man slowly stepped into view.
“…How long have you been aware of my presence?”
“You thought you could hide yourself with such limited skills?”
The man was none other than Macheol.
The guard escorting Namgung Cheonjun.
From the very beginning,
Ever since Gu Yangcheon had left the Tang Clan, Wi Seol-Ah had known they were being followed.
No matter how experienced Gu Yangcheon might have been in the past, he would have been utterly unable to sense a peak-level martial artist stalking him.
“…I was merely going to finish this quietly.”
Macheol sighed, looking resigned.
Concealed in the shadows, he had drawn his sword.
“You’ve got good instincts. I had no intention of dealing with you, so I planned to cleanly get rid of Gu Yangcheon, but now it seems things have gotten messy.”
“Is this the intention of Namgung?”
Macheol narrowed his eyes at her question.
“How dare you!? You have no right to utter his name!”
Unfazed by his explosive outburst, Wi Seol-Ah remained expressionless.
Then, she quietly drew a dagger from her robe.
Seeing this, Macheol scoffed.
“What do you plan to do with that?”
Wi Seol-Ah said nothing in response.
Macheol reconsidered as he observed her.
Beautiful.
Truly beautiful.
Although she still radiated youthful innocence, should she look this stunning, perhaps it was better to return with her to the clan and just dispose of the heir from the Gu Clan.
Together with the secret vault and Gu Yangcheon’s head.
That would certainly be a fruitful expedition.
Just as he finished his thoughts, Macheol posed a question.
“How about it? If you don’t resist, I won’t lay a finger on you.”
‘If the naive girl fights back, she might get hurt, ruining that pretty face of hers.’
And he knew that her own master wouldn’t approve of that outcome.
However, Wi Seol-Ah didn’t answer again.
She simply looked down at the dagger, slowly drawing it from its sheath.
Macheol sighed again, disappointed.
“Fine, if you insist, there’s nothing I can do… just like that…”
— Thud.
“Hmm…?”
Macheol made a dumb sound, hearing something drop nearby.
At that moment, a sense of unease washed over him.
With trembling fingers, he reached for his left shoulder.
Cold sweat streamed down his cheek.
It was gone.
The entire left arm that should have been there was missing.
Glancing down at the ground, he saw what had fallen… none other than his own severed arm.
‘When did it…?’
Macheol hadn’t even seen Wi Seol-Ah swing her dagger.
“Shut up.”
Her voice pierced through his ears.
Finally, Macheol understood that something horrendously wrong had occurred.
Wi Seol-Ah took a step toward him, and the very air around them grew heavy.
As she approached, Macheol struggled to breathe under the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.
“…Don’t speak again; we don’t want to wake him from such a peaceful slumber.”
As she stepped closer, Wi Seol-Ah’s hair began to turn a radiant gold.
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