Paf-!
Paf-!
Hye Myeong jumped over a few remnants of debris in the space and approached Seol.
Swoosh…
Without saying a word, he sat down beside him.
Soon, Hye Myeong's aggressive energy and his heightened emotions subsided upon confirming Seol's safety.
Sensing the change in his energy, Seol said.
"So you've awakened the power of the Golden Divine Statue."
"Yes..."
"That's great."It was something he was worried about.
That Hye Myeong might not be able to reach the same level as he did before because of the altered past.
But now, the likelihood of that happening had greatly decreased.
'He will continue to move forward by using the power of the Golden Divine Statue.'
And then, he would challenge Ascension.
Such a future was waiting.
While Seol was thinking about the future that awaited Hye Myeong, Hye Myeong was thinking of something else.
He quietly sighed, looking at Seol, who was simply staring off into the distance.
Had this incident made Hye Myeong deprived and feel a wall?
However, Hye Myeong wasn't that kind of person.
For now, he was just in shock.
They sat in silence for a while.
"Hey!"
Chi Woo came flying over to the remnants while carrying Mi Ah and Seol Hong.
Since they also had eyes, they could see that part of the ruins had been turned into a mess due to the battle, and that the massive monster before them had fallen as a result.
"This is… the pursuer?"
"Yes."
Seol Hong was startled upon seeing the gruesome corpse of Shade.
"Seol… Did you take down this ghost? Th-this is…"
"Yes."
Seol Hong instantly recognized what kind of being the ghost was.
"Isn't this Shade…?"
"Shade…?"
Upon hearing Seol Hong, Chi Woo also realized that the corpse really did belong to Shade, one of the three ghost generals.
"This is really Shade?"
Mi Ah trembled.
"I'm scared…"
At that moment, something huge, although not as large as Shade, emerged from Seol's body.
Whoosh…
It was Jamad.
- Still, what needs to be done must be done.
"Oh my god… What is that?!"
"Step back!"
The group reacted urgently. Jamad's appearance had shocked them to that extent.
Even Hye Myeong had stepped away from Seol.
- Why are you all surprised? Your reactions are strange.
Seol chuckled.
Of course, they were surprised.
After all, he hadn't told anyone about this yet.
Paf-!
Jamad swiftly leaped to where Shade's main body was.
[The heart of the Evil Spirit vibrates.]
[The shadow's source reacts.]
Whoosh…
An ominous and mysterious energy began gathering around Jamad.
"What the…"
"Prepare yourselves! That thing is…"
[The heart of the Evil Spirit fills the source of the shadow.]
[The shadow energy possessed by the heart of the Evil Spirit has not been determined yet.]
[The source of the shadow is being fully absorbed.]
Fsss…
As Jamad absorbed the source, Shade's huge body began to disintegrate and become dust.
All that remained were only the traces of Shade, now just a skeleton.
Crack…
Jamad took only Shade's skull from the remnants.
- It's a bit small, but still, not bad.
Bzz…
- Oh… There's still some soul left?
Jamad put Shade's sphere-shaped soul into a bizarre-looking leather pouch. He had literally stripped Shade’s body down to the bone.
As Shade's body disintegrated, everyone was left speechless by the unbelievable situation.
Jamad was holding Shade's skull.
And the group began retreating from him in trepidation.
"Th-that being…"
"Is it a ghost? No, that doesn't seem to be the case…"
Chi Woo's gaze turned to Seol.
"This power… Don't tell me…"
"Why?"
"Is Seol being controlled?"
Seol wryly smiled at Chi Woo's imagination.
"Give it a rest."
"What? Then what's going on…? H-how are you going to explain that?"
Seol rubbed his forehead and said.
"The truth is, I'm actually a summoner."
A truth he had kept until now.
- I'm actually the summon. Jamad is the master.
- I got you.
- Turns out Jamad was the summoner, hahaha.
The group responded with blank stares.
"Seol, you want us to believe that?"
"That's nonsense. You're definitely on par…"
- Chi Woo has no shame.
- How long is he going to keep claiming to be his rival?
- He should stop sucking!
- I'm going to keep the position unless Hye Myeong is around.
Hye Myeong glanced at Seol Hong and Chi Woo and said.
"Judging by their reactions, it seems they didn't know either."
Oof…
"Well, I wasn't trying to hide it. But there were some circumstances…"
Chi Woo still hadn’t gotten any closer to Seol.
"I-I still can't believe it… Y-you're that m-monster's…"
Bzz…
Jamad's fiery gaze landed on Chi Woo.
"Anyway, did you use some kind of mental… Agh! There's no way you're the summoner!"
Whoosh…
Whir—!
At that moment, black energy came out of Seol's hand, and along with it, a dark-armored knight appeared.
It was Karuna.
Guoo…
As Karuna, who also emitted a unique energy, appeared, the truth became impossible to deny.
Chi Woo scratched his temple for a moment and then said.
"This is true…? Seol Hong, did you know?"
Seol Hong shook her head.
She frowned slightly and looked at Seol.
"Why did you hide it?"
"I didn't. I just didn't have any reason to tell, nor was there an appropriate moment to do so."
"I see, how about now?"
"Now, I have a reason to, and the situation calls for it."
Seol Hong reluctantly nodded.
It wasn't as if he had hidden a huge secret or deliberately kept it from her to cause harm to Seol Hong.
Still, they couldn't help but be disappointed at being left out.
At that moment, Jamad said while stroking his chin.
- Is my existence so unsettling to you, humans?
"Yes!"
"Of course!"
Chi Woo and Seol Hong responded in unison.
- That's unfortunate. I'm one of Seol's most useful allies. To think you'd find me unsettling…
In reality, Chi Woo and Seol Hong could tell just from the energy Jamad was exuding.
That being was clearly fundamental in defeating the pursuer.
Jamad was a monster.
A monster whose power was hard to estimate.
With that realization, Chi Woo stepped forward boldly and extended his hand.
"I'm Chi Woo. If you're helpful to Seol, that's good enough for me… I think we're going to get along."
- The true opportunist of this era, Chi Woo!
- He's really good at dealing with others.
- The social abilities of the Lang Tribe are truly amazing.
"Hmm…"
Jamad extended a finger, and Chi Woo grabbed it and shook it.
- I'm Jamad.
Swish—!
Agony used its tail to shake their clasped hands up and down.
[That's right! You should get along! Agony will be watching.]
Agony then sat on Jamad's shoulder, which was much broader than Seol's.
"Seol…"
Seol's gaze met Seol Hong’s.
Seol Hong didn't know everything about Seol, but even so, she thought she at least understood him to some extent.
However, through this incident, she started to question whether she truly knew who he really was.
Seol said to the group.
"First of all, let's move somewhere safer."
"Ah, that's right. It would be troublesome if Shade's subordinates show up."
Since they had dealt with the strongest pursuer, the anxiety that had been gripping the group was now gone.
"So, can we sleep now?"
"Yes. Mi Ah, it must have been tough for you."
"It was… But everyone had a hard time."
"…"
Hye Myeong stroked Mi Ah's hair.
They hadn't been able to get a proper rest for a while, so they deserved to enjoy this sense of freedom.
* * *
Tap, tap…
Tap…
A warm bed.
Seol had dispelled the ominous feeling of being chased, so they were able to get some sweet sleep.
Even Hye Myeong, who was always on edge, fell asleep.
At times like this, only Seol, who possessed superhuman stamina, stood and watched alone.
And he spent this time alone in his own unique way.
Creak…
[You open the Evil Spirit’s Relic.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have received a skill point.]
[You have received a skill point.]
[Affluent’s Bonus Effect activates.]
[You have received an additional skill point.]
[Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.]
[You have received an additional skill point.]
[You have received an additional skill point.]
[Someone Better’s Bonus Effect activates.]
[You have received an additional skill point.]
[You have received an additional skill point.]
[You have received an additional skill point.]
[You have obtained Inflexible Theory Skill Book.]
[You have obtained Mysterious Double-Edged Ax.]
[You have obtained Unusual Parchment Piece.]
[You have obtained Submission.]
[You've obtained 41 platinum coins(Khan).]
…
The rewards he gained after defeating Shade.
A flood of equipment poured out from the Evil Spirit's Relic.
'First, I'll check Jamad's status.'
As usual, Seol tried to open Jamad's status window to check his information.
[Jamad, the Totality of Nature, belongs to the Void.]
[You don't have permission.]
[Transferring the authority over Jamad, the Totality of Nature.]
[The transfer will take some time.]
"Damn it…"
- He's already swearing, hahaha.
- Getting outplayed by the Void again?
- Just hearing the word 'Void' makes him swear like Pavlov's dog!
There was nothing he could do about it now.
It seemed like he would need to wait before he could check Jamad’s abilities.
At that moment, he heard Karen's voice.
- I want to go over there too…
- You can't. Seol's capacity is already maxed out with just Jamad.
- Master is pathetic!
Inside the Void, Karen and Ur were having a conversation that would evoke a sense of sadness in anyone listening.
'Indeed… The shadow space became full with just Jamad.'
It was as if Jamad was occupying the backpack he always carried.
The backpack wouldn't close if he put anything else in.
- Fortunately, this problem can be solved on my end.
Seol's eyes shone at Ur's words.
'Really? How?'
- You're getting stronger at an abnormal rate, so you can't increase the shadow space as fast. So I'll have to reduce my size instead.
In short, minimizing the volume.
'Is that even possible?'
- Yes, if we have enough time. Once the process is complete, it might even be possible for all four of us to cross over. However, I'm not sure if that would be efficient.
'Are you saying that all four crossing over could be less efficient?'
- You might have realized this by now, but the Void is literally a paradise for challengers. You can accumulate combat experience and strength at an abnormal rate. It's a pity you can't cross over yourself. If you could, you wouldn't be struggling with decisions right now.
Jamad's growth was truly bizarre.
Even with just being separated briefly, he'd broken through the wall of the Immortal rank, and although he'd teamed up with Seol, he'd managed to defeat Shade without much difficulty.
Even so, it didn't seem like such growth could come without a price.
'Won't the Void's power reach an end at some point?'
- Well… Do you think someone who created such an absurd space would have designed it carelessly?
That would be me.
Seol chuckled wryly at the thought. To be more precise, it was an idea conceived and brought to life by The Immortal.
It would be fortunate if Seol's name was mentioned even at the very end of the credits.
- The Void is still growing. As far as I can tell, there are demonic beasts slumbering here that might be difficult for even me in my current state to handle.
Seol was startled.
A demonic beast that even Ur, in his current state, couldn't handle?
'Really? Is that even possible?'
- As unbelievable as it may sound, it's true. That's why just opening the door gave you so much trouble. It isn't because you were lacking. The Void is just an unpredictable realm.
For some reason, Ur's words, reassuring him that it wasn't due to his lacking, were a great comfort to him.
'Indeed, opening that huge door isn't something easy.'
- In any case, the conclusion is… Karuna should come back to this side.
'What…?'
How had he concluded that?
'Send Karuna back?'
- Yes. Since Jamad has crossed over, there's no reason for Karuna to stay there any longer.
Seol listened to Ur's words and waited for Karuna's response.
'Definitely…'
Karuna had been of great help.
However, compared to the now Immortal-rank Jamad, some parts of him were lacking.
Karuna must have realized that too.
- I will return.
'Karuna?'
Karuna answered.
- Although Jamad is rough, he's trustworthy. I will trust him and return to the Void.
- Hurry up, Karuna! I'm bored!
Karen's carefree words broke the somber atmosphere.
- Well, anyway. We're pretty busy too, so take care of your own matters. Although, Jamad will probably take care of things well.
And with that, the conversation ended.
The difference this time was that even though they were apart, it was as if they were still connected and could talk at any moment.
[Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, has returned to the Void.]
[You cannot summon Karuna, the Moonlight Knight.]
With Karuna having returned, Seol was now alone with Jamad.
He intended to continue checking the equipment he'd just acquired. Just based on the list, there seemed to be some extraordinary items mixed in.
'Wait… Come to think of it…'
When they defeated Phantom before, his soul had been hidden in the rewards chest.
'Shade's soul…'
Recalling that Jamad had taken it, Seol asked him about the whereabouts of the soul.
'Jamad, where is Shade's soul?'
- Are you talking about that?
Agony swallowed the soul that was trembling.
"…"
[Delicious! This is truly a delicacy! I feel energized! Thanks, Jamad!]
- Hahaha…
Seol briefly lamented why the reward distribution didn't go through him, the rightful owner, but since it would have ended up with Agony anyway, he just sighed.
"So, how is it?"
Gulp.
[What? Ah, it's delicious!]
"No… Not the taste."
[Ah… It's like… Something's coming to mind…]
"Coming to mind?"
[Yes! It happened before too! Memories are… Huh…?]
Agony's eyes widened.
"What happened? Is something wrong?"
[How strange.]
Seol was frustrated by Agony's reaction.
Soon, Agony said something strange.
[He wasn’t here for the bell.]
"What…?"
Until now, Seol and his group had thought Shade had been fiercely pursuing them to seize Watala's strength.
In fact, Shade had also said that.
"Shade wasn't after the Luminous Bell? Then…"
Whir…
From Hye Myeong's arms, the Golden Divine Statue stirred.
"Hmm…"
Because of that, Hye Myeong woke up and took out the Golden Divine Statue.
A voice came out of it.
- Seize Watala's Inheritance.
"Don't tell me…"
What Watala had left wasn't just the Luminous Bell.
Rumble…
The ruins began to tremble and transform.
"What's happening?!"
"KYAA!"
In front of them, a new path was laid.
Something not even the past Hye Myeong could obtain was waiting for them beyond this path.
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