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Step, step...
As I enter the administrative building, a few members of the Earth Tribe, recognizing me as part of the Dragon Race, bow and approach.
"Is there something the Sir Dragon is looking for?"
"Move aside, I'll find it myself."
"Yes, yes..."
Adopting the appearance of the Black Dragon Race and putting on as irritable a face as possible, I create an atmosphere that makes it difficult for others to approach.
Reading my mood, the Earth Tribe members bow and move away.
'Let's see...'
I walk inside the administrative building, towards a corridor where the symbols of each of the 13 major races are displayed.Beyond this corridor, there is a separate administrative area just for the 13 major races.
At a fork in the corridor, I take the path marked with the symbol of the Dragon Race.
Beyond here, only members of the Dragon Race are allowed.
I activate the Black Dragon's True Blood even more strongly and head down the path marked with the symbol of the Dragon Race known for handling the Yin (陰) attribute.
'From here on, only members of the Black Dragon Race, or perhaps the Sea Dragon Race or Water Dragon Race, can enter.'
And the space discovered by the small General Seol is right here.
Walking down the corridor, I touch one of the Black Dragon symbols engraved in the stone corridor.
Injecting the power of the Black Dragon's True Blood, my hand suddenly sinks into the Black Dragon symbol.
'As expected...'
It's a barrier shaped like a wall.
I successfully enter the hidden space by passing through the barrier.
"..."
Step, step, step...
After walking down the passageway leading to the hidden space for a while,
Descending the stairs down and down, I arrive at a rather spacious area.
Judging by the distortion of the space, it seems to be a compressed space, revealing a considerably large site.
Flash!
The spirit stone embedded in the ceiling emits light like sunlight, making it feel as though it's broad daylight.
'It's the size of Gyu-ryeon's cotton farm...'
I am amazed at the immense size of the area.
The area utilizes the light emitted from the ceiling to grow grass, forming a meadow.
There are cool streams flowing throughout the meadow, and trees that emit pleasant fragrances are growing.
And in the center of the meadow,
There is a large manor.
Inside the manor, there are several houses with elegantly tiled roofs, and the presence of one person can be felt inside.
I slowly approach the manor.
Surprisingly, there are no barriers or prohibitions around it.
'Ah, I see.'
I realize as I approach the manor.
The closer I got to the manor, specifically to the person making noise inside it, the more the flow of Yin and Yang becomes chaotic.
The heaven and earth spiritual energy is swirling and entangling so much that it's likely impossible to install prohibitions or barriers.
Just as I arrive in front of the manor,
Tap, tap, tap, tap―
Sounds come from inside the manor, and I feel someone running towards this direction.
Simultaneously, the doors of the manor burst open, and a familiar face pops out.
"Is Sir Seo Hweol here?"
It's Oh Hye-seo.
"...Greetings."
And, I greet my old colleague, whom I am meeting after a long time, rather stiffly.
"I was sent here by Sir Seo Hweol."
"Oh, by Sir Seo Hweol? Please, come in."
Upon hearing Seo Hweol's name, Oh Hye-seo smiles broadly and invites me into the manor. I follow her into a large mansion.
"Ma'am, a guest sent by Sir Seo Hweol has arrived!"
"Yes, Miss. I'll prepare."
"Hm?"
I frown as I observe a middle-aged lady welcoming Oh Hye-seo in the mansion and the workers bustling about the place.
Without any prohibitions or barriers, from the outside, it definitely seemed like there was only Oh Hye-seo's presence.
But upon entering, there are numerous people inside.
I immediately recognize their identities and frown.
'They're jiangshi.'
They are all jiangshi that emit the scent of human flesh.
In other words, they are jiangshi made from real human corpses.
'A creepy mansion, indeed.'
I take a deep breath as I observe the well-maintained yet unsettling underside of the mansion.
The middle-aged lady kindly smiles and leads me to the inner house.
Shortly after in the inner house, I am able to face Oh Hye-seo.
"What did Sir Seo Hweol tell you? Usually, he would come and talk in person..."
"...Sir Seo Hweol asked me to check if Miss Hye-seo is doing well."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
'...? What's going on?'
I sense something odd while reading Oh Hye-seo's intent but continue to question her.
"Have you been experiencing any discomforts in your daily life?"
"None at all. Sir Seo Hweol takes care of everything for me."
'She's lying.'
"Are you feeling unwell, or are there any concerns about your health?"
"Not at all. I'm perfectly healthy."
'She's lying.'
"Are you feeling mentally stressed in any way?"
"Haha, Sir Seo Hweol really... What could be stressful when Sir Seo Hweol is with me?"
'She's lying again.'
I sigh inwardly and ask.
"Do you ever wish to go outside?"
"Outside? Ah, didn't Sir Seo Hweol tell you? It's really nice walking through the streets of the Serving Command Ark alone with Sir Seo Hweol every few days. I've been going outside already, so..."
'That's not a lie. But there's something more to it...'
As I am organizing my thoughts.
"By the way, Sir Seo Hweol always checks my level in the Summoning Wind, Sacred Blood Transformation. Do you not need to do that?"
"The Summoning Wind, Sacred Blood Transformation, you say..."
"Could you please check the level of the technique for a moment? I ask of you."
"…Yes. Then, let's first go outside and…."
"Ha!"
However, she starts forming hand seals in the cramped room and begins circulating spiritual energy.
Whiiiii―
The heaven and earth spiritual energy in the room starts to move around Oh Hye-seo.
I am startled by what I see.
I am also familiar with Summoning Wind, Sacred Blood Transformation.
However, there are no such techniques in the Summoning Wind, Sacred Blood Transformation.
Just when I am taken aback.
Oh Hye-seo, who had been slightly playful and tinged with happiness until now, suddenly changes her expression and glares at me.
Ssshhh―
The room falls silent.
She opens her mouth.
"...Who are you?"
"..."
"Are you really sent by Sir Seo Hweol? If Sir Seo Hweol sent you, you wouldn't be unaware that he and I take walks regularly, would you?"
"..."
'What should I do?'
Should I reveal my true identity, having created a false one with Black Dragon's True Blood and Yuan Yu's face?
But it's risky.
If Oh Hye-seo is brainwashed by Seo Hweol, she might immediately report my presence to him.
If that happens...
As I am pondering various things.
The woman observing me suddenly stands up with a shocked expression and steps back.
"Ah...!"
"...?"
Oh Hye-seo's voice trembles.
'What's going on? She's startled by something. She recognized something in me. What is she thinking? Is she trying to call the mansion's servants?'
However, her next words are beyond my imagination.
"Seo... Eun-hyun?"
"...!!!"
I fail to maintain my expressionless facade and end up looking at Oh Hye-seo in surprise.
"Seo Eun-hyun! Right? I remember that face! My sense of time became so weird, but it's a face I saw decades ago, Seo Eun-hyun!"
The suspicion in Oh Hye-seo's gaze, which had been full of doubt, melts away.
However, I can't help but feel bewildered.
'How did she realize I'm Seo Eun-hyun?'
"Ahaha, really, it's so nice to meet someone from the same hometown after such a long time. Last time we met, I think I called you Deputy Seo. Well, it's been so long since I've seen your face that the name just comes out, right? Haha..."
I stand frozen in front of Oh Hye-seo for a while before I touch my face with a stiff expression.
After a moment, the Blood Body Skin Armor covering my face peels away, revealing my original face.
"...It's been a long time."
"Yes, really... It really has been a long time."
We're both silent for a moment.
Then, Oh Hye-seo asks me.
"By the way, aren't you curious how I knew? Even though you changed your face."
"Hm?"
"It's my ability..."
"Wait, don't say it!"
"Hm?"
I stop Oh Hye-seo before she can recklessly reveal her ability.
"...Have you ever told anyone about the ability you've gained?"
"Um, no. I thought about telling Seo Hweol at first but then changed my mind. Ah, by the way, why did you come in with that face?"
I smile wryly at her question.
"Because I'm not exactly friendly with Seo Hweol."
"Ah, I see."
Oh Hye-seo laughs heartily.
"I don't really like Seo Hweol either. Not sure if you've noticed, but do these mansion servants look human to you?"
'Hm?'
Oh Hye-seo whispers as if she's telling a huge secret.
"They're all corpses. And they're always watching me. And when Seo Hweol comes, they report everything they've observed about me to him."
"..."
"At first, I thought Seo Hweol was a really nice person. But then, at some point, he started to hypnotize? Brainwash? He started doing those things to me. That's when I knew Seo Hweol is a madman."
I don't know what expression to wear, feeling an odd mix of emotions.
Unexpectedly, Oh Hye-seo is fully aware of everything about Seo Hweol.
"Before I awakened my ability, I really thought he was wonderful, kind, and gentle. But after reaching the Nascent Soul stage and getting somewhat proficient in using my ability, my illusions about Seo Hweol shattered along with the brainwashing he had placed on me."
She babbles on for a while.
I smile faintly as I watch her chatter non-stop.
Oh Hye-seo, nicknamed the "Nightingale" at the company, was the most admired female employee among the staff.
Even though she was captured by Seo Hweol, she seemed not much different from the Oh Hye-seo I knew back then.
She is still bright.
"Oh Hye-seo, do you want me to take you out of here?"
I ask, looking at Oh Hye-seo.
However, she's silent for a while before smiling and saying,
"No, it's okay."
"...?"
"My ability, you see, if I refine it to the extreme, I think I might be able to understand why we came to this world. And where we should return to and how we ended up in this world."
"...But what does that have to do with staying here?"
"It's related. The best opponent to refine my ability against is Seo Hweol."
She smiles.
"I thought about investigating Seo Hweol using my ability. Now, I've been unraveling the story of 'Seo Hweol' in reverse. Seo Hweol has done a lot of things. That's why there are so many people with a cause-and-effect relationship (casualty) with him, which has greatly refined my ability. As I did so, I became interested in why Seo Hweol became such a person (human), and I've been looking into that recently.
"Strictly speaking, Seo Hweol isn't human."
"Oh, now that I think about it, you're right."
What exactly is Oh Hye-seo's ability?
It seems as if she can see through everything from where she seats.
'Wasn't it an ability related to the bloodline of immortal beasts?'
Why has it transformed into an almost omniscient ability?
Suddenly, I wonder if she can also realize that I had regressed.
"Are you reading me too?"
"Yes, I am. But others weren't as difficult as you. It feels as if the pages of your book are very heavy... And there are also these cloudy mists... It's hard to read because of those things."
"Hmm..."
After exchanging a few words with her, I chuckle lightly.
"So, you're saying you'll stay by Seo Hweol's side?"
"Yes."
"…Alright. Be careful. As you know, he's a being as skilled in deceit as in breathing."
"That does seem to be the case."
"…Seeing that you're safe, I'll be going."
"It's a bit disappointing. Seo Hweol won't be coming here for a few days anyway, why don't you stay and rest? If it's because of the servants' eyes, I can do something about it with my power."
"No, sorry. I have things I must do."
I get up and head outside.
It's a first.
For the first time since I came to this world, my heart feels a bit lighter.
I had thought Oh Hye-seo was 90% likely to be used or brainwashed by Seo Hweol.
But watching her demonstrate an almost omniscient ability to 'read' her opponent from her seated position, it somehow doesn't feel like Oh Hye-seo would easily fall prey to Seo Hweol.
'Maybe she was a bit overwhelmed at the beginning, but as she awakened her ability, she gradually started to read Seo Hweol's moves.'
Perhaps, she is the one I need to worry the least about among all my colleagues.
As I am leaving the manor.
Wo-woong!
A bright white light erupts from behind, touching the jiangshi in the mansion.
Then, the jiangshi's eyes dim and they stop in their tracks.
Oh Hye-seo's voice rings out.
"It's the power of the Lustrous Glaze Peacock. Lower beings become foolish the moment they touch the light. The jiangshi will forget that you came today. Take care."
"...Yeah, you take care too."
I leave the hidden space behind Oh Hye-seo with a light heart.
Crackle, crackling...
My body is almost completely vaporized now.
But, at the end of my life, I managed to achieve one of the goals I had set.
'Really...'
It's good to be alive.
With a somewhat lighter heart, I begin to prepare to splendidly adorn the final grand performance of this life.
Zap, zap...
Though my Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, I begin to detect the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress from a long distance.
The Mad Lord Jo Yeon has stepped into the territory of the True Dragon Alliance.
***
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