Bi Yeonsum remained on edge, feeling increasingly nervous as he sat alone in the tent.

It had been almost half an hour since Gu Jeolyub had left, yet not a single person had entered the tent during that time.

…Can I really be in here like this?

He couldn't help but question whether he was even allowed to be there.

If it was the Murim Alliance, they would have at least detained me briefly to verify my identity. He couldn't help but think that they were doing a shabby job.

He began to worry that something might happen if he stayed in the tent for much longer.

After all, no one else knew who he was, so if someone stumbled upon him, something could go wrong.

Unable to sit still, Bi Yeonsum fidgeted nervously.

Slide.

Suddenly the tent flap slid open, causing a rush of cold air to fill the space.

Bi Yeonsum wondered if his nervousness had made him dull, for him to feel cold even though it was almost summer.

“Hmm?”

The person who entered the tent seemed surprised to see Bi Yeonsum.

However, it was Bi Yeonsum who found himself at a loss for words.

“Huh… Huhhh?”

The person before him was no ordinary woman; she was extremely beautiful.

Her porcelain skin, elegantly waving black hair, and sky-blue pupils that looked like gems.

Just looking at her made Bi Yeonsum's heart skip a beat.

And to make matters worse, Bi Yeonsum recognized her, having seen her from far away long ago.

“…S-Snow Phoenix…”

“Who are you?”

The Snow Phoenix, Moyong Hi-ah.

It was definitely her.

Bi Yeonsum remembered seeing her from afar during last year's tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes.

There was no way for any man to forget such a breathtaking figure.

“Oh… I-I am…”

He wondered why the Snow Phoenix was here in the first place, but Bi Yeonsum stammered, unable to speak clearly. He was talking to the almighty Snow Phoenix after all.

Moyong Hi-ah observed Bi Yeonsum, adjusting her hair before asking him again.

“Are you perhaps the person brought by the Sword of Heroic Flame?”

“Ah… Ah, yes! That's correct. M-My name is Bi Yeonsum.”

“Oh no, it seems like he brought another one. It must've been hard.”

“Not at all… I-It wasn't difficult at all.”

“So, where did the Sword of Heroic Flame go?”

Moyong Hi-ah seemed to have no interest in him, only asking questions with a very cold expression.

“…Uh, he disappeared after telling me that he would bring someone.”

“Leaving you here? Alone?”

“Yes…”

“…This guy.”

Moyong Hi-ah fell deep in thought, fidgeting her lips around with her pretty fingers.

That appearance of her's was so charming that Bi Yeonsum had to calm his pounding heart.

After a moment of contemplation, the Snow Phoenix spoke again.

“Follow me.”

“Huh?”

“Leaving you here doesn't sit right with me, and I had to go there anyways. So, follow me.”

“U-Understood!”

He wondered if he should stay, but he couldn't dare disobey the Snow Phoenix.

There was something that made him compelled to obey.

Moyong Hi-ah left the tent, and Bi Yeonsum, who trailed behind her, felt as if he was dreaming.

For me to walk alongside the Snow Phoenix…

He was walking to the forest with the renowned Snow Phoenix.

Despite being abandoned by his companions and thrust into this dangerous forest, just the fact that he met the Snow Phoenix, seemed to make all his worries disappear.

He cautiously entered the forest with the Snow Phoenix.

At first, Bi Yeonsum relished the experience of walking alongside the Snow Phoenix. However, a sense of unease gradually crept over him.

Why… don't I hear anything?

He couldn't hear any of the usual sounds of the forest, nor could he feel even the smallest presence.

The Snow Phoenix must be feeling this strangeness as well, but she continued to walk through the forest as if she was used to it.

How long has it been?

Walking past a few trees, Bi Yeonsum stumbled upon a vast clearing.

“Gasp…!”

He gasped, his breath catching in his throat at the sight before him.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Blue-Grade Demons.

He couldn't even count how many there were.

It didn't even look like it had been that long since their death.

The sight of Demons killed in a gruesome manner, whether by being burnt alive or being ripped apart, made even Bi Yeonsum, who was no stranger to combat, recoil in horror. It was that brutal.

Bi Yeonsum checked on the Snow Phoenix just in case she was shocked, but she just walked past the corpses, seemingly used to such a sight.

“I-It appears a Gate of Demons had opened.”

Bi Yeonsum stammered awkwardly, but his words seem to fall on deaf ears.

Feeling increasingly awkward, Bi Yeonsum shut his mouth and continued to follow the Snow Phoenix, trying his best to ignore the surrounding carnage.

…Who in the world did all this…?

Each and every one of these fallen demons were of the Blue-Grade.

Bi Yeonsum himself could face a single Blue-Grade Demon, but the sheer number of these corpses was far beyond his capabilities.

Were multiple people behind this?

That was the only plausible explanation.

How could anyone single-handedly take care of such a horde?

Not even the Sword of Heroic Flame, who had saved him, nor the Peak Realm martial artist named Muyeon could face this many Demons all at once.

Bi Yeonsum lost track of how much they had walked.

Eventually, the Snow Phoenix stopped, prompting him to stop as well.

And then…

“…Wh… Wha…?”

Bi Yeonsum fell to his knees in astonishment.

“Wh… What is… all this…?”

At first, he mistook it for a hill.

It was too small to be a mountain, yet too big for it to be an ordinary mound.

However…

Bi Yeonsum fell to his knees, trembling uncontrollably at the sight before him.

It was a hill entirely made of Demons.

He finally understood why he couldn't feel any demonic presence as he walked deeper into the forest.

It was because all the fearsome Demons of this forest had been slain and piled up here.

Upon the hill, Bi Yeonsum saw a mysterious person.

He was sitting with his legs crossed and had his chin resting on his hands as he observed the ground.

Bi Yeonsum couldn't see his face clearly due to the darkness, but he could make out the blinking of his bright red pupils.

“Didn't I tell you last time?”

A voice echoed from the hill top, causing Bi Yeonsum to flinch.

The voice sounded younger than expected.

It was somewhere between a boy and an adult, deep but not quite.

“Why do you always return with baggage every time you go out?”

The man's voice carried anger and annoyance, directed at someone unseen.

Bi Yeonsum looked around, wondering who the man was speaking to, then he saw someone across the hill with his knees on the floor and his hands held up high in the sky.

It was the punishment Bi Yeonsum got when he was a kid from his grandfather.

“…Huh?”

Bi Yeonsum's eyes widened at the sight of the person being punished.

It was none other than Gu Jeolyub, the Sword of Heroic Flame, who had saved him.

One difference in the type of punishment was that he was also holding a huge boulder during it.

The Sword of Heroic Flame…

Gu Jeolyub who had radiated a mighty presence with his Sword Resonance, was now being punished in a rather humiliating appearance.

“Just what is going on here…”

“I'm here.”

As Bi Yeonsum struggled to comprehend the situation, the Snow Phoenix started speaking to the one atop the hill without showing any concern for Gu Jeolyub.

Though her voice was barely audible, the man seemed to have heard her as his horrifying red pupils aimed her way.

Bi Yeonsum shivered at the sight of those eyes, but the Snow Phoenix remained calm.

In fact, she seemed more energetic than before for some reason.

“You know it's almost mealtime, right? If you're finished here, let's hurry and go.”

“You came to pick me up?”

“It's because you were taking so long.”

Bi Yeonsum couldn't help but be taken aback by the warmth in the Snow Phoenix's voice, a stark contrast to her usual cold demeanor.

“…Hm.”

Tap.

A faint sound of something landing caught Bi Yeonsum's attention.

When he turned to look, someone was already standing in that very spot.

Bi Yeonsum didn't even notice him move one bit, yet the man had already come all the way here from the top of the hill.

“Put it down.”

Slam!

As soon as the order was given, Gu Jeolyub released the boulder he was holding.

Tsk.

The man clicked his tongue disapprovingly, regarding Gu Jeolyub with an expression of distaste.

Bi Yeonsum couldn't make sense of the situation, but he couldn't move his gaze away from the man's face.

“…Ah?”

His appearance was closer to that of an adult, than a boy.

The manner in which the man in the red outfit brushed his hair aside and his fierce eyes revealed his discontent.

The intensity of the gaze made it hard to look at his face for long.

And then it hit him. He recognized the man. It was the boy who had left a deep impression on him during the last tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes

No, not a boy. He was more of a young man now.

“True… Dragon?”

Bi Yeonsum couldn't help but voice his thoughts aloud, unaware that he had spoken. The young man, Gu Yangcheon, shifted his gaze to Bi Yeonsum.

“What did you say, you punk?”

Bi Yeonsum thought after hearing his growl.

Yeah, this must be a dream.

No wonder he encountered the Snow Phoenix and the True Dragon on the battlefront, with a Peak Realm martial artist standing guard.

It was just a dream. After all, it was not realistic at all.

“Haha, I guess I have lost my mind a bit due to a lack of sleep.”

Bi Yeonsum nodded with certainty.

Thud.

His world went dark as he collapsed to the ground, having lost consciousness.

“What the hell is wrong with this crazy bastard?”

Gu Yangcheon only stared down at the unconscious Bi Yeonsum incredulously.