Crack.

The Demon's fangs crunched through my shoulder.

Blood spattered everywhere, and I almost lost my mind, but I endured the pain and summoned flames.

Blaze-

Such a feeble flame it was.

It served as a grim reminder how pathetic my level was and the flames that were about to go out were telling me how my life was.

A life no better than a bug's, utterly worthless.

That's what I was getting from it.

Crrrr!

Demons came endlessly.

They looked like waves in a never-ending sea.

I had already thrown away my hope for survival amidst this despair

[But this is a bit much.]

I smirked seeing the hell that unfolded in front of me.

How could I even hope in a situation like this.

I wondered how many miracles I needed in order to survive.

A couple would surely not be enough.

[Haha.]

Maybe it's not too late to talk shit about the Snow Phoenix, that crazy woman.

Or I should have encouraged the Water Dragon to replace me when he called me insane.

Or at the very least, maybe I should've given her a different answer, when the Celestial Sword begged me while sobbing to not to go.

It was all pointless thinking at this point though.

Because even if I could go back to that time, I would've made the same choice anyways.

[This shitty life.]

It seemed like it was finally coming to an end.

Maybe I should be touched that my efforts would have been worth something despite living my life so worthlessly.

Unfortunately, since I wasn't that emotional of a person, such warm thoughts were foreign to me.

Roaaar!

Demons roared as they gathered up in one place.

Can I stop them?

Of course not.

I only brought their attention towards me, and even then I couldn't even get all of their attention.

This was only going to last an instant, even then it might just afford them something.

I heated my body.

Blaze.

The flames which wrapped around my body were feeble, but it was the best I could do.

The Qi in my Dantian depleted instantly,

[Ugh.]

And because of injuries I had all over my body my body was screaming in pain.

Yet, the flames intensified.

Using my body as fuel, I amplified it further.

Basically, I was using my own life as fuel.

I'm going to die anyway, so it doesn't matter.

I'd rather burn it as fuel. than letting it become nothing but shit.

[So this is what it feels like.]

When I used my body as fuel and intensified my flames, I felt enlightenment dawning upon me, funnily enough.

How I can control my flames, and how I can make them grow.

I was getting such enlightenment at the brink of death.

[I really am just unlucky.]

Rooaarr-!

Demons charged towards my flames.

They seemed like moths that just found flames.

Though if I had to point out a difference,

[Uggh…!]

There were way too many moths, and the flames were not big enough to deal with all of them.

Crack.

My arm was bitten.

Their faces will be ripped apart since I was covered in flames but demons who lacked brains didn't care for such a thing.

They only focused on their prey who was in front of them.

[Fuck…!]

Blaze-!

I grew my flames even more and killed the Demon who was biting me.

Following that, I drew a circle and set up a wall made of flames,

Grrrr!

Roaaar!

But it was impossible to stop these brainless beasts with a mere wall like this.

[…Sigh.]

Demons poured out.

Because of my flames being the only light source, Demons who found the light began to form a group as they gradually increased in numbers.

Could I stop them?

[No.]

Rather than asking if I could stop them, it was better to wonder if I could survive.

But even that was too difficult.

Demons were still gathering endlessly, and my body wasn't strong enough to deal with them.

Their claws ripped through my skin.

I could feel their fangs dig through my collarbone.

I felt immense pain, but my life, annoyingly enough, didn't end that easily.

Because of that, I grew my flames even more.

Just so that I could keep these beasts with me for a little longer.

[Retarded bastard.]

To think I would try to do something more in a situation like this.

If I was going to do this, then I should've just worked hard when I had the chance.

Then, I might have had a better life than this.

Was I realizing this because I was on the brink of death?

No, I probably knew this already.

I just lived while avoiding it.

I ran away from it because I thought that I wouldn't succeed even if I tried hard.

Which is why I am regretting my choice at this point.

A shadow suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

A Demon appeared right in front of me with its mouth wide open.

It seemed like it was thinking of ripping my head off in one bite.

My body had already been destroyed enough, and I probably had no chance of surviving because of how much blood I lost.

I closed my eyes under the shadow.

I can't do anything more than this.

I think I did well by lasting this long.

My worthless life had finally come to an end.

I wonder if I could feel a little more at ease after death.

That was my thought at the last moment.

But then.

Drip.

I felt something drop on top of my nose.

[…?]

I had my eyes closed for only an instant, but it was enough time for me to die.

However, I still had my consciousness.

Or perhaps I'm not realizing that I'm dead even though I am?

I started to open my eyes.

[…Ugh!]

My body shivered as soon as I opened my eyes upon seeing the scene which was in front of me.

The Demon was frozen with its mouth still open, and its saliva was what dropped on top of my nose.

[What the?]

It was only a moment after I started to question.

The Demons who tried to devour me slowly closed their jaws and backed away, and their fangs and claws that were in my body also escaped my body as well.

[Aggh…!]

I felt pain during this process, but that wasn't what was important.

[…My injuries are healing?]

All my lethal injuries that made me feel like I was going to die at any second, started to heal instantly.

Blood puddle on the ground disappeared, and my ripped apart body returning to normal wasn't something that I could explain.

[…What is… going on…]

As I struggled to understand what was going on right now,

Grrr…

[…!]

The Demons around me gradually took distance from me.

One step, then another.

The Demons that slowly backed off then suddenly started to lower their heads slowly, one by one.

[What the fuck, what's going on?]

These beasts who had no intelligence whatsoever, were lowering their heads to me?

Is this a dream?

Unless this was a dream that I was having after death, I couldn't understand this situation.

I was so startled that I subconsciously backed away as well.

Tap.

Then my back made contact with what felt like a wall, stopping my movement.

I knew that I was in an empty plain, so there was no way that there was something behind me.

When I quickly turned around to check what it was, thinking it was a Demon,

[…!]

Whether it was my severe injuries that healed instantly, or the countless number of Demons lowering their heads to me, none of those mattered.

Because a problem far bigger was directly before my eyes.

[What is this… a tree…?]

It wasn't a wall that my back came into contact with.

It was a giant tree.

I couldn't even tell its height due to its huge size, and its branches which spread out were wide enough to cover the whole sky.

Yet, because it was completely dried up without a single leaf, I could only assume it was a dead tree.

But a bigger problem was how such a tree could appear out of nowhere.

[…Just… how.]

It didn't make sense that no one had noticed this tree, given its size, and it certainly didn't make sense that no young prodigies had found it.

Where did a tree like this come from?

As I was facing incomprehensible situations left and right,

-Found it.

I began to hear a voice in my ear.

[Who is it!]

I looked around after hearing the sudden voice, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't see any creature that seemed capable of speaking.

-So you finally came.

No matter what reaction I showed, the voice continued.

-The sacrifice that would continue this long and arduous cycle.

After looking around for an eternity, I lifted my head up and looked up at the tree.

I knew it was impossible, but my eyes went there anyway,

[…Could it be…]

The thing that was talking to me right now was perhaps.

This tree?

-Nice to meet you.

Its greeting was very soft, but because of its sublime aura, I felt like vomiting without being able to hold it in.

My Dantian shook and I felt my body vibrate.

-I am the Fifth World Tree of this False Land.

I could feel my consciousness becoming hazy as it continued to speak to me.

My weak body couldn't stand the tree's voice and began to crack.

-I am called Muah1.

As soon as I heard the name of the tree, it felt like my body was melting.

Then I started to feel the root of the tree that came out of nowhere, wrapping my body around it, which was shaking like crazy.

This meeting in this hell was the starting point for me having to kill all the other young prodigies without choice, and also the reason why the Heavenly Demon took an interest in me in the future.

****************

The seed of the Giant Tree.

Because of that memory, I couldn't help but think of that tree as the first thing after hearing the Beast.

I didn't really have a clear memory of that day because it was foggy.

It told me to think of it as a dream, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried.

I was well aware that it wasn't a dream.

“…What's that?”

The bastard fell silent after hearing my question, but I had no intention of waiting.

When I stretched out my hand out towards the marble…

[Wo…rld!]

The bastard replied quickly.

It sounded like it was having a hard time speaking because its voice was filled with huffing and puffing, but I wasn't in a situation where I could care about such things.

“World? What world? Explain clearly.”

[…Seed is… seed… Tree… is world.]

“For fucks sakes. Do you really think that's an explanation? Do you want to die?”

I knew it couldn't speak properly, but I was still angry after hearing such an explanation.

I was thinking of just grabbing the marble,

[…If the tree… grows… it ends.]

…

But I had to force my hand to stop after hearing the bastard.

What the hell was that scary thing it just said?

“This is a seed, and if the tree grows, it ends?”

[Grr.]

“This world? If that's not it, then what ends?”

[Grr…]

“Stop grring and give me an actual response you fucker.”

I didn't know what it meant by 'end',

“…But why is such a terrifying thing right here?”

But this was the most mysterious part.

If the bastard was right, it was a terrible thing for the world, and to be kept in such a careless place.

[Grr?]

The bastard's reaction seemed to ask me how he could know the answer to such a question.

“I'm about to go insane.”

I didn't know if the bastard was telling the truth, and I couldn't believe that a marble brought here by the clan's ancestors was so terribly dangerous.

“And what do you mean by exploding if I touch this marble?”

[…Impossible… to handle.]

“Yeah, so tell me what's impossible about thi-…Wait you fucker, were you going to absorb this if I touched it?”

[…]

"Then it's not my problem, it's yours!

Isn't it as simple as not eating the damn thing if it's dangerous?

“What a crazy fucker you are. You ruined my life because you sucked everything that you've come across.”

[…Grrr…]

The beast wailed out of frustration, but I wasn't wrong.

Because I was the only one who had a hard time because the bastard ate everything out of hunger.

“I'm gonna go insane, seriously.”

I rubbed my forehead due to the headache I was getting.

I wonder what the ancestors of the clan were thinking.

Where did they even get this thing to begin with, and why did they put it here?

“…Does Father know about this?”

I didn't know this marble had such secrets.

I just thought I knew there was a good reason to check it once in a while.

But if what I heard is true, I wonder if Father knows about it.

I doubt that he does…

It explodes if I touched the marble, or me not being able to handle it due to the marble's immense power.

It could mean that the marble could explode and plant its seed in the world.

The Giant Tree huh.

I was thinking about the tree I met in the past.

-Will you make a contract?

The shitty tree that gave me only one option while pretending to give me a choice.

I didn't want to see it anymore,

…But I have to go see it again.

I had to go back to the abyss I fell into in my previous life, no matter what.

There was a secret in that Abyss.

How many years had I spent in there, I wonder.

It would at least be a decade.

I spent a very long time in the Abyss, and many people died there, but there were also a few people who survived for a long time.

The Water Dragon and the Snow Phoenix were examples of this, and the Heavenly Sword also remained alive.

These guys, who were in their early twenties, became over thirty with the passage of time.

That's what the flow of time should've been.

…What a fucked-up world.

When these people returned to the normal world, surprisingly, only ten days had passed in the real world since they fell into the abyss, and the young prodigies who died there had also returned alive.

They came back to the real world with their appearance from before they fell into the Abyss, as if the time they spent in the Abyss had never existed.

And the most important thing of all was that no one remembered what happened in there.

Those who died for others.

Those who betrayed their comrades so that they could live.

Those who died screaming for mercy.

Those who showed affection to each other.

No one remembered what happened in the Abyss.

Except me.

Only after then, I was able to understand what that bastard said to me.

False world.

Both the time and the world were distorted and destroyed.

That was what the Abyss was like.

And I planned to go in there not long into the future.

[Grr… Gr.]

The bastard in the middle of this started to go wild as if it was in pain.

It's been strange ever since he started answering my questions, but this is the first time I've seen the bastard go this wild for anything other than hunger.

I wonder what the problem was.

Can I not ask any more questions?

…So basically, I am not allowed to touch the marble.

I was tempted to just touch it out of spite, but I couldn't afford to risk it as it could be world ending if what the beast said was true.

If I'm being honest, I still had the temptation to just snatch the marble.

This impulsive feeling is also a problem.

It felt as if the marble was charming me.

Whether it was true or not, it felt right to escape this disgusting feeling as soon as possible.

But I wonder if I could just leave this thing here like this.

I wondered if I could leave this marble here, considering how dangerous it was, but I also realized that there wasn't much I could do, especially with that barrier around it.

…Maybe I should ask my father about it.

It was an item brought by the ancestors.

If I recklessly touched this without permission, there was a good chance that I would be punished greatly by my father.

"It's still hard for me to stand up to dad..."

I wondered if it's possible even in the future.

After staring down at the marble for a bit,

Splash-!

I turned around and leaped outwards.

“I'm not going to let you off like this.”

[Grr…]

“So you better give me a clear explanation later.”

[…]

The bastard dodged my firm words by curling away, but I had no intention of letting this go so easily.

I get that the world is big.

But each and every one of these hidden secrets are way too big.

My head felt like it was going to explode because of all the things that were popping up.

Rubbing my aching head, I went to see Moyong Hi-ah, who was supposed to be waiting outside.

We had to get back to camp before it was too late.

When I left the center of the forest, I saw Moyong Hi-ah waiting for me in the same stiff position, then she turned around after noticing my presence.

When my eyes met Moyong Hi-ah's, she took a step towards me.

“Did you finish your business?”

“…Uh, hm, yeah.”

Did I?

It doesn't feel that way no matter how much I think about it.

It seemed as if she noticed something from my awkward answer because Moyong Hi-ah made a strange expression, but she didn't bother to ask further.

She probably knew that I wouldn't answer even if she asked.

…She really can be quite sharp.

After letting out a light sigh and starting to walk,

“Young Master Gu.”

Moyong Hi-ah called me briefly.

“What?”

When I asked what it was, Moyong Hi-ah held out her hand to me.

I frowned a little after seeing her beautiful white hand.

“What are you…”

“Can we hold hands?”

“What?”

As I stared at Moyong Hi-ah, wondering if I had misheard her, I saw that Moyong Hi-ah was looking at me with no change in her expression.

What is this now?

When Moyong Hi-ah saw that my eyes were shaking from the unexpected response, she took my hand.

“I guess not yet.”

“…What are you doing now?”

“It's fine. I have a lot of time.”

Moyong Hi-ah passed by me and started to walk first as if she had no regret.

“…What…? What is it?”

Because of Moyong Hi-ah's sudden weird act, I felt like I completely forgot about the marble from earlier.

When I looked at Moyong Hi-ah, I noticed that her ears had become red.

It seemed like she was feeling embarrassed as well.

But then why did she just now…

Could it be...

A sudden thought passed by my mind.

She didn't try to help me because I looked conflicted, right?

There is no way.

It's none other than Moyong Hi-ah herself.

“…Nah, no way.”

Despite denying such a possibility, when I thought about the conversation I had with Moyong Hi-ah earlier, I began to think that the current Moyong Hi-ah was very different from her in my past life, just like the Demon Sword.

Was that a good thing?

I couldn't dare to say that it was, out of certainty.

However, it also wasn't a bad thing.

After watching Moyong Hi-ah who was walking slowly, I too began to walk following her.

By the time we arrived back at the camp, the sun was rising,

“…Where… did you two… go?”

And Namgung Bi-ah was waiting for me with cold, piercing eyes.