What is this?

I could neither see nor hear clearly underwater. I carefully adjusted my breathing, trying not to disturb the water around me as I scanned my surroundings.

It seemed strange to have received a telepathic message from the outside, yet it was far too clear for something heard underwater.

[Why… why…?]

The voice continued to echo in my mind, confirming that I hadn’t misheard it.

Could this be...?

–Is it you?

I sent a telepathic message, addressing the beast, and its body twitched slightly.

[O Great One…]

What the hell is this?

Was this monster really speaking to me?

‘A monster that talks?’

It wasn’t completely unheard of. When I visited the Gumcheon Yon-ga’s secret vault in the past, a massive snake had spoken to me as well.

And this one’s a snake too.

‘Can snake monsters talk?’

The thought flashed through my mind, though I’d never experienced anything like this in my past life.

–Who are you? Do you know me?

I tried asking again, but...

Kyaaah!

The monster screamed, engulfed in flames. Desperately, I attempted to retract the fire, but the light in the beast’s eyes dimmed as its life faded away.

‘Damn.’

I frowned as I watched. There seemed to be something more to this creature, but it died before I could find out.

As I pulled my arm free from its body, I pondered the words it had spoken.

‘Great One?’

The beast had definitely called me that.

What could that mean?

‘It’s as if it considered me an ally.’

A monster, on my side? What a ridiculous notion.

Monsters follow only their instincts, driven by the sole purpose of devouring their prey. How could such creatures ever be allies?

‘But it’s not impossible.’

Despite my skepticism, memories from my past life surfaced. It wasn’t unheard of for beasts that acted purely on instinct to occasionally bow their heads.

Cheonma.

I remembered countless monsters lowering their heads before her, even sacrificing their lives with just a small gesture from her.

‘…This is strange.’

As I recalled that memory, something felt off.

Could this really be a coincidence?

No, it definitely wasn’t.

The sudden appearance of the Crimson-Rank beast, the timing of everything that seemed increasingly out of place...

And above all, the feeling that I was somehow at the center of all these problems.

‘Something’s wrong.’

It felt like the flow of events was veering off course. While it was understandable that the situation was becoming more tangled, the undeniable fact remained: I was somehow involved in all of it.

‘Could the Crimson-Rank beast’s appearance be my fault?’

It was absurd. I wanted to dismiss the thought, but the overwhelming evidence seemed to point in my direction.

‘Shit.’

I bit my lip and extinguished the flames still clinging to the monster’s body.

It wasn’t a certainty, and this wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts.

I quickly moved my gaze around, scanning the monster’s massive corpse.

Its enormous size made it hard to search, and if I didn’t find what I was looking for soon, it would sink to the bottom of the river.

I spread my energy field wider, letting it sweep over the beast’s body.

‘…!’

Finally, I sensed a concentration of energy within the monster.

I moved toward the source of the sensation and used my naegi to tear through the creature’s tough scales.

The hide was thick and tough, but with the beast already dead, it wasn’t hard to tear it open with enough force.

Rip!

I forced my way through, tearing apart flesh as I plunged my hand deep into the body. My arm didn’t reach far enough, so I had to push my whole body in.

I could feel the creature's flesh and blood against my skin. The sensation was disgusting. I hated hunting in the water for this very reason... Damn it.

Clearing away bones, I continued deeper until something brushed against my fingertips.

This is it.

Grasping the object, I pulled it out with all my strength.

Rrrip!

Once I retrieved what I was after, I emerged from the monster’s body to inspect it.

In my hand was a stone the size of a child’s head. It was the Magic Stone of the Crimson-Rank beast.

I nodded slightly as I examined it.

Though the earlier events still bothered me, at least I had gained what I wanted.

‘Better than getting nothing.’

This was a decent haul.

The reason I was heading to Sichuan in the first place was to obtain a White Magic Stone to supplement my incomplete state.

I wasn’t sure how things would play out, but the amount of energy contained in the Crimson Magic Stone wouldn’t be insignificant.

With that thought, I prepared to absorb the stone’s energy right there, underwater.

Woom…

‘Hm?’

Suddenly, I felt something strange from the stone in my hand.

Leaving the sinking monster’s corpse behind, I turned my attention back to the stone.

And then—

“Ugh…!”

I let out a startled gasp, unable to stop myself. Bubbles of air escaped my mouth and floated to the surface.

In the process, I inadvertently swallowed a large amount of blood-tainted water from the monster.

But that wasn’t important right now.

‘What the hell is this?’

I stared at the stone in my hand, my eyes widening in disbelief.

No matter how I looked at it, something was wrong with the Magic Stone.

 
   ******************
   

After Gu Yangcheon was swept into the river with the monster, the water surged violently, disturbed by the monster’s screams and thrashing.

But after some time, everything became calm, as if nothing had happened.

Only a few minutes had passed, but there was no sign of either the monster or Gu Yangcheon surfacing.

A few minutes might not seem like much, but underwater, it was a different story.

For an ordinary person, it would have been enough time to drown. Even a martial artist at the peak level could only hold their breath for so long.

The fact that he had sunk into the water along with the monster was troubling.

Namgung Bi-ah, watching the situation with a tense expression, was just about to dive into the river when—

Grip!

Someone grabbed her arm.

It was U-hyeok.

As he stopped her, Namgung Bi-ah turned to face him, and U-hyeok was taken aback.

Gone was the usually calm Namgung Bi-ah. Her eyes, now filled with murderous intent, bore into U-hyeok.

"Let go."

Her voice, like her gaze, was filled with deadly intent. U-hyeok, forcing a faint smile, spoke to her.

“Calm down.”

“I said, let go.”

Her hand was already infused with inner energy, ready to strike him down if necessary.

“Sister-in-law, doing this won’t make him happy.”

Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes wavered slightly at the title U-hyeok used.

“You know better than anyone that he’s not someone who’d die so easily, don’t you?”

“…”

“He didn’t just dive in recklessly. Let’s wait a little longer.”

At his words, the murderous aura surrounding Namgung Bi-ah began to dissipate. Seeing this, U-hyeok silently sighed in relief.

‘That was close.’

Although he was smiling on the outside, U-hyeok wasn’t calm. The murderous intent she had shown was real.

Had he been a moment too late, she would have genuinely attempted to cut off his arm.

‘What a fierce love.’

For a moment, U-hyeok had been slightly envious of Gu Yangcheon, who seemed to always be surrounded by beautiful women.

But now, seeing this, he felt a bit of distance. Even too much affection can be a problem.

And it wasn’t just Namgung Bi-ah who was an issue.

When U-hyeok glanced around, he noticed another woman with sharp eyes staring at the river.

Wi Seol-ah.

She was the disciple of the Sword Master, right?

Including the time they spent together at Shinryong-gwan, they had been traveling together for months now.

But U-hyeok could count on one hand how many times he’d spoken to her.

More accurately—

Apart from Gu Yangcheon, almost no one spoke to Wi Seol-ah.

When Gu Yangcheon was around, she acted as gentle as a lamb or a puppy, but without him, Wi Seol-ah became as sharp as a blade, as if daring anyone to approach her.

Seeing this, U-hyeok thought that it wouldn’t be long before these two women would dive into the river as well.

And he would likely have to follow.

‘Just like me.’

Yes, U-hyeok felt the same.

After Gu Yangcheon had gone into the river with the monster, U-hyeok’s ears had become overwhelmed with noise.

-Gu Yangcheon… -What is happening…? -Is he really going to…?

He could hear everything, from the nearby whispers to the murmurs from distant ships that had moved away for safety.

‘This is troubling.’

Though he maintained a calm façade, the sudden flood of noise was overwhelming after so long.

He had known that moving away from Gu Yangcheon would bring the noise back, but it had been a long time since it was this loud.

It was like before he met Gu Yangcheon.

Was it because he hadn’t heard it in so long? The growing headache was exhausting.

‘What’s going on?’

As he looked down into the water, U-hyeok wondered if something had happened to Gu Yangcheon.

And—

‘Them too.’

His gaze shifted to Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah. He noticed that right after he started hearing the noise again, both of their expressions had also changed noticeably.

‘Could it be that they’re experiencing something as well?’

It made him wonder if they were going through the same strange phenomenon he was, but at the moment, Gu Yangcheon’s safety was the top priority.

U-hyeok recalled what Gu Yangcheon had said to the group before diving in to hunt the monster.

“Just follow my instructions. No matter what happens, don’t be surprised.”

That’s exactly what he had said.

If anyone else had said something like that, U-hyeok would’ve thought they were just speaking nonsense.

But for some reason, he trusted Gu Yangcheon’s words.

It wasn’t necessarily that Gu Yangcheon was the most trustworthy person, yet there was something about him that made U-hyeok believe in his instructions.

And so far, following Gu Yangcheon’s guidance had allowed them to face the monster effectively.

It was truly remarkable. How was this even possible?

U-hyeok had been shocked the moment he sensed the barrier around the monster.

A barrier that absorbed inner energy?

What kind of absurdity was that?

How were they supposed to hunt a creature like that?

But just as U-hyeok’s shock set in, Gu Yangcheon calmly gave instructions, and when U-hyeok followed them, wielding his sword as directed...

He was even more shocked by what happened next.

It was as if U-hyeok could start to understand why Gu Yangcheon had issued those commands.

After only a couple of swings with his sword, U-hyeok could feel the subtle differences in the transparent barrier.

It was a minuscule difference, barely perceptible.

For U-hyeok, detecting such a subtle distinction was difficult, yet it meant that Gu Yangcheon had been sensing all of it from behind and was directing them based on that.

‘…He really is unbelievable.’

Every time U-hyeok looked at Gu Yangcheon, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

U-hyeok knew he was talented.

He was aware that his skills surpassed those of most people, even though he had never been arrogant or conceited about it.

But still.

Whenever he looked at Gu Yangcheon, he couldn’t help but feel that talent was meaningless in comparison.

Gu Yangcheon was simply different.

Even though they were born in the same era, Gu Yangcheon was on another level.

Barring any unforeseen events, Gu Yangcheon would ascend to heights beyond their reach and, before long, would likely occupy a position they could only dream of.

U-hyeok was sure of this.

And honestly, he was curious to see that future.

So…

‘Hurry up and come out.’

He gripped his sword, staring intently at the river.

Gu Yangcheon wasn’t someone who should die in a place like this.

At that moment, when U-hyeok was on the verge of letting his impatience show on his face...

Splash!

“…!”

He suddenly sensed a presence from below the water. The sounds around him instantly disappeared as if they had been ghosts.

U-hyeok wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah also sensed it. They quickly dashed across the water toward the source of the disturbance.

Bubbles began rising to the surface.

And then—

“Puhah…!”

Gu Yangcheon’s head suddenly popped out of the water, gasping for breath.

“Wow… damn. I really almost died—Aagh!”

Before he could finish his words, Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah threw themselves at him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“Wait… wait a minute! It’s dangerous right now!”

Despite Gu Yangcheon’s protests, he flailed helplessly as the two women clung to him, causing him to topple back into the water.

Watching this, U-hyeok finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.

 
   ******************
   

Once the monster incident was over, they returned to the ship.

Normally, they would have salvaged the monster’s corpse, taking its bones and hide, but the body had already sunk deep into the river.

Since the situation hadn’t fully stabilized, they judged that it wasn’t the right time to search for it, so they returned to the deck under the Poison King’s orders.

I still remember the look of astonishment on the Poison King’s face when we arrived back on the deck.

It was understandable.

The deck was littered with the corpses of monsters.

They must have been the ones attacking the ship along with the Crimson-Rank monster. Fortunately, they were all dead.

Countless bodies floated on the water’s surface around the ship, with even more scattered across the deck. There were so many that it was hard to count them all.

And in the middle of it all stood Tang Deok, holding a spear, standing calmly amidst the carnage.

Before jumping off to hunt the monster, I had commanded him to protect everyone on the ship, and as a result, he had been forced to protect the very people of the Tang Clan that he despised.

His expression soured at the realization that he had to protect them, but that wasn’t my concern.

It was especially amusing to see the Poison King thanking him for saving everyone. The look on Tang Deok’s face during that moment was priceless.

Even the Poison King seemed puzzled by his expression.

I had to explain that Tang Deok had a habit of looking like that and that he was practically mute.

It was a funny little situation, but one thing became clear to me from that moment.

‘The Poison King doesn’t know who Tang Deok really is.’

With his distinctive hair hidden by a hood, and even though Tang Deok hadn’t learned any poison techniques, the fact that the Poison King didn’t recognize him despite standing face-to-face meant that he was truly unaware.

‘Although, it could also be the Poison King’s own act.’

But that was too complicated to think about.

The sudden appearance of the Crimson-Rank monster had already thrown everything into disarray.

Martial artists, who hadn’t seen such a beast in centuries, were at a loss.

They debated whether to continue the journey or return to Hanan to report what had happened.

But ultimately, the Poison King, as the leader of the group, decided that the priority was to escort the convoy safely to Sichuan. He wrote a brief letter to the Murim Alliance, ending the matter there.

Even if others were dissatisfied, nothing would change.

If they had complaints, they could always jump into the river and swim back. Otherwise, they had no choice but to remain on the ship.

Of course, no one would choose the former.

Having witnessed the power and majesty of the Crimson-Rank monster firsthand, no one wanted to take the risk that there might be more of them lurking.

In conclusion, there was no stopping the journey to Sichuan.

“Haa…”

I let out a deep sigh as I sat alone on my bed aboard the ship.

The situation had been completely unexpected.

I had been tense from head to toe ever since the monster appeared, and now that the ordeal was over, I finally felt the tension leaving my body.

I could finally breathe.

After returning to the ship, Tang So-yeol and Moyong Hee-ah had heard about what happened and berated me for being reckless.

They told me to stop doing dangerous things.

Honestly, I felt a bit wronged.

It’s not like I could have avoided the situation.

When something like that appears right in front of you, how can you just sit back and do nothing?

“…Actually, maybe I should’ve just stayed put.”

Thinking back, almost drowning was ridiculous.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I would’ve stayed on the ship.

I let out another sigh and stretched my hand out in front of me.

If someone were to ask why I nearly drowned after killing the monster…

“…Come on out.”

It was all because of this little thing.

Slither…

At my command, something slithered out from inside my sleeve, crawling down my arm.

It was about as thick as my pinky finger and no longer than the distance from my wrist to my elbow.

The creature coiled around my hand and turned its small head toward me.

It flicked its tongue out, revealing a pair of familiar yellow eyes.

Yes, it was the same eyes as the ones I had seen earlier on the monster.

A snake. Yes, it was a snake.

A small red-scaled snake, now coiled around my hand, staring directly at me.