Wuuuung.

A vibration resonated from Nahi's body. It was proof that the binding restriction had properly taken hold.

Only then did I let go of her and stand up.

“Cough…”

Nahi gasped for breath. Not only had her ribs likely cracked, but she had also forced her internal energy to the point of injury while attempting the restriction.

I hadn’t placed a particularly powerful binding on her.

I didn’t have the energy for that, nor did I feel it was necessary.

“Huu… huu…”

Nahi, who had been sobbing as if in pain, now looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

“Who… what are you?”

I chuckled at the question. I was so used to hearing it that I was starting to get bored of it.

“Why do you want to know?”

The response I gave was the same one I always did. It was almost automatic at this point.

“…What did you do to my brother? What made him follow you?”

“Curious?”

Ssh.

I took a step toward her, and Nahi flinched, her body trembling. I hadn’t intended to hit her, but it seemed the previous attack had left its mark.

I knelt down to meet her gaze.

“Bear with it for now. You’ll end up just like him soon enough.”

“…I’m not like my brother.”

Sure, she might be different.

“Well, that’s up to you.”

Nahi had probably tried to talk to Tang Deok multiple times since he suddenly appeared by my side.

She might have even sent him secret messages.

But Tang Deok wouldn’t have responded. Or rather, he couldn’t have.

I dusted off my hands.

The restriction we placed was simple—just an agreement to turn a blind eye to each other’s actions.

If things worked out, I planned to release the restriction anyway.

‘Killing her would be easier…’

Given that she was one of Tang Deok’s people, there was no way she was a good person.

Being one of the Tang Clan’s assassins meant her hands were already stained with blood, so I had no qualms about it.

But…

‘Having eyes and ears in the Tang Clan would be useful.’

With the current suspicion surrounding the Tang Clan’s activities, having a spy inside was convenient for me as well.

As long as I ensured I wouldn’t be implicated if she was caught, it would be fine.

And that wasn’t particularly difficult. It was something I was confident in handling.

Moreover, Nahi likely knew things that even Tang Deok didn’t.

She was too valuable to kill right away.

Even if I had to kill her…

‘I’ll make sure she spills everything she knows first.’

Having made my decision, I stood up.

“Stay here and keep watch. Don’t even think about going anywhere.”

“…”

“Oh, and if you plan to run, go ahead.”

She wouldn’t get far. And if she wasn’t afraid of what would happen after, she could try.

I didn’t say the last part aloud.

Though judging by the look on Nahi’s face, she seemed to understand it anyway.

I turned and headed toward the lake. As I approached, the toxic energy in the air became more palpable.

‘Hmm.’

From a distance, it had been barely noticeable. But getting closer, it was this strong already?

“…Why are you going into the lake?”

“I don’t remember saying you could ask questions.”

“Is there something inside the lake?”

Her persistent questions were starting to irritate me.

With annoyance clearly showing in my expression, I glanced back at her.

“If you say one more word, I’ll rip out your tongue.”

“…”

I meant it.

As I infused my voice with a hint of killing intent, Nahi’s shoulders trembled violently.

I stopped walking, waiting as if daring her to speak again.

She remained silent.

Satisfied, I resumed my approach to the lake.

Ssssh.

Ssssssssss!

As my foot touched the surface of the lake, it let out a sound like something sizzling.

The toxic energy was trying to consume my body.

‘Hmm.’

Watching it, I realized something.

Had I prepared a change of clothes for after I got out of the lake?

“…”

Ah, I hadn’t.

For a brief moment, I thought about telling Nahi to prepare something, but I decided against it.

‘I’ll figure it out.’

Sssssss…

I passed through the smoke filled with poison and headed toward the center of the lake. The deeper I went, the more intense the poison became.

‘If it’s this bad outside the lake, the inside must be much worse.’

I recalculated.

The amount of time I had initially estimated—half of half a minute—was now cut in half again.

Being here at the center made it clear. This lake…

‘The poison isn’t leaking out.’

With this level of toxicity, it should have spread to the surrounding area for miles. The fact that it hadn’t meant something was containing it.

If I entered the lake without precautions, my internal energy would be overwhelmed in no time.

And when that happened, my body would dissolve without a trace.

The mere thought of it was terrifying, but strangely, my mind remained calm.

With detached eyes, I scanned the area.

‘Where is it?’

Oddly enough, even though the danger was clear, the idea of turning back didn’t cross my mind.

If I was to stop the Blood Calamity within ten years, I needed to value my life more than this.

Still, standing on the lake, I felt something.

That I would find it.

That I could do this.

The feeling resonated deeply in my chest.

‘What is this now?’

I smiled slightly, sensing the pull.

So that’s what it was.

‘It’s calling me.’

Something was calling me.

That was the only explanation for this feeling.

I had felt this sensation several times before.

In the past, I had thought it was just a faint instinct. But now, I could sense it more clearly.

‘Something is calling me.’

Most of the fortuitous encounters I had experienced in my life had started this way.

I had thought they were coincidences, things I had stumbled upon by instinct. But now, I knew better.

What was the difference now?

Had my level reached the Hwagyeong stage?

Was it because I had absorbed more energy into my body?

Or was it…

‘Is it because I’ve become a demon?’

Whatever the reason, there was no certainty.

This feeling could be false, after all.

But I had to go.

I couldn’t afford to pursue safety if it meant not achieving my goals.

Hesitation was a luxury.

Ssssss-!

I gathered my energy and enveloped my entire body.

Then, I plunged into the lake, filled with poison.

Plunk!

Brrrrr.

Under the water, I opened my eyes slightly.

It looked like any normal body of water, but…

Ssssss!

The pressure I felt against my body made it clear this was no ordinary water.

Initially, I had thought I could last half of half a minute.

‘What a joke.’

It was a ridiculous notion.

Even cutting that time in half felt like it was pushing it.

I expanded my senses.

Using my internal energy, I descended toward the bottom of the lake.

‘It’s deep.’

The lake was much deeper than it appeared.

The bottom was nothing but dirt, much like any other lake.

‘How much time do I have left?’

At most, one minute.

That was how much longer my internal energy would hold out.

If the water broke through and infiltrated my body, I’d die instantly.

‘Where is it?’

Where was the thing that was calling me?

I knew it was pulling me in, yet…

‘If you’re going to call me, do it properly.’

Time was ticking.

At this rate, I was in real danger.

Should I leave the lake and try again after preparing?

Just as I was considering retreating, something shot out from my chest.

“…!”

Shaaaa!

To my surprise, it was the Red Water Snake.

‘This guy…?’

I had completely forgotten it was inside my robes.

That was surprising enough, but what was more astonishing was that…

‘It’s swimming?’

The Red Water Snake was casually swimming through the toxic water.

‘Is it because it’s a Crimson-Rank beast…?’

Or perhaps, because the Red Water Snake was a creature that carried poison within its body, it could survive in this environment.

Either way, I needed to get out of the lake. But just as I was preparing to leave, the snake wrapped its tail around my arm and started pulling me somewhere.

It wasn’t strong enough to actually pull me, but it was trying.

‘What the hell?’

The fact that it was trying to pull me was what mattered.

I could see the snake struggling to drag me in a certain direction.

It seemed to have a purpose.

‘I should get out of the lake.’

Otherwise, I really might die here.

But despite that thought, my body was already moving in the direction the Red Water Snake was pulling.

As if I were entranced.

‘This might be bad.’

I frowned as I realized what was happening.

The distance wasn’t far.

The bottom of the lake looked the same as any other. The only difference was whether there were stones or not.

I had about twenty seconds left before my internal energy gave out.

I was teetering on the edge of life and death.

Shaaa!

The snake urgently pointed to a spot.

This simple action had already taken ten seconds.

It was pointing to an ordinary patch of dirt.

My senses couldn’t detect anything unusual.

But still, I reached out toward it.

Crack.

My internal energy was running out. As it did, the protective barrier around my body began to break apart.

Tsk.

My fingers touched the ground.

Kwoooosh!

Suddenly, my vision flipped.

Thud!

“Ugh…”

I tumbled across the floor, rolling to a stop after a few moments. Panting heavily, I finally caught my breath.

“Huff… huff…”

Only after catching my breath did I look around.

“This place…”

It wasn’t underwater.

The scorched dirt I had just seen was gone. Now I was lying on a well-polished stone floor.

Even more strangely, despite having been submerged just moments ago, my body wasn’t wet at all.

If the poison had remained on me, I would’ve been in serious trouble. So, that was a relief, at least.

I looked up.

Lined up in rows were long pillars, embedded with softly glowing objects.

Seeing them, my eyes widened.

“Are those… luminous pearls?”

I recognized them immediately.

The objects emitting light from every direction were definitely luminous pearls.

Expensive, glowing orbs.

I had seen the same kind of pearls when I visited the hidden treasure chamber of the Golden Thousand Years Clan.

As I stood there in awe of the luminous pearls, the Red Water Snake slithered up my body.

It had survived as well.

Looking exhausted, the snake rested its head on my shoulder. I muttered softly.

“…Thanks.”

Shaaa?

I owed my life to it, so I expressed my gratitude. Then I asked.

“How did you know?”

Shaaa?

The snake tilted its head as if confused by my question.

I clicked my tongue and glanced around. It was absurd to think it was just a coincidence, but for now, finding what I came for was my priority.

Judging by the surroundings, it seemed I had broken through the formation and successfully entered the treasure chamber.

As for how the environment had changed so drastically from being underwater to this hidden chamber… I was no longer surprised by such things.

I had experienced too much of it.

“It seems like the treasure chamber, but…”

Something about it felt different from the treasure chambers I had visited in my past life.

And back then, there hadn’t been any luminous pearls.

Which meant…

‘Someone else must have been here before me.’

If that was the case, then…

‘Did they leave the Baekmaseok but only take the pearls?’

It didn’t make much sense, but that wasn’t my problem.

Baekmaseok wasn’t something ordinary people could use anyway.

Grabbing the pearls and running wasn’t a surprising course of action.

‘Whatever, it doesn’t matter.’

My goal was the Baekmaseok.

The luminous pearls were just a bonus. I wasn’t going to leave them behind—those things were insanely expensive, after all.

I nodded and turned my attention back to the task at hand.

First, I needed to find the Baekmaseok.

‘It should be somewhere around here…’

Shaaaa.

Just as I was about to start searching, the Red Water Snake on my shoulder suddenly bared its fangs, looking toward something with a tense posture.

“What now…?”

As I turned to look in the direction the snake was growling, I froze.

There, beyond the light cast by the luminous pearls, something was stirring in the shadows.

Ssssss…

The silence deepened in the treasure chamber.

Someone else was here.

The moment I realized that, I tried to draw upon my internal energy.

Throb!

“…Ugh!”

My empty dantian rebelled against me, sending waves of pain through my body.

‘Damn it.’

The pain was so intense that I almost lost consciousness.

“Hoo…”

I fell to one knee, gasping for breath.

[Who are you?]

A voice came from beyond the shadows.

[You’re not Shin-cheol. Who are you?]

“…!”

Hearing the familiar name, my eyes widened.

The voice was searching for Shin Noya.

A formation that transported across space…

The way it felt reminded me of something. I frowned as I gazed into the darkness.

Could it be…?

I thought I knew who the figure in the shadows might be.

“…Excuse me, but are you…”

As if responding to my words, a translucent figure began to approach from the shadows.

In this situation, it could only be one thing.

Especially since they mentioned Shin Noya.

Whenever that name came up, it was always the same.

And considering that this was the Tang Clan’s domain…

The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, and I quickly realized who I was facing.

“Are you Senior Tang Jemoon… huh?”

[Yes.]

However, there was one shocking thing I hadn’t anticipated.

[I am Tang Jemoon.]

“…”

[Tell me, who are you?]

Tang Jemoon was not a ‘he’ but a ‘she’.