Soya struggled to comprehend what Baek Yuseol had just asked.

*Did he just say… Cheoriban?*

Yes, he had. The same Cheoriban who once challenged the Black Mage King and, after failing, fled in disgrace, vanishing without a trace. Now branded as a "traitor," his whereabouts had been unknown for years.

“Cheoriban? You want me to kill *him*?”

“Yep. Scared?”

“Hah... Typical human ignorance.” She swept her hair back in a haughty gesture.

"Cheoriban is the worst criminal in black mage society. Killing him alone would bring endless rewards from the Black Mage King. Do you think no one's tried hunting him down before?"

Baek Yuseol only sighed as she kept talking.

"He's been missing for years, and no one, not even I, has been able to track him down."

“Wow, you sure like to talk,” he cut in abruptly.

“...Excuse me?”

Baek Yuseol, unfazed, continued. "Did you think I'd make this offer without considering the details? I know where he is, and I know that you probably can't defeat him on your own.”

Her expression tightened.

It was true—she couldn't beat Cheoriban. In fact, almost no one could, perhaps excluding the Black Mage King himself.

She wanted to refuse the offer. Even the promise of fully absorbing the spirit’s heart didn’t seem worth risking her life. But she felt herself faltering.

Baek Yuseol sensed this and decided to make the offer more enticing.

"You can’t beat Cheoriban in a head-on fight,” he continued. "But there’s a way to defeat him.”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

He gave her a hard look, seeing the glimmer of realization begin to dawn in her eyes.

“If all you need is his head, then a direct confrontation isn’t necessary.”

“Wait… Are you saying he has a weakness?”

“Yes. I know exactly what it is. How about it? Are you interested?”

“A weakness? Even if that’s true, why should I trust you?”

How could he prove it? What evidence could he offer?

After all, it was all a lie.

In truth, Soya was dangerous. Possessing the ability to steal the heart of a spirit, her raw power alone would overwhelm him in a direct fight. But letting her roam free and endanger Yiphanel was equally unacceptable.

*An enemy for an enemy,* he mused.

In *Ither World Online,* Cheoriban and Soya had faced off multiple times, and each time, Cheoriban had come out on top.

This was because Cheoriban’s abilities were a direct counter to Soya’s.

Sending her after Cheoriban was the perfect way to deal with her without having to risk a confrontation himself.

Just as he was about to spin another web of lies, Baek Yuseol noticed something shift in her expression.

[Half-belief, curiosity, thrill, slight doubt, suspicion, indecisiveness.]

He could sense all these emotions swirling within her—a gift of Crimson Spring March.

*So she’s already halfway convinced.*

Instead of another lie, he decided on a different approach.

He adopted a nonchalant tone. “So distrustful. I only offered because I believed in the strength of someone bold enough to steal a spirit’s heart. But clearly, you’re no different from Cheoriban—a coward. I’ll find someone else.”

He reached for the shoe he’d used as a bargaining tool, but before he could grab it, Soya’s projection had already latched onto his wrist.

*Snap!*

Caught off guard by her sudden grip, he masked his surprise, pretending he’d expected it all along.

“Changed your mind?” he asked coolly.

“...Tell me about this weakness. Can I really take his head? And can you really help me absorb the heart?”

*Got her.*

He allowed himself a brief, almost imperceptible smirk and nodded. “Alright, let’s talk.”

---

When her projection returned, Soya felt the memory transfer flood her mind, stirring her thoughts.

*Cheoriban’s weakness…*

Baek Yuseol, a mere human and a mage at that, seemed to know more about Cheoriban than any black mage. But for what reason?

*Why is a mage so determined to hunt down a black mage? Is he even human?*

Yet these questions didn’t matter.

What mattered was that her goal and Baek Yuseol’s had aligned this once.

“Soya~ Finally back?”

The sudden voice snapped her back to reality. Soya turned, scowling at the woman dressed in an outfit that left little to the imagination—ironically, a garment meant to be a “robe.”

The woman in a flowing green robe walked over, whispering conspiratorially, “I was sent by Toa. He says if you keep meddling, he’s going to kill you himself.”

“Toa Regon… Really?” Soya scoffed, though she didn’t entirely brush off the threat.

Toa Regon.

Her teacher, and a 9th-class mage who held the title of the Green Tower Lord.

There were only a handful of “pureblooded witches” left in this world, and Toa Regon was one of them. Soya, however, was only a half-witch, closer to a human or black mage than a full witch.

“The witches left in this world could be counted on one hand, you included. Toa doesn’t want to wipe out another witch, even if you’re just a half-blood. So maybe try to stay out of sight?”

As strong as witches were, witch hunters and mages had nearly driven them to extinction.

Soya frowned, disgusted. “How arrogant… for a mage.”

“Ooh, feisty, are we?”

“Mind your business and keep walking, or I might change my mind and kill you.”

“Oh, scary~”

The woman gave a theatrical gasp, waving her hand as she turned away.

“I was leaving anyway. You know, there’s this young mage my master has taken an interest in—Baek Yuseol, I think?”

“What?”

“Hm? Heard of him?”

Soya’s reaction was almost instantaneous, but she quickly masked it.

The woman gave a playful smile. “Anyway, stay *quiet,* okay? See you~”

After the woman left, Soya licked her lips, deep in thought.

*So the Green Tower Lord has taken an interest in him…*

Toa Regon, who never concerned herself with anyone outside the witches, had singled out Baek Yuseol. If nothing else, this confirmed that Baek Yuseol was far from ordinary.

*He could be useful.*

Cheoriban’s head. The spirit’s heart.

The thought of obtaining both made her smile darkly.

---

*Crack!*

"Urgh…!"

With a twist, Cheoriban snapped a black mage’s neck. Of course, that alone wouldn’t kill him.

To fully end a black mage, he had to destroy the heart.

*Squelch!*

Like swatting a fly, he casually reached in and yanked out the mage’s heart, then sighed.

“Well, that was quiet enough.”

He’d been careful not to release too much black mana, realizing how hard it was to fight without using his full strength.

“This time, maybe I can slip away without being noticed.”

He brushed his hands off, mumbling to himself when—

“Who said you could?”

A familiar, irritating voice echoed from above, and Cheoriban’s face twisted into a scowl.

“...Who’s there?”

He looked up, and in the sky, a man strolled down as if walking on an invisible staircase—Aruun.

"Finding you was a chore. If those weaklings hadn’t led me to you, this would have taken even longer."

Aruun’s lazy, unhurried voice grated on Cheoriban’s nerves, his tone so drowsy it was contagious.

“Ha… Why not just let me go this once? You seriously want to fight here? I shouldn’t say this, but this World Tree will be leveled if we clash.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

This time, a woman answered.

Turning around, Cheoriban saw a figure draped in a black robe, approaching with deliberate grace.

*The Elf Queen.*

He knew it instantly.

Such potent, pure energy from the World Tree could only belong to her. Not even the World Tree itself could match the purity she exuded.

“The World Tree will remain unscathed.”

“…Well, this complicates things. May I ask why you’re here, Your Majesty? Surely you’re not here for me?”

“Rest assured, it’s not for anything so trivial. I’m here for ‘something important,’ and dealing with you is merely a side task.”

Flower-Embedded looked genuinely displeased, her face dark with irritation. Whatever her “important matter” was, the fact that Cheoriban himself was just an afterthought was startling, even to him.

“So, I’m not even worthy of your full attention…”

What could he do now?

He felt the presence of two forces boxing him in—the Elf Queen on one side, and Aruun, a 9th-class mage, on the other.

Even with the strength that had once allowed him to challenge the Black Mage King, fighting them both would be daunting.

*But... there's no avoiding this fight.*

Oddly enough, the thought exhilarated him. A grin split Cheoriban's face, dark, twisted, yet filled with an almost pure, childlike excitement.

"Perfect... I was getting bored anyway.”

He cracked his knuckles.

“But be warned—one of you is leaving here without a head.”