"Why isn't he waking up?"

Ak Byeongbi's brow furrowed.

Even the physician, who had dealt with all sorts of people within the Underworld, seemed a bit overwhelmed by his fierce expression, his voice scraping the floor.

"Well. I am not quite sure of the cause yet. Perhaps it is because his wounds were so severe?"

"Are you saying you don't know exactly?"

"Most people who suffer a massive shock fall into a deep sleep for days or even weeks. And some..."

The physician trailed off and clamped his mouth shut.

It was because everyone in the room was staring at him with sharp eyes.

Not only the Murim Alliance's delegation, but also Cha Seokdu, Hwang Bushik, Hyeoltu, and Yeom Gwibi, along with the elders who supported the Underworld Alliance.

Every single one of them was glaring at him with a fierce momentum, as if trying to pierce through his face.

"A-Ahem..."

With these people swarming around as if worrying about the safety of a fallen emperor, it was impossible for him not to be tense.

And the one shooting the most ice-cold glare among them...

Was undeniably Ak Byeongbi.

"And some... what were you going to say next?"

'They might sleep for months, or even years... perhaps they might never wake up for the rest of their lives...' he had intended to say, but.

"What was it?"

... He simply couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.

Historically, wasn't an emperor's royal physician supposed to be more careful with his mouth than with his medical treatments?

But he still had to give some sort of excuse.

"I-I will do my best."

As if dissatisfied with the physician's words, just as Ak Byeongbi was about to approach him.

Tang Seo-hee spoke in a tear-filled voice.

"He was probably going to say that he might never wake up again..."

Sitting on the edge of the bed like a puppy that had lost its owner, Tang Seo-hee stared at Jin Sowoon.

The flustered physician frantically looked around and hastily replied.

"I-I will do my absolute best to ensure that doesn't happen."

However.

"..."

"..."

No one held any hope in the physician's words.

Starting with Cha Seokdu, they all read the room and began leaving the inner quarters one by one, until only the Murim Alliance's delegation, Hyeoltu, and Yeom Gwibi remained in the room.

"Let's go as well. Staring at him from the side isn't going to wake him up."

At Hyeoltu's words, just as the remaining people were about to get up and leave one by one.

POP!

A strange sound was heard.

"What was that?"

The startled people looked at the physician.

Wondering if he had done something to Jin Sowoon.

But the physician, standing three steps away, only shook his head in a panic.

And then.

POP!

The strange sound rang out once more.

"Huh?"

At that moment, a strange light flickered in Tang Seo-hee's eyes.

At the end of her gaze.

... Jin Sowoon's arm had grown longer than usual.

The moment the shocked physician tried to rush over to Jin Sowoon.

Hyeoltu blocked him by striking his acupoint.

"Nobody move!"

"..."

As the people looked at Hyeoltu with surprised eyes, a meaningful smile formed on his lips.

"I can't believe it... That lucky bastard."

Everyone harbored doubts at Hyeoltu's meaningful words, but Hyeoltu did not answer and simply stared at Jin Sowoon.

* * *

What is this?

Everything around me is pitch black.

It doesn't feel cramped... rather, it feels like I've entered an incredibly vast space.

It is so distant and boundless that my very existence feels smaller than a speck of dust.

What in the world is this...

Ah, did I die?

Is this what life after death is like?

'Fucking hell...'

Suddenly thinking that way makes my anger flare up.

They say a lucky bastard will find a gold nugget and immediately find another, while an unlucky bastard will find a single silver tael only to be framed as a thief and beaten to death...

My case is exactly that.

'Shit, out of everyone I could have run into, it had to be the Yin-Yang Twin Demon...'

My past life wasn't exactly a lucky one either, but my fate wasn't this turbulent.

Come to think of it, my life seemed to have gotten complicated after meeting those bastards from the Minor Orthodox Unit...

It's certain. Their bad luck rubbed off on me.

Those useless bastards.

As I fumed like that, a red sphere slowly grew in the darkness and began to fill the space.

Then, the image of me fighting the Yin-Yang Twin Demon was projected inside the sphere.

'What's this now?'

Je Geumhak creates an ice barrier, and I try to break through it.

However, my attacks are repeatedly blocked, and then the members of the Formless Hidden Demon Squad join the fray.

Exactly as I experienced it, the series of events unfolds, and eventually, I collapse bleeding.

It was as if it was drawing out the exact process of how I died.

Living my second life, I thought I had gotten a bit stronger, but a demonic practitioner is still a demonic practitioner.

Thinking about it, I realize I had been underestimating the level of demonic practitioners lately.

Out of the demonic practitioners I fought, how many were big shots on the level of the Yin-Yang Twin Demon?

The Minor Orthodox Unit's adversaries were mostly mid-to-low tier militant groups, so my standards were always stuck there.

'Anyway, those weak-ass sons of bitches from the Minor Orthodox Unit!'

... Regardless, it's those Minor Orthodox Unit bastards' fault.

In this life, after obtaining the Taiyi True Scripture, Reverse Demon Scripture, and Okcheong Heavenly Star Power, I managed to shake off my fear of demonic practitioners, but I was short-sighted.

Since my position in the Murim Alliance had changed, the enemies I would have to face in the future would naturally change as well.

I was still unable to break free from the memories of my past life.

Just then.

'Huh?'

The red sphere began to turn golden.

Inside it, the battle between me and Je Geumhak played out once again.

'Wait?'

However, this time it was a little different.

I dig into Je Geumhak's guard and unleash Lotus and Snowflake.

Using only the basic forms of the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique, I systematically shatter the ice barrier.

The consumption of internal energy doesn't seem that high either.

While in reality I had crushed my opponent with lightning-like and storm-like momentum, the 'me' inside the sphere broke the opponent with a flowing, gentle, yet rock-like solidness.

It was so different that it made me wonder if that was really me.

'Do I extend my sword like this?'

I slowly began to mimic my own movements.

As I did, the movements in the images slowed down in tandem.

Could it be waiting for me to follow along?

CRACK! CRACK!

I kept hearing the sound of something snapping in the dark space, but I ignored it and continued copying the motions.

The motions I couldn't imitate well at first slowly began to develop correctly after doing them tens and hundreds of times.

And right around the time those movements became perfect.

The figure of 'me' returned to the beginning and started fighting Je Geumhak again.

CRACK! CRACK!

SNAP! SNAP!

Noises unrelated to the fight still echoed throughout the space.

I tried my hardest to focus and refocus on the fight.

The 'me' in the image this time fired off the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm and swung with Sword Force as he fought.

'Hah! I could have ended it this quickly?'

Compared to the time I actually spent fighting, this battle was unspeakably short.

Yet he finished the fight with overwhelming superiority.

The fight ended before the Formless Hidden Demon Squad even appeared, meaning he subdued the Yin-Yang Twin Demon at a truly ridiculous speed.

'It's impressive, but...'

It's so overwhelming that it feels disconnected from reality.

Is that fight really based on my proficiency and the amount of internal energy I have?

Various complicated thoughts crossed my mind, but even so, I 'just' followed the movements.

This time, I also followed the utilization of internal energy.

CRA-CRACK! CRA-CRACK!

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

The noise grew louder.

Strangely, every time I heard the noise, I felt a refreshing sensation.

Anyway, the important thing right now was to completely imprint the movements inside that sphere into my mind and body.

As I copied them over and over, my body slowly began to get used to them.

But a problem arose.

'Huh?'

The continuous noises suddenly stopped, and an insane wave of drowsiness began to wash over me.

'No! Just one more sequence! Just one more...!'

Even though I knew I possessed a perfect memory, I struggled to watch the figure in the sphere just a little bit more.

Because for some reason, it felt like I wouldn't be able to remember this sensation.

However.

'Seriously, fucking hell...'

Just like when I faced the Yin-Yang Twin Demon, my eyes slowly closed shut.

* * *

My consciousness awoke from sleep and I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't open at all.

BLINK. BLINK.

As I forced myself to rub my eyes, stiff sleep crust fell off and my eyes opened.

When I opened my eyes, it was an unfamiliar ceiling.

The surrounding furniture and the lingering scent were all completely foreign.

What is this?

Is this my third life?

Thinking that, I checked my Dantian.

'... What the shit.'

I felt the energy of the Taiyi True Scripture, which had increased by thirty years on top of my four 60 years' worth of internal energy.

I marveled at the fact that this wasn't a third life.

'Wow, I actually survived that. Haha.'

Even I found it absurd.

The blood I shed back then was an amount a single person simply couldn't lose and still survive...

Could there really be a reincarnation of the dead Hua Tuo in the Underworld Alliance?

Hmm, if there is a physician with such great skills, I should consider recruiting him.

Wouldn't it be much better for him to serve as the exclusive physician of the righteous and pure Taiyi Sect rather than staying in a place full of Underworld bastards like the Underworld Alliance?

Yes, absolutely.

Having finished my productive thoughts.

I turned my head to call for someone since it seemed like no one was around, but in that moment.

'What is this now?'

... I saw Dam-ak's back.

He was reading documents and busily moving his brush, then reading more documents and moving his brush again.

Hmm, I feel like I've seen this scene somewhere before.

SWISH. SWISH.

Right. I definitely have.

The Chief Strategist did the exact same thing last time.

Does working with an injured person behind you improve efficiency?

It's not like I'm some sort of good luck charm.

"Ahem..."

As I slightly made my presence known, Dam-ak, who had been working, practically threw his brush down and jumped up from his seat.

"Are you alright?"

The moment I also tried to slowly get up by placing my hand on the bed and applying pressure.

CRUNCH.

My hand pierced right through the bottom of the bed.

"Eh?"

What kind of bed is this flimsy?

After pulling my hand out, I tried to grab the railing on the side to get up.

CRACKLE.

... This time the railing helplessly shattered.

"..."

Dam-ak stared at me with his gray eyes.

Tsk, no matter if I broke the Underworld Alliance's furniture, I'm nominally your lifesaver, aren't you giving me too much of a glare?

I awkwardly pulled my hand back and spoke.

"Hmm... Looks like they used old materials."

"The Leader's quarters were built using only the finest materials."

"Huh?"

This was the Leader of the Underworld Alliance's quarters?

As I quickly looked around, Dam-ak added in a calm voice.

"He said it might take some time to adapt to your changed body, so please move carefully."

I tilted my head.

"Changed body?"

"Elder Hyeoltu said you would understand if I put it that way."

Come to think of it, I had shed a massive amount of blood and fought incredibly fiercely.

But bizarrely, I didn't have a single muscle ache and my joints were smooth.

What in the world is going on here?

"If you are curious, ask Elder Hyeoltu later. Among everyone in the Underworld Alliance, including the delegation, he seemed to be the only one who knows."

"Is that so?"

Dam-ak looked at me for a moment and asked politely.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

His words were an offer, but his actions were already pouring the tea.

If he had sent away the Murim Alliance's delegation and waited alone, he definitely had an intention behind it.

Afraid I might cause another 'accident', I carefully sat down and grasped the teacup ever so slightly.

CRACK.

I'm fucked.

"... An antique from the Zhao Dynasty..."

Hey, if it's that precious, you shouldn't have used it in the first place.

I let out a dry cough and asked.

"Do you just... not have regular teacups."

"... Phew. Just use it. It's already cracked anyway."

Geez, making a guy feel embarrassed.

"Ahem."

As I stared at the steam rising from the teacup, I could feel Dam-ak's piercing gaze.

Fuck. Did he see everything inside the array formation?

I definitely made sure he was unconscious before I moved...

As I was picking my words on how to make an excuse, Dam-ak spoke first.

"Why did you save me?"

"Huh?"

My mind went blank at the unexpected question.

I carefully placed the teacup down on the table so it wouldn't shatter and asked back.

"Why are you curious about that?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be curious? ... I am someone who opposed the alliance between the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance to the bitter end. Moreover, I didn't hesitate to say we should go to war with the Murim Alliance."

Pausing for a moment, Dam-ak gave his head a slight shake as if to organize his thoughts, and continued.

"Whether viewed strategically or tactically, wouldn't it have been more logical not to save me?"

He really is exceptional.

A pleased smile naturally spread across my face before I knew it.

Of course that's true.

But you have to help me fight the Demonic Cult later on. I can't just slave away by myself, can I?

In other words, Dam-ak's very existence was essentially the 'stakes' that I desperately wanted to win.

But I couldn't just reveal my true thoughts as they were.

I let out a smile even more benevolent than Ilmyeong and Ilgak's.

"Just think of it as me repaying a debt."

"A debt?"

I stared into Dam-ak's eyes, which were filled with confusion.

"The debt the Murim Alliance incurred when they failed to reach out a hand when the Chief Strategist waited so desperately."

"..."

Dam-ak's eyes wavered with complex emotions.

Seeing those sharp eyes look like that makes him seem a bit naive.

A brief silence flowed.

Still sporting a complicated look, Dam-ak parted his lips with difficulty.

"... That is not a debt you owe."

"I know. So you don't need to feel burdened by it."

"... To accuse you of playing the hero... you took on far too great a risk."

Dam-ak seemed to want to cast a shadow of hypocrisy over my actions no matter what.

But his cognitive dissonance seemed to keep getting in the way.

I looked at his agonizing face.

"In truth, the image of the Murim Alliance that the Chief Strategist sees is likely the real Murim Alliance."

For a moment, Dam-ak's eyes flashed sharply.

"... Are you trying to tell me not to hate everyone anyway?"

I shook my head.

"You are the Chief Strategist of the Underworld Alliance now; shouldn't the very existence of the Murim Alliance make hatred creep up inside you?"

"..."

"I don't really want to make you feel grateful or indebted. After all, the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance will become enemies someday anyway."

Dam-ak made a dumbfounded expression.

Staring at that expression, I continued sharing my thoughts.

"When that time comes, you will have to face me. There won't be any holding back or making concessions for the Chief Strategist. Well, even if the Chief Strategist goes all out, you won't be able to defeat me anyway."

"..."

Geez, I made a joke, so why did his face stiffen?

Making a guy feel awkward.

"Anyway, then is then, and now is now, right? I came as the Murim Alliance's delegation, and the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance are currently forming a pact against a public enemy. So shouldn't we help each other out?"

"... Does that mean throwing your life away?"

I scratched my cheek.

This part was actually more about my personal desire to screw over Je Geumhak—no, that demonic bastard who was pretending to be Gun Yuhyeon.

Just how many times did those bastards deceive people like that in my past life?

I wanted to rub shit in their faces at least once, you see.

On the other hand, I also wanted to repay the debt I owed Dam-ak in my past life.

"Well, everyone has their own boundaries for their actions. I just happen to act a bit more dangerously than ordinary people."

"A bit?"

I waved my hand dismissively, as if to say that was enough.

"Anyway, that's how it is. I have nothing more to say, so let's stop talking about this if it's the same topic."

"..."

Dam-ak stared into my eyes for a long while before letting out a small sigh and lowering his head.

"How did you figure out his identity?"

"Who?"

"Gun... Yuhyeon."

The wound of betrayal must have been quite deep.

Dam-ak's hands were trembling slightly.

I gently stared at those hands and opened my mouth.

"Do you remember the day we first met?"

"Yes."

That day, I sat down with Dam-ak thanks to Gun Yuhyeon's help.

And right there, Gun Yuhyeon made the mistake of revealing his true identity.

"The entities we met on the Puyang Plains. They were the ones who hid their bodies in the darkness. Even when we fired flares, only those standing closest could vaguely see their true forms."

Dam-ak tilted his head.

"Yet he claimed to have seen their forms from a distance, isn't that a bit strange?"

Dam-ak's mouth slowly fell open.

"B-But didn't you clearly agree with his words that day?"

I let out a soft chuckle.

"Naturally, an investigation should be done secretly behind their backs, shouldn't it?"

"..."

Next, I took out the missive I received from Haomun and showed it to him.

"This is the investigation report on the Cheongwan Sect. It says that from a very young age, Gun Yuhyeon, the Eldest Young Master of the Cheongwan Sect, was a scoundrel who relied on his father's backing to act out violently toward his surroundings."

Such a scumbag turned over a new leaf and became the current Gun Yuhyeon?

Does a person's nature change so easily?

There should at least be a process for it, but according to Haomun's investigation, there was no such process.

To completely change overnight as if he were a different person...

"There were many other circumstances as well. Like how he treated money like stones..."

"What's wrong with that?"

"No matter how rich someone is, they cannot treat gold like stones. Yet he truly treated it like stones."

I tapped on Haomun's investigation report.

"Wouldn't that mean the value of that gold was literally like stones to him? It meant he wasn't someone who belonged to Jianghu."

Even after I finished speaking, Dam-ak couldn't open his mouth for a while.

Then, after a long time had passed, he slowly raised his head.

"Is the reason you... no, the reason the Black Flame Dragon desires peace between the Murim Alliance and the Underworld Alliance because of 'them'?"

He really is a smart person.

He already knows how to draw the full picture.

As expected, he is an absolutely necessary figure to me.

Still, being called 'you' feels a bit better than 'Black Flame Dragon'...

"You experienced it yourself going through this incident, didn't you, Chief Strategist?"

"..."

"Do you truly believe the Underworld Alliance, the Murim Alliance, or any other single martial sect could stand against them alone?"

Truth be told, these were the bastards who drove the Underworld Alliance to the brink of collapse with fewer than twenty people.

If they started making their moves in earnest, there's no telling what would happen in Jianghu.

A shadow fell over Dam-ak's face at my explanation.

"Just who are they?"

I thought for a moment.

Was it right to tell this story, or was it right not to?

Normally, I would have chosen not to.

But Dam-ak was different.

He was now someone affiliated with the Underworld Alliance, but precisely because of that, he had to operate alone.

I didn't know if he would understand it or not.

But at the very least, when things happened, he needed to be able to recall what I said.

Dam-ak's existence was that important to me.

A presence like a set of attractive stakes, enough that I wanted to risk my life to win them.

After intertwining my hands, I quietly spat out.

"The heaven-defying entities that overturned the sky five hundred years ago."

"..."

Then I looked straight into Dam-ak's eyes.

"The Demonic Cult."

"The Demonic Cult?"

"They call themselves the Heavenly Demon Cult."

His eyes widened to an indescribable degree.