Chapter 284

“Three votes for subjugating Docheol, three votes for training and then acting, and one vote for first gathering information on Polar Night.”

A fairly even split.

That narrowed the choices down to two for now.

“Wouldn’t it be too risky to leave Docheol behind and focus on gathering information about Polar Night? Similarly, we can’t know how he might strike us from behind while we’re training.”

“…But according to Bloodrot, Docheol is an immensely powerful Specter. We don’t know if we can confront him with our current strength.”

Opinions were divided in various ways, but ultimately, these two were the main options.

Giving Docheol time was unwise, so we should settle things first.

Or, confronting Docheol with our current forces was too dangerous, so we needed to build up a bit more strength.

Frankly, both sides had a point, making it hard to reach a conclusion.

As my worries only grew, Hochoong suddenly interjected and offered his opinion.

“Patrons, I would also like to add my voice to the side advocating for building strength first.”

“Why is that?”

“Because from the information you patrons have obtained, I have noticed one thing.”

It was an unexpected statement, so everyone’s gaze focused on Hochoong.

Hochoong smiled faintly and began to explain his view.

“This is also the first time I have clearly learned about the pact between Seo Cheonye and the Great Specters. And I heard Bloodrot say that with Soul Enchantress’s death, that restriction lost its power.”

“That seems to be the case, right? Bloodrot was indeed able to act completely freely.”

Cheong Joohwa tilted her head, but Hochoong slowly shook his.

“Yet, the situation surrounding the Pyeong Clan hasn’t changed. The news I received a moment ago is from a reliable source, so the chance of it being a misunderstanding is low.”

From that one statement, I could guess what Hochoong was trying to say.

“So, you’re saying the power of the restriction is still in effect?”

“At least the actions of Seo Cheonye and Docheol suggest so. In other words, my thought is that perhaps Seo Cheonye originally established a more meticulous restriction regarding Docheol compared to the other three.”

If that were indeed the case, the situation would make sense.

In short, it would mean that Docheol was an exception, even when the restrictions on the other Great Specters were lifted.

“Come to think of it, Oppa. Bloodrot said he only became subject to the pact after attaining power above a certain standard, and wasn’t originally a party to the main contract.”

That was something I had heard too.

Considering all the information gathered so far, Hochoong’s hypothesis had sufficient merit.

‘There was the case of Soul Enchantress, but her actions completely fell outside the scope of the restriction from the start, so she should be considered an exception.’

She merely drew us, beings utterly external and unrelated to this world, into the Mindscape, and did not perform any actions that violated the restriction.

After examining various possibilities, we concluded that it was worth following Hochoong’s judgment.

“So, for the time being, the direction is set on building strength.”

“…If Docheol can’t move directly anyway, time is on our side.”

In the end, we dedicated ourselves to training and began focusing on honing the achievements we had made so far.

And so, time passed little by little.

“…….”

Whoosh.

Whoooosh.

One dawn when everyone was asleep, unable to sleep, I wandered outside, roaming the mountainside.

Two months had passed since we resumed training, and another season had changed in this World of Forbidden Techniques.

The results were considerable.

No, it was more accurate to say they were unbelievable.

We had gained power far greater than when we first fell into this era, and Yoo Haon had blossomed the brilliant potential of the Demon-Suppressing Trait.

If we pressed on without giving up, a vague sense of expectation arose that we could surely accomplish everything.

“…Oppa, it’s cold out. What’s the matter?”

It wasn’t Han Seoa.

It was the girl I first met upon entering the World of Forbidden Techniques, Soyool.

Somehow lost in reminiscence, I chuckled and spoke to Soyool.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah. So I was about to go for a walk when I saw you.”

“I was just thinking for a moment.”

A pure girl with the freshness typical of her age.

Soyool’s appearance hadn’t changed one bit since we first met.

Perhaps that was why I felt oddly nostalgic.

“…You really haven’t changed at all.”

That’s right. Soyool hadn’t changed. Not even a little bit.

It was a fact I could notice because I was the one who first met her about eight months ago, and it was also the identity of the sense of incongruity I felt after encountering her again.

Chuckling, I decided to gradually broach the main point.

“No matter how I think about it, it seems the time to turn a blind eye has passed.”

“…….”

“What exactly is your scheme? Kwimae.”

At those words, Soyool gave a faint smile.

A smile that contained the innocence typical of her age, as usual, yet somehow felt sinister.

With that, I could finally be sure my guess was correct.

“…As expected, Oppa has good intuition. Though it’s not without some element of conjecture.”

“I didn’t particularly need proof. When you think about who could possibly do something like this, the answer was clear.”

The Great Specter said to wield a Thousand Arts, Kwimae—that was Soyool’s true name and identity.

And the reason I could notice it was simple.

‘…Because she was always exactly the same.’

At first, I didn’t suspect Soyool either. After all, I had checked her information several times with the Appraisal function and couldn’t find anything particularly special.

However, that very point was the clue.

‘Appraisal.’

Ding!

【Soyool】

▶Level 19

In my brightly shining eyes, Soyool’s information is reflected, just as it was the first time.

And her Level is 19. The same value as when I first encountered her here eight months ago.

‘That’s why it was strange.’

Because it was me and no one else, I could be sure.

Just like in the days when I first awoke in Han Kangyoon’s body, if one’s Level was originally that low, even trivial matters could lead to quite rapid growth.

But Soyool hadn’t grown at all.

Despite nearly being offered as a Sacrifice to the Specter called the god of Baekseoksan, and repeatedly traveling with me and Sophia.

It didn’t make sense. If that were possible, there were only two possibilities.

‘Either her growth is blocked for some reason, or the information checked with the Appraisal function was false from the start.’

The Appraisal function is not an eternal, unchanging truth.

Though extremely rare, there are cases where one cannot uncover the other’s true identity for various reasons, and I was convinced Soyool was such a case.

Especially her height and physique, which hadn’t changed at all despite being at a growth age, supported my speculation.

It was a subtle sense of incongruity hard to notice if you weren’t paying attention, but thanks to the warning I heard from Hongrim, I was able to catch it.

“So, tell me your scheme. From now on, we don’t have time to hesitate.”

“…….”

The reason I hadn’t mentioned it even after being sure for a while was simple.

Because I sensed some other intention from her actions.

And rightly so. If her goal from the start was to steal our bodies and head outside, there had already been several optimal opportunities.

Especially at a time when I knew nothing, I would have surely faced a crisis due to her betrayal.

“Why did you only watch us from the side without revealing your true identity? If you don’t clarify that, I’ll immediately call everyone here and settle this.”

This wasn’t a bluff or an empty threat.

It was a resolution made after sufficient contemplation.

Whatever she was thinking, I was determined to settle it here and now.

Perhaps sensing my resolve, Kwimae let out a sigh, approached me, and sat down facing me.

“…To be honest, I was also flustered at first. It was that kind of encounter, you know?”

Kwimae said with a sinister smile.

She said she could perceive the world’s anomaly and my true identity just hours after our first meeting, and simultaneously laughed at the sheer coincidence of it all.

Of all people, the first external being she encountered was herself, a Great Specter who had reached a certain realm? She must have found it absurd too.

‘The thought that I could head outside by seizing their soul and body did cross my mind immediately.’

“Then why…?”

“Well. My interest was just a bit stronger for the time being?”

Moreover, she was a true Sorcerer who had mastered a Thousand Arts. So, she said her perspective was somewhat different.

“Trying to take things too easily usually backfires, Oppa. The easy path isn’t always the right answer.”

“…….”

“Was it around the time we dealt with the Specter manipulating Water Qi upon arriving in Cheongra? By that point, I was already convinced it wasn’t a good method.”

Kwimae stood up somewhat briskly, then picked up a twig and began drawing on the ground.

Swish.

Swoosh.

Scratch scratch scratch.*

Whatever sorcery she used, after she waved her hand a few times, a masterpiece painting was already completed on the ground.

“Hmm. Let’s say this painting is this world. Then you and I looking at it would be the ‘external beings,’ right?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Wasting no time on the painting she had just drawn, Kwimae unhesitatingly raised one foot and stomped on the very center of the painting, crushing it.

And then she said to me.

“I think the current situation feels roughly like this. In reality, the difference in hierarchy might be even more stark.”

“…….”

“Anyway, right now I’m in contact with the world inside this painting. So, do you think any being inside there, no matter how capable, can affect my true body?”

“It would be difficult.”

“Right. At best, they could only interfere with the two-dimensional surface area of the body in contact. Even if I seized a body here, it’s highly likely I wouldn’t be able to fully transfer my soul outside.”

However, as far as I know, if we die here, we cannot be revived in reality. So, wouldn’t it be more accurate to view it as being more closely connected?

When I asked that, Kwimae replied as if it were no trouble.

“Death will carry over. However, it might be in a slightly different way than you think…”

“What do you mean?”

“Rather than a conventional death, it’s probably closer to you becoming unable to perceive the outside world at that moment.”

In other words, while the outcome is effectively the same as death, the meaning of death here itself is slightly different.

I now felt like I was beginning to understand what Kwimae was trying to say.

“So, at this point, I can’t help but wonder. What method must an internal being take to ascend to the outside?”

Kwimae’s eyes, now holding a kind of Profound Mystery, were posing the question to me.