Seol-Hwi drifted through a black space untouched by human hands.
Am I alive? He blinged, his dull senses struggling to grasp the situation. All he could say was that his body was probably being affected by this black space.
His vision cleared up and then Seol-Hwi shut his eyes again.
I feel dizzy. At least he was alive.
âHey, wake up.â
Seol-Hwi opened his eyes and saw a familiar face.
Goeun.
âHeâs awake.â
Seol-Hwi wanted to lift his head but he had no strength in his body. So he looked at his status instead.
I got beat. The numbness was beginning to fade, giving way to pain.
With it came visionâas expected, he was in a cave. The gloomy space was lit by the flame of lanterns, which illuminated people in the corners. The cave was still too dark to tell who they were, however.
âLooks like he regained consciousness.â The speaker approached, letting the lantern light play over his face.
H-HeâsâŚ! Seol-Hwi knew that face, that curly shoulder-length hair. He couldnât help but know himâafter all, he was the one who killed him in the Body test.
New information, and all unpredictable. It was qualitatively different from what he saw before.
âYou seem to recognize me.â The long-haired man smiled at him as he pulled up a chair. âWell, you seem to be a spy so thatâs no surprise.â His voice carried a pressure that seemed to brook no disobedience.
Seol-Hwi raised his head to look at himânot at the face, but at the words over his head.
Insight? It probably had something to do with his Mind-Reading skill increasing, but Seol-Hwi didnât know what it meant.
âIf you answer my questions Iâll give you an easy death. Who sent you?â
Seol-Hwi looked at him and smirked.
ââŚI have no idea what youâre talking about.â
âAs expected, words donât work.â The man laid his hand on Seol-Hwiâs shoulder and injected internal energy.
âAgh!â An indescribable pain flooded in, twisting Seol-Hwiâs very blood apart. Fortunately, the man didnât intend to kill Seol-Hwi right away. It hurt more than death, though. Seol-Hwi couldnât gather his senses; no human would be able to bear this pain.
âIâll ask you again: who sent you?â
âHah, hahhhâŚâ
âIf youâre in the Supreme Pavilion with this level of skill, you wouldnât be in the background unless you had an affiliate.â
âBackâHahaâŚâ Seol-Hwi held on by a thread. âThere is.â
âWho?â
ââŚThe Supreme Pavilion Lord, he made meâAAAAAAAAAH!â
He tortured Seol-Hwi for longer this time. It felt like an eternity for Seol-Hwi. His teeth cracked and fell to the ground, while his mind crumbled and his spine creaked.
The Ghost Eye Demon Lord yanked Seol-Hwi up by his hair and glared at him.
âI have plenty of time, but this is getting boring already.â
ââŚI donât⌠think so?â
âWhat?â
Seol-Hwiâs body collapsed, but his eyes were clear.
âIf you donât kill me before the test ends⌠itâs not me whoâll be in trouble, itâs you people.â
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Seol-Hwi saw their expression shift subtly.
ââŚHow so?â
âThe Earth Demon will come looking for me. Thatâs why you brought me here instead of letting me pass the test.â
âWhy us?â
âI know the Supreme Pavilion Lordâs secrets.â
âFunny. What does the Lord of the Supreme Pavilion have to do with us?â
âHehehe. Do you not know, or are you just playing dumb?â Seol-Hwi glared at him and bared his teeth. âThe Lord of the Supreme Pavilion threw me out and now the First Discipleâs spies are interrogating me. Surely you can put it together?â
Their eyes shook.
I guess Iâm right. They were hostile to threats to the First Disciple, and Seol-Hwi didnât do anything to threaten the First Disciple. That left one thing: the Supreme Pavilion. They must have contacted the First Disciple when they noticed the Earth Demonâs movements.
That was as far as Seol-Hwi had got, especially the âin the backgroundâ bit.
âFunny. Youâre the one who picked a fight with Goeun. Why do you think we arenât allowing you to pass the test?â
âI was going to take the test, but I changed my mind after I realized I was going to dieâand that Goeun is a spy.â
Regardless, I cannot pass the test safely.The order of the tests wasnât important. He would meet this guy after the Body test regardless of which test he chose next. The fact that he was alone in the front entrance was proof: everyone was in on thisâeven if he tried to give up halfway through the test, they would still try to kill him.
But how did he know?
It told him that he was doomed to fail. The âfinal opponentâ probably referred to Goeun.
âSo let me be honest. You people want to know whoâs behind me? NoâŚâ Seol-Hwi peered at the dark figure in the back.
ââŚHeh. I wonder how much of the Supreme Pavilionâs secrets you told the Earth Demon.â
Huh? Words floated over the Ghost Eye Demon Lordâs head.
Seol-Hwi cocked his head. What does this mean?
âYouâre more interesting than I thought.â The dark figure stood. âBut thereâs one thing you missed.â As he approached, the gold lines on his red robed came into viewâunusual accouterments for the sect. âEven if the test wasnât finished, you could have been killed anytime.â
HeâsâŚ!
âIâm the one who made you come here.â
âE-End Demâ!â
He came all this wayâhe wasnât going to throw away all his hard work and start over.
First or second, Iâm going to have to make the same choices. Even if he went back and did as the Earth Demon suggested, it would be impossible to pass the test. The First Disciple had intervenedâhe would have to fight Goeun. However, he didnât want to choose a different life where it would be even more difficult to survive.
If I need to fightâŚÂ Seol-Hwi thought he had a chance against Goeun; he still had an ability he hadnât used yet. The AI combat style seemed much stronger than direct control. Also, heâd gained Insight, whatever that was.
This time, I need to win at all costs!
A white light faded into realityâthe library basement.
âAh, I donât have time.â
With the AI, there would be variables, so Seol-Hwi opened the Toolbox.
Seol-Hwi was busy.
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âThis, this, and this, too.â He grabbed the blade, then the dagger, and armor.
He also tucked the bomb awayâanything for an advantage. If the AI found a place for them in its calculations, theyâd come in handy.
âBut how do I use Insight?â Seol-Hwi picked up his sword thoughtfully. As he pondered, his eyes were drawn to a â!â marker. Ah⌠that.
He heard the door open and Goeun coming down the stairs. Seol-Hwi was trying to do something, but
The fight had already started.
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