I returned to the room where Inshimwon was.
Shwoosh!
As I touched some devices filled with the hallucinogenic painkiller, stairs leading down appeared.
I had acquired Inshimwon’s memories, so I knew how to descend, but I had no intention of revealing that.
So, pretending to know nothing, I followed Inshimwon down to the underground.
Below was a cave. If I listened closely, I could hear the constant sounds of mechanical devices. If those devices stopped, the drainage system would break, and this place would fill with water.
It was a precautionary device.
If that happened halfway through the tunnel, there’d be a high chance of drowning.
Unless you were a race that could breathe underwater.
Thinking that, I walked through the humid cave.
After walking along the path for a while, I arrived at a place built in an entirely different architectural style than what I had seen so far.
Normally, structures made of stone would be stacked in sharp corners, but this place had buildings that resembled waves, made from soft, undulating stone.
And as soon as I entered, numerous monsters that were half seafood and half-human appeared.
With patches of skin peeling off and muscles exposed, they clearly weren’t in a normal state. Just like the girl who had transformed into a monster earlier, I could see these beings had lost their original forms and turned into monsters.
They stared at me with their milky, cloudy eyes, baring needle-like sharp teeth as they charged at us.
The attempt was commendable.
But as Cheonma extended his palm forward, a violet wave shot out, erasing them without leaving a trace.
Once again, I realized he was the strongest person I had ever seen in terms of sheer power.
Of course, others might have more firepower. But I’d never seen anyone handle the environment so neatly, without damaging anything around while only dealing with the enemies.
Inshimwon looked at him with a dazed expression.
But instead of saying anything, he tensed his arm that held the girl he was carrying and walked forward.
The inside was a labyrinth, but Inshimwon had memorized the entire structure.
If I visualized that structure in my mind, I could guess why it was designed this way with faded memories.
This structure was not just made to create a complicated path but was designed to prevent excessive water flow when the area would eventually fill with water later.
It’s a structure known to those who understand Tesla valves.
The center of that valve was the path, and entering it would soon take us to a vast underground temple.
Designed like an amphitheater, the steps led the gaze toward the center. But half of the levels were submerged in water.
No, to be precise, it’s right to say that this whole place was originally designed to be submerged.
People could stand where the hematoma mystic art practitioners gathered, while below, those referred to as yokai immortals congregated in the water.
And at the center pulpit, Tongcheon, the leader, was preaching.
“This is the farthest point a hematoma mystic art practitioner can reach, and beyond this is the realm of severance. Humans should not dare approach this place.”
The boundary where Inshimwon stood between water and land.
Much had happened there. It was a place where humans had completely transformed into monsters and where offerings were sacrificed.
Moreover, Tongcheon’s sermon wasn’t surprisingly that strange. It was a well-explained story about becoming stronger yokai immortals through diligent training.
And it was also a place that tempted people to become immortals.
“We can go now.”
“Let’s do that.”
I pondered whether I should swim into the water, but suddenly a violet shroud emanated forth from Cheonma.
“Oooh.”
Inshimwon looked at Cheonma with awe-filled eyes, trembling, as if resisting a huge pressure directed from Cheonma toward him.
There was actual physical force present.
I found it strange that I felt nothing at all.
Was this physical force selectively acting?
As I observed this strange law with curiosity, Cheonma stepped forward onto the water’s surface.
Creeeak.
Crreeeak.
With the sound of hard walls vibrating as they collided, the water literally vanished.
It didn’t turn into steam and wasn’t pushed away in the opposite direction of Cheonma. It simply disappeared.
It was as if there was a hole where Cheonma stood, making the water vanish, along with the bizarre creatures that had limbs of humans or fish disappearing with it.
And as the water completely disappeared, Cheonma turned around to look at us and opened his mouth.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I jumped down and, in a moment, recalled Inshimwon, glancing back. He looked flustered, wondering whether to follow us while carrying the girl. His eyes darted between us and the ground, as if hoping someone would say something to him.
“Inshimwon.”
“Yes, yes!”
It was funny how he couldn’t even properly respond, seemingly overwhelmed. If he was supposed to be the leader of Woljedang, shouldn’t he at least be holding himself together?
Or maybe he was too confused to put on any airs. I just told him one thing.
“You choose what to do next on your own.”
And then I immediately followed Cheonma.
What was the intention behind my words?
It was nothing special.
Once I decided on the value of freedom, I planned to push forward to the end. Since I decided not to lie, I had to act in a way that my previous words wouldn’t turn out to be false.
And I had already gathered all the information I could from him. I didn’t need much more than that. So, whatever Inshimwon did from now on was fine by me.
Betrayal?
Yes, I would allow that too.
As long as he gave me more warmth.
Thinking that, I moved towards the place that had originally sunk under the damp water.
Moreover, glowing stones were embedded in the ground, making it easier to walk.
Isn’t this radiating some kind of radiation?
But I understood, as it was difficult to bring light into this place.
So I walked on, gaining the warmth from creatures being torn apart by Cheonma’s barrier from a distance.
Before long, I arrived at a huge door, and the water crashed into Cheonma’s barrier at an alarming speed, vanishing.
But at one moment, the water crashing into the barrier disappeared. I could see bubbles farther away than the barrier. The water was no longer being prevented from disappearing.
And behind those bubbles, a dark shadow appeared. An enormous aquatic creature, large enough to dwarf dozens of humans, stood behind the water barrier. And I could see a bright, shining light within its chest.
The creature burst through the water, and as it shrank in size, it transformed into a man draped in scaly leather.
“Those who still inherit the name Cheonma wield unbelievable power.”
The man, who spoke those words, waved his hand in the air. A crack split the air behind him.
One of those lines shot forward and struck the barrier created by Cheonma, causing it to collapse soundlessly.
And that man sauntered toward us.
“Are you the Tongcheon leader?”
The man, with wide brows and not a single hair on his body, looked down at me with his white, cloudy eyes.
“Yes, not only did you invade my territory, but you also laid hands on my possessions, so I assume you are prepared for death?”
“Your possessions?”
From what he said, it sounded like this body was originally his possession.
“Originally, that body was supposed to be a vessel for us. And yet you came here, stole the vessel, and used it as you pleased… it was a carefully crafted receptacle made with a slave, and now that you’ve entered it, it seems I have to remake it.”
The “slave” he mentioned was referring to the hematoma mystic art practitioners.
But there was something odd.
“Why do you need a human body? Your body looks bigger and stronger right now.”
At that, he let out a laugh.
“Aah. This body is indeed something I meticulously crafted. But the vessels that can contain gods are limited, and those don’t last long enough. Hence I need to be reborn.”
He reached out his hand, but not toward my head or body. He pointed at his lower abdomen. I understood what he wanted.
Rather than housing a body like mine, he intended to use this body to create his next one.
“Can’t you just come over as you are?”
If he needed a body, he should at least ask if I was similar to him.
“If one of the inconsequential beings lays eyes on me, they go insane. To avoid that, I need to wear the flesh of this world, and so must you, you filthy god?”
It seemed he was an unexpectedly powerful being. Just looking at him could drive one mad.
Yeah. It is indeed said that gods are that way.
It was the same where faded humans existed. The singular god was described as impossible to perceive, and the gods of polytheism would burn a person alive if their eyes laid upon them.
“No, I’m not a god. I’m just a monster that sank to the bottom. Even when I was directly descending, people could look at me just fine.”
As soon as my words ended, Tongcheon smiled with a remarkably pleased expression.
“Aah, have you understood the difference in levels? Come now, yes. Your ability is quite amusing. To tear people apart and regenerate them like that. It’s a remarkably useful skill. I can offer you a decent treatment.”
He spoke as if it was natural for me to submit to him.
Look at that.
“With most of the positions in the Ten Thousand Army vacant, how about aiming for a seat there? If you work hard under me, it might not be impossible to elevate your status.”
He spoke as if I was already one of his subordinates!
“Hehehe.”
Laughter bubbled up uncontrollably.
I wonder why Cheonma suddenly changed his expression and retreated at lightning speed.
“Oops. You shouldn’t run away.”
Then Tongcheon swung his arm. Water surged through the bubbles towards Cheonma like a serpent.
Well, he should be able to handle that. In reality, when I pulled a sword from my side and swung it, water splattered everywhere. I ignored that and walked towards Tongcheon.
The closer I got, the stronger the fishy smell of the water became.
After having this body, I had felt no emotion smelling such a stench, but I wanted to remember that it was dirty and disgusting going forward.
I got closer, grabbing his neck. But my strength was akin to that of a somewhat strong girl.
“Ah, planning to resist, are you?”
Tongcheon looked down at me with a face full of amusement as he opened his mouth. I wasn’t intending on choking him anyway.
I couldn’t help but be intrigued about his face, which had caught my attention the moment I saw it. So now, being this close, I understood.
There was a massive glowing orb of light right in front of my eyes, similar in size to what I had seen near the surface as I fell into the water.
In other words.
“There’s a lot of warmth here?”
