The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Things had gone completely awry.

'To think that of all people, the Tohyang would have ended up in her hands…'

How did the sword end up in the hands of the woman glaring at them instead of the old man with a pleasant smile?

"Hmm… Are these guys really Yo-ah's friends?"

The White Whale approached them, tilted her head, and asked.

Smirk…

The Dragon, whose name hadn't yet been revealed, smiled and answered the White Whale's question.

"Are you suspicious?"

"How could I not be? There’s more than just one or two suspicious things about them."

The White Whale circled Seol’s group, trying to identify them. After several attempts, she gave up and asked the Dragon.

"Alright, but why have they come here? And why isn't Yo-ah here?"

"Yo-ah hasn't arrived yet."

"Hmm… This is getting more and more suspicious. Hey, you people, how have the living come to the Celestial World?"

Hamun replied, "I came to retrieve my master's sword."

"Sword? What sword?"

Swoosh…

He pointed at the Tohyang, tightly being held in the White Whale's hand. Realizing that Hamun was pointing at the Tohyang, the White Whale frowned.

"This sword…?"

"Haha… The successor of the one who made Tohyang has come."

Although they had never disclosed such details with the Dragon, he still somehow revealed this fact to the White Whale.

"The Tohyang…"

Upon hearing what the Dragon said while stroking his beard, the White Whale stared at Hamun. Seol thought she would get angry. But her reaction was different from what he expected.

Snap!

The White Whale grabbed Hamun's hand.

"Is that true? Are you really Orgo's…?"

She was jumping up and down while holding Hamun's hand.

"Huh?"

"Wh-why is she acting like that?"

Those witnessing the scene were visibly confused by the White Whale's reaction.

"Yes, Orgo was my master."

"Oh my God! What's your name?"

"My name is Hamun."

"Hamun! Nice to meet you. To think Orgo had a successor!"

The one called Orgo…

Was it just that name that excited the White Whale?

"By any chance, do you know where he is now?"

"I don't know… It's been a while since my master got disillusioned with the world and secluded himself."

"Well… Since he made something like this, it makes sense. If I were him, I wouldn't want to breathe the same air as such inferior beings."

At the White Whale's words, Seol and his group all looked at her face.

Feeling troubled, the Dragon rubbed his eyebrow.

"Little Kyung has a weakness for material things. She's powerless in front of well-crafted objects."

"The universe crafted by his fingertips! Orgo is probably the most perfect man humanity has ever produced! Ah… It would be great if I could meet him at least once… Human lives are so short. I wonder how they managed to journey through life."

"I handed her the Tohyang because of how much she begged me."

Seol and his companions finally understood what had happened. It was hard to believe he had willingly handed over the Tohyang. Most likely, it had been forcibly taken from the Dragon.

Hmm… Hmm…

The Dragon cleared his throat and spoke, "In any case, Kyung, these kids have come to retrieve the Tohyang from you."

"…"

Swoosh…

It felt as if the atmosphere had frozen.

The White Whale, someone with considerable power, seemed visibly displeased.

That whale was someone whom, if things didn't go her way, she might try to kill them all.

"Hng…"

"Kyung?"

"Hmm…"

"Kyung?"

The White Whale snapped at the Dragon.

"Don't talk to me. I'm thinking of a good excuse to refuse right now."

"You brat…"

"Ah, I thought of something."

Paf—!

She raised her right hand's index finger and said.

"The Tohyang is a weapon specialized in dealing with evil."

Seol and Hamun nodded.

Orgo made it exactly for that purpose.

"Therefore, you are not qualified to handle it.

"How come?"

"Have you ever seen a knife being handed over to a child?"

A child…

As expected of a Phantom Beast, the White Whale was displaying her arrogance.

She labeled Hamun and even Seol as a child.

'She has a good reason to be confident.'

It seemed she wouldn't willingly hand over the Tohyang.

Then what about this?

"Then how about this? Instead of taking the sword, you deal with Yaksha."

"Yaksha?"

"Kyung, these people are trying to face a being called Yaksha…"

The Dragon explained to the White Whale who Yaksha was. The more she listened, the more her expression twisted with displeasure.

"The Ghost Real—what? The Human Realm? If I leave the Celestial World, my power will weaken. So I can't go. If you're that desperate, bring Yaksha here, and I'll deal with it myself."

"What the…"

She was being completely unreasonable.

She didn't want to return the sword, but she didn't want to deal with Yaksha either.

In short, she was throwing a tantrum.

'She has no intention of giving it back.'

Anyone would reach that conclusion.

The White Whale was actively sabotaging them.

The problem was that they usually overpowered someone who made such unreasonable demands. But the White Whale wasn't a being they could handle in such a way.

'In the worst case scenario, we could have a conflict with her…'

While Seol was considering that possibility, the Dragon said.

"Kyung, you're being unreasonable."

"Unreasonable? Did you say unreasonable? The real unreasonable act is to allow humans into the Celestial World!'

"Didn't I give you the Tohyang asking you to be understanding?"

The White Whale shouted in frustration.

"So if I return the Tohyang, does that mean I can kill all the humans who dared to step into the Celestial World…?"

The atmosphere quickly shifted.

Swoosh…

It felt as if the weather had suddenly changed. Although the day was bright, there was an ominous sensation, as if it was just about to rain.

The power they felt was beyond anything a person could have exuded. A strange power was emanating from the Dragon.

'I… I can't move my body!'

Everyone except for the White Whale was feeling the same as Seol.

"Think wisely."

"…"

"I'm saying this because I care about you."

The old man's eyes had transformed into that of a reptile, sending chills down their spines and filling them with deep unease.

Those cold yet warm words made the White Whale stop acting so arrogantly.

"Let's do this…"

"Hahaha! So you've finally come back to your senses."

The White Whale began rummaging through her belongings.

Jingle…

'A bell?'

She tied a bell to the Tohyang's handle.

"If anyone among you can remove this bell from the Tohyang before the sun sets today, I'll hand it over."

"Hmm…"

The Dragon stroked his beard, then glanced at Seol.

At that exact moment.

Crash—!

"Are you kidding?!"

Spectre, who had been hiding, burst open the door of the Dragon's house.

"Whoa!"

The Dragon clutched his head.

"So it was you. No wonder there was such a stench."

"You talk as if you were being generous yet set an impossible condition! Old man, is that really fine?"

"Hmm…"

The Dragon looked at Seol.

"Can you do it?"

Seol pondered for a moment.

'Can I do it…?'

Was taking the bell from that Phantom Beast even possible?

Even if he had brought thousands of transferees, everyone would have shaken their heads in refusal.

There were things in the world that couldn't be achieved with just spirit and courage.

'Does it seem doable?'

His voice, which flew toward the Void, soon returned as another voice.

The answer didn't have any hesitation.

- Do it…

Seol nodded.

"Yes, I can."

"What…?"

He said with a determined expression.

"I accept."

"…"

With everyone in shock, the White Whale sneered at him, "You're dumber than you look."

* * *

In the afternoon.

Spectre and Hamun approached a meditating Seol and said.

"Honestly, it's impossible."

"I think the same."

"I'll try to convince that old man, so let's just call off this bet."

Both of them strongly opposed it.

Curious, Seol asked for the opinions of others.

"It seems Lady Seol Hong and Lord Chi Woo trust you. And Jin Ryeo is taking a nap."

"I can't help but wonder how a human can sleep so much unless they're a newborn."

Seol smiled.

"Oof… What are you up to? The White Whale is a Phantom Beast. Just because she looks like that doesn't mean you should underestimate her. She might even be more dangerous than Yaksha. No, if we think long-term, Yaksha is definitely more dangerous."

Hamun asked Seol, "Are you confident?"

"Do you have a plan in mind?"

Seol nodded and replied.

"I do."

"I see…"

"Alright… I'll also think of another way."

Hamun and Spectre retreated.

Just as they left, Seol could finally start concentrating again.

"What are you plotting?"

"You startled me…"

The Dragon suddenly appeared right behind him.

- Ah! That scared me!

- My heart almost stopped!

- Why are we the ones getting startled?

"Can't you see the future anyway?"

"I prefer only to peek at what's necessary. I'll lose too much otherwise. Besides, isn't it more fun to find things out directly?"

His first impression was right. This Dragon was someone eccentric.

It was hard to believe he was from the same clan as the sly Hwagmu.

"It's a power that's inside you, right?"

Flinch…

"It's both hot and cold at the same time. What a mysterious energy."

"It seems I can't hide things from you."

"Should I give you a hint to defeat Little Kyung…?"

Seol's expression hardened at the Dragon's words.

- As expected of the old man!

- We always believed in you!

- Sorry for wishing you'd died earlier!

- Wow, so he was thinking so far ahead…

After pondering for a moment, Seol shook his head.

"They told me it isn't necessary."

"What? Hahaha! What a rude way of speaking! Was it the one inside you who said that?"

Seol shrugged in response.

"And what do you think?"

"I…"

"What is beyond understanding is revered—luck, fate. In a broader sense, you could say my helping you is simply a stroke of luck, don't you think?"

Upon hearing that, Seol recalled someone's words.

- It isn't about ending it. It's about finishing it with my own hands!

The words that had been shouted by Jamad while covered in blood.

"Relying on luck is a bad habit."

"Hahaha... Interesting. Is it okay to have high expectations then?"

Seol nodded and sent the Dragon back.

He was finally left alone.

"It will be only for a moment, right?"

- Yes, there will be only one chance.

Ur's voice echoed in his mind.

'When she lets her guard down, I'll have to give my all right from the start. What I'm worried about is assimilation…'

- There's no need to worry. We've significantly grown in the Library of All Knowledge. This is just part of the process of checking the result.

Nod…

Seol nodded and increased his concentration.

A voice flowed out of his mind.

- Remember. The critical point will be when you cross the Void's door.

* * *

Unable to leave until sunset, the White Whale lay down while yawning, "So? How long are you going to wait before making an attempt?"

"Wait. Don't be impatient."

Chi Woo responded while also lying down. He had no intention of taking the bell.

In fact, it wasn't just him.

The others, even Spectre, were chatting with the Dragon, completely ignoring the bell.

Their lack of concern for the bet only made the White Whale more anxious.

'Have they given up?'

No, someone was missing.

She noticed him muttering something to himself earlier, but there had been no sign of him since then.

The White Whale smirked at his weakness.

'This will be an easy victory.'

Was there a human capable of taking a Phantom Beast while in the Celestial World? Maybe it would be possible if they were a deity. But what could a human who had stumbled in by sheer luck do?

'It's absurd!'

Soon, the sun would set.

Smirk…

The White Whale was lying down when she suddenly sprang up.

"Ah, how boring."

She had thought of one last trick, a cruel prank to make them feel the stark gap between her and them.

Tap…

She placed the Tohyang on a nearby rock. At that moment, everyone's gaze shifted to the Tohyang.

The White Whale pretended not to notice and stretched her body casually, turning away.

Right now, the White Whale wasn't looking at the Tohyang.

She wanted anyone to rush toward the sword, eager to witness their faces twist in despair as they realized the overwhelming difference in power.

Paf—!

He had come.

It was him.

'You won't!'

The White Whale turned her head halfway and saw Seol charging toward the Tohyang.

She thought he was clumsy. He was slow.

As expected, it was almost yawn-inducing.

Though time is fair, it often approached in the most unfair ways.

Right now, for that man, time must be feeling unfair, and it was true.

Seol felt as if time had slowed down.

No, it wasn’t just because of the White Whale’s speed. It felt as if everything had slowed down, even him.

A single moment…

This was that single moment he prepared for.

Repeating that to himself, Seol charged fiercely toward the Tohyang.

The moment he was about to reach it.

"This is as far as you go…"

Paf—!

The White Whale and Seol crossed paths at incredible speed.

Paf—!

Everyone's gaze darted around, searching for the object that had sparked the conflict—the Tohyang.

In whose hand was it?

And upon seeing it, a gasp escaped their lips.

"Ah…"

"Hahaha! You're an idiot, aren't you? Hahaha… It's so funny it's making my stomach hurt…"

The White Whale laughed as if she could barely catch her breath.

"Hahaha! You're faster than I thought, but you still can't beat me… Huh?"

Something felt off.

Sensing something was wrong, the White Whale checked the tassel of the Tohyang.

It was gone…

The bell was gone.

The White Wale's gaze shifted to Seol.

Everyone else was already looking at him too.

Tsss…

The ground beneath him was melting, thick smoke rising from the spot where Seol had stood.

Flames flickered from the footprints he left behind.

Seol's appearance was one none of them had ever seen before.

He was wearing refined armor and had long hair spilling out from beneath the helmet.

The helmet rattled.

"Kahaha!"

Fwoosh—!

Now utterly speechless, the bewildered White Whale stammered.

"Y-you're… The one who that day…"

Finally, with the bell in his hand, Seol said.

"It's over."

[You enter the Night Crow form with Knight 'Karen, the Red Lotus Knight.']

[You absorb Karen, the Red Lotus Knight’s stats.]

[Your class is changed to Knight.]

…