Book 10 Chapter 20

Melody flowing between the rivers of stars

Buried for 13 days!

Bilyeon and Nayerin walked through the depths of the cave, using the light of the treasure sword, Bogeom Hansangokryeong, as their torch.

It was not a comfortable journey.

The two had been walking for a considerable amount of time. The slope of the cave was quite erratic. The path became more and more unpredictable the further they walked. At times it sloped sharply downwards, and at other times it would suddenly become a steep incline upwards. The path twisted and turned like a snake's trail. It was the same in all directions, up, down, left, and right. Ascents and descents repeated endlessly. Furthermore, it was a complex maze.

"It's so haphazardly going back and forth that it would be a bother to try and create it intentionally. If this was formed by natural harmony, then nature would never be called a skillful miner."

Bilyeon grumbled.

"Indeed."

Nayerin could only agree. The cave's trajectory was so irregular, inconvenient to walk, and utterly lacking in rules.

Still, they continued to walk. They needed to reach somewhere. The middle of an open cave held no meaning for them.

"Let's rest here today and search for the path again tomorrow."

Bilyeon said. He had somehow taken the lead in this journey. Bilyeon and Nayerin sat down. Then, he sheathed the sword, which was serving as the most expensive lamp in this world. He wanted to be enveloped in darkness for a moment.

Then, a surprising thing happened. Nayerin's eyes widened. Stars began to appear, one by one, in the dark, subterranean space. At first, she thought it was an optical illusion. But it was not a mistake. Stars emitting a brilliant blue light appeared on the cave walls, ceiling, and even scattered on the floor. It was like a night sky adorned with the Milky Way. It was a beautiful sight that brought a strange sense of emotion.

The scenery, which seemed to contain the stars of the night sky, was incredibly beautiful. The stars that appeared underground, not in the heavens, flickered with an ethereal and gentle beauty. Perhaps the cave's rocks contained minerals that emitted light in the darkness, but that fact meant nothing to them. The mere fact that they could witness this beauty was enough.

"This is its true form, only visible when the light disappears."

Nayerin, sitting next to Bilyeon, murmured while gazing at the stars.

Beautiful!

If one word could summarize Nayerin's appearance as she looked at the stars, it would be this. Bilyeon thought so. The constellations of stars shining in the subterranean darkness were beautiful, but in Bilyeon's eyes, Nayerin, who was among them, was even more beautiful.

It felt as if the radiance of the stars filling the night sky, their brightness, their light, and their gentle glow were all absorbed into her body. She was more beautiful than all the starlight gathered from the mysterious subterranean night sky. Her beauty was equally noble, whether under the celestial stars or within the subterranean ones.

Suddenly, Bilyeon felt very good. Joy welled up within him, beyond his control. Bilyeon picked up the black gold placed beside him and rested it on his lap.

"Now! In homage to the beautifully shining night sky deep within the earth and the beauty of Lady Nayerin, I shall perform a song."

Bilyeon bowed to his sole audience.

"I can't believe it."

Nayerin said, sounding surprised. She couldn't believe Bilyeon would play the *geum*. As far as she knew, Bilyeon only used the *geum* to hit people. However, she had to admit that this was a prejudiced assessment of Bilyeon.

Diliriliring!

Bilyeon's fingers began to dance on the black gold.

A beautiful melody began to flow like the Milky Way in the subterranean night sky. That melody possessed a very special power to melt a cold woman's heart. This was the first time Bilyeon had sincerely played the *geum* for someone. His ten fingers danced on the black gold as if possessed.

Nayerin closed her eyes and quietly savored the melody that enveloped her. The sweet melody soothed her heart and relaxed the tension in her shoulders. Finally able to calm her frayed nerves, Nayerin, without realizing it, rested her head on Bilyeon's shoulder and drifted off to sleep. Feeling the heavy yet soft pressure on his shoulder, Bilyeon's head turned towards her. Bilyeon smiled gently. However, his hands remained focused on playing the *geum*.

The blue-glowing subterranean stars remained beautiful. Bilyeon continued to play the *geum* carefully, so as not to wake her. As if hoping she would continue to hear it even in her dreams.

The gentle melody continued to flow between the rivers of stars.

Buried for 15 days!

"It's already been half a month since he went missing!"

Yongcheonmyeong said, closely observing Maharyeong's expression. He deliberately used the word "missing" instead of "dead."

"Is that so."

Maharyeong replied curtly.

"With each passing day, their chances of survival decrease. I heard that for some people, their deaths are already a foregone conclusion."

"Is that so?"

Maharyeong answered with a tone of indifference. Yongcheonmyeong's face slightly contorted at Maharyeong's continued curt replies.

"Don't you think you've become colder towards me since the incident at Huanmadong? Or is it just my imagination?"

At Yongcheonmyeong's question, Maharyeong flinched for a moment. But she quickly returned to her usual curt state.

"It's your imagination! There's no such thing."

Although she said so, Yongcheonmyeong felt it on his skin.

'What in the world is she displeased about?'

He had no reason to endure such groundless coldness.

'Why is this man so nosy?'

Maharyeong could not tell Yongcheonmyeong the truth. That day, at Huanmadong, she had also seen the shadow in her heart.

At first, it was a huge mass of flesh. It was bulging from her entire body. It was such a grotesque sight that she couldn't help but scream. Even thinking about it now made her shudder.

Maharyeong glanced at Yongcheonmyeong's face.

'Speaking of which, why did this man's face appear immediately after that…'

Maharyeong disliked that fact even more. After the rampage of those fleshy masses, the next thing she saw was Yongcheonmyeong's illusion. Since experiencing that illusion, Maharyeong could no longer treat Yongcheonmyeong as she used to. And there was one more thing, but it was too horrible to even recall.

She hadn't treated Yongcheonmyeong well before, but since that day, it had become awkward even to face him. As her silence continued, Yongcheonmyeong, feeling awkward, changed the subject.

"How do you feel now that he's missing?"

"It feels as refreshing as pulling out a rotten tooth. Now I can finally sleep soundly."

Maharyeong replied coldly.

"Your face, which should be relieved, is full of displeasure. What exactly is bothering you?"

It would not be so frustrating if he knew the reason. She seemed to be dissatisfied with everything in the world these days.

"It's nothing. Please stop caring."

Maharyeong yelled.

"It doesn't seem like nothing…"

Yongcheonmyeong's suspicious gaze did not waver.

Buried for 21 days!

It felt like almost three weeks had passed. However, unable to know whether the sun had risen or set in this place, they could only guess the time based on their bodily sensations. But even that had its limits, and they couldn't be sure how much time had passed exactly since they were trapped in the cave. It was just a rough guess…

Although they had entered with almost no preparation, as empty-handed individuals with only a handful of wall-grain pills, they were still enduring well. Even in this extreme situation where ordinary people would have starved or frozen to death long ago, Bilyeon and Nayerin were maintaining their strength and enduring well. Martial artists possessed incredibly tenacious vitality and skilled survival abilities, and their physiques were perfectly suited for surviving harsh and extremely difficult situations.

They could endure a day on just a sip of water. With wall-grain pills, it was even better. That's why they were still maintaining their vitality even after three weeks. However, even that was approaching its limit.

"This is the last remaining wall-grain pill."

Bilyeon said, dividing one of the last two wall-grain pills. Nayerin's hand trembled slightly as she received the pill.

"Will we really be able to get out of here alive?"

It was an uncharacteristically weak display from Nayerin.

"Of course. Don't worry. They say even a ghost that died after eating well has a good complexion. I want to be a ghost with a good complexion. I don't want to be a ghost with a dull complexion, starving to death here."

Bilyeon encouraged Nayerin. After that, Bilyeon and Nayerin continued their cave exploration. All they could do was keep walking in a set direction. The cave was much longer than they had expected. And even more problematic was the fact that it was intertwined like a maze. It made them wonder if they were trapped in a formation. However, Nayerin was certain that was not the case.

"I don't think it's an artificial formation. There's no regularity in the placement or structure, none of which would be present if it were artificially formed."

She was knowledgeable about formations as well. Her words carried credibility.

"However, it is certain that the structure is extremely malicious and hostile."

At that moment.

'Huh?'

Bilyeon's nostrils flared. A fishy smell wafted from somewhere. It was definitely a different sensation than anything they had experienced before.

"What is this smell?"

Nayerin shook her head.

"It's not like someone's preparing sashimi…"

Bilyeon and Nayerin decided to follow the source of the smell. Bilyeon's heart rate quickened. This ominous feeling had an unusually high rate of accuracy. A tingling sensation ran down his spine.

The fishy smell grew stronger the further they walked. Now Bilyeon was certain. Something existed before this darkness! It might be something extremely dangerous. But Bilyeon and Nayerin had no choice.

All that remained for them was to move forward.

"Doesn't it feel like it's getting colder and colder, Ryeon?"

As Nayerin said, the air was indeed becoming colder and more humid. Bilyeon said, not letting his guard down.

"A change in environment is good for us, no matter what. We have to get out of here somehow."

That made sense. Bilyeon's words hit the nail on the head regarding their current situation. After walking forward for a while, they saw something like a red light. The two cautiously approached the light. And finally, they saw its true form. It was like two burning rubies embedded in the darkness.

Those two rubies were the eyes of something.

Black scales like pitch-black ink, and a body thicker than a log!

From their position, Bilyeon and Nayerin couldn't ascertain its full length. But judging by the size of its head, it was easily understood that it was incredibly long.

"Huk!"

It was the black-scaled imugi, Mukryeonhyeolmang, which only appeared in legends.

Bilyeon stared directly at Mukryeonhyeolmang without a hint of fear. Avoiding the opponent's gaze was equivalent to admitting one was weaker than the opponent. It didn't matter if it was an animal or a human. Rather, because it was an animal, it would be more sensitive to such things. Bilyeon knew the law of survival, the strong prey on the weak, very well. The moment they lost in a battle of nerves, they would become food for the imugi.

When it came to staring contests, Bilyeon had never lost to anyone. Bilyeon said with a grim smile.

"You look delicious. How dare a spirit dare to make its nest here, at the entrance to the underworld. Are you fearless? Or are you foolish?"

The world of martial artists, gathered in droves at Cheonmu Academy, would eagerly chase after any spiritual being. No matter how great Mukryeonhyeolmang was, being a creature that had failed to become a dragon, there were plenty of masters in Cheonmu Academy who could dissect it with a few slashes. Even a mere blood net would be easily steamed. If the blood net were to be spotted by them, it would be instantly transformed into a health supplement for body nourishment or internal energy enhancement.

Bilyeon rejoiced at the absence of other cultivators around the blood net. The martial world was originally a cruel place. Especially when discovering such excellent food, it was advantageous to have fewer mouths.

For the blood net, this must have been the first time in its nearly thousand years of existence to be treated as a precious ingredient, a spiritual medicine.

Ssshiii! Sshiissshik!

The blood net menacingly flashed its blood-red eyes, threatening the two. It was an enormous creature, capable of crushing even an ancient tree in a single embrace.

It seemed the cave was the imugi's dwelling.

"Oh dear, it seems the host doesn't welcome its guests."

Even in this unexpected situation, Bilyeon said without faltering. He still seemed to have some composure.

"Uninvited guests are usually treated poorly."

Nayerin cautiously placed her hand on her sword, ready to draw it if necessary. A drop of saliva fell from the menacing mouth of the blood net onto the ground.

Chiiik!

Then, the rock melted with a sizzling sound and emitted smoke.

"What a rude snake, spitting its saliva so carelessly."

Bilyeon treated the blood net, which was close to the imugi class, as if it were just a snake's head.

"It seems that the cave was widened by that saliva. The cave walls were probably slippery for that reason."

Nayerin said.

"Huhu! Then it's quite a capable miner, isn't it?"

Indeed, if one considered it a miner, the blood net was exceptionally talented.

"Hey, Mr. Snake! Why don't you reincarnate as a mole instead?"

Bilyeon openly teased the blood net. He was not afraid at all.

Shieeek!

The blood net's momentum grew even more intense. Although it couldn't understand the words, it seemed to have understood the mocking tone.

"There's one thing that's for sure."

Bilyeon said, his gaze still locked with the imugi's.

"What is it?"

"Doesn't it look a bit foolish?"

Bilyeon whispered quietly into Nayerin's ear. However, surprisingly, the blood net seemed to have good hearing. Furthermore, being a spiritual being, it seemed to understand human speech. Bilyeon's reckless actions were like scratching a sleeping imugi's reverse scale with a wire brush. It might not have become a dragon, but it had reverse scales.

Shieeek!

The blood net, with a girth that couldn't be embraced in one arm, made a bizarre sound and shook its head menacingly. It was an act to intimidate the opponent.

"Did you get offended by being called foolish?"

The blood net's menacing behavior might have been effective on other humans, but it was of little use to this insensitive fellow named Bilyeon.

"You should always be careful with your words. If you're not, they might become daggers aimed at your own throat."

Nayerin advised kindly. However, it soon became apparent that Bilyeon did not heed this advice.

"A mere snake that couldn't even become an imugi, let alone a dragon!"

Bilyeon shouted.

Kwaaaah!

Shieeeeek!

It was clear that the blood net was enraged by Bilyeon's sarcastic tone.

Bilyeon had no intention of testing his affinity with a strange, unknown creature he had never seen before – one that was quite ferocious and seemed to have a voracious appetite capable of swallowing one or two humans in a single gulp. He was very negative about the necessity of appeasing and cajoling Mukryeonhyeolmang at the risk of his own body becoming lunch. After all, if he were eaten, he would be the only one at a great disadvantage. Moreover, he had always been the hunter, never the hunted. He had never been in the position of an animal trainer, nor did he have any desire to become friends with such a bizarre creature.

Besides, the opponent was expressing outright hostility. No fool would interpret the baring of its fangs as if it were about to devour them as a friendly gesture. Therefore, the answer to what he should do was simple and clear. There was no need to hesitate. There wasn't even time for it. Hesitating in front of an enemy was as foolish as throwing one's life into danger.

Shieeek!

The enraged Mukryeonhyeolmang sprang forward like a fired arrow.

A bolt of lightning shot from Bilyeon's hand like a ray of light.

Shik!

There was no hesitation in his action. However, the result was not satisfactory.

Ting!

The bolt of white silver light, which seemed intent on piercing Mukryeonhyeolmang's forehead, harmlessly struck its forehead and bounced off towards the cave ceiling with a crisp sound. A star momentarily appeared and vanished.

"Huh? Huh?"

Bilyeon, who had never expected his failure, was shocked by this unexpected turn of events.

"Even though I only loaded 3-star power, to be unable to catch a mere snake like that… It's quite a tough meal!"

Bilyeon's pride was hurt when the blood net did not die in one hit.

"Now that I think about it, I've read about this. It was a book called the 'Compendium of Mysterious Spiritual Beings of the Jianghu.' According to that book, Mukryeonhyeolmang's scales are as hard and tough as steel, and their strength and elasticity only increase with age."

Nayerin exclaimed urgently.

"That's some very pleasant information."

Bilyeon smiled, but it was far from a leisurely smile.

Shweeek! Shieeek!

The blood net's eyes, like burning red jewels, emitted a fiery red light, more intense than before.

"It looks angry, doesn't it?"

Nayerin nodded at Bilyeon's question.

"Who wouldn't be angry after being stabbed!"

Huiyiik!

Bilyeon whistled lightly. He seemed to have a slight admiration for his opponent.

"I'll praise you. You're the first to survive a direct hit from my Biraedo. Of course, since I can't distinguish gender, I'll just call you 'it'."

He grinned again, but he had no intention of failing the second attack. Experiencing the embarrassment of a missed shot was enough once.

However, the blood net, though hit once, did not seem willing to yield a second time. Its eyes, like burning red jewels, gleamed as it flicked its blood-red tongue towards the unexpected snack. The snack's resistance was more intense than expected.

It seemed necessary to show more of its dignity.

Shweeeek!

With a sharp, thin sound, the blood net opened its mouth as wide as possible and shot up from the ground. It seemed intent on swallowing Bilyeon whole. Faster than a fired arrow! It was like a flying tiger attacking.

Its speed was sufficient and praiseworthy, but unfortunately, Bilyeon was experienced enough to have caught many flying tigers, or rather, flying imugis. That was the blood net's misfortune. Bilyeon quickly twisted his body, foiling the blood net's meal plan. And he kindly didn't forget to retaliate.

Lightning flashed again from his hand. The blue flame caused a powerful discharge, accompanied by a magnificent sound, and struck the blood net's smooth, slender body forcefully.

Papapapat!

"Kieeeeee!"

A scream that made one want to cover their ears was heard. The blood net shrieked in pain and thrashed violently. It was like a dragon's heave, but in reality, it was a snake's heave.

Kwakoangkoang! Tteongtteongtteong!

As large as its body was, so was its thrashing. Dust rained down, and the entire cave trembled. They even worried that it might collapse. Shielding Nayerin while brushing away the falling dust, Bilyeon's eyes gleamed.

'If this drags on, we'll be buried alive!'

His instincts screamed.

"Ryeon! Be careful."

Nayerin exclaimed with a worried expression. She had also drawn her sword, ready to assist Bilyeon if necessary. However, she seemed to intend to let Bilyeon handle it alone for now.

'The shortest, fastest, and simplest! And the easiest!'

Bilyeon's eyes glowed golden. And his hand moved quietly. His mind became a sharp spear that could pierce steel.

Biraedo's Secret Technique

Sword Qi

Life and Death Decider

Flash Thunder Spear

In the dark abyss, pure white jewel dust shone, and brilliant white lightning flew towards the Mukryeonhyeolmang's mouth. The blood net ended up consuming the lightning as if it were food. The lightning, which flew like a flash, split the blood net's flickering forked tongue into four, then eight, making it easier to lick. Afterward, the Biraedo, which entered its esophagus through its tongue, rearranged its esophagus, stomach, and intestines, turning them into a single digestive organ, as if to shorten the blood net's digestion time. To put it severely, no digestive organs remained between the blood net's mouth and anus. After the frenzy of the Biraedo's rampage, the blood net, licking its sixteen tongues, became a truly peculiar spiritual being that excreted everything it ate. Even a spiritual being that was not quite a thousand years old could not withstand such a powerful attack.

Kieeeek!

The blood net shook its body violently and slammed against the cave wall. But it was only for a moment… The blood net, seemingly having exhausted its strength, slumped to the ground. The futile end of a spiritual being that had lived for nearly eight hundred years.

'Oh no! Did I go too far? I hope the inner core inside its body isn't damaged!'

Feeling a slight pang of guilt, Bilyeon approached the sprawled blood net on the ground. Praying that the inner core was not damaged…

"Tsk! There's no inner core?"

Disappointment was evident in his voice. He had searched its belly hoping for something, but even after a thorough search, there was no inner core, not even the size of a booger. It seemed to be a less cultivated specimen than expected.

"You should have trained harder. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Bilyeon sighed with regret.

"If there had been an inner core, I could have sold it for a high price…"

Bilyeon's characteristic was to think of selling the inner core for a high price, rather than consuming it to enhance his internal energy, like other martial artists.

However, Bilyeon did not give up even then. He vaguely recalled hearing that the blood of a spiritual being had quite effective properties. In any case, the two needed to fill their stomachs. Nayerin, a top student at Cheonmu Academy, confirmed the absence of toxicity.

"Hmm! It doesn't seem to be toxic. I don't think there will be any problem eating it as is."

Nayerin said after dipping her fingertip in Mukryeonhyeolmang's blood and tasting it. Fortunately, it seemed non-toxic. Since they had been living on wall-grain pills for days, they had to drink the blood net's blood, even if it was just to survive. If the book was correct, it would be effective. Although the blood smelled fishy, they decided to drink it for survival.

As the blood net's blood entered their stomachs, a hot sensation suddenly surged within them. Then, suddenly, their entire bodies felt revitalized. The Mukryeonhyeolmang's blood was certainly effective. The effects of Mukryeonhyeolmang written in the book were not false.

For the time being, they didn't have to worry about food.

Buried for 26 days!

"Oh dear!"

Bilyeon's face became grim as he looked around the blood net's corpse and the cave that continued behind it.

"Ryeon? Is something wrong?"

Nayerin asked.

"…"

Bilyeon did not answer her question immediately. She sensed that a problem had arisen.

A moment later, Bilyeon spoke again. He tried to speak lightly, but the content was by no means light.

"It seems that snake head got its final revenge on us."

"What? What do you mean? Su… Surely not?"

"Yes! It seems that with its final death throes, it blocked the entrance it used. There's no trace of where it entered and exited no matter where I look. And there's no cave continuing further back."

That was truly the worst news. Nayerin's face turned pale. They thought they had finally found an exit after defeating Mukryeonhyeolmang, but it had all been in vain.

"Damn it!"

A curse escaped Bilyeon's lips.

"…Is there no good solution?"

"Hmm… We'll have to think about it now!"

Buried for 34 days!

Another week and a day passed after that. Bilyeon had been searching everywhere for an exit. However, rocks were scattered everywhere, making it impossible to know which direction the exit was in. But they couldn't give up like this.

"Uuuuwheeech!"

Bilyeon sneezed loudly as his nose tickled. The long echo reverberated throughout the cave and bounced back. In that moment, Bilyeon was struck by a thought that sent shivers down his spine. It was an admiration for his own cleverness.

'How is this possible! Why am I so intelligent?'

No matter how much he thought about it, he seemed to be an undeniable genius of handsome beauty.

A cone in a bag (囊中之錐)! An outstanding person can never hide their talents.

There was still one more move left that he could use.

And then… Buried for 44 days!

For the next 10 days, Bilyeon continued to use the blood net's blood as his main meal, sending his energy into the wall. This was to determine the thickness of the wall through energy transmission and reflection. If there was a cavity on the other side of the wall, the transmitted energy would collide with the far end of the wall and bounce back. This would allow him to determine the thickness of the entire wall. Bilyeon had used this method when escaping from the buried site. However, he had temporarily forgotten about it due to the shock of being backstabbed by the blood net, and it came back to him as he sneezed.

Now, this was the only method Bilyeon could rely on. However, an exit was not found as easily as last time. Therefore, Bilyeon had to repeatedly tap various parts of the cave for over ten days.

"Huh?"

Tap, tap!

Bilyeon penetrated his energy once more. However, the repeated actions did not fully resolve his doubts.

"Hmm? Well, I'll be…"

He clicked his tongue.

"What's wrong, Ryeon?"

Nayerin asked cautiously, sensing something was wrong from Bilyeon's frowning face. Bilyeon shook his head.

"It's not that. It's too thin. It definitely feels like there's a space on the other side."

"Then why don't we just break through like last time?"

Nayerin asked with a puzzled tone.

"That would be simple. However, the problem is that the other side isn't just a simple empty space."

How nice it would be if it were the same situation as last time, but this time it was not.

"Then…"

"If we break this, it might explode. It seems like there's an underground stream flowing behind this wall. We need to be prepared before breaking it."

Bilyeon gazed at Nayerin. Nayerin understood what Bilyeon was trying to say. She nodded.

"I've entrusted my life to you once before. I'll entrust it to you again, Ryeon."

Bilyeon smiled brightly at her answer.

"Alright! I've taken your life as collateral! I will definitely return it. I don't want to pay a penalty for losing it. Aren't you afraid, Yerin?"

Nayerin shook her head.

"No! How about you, Ryeon?"

"Huhu… I don't know why, but death doesn't feel real yet. And somehow, I don't feel like I'm going to die. My vitality is quite tenacious."

"Is that so? That's very reassuring."

There was something in Bilyeon's words that inspired confidence in her. Perhaps it was the power that stemmed from his composure.

"The only thing I can't stand here is not being able to taste delicious things that please my tongue. That's why I've decided to taste the famous Guangdong Eight Delicacies and Beijing's Best Delicacies once we get out of here."

Bilyeon said, making exaggerated gestures.

"Even if we want to taste the Guangdong Eight Delicacies and Beijing's Best Delicacies, don't we first need to escape from here?"

She still didn't seem confident about escaping successfully. However, since their food was almost gone, they had to take some action. It had been a long time since the wall-grain pills ran out, and now the blood net's blood was also dwindling.

"Yerin! If we get out of here, shall we eat the Beijing's Best Delicacies and Guangdong Eight Delicacies together?"

"Okay."

Nayerin readily agreed.

"Are you sure you won't regret it?"

"I'm not sure I won't regret it, but I can't disagree that we can't find a better way than this."

Nayerin replied.

Bilyeon stood before the rock face he had chosen with a serious expression. And then, looking at Nayerin with a grave expression once more, he said.

"Yerin, is there anything you've forgotten?"

"What is it?"

Nayerin seemed oblivious. Bilyeon was disappointed for a moment.

"Before we embark on a life-or-death challenge again, how about receiving the blessing of the goddess of fortune, Your Majesty?"

At Bilyeon's question, Nayerin's face suddenly turned red.

"Do we really have to do that?"

"Of course!"

Bilyeon replied decisively without hesitation.

"Can't we just skip it?"

"Impossible!"

Bilyeon replied firmly.

"Procedures are meant to be followed."

Bilyeon himself was the one who frequently broke such procedures.

After hesitating for a moment, Nayerin nodded.

"Alright!"

Finally, Nayerin agreed.

Nayerin lightly kissed Bilyeon on the lips. It was the blessing of the goddess of fortune. Nayerin lowered her head shyly. It was a sight that was completely inconsistent with her reputation of being cold and aloof.

Bilyeon just smiled.

'Today is exactly the 44th day! Is this a twist of fate? Or a test from heaven?'

If it was a coincidence, it was a remarkable coincidence.

'The forty-fourth time before couldn't defeat me! This time is no different! If that's a sail that dictates destiny, I'll break it with my own hands!'

Kwaaaah!

Finally, Bilyeon's fist, transformed into blue lightning, struck the rock face.

Kwakoakoakoakoa!

A massive amount of water gushed out from the hole.