Book 27 Chapter 1

Between the floor and the floor

—Bilyeon, spitting blood

The dawn just before the sky turned gray.

The lake, shrouded in ash-colored darkness, was surrounded by thick fog. As it was too early for people to be out and about, no presence could be felt. Into that empty pier by the lake, a single boat cut through the water. It was a medium-sized boat that could carry about fifty people.

Clunk, clunk, a gangplank was lowered from the boat, and about a dozen people ambled across it. Those who landed on shore, rubbing their sleepy eyes or stretching out in a yawn, scattered into the fog. All of them had spent the night on the boat. Even the sailors on board, except for one lookout, left to find an inn where alcohol, food, and a bed awaited them.

"Haaah! Damn it! What a pain! Why is it my turn to be on watch again!"

Complaints and grumbles poured out of Jeon Chil's mouth, which protruded a good foot, along with a drawn-out yawn. It seemed that as the newest recruit, all the unpleasant and troublesome tasks fell to him. The older crew members were probably lounging around comfortably in a warm tavern, eating warm food. It would be strange if his dissatisfaction didn't pile up like mountains.

"Should I just pass out too?"

Just because he was on watch didn't mean he'd had a proper rest the night before. His eyelids, heavy as lead, could fall at any moment. The temptation of sleep was sometimes more terrifying than the temptation of a woman. But he shook his head.

"No, no. Still, I took on the job, so I have to stand watch properly. If I get caught sleeping by a cantankerous shipowner…"

The thought of what would happen next was dreadful. Being fired… being unemployed…! Being unemployed…

Isn't being unemployed the second most terrifying thing after being impotent!

In the end, he decided to be faithful to his duty, unlike most young people these days.

'Wow, maybe I'm a sailor with the will to be found only once in ten years!'

As he was praising himself, a strange creaking sound came from somewhere. It was a rusty hinge screaming. The source of the scream was clearly from inside the boat. Jeon Chil's heart suddenly turned cold.

'There… there's no one inside the boat? C-could it be a ghost?'

He looked around nervously. The fog was still so thick that he could barely see ten steps ahead. It felt as if only this boat was isolated from the rest of the world. Jeon Chil became more and more scared. Just then.

Thump, thump, thump!

Footsteps were heard from inside the cabin, where there should be no one left. The footsteps grew closer. Something was approaching the door.

Jeon Chil, who had boasted about his punching skills and was standing watch bare-handed, quickly looked around for anything he could use as a weapon. He spotted a hammer lying nearby. Picking up the hammer, he felt a little relieved. He didn't know if it would help ward off ghosts, but it did provide some comfort.

'T-this is when you attack first!'

Gulp!

Swallowing his dry saliva, Jeon Chil grabbed the cabin doorknob. Then, counting to three in his mind, he flung the door open. And with the hammer raised high…

"Huh? There's nothing here?"

The space behind the door was empty. Just in case, he checked the stairs leading down to the rooms. There was nothing there either. The creaking and the thudding footsteps were no longer audible. Relieved, Jeon Chil's tension eased a little.

"Ah, it was just my imagination, I guess?"

He must have been on edge from being alone. As he turned around, a man in white stood before him.

"Huk! Who…!"

The man in white's hand moved briefly, and before Jeon Chil could even see his face, he lost consciousness.

Thud!

Clang!

The hammer, slipping from his loosened grip, fell to the floor and rolled to the side.

"I'm sorry. Please be asleep for a while. I can't let anyone else see me."

Looking down at Jeon Chil, who had fallen to the floor, the man in white muttered. His hair was jet black, without a single gray strand, and his eyes were filled with a fierce glare. His black, lustrous beard flowed down to his chest, reminiscent of Guan Yu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his mid-forties, exuded an aura of natural dignity.

"I should have bought a straw hat if I knew this would happen. I was in such a hurry that I only managed to grab one sword."

He took out a letter from his robe and began to read it with a frown.

"…I have no choice but to entrust Rin's life to such a worthless scoundrel!"

His face was a mixture of deep thought and lament, hazy like the surrounding fog. The middle-aged man, with a deeply furrowed brow, licked his lips and then scanned his surroundings as if glaring at them. It was as if enemies were hiding in the fog, watching him.

"I must hurry before the fog clears."

With a light kick off the deck, his body soared into the sky like a swift bird. It was an astonishing display of qinggong. His black beard fluttering, the middle-aged man's figure soon disappeared into the thick fog.

* * *

"Follow me."

Perhaps accepting his defeat, the King of the West Sea, Rak Byu, surprisingly led Bilyeon and his companions to the location where the coffin was kept without any argument. He seemed to genuinely prefer fairness, unlike those in the dark path. No, such a pure acceptance was rare even among those in the righteous path.

"Find yourself, Ryeon! Snap out of it!"

With Hyoryong's words during his fight with the King of the West Sea, Rak Byu, Bilyeon suddenly regained his senses and his usual composure. His head, which had been burning hot as if steamed, suddenly felt cold. This allowed him to view his situation more calmly. And so, he was finally able to win the bet against the King of the West Sea, Rak Byu.

Bilyeon always had a tendency to observe himself from a slight distance. Acting impulsively based solely on his emotions was not his style, nor did he want it to be. Such actions always led to losses, and he hated suffering losses more than anything. However, it seemed he had momentarily lost his objective perspective. The calculations that always ran automatically in a corner of his brain had stopped. This was proof of how important Na Yerim's existence was to him.

In any case, he couldn't continue like this. If he died before rescuing the crucial Na Yerim, it would be a dog's death, and a truly pointless one. If dog deaths were ranked, it would be far below that of a hunting dog, more like a stray dog that happened to pass by. He rejected such low-quality deaths. Now was the time to conserve and control the power of his anger. If he pushed it down and moved forward, there would surely be a time to unleash it all at once.

'First, I need to recover my body.'

In this state, he could barely muster even a quarter of his usual strength. Recovering his body was the top priority now.

'First, I'll open the coffin.'

Bilyeon decided to use his qi manipulation to recover his body afterward.

Rak Byu led them to a separate room behind the main hall. As Bilyeon crossed the threshold, his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"That's it. I've never opened it myself, either."

The coffin was placed alone in the center of the separate room.

"It's the one."

Bilyeon, examining the coffin with a keen gaze, muttered quietly.

"It looks like it to me too, friend."

It was a coffin made of the same material and using the same techniques as the one they had seen on Gangho Ran Island, the one passed down to Na Baekcheon. It was undeniably the same one that contained that annoying letter.

"Well, hurry up and check it."

Rak Byu stepped aside, indicating he would no longer be involved. He hadn't brought any subordinates with him, nor did he show any signs of ambushing them from behind.

"…"

After seeing the coffin, Bilyeon's words became extremely sparse. From the moment they entered the room, his gaze never left the coffin.

"Ryeon, what are you going to do?"

Unable to bear his friend's silence any longer, Hyoryong spoke first.

"What are you asking for? Of course, I have to open it."

Wasn't it for the purpose of opening that coffin that they had gone through all this trouble?

"Well, then, stop dawdling and open it quickly."

Rak Byu urged him again, but Bilyeon just peered at the coffin from various angles, not moving from his spot. Bilyeon, who had been so eager to open the coffin, was now rooted to the spot, unmoving. It was natural for Rak Byu to wonder why.

"What on earth is the matter?"

Rak Byu had always been impatient, so he hated hesitation.

"Hmm, after thinking about it carefully, I think Captain Rak should be the one to open that lid."

Bilyeon, with his arms crossed and shaking his head, made Rak Byu look bewildered as he asked,

"Why should I?"

He was too simple to grasp Bilyeon's hidden intentions. Bilyeon let out a low sigh and said,

"Because there might be a malicious trap inside instead of what I want."

"What do you take me for! I, Rak Byu the man, would never do such a cowardly thing!"

Rak Byu roared. Bilyeon nodded nonchalantly.

"Ah, I believe that too. So you just need to open it yourself and prove it."

He said this without even a twitch of his eyebrow.

'That's Bilyeon for you.'

It was entirely typical of Bilyeon to tap the bridge three times before crossing, and to send a scapegoat to test it first.

Hyoryong nodded with satisfaction, seeing his friend returned to his usual self. However, Rak Byu did not seem satisfied at all.

"W-w-wow, is there such a thing as trust?"

Seeing Rak Byu's incredulous expression, Bilyeon immediately nodded.

"Are your eyesight that bad? Where is it? It's right here, right here."

Without any hesitation, Bilyeon pointed to himself.

'That unblushing shamelessness is also typical of Bilyeon.'

Of course, he knew that the one being subjected to this would have no one to complain to and would be bursting with resentment. Rak Byu was in exactly that situation. However, Bilyeon's words had skillfully blocked Rak Byu's escape routes one by one, leaving him with no choice but to do as Bilyeon said in the end.

"Or is there something that's bothering you? If there's nothing to worry about, you wouldn't need to hold back, would you?"

With the last avenue blocked, Rak Byu had only one option left.

"Fine, I'll prove my innocence myself. Isn't that what you want!"

Angrily, Rak Byu strode toward the coffin and, without any hesitation, flung open the lid.

Creak!

Finally, the coffin was opened wide.

"Huh? This is…"

Rak Byu was speechless for a moment.

"Damn it…"

Looking into the coffin after opening the lid, Bilyeon's voice emerged, full of bewilderment.

Thump!

The inside of the coffin was disappointingly empty.

"…"

He had suspected it. He had been prepared. But Bilyeon's disappointment was immense.

He hadn't believed Na Yerim would be trapped inside, but perhaps he had failed to discard the last sliver of hope. Now that reality had hit, disappointment washed over him like a tide. Just then, Rak Byu pointed to the bottom of the coffin and said,

"Look here, there's a letter."

The inside of the coffin wasn't completely empty, strictly speaking. Just like at the pier on Gangho Ran Island, a letter lay at the bottom.

'Could it be…?'

The culprit was truly a pervert of perverts, leaving behind some clue even for the sake of boasting. That damned bastard was probably enjoying himself, toying with them from somewhere.

'That's why he would have given such an absurd order to Na Baekcheon, like assassinating the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance. Please make just one mistake. Then I'll end you, you pervert!'

It was bitter that all they had to rely on now were vague things like minor mistakes born from the enemy's narcissistic pride. But that was precisely why they couldn't afford to overlook any clue.

Whoosh!

Thud! A small stone fell onto the bottom of the coffin. Precisely where the letter was.

"Hmm, no reaction."

Bilyeon, having picked them up at some point, held a few small stones in his hand.

Whoosh! Thud! Whoosh! Thud!

Unable to be satisfied with a single throw, Bilyeon threw stones two more times and, confirming there were no anomalies, walked towards the coffin.

"Huh?!"

Hyoryong, who had been watching from a step behind, had a stiff expression.

'What is it, what's bothering me?'

Something was wrong.

'What the hell is this uneasiness welling up from the depths of my heart?'

Hyoryong could not control the anxiety that shook his mind and body. He had felt uneasy even before the coffin was opened, but even after it was opened and confirmed to be empty, the anxiety not only didn't dissipate but intensified. It was an empty coffin with no hidden mechanisms that exploded the moment the lid was opened, so why did his heart still feel uneasy?

'Why… why is my heart still pounding like this?'

At that moment, words his grandfather had told him flashed through Hyoryong's mind like lightning.

"The human brain sees, remembers, and deduces far more than we think. However, we often don't realize it. Most of it gets buried in the subconscious. But if you feel a 'flash of insight' at some point, it's a truth that never fails. Those who ignore their intuition and subconscious at such times end up losing a lot."

'Yes, my subconscious saw something. I just haven't realized what it is yet!'

Otherwise, why would his heart be so frantically uneasy?

What did he see but not realize? What did he miss subconsciously?

For a moment, Hyoryong's mind spun at incredible speed, reviewing everything he had seen since entering the room.

Coffin, wooden coffin, empty coffin, empty bottom, bottom, bottom, depth!

"I got it! Hup!"

Hyoryong finally realized what had been bothering him. The bottom of the coffin was unusually shallow compared to what they had seen at the pier. 'So what?' some might ask.

The moment he realized it, Hyoryong kicked off the ground without delay.

At this moment, Bilyeon was in the process of unfolding the letter he had just picked up from the coffin. His entire focus was on this single letter. And inside the letter, it was written:

Die!

Shwoop!

At that moment, a sharp sword, like a skewer, suddenly shot up from the bottom of the coffin, which had been empty, and mercilessly thrust towards Bilyeon's heart.

"Dodge!"

Hyoryong, who had leaped faster than Bilyeon, whose mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Na Yerim and the letter, was quicker.

Clang!

The sword, sharp like a spy's skewer, was blocked by Hyoryong's sword before it could reach Bilyeon's chest. If not for Hyoryong's quick reaction, it could have inflicted significant wounds on Bilyeon's chest, if not cost him his life.

"Reveal yourself!"

As he blocked the surprise attack, Hyoryong kicked the coffin powerfully with his foot. With immense force, the heavy coffin flew into the air and shattered into pieces.

"No, how can this be!"

Rak Byu, who was standing by the wall, had his eyes wide open.

Among the scattered wooden fragments, a small assassin dressed in black was clearly visible. The figure was as short as a dwarf and unnaturally thin, and as an assassin, he wore a mask.

'So the bottom was indeed hollow!'

Beneath the coffin's bottom was a double floor, and someone had been hiding there. The letter was a lure, a distraction to draw the target closer.

A sneer escaped Hyoryong's lips.

"Hmph, it would have to be that small to take up less space."

An assassin who failed to kill the target with the first strike was already a failed assassin.

"Good. Since he's so petite, he won't take up much space in his grave either."

Hyoryong lunged at the assassin, brandishing his twin swords. White light flashed, shattering the wooden fragments flying in the air.

However, the dwarf assassin, realizing he had already failed, chose to flee rather than fight head-on.

Fwbwbwb!

Before falling to the ground from the air, the dwarf assassin moved his hands like the wind and unleashed a strike. The surrounding fragments all flew like arrows towards Hyoryong. The dwarf assassin used the recoil to retreat. It was obvious he intended to escape.

"Ryeongryong! Capture that dwarf runt, no matter what!"

It was Bilyeon's voice, clutching the crumpled letter. With no clues in the letter, the only remaining clue was that short, scrawny dwarf.

"Of course."

Hyoryong, unleashing his Eulgjin Musang swordsmanship, charged at the assassin. The sword winds Hyoryong unleashed sent the coffin fragments scattering in all directions. In any case, the only exit from here led to the main hall, and that was already blocked by Bilyeon.

However, the dwarf assassin, who had received professional escape training, was not ordinary. Perhaps because of his small size, he was even faster, and he quickly slipped out of Hyoryong's sword range. The dwarf leaped towards a small skylight high up on the wall. It was a hole so small that normally, if his body didn't fit, his head would at least get stuck. Logically, it could never be an escape route, but for this dwarf assassin, that small skylight was no different from a grand entrance.

"How dare you!"

Hyoryong, judging it too late to pursue, swung his twin swords and unleashed sword energy.

"Musang Sibja Geom!"

A cross-shaped sword energy cut through the wall. However, at the last moment, the dwarf assassin had already slipped out of the skylight like a loach.

"Blast! I missed!"

Rak Byu, who had been watching silently, frowned and exclaimed. But the fire of will in Hyoryong's eyes had not yet been extinguished. He had mistakenly burdened his friend earlier. He couldn't afford to make another mistake by letting the assassin escape. He couldn't forgive himself for it.

"Haaap!"

Hyoryong threw his two swords into the air. But he wasn't giving up in despair. It wasn't a fit of pique.

"Flyyyy!"

A roar erupted from Hyoryong's lips.

Then, the two swords flew like arrows towards the fleeing enemy, out of the skylight. These were arrows with will.

Ultimate Technique: Flying Bird Twin Moon Blade

The two swords, flashing like lightning, pierced the thighs of the dwarf assassin who was fleeing far away and then plunged into the ground. The assassin fell to the ground. It was a rather brutal method, but there was no room for mercy for an assassin who hid and attacked. If you're going to stab someone, you should be prepared to be stabbed yourself.

"Stay right there!"

Bang!

There was no time to go back. If the enemy had undergone harsh training, they might try to escape even in that state. Hyoryong gathered qi in both hands and struck the wall.

Crash, crash, crash, crash!

With a powerful blow infused with internal energy, the wall flew away, creating a gaping hole.

"My building! My building!"

Rak Byu screamed as he saw a huge hole blown in his unit's building. Bilyeon gave him a silent thumbs-up. It meant he had done well.

As a hole large enough for two people to pass through opened up, Hyoryong unhesitatingly leaped forward and ran towards the fallen assassin.

"Caught you! Now, shall we start a fun conversation slowly?"

Fwbwbwb!

He quickly struck the assassin's pressure points to immobilize him, then turned the fallen assassin over.

"Now, stop being shy and show me your face."

Hyoryong quickly removed the assassin's mask and checked his face. At that moment, Hyoryong's eyes widened.

"To think you would do something like this…"

Shockingly and horrifyingly, the dwarf assassin's mouth was sewn shut with wire. The discolored wire was so embedded in the surrounding flesh that it was difficult to distinguish where the wire began and the flesh ended. It meant it had been in this state for a long time.

"Ugh!"

Hyoryong felt a wave of nausea.

It was the most malicious form of silencing measure, preventing anything from being uttered.

"N-no! No!"

Suddenly, a scream erupted from Hyoryong's lips.

A trickle of blood flowed from between his wire-bound lips.

The blood was black, meaning poisoning.

"No! You intend to commit suicide!"

The dwarf assassin had bitten the poison in his mouth without hesitation. It seemed that not only was his mouth sewn shut with wire, but poison had also been implanted before it was sealed. Hyoryong tried to suppress the blood vessels to prevent the poison from spreading and force him to vomit the poisoned blood, but it was impossible with his mouth sewn shut.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Live! Live! Live!"

Hyoryong shouted maniacally and injected his internal energy into the assassin's body.

He couldn't let such a precious clue slip away so pointlessly.

So pointlessly…

"It's too late, Ryongryong. He's already stopped breathing. So stop."

It was Bilyeon who stopped the almost frantic Hyoryong. His expression was also stiff. In fact, it was he who had something to ask the assassin. But the last remaining clue had been cut off arbitrarily.

"We're back to square one."

Back to the moment when there were no clues.

Hyoryong felt ashamed to face his friend.

"I'm sorry, Ryeon. If only I had been more focused…"

If only he had reacted more quickly… He knew intellectually that they might use even harsher methods, but failing to prepare was his own fault, not anyone else's.

In Hyoryong's opinion, the assassin should have been captured by him instead of Bilyeon, who had consumed too much energy in his fight with the King of the West Sea. Since he couldn't help in the fight with the King of the West Sea, he should have been helpful in other ways, but he had failed again. Therefore, instead of blaming anyone else, Hyoryong blamed himself.

Hyoryong sank into despair due to self-reproach. However, Bilyeon was also not paying attention. He was the one who had approached without thorough preparation, unlike his usual self, and the one who had carelessly picked up the letter from inside the empty coffin. However, he didn't mention it. He calculated that it wouldn't be bad to keep Bilyeon in his debt. After all, Bilyeon was Bilyeon.

"Don't be so dejected. There's still something we need to do. We still have things to do here."

"What is it?"

The coffin was shattered, and the only clue, the assassin, was dead. What else could there be to do?

Then, Bilyeon's gaze turned towards Rak Byu.

The massive man flinched for a moment.

Even though it was hidden by his long bangs, his sharp gaze was more than enough to convey his intent.

"Why wouldn't there be? We should tell the cowardly captain who trapped us in a cowardly trap to explain himself if he has a mouth. Of course, even with a hundred mouths, he wouldn't have anything to say. And that's assuming he has any shred of conscience left, so who knows what he's really like."

With his arms crossed and in a provocative stance, he stared at Rak Byu.

"W-what are you saying? I have absolutely nothing to do with that assassin! Absolutely nothing!"

Rak Byu shouted indignantly. Bilyeon shook his head with a disappointed expression.

"So you have no conscience after all."

The words, sharp as a needle, pierced Rak Byu's heart.

"That's right. You said you were all about fairness earlier, but it was all a lie. How cowardly."

Hyoryong chimed in from the side, and Bilyeon agreed, saying, "Right, he's incredibly cowardly."

Thump, thump! The words of criticism flew like daggers into Rak Byu's heart again.

"No, it's not! Please listen to me."

Of course, Bilyeon and Hyoryong had no intention of listening to him.

"If that's the case, then you shouldn't have sought fairness in the first place."

"I really didn't know! I swear I didn't know! I'm innocent! Truly innocent!"

"You really didn't know?"

"I truly didn't know. I'll swear on the heavens, the earth, and my father's name."

There seemed to be no lie in his words.

Perhaps.

But even if there were no lies, what difference would it make? Heh heh heh, Bilyeon wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by.

"Let's say that's true. But is it over just because you say you didn't know?"

At those words, Rak Byu flinched again and instinctively leaned back.

"W-what do you mean?"

Instead of answering, Bilyeon spread his arms, looked around, and then asked Rak Byu,

"Where is this?"

"Well, it's Seohae Island, of course."

He wasn't asking because he didn't know.

"Then, whose territory is this Seohae Island?"

Bilyeon began to point things out one by one in a quiet voice.

"It's the territory of our Tenth Division."

"And who is the person in charge of this Tenth Division?"

"W-of course, it's me."

Rak Byu's voice had become considerably smaller than before.

"So there's no one above you, right?"

"Well, that's true, but…"

"Hoho, so it is your responsibility after all. You can't even properly grasp what's happening in your own territory, and you couldn't detect the presence of an assassin. Surely you're not going to say you have no responsibility for such a grave mistake? Or perhaps you mean that the person in charge is someone who enjoys all the privileges but shirks all responsibility? Oh, surely not. One of the Four Heavenly Kings wouldn't think like that, would they?"

"T-that… of course not…"

He had no choice but to answer that way. This simple man could not bring himself to demean himself, even if he died. In terms of verbal sparring, Rak Byu was no match for Bilyeon.

"You do have responsibility, don't you? Why not admit it like a man? Like a man?"

Bilyeon deliberately emphasized the word 'like a man' twice. Rak Byu was extremely vulnerable to that word. If he denied it here, he would be considered unmanly. That was something Rak Byu could not possibly tolerate.

"F-fine. I have responsibility. I'll admit it like a man. Isn't that enough!"

Rak Byu shouted, as if he didn't care what happened.

"Truly the captain of the Tenth Division, like a man. I see you in a new light."

Bilyeon nodded repeatedly, as if genuinely impressed.

"I-is that so? Hahaha, it's nothing to be so impressed about. Ahem, but I am a bit manly."

Receiving the praise, Rak Byu became a little puffed up. He felt he had done well to admit it like a man. After all, he was a man, wasn't he? He was so 'manly' and simple that he didn't even realize he was being completely toyed with by Bilyeon. He didn't even notice that this was just the prologue.

"Well then, since you said you have responsibility, how do you intend to take responsibility?"

Bilyeon suddenly asked Rak Byu, who was looking triumphant.

"How?"

"Shouldn't there be a concrete way to take responsibility? Or, perhaps, you weren't planning to just let it go with words?"

Bilyeon looked at Rak Byu with an expression that implied he wouldn't consider such a shameless act. Hyoryong, standing beside him, also sent a subtle gaze towards Rak Byu, silently supporting Bilyeon.

"O-of course, I wasn't planning to end it with just empty words. O-of course not. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. What do you want me to do?"

"There's only one way to appropriately take responsibility."

"What is it?"

Then, without hesitation, Bilyeon thrust his hand forward towards Rak Byu.

"What is this hand for?"

Rak Byu asked with a bewildered expression.

"Give me two high-grade pills, 'miracle medicine' level, suitable for qi manipulation here. Then, I'll pretend this never happened."

"W-what?"

"Not cheap medicine like Soyangdan, but something decent, please. Surely someone like you, the King of the West Sea who is responsible for Seohae Island, doesn't lack one or two effective elixir pills, right?"

The words, slightly poking at his pride, made Rak Byu retort immediately.

"How could I not have them! I even have two precious secret elixirs from my master… Hup!"

'Oops!'

Rak Byu quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late.

"Hoho, secret elixirs? That's an interesting story."

Bilyeon's eyes were already like a hawk spotting its prey.

"No, they're not that great. I received them from my master when I descended the mountain. They're nothing special, just two life-saving elixirs called 'Sosaengdan' (Revival Pill) that he told me to take only in the most urgent situations. Of course, I was strong, so I've never used them before."

While not as famous as the great elixirs like the Shaolin Great Elixir, they were precious to Rak Byu.

"That's perfect. Give them to me."

Hesitation flickered across Rak Byu's face.

"T-those, you mean? My master said they weren't great elixirs, but…"

"Hoho, so the responsible attitude you just showed was all a lie?"

"That's a completely different issue, isn't it? My master gave me those as a final parting gift… Although he said they weren't great…"

"Now is precisely the urgent situation. Do you think there will be a more urgent situation than this? You are now in a 'crisis of trust'! A proud man named Rak Byu, who claimed to face the world with strength and justice, is about to become a lying cheat who resorts to assassination. Is this not a crisis?"

"I am not a liar or a coward!"

Rak Byu shouted with enraged voice. Lying and assassination threatened his entire identity.

"That's right. You're not. So give me the pills. Then I'll believe you."

The conclusion somehow led there.

"Both of them… you mean?"

He asked again, with obvious reluctance. But he was past the point of saying absolutely not.

"Bring them here for now."

"Ah, alright. Wait here for a moment."

Easily swayed by Bilyeon's words, Rak Byu, without realizing what he was doing, went to get the revival pills. A moment later, he returned with two small boxes in his hand, and each box contained two thick golden pills.

'Huh? For something he said wasn't much, they look pretty plausible.'

Bilyeon had expected smaller pills, but seeing them in person, they looked too realistic.

'Of course, you can't judge medicine by its appearance…'

Medicine, unlike clothing, cannot be judged by its appearance. However, the rich fragrance emanating from the boxes as soon as they were opened was extraordinary.

"I have a conscience too, so I'll only take one. Could you hand me those two pills for a moment?"

"Ah, here they are."

Rak Byu willingly handed the pills to Bilyeon.

As Bilyeon lightly shook the boxes, two pills flew into the air.

Swish, swish!

Two thin white lines flashed, and the two golden pills were split into four pieces. Rak Byu, enraged, shouted,

"What are you doing!"

Bilyeon did not answer Rak Byu's words. He combined the two halves of each golden pill to make one pill and handed it to Rak Byu.

"Here, eat it."

"No, why are you giving it to me? Weren't you going to eat it all?"

It was natural for Rak Byu to be suspicious.

"If you eat it, you'll know."

Bilyeon threw the golden pill into Rak Byu's mouth.

"Uh… Ock!"

Rak Byu involuntarily accepted it. The golden pill disappeared into Rak Byu's stomach.

"Hup."

A moment later, Rak Byu's complexion began to turn a deep red, like a jujube. The medicinal effect began to circulate throughout his body.

"What on earth is this pill…"

Rak Byu was surprised, feeling his depleted internal energy rapidly recovering after the recent fight. Only then did Bilyeon nod with satisfaction and say,

"Hmm, it doesn't seem to be poison."

Rak Byu's brow furrowed. He had given away his precious secret elixir, and all Bilyeon could say was that it didn't seem to be poison!

"O-of course! What do you take me for! Do you think I would deceive someone by giving them a poisonous pill?"

Rak Byu protested, as if being insulted.

"We're in enemy territory. Anything can happen. This is called 'preparedness is the key to safety' (Yubimuhwan). It might be a difficult concept for you."

His tone suggested that anyone who didn't know such basic common sense must have nothing but stones in their head.

"I-I know about Yubimuhwan too!"

Rak Byu shouted. He probably meant "don't underestimate me," but Bilyeon was not the type to bat an eyelash at such a cry.

"You know it, but you've never practiced it, have you? Isn't that right?"

"H-how could you know that?"

Seeing Rak Byu flinch, it seemed he did have a guilty conscience.

"It's obvious at first glance."

Bilyeon replied with an expression that suggested it was foolish to ask such an obvious question.

After observing Rak Byu's condition for a little longer and confirming that his body was improving rather than worsening, Bilyeon unhesitatingly swallowed the golden pills, each made of two halves.

To recover his internal injuries as quickly as possible and rescue Na Yerim.

And after swallowing the pill.

Before half an hour had passed, Bilyeon vomited blood.