“Cheonma?”

In an instant, the scenery changed, and I returned to the original place.

I collapsed on the lakeside, staring blankly.

No matter how I thought about it, that was definitely Cheonma.

The smile on her face was different from the one I had met in this life.

That was definitely the Cheonma I had seen in my past life.

‘Was it just an illusion?’

It could be an illusion. But—

‘No.’

I immediately denied it. Maybe others could be mistaken, but not me.

That was Cheonma. The gaze that was directed at me, the faint smile she wore, and—

‘That atmosphere.’

That feeling that had suddenly filled the air. Could I [N O V E L I G H T] mistake that? There was no way.

That was the Cheonma I knew.

Then—

‘...Why?’

Why did she suddenly appear? And—

‘Why was she choking me?’

Why did she react like that, choking me as if to stop me? And—

‘Had she always been there?’

Had Cheonma always been there and I just hadn’t noticed? Or—

‘...Is there a reason for this?’

What if, like with Wi Seol-ah, Cheonma had been inside someone’s body?

‘That’s a possibility.’

All kinds of possibilities rushed into my mind. The problem was—

‘If that’s the case—’

It would turn everything around. The idea that Cheonma in this life was a different being from the one in my past life would be turned upside down.

I grabbed my chest.

Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!

My heart was racing uncontrollably. A mix of emotions overwhelmed me. Anxiety, fear, terror—all of it surged inside me.

At the same time—

“Huu... Haa...”

Breathing became difficult. Just the reason that I had met Cheonma from my past life was enough to make me feel like this.

The eyes that had been watching me. The mocking sneer she had given me.

All of those things were pulling me in like a whirlpool.

Cheonma was the only thing left in my mind.

“Huu...”

I barely steadied my breath. If this were before, I would have been gagging. But since my cultivation had improved, I was able to suppress it relatively quickly.

It required using some internal energy, but at least I was back to my senses.

“Gu-in...?”

A spirit approached, looking at me.

I raised my hand, signaling for her not to come any closer.

No one should be near me right now.

Wooong—

My energy was in turmoil. I couldn’t control it. This was a state where nothing—no matter how I tried to regulate it—would work.

‘Calm down.’

I clenched my teeth, trying to calm myself, but the moment kept shifting.

I closed my eyes, trying to control it just a little bit more when—

Sssss—!

Something stirred inside me.

I realized what it was—it was the energy I had received from the Divine Tree. It had suddenly moved on its own, starting to seep into my restless energy.

And then—

WOOONG—!!

In a short time, my energy was completely calmed.

I looked at the process in surprise.

‘What is this?’

Not only had my energy stabilized, but my shaking mind had also returned to clarity.

The anxiety faded. My head didn’t become perfectly clear, but at least the fog lifted.

“Huu...”

I exhaled, releasing the emotions that had been lingering.

I opened my eyes and stood up.

“Gu-in...”

“You almost lost it,” I said.

I had nearly slipped into a state of qi deviation.

No, it wouldn’t have happened, but it was close enough.

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

Then I looked around. I was back under the tree by the lakeside.

I scanned the area, looking for her—

‘She’s gone.’

Cheonma wasn’t there.

Had she not arrived yet?

I didn’t know when she would show up, but—

‘I’ll wait.’

I would have to ask her directly.

What was she?

And what was that place?

And most importantly—

‘What am I to you?’

To get those answers, I had to wait for her.

But—

That day, Cheonma did not appear.

Not just that day—

Even after a few days passed, Cheonma never appeared again.

**********

Before the elbow, wrapped in powerful energy, could strike the head, the enemy dodged.

KUA-AAAAAH—!!!

The shockwave erupted.

Rock fragments shattered in the air, and I kicked them toward the enemy.

“Hup!”

With a battle cry, he swung his axe.

Flames surged—!!! The fire that gathered on the axe split the air. The rocks flying toward him were engulfed and extinguished by the flames.

The enemy tried to regain his stance, but I broke through the fire, charging forward.

My palm met his abdomen.

Thud—!

I unleashed the energy of the Cheonma Divine Art from the palm of my hand.

The chaos caused by the friction.

The rough, menacing energy vibrated and flipped his insides.

“Ckugh!!!”

Thud! The enemy screamed as he kneeled.

“Cough...”

The large body collapsed to the ground.

He barely managed to prop himself up with his arms, but the situation didn’t look good for him.

“Hm.”

I tilted my head while looking at the fallen enemy, Du Ryeong.

“Not as strong as I imagined.”

“Ckugh.”

At my light evaluation, his shoulders trembled.

“Damn...”

His voice was filled with frustration. It was understandable.

‘He must know it himself.’

He probably realized how much weaker he had become.

In his prime, an attack like that wouldn’t have even touched him, and he certainly wouldn’t have taken a blow like that.

But—

‘His body can’t hold itself together.’

Du Ryeong, much weaker than before, couldn’t control his movements properly.

Was he buried in the body of his past strength?

This felt...

‘Similar to the reactions I had when I returned.’

His sudden weakening caused a mismatch with his body. Because of this, Du Ryeong couldn’t adapt to his changed form and couldn’t perform as he had in his stronger days.

Of course, it was strange to compare it, since I returned to a useless, weak body myself.

Anyway.

“If this goes on...”

What should I do with him? I had been thinking about this for the past few days.

I still had doubts about the missing Cheonma, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy to find her.

‘If she’s beyond that dimension, there’s no way to get there.’

The violet Magyeong Gate.

If she had hidden somewhere within the Abyss, I could just find it. But if she’s there, that changes things.

‘...How do I even get there?’

I couldn’t find Cheonma unless she appeared. So, dealing with the situation in front of me was the priority.

In the meantime, I had been thinking about how to use Du Ryeong.

‘It’s complicated.’

Using Du Ryeong was tricky.

‘He’s definitely not weak.’

But he’s not strong either. At best, he’s upper-level among the top tens of martial artists.

‘It’s not exactly weak, but...’

Compared to me right now, it’s a bit ambiguous.

‘Hmm.’

I had told him to come at me with everything, and yet, he couldn’t even touch the hem of my clothes before falling.

Of course, it’s because I’ve gotten ridiculously stronger since coming to the Abyss.

‘Should I just abandon him?’

Using Du Ryeong at full strength felt questionable.

‘Hmm.’

I had made him into a Demon, but now that he’s weaker, it’s hard to use him effectively.

Could this be any more ridiculous?

‘But if I think about it, there might still be some use for him.’

I hesitated for a moment.

“Ckugh...”

He tried to rise. I spoke as I watched him.

“Sit down.”

“Ck!”

At my command, his body dropped back to the ground. The demonic power had worked well.

“Damn it...”

There was no sign of loyalty, only restraint, but he still obeyed.

‘Not sure if he’ll stay this weak, but...’

At least for now, this was the case.

Compared to the high-ranking demonic beasts I summon...

‘He’s probably about the same.’

It’s not exactly the same, but close enough.

At least it’s clear that using him at full strength is a no-go.

‘Tch.’

I clicked my tongue while deep in thought.

I then turned to him and asked.

“Enough of that. Hey.”

“...Ckrrr.”

“Answer me.”

“...What is it?”

“You. Tell me everything you know about the one who was around you.”

“Surrounding...?”

“You know, the one you called the Crow.”

“...”

When he shouted, accusing someone of interrupting the fight, Du Ryeong had referred to the one who had been unseen as the Crow.

‘Originally, I would have asked Cheonma about this.’

Since that person disappeared, I had to extract information from the one in front of me.

“Speak. You heard me.”

Wooong—!!

“Ckugh!”

He tried to shut his mouth, but I used demonic power. Black energy erupted and surged toward him.

“Ckrr...”

Thanks to that, the enemy, who had been trying to resist, finally opened his mouth.