Seol was momentarily stunned by Shin Yu’s words.
- Every story starts on a certain day. Everything you have accomplished wouldn't have happened without you.
"…"
- The path you have walked is proof of that. You aren't weak. You're strong. However, it's a different kind of strength than mine.
- Kang hyung always said that all paths eventually lead to a crossroads. The same must be true for the one you're walking.
Suddenly, his chest tightened.
He was trying to be strict with himself, but it felt as if Shin Yu was comforting him.
- You remind me of Kang hyung.
'Shin Kang?'
- He was always strict with himself. That's how he became so strong. For some reason, you remind me of him."I see…"
The two talked a lot about other things, too.
Seemingly excited, Shin Yu didn't let Seol go.
- Hey, how's outside?
"It's still the same."
- I see.
"Are you curious about the outside?"
- I am, but I shouldn't be.
Puzzled by Shin Yu's strange words, Seol asked, "Why not?"
- Because I shouldn't leave the labyrinth.
"Could I ask why?"
- No! Not yet! We aren't that close yet!
As if Seol had asked an inappropriate question, Shin Yu panicked and hurriedly left.
【What's up with that guy…?】
Agony looked in the direction Shin Yu had disappeared to with a bewildered look. Meanwhile, Seol didn't seem to mind, dusted himself off, and stood up.
'Oof… But where should I start?'
Having lost to Shin Yu, who was using the body of a wolf—who was basically a water balloon—breaking through the gate seemed hard.
He would have to find another clue.
'Could I get stronger?'
As he continued to ponder, a vibration suddenly came from beneath his feet.
Drrr…
'Th-This…?'
It was the same vibration that happened while he was fighting Shin Yu.
Seol regretted not having asked Shin Yu about the vibration and waited for it to subside.
Drrr…
However, the vibration didn't stop.
When suddenly…
WHOOM—!
A massive hole appeared in the ground a short distance from Seol, and something was emerging from it.
'What the…'
Seol straightened his posture and jumped back.
KAAAA…
A serpent-like head emerged, exuding overwhelming energy that suggested that it could easily devour a wolf.
'This guy…'
It was the beast that had created a mysterious hole and laid dormant in the underground where the gate was.
'This is a night beast?'
No, it wasn't. Seol was sure of it.
This guy was close to being a Demonic Beast.
Whoosh…
It then started to inhale its surroundings, completely ignoring Seol.
Whir…
While the flora remained intact, nearby night beasts started getting sucked into the creature's mouth.
WHOOM…
BOOM—!
And then, its tail, which had emerged from the ground, targeted Seol.
CRACK—!
PAANG—!
Crunch…
"Cough…"
Seol instinctively summoned a night beast to shield himself, using it as a cushion.
However, he couldn't avoid being thrown backward, crashing into a tree.
Blood spurted from his body from the impact.
"Oof… Oof… What the…"
What kind of power was this?
It was far more dangerous than what Shin Rip and Shin Hyun had told him.
Realizing something was wrong, Seol noticed that the beast’s gaze was now fixed on him.
Whir…
Seol summoned a night beast, but it was immediately sucked into the beast's mouth.
The night beasts and the Darkenss Dweller were nearly all of Seol's current strength. However, those didn't work against it.
CLAAP—!
He gave up on summoning night beasts and summoned the Darkness Dweller instead, entrusting his body to it.
BOOM!
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The Darkness Dweller started running, leaving the colossal night beast behind.
If a big night beast was a tiger, the one he was running from was a whale—one that had a body massive enough to swallow a tiger whole.
'I have to reach the Shin brothers… They must have also felt the vibration.'
If it were the Shin brothers, they could probably find a way.
Although Blood of Origin was healing Seol's shattered body, he wasn’t recovering as fast.
'Damn it… Why now…'
Since a fight against Shin Yu was planned for today, the Shin brothers were most likely at their residence, waiting for him to return.
There was quite some distance between their residence and where he currently was.
'Can I hold on until I get there?'
Whoosh…
The night beast's mouth kept inhaling things.
All of the nearby night beasts floated into the air and were sucked into its mouth.
Only then did Seol realize the dire situation he was in.
'The Darkness Dweller… is shrinking.'
A guy that had been the size of a wolf was now no larger than a rabbit.
Upon taking a closer look, a thread-like Darkness was seeping out of the Darkness Dweller, flowing toward the beast.
Even in this state, the Darkness Dweller held Seol tightly, trying to fulfill its duty.
"Stop…"
Creak…
The Darkness Dweller stopped.
Seol clenched his teeth.
Grind…
"I won't just lie down and surrender."
He would have lost an entire year of progress if he lost everything here.
Swoosh—!
Tentacles came out from the body of the beast that continued growing larger. The more night beasts it absorbed, the stronger it became.
'If I don't stop it now… there won't be a next time.'
He would end up trapped in the labyrinth forever, stripped of all his darkness, with no way to fight back.
'Think, think… Why can’t the Darkness Dweller properly use its power against it?'
Splash…
Fwaash…
The tentacles began slicing the Darkness Dweller. It was clearly reaching its limit.
Leaning against a tree to recover, Seol thought.
'But, why isn't it stealing my Darkness?'
Seol had become surrounded by Shadows and then covered in Darkness.
However, for some reason, the beast couldn't take his Darkness.
'Why?'
Although he was losing a lot of blood, his thoughts became sharper.
'Hardness! That's it! My darkness has already solidified! Why didn't I think of that before?'
To prevent the Darkness Dweller from being stolen, he needed to harden it.
Swaash!
The Darkness Dweller was retreating.
But there was nowhere left to retreat to.
'Using Darkness is pointless. It will just be taken away, anyway.'
Seol muttered to himself.
"Did I choose the wrong path…? Haha… Wait."
At that moment, a spark ignited in his mind.
Seol smirked.
"I see. That's it…"
【Master! Quickly! Do something!】
Agony, who had now transformed into chains, was slashing down the tentacles while shouting.
Swoosh—!
Seol slashed the Darkness Dweller’s waist.
【What? What are you doing?! I'm sorry!】
"This isn't the path of Darkness."
Seol recalled what Shin Hyun had told him.
- The boundaries of the paths have collapsed, making invasion possible. Darkness now flows in all directions, light pierces your eyes, there's blood all around that makes you drenched, the storm rages relentlessly, and the nightmare makes you groan.
There was no path of Darkness here.
- The Path of Everything.
"This is it, right?"
He finally understood why he succeeded in making improvements with Blood of Origin without major failures, although it had taken him some time.
[The Blood's grace has descended.]
[Blood of Origin has merged with the Darkness Dweller.]
[A significant amount of skill points are required.]
It was because this place was a crossroads.
Whoosh…
Seol’s Blood of Origin started to devour the Darkness Dweller's Blood of Origin.
Whoosh…
Just as a new being was on the verge of being born, Seol encountered two events simultaneously.
Whoosh…
"Aah!"
Agony shouted in surprise.
The mysterious sword, Yaksha, which was with Seol, began shaking aggressively before moving on its own toward the Darkness Dweller.
Startled, Seol became momentarily speechless.
"You…"
But while Agony was shocked by Yaksha, Seol was astonished by a being that wasn't Yaksha jumping toward the Darkness Dweller.
Each had become startled by something else.
What Seol saw was…
"Shin Yu, no! It's dangerous!"
Shin Yu had seeped into the blood.
As soon as Shin Yu connected with Seol's blood, his thoughts flooded his mind.
- All of the beasts I could inhabit are gone! I have no choice!
He was right.
Shin Yu had also sensed the crisis and tried to merge with a night beast, but by then, all of the nearby night beasts had been sucked into the giant snake.
For Shin Yu, this was the only option he had left to protect his brothers.
Whir…
[You use a skill point.]
[You use a skill point.]
[You use a skill point.]
[You use a skill point.]
[You use a skill point.]
[You use a skill point.]
[You use a skill point.]
…
The messages continued until the Darkness Dweller became drenched in blood, now fully transformed.
Piif—!
Piif—!
The tentacles could no longer get close to the Darkness Dweller.
The sharp, dark, and sticky energy it emitted that wounded anything that came close forced them to retreat.
Finally, after shedding its bloody cocoon, something emerged.
"This…"
[Exceptional Skill: Darkness Dweller has transformed after consuming a significant amount of skill points.]
[Yaksha's unique abilities activate.]
[Yaksha’s Immortal activates.]
[Yaksha always resurrects.]
…
The Darkness Dweller was wearing a mask—one that Seol recognized.
"Yaksha…"
Yaksha's mask that had been extinguished after a long and grueling fight…
[Awakening! You awaken a new skill.]
[You awaken Exceptional Skill: Yaksha.]
[Exceptional Skill: Yaksha is born!]
…
…It had returned.
Krrr…
Creak…
The masked Yaksha slowly turned its head and looked at Seol.
"Damn…"
Sometimes, reality surpasses imagination.
Seol was now standing at the crossroads where everything converged.
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