The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

It had been a while since Seol's disappearance after the Yaksha War.

While the embers of the Dragon War started to flare up again, search parties seeking Seol had spread throughout the continent.

"Juhong! I have a feeling! Sniff, sniff! I have a premonition that we might meet him here.."

"This has been the thirty-seventh time."

"Huh?"

"You've already said the same thing thirty-seven times."

"Why are you keeping track of them?"

"Because you already disappointed me thirty-six times."

"Aah! I'm sorry!"

Modestly sized search parties had been dispatched at Seol Hong's orders throughout the entire East.

However, due to no traces of Seol having been found, they had now expanded their search area to the Northern and Southern borders.

"But have we already moved thirty-seven times?"

"Yes."

"Then, how about we take it slow? At times like this, moving with a bit of calm might be…"

"Remember who ordered you to move."

"…"

"This was an order from Lady Seol Hong. Someone who has a high chance of becoming Khan’s next Dragon Emperor. How could you neglect the task of finding her missing Dragon's Stone?!"

"But still, it's too far here. It's also been a while since we lost contact. How are we supposed to find a man whose whereabouts are unknown?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"…"

"To be honest, him being alive is just a guess. He's probably…"

"Stop! How dare you…"

"Ah! My mistake! I overstepped. Anyway! I'm too exhausted. Haven't we been on a relentless march up until now?"

Suha had a point.

Due to Juhong's rigid personality, his adjutants had decreased from two to one.

They had embarked on a long journey without compensation, so he couldn't say much, even if there were complaints.

Suha smiled and said.

"Ah… It would be nice if we could rest here."

"Didn't you hear? Due to a labyrinth having appeared here, many villagers have died…"

"That was a while ago! I heard they are operating normally now. I heard people visit this place for the hot springs…"

"Hmm…"

"Don't be like that. How about we relax in the hot springs for a bit? If we do that, we will also be helping this quiet mountain village."

Juhong shook his head.

"Due to the labyrinth, personnel have been dispatched from the Northern Federation. People from the Transferee's Guild have come too."

"Ah, they're fighting for some token, right? I heard that's why they couldn't even get close to the labyrinth. Because of them, the only ones struggling are the villagers."

"Let me say this just in case. Don't even think of clashing with them."

"Huh? But there's no reason to. We're searching for something completely different. Or… could it be that you're interested in the labyrinth? Ah, maybe you are thinking of striking it big and using your new riches to retire from working in the Dragon Palace?"

"Don't joke like that!"

"Ugh… How rigid. I was just saying. If you do that, I'd benefit a bit too... Ah! Speaking of which, if we keep up like this, it wouldn't be weird if we clashed with them."

"What? Why?"

"To think someone would come to a hot spring town and not enjoy the hot springs! There are only two reasons why someone would visit this place: the labyrinth or the hot springs. Nobody will believe that we aren't after either. They will for sure think we're after the labyrinth!"

"…"

"On top of that, we're shameless people from the East who came here after receiving a secret mission! Even our origins are suspicious…"

"Okay, okay!"

"Yes?"

Suha's eyes grew wide as she waited for Juhong’s next words.

Juhong sighed and decided to follow what Suha said.

"If it's an extension of the mission…"

"Hehe… We're enjoying while carrying on the mission, of course. Aren't the funds we were provided with supposed to be used at times like this?"

"Ugh…"

"Okay. Secure a lodging with hot springs."

"Yay! Wait. We have some funds left, right?"

"Since we've been saving so far, there's some left. Don't worry."

"I knew it! I did well in following Lady Seol Hong!"

"Don't say it like that!"

"Hot springs, hot springs are the best!"

* * *

Led by Suha, Juhong stayed at a suspiciously overpriced lodging.

"Juhong, aren't you going to the hot springs?"

"Go ahead first."

"Tsk! How boring."

"What?"

"It's a hot spring! Hot springs are the best!"

A few moments later, Suha returned to the lodging looking tired.

Since their beds were separate, there wouldn’t be any issues despite them being of the opposite gender.

It had always been that way.

"Hehe… I'll go to sleep first. Hot springs are the best…"

"Hmm…"

Juhong headed to the hot springs at dawn.

Being cautious of attracting attention and preferring a quiet environment, he deliberately chose this time of the day.

He made his way to the hot springs while carrying some alcohol to quench his thirst and a cloth to cover his special parts.

"Hmm?"

Even though it was dawn, a man was seated on the opposite side of the spring, enjoying the water with his back turned.

Since he had a cloth over his head, Juhong didn't pay much attention to him and went to his seat, immersing himself in the spring.

Splash…

It was so hot that it gradually numbed his body and made him feel drowsy.

Drip…

Slurp…

"Oof…"

As he took a sip of the alcohol he brought, his body relaxed as if he had become a mollusk.

Oof…

Oof…

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

Amusingly, he heard a sigh from across the bath. There was a large rock between them, so only sound carried through, but it was an incredible coincidence.

Maybe because of that, he mustered the courage to talk to the stranger.

"Mister, you don't seem to be a villager… Did you come here because of the labyrinth? Are you from the North?"

Oops, those weren't things he should ask all at once.

Juhong thought so, but the response he received was surprisingly appropriate.

"You could say that… How about you?"

"Me…"

Come to think of it, revealing his identity might cause problems. After all, this was a secret mission, and this wasn't Khan.

"Hmm… It's a bit troublesome to answer. Ah, was it something too strange to say? I'm sorry."

"You must have some circumstances. I understand."

Thankfully, the other person had a generous heart.

"You were sighing for a while… Is there anything troubling you?"

"You were sighing more deeply than me…"

The man was right.

The truth was that Juhong wasn't very satisfied with his current life.

"Oof… Actually…"

He shared the story of why he had come all the way here without revealing his identity or status.

"My master is looking for someone… but there are absolutely no traces of him. Although I've been looking for a while, there have been no results so far."

"There are no traces? Are they an enemy?"

"Not at all. If anything, I'd say he's more like a benefactor."

"Yours?"

"No, my master’s."

The man across the bath chuckled and asked.

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Because my master needs him…"

"Hmm, did the benefactor run away?"

"You might not believe it, but… he suddenly disappeared out of thin air."

"That's hard to believe."

"If I hadn't seen it myself, I also wouldn't have believed it."

"To think you would come all the way here to find him. Your loyalty is quite remarkable."

It might have sounded sarcastic as a sentence, but the man's tone didn't carry that feeling at all.

Instead, it felt more like admiration.

Feeling unexpectedly fond of the man, Juhong scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Haha… Loyalty. Maybe it's just a wish."

"A wish?"

"All I hope is for her to become even more steadfast. If there's anything I can help with, I would even crawl into hell."

The man across from him replied with respect.

"I don't know who your master is. But even if she can't find her benefactor, with subordinates like you, she will be able to navigate the future just fine."

"Thanks for your kind words. Although the situation hasn't changed, hearing those words makes me feel like something has been resolved. May I know hear your concerns?"

"My concerns aren't anything significant. Do you really want to hear them?"

"Well. Even if they aren't significant, sharing them might make them easier to solve. Isn't that right?"

"…"

"Is it something difficult to talk about?"

Juhong’s words were met with a negative response.

"No. It's because it's an abstract concern… Hmm…"

"Well, maybe you could put it simply…"

"I feel like I've lost my way."

"Lost your way?"

"I thought I was steadily sailing a ship on the sea, and everything was going as planned. My direction didn't change even though I faced multiple storms. But suddenly, that certainty vanished. I even began to doubt whether I had set the right course in the first place."

"Hmm! It certainly is abstract."

"I have a lot to do. I can't afford to waste time on such worries…"

"Fortunately, this is a concern I can answer."

"Yes?"

"You seem to be in need of time."

"Time…?"

Feeling pleasantly tipsy from the alcohol, as if he were an elder, Juhong offered some advice to the man across the bath.

"Even if you spend time on the road, the road doesn't have legs. It won't run away."

"…"

"Your initial direction isn't necessarily the right one, is it? When walking a path, sometimes, you need to turn… And other times, you need to take a short rest. What I mean is… Don't be too attached to the destination. If you keep a good eye on your surroundings, you won't have to worry about losing your way."

There was a brief moment of silence.

Juhong began to feel awkward, wondering if he had said too much.

However, the other person expressed gratitude instead.

"That seems to be true."

"Uh… Did it help?"

"It did."

"There's a saying in my hometown, 'Climbing the top of a mountain isn't about being the fastest or the least tired…'"

Juhong spoke a truth that had been passed down to him through the ages.

"'…It's about who has enough perseverance to climb that mountain.'"

"…"

Splash…

The man across suddenly stood up.

"Thanks for your words… They were of great help."

"Hahaha! I'm glad it helped. Well, I have nothing more to say. Then… I hope you make a good choice."

The man turned around and said.

"You too. I hope you find that benefactor."

"I definitely will. If he appears in front of me, I'll tie him up with a rope and bring him back."

As the man left, Juhong chuckled while drinking the remaining alcohol.

"That was a good conversation. I really feel like I'll be able to find Obsidian."

* * *

Seol didn't immediately enter the Pitch Black Labyrinth and was pondering about it.

He was now standing at a crossroads.

'The right choice would be to skip the labyrinth and go straight to Seol Hong. But…'

The certainty that was the right choice had faded a bit.

His confidence should be proportional to his ability.

Upon assessing himself, Seol felt that he hadn't changed much compared to when he first arrived in the East.

'Even if I use the Stat Tree, it will be the same.'

Even if he increased the efficiency of his stats, it wouldn't lead to an increase in his rank.

Perhaps this was a side effect of having met Mirei—the one who taught him the Night Crow—too early. Because he realized it too soon, the stepping stone to the next stage felt too distant.

He accurately analyzed himself.

'If things continue like this… When problems arise in the East…'

For example, if a large-scale incident like the resurrection of Hwagmu happened…

'I'll definitely die.'

Jamad had reached a new rank, but Hwagmu was at an even higher one.

Tantuinu was a young dragon, but Hwagmu was an old, Evil Dragon.

Even though they were both dragons, they were from different races, making it questionable if it was right to compare them. But that was the case in terms of strength.

- There are no shortcuts. Those who are wise already know that. Therefore, you just have to run the set path quickly.

- Sometimes, your stubborn thoughts will protect your order. You, who have no process and only results… That might be what will save you from the approaching future.

Seol recalled Sleepyhead’s words.

"Have no process but only results…"

Seol realized what that meant only after some time had passed.

'That's exactly me.'

If he wanted to become stronger, he needed to invest the appropriate time and effort. He had only overcome numerous Adventures by creating variables and using his summons' power.

Thanks to that, he received a huge amount of rewards. But that had broken the balance.

It was like covering a weak horse with high-ranking equipment.

Of course, he was still ahead of the other Transferees. But Seol shouldn't compare himself with the other transferees.

"I've decided."

Seol went over the words he had heard at the hot springs last night and finally made up his mind.

"I'm going to head to the labyrinth."

Jamad laughed at Seol's words.

"Have you finally made up your mind? What about the East?"

"I'll take a slightly longer route."

Seol bitterly smiled while looking at the two arrows that pointed at the labyrinth.

'I thought I would step foot in this place later on in the future…'

Lian Kuruos' compass.

There was a time when the pieces related to So-myeong ran around in circles.

It was when the Pitch Black Labyrinth had appeared in this place.

'They're here.'

He had memories of having gone through the Pitch Black Labyrinth in the past.

Seol didn't consider it a true success because it was only a half-baked success.

'Would the current me be able to do it…?'

He could hear murmurs from afar. A crowd was blocking the entrance to the Pitch Black Labyrinth.

"Until the owners of the tokens are decided, make sure no one approaches!"

"What right does the Federation have to claim ownership of the labyrinth?"

Seol, unrelated to them, just stared at the labyrinth’s entrance.

Two arrows were pointing at the Pitch Black Labyrinth’s entrance. Two people had died there, and one had successfully come out of it.

And not even the one who had come out wasn't unharmed… He lost one of his arms.

Feeling nostalgic, Seol reminisced about what had happened in that hell.

'It's been a while…'

The hellish days when a Sword Saint barely escaped after losing an arm.

All of the reasons lay there.