Is It Finally My Turn?

Black Eye began to manifest in response to my summons, igniting a massive blaze as it started forming its body.

"Hold on."

[……Huh?]

"You don't need to fight. I have something else for you to do in my plan."

[What do you mean by that?]

At my command, Black Eye reverted to its flickering form of blue flames and asked.

[Grrrrrr…….]

A low groan came from Kuntaka.

'As I said earlier, I don't want to reveal your identity to Nam-gung Yun just yet. Until his connection to Hidden Eater is firmly confirmed, it's best to keep my cards hidden.'

[But how do we finish him off then? Weren't you planning to use my spirit power as a Sin-su body?]

I nodded at his question.

'Half right, half wrong.'

"Here, take this first."

I handed Black Eye the last remaining pouch of Sin-su powder.

Whoosh……!

The pouch touched its flame form and instantly oxidized into white smoke.

[……Hmm?]

Black Eye's blue flames turned a fierce purple upon mixing with the Sin-su powder.

"Old texts say that spirits, except for the supreme Spirit Kings, don't have distinct genders."

[Hah, how do you even know that?]

Black Eye asked in surprise, but I just shrugged in response.

"And spirits evolve from low to mid-tier, mid to high-tier, simply by spirits of the same attribute condensing together."

[Hmm, so?]

Black Eye tilted its head at my words.

"Sin-su are the only beings that inherit spirit power, but that's also why they're different from spirits. Because they have physical bodies, even with spirit power, they hit a clear limit—they can't evolve. Even if Sin-su with spirit power devour each other, their inherent bodies can't evolve further."

[What's that got to do with this fight?]

"But what about you? You're a Sin-su body, but clearly nothing like a regular Sin-su."

[No way…….]

I smirked, lifting one corner of my mouth.

[You mad bastard. Is your ace in the hole what I'm thinking?]

"Yeah. You said you'd follow me, right? Become my sword and help me reach the pinnacle of strength. Then show me your resolve. When you discarded your name, you should've discarded a warrior's honor too."

It might sound like petty posturing. It wasn't just a command to assert my dominance as master. I'd found a way for him to grow stronger, but as someone who'd wielded a sword myself, I knew how hard it was for a swordsman to accept this.

"Your job is to devour that thing."

I said it calmly, hiding my emotions.

He was no longer human, but he'd lived as one and retained all those memories. Ordering him to eat a monster's corpse would shatter every human taboo.

'You're a Sin-su body with spirit power but no attribute. With the powder from the Three Great Phases' Blue Ghost inside you now, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you'll be seen as the same attribute as the White Swamp's old freak. Absorbing its power should be no issue.'

[Gr…… heh.]

Black Eye let out a low chuckle at my words.

[You're not telling me to pick up a sword, but to gorge like a beast and chew down that old freak's head and heart?]

Whoosh---!!!!

Its flames blazed fiercely toward me.

'Wh-what the hell is that?'

Nam-gung Yun stared at the purple will-o'-the-wisp rising above my head, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground. His voice reached only me, so he couldn't grasp Black Eye's identity or words.

"M-magic……?"

To him, it just looked like a massive flame had appeared. Having just seen my swordplay, his eyes filled with even more questions.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Whoosh--!!!

[Called the God of War, walking only the path of the sword—and now you tell me to become a mongrel just to get stronger!!]

Black Eye's voice roared in my head, nearly splitting my eardrums.

"What's wrong with that?"

But I gazed at it calmly.

"I never said our path would be a bed of roses. You know that. The road to the throne is a total mud pit."

I told it.

"No exceptions. If it's mud, then roll in it."

[Gr…… heh.]

Black Eye's flames shook like shuddering shoulders.

[Hahaha……!!]

Crack---!!

"……!!"

In that instant, Black Eye morphed into a sharp vortex and began shredding Kuntaka's belly.

[Kyaaaaah!!!]

The massive turtle rolled in agony, screaming.

Splash……!!

Kuntaka's red blood sprayed everywhere, its tough scales melting instantly under Black Eye's Blue Ghost-powered flames. Thump! Thump! Its beating heart was fully exposed.

[Right. You're correct. Nothing's impossible.]

Without hesitation, Black Eye ripped out Kuntaka's heart.

[Honor means nothing now. Beast or whatever—nothing's out of reach.]

Crunch-!

The flames swallowed the heart whole. As thick blood dripped, the blaze enveloping its entire body surged, absorbing it completely.

Crunch……! Crunch……!!

From heart to bones. With grotesque cracking sounds, Kuntaka's massive body began to melt.

[Kyak! Kyaaaaak!]

Sizzle--!!

Its screams faded into rising black smoke, like oil burning in flames.

[Grr…… grrr…….]

Kuntaka's colossal body shrank toward oblivion, while Black Eye's flames glowed with an even more brilliant purple.

As Black Eye devoured the last scraps of Kuntaka, notifications flooded my vision. Only a few drop items remained in the clearing where it had been.

With the final message amid the cascade, Black Eye's purple flames solidified like hard rock before vanishing.

[Interesting.]

Kuntaka's tough scales and shell were likely its unique traits. But bodiless Black Eye had absorbed them as skills.

[Kin Devour, huh…… Yeah, I'm a Sin-su body. So I'm no longer human. Truly become a beast now.]

After devouring Kuntaka and gaining Kin Devour, Black Eye spoke with a hint of bitterness.

"Y-you really took it down…… You're insane."

And another one—Nam-gung Yun, who'd watched the clear, twitched his lips in a mix of laugh and cry.

"You're crazy, right?! Whoa, total jackpot……!!! Solo-killing a level 90 boss monster!! Posting this to the community would cause a riot!!"

His eyes sparkled as he yelled at me.

"No."

"……Huh?"

I checked Kuntaka's drops without looking up.

"No, why?! Community views would explode! If you said it was okay to sell the video, people would line up to buy it—name your price!"

"Nam-gung Yun."

I picked up one of the White Swamp old freak's drops and slowly raised my head.

"Did you use the same name in Dimension World 1?"

"Ah, yeah…… I did."

He looked puzzled, wondering why I'd ask.

"Hidden Eater's one of the biggest names on global community boards. So why does no one know her brother?"

"……What?"

His face darkened at my words.

"Don't chase short-term gains. Selling my video might make quick cash. But once the clear video spreads, White Swamp becomes an open field everyone hunts."

[Heh…… Even if they see the clear, without Sin-su power, it's impossible. But you're planning to shut his mouth, huh?]

Black Eye chuckled at my words.

"Plus, more people will hunt for me—good or bad intentions. But if I hide for real, even the eight great clans won't find me easily. So who do they target then?"

I pointed at Nam-gung Yun.

"Obviously, you—the one who posted the video."

Gulp—his tense throat bobbed audibly from here.

"Just some random party member cleared White Swamp? Think the eight clans—or even the Six Harmonies—will buy that? With them gunning for you already, normal play's impossible. You might have to remake your character after finally clearing and leveling here."

"Th-that's……."

Nam-gung Yun couldn't continue, voice trembling.

"What'd you say right after we beat Kuntaka? First thing was posting a White Swamp clear to the community, right?"

"Y-yeah……."

"Smart players squeeze every benefit for themselves and sell scraps dear to others. If you're really selling the video, you should've thought of this first."

Step—step—step—I walked over and flicked his temple lightly with my finger.

"Forgot? Our first discoverer perks still have plenty of time left."

"Ah……!!"

"Calculate how much stronger you can get from those perks first. That's how you survive in Dimension World."

Nam-gung Yun stared blankly, as if I'd hit him where it hurt.

"Here. The Valder leaf you were looking for."

"……!!!"

I handed him the drop I'd been holding.

"As you know, it grows on the world tree in White Swamp too, but this one's special. The leaves on Kuntaka's shell absorbed its spirit power—top-grade quality."

"……."

Nam-gung Yun gazed at the leaf with trembling eyes.

"You know it. In Dimension World, quest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rewards depend on perfection. Dodging Six Harmonies pursuit for your quest—with this, you'll get the best reward."

His hand slowly reached for the leaf.

"But how long will you stay in your sister's shadow?"

That was when it happened. His hand froze at my question.

"Wh-what do you……."

"Silver tipped you off about the quest, right? Finishing it like this is fine. But if you want to walk the explorer's path…… why not get greedy? I'll make your name one everyone remembers."

"……."

I smiled faintly at him.

Couldn't let this rolled-in opportunity slip.

"Condition's simple. Do me one favor, and I can make you a dungeon explorer surpassing Hidden Eater."

"The condition is……."

"Introduce me to Hidden Eater."

"What?! That's a bit……."

Nam-gung Yun looked troubled. Even if he aimed high, using his sister felt off.

"I need to see her, but I won't harm her. Not asking now. I'll hunt here during the perk period. Plenty of time to discuss with your real sibling, right?"

What I wanted was Hidden Eater, but more so the Mountain King connected to her.

"……I'll think about it."

Nam-gung Yun answered after deliberation. Not ideal, but fine. Breaking one's shell takes that kind of struggle.

I just had to show him it was possible—with overwhelming combat during the remaining perk time.

'Problem is those Six Harmonies guys…….'

Without teleport magic yet, getting here from Yulmun Family's island across the strait would take at least three days, but giving up the perk period felt wasteful.

"Hmm."

That was when.

"Well, well…… you stirred up quite the storm."

An unexpected voice, and from the brush emerged an old ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man with a strangely amused smile.

"……Lucky me."

I couldn't help but chuckle upon seeing him.

The Mirage Merchant.