Heroic Spirit.

The butterfly that had suddenly appeared introduced itself as a Heroic Spirit.

Its appearance was completely unexpected.

Being discovered the moment I stepped inside was an irritating turn of events, and my brows furrowed instinctively.

What should I do? Should I turn back?

Doubt crept in. Or perhaps... would it be possible to simply get rid of this butterfly and move on?

'...Not a chance.'

I could tell at a glance—this wasn't the real body.

Something else was controlling it, deliberately sending it here to speak with me.

'Does this mean they noticed my intrusion the moment I arrived?'

Or had they sensed it the moment I disturbed the sorcery?

There were only two possibilities, but that didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was—

'Is this butterfly an enemy?'

Or is it not?

That was the only thing worth considering.

"A Heroic Spirit, huh?"

"That is correct, honored one."

"...Uh."

What was I supposed to say? I momentarily found myself at a loss for words.

After clearing my throat, I spoke to the Heroic Spirit.

"...Apologies for barging in. I had my reasons."

I decided to be upfront about it. The butterfly fluttered lightly, circling through the air.

"It is of no concern. Rather, it is we who should be chastised for failing to properly welcome such a great being."

"......."

Being called "honored" and "great" was beyond uncomfortable. I scratched the back of my neck.

"...Well, thanks for understanding. So, what exactly is this place?"

"This is called Mareong Hollow."

"Mareong Hollow."

"It is a place built by those who cannot leave the mountain."

"Hmm."

Those who could not leave the mountain, huh?

As I mulled over those words—

"If it would not trouble you, may I guide you to a proper dwelling within?"

"A proper dwelling?"

—'I am unable to move freely in my current form and thus had to greet you in this humble appearance. However, I cannot allow such an honored guest to go without a proper welcome. I humbly request the chance to meet you in person and offer my apologies.'

"......."

I had seen many things in my life, but this level of formal speech was a first.

I was the one who had barged in uninvited, so why was I the one receiving such a grand request?

'Well, at least it doesn’t seem hostile.'

But was it really safe to follow along? I hesitated for a moment before glancing at Cheonma.

She was merely observing the butterfly without reacting.

It was ridiculous, but without realizing it, I had checked Cheonma’s reaction.

If there was a problem, wouldn’t she move before I did? That narrow-minded assumption had driven my action.

'What the hell am I doing?'

I had just told myself to get a grip, yet here I was acting like a fool.

Damn it. I cursed at myself inwardly before speaking to the Heroic Spirit.

"Where do we need to go?"

There was no turning back now.

I had already stepped inside, already been discovered.

That was the resolve behind my words.

"I shall guide you."

The Heroic Spirit gently flapped its wings and began leading the way.

**********

And so, I followed the Heroic Spirit.

Its pace was slow enough that I could observe my surroundings as we walked.

The area itself was not too different from the outside.

Or rather, it was even more pristine—untouched nature at its finest.

The crimson-stained sky was a distinct feature of Mangye, but the trees and grass inside bore more resemblance to those of Zhongyuan.

'Maybe that’s why it doesn’t feel strange.'

It was just an ordinary landscape. There was nothing particularly unusual about it.

'And yet, that makes it stand out even more.'

I never expected to see such familiar scenery in Mangye.

'Even at Mount Hua, I saw something similar...'

But that was an intentional recreation of Zhongyuan.

If anything, this place was even more unusual.

'At least this wasn’t artificially created.'

It was merely concealed, not constructed.

That much was clear—the sorcery had only been used to hide it, not to fabricate an entirely new space.

My Heart Eye detected no lingering traces of sorcery, except for the ceiling above.

'So they just covered an existing place with a magical veil.'

A veil of sorcery, blocking it from sight.

As I processed this, I turned to the butterfly.

"How much farther?"

It felt like we had been walking for quite a while.

Wandering through an unmarked path for so long was beginning to feel unsettling.

Was this some kind of trick?

I had been on guard from the beginning, just in case, but there was no way to be sure.

That was why I asked.

Yet the Heroic Spirit gave no reply.

What?

Was it actually planning something?

Doubt flared, and I instinctively drew power into my heart, preparing to react at a moment’s notice.

Just as I was about to ignite my body’s energy—

"It is just ahead."

The Heroic Spirit finally spoke.

"Up ahead?"

Following its words, I focused my gaze forward—and sure enough, I could see something in the distance.

A wooden wall, guarded by bipedal beasts, just like before.

"...You want me to go there?"

"That is correct."

"And you're saying it’s fine for me to enter?"

"If I inform them that you are a guest of the Heroic Spirit, they will show you due courtesy. If possible, I would like to personally see you through to the end—"

"...Hm? Hey, you okay?"

"......."

Suddenly, the Heroic Spirit fell silent.

The voice cut off midway. I tried calling out again, but the butterfly remained silent.

What the hell?

"Hey, what’s wrong?"

I asked again, but without a single word, the butterfly simply flitted away, vanishing into the distance.

"...What the hell?"

It had been speaking just fine—why had it suddenly disappeared like that? It was as if it had turned into an actual butterfly and flown away.

...Was I just supposed to go in?

Tilting my head slightly, I took a step forward.

‘They told me to go, so I guess I’ll find out when I get there.’

With that thought, I approached the door.

"...An outsider?!"

"Who goes there—!"

The moment I got close, the bipedal beasts turned their eyes toward me, their wariness spiking to the extreme.

They bared their fangs, and I could feel their intense hostility.

"Contact the inner quarters immediately—! We have an intruder—!"

"Wait, hold on..."

"State your identity!"

Clank—!

The sentries all pointed their spears at me.

They were ready to stab me at a moment’s notice.

"Hmm..."

I scratched my head briefly.

"Uh, it’s not like that. Just a moment ago—"

"I said, state your identity!"

"That’s what I’m trying to—"

"Don’t move!"

"Goddamn it, then don’t interrupt me."

Crunch—!

"...Hngh!"

I moved my hand—and shattered the spear.

The guard recoiled in shock, but I moved even faster.

Crunch—! Crack—!

In an instant, I destroyed all of their weapons.

Thud—!

The broken weapons fell to the ground, and a thick cloud of fear overtook their faces.

"Hold the line—! We must not let him pass!"

"We must protect this place!"

Even in such a dire situation, they hardened their resolve.

Their determination was admirable. Their will to protect this place, even at the cost of their lives, was clear.

But.

"Calm down."

"Lay down your lives to defend it—!"

"I said, calm the hell down..."

I shook my head slightly, clicking my tongue before speaking again.

"Calm. Down."

Vwooom—!!!

"...!!"

"...Ghk!"

The beasts that had been about to charge at me with their bare hands froze in place.

I hadn't given a command—this time, I had used Dragon Speech to halt them.

Perhaps it was the sudden paralysis, but their fear grew /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ even stronger than before.

Now that the situation had finally quieted down, I spoke again.

"...Would you guys just listen for once? Why do you try to attack first without even hearing me out?"

Even I could tell my temper had mellowed.

If it had been the old me, I would’ve crushed at least two of their heads before even bothering to speak.

And yet, here I was—letting them all live.

"What did I say again? Ah, right. I’m here as a guest of the Heroic Spirit."

—!!

The moment I spoke, their reactions were immediate.

I could see their eyes darting around.

"They said that if I told you that, you’d show proper courtesy. Is that correct? If it is, move your eyes."

"......."

Their eyes rolled even faster than before.

Seeing that, I clapped my hands together.

Clap—!!

The sound broke the frozen state holding them in place.

Thud—!! Thud, thud—!!

All at once, the beasts dropped to their knees.

"...Huh?"

Why the hell were they kneeling all of a sudden?

I frowned, looking at them.

"We humbly greet the honored one..."

"Please kill us...!!"

"...What."

Did the Heroic Spirit’s name really hold that much weight? Their attitude had flipped in an instant.

"...Forget that. Just take me inside."

I didn’t want to waste any more time here, so I waved my hand dismissively.

The beast in front—clearly the one leading them—rose to his feet.

"...I am Mosong, captain of the Mareong Hollow guards. I am deeply grateful for your mercy...! I shall escort you at once."

"Ah. Sure."

From what I could tell, he was at least a mature peak-level martial artist.

I had no idea what his exact rank was, but he clearly wasn’t someone low in the hierarchy.

His steps were unsteady—probably from the lingering effects of my Dragon Speech—but I followed him inside nonetheless.

Once past the door, I found myself in a settlement made entirely of wooden structures.

It was nothing like Yahwol.

Compared to Yahwol...

'This place is pathetic.'

It felt like it was centuries behind in terms of civilization.

The entire area had a somewhat desolate atmosphere.

‘What exactly is this place?’

They had called it Mareong Hollow.

A place where those who could not leave Mount Marryeong gathered.

"...Hmm."

Since it was within Mount Marryeong, could it be considered a place like Yahwol?

‘A domain ruled by a chieftain.’

That seemed like the most accurate way to understand it.

And sure enough, all I could see around me were bipedal beasts.

‘They resemble Duryung.’

That chieftain had also been a bipedal ox, so maybe this place was influenced by something similar.

"...We have arrived. This is where the Heroic Spirit resides."

Lost in thought, I hadn’t realized we had already reached our destination.

The region was much smaller than Yahwol, so we had arrived quickly.

"It’s here?"

I looked around, tilting my head.

All I saw was a simple door set against the end of a wall.

Was something actually here?

Creak—!

Mosong stepped forward and opened the door.

"...!"

The moment the door began to open, every hair on my body stood on end.

Whoooosh—!!

A familiar presence dug deep into my body.

'This is...?'

Without hesitation, I shoved my head through the opening.

And inside—

As expected, the source of this all-too-familiar presence awaited me.

A well-maintained lake.

A small hill rising at its center.

And on top of that hill—something standing tall.

That was—

"A Divine Tree...?"

The very reason I had come to Mount Marryeong.

The Divine Tree, the one that Duryung was supposed to be guarding—

It was waiting for me here.