A Fragment of a Crimson Jewel.

That meant it was being used to maintain the current sorcery in the Abyssal Pit.

It was also said that it had once been used to communicate with the former ruler of Mangye.

"I felt it the first time I saw it, too."

The energy contained within that fragment was overwhelmingly intense. It was impossible to gauge just how much power was inside.

I had heard that they were using the energy within it to cast the sorcery around this area.

"Judging by its energy alone, it makes sense how the sorcery was cast."

With such a vast amount of power, it wasn’t impossible. It was such a deep and immense energy that I couldn’t help but think so.

But then—

"Were you really planning on giving this to me?"

"......."

At my words, the spirit's hand trembled.

"This is all we can offer to a great being like yourself, a ruler from beyond...."

"And what happens to you if you give this to me?"

If they handed this over, they wouldn’t be able to maintain the barrier that made up their surroundings. Was it really fine to just give this away like this?

The spirit answered my question.

"......If you grant us salvation, there will no longer be a need to maintain this space. It won’t be a major issue—"

"No, that's not what I'm asking."

I cut off the spirit’s words. That wasn’t the point of my question.

"If you give this to me, the passage through which you communicate with the ruler of Mangye will disappear. Are you really okay with that?"

"......."

The spirit hesitated at my words.

Without that fragment, they would no longer be able to communicate with their master. Could a shaman really afford to lose that?

When I asked, the spirit remained silent for a moment before finally answering.

"It’s fine...."

"Is that so?"

Hearing the trembling reply, I nodded.

"Well, if you say so."

Slowly, I reached out my hand. My fingertips were about to touch the fragment that the spirit was offering me—

Fwoosh!—Clench!—

"Ugh!?"

But instead of reaching for the fragment, my hand bypassed it and seized the spirit’s throat.

A small body lifted into the air.

"Shaman!"

The beast-like soldiers stationed nearby moved to lunge at me in response to the sudden turn of events.

"Stop."

"!!!!"

At my whispered command, they all froze in place.

Dragon Speech had burst forth, binding their movements.

"Don’t make any unnecessary moves. It won’t change anything, no matter how many of you charge at me. Before I snap the neck of the one you hold so dear, just stay put. Understood?"

"......."

"If you understand, nod your head."

The leading soldier hesitantly nodded.

Seeing that, I smirked and released the Dragon Speech.

"Ugh... ngh...."

The spirit, still suspended in midair with my grip on its throat, let out a painful groan.

I looked at it and spoke.

"I was planning to just let this slide, you know? But I don’t have time, and right now, I hate dealing with annoyances. So I’ll just ask outright."

"Kuhk...."

"What are you hiding from me? What is it that you really want from me?"

"......!"

The spirit’s body trembled violently at my words.

That reaction confirmed it for me.

"I see. You had ulterior motives towards me, didn’t you?"

There was something they weren’t saying.

And with that reaction, they had just admitted it.

"Th-that’s... not... that’s not true...."

"Not true, my ass. Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Clench—!

"Kuuaagh—!!"

"I can tolerate a lot of things, but I can’t tolerate someone trying to make a fool out of me when I can see right through them. Especially when I’m already on edge."

I was already irritated.

I had gone outside and gained nothing, only to return with even more unanswered questions. Everything was pissing me off.

And now, these things I had never seen before were pretending to worship me while scheming behind my back. How the hell was I supposed to put up with this?

"I'm really sorry, but I’m incredibly busy. I don’t have time to humor your little games."

"Kuhk...."

"So, just spit it out. Before I round you all up and burn you to ashes."

Rumble—!

A murderous aura surged from the tips of my toes, swallowing the space around me.

"Kraaaah—!!"

"Gurrrgh...!!!"

The sheer pressure of my killing intent made the surrounding beings foam at the mouth and collapse one by one.

Even though I was controlling the output, my aura had grown so powerful that it was practically overflowing.

There was only so much I could suppress.

Just in case, I made sure that only the spirit was unaffected.

"Kh...."

Even so, just feeling the aftermath of the aura made the spirit’s body tremble violently.

"I’ll count to three. If you don’t answer, I’ll kill everyone here."

To make sure they understood I was serious, I intensified my aura even further.

"One."

I started counting.

"Two."

Energy swirled in my empty left hand. I’d burn everything down, finish what I needed to do with the Sacred Tree, and leave.

That was my plan as I uttered the final number.

"Three—"

"S-sacrifice...."

The spirit finally spoke.

Hearing that, I lifted the corners of my lips and asked.

"What did you just say?"

"S-sacrifice... A sacrifice was... needed...."

As soon as I heard that, I loosened my grip slightly.

A silent way of telling them to go on.

"Sacrifice?"

"Yes...."

"A sacrifice, huh...."

That definitely wasn’t a word with a good implication.

"Explain. In detail."

"......."

"Don’t make me repeat myself."

Fwoosh—

I ignited flames as I spoke, and terror spread across the spirit’s face.

But it wasn’t the fear of their own death—

It was the fear that I might slaughter those around them.

"In order to leave this place... to be freed from our burden... a sacrifice was required."

"Burden?"

"Our duty to guard the Sacred Tree...."

The spirit turned its gaze toward the towering black Sacred Tree.

"We... are bound to this place, unable to leave until our master permits it. Guarding the Sacred Tree is our fate...."

"But I thought this place was created to escape the gaze of your leader?"

And yet, they needed a sacrifice to leave?

"Which is it?"

What was the truth? I furrowed my brow and asked.

The spirit, body still trembling, answered me.

"Both are true...."

"What do you mean?"

"We created this place to extend our lives... and yet, we also seek to leave it."

"That’s contradictory. Keep talking."

"Since the day the general appeared and began taking away our kin, we were allowed to hide here by our master’s grace... and yet, it was also a curse...."

As I listened to their explanation, I slowly lowered my arm.

The spirit had no means of escape anyway.

"...We are bound to the Sacred Tree, unable to leave this wretched, miserable place until our master grants us freedom...."

"So when you said you were bound to Mount Marryeong, that’s what you meant?"

"That’s correct."

"Then tell me this."

I sharpened my gaze at the spirit.

"The sacrifice you mentioned—"

That was undoubtedly referring to me.

"If you have that, does it mean your burden will be lifted or something?"

"......."

"If you hesitate again instead of answering, I'll kill you."

"......Yes, that’s correct."

"Hmm."

So, with a sacrifice, the burden would be lifted.

"And how exactly does that work?"

"The burden our master decreed... is that the shaman must remain in this space and guard it until the appointed time comes."

"And that time has arrived, hasn’t it? So why are you trying to run?"

If what the spirit was saying was true, then there was no reason to resort to any tricks.

"Didn’t you say that all would be resolved if I dealt with that bastard for you?"

"......That’s..."

The spirit clearly didn’t want to answer. But given what I had just said, it had no choice but to speak.

"We... no longer trust our master."

"What?"

This time, my eyes widened.

They didn’t trust their master? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"...It has been centuries since our master disappeared. We have remained in this place without taking a single step outside, as time passed... and it has become unbearable."

"So... you didn’t even know if things would turn out as your master had promised. That’s why you were trying to find a way to escape. Is that it?"

"......."

"Answer me."

"Yes... that’s correct."

"And the sacrifice you found... was me? What exactly is this sacrifice?"

"A being who can inherit the burden...." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"That being... is me?"

"...Yes."

"And what exactly does 'inheriting the burden' entail?"

At my question, the spirit glanced at something—its own hand.

In that hand was the fragment it had just been about to offer me.

...No way.

"...If I do something with that, the burden transfers to me?"

"...That is corre—"

"Ha."

"......!"

The moment I let out a chuckle, the spirit ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) shrank back.

"I said I don’t work for free, and now they’re trying to dump the shaman’s duty onto me by handing me that?"

I didn’t know exactly what would change if I grabbed it, but since the spirit had been so intent on making me take it, there had to be some method behind it.

"You sure were bold, trying to shove that into my hands."

"I... I am sorry... I beg of you...."

The spirit urgently fell to its knees and bowed its head.

I knelt down slightly to meet its gaze and asked.

"What do you suppose I should do with this?"

Everything was a mess.

The so-called 'plan' I had been told about was ridiculous, and everything about this situation was just plain absurd.

"There’s no way this was actually part of the plan."

The idea that simply grasping that fragment would make me the master of this place was nonsense.

And the fact that they were so readily trying to shove it onto me was even stranger.

None of it made sense.

"But if I look at it another way—"

Could it be that they were just that desperate?

So desperate that they weren’t even thinking rationally anymore?

Was that how I should understand it?

"I don't know."

Understanding was one thing. Accepting it was another.

"......."

I tilted my head slightly as I watched the trembling spirit.

They had lost faith in their master—that part stuck with me.

Their master had supposedly said that I would appear and take care of the leader for them.

Yet for centuries, nothing had changed. Their master had disappeared, and they could no longer even communicate with them.

Trapped in a confined space, bound by sorcery, unable to leave.

"Was this outcome inevitable?"

I stared at the spirit in silence.

Could I say this was my fault?

Or should I blame my mother instead?

"Either way, I have no intention of overlooking the fact that they tried to pull something on me."

But still...

It was pitiful.

"Hmm."

I stood up.

"Normally, I would’ve just killed you."

Ssshhhhh...

At my cold words, the air around us froze over.

"...But I suppose I might bear at least a speck of responsibility in this."

I turned my head.

"Wait here."

"...What?"

"Don’t expect me to let this slide easily, so don’t get your hopes up."

I bent my knees slightly.

"But for now, I have something I need to do. So just sit tight and wait."

Flames curled around me as I leaped back toward the entrance.

The scenery around me shifted in an instant.

Just like before, I stepped outside the door and soared into the sky.

"......."

Feeling the high-altitude air, I looked up.

"How much time is left until nightfall?"

Not too much, but not too little either.

"I should prepare in the meantime."

Closing my eyes, I circulated my energy.

It was time to get ready to receive my guests.

And I was going to do so... in the roughest way possible.