The students, including Gwak Kyung-goo, found themselves surrounded by a corrupt darkness.

It was clear that those who had lured the students intended to block their escape once they reached the area where the rampage-inducing agent had been released.

Though Gwak Kyung-goo wasn’t the only one left unaffected by the agent, other students had also yet to succumb to it.

In haste, the students donned masks, helping even those who were unable to keep themselves steady to put one on.

This was a measure to prevent further inhalation of the rampage-inducing agent, but it soon became futile.

‘No, the mask will stop working soon!’

The mask was a limited-use item that could only filter out a certain amount of contaminants.

The students, having experience fighting toxic enemies or battling in realms where poison mists were common, knew well the limitations of consumables.

Students with insight-based skills quickly realized that the masks were losing their effectiveness faster than usual.

In the meantime, more students were writhing in agony from the boiling energy inside them.

‘Should we retreat? No, if we push through this darkness now, who knows what might happen!’

Gwak Kyung-goo, who had been calm and composed, unable to find a solution as he was now caught in a dilemma.

Meanwhile, the students' futile resistance continued.

Fwoooosh!

Supporters like Heo Chae-ah used purification skills, and students who had anti-toxins on hand tried using various antidotes to fight back.

However, this was like trying to keep ice from melting in boiling water—futile, difficult, and self-destructive.

Most of the students’ resistance either had no effect or worked temporarily before quickly fading away.

“AAAHH!”

KWA-AAA!

In the rain and dimming darkness, several bursts of energy scattered in different colors.

Eventually, the students who could no longer bear it screamed and began to release their abilities.

Nearby students hurriedly used their skills to block the onslaught, holding down those whose bodies convulsed uncontrollably.

The groups were moving in large units, and thanks to the well-positioned skilled students and supporters in each group, they were able to prevent most of the damage. However, those who had managed to control it were soon to be overwhelmed themselves.

In a short time, the students' willpower and their supplies were rapidly depleted.

Even so, the students who were still able to hold on moved desperately to help their comrades.

‘The energy is moving on its own. At this rate, instead of purification, they might end up activating an attack skill!’

Meanwhile, as the rampage-inducing agent took over Heo Chae-ah’s body, changes began to occur.

It felt as if she were gripping the rudder of a ship, lost in a massive current.

Unable to resist the flow, she was swept in directions she didn’t want to go, and the energy raged within her, seemingly cracking both her body and mind.

‘No, it’s not hard at all! I promised myself I’d do anything if Choi Pyeon-deuk disappeared from the school. I can do this!’

In her first year, Heo Chae-ah, who had become Choi Pyeon-deuk’s target, struggled through her school life.

It was so tough that she secretly wished, ‘If only Choi Pyeon-deuk would disappear, I would do anything for Eun-gwang High.’

When she became a second-year, without specifically wishing to a higher power, that wish came true.

Afterward, no one forced her, but Heo Chae-ah rose to the position of the president of the general student council, working hard and also focusing on her studies.

After Choi Pyeon-deuk’s disappearance, her life at Eun-gwang High became so joyful and fulfilling that it remained a shining memory in her heart.

That light kept her sanity intact and made her endure even in this hopeless situation.

Heo Chae-ah lifted her head once more, determined to use her purification skill again.

A friend who had been in the same class for three years caught her eye.

‘I-dam...?’

Gye I-dam had not been in good condition throughout the school trip.

He had been advised to rest during the climb of Hallasan, but stubbornly refused.

Even though he didn’t seem well when they climbed the mountain, he was assigned to another group, so she couldn’t keep an eye on him.

But now, Gye I-dam looked to be in good shape and was doing something strange.

Gye I-dam was holding a cylindrical tube and an item card.

‘That’s a blood collection tube.’

Heo Chae-ah widened her eyes.

Gye I-dam was drawing blood from his own body.

A blood collection tube designed to extract and seal blood immediately was inserted into his arm.

In the midst of the confusion, Gye I-dam drew a considerable amount of blood and took out a case from his chest.

When Heo Chae-ah looked inside the case, she was horrified.

It was filled with blood-filled tubes.

Then, Gye I-dam grasped the card.

‘Is he trembling?’

Unlike when he had calmly drawn blood, his hand holding the item card was shaking.

It seemed that using the item card was more nerve-wracking than drawing blood.

Heo Chae-ah wanted to speak to Gye I-dam, but was distracted when another student from her group unleashed their energy.

The moment Heo Chae-ah took her eyes off, Gye I-dam materialized the item card.

Whoooosh!

In the midst of the screams and shouting names, the sound of something burning was heard.

The item Gye I-dam had materialized was a brazier the size of a human head.

The silver brazier was adorned with blood-red jewels, and it was filled with real blood.

Heo Chae-ah immediately sensed that the blood filling the brazier was the blood she had just seen Gye I-dam draw.

This brazier and the suggestion to fill it with blood had come from Eun Ho.

Eun Ho had handed Gye I-dam the brazier and said:

—This brazier can channel the power of those who control clouds. Clouds and mist are essentially the same thing, only differing in distance from the ground. Since you control mist, you can use it as well.

Eun Ho had not revealed any crucial information about the brazier.

Thus, Gye I-dam had no idea that the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) brazier had been created by exploiting the power of the Seongsa for thousands of years.

People like Hwang Ho or Jo Yi-shin would never attempt to create such a brazier that extracted and exploited the power of the Seongsa.

To create such a thing, one had to resurrect the Seongsa’s painful and fearful memories, and use it.

But Eun Ho had used the Seongsa’s unquestioning trust to carry out such actions, with Hwang Ho turning a blind eye.

Also, Wung Nyeo had helped Eun Ho with the brazier’s creation, making the process relatively easy.

—If you were of true blood, you could use the brazier to burn blood, flesh, bones, and energy, regenerating as you do. But it might be hard for you to use it in that way, huh?

Despite saying that, Eun Ho didn’t seem to mind if Gye I-dam were to use it by burning her whole body.

—Just don’t draw too much blood. Also, it’s important to ensure that the brazier becomes imbued with spiritual power, so materialize it every night in a designated spot.

Eun Ho had not provided much information.

What he did say were three things:

First, draw and collect blood.

Second, materialize the brazier in a designated spot every night.

Third, use the brazier when the time is right.

Gye I-dam had asked questions to understand more about what was happening on Jeju Island, but Eun Ho had not answered.

—If the enemy takes Seong Si-wan hostage and orders you to spill everything, you will tell them, right?

It seemed like Eun Ho was merely providing reasons for why he couldn’t share information, but it sounded almost like a threat.

It was as if he knew that Seong Si-wan was Gye I-dam’s weakness, and that she should handle it carefully.

Gye I-dam wanted to rebut, ‘Wouldn’t you spill everything if Jo Yi-shin was taken hostage?’ but was too scared to speak up.

In the end, Gye I-dam could neither ask more questions nor refuse to cooperate.

Luckily, she became accustomed to the act of drawing blood.

The real problem lay in the terrifying sensations she felt when using the brazier.

—The brazier is functioning normally. If any students are harmed when the moment I expect comes, then it won’t be the brazier’s fault.

Even though it was through blood, Gye I-dam directly channeling power into the brazier made her feel the despair and fear the Seongsa had experienced.

It felt as if she were the one trapped inside the brazier.

Of course, Eun Ho didn’t care about what Gye I-dam felt.

He simply hinted at what would happen when Gye I-dam failed to act in the right way.

Now, Gye I-dam realized the meaning of that hint.

She grasped the brazier, which had been heated by her energy and blood, and opened the Gwanglim, ‘Night Silent Mist’.

Whoooosh!

The brazier burned with blood, and from Gye I-dam emanated a thick mist with a gloomy aura.

As Gye I-dam held the brazier, she felt her energy surge, with her blood feeding into the brazier.

It was an awful sensation, as if her soul was being drained.

In response, the output of the mist increased, covering the students’ rampaging energy and pushing back the corrupt darkness.

Sssshh...

The light from the rampaging energy and the students' screams were swallowed by the calm mist.

Students who had regained some sense of stability turned to look at Gye I-dam.

They knew that Gye I-dam’s Gwanglim, ‘Night Silent Mist,’ interfered with the energy control of those it touched.

However, it was not strong enough to instantly calm the rampaging 280 students and teachers, nor push back the dark energy, no matter how strong the mist was.

Everyone was stunned, watching Gye I-dam, when Gwak Kyung-goo was the first to approach through the mist.

“I have many questions, but now’s not the time, right? Can you hold on a little longer?”

Gye I-dam, feeling the burning sensation from the brazier, was in too much pain to speak.

However, since Gye I-dam was usually quiet, no one found it odd.

“We may not be the only ones caught in the enemy’s trap. Let’s keep moving while maintaining the mist.”

Gye I-dam, feeling faint, lowered her head, but Gwak Kyung-goo accepted this as consent. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Meanwhile, the flames in the brazier Gye I-dam held grew fiercer.

The so-called "False Robbers" and Cheon Dong-ha’s watchers split into two groups.

What they were searching for was the real Yeom Jun-yeol.

They had gathered extensive information about his descendants in order to provoke and kill Yeom Jun-yeol by inducing his rampage.

In order to understand how the target would change in such a big operation, they needed to be well-informed.

Therefore, they were certain of one thing:

‘Yeom Jun-yeol is definitely somewhere in Hallasan.’

The student council president, Yeom Jun-yeol, would never be hiding in a safe place while leaving behind 500 of his classmates.

Even if he had conspired with the so-called False Robbers to deceive the enemy, he was still bound to be moving somewhere.

They were certain that the real Yeom Jun-yeol’s goal was to stop the volcanic eruption.

These groups focused their search on key points in the earth’s veins, which triggered volcanic activity.

And their conviction was soon confirmed.

‘Found him.’

The figure was wearing a crow mask, as if intending to deceive the enemy.

But with a physique similar to Yeom Jun-yeol’s and the faint presence of bodyguards around him, the disguise was ineffective.

For some unknown reason, there was also a barrier around him that seemed almost physically irrelevant, as it wouldn’t really serve any practical purpose.

The so-called False Robbers probably never imagined that these people would find the real Yeom Jun-yeol so quickly.

The masked figure silently moved his mouth to give instructions.

‘Now that we’ve found the real one, let’s take care of the False Robbers too.’

‘Should we kill the False Robbers first?’

‘No.’

Yeom Jun-yeol was valuable, but the False Robbers were just as important.

Though there had been no remarkable activity from them recently, the collapse of the Hwanmong Gate had been widely discussed, and traces of the False Robbers were found in connection to that event.

The fall of such a hero was also exactly what the person in charge wanted.

‘Let’s make the False Robbers rampage as well.’