Gung-gi was someone who worshiped and followed evil, yet he never actually experienced the kind of malicious feelings that could consume his entire existence in darkness.

He was always steeped in evil and instinctively served it, but for him to suddenly be overwhelmed and manipulated by that very evil was something that could never happen.

However, that was before he encountered a particular kind of evil.

Now, Gung-gi was almost crushed by feelings of despair, discouragement, frustration, and sorrow—emotions he had never felt before.

‘I couldn't recognize that evil. And that evil knows that I couldn’t recognize it.’

Gung-gi had always treated evil-doers with kindness, but that kindness was rarely returned.

They usually betrayed, insulted, and used him, just as one would expect from the villains he had taken an interest in, showing nothing but contempt.

The only kind of reaction he could consider somewhat positive was either a feeling of disdain for his kind or a sense of unity and acknowledgment of each other’s similarities.

Gung-gi didn’t care whether the evil he treated kindly ignored him or turned that very evil back on him.

In fact, there had even been times when he grew disgusted by someone who tried to offer him kindness out of affection and ended up killing them out of frustration.

But now, the very evil Gung-gi had longed for was testing him, and the realization that he had failed the test made him feel as though he had swallowed black poison, his heart growing dark and dying.

‘It was a test to see if I could recognize it. And I couldn’t recognize it. Ah!’

Gung-gi’s heart was tormented by a pain like death, yet his already-mad mind couldn’t easily die.

His madness erupted in a direction no one expected, spreading in a form that everyone watching Hallasan could notice.

And thus, the weight of obsession and madness, and a heart that rotted rather than died, manifested as the surrounding darkness engulfed everything.

Koo-goo-goo-goo!

The moment the darkness spread, a rumbling sound echoed from the ground.

The wicked darkness didn’t affect the earth, but because of the recent volcanic signs, the veins had been disturbed, causing the timing of a loud sound to burst forth.

Because of this, it almost felt like Hallasan screamed to warn the climbers just before being swallowed by the wicked darkness, but the sound quickly disappeared.

Inside the wicked darkness, it was unnervingly quiet and peaceful.

Despite the wicked darkness expanding and gaining strength in ways even he couldn’t predict, Gung-gi paid no attention to it.

Pouring out his dark desires, Gung-gi regained his composure, and with eyes that shone like light had been snuffed out, he thought.

‘I didn’t understand what evil truly was. That’s why I couldn’t recognize you, and I couldn’t draw out the full power of the darkness, which is evil itself.’

Gung-gi had felt a kind of kindness within countless evils.

But the current pain and despair were a new delicacy he had never tasted before.

The sweet and bitter taste of this emotion brought Gung-gi a huge realization and made him grow.

A new person had grown through the trials and pain experienced on this mountain.

Having grown and gained new power, Gung-gi immediately took action.

‘Yeobyoju knows what I’m searching for and what I want.’

Gung-gi’s top priority shifted to searching for Yongjegeon.

This was not because he was ordered to do so.

The reason that he was sent to Jeju Island by that person was not to eliminate Yongjegeon.

Gung-gi was the one who had mastered the darkest of evils among those under his command.

Because of this, he wasn’t simply sprinkling a rampage stimulant into the mix, but rather, he was the one who expertly manipulated the powerful forces, such as guiding students to go in the desired direction.

However, Gung-gi’s priorities had already changed.

‘If I can’t find the answer myself, I can find it through someone who knows the answer.’

The desire to know melted into the wicked darkness, connecting with Gung-gi’s mind.

Gung-gi could see inside the darkness clearly.

It would be more accurate to say that he understood and comprehended it, rather than simply seeing it.

Without even using Ineung, Gung-gi could perceive everything, knowing that what was outside his vision, or beyond his senses, was shrouded in darkness.

‘I found it. Not a single one has been completely consumed by the darkness.’

Before Gung-gi’s madness exploded, Yongjegeon and Yeom Bang-yeol were physically close to each other, but now they were quite far apart.

Most students would have been tainted or incapacitated just by being swallowed by the darkness, but the members of the Red Lion team were different.

Especially Yeom Bang-yeol, the King of Flames, seemed as though he could burn everything around him with sheer willpower, his flames roaring.

The moment the darkness spread, both of them immediately issued a retreat order to the Red Lion team members and distanced themselves.

Initially, their goal had been to retreat out of the wicked darkness, but the area was so vast that they changed their strategy.

They decided to stay inside the wicked darkness.

It wasn’t that they had given up on escaping; Gung-gi, having summoned such a massive scale of wicked darkness, had sworn that he would eliminate it before it harmed any of the students.

However, the question was whether they could execute that promise, given that the ability to do so was a separate matter.

“You two, go outside. I’ll open a path with space magic for about 30 seconds.”

“You two, follow Yongjegeon’s orders. Report the situation inside to the outside.”

Yongjegeon and the Red Lion team were holding up fairly well even within the wicked darkness.

While the wicked darkness carried a terrifying power, it didn’t cause instant death or incapacity upon immersion.

Even in the myth of Gaegyeon, the Black Tiger pierced the wicked darkness to convey an important message to the Toh Tribe, and the White Tiger fought off invading enemies alone, climbing higher, following the moonlight’s crack, and successfully cutting through the wicked darkness.

However, there were some people who weren’t a good match for the wicked darkness.

Even as Yongjegeon deployed space magic infused with a cyan-colored light, and the Red Lion’s supporters purified the inside, the condition of a few was noticeably bad.

These people didn’t stubbornly insist that they could endure, knowing full well that such stubbornness would get themselves and their teammates killed.

Boom!

Yongjegeon created a long passage of space, and the two of them ran out with all their strength.

The darkness had continued to expand, and so Yongjegeon had to constantly create new spaces.

The supporters also actively used their abilities, and they appeared to have enough stamina left, but Yongjegeon’s consumption was considerable.

Despite this, the sharp-sensed Yongjegeon narrowed his eyes and stared beyond the darkness.

Though Gung-gi was listening to their conversation and reading their expressions and movements through the darkness, the Red Lion team members hadn’t noticed at all, but Yongjegeon was different.

“I don’t like this.”

“Yongjegeon, did you feel someone watching us?”

“It’s a little different from just a gaze. Gung-gi must have not only expanded the scale of the wicked darkness but also possesses another power.”

“What kind of power?”

“The power that makes you feel unpleasant while inside the wicked darkness.”

“...Well, I don’t feel good about it either.”

Yongjegeon, who had heard how Gung-gi had provoked him, sighed but was inwardly relieved.

The provocation that Yongjegeon made, supposedly for measuring combat power, was likely more for his own amusement, but it was a big gain to know that Gung-gi had the ability to use such power.

If the students had been the only ones there, they would have been completely helpless against that power.

It was fortunate that they had assessed this in the presence of Yongjegeon and Yeom Bang-yeol, so no one blamed Yongjegeon even when the situation escalated.

Gung-gi, who had been half-merged with the wicked darkness, saw, heard, and felt everything.

‘There’s no harvest by just watching.’

Leaving the Red Lion team members behind and not attacking yet was simply a way for Gung-gi to gather a little more information about the evil he desperately sought.

However, annoyingly, Yongjegeon instinctively sensed Gung-gi, who had blended into the darkness, and became uncomfortable, skillfully avoiding certain topics.

Feeling it was a waste of time, Gung-gi decided to move.

Gung-gi called a few feathers to move.

“They’re approaching. Get ready.”

“Yongjegeon, please retract the space magic. We’ll ambush them without being seen.”

“Yeah, don’t die.”

When Yongjegeon retracted the space magic, they immediately became as still as if they had disappeared.

It was almost as if they were thrown into the wicked darkness with no defenses, yet they endured.

Even within the Red Lion team, the members carefully selected for hunting by Gung-gi, their abilities, stamina, and mental strength were considered the strongest among humanity.

Even when only a layer of space magic covered them, Gung-gi hadn’t noticed the Red Lion’s ambush, so it was hardly surprising that he didn’t detect the lions preparing to hunt in the darkness.

Despite their deep understanding of evil and research on the wicked darkness, it was almost impossible to detect those who had subdued themselves as part of the darkness.

Soon, Gung-gi’s energy was sensed within the range of the ambushers, and Yeom Bang-yeol’s flames signaled the start of the attack.

Boom!

The flames called by Yeom Bang-yeol split the darkness, wrapped around Gung-gi’s entire body, and the team members deployed wind magic to ensure that Gung-gi couldn’t fly away.

Even though they hadn’t sent any signals, the supporters used their buffs to increase their firepower.

Just as Yongjegeon tried to wrap Gung-gi, who had turned into a fireball, with space magic alongside the flames.

“...!”

Yongjegeon’s fingers suddenly changed direction.

The first to notice Yongjegeon’s movement and react was Yeom Bang-yeol, who immediately called the flames back to envelop the team.

But Gung-gi was targeting only Yongjegeon.

Crack!

The shattered fragments of space magic, broken by the feathers stained by the darkness, scattered, mixing with blood.

Gung-gi’s feathers pierced Yongjegeon’s body through the layers of space walls he had created.

Gung-gi laughed, no longer hiding his malice.

“You too seem unable to tell the fake from the real.”

Had Gung-gi been the same as before, he would have fallen victim to the darkness even in a situation like this.

But Gung-gi now was different.

Hearing Gung-gi’s words, the Red Lion team members stared in shock at what they had been attacking.

What they had thought was Gung-gi was actually one of the team members they had just sent outside the wicked darkness.

The body had Gung-gi’s feathers embedded in it and was covered in the wicked darkness, making it feel like Gung-gi, but it was wearing the Red Lion’s cloak.

As the Red Lion team rushed to heal and use items on ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the decoy, Gung-gi paid it no mind.

“As I heard, Yeobyoju is solid. I planned to break everything, leaving only the neck so it could speak.”

Boom!

Before Yongjegeon could respond, the flames enveloped Gung-gi.

Rather than fighting directly, Gung-gi lifted something he had found within the wicked darkness.

With the space magic Yongjegeon had cast, they had succeeded in temporarily escaping the wicked darkness.

But Gung-gi’s wicked darkness expanded once more, successfully swallowing them as they relaxed.

The relief from escaping the darkness, the worry and guilt for the others, created a crack, a perfect opening for the darkness to penetrate.

One of the two team members Gung-gi had caught was going to be used as bait, and the other as a shield.

Fortunately, the Red Lion’s cloak was made to withstand the fierce flames of the team master.

With the hostage and shield clearly raised, Gung-gi smiled at Yongjegeon and said:

“Will my evil be this sturdy when I wear your form? I should experiment to see, it shouldn’t break so easily.”