Heung Gi, unusually polite, requested that I remove my mask.

When I was alone in the dense darkness, if the one who controlled the darkness approached and said such words, I would have likely been filled with various thoughts. But what filled my mind now was a single question.

‘Why?’

I needed to find the answer.

It wasn't about why Heung Gi had lost his mind. I already knew that Heung Gi was mad, and that understanding formed the basis of my thoughts.

The question that troubled me was why Heung Gi wasn't acting out of control, but instead maintaining a relatively polite attitude.

‘Yong Jegun must have driven Heung Gi crazy after messing around with him for a while before making his wish and fleeing. His temper must be at its peak.’

When I suggested using the remnants of the nightmare as bait, Yong Jegun, who was on our side, wore an expression that was mischievous enough to make me thankful he was an ally. He seemed to enjoy the idea far too much for someone who would be playing a dangerous role, and it made me uneasy. But since there was no one else to do it, I had to go along with it.

Yong Jegun had been looking forward to luring Heung Gi, so it was impossible that he had just quietly copied me.

That wasn’t all.

‘I’m wearing the Crow Mask now. The dark forces, as well as their subordinates, must know what this mask symbolizes. Why aren’t they attacking me immediately?’

The mask could be easily removed after neutralizing me in battle.

Right now, I was alone, and thanks to the rampage-inducing agent and the foreign energy poison, I had drained a considerable amount of both my physical strength and energy.

In contrast, Heung Gi had awakened his powerful abilities. While I didn’t know how much they would help in combat, there was also a researcher by his side.

I wondered if Heung Gi could sense the nightmare inside me, but the Dreamcatcher was fine.

If he had felt any malice, he would have probably spouted nonsense about wanting to take me along by now.

It was impossible for me to defeat Heung Gi, who was wielding greater power than I had expected, or to escape safely using a frontal assault, so I had to use this question to my advantage.

‘Is he just being fickle because he’s gone mad? Or...’

I stared at Heung Gi through the mask, but I couldn’t read his emotions.

It seemed like he was hiding them.

When we last met, he had acted openly affectionate or displayed aggression toward the aristocracy. This time, he was behaving quite differently, carefully, which I found odd.

I came to a conclusion after seeing Heung Gi act so out of character.

‘He doesn’t feel malice toward me, but because I’m wearing the Crow Mask and appear suspicious, he isn’t sure.’

Heung Gi had been played with by Yong Jegun and lost his certainty. Thus, he couldn’t decide whether I was the malice he was searching for or not.

If a grand player holds a powerful chess piece but doesn’t know what move to make, I could deal with him easily.

And there was something I wanted to test.

I spoke provocatively.

“Want to see what’s beneath the mask? Come closer and check for yourself.”

I could feel Heung Gi observing me.

It was still dark around us, and there was a distance between us, but it felt as though Heung Gi was studying me as though darkness or distance were no obstacles.

As Heung Gi tried to step closer, the researcher warned him.

“Don’t approach, there’s energy poison here!”

Heung Gi immediately stopped.

It seemed like Heung Gi knew what energy poison was.

Instead of asking the researcher about the energy poison, Heung Gi kept his relentless focus on me.

Meanwhile, the researcher kept talking.

“There’s no need to get close and remove the mask. The person under it is a fake, just like Eom Jun-yeol. The one who destroyed the Phantom Dream Auction.”

“If it’s a fake, he must have used some power to change his appearance, and now he’s maintaining it while under the influence of the energy poison.”

Heung Gi didn’t look back at the researcher but kept his gaze on me.

Moreover, I could feel a heavy darkness surrounding me, and it seemed that Heung Gi was still trying to learn more about me through the darkness.

Terrifyingly, all of Heung Gi’s attention was solely focused on me.

“You’re not affected by the energy poison, are you? Moreover, this darkness can’t touch you either. What are you?”

I was just a human borrowing the abilities of a playable character and carrying the burden of nightmares, but I had no intention of explaining that to him.

Perhaps losing his patience, Heung Gi summoned a large amount of feathers.

Half of the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) feathers were imbued with corrupted darkness, while the other half was simply infused with Heung Gi’s power.

‘The energy poison surrounding me has probably been almost detoxified due to Andain’s unique constitution. If Heung Gi attacks me with feathers and approaches afterward, I won’t be able to fight back.’

Right now, I was using the powers of Gwanglim from Eom Jun-yeol and Andain. Once I blocked the feathers, due to the limited time I could use Gwanglim, one of the two powers would likely dissipate.

It would be foolish to directly face them.

That said, the checkmate-like threat hadn’t arrived yet.

If Heung Gi still hesitated to attack immediately, I still had room for other moves.

“With methods that cause physical or mental pain, you might be able to remove my mask, but you won’t figure out my true identity. After all, there’s someone here who’s been watching my experiments. He knows well, doesn’t he?”

I provocatively spoke to the researcher, but he couldn’t refute me.

Seeing that I had endured the rampage-inducing agent and energy poison and summoned a wall of fire, the researcher couldn’t deny it.

Heung Gi seemed to deduce from the researcher’s reaction that what I said was true, but he didn’t retract the feathers.

In a life-threatening situation, the knight who makes a move shouldn’t be discouraged.

I smiled beneath the mask and spoke.

“I have a suggestion.”

“...Tell me.”

Heung Gi’s gaze locked onto my lips.

It seemed that my smile was strange to him.

But given the proposal I was about to make, I couldn’t help but smile.

“If you use those feathers on someone other than me, I’ll take the mask off and approach you.”

The researcher treated Heung Gi with respect, and despite the fact that the researcher was undoubtedly an evil figure, Heung Gi didn’t treat him kindly but instead prioritized me.

For the dark forces, Heung Gi was an important piece handling corrupted darkness, and due to his growth in this incident, his status was bound to rise.

On the other hand, the researcher failed at the crucial task of driving Eom Jun-yeol into a rampage.

Eom Jun-yeol, who was hit by the rampage-inducing agent the researcher developed, not only failed to rampage but even succeeded in awakening. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Unless Heung Gi himself disclosed it, the dark forces would never learn about my offer.

Cunning Heung Gi understood that, even if the researcher didn’t return, he wouldn’t bear any responsibility for the situation.

When the researcher heard my proposal, he was horrified and shouted.

“Isn’t it enough just to defeat the mask and take it off? Capturing this author from an area affected by the energy poison and torturing him will yield no results. This one doesn’t even react to the rampage-inducing agent or energy poison!”

“And I’ll give you an answer to your question. How about that?”

I timed it well and interrupted the researcher’s words, speaking directly to Heung Gi.

By having the researcher reveal what I had endured, I enhanced the value of my proposal.

Aside from handling the researcher, Heung Gi would gain nothing by refusing my offer.

“I like your suggestion.”

Heung Gi’s calculation was quick.

He revealed sharp fangs and smiled kindly, gesturing toward the researcher.

The feathers aimed at me shifted in unison.

“G-Gung-gi! Are you going to believe the author’s nonsense? There’s no guarantee you’ll get the answer you want from him! He’s trying to reduce our strength while plotting...”

“Whether it’s there or not, I wouldn’t call it strength. Your malice was quite satisfying, but right now, I need the malice I’m searching for.”

Heung Gi immediately unleashed the feathers he summoned at the researcher without hesitation.

Papapapack!

There was no scream.

Perhaps to avoid making noise, Heung Gi aimed at the researcher’s neck.

There was a small choking sound as if the researcher was struggling to breathe, but as expected, he managed to keep his life.

Having surrendered to the corrupted darkness, the researcher wasn’t severely harmed even when pierced by the feathers with the taint of darkness.

Instead of worrying about the researcher’s life or death, Heung Gi spoke to me.

“Come here.”

Though I didn’t want to take another step closer, I had to move forward to complete my move.

I slowly walked toward Heung Gi.

Heung Gi smiled widely as I came out of the range of the energy poison, his eyes gleaming.

As I had initially proposed, I took off the Crow Mask in front of Heung Gi.

When I removed the mask, the sigil of Sydrelentium etched within it flickered slowly for a moment.

Was it the Demon King protesting, asking for a longer look, or was it questioning what I was doing right now? I couldn’t tell.

“You look like Eom Jun-yeol. The malice I’m searching for can change its appearance. I’ve also seen it take the form of Seong Guk-eon and Yong Jegun.”

“You don’t think there’s any possibility that I’m the real Eom Jun-yeol?”

“The upright, righteous, and immature descendant of the dragon clan would be willing to make such a deal with me?”

Eom Jun-yeol is upright and righteous.

His immaturity is something that will resolve as he gains more experience, and he must have grown after successfully achieving the Red Dragon Flower today.

I wanted to argue, but I decided to solve the immediate issue first.

“Ask your question.”

“Then I’ll ask. Are you the one I’ve been searching for?”

If I pretended not to know who he was searching for, I could easily break an arm or leg.

The reason I was standing here in one piece was because of the absurd deal I had struck.

At least Heung Gi would respond to my proposal, given that I had shown sincerity in the deal.

I answered honestly.

“Yes.”

“Aha! Finally!”

As soon as I spoke, Heung Gi’s face twisted with admiration.

Though he still didn’t feel any malice, he couldn’t hide his joy and babbled on.

“Do you see the darkness surrounding this place? I’m more useful than a dragon, who can only deceive and flee, or some worthless drug addict. If left alone, I’ll become an obstacle, but making a deal like just now will be a good move.”

Heung Gi chattered, overcome with emotion.

I couldn’t figure out his intention in trying to advertise himself, but I could guess it was Yong Jegun’s fault.

I raised my hand without saying a word.

Seeing me lift my hand, almost like I was asking for a handshake, Heung Gi alternated his gaze between my face and my hand.

“Do you want me to shake your hand?”

I nodded once.

Heung Gi reached out in delight.

The cold, hard, creepy, and unpleasant sensation spread between our hands as they made contact.

But it wasn’t just me who felt that sensation.

Pak!

Heung Gi pulled his hand back in surprise as if he had been electrocuted, but at that moment, the surrounding darkness blurred and sunlight gently seeped in.

It was like pouring clear water into a pitch-black ink, creating a gap in the corrupted darkness.

This experiment had succeeded as planned.

‘Just as I thought. The corrupted darkness can’t affect me, and it can’t even touch me.’

Though I was close to Heung Gi, I didn’t feel the influence of the darkness at all.

Heung Gi must have thought I was an evil being and had adapted to the corrupted darkness.

After being surrounded by the corrupted darkness, I took my time and carefully examined my condition.

At that moment, I was using Andain’s power, so I made sure to check thoroughly.

The faces of the noble couple, who had lost their child to the corrupted darkness and were crying out that they couldn’t send Andain away, flashed before my eyes.

But while using Andain’s power, the corrupted darkness couldn’t touch me.

‘Maybe Andain spent thousands of years figuring out how to deal with this corrupted darkness while waiting for his parents.’

I couldn’t draw a conclusion yet since I hadn’t cross-verified, but Andain’s unique constitution, which was stronger than his mother’s purifying power, might have been honed over thousands of years.

Even after becoming one with the corrupted darkness, Heung Gi’s presence caused the darkness to fade.

And I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

I spoke to the tiger, who must have been listening to all my thoughts.

Come and split the darkness.

Kwahhhhh!

Before I could even blink, the world before me turned white.

The back of the white tiger, and the white traces left by Baek Ah, split the corrupted darkness in half.