“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
Though his answer was calm, the look in his eyes as he gazed at the approaching Song Jiwoon was filled with mixed emotion—relief, joy, and quiet sorrow.
It had been five years since the king had lost his mind after embedding the jewel in his forehead and roamed the mountains in madness. To now be able to face his one and only disciple with a clear mind—of course he was overwhelmed.
Kneeling beside the couch, Song Jiwoon looked as though he might cry as he carefully asked:
“Do you... recognize me?”
It was a question he had asked again and again over those five years.
When the king ran away at the sight of him, clinging to the last shreds of sanity. When he’d attacked him under the influence of the jewel’s energy. Even then, Jiwoon had shouted until his voice broke, begging to be recognized.
That short sentence contained all the suffering of those years. The king realized it—and smiled bitterly.
“...How could I forget you? Even with my mind consumed by that cursed energy, you were the one thing I couldn’t forget.”
He looked over Cha Seohu, Cha Sahyeon, and Ryu Sunghyun—who had followed into the living room—his silver-blue eyes pausing especially long on Seohu and Sahyeon.
Though the king’s wariness was obvious, Seohu only shrugged in response. Sahyeon didn’t even seem to care.
Jiwoon, flashing a sheepish smile as he glanced between Seohu and the king, spoke up.
“These people... they helped me a lot.”
That began Jiwoon’s recounting of recent events. How he met Cha Seohu and Ryu Sunghyun, and how Seohu removed the jewel from the king’s head.
The king reached up instinctively to touch his forehead. The once hard, smooth surface was gone.
“It was really possible? The energy in that jewel wasn’t ordinary. It was strong enough to completely seize my mind...”
“Well, it worked.”
Seohu’s reply was light and nonchalant, which only confused the king further.
“...So you weren’t a conman?”
“Conman?”
Seeing the king squint at Seohu with suspicion, Jiwoon quickly interjected in a panic.
“Of course not! The snow outside melted because of him too. Hunter Cha Seohu purified it.”
The king reflexively looked out the window. His silver-blue eyes trembled violently.
Seohu was momentarily stunned.
‘Is it really that shocking?’
He remembered how, just after waking up, the king had accused him of trying to scam his disciple. So he really had believed Seohu was some kind of fraud.
“Anyway. I’d like to hear your side of what happened.”
Waving off Jiwoon’s hesitance, Seohu turned to the king.
“Especially the jewel in your forehead, and the energy I felt from it. I want to know the details.”
“What for?”
“If you explain it to me, I’ll explain myself too.”
The king narrowed his eyes, visibly displeased, then sighed.
“...I walk the path of Seohwa.”
For the first time in a long while, the king spoke his name aloud.
“I was born and raised in another world.”
He went on to explain.
From the mysterious hole that opened in the sky and the incident that swept him away, to the bond he formed with Song Jiwoon, and his quest to rid Jiwoon of the king’s own energy that had fused into him.
Jiwoon listened quietly—until the king mentioned descending the mountain for his sake. Then he couldn’t hide the emotion on his face.
Seohu, on the other hand, nodded slowly, something clicking in his mind.
“So the Northern Duke was you.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Anyway, did you find a solution?”
The king shook his head.
“I met a strange human. He gave me a business card and said he worked at a small research lab.”
“......”
“I didn’t like him from the start. I released a bit of my energy on purpose—just a tiny bit. Normally, any human would’ve fled in terror. But he didn’t flinch. That means...”
“He’s not a normal guy.”
Seohu, arms crossed, pulled something from his inventory and handed it to the king.
“Did the business card look like this?”
“...!”
The king’s eyes widened in shock as he accepted the card.
“Why do you have this?”
It was the same card he’d received during the front gate of the Royal Palace incident, passed to him by Kwon Taehyuk.
“I’m chasing them. I owe them quite a bit.”
Seohu glanced briefly at Sahyeon, standing silently like a gatekeeper by his side, then continued.
“This is my brother. Both of us were kidnapped and experimented on in the lab those bastards mentioned. We barely escaped. We’re still being hunted.”
The king’s expression turned cold.
“Human experimentation, is it. Then do you know what their goal is?”
“Not exactly. But it’s nothing good. They already knew you were powerful—and they came to manipulate you.”
Of course, Seohu knew they were insane cultists who dreamed of world destruction. But for now, he chose to keep that part to himself.
Ryu Sunghyun, Song Jiwoon, and Jiwoon’s trusted teacher—the one who called himself “the one who walks the path of Seohwa.”
All of them were trustworthy. But they were also all figures Seohu had failed to protect in his past life—strong demon-types who had once fallen prey to those cultists.
It wasn’t yet time to reveal everything.
“Vile and despicable to the bone.”
The king clenched his jaw, glaring at the words “Nox Bio” on the card.
“Dragging away one of their own kind for experiments wasn’t enough—they tried to make me spread chaos throughout the world. I’ll never forgive them.”
His eyes lit up with a fierce glow, and a biting chill surged from his body like a blade.
Just before the surging energy reached /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Seohu, Cha Sahyeon stepped in and shadows erupted from him like thorns.
Seohu shouted hastily.
“Calm down!”
Thankfully, the energy subsided before Sahyeon lost patience.
The moment lasted barely two seconds, but the living room had already frosted over and the windows were encased in ice.
“Ugh...”
The king, pale, clutched his forehead and broke into a cold sweat.
“S-sorry. I don’t normally lose control like this, but right now...”
“It’s probably a side effect. Technically, you’ve been in a berserk state for five years.”
It wasn’t meant as comfort. It was just the truth.
Berserkers lose control and unleash energy recklessly—it's a dangerous state that strains both body and mind.
Even a few hours of it can cause trauma and lingering side effects. The king had been like that for five years. The damage must be unimaginable.
‘Honestly, the fact that he’s even holding it together is incredible.’
That kind of mental strength is rare. That’s why those cultists were so dangerous—they could even break someone like him.
After a few deep breaths, the king turned to Jiwoon.
“I’m sorry, too. I didn’t fix your condition. I only caused you more harm.”
“Please don’t say that, Teacher. I’m really okay.”
“No. This is your future. Your family. It’s not something to brush aside.”
The king bit his lip anxiously, then suddenly stood up.
“There’s no time for this. I have to go down the mountain.”
“Huh? Teacher, wait! I’m really fine now...”
“If you’re worried about me, don’t be. My mind is clear, my body is healed. I won’t fall for the same trick twice. Just wait here with peace of mind—I’ll find a way to fix you.”
“Teacher!”
“Vice Guildmaster!”
Jiwoon grabbed the king in a panic, but couldn’t stop him. Seohu turned to Ryu Sunghyun, who had stood silently beside him like a shadow.
Without needing further instruction, Ryu Sunghyun created a tall wall of golden light in front of the door.
It wasn’t a big gesture—but it was enough to halt the king for a moment.
‘He’s Guildmaster’s teacher. He deserves respectful treatment.’
That’s why Seohu had asked Ryu Sunghyun instead of Cha Sahyeon. Sahyeon would’ve just attacked or bound him in shadows without warning.
As Seohu expected, the king frowned and turned toward him.
“Move.”
“Why are you in such a rush? Hear me out first.”
“There’s nothing more to say. Even if there is, it can wait. The most urgent issue is something else.”
The king was visibly agitated.
This wasn’t a time for calm. Even if he descended right away, there was no telling how long it would take to find the information he needed.
Would Jiwoon’s last remaining relative still be alive by then?
What if... what if something already happened in these five years...?
If so, the king would have committed an unforgivable crime against his disciple.
Just as the long-familiar fear and despair returned to haunt him—he heard a firm voice ring in his ears.
“She’s recovered.”
The king halted mid-step, about to push through the wall of light.
“The mountain guardian is already fully healed. I purified her myself.”
“What are you saying...?”
“I mean the energy inside the jewel, and your energy that had fused with the mountain guardian—I purified them all.”
The king’s face twisted.
“That’s not possible. You think I spent years searching for a cure for no reason? There’s no supporter in this country who can endure my energy, let alone—”
“You needed more than purification. You needed a healing skill that could restore the heart, didn’t you?”
“...!”
“Awakened energy originates in the heart. The mountain guardian’s heart was afflicted. Even if your energy was purified, her heart wouldn’t have survived. To save her, you needed someone who could purify and heal at the same time.”
Seohu slowly gathered his energy.
A pure white light enveloped his body, and a pair of massive, radiant wings unfurled behind him.
“I can do it.”
He smiled gently at the dumbfounded king and Jiwoon, then fully activated his divine power.
The frost and ice that had accumulated from the king’s earlier rage melted instantly. Warm, clean air filled the living room.
Feeling Seohu’s energy, Jiwoon unconsciously touched his chest.
The bitter cold that had once filled his heart was gone—now replaced by warmth and calm.
That sensation... was a gift from Cha Seohu.

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