Chapter 248

“You, you must return! You absolutely must come back for me!”

Screech!

Thud!

Anton’s desperate cry echoed as the door closed.

They hadn’t given him food or water.

He could probably survive for a while by eating the moss on the walls and drinking the groundwater that seeped through.

However, Chiwoo’s expression as he shut the door was grim.

‘Daring to bring a Demon King into the mountain?’

Even if it was a corpse, it was still a Demon King.

Making a Jiangshi from a Creator was unforgivable, but bringing a Demon King into the mountain was on a completely different level.

Something unimaginable in the old Hall of All Gods.

No matter how much the Hall of All Gods’ spirit had deteriorated, how could they commit something this absurd?

‘…It might not be only the Undead Sect.’

The bigger problem was whether only the Undead Sect had done such things.

Even aside from those called the Nine Families, there might be others trying to harness the power of demons.

Of course, someone might say this:

Don’t you need to know your enemy to deal with them?

It wasn’t wrong.

But when it came to demons, that was nothing but nonsense.

The moment you become entangled with demons, you are inevitably influenced.

The power of demons gnaws at your mind and soul the instant you accept it.

…It was truly a foolish act.

Blinded by the great power placed before them, they trampled on Arahan’s sublime spirit.

Even if doing so let them obtain the power of Defying Heaven, they could never reach Ultimate Mastery.

‘Taebaek… It seems you tacitly stood by and watched.’

None of this could have happened so easily.

Taebaek stood by while acts that defiled the Hall of All Gods’ spirit and soul were carried out.

Or perhaps he tacitly guided it.

His power was different in many ways from that of an ordinary Arahan.

It was possible that Taebaek, the mountain’s new master, was also connected to demons.

If that were the case, he had to be killed.

“What is a Heavenly Demon?”

Arisa asked cautiously.

It was the phrase carved at the very top of the inscriptions inside the door.

But it was a name she had never heard before.

Chiwoo answered in an even heavier voice.

“The mountain’s true master.”

“The mountain’s true master…?”

Arisa tilted her head.

The current master of the mountain was Taebaek.

But did that mean Taebaek wasn’t the true master?

She couldn’t bring herself to ask further.

If what she had seen was true, then even if he had inherited the name…

‘Absolute Devil.’

A legend passed down in the Hidden Realm.

The legend that when Avici Hell opens, Absolute Devils emerge and destroy the mountain.

And these two had definitely come from Avici Hell.

Perhaps they had inherited martial arts from those called the Twelve Heavenly Kings.

She had known they were extraordinary from the moment they used the Asura Sword, but seeing it with her own eyes was an indescribable shock.

‘Do they intend to destroy the mountain, as in the legend? Or save it?’

Arisa hesitated.

Because she couldn’t know their true intentions.

They seemed hostile to the Undead Sect by imprisoning Anton, but that alone wasn’t enough to judge them.

Moreover, they had even refused to join the Hidden Realm.

“Do you truly have no intention of joining us?”

“We will join.”

“…?”

Park Chanwoo answered, and Arisa could only blink.

“You clearly refused, didn’t you?”

“There were many watching eyes. But I have no intention of joining immediately.”

“…Then?”

“The Hidden Realm has something it must do for us. Joining will happen after that.”

Arisa’s expression hardened instantly.

If he wanted to join, then he was proposing a deal.

And it sounded like he intended to move the entire Hidden Realm, not just Arisa.

Already, secretly bringing Anton into the Hidden Realm was taking a huge risk.

Was he asking her to take an even greater one?

Park Chanwoo gave a slight smile.

“It’s not a difficult matter, so don’t worry.”

===

The next day.

Gang Si-chan returned to find Park Chanwoo, but his expression was different from yesterday—far less pleasant.

He tried to hide it, but an unpleasant air seeped out of him.

‘It seems he’s noticed Anton’s disappearance.’

Well, it would be strange if he hadn’t.

Anton, who had committed a grave crime and been imprisoned, had vanished without a trace.

It wouldn’t have been strange if the mountain was in an uproar searching for him, yet it was quieter than expected.

‘The Undead Sect. Or Gang Si-chan intervened. They want to handle this as quietly as possible.’

The latter seemed more likely.

Everything related to Anton was under Gang Si-chan’s control.

Monitoring the Mystic Tower, searching for the research journal, and dealing with variables that could damage the Undead Sect—all of it involved him.

Because if this became a commotion, it would only create unnecessary problems.

Wasn’t this proof the Undead Sect itself wanted the matter quietly buried?

“I hope you’ve brought a decent proposal today that I can accept.”

“…First, I need to confirm whether what you have is really the research journal.”

His tone was urgent.

The relaxed demeanor from yesterday was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps with Anton gone, he wanted the research journal in hand as quickly as possible, to eliminate variables.

However, he didn’t seem to suspect at all that Park Chanwoo and Chiwoo were the ones who had hidden Anton.

‘The prison designated by the inquisitor is hidden within the Nine Palaces Deep Chamber, where no one can enter or leave. A force that pierced tenfold surveillance and a hundredfold Barriers to extract Anton in secret.’

It wasn’t something an individual or a small group could do.

It was probably one of the families hostile to the Undead Sect.

He needed the research journal as soon as possible to prepare.

Park Chanwoo casually pulled the research journal from his pocket and waved it.

“Is this what you mean?”

“So that is the real research journal…”

“Creator of the Cradle.”

“…!!”

Gang Si-chan’s expression twisted deeper.

Knowing that name meant he had confirmed it in the research journal.

He absolutely had to secure it.

If that journal fell into another family’s hands, it wouldn’t end with a mere ripple.

“Now, what proposal do you intend to make to me?”

“…Three [Great Revival Pills]. The maximum condition I can offer.”

[Great Revival Pills]!

A legendary elixir given to only an extremely small number of Arahan.

There were rumors it was comparable to Arkham’s Life Water, but Park Chanwoo had never seen one.

And he was offering three of them?

“That can’t be all.”

“Excessive greed leads to trouble.”

“I’d like you to have brought a better proposal.”

“…You, truly…”

Grind!

Gang Si-chan clenched his teeth.

A massive pressure crashed down around Park Chanwoo.

Chiwoo stepped forward to block it, but Gang Si-chan didn’t withdraw as easily as yesterday.

Still, the pressure stopped.

Because Gang Si-chan regained his composure.

“…Originally, you two aren’t from the Hidden Realm, are you?”

He’d hit the mark.

According to Gang Si-chan’s separate investigation, there were no such individuals in the Hidden Realm.

They were climbing the mountain under false identities.

Naturally, if he made it an issue, it would become a major problem.

If he wanted, he could force them to descend or imprison them.

That was when it happened.

“Those two are indeed from the Hidden Realm.”

As if she had been waiting, Arisa appeared.

Arisa, representing the Sanctum of the Sword, had personally verified and guaranteed it.

Gang Si-chan frowned.

“A lie. I’ve never even heard of such individuals in the Hidden Realm…”

“You’re treating our words too lightly.”

“Then why aren’t they with you?”

“…Actually, we came to make a proposal as well.”

Arisa looked at Park Chanwoo.

Then she rummaged in her pocket and pulled out an object.

A strange light flickered in Gang Si-chan’s eyes.

‘That is…?’

A stone emitting a faint glow.

A priceless treasure beyond compare.

“It’s a [Transcendence Stone] that can create an Arahan’s Mystique. I thought this would be a rather good proposal to recruit you to our side.”

“I refuse.”

“…You must also be from the Hidden Realm, so why do you refuse us?”

“I told you. I have no intention of joining those with no potential.”

Arisa bit her lip hard.

Then, with an expression that looked almost resolute—

“I will come again tomorrow.”

She turned and left.

Gang Si-chan stared blankly after her.

‘They’re from the Hidden Realm, but they rejected the Hidden Realm?’

Park Chanwoo and Chiwoo.

He’d thought they might be a secret weapon the Hidden Realm had hidden away, yet they were keeping their distance.

And the reason was clear.

No potential.

It meant the Hidden Realm wasn’t worth joining.

Then they would join somewhere with greater value.

It was both fortunate and unfortunate.

Things could become more complicated.

There were too many watching eyes to act rashly.

Arisa had even tried to recruit them by offering the Hidden Realm’s treasure, the [Transcendence Stone].

He needed something that would bind them more firmly.

If three [Great Revival Pills] weren’t enough…

That was beyond his authority.

“…I will also come again tomorrow.”

“Why should I wait until tomorrow?”

“What?”

“Arisa came solely for ‘recruitment.’ But your side is different.”

“…If you expose the journal, you will absolutely not survive.”

Even if the Undead Sect was shaken, those two wouldn’t survive either.

Of that, he was certain.

He believed they had enough sense to understand it.

But Park Chanwoo only shrugged.

“It seems I won’t be the only one dying.”

…That’s right.

Gang Si-chan would die with them.

He had pierced that fact precisely.

“Two [Great Revival Pills].”

“What?”

“I said I need two [Great Revival Pills] to keep my mouth shut. The price for selling the journal is separate.”

“…Are you joking?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Park Chanwoo’s expression sank as well.

It was the look of someone who didn’t care even if they died together.

Keeping his mouth shut didn’t only mean staying silent about what was in the journal.

It meant staying silent about everything he had seen.

The price for that was two [Great Revival Pills].

At first glance, it sounded absurdly expensive for mere silence.

But Park Chanwoo was confident.

‘A thirsty person digs a well, and the one with more to lose grows more afraid.’

Anton had disappeared.

If this spread across the mountain, Gang Si-chan would face even greater pressure.

In other words—

‘I hold the cards in this game.’

With both Anton and the journal secured, Gang Si-chan had no choice but to move as Park Chanwoo intended.

And that thought struck true.

“…You, you must absolutely keep your promise.”