Cheon Suhye blinked her eyes.

Baek Yoonjun had definitely been standing there, but when she blinked, he had disappeared like an illusion.

Moisture welled up in her eyes.

A single tear streamed down.

"How long... do I have to..."

Tears flowed endlessly from her eyes.

"...be captivated by an illusion?"

In the quiet room, only her empty muttering spread aimlessly.

---

Baek Yoonjun, who had returned to his guest room, took a deep breath in and out.

"Phew, that was a close call."

Baek Yoonjun confirmed once more that he was in his room and was relieved.

However, as soon as he felt relieved, troublesome things came to mind, and his head became complicated.

'My head already hurts because of the Zhongnan affair, but what's with the grim reapers all of a sudden?!'

If Baek Yoonjun had his way, he wanted to run away from this place right now.

But since Tang Yuhwa was involved, it became difficult to back out.

Baek Yoonjun recalled the words of the grim reapers once more.

And the conclusion that came out was.

'Hmm, for now, it seems like it'll be fine as long as Sister Suhye and Yuhwa don't meet, right?'

The answer was easier than he thought.

To prevent the two from meeting.

Since he wasn't going to stay in Zhongnan for a thousand years, he just had to get through the decisive battle day, which was now four days away, somehow.

'Ah! The life-and-death duel!!'

When Baek Yoonjun recalled the words 'life-and-death duel', his head started to hurt again.

'Since it involves life and death, do I have to kill the opponent unconditionally? It's burdensome to cut down an opponent who might not be a villain. And there will probably be a lot of spectators.'

At the thought that the opponent might not be a villain and that many people were expected to gather, Baek Yoonjun wanted to run away again.

'Is there no way to get out of it?'

Baek Yoonjun pondered.

He could leave without permission, but Baek Yoonjun didn't have the courage to do so.

And so, after an eternity of Baek Yoonjun pondering and pondering, the day came.

Knock, knock.

As if waiting for the sun to rise, someone knocked on Baek Yoonjun's door.

'Was there someone who was supposed to visit?'

Baek Yoonjun pondered.

No matter how he thought about it, the person who would visit.

'There are too many.'

Unable to narrow down the candidates at all, Baek Yoonjun gave up thinking.

"Are you there?"

The opponent revealed his identity by speaking first on his own.

'It's the glasses guy.'

The person who had come to visit Baek Yoonjun was the man from Zhongnan with the impressive weary body.

'What was his name again?'

Still trying to recall his name, which he couldn't remember, Baek Yoonjun quietly opened the door.

Creak.

When he opened the door, the face of the weary man, whose shadows under his eyes had deepened even more, was visible.

"You were here. That's a relief."

"What is it?"

"I have something to tell you about the life-and-death duel in four days."

"Please speak."

As soon as Baek Yoonjun's permission was given, the weary man began his explanation.

"The victory or defeat is structured so that the side that gets five wins first wins."

"What if five wins don't come out?"

"The side with more wins wins."

Although it wasn't as systematic as a best-of-three, it was an easy-to-understand rule.

Since he naturally understood, Baek Yoonjun nodded his head.

The weary man glanced at Baek Yoonjun's face and continued his explanation.

"The victory or defeat is decided by the side that kills the opponent, completely suppresses them, or receives their surrender."

"So you don't necessarily have to kill them."

"Originally, it should be killed to match the words 'life-and-death duel', but in a world where people die if you're not careful, I thought there was no need to add to the death, so I put a lot of weight on my voice."

"You did well."

Baek Yoonjun thought that the weary man, who looked like a black company office worker, had handled the matter well.

Thinking so, the shadows under the weary man's eyes felt particularly dark today.

'It must not have been smooth.'

Baek Yoonjun quietly prayed for the weary man's soul.

"You've worked hard."

"Not at all. It's something I naturally had to do. And what I have to say more is."

While Baek Yoonjun was expressing his condolences in his heart, the weary man's words continued.

"I think the White Robed Sword Immortal will have to hold off on participating."

"Are you saying I shouldn't participate in the life-and-death duel?"

"Yes, after seeing such martial power, it was only natural for the other side to be startled and try to block it."

At the weary man's words, Baek Yoonjun.

'Hmm, is it that much?'

He couldn't understand what he had seen to say such a thing.

'A mere second-rate is a skill anyone can do... Ah! Could it be?'

Baek Yoonjun began to dig a grand hole inside again.

'Do those above the second-rate not reveal their martial power easily? That's why I haven't seen any martial artists above the second-rate, no, the third-rate!'

Thinking so, Baek Yoonjun nodded his head.

'Well, since martial artists are incomparably stronger than ordinary people, there should be that much of a rule.'

Baek Yoonjun naturally came up with and accepted a thought that was obviously forced.

Since this was a natural disposition of a homebody introvert with almost no self-esteem, there was nothing particularly strange about it.

'By the way, it's a relief that I don't have to participate, but is this okay? Our side is weak.'

Although Baek Yoonjun was relieved that he didn't have to participate, he was also worried.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no corner of his companions' martial power that could be praised, even if he looked with his eyes wide open.

Therefore, Baek Yoonjun struggled to open his mouth and asked.

"What is the level of the opponent's martial power?"

"I don't know the details, but I think people similar to your companions will come out."

As the weary man spoke, his face darkened.

On the other hand, Baek Yoonjun's face was clearly brightened for anyone to see.

'It's a relief that no one above the third-rate will come out.'

While being relieved once more inside.

'As expected, it seems my thought that those above the third-rate do not carelessly reveal their martial power is correct.'

He solidified his thoughts while making a grand misstep.

'Then I don't have to worry about the life-and-death duel, and I just have to do something about the meeting between Yuhwa and Sister Suhye.'

With one worry lessened, Baek Yoonjun thought of another worry.

'For now, I'll have to stick by Yuhwa's side until we leave this place.'

The solution that Baek Yoonjun came up with was to stick by Tang Yuhwa's side and avoid meeting Cheon Suhye.

'I'm curious about what on earth will happen if they meet, but thinking about the grim reapers' words, it definitely won't be a good thing, so I should avoid it.'

Having organized his thoughts that way, Baek Yoonjun's mind became rushed.

"Then are you done with what you have to say?"

"Yes, I'm done."

"I understand. Then I'll be on my way."

After confirming that the weary man's words were finished, Baek Yoonjun immediately left the place.

'By the way, he said they would match our numbers for that life-and-death duel, so what happens to Yuhwa?'

While doing so, he did not forget to think of another worry, which was the disposition of a homebody introvert.

'She's not going to participate, is she?'

Baek Yoonjun thought about going back and asking the weary man about it, but.

'There will be another chance later.'

Like a homebody introvert, he didn't have the courage to start a finished conversation again, so he just continued on his way.

"Is Yuhwa there?"

As soon as he arrived at Tang Yuhwa's room, Baek Yoonjun knocked on the door.

No answer came back.

When he stealthily spread his senses and looked inside, there was no one.

'Where did this brat go so early in the morning?!'

Baek Yoonjun felt a lot of useless worries rising for no reason.

"Master. Are you perhaps looking for Senior Sister Yuhwa? If it's Senior Sister, she went out early in the morning, saying she was going to the blacksmith's."

Fortunately, Hong Yungae, who was nearby, found Baek Yoonjun and told him Tang Yuhwa's whereabouts.

"Thank you."

Baek Yoonjun expressed his gratitude and was about to leave.

In the middle of that, a question came to mind, and he stopped his feet for a moment.

"By the way, what are you doing up so early in the morning?"

"Me, you mean?"

At Baek Yoonjun's question, Hong Yungae scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed.

"I'm going to meet some of the beggars in this neighborhood."

"Ah, really? Good luck."

Although he didn't know why, since he had become the leader of the beggar group called the Beggars' Sect, it wouldn't be very strange for Hong Yungae to meet beggars, so Baek Yoonjun moved his feet without thinking much of it.

Of course, with the bamboo hat he had already brought pulled down low and with timid steps.

And so, Baek Yoonjun, who had arrived at the blacksmith's he had seen before, found Tang Yuhwa diligently hammering iron.

'Where did the owner of this blacksmith's go that Yuhwa is always using it?'

At that sight, Baek Yoonjun felt a question, but he did not say it out loud.

"I talked to the man with the weary body, and he said I could use it here."

Even though Baek Yoonjun hadn't said anything, Tang Yuhwa solved his curiosity while hammering the iron.

'So he rented it out completely.'

One question was solved.

But it was the fate of a homebody introvert that when one question was solved, another question arose.

'But this kid is really good at finding me. Even the ghosts couldn't find me.'

Of course, he had heard the reason from Tang Yuhwa, but it was strange that he had been found by Tang Yuhwa when he hadn't even been caught by the grim reapers yesterday.

'Of course, it's not like I was hiding myself as desperately as yesterday.'

Although a question arose, he naturally did not say it out loud.

To be precise, he couldn't.

"Master, do you have business with me?"

Unfortunately, Tang Yuhwa did not answer this question.

'If she reads my mind every time, is she a fortune teller or a doctor?'

Baek Yoonjun roughly soothed his disappointed heart and opened his mouth to state his business.

"Let's stick together for a while."

"Okay."

Tang Yuhwa gave a definite answer right away without any questions or anything.

'Isn't this kid curious? Why the definite answer?'

Thanks to that, only Baek Yoonjun's questions increased.

Since Baek Yoonjun was very wronged for some reason, he carefully brought up yesterday's incident.

"I was chasing after some grim reapers, and they said that if you meet someone I know, something big will happen."

Clang.

At Baek Yoonjun's words, Tang Yuhwa stopped the hand that was hammering the iron.

Then she quietly turned her gaze towards Baek Yoonjun.

"Master."

"What is it?"

"How can a person see a ghost?"

At Tang Yuhwa's words, Baek Yoonjun was at a loss for words.

It was such a natural thing to say.

'Did I dream it?'

Therefore, Baek Yoonjun could not be sure about yesterday's incident.

'No. I definitely saw it.'

Although he couldn't be sure, he was wronged.

"No, I'm telling you I definitely saw it."

"A person can't see a ghost."

"Is a grim reaper just a ghost?"

"It's the same that a person can't see them anyway, isn't it?"

Baek Yoonjun was at a loss for words again.

He was very wronged at the very natural words, but he had nothing to say.

Although he wanted to argue about something very much.

"...Anyway, there's no harm in being careful, is there? So I'll be by your side for a while."

Since he couldn't argue due to his nature, he just let it slide moderately.

At his words, Tang Yuhwa.

"Okay."

She answered definitively without a moment's hesitation.

At that definite answer, Baek Yoonjun was at a loss for words again.

'This kid doesn't even believe me, so why the definite answer?'

Although questions were soaring, he could not say them out loud.

"Whether you believe it or not, since Master is thinking of me, there's no reason to refuse, is there?"

This time, since Tang Yuhwa spat out the answer right away, Baek Yoonjun's worries did not last long.

Feeling needlessly embarrassed, Baek Yoonjun turned his eyes, and the iron that Tang Yuhwa was hammering came into his view.

Since Baek Yoonjun had some talent in blacksmithing, the use of that iron naturally came to his mind.

'It's a weapon?'

Although he couldn't know the exact shape yet, the direction was a weapon, no matter how he looked at it.

With one question resolved, another question came to Baek Yoonjun's mind.

'Yuhwa is making a weapon? Why on earth?'

It would have been understandable if she were making a medical tool like a needle.

But at the fact that it was a weapon, Baek Yoonjun had no choice but to have a question.

Since the depth of this question was much deeper than the previous ones, Baek Yoonjun overcame his nature and quickly brought up the question.

"Why are you making a weapon?"

Tang Yuhwa once again stopped the hand that was hammering the iron and turned her gaze towards Baek Yoonjun.

Although it was her usual sullen face, for some reason, a gaze that seemed to hold some kind of determination came into Baek Yoonjun's vision.

"I'm going to participate."

"What?"

At the word 'participate', Baek Yoonjun's thoughts stopped for a moment.

He quickly pondered whether there was another use for the word 'participate' that he knew.

"I'm going to participate in the life-and-death duel."

But that thought was soon completely shaken off.

Having lost his mind for a moment, Baek Yoonjun quietly asked.

"Why?"

"I decided to do so."

The answer that came back to the question was not a very satisfactory one.

No matter how he looked at it, it didn't suit Tang Yuhwa.

'Doesn't this seem like she's throwing a tantrum?'

A picture of a child throwing a tantrum came to Baek Yoonjun's mind.

(End of Chapter)