Two days remained until Hui-Ryeon, the Dark Mage Cult Leader, visited the colonized Narang tribe.

During this time, Baek Yu-Seol busily worked in the shadows of the night, eliminating dark mages and gathering as much information as possible.

’As expected, the outskirts of the village are poorly guarded. It’s no different from a regular dark mage settlement.’

While the dark mages in the central tower operated systematically, almost like humans, this level of organization was clearly limited to just a select few.

’The Dark Mage Cult may have taken control of this city, but that doesn’t mean all the dark mages genuinely believe in their religion.’

Most of the dark mages likely only pretended to follow the Dark Mage Cult, wanting to align themselves with the shadow of a powerful organization.

’Looking at it this way, I’m starting to understand how the Dark Mage Cult operates...’

On the surface, they seemed to function well, but it was clear they lacked the perfect hierarchical structure seen in human societies.

If an incident were to occur, the entire organization could implode like a ticking bomb.

’Well, that’s not really my concern.’

If the dark mages launched a massive war, it would be the Dark Mage King’s problem to handle. All Baek Yu-Seol cared about was identifying and dealing with the faction that survived.

Before that, however, he needed to understand who Hui-Ryeon was and why he’s connected to Fawn Prevernal Moon. To figure this out, he had to see them with his own eyes.

Dong—!

The bell of the central tower rang loudly.

Over the past two days, a belfry had been constructed on the rooftop of the central tower. The moment noon struck, the bell echoed across the village, summoning all the Narang tribe members to the tower.

The leader of the dark mages, presumed to be the High Priest of the Dark Mage Cult, emerged wearing a black robe, looking down on the kneeling Narang tribe members.

The central plaza was far too small to hold the nearly twenty thousand Narang tribe members. To accommodate this event, the High Priest had modified the city, ensuring the streets were packed with beastfolk.

"Listen up, you pathetic wolf scums!"

When the High Priest shouted, their booming voice echoed throughout the city.

Baek Yu-Seol, who was hiding in the tallest nearby building to observe the scene, frowned slightly at the spectacle.

’It doesn’t suit him at all.’ 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The High Priest was massive, making the sight of him cloaked in a robe look awkward and out of place.

Moreover, the horns protruding from his head clashed entirely with the image of a priest, and his jet-black eyes made him look unmistakably like a demon.

And yet, the High Priest shamelessly declared himself a representative of the gods, delivering a pompous speech.

"We are the messengers who have descended to liberate you from this filthy and primitive culture! From now on, you will believe in the Dark Mage Cult. In return, you will receive enlightenment! Proof of that enlightenment lies in this very bell tower, an architectural marvel far beyond your crude abilities to construct anything so beautiful!"

Unable to bear the nonsense any longer, Baek Yu-Seol covered his ears.

’That’s supposed to be a speech...? It wouldn’t hurt if someone wrote a script for that idiotic High Priest.’

He wondered how anyone could expect to win converts with such hollow and nonsensical rhetoric.

The only reason no one was refuting the absurd speech was not because it was convincing but because everyone was gripped by fear.

Defiance meant death, not just for oneself, but potentially for their entire family.

The Narang tribe warriors, even with their strength, couldn’t dare rise up, knowing the consequences would be catastrophic.

’Maybe the High Priest knows this and doesn’t bother trying to deliver a proper speech.’

Baek Yu-Seol quietly moved through the crowd.

With his superhuman physical abilities, he managed to slip through the gaps between the larger Narang tribe members, avoiding the watchful eyes of the many dark mages guarding the area.

’Hmm... Hui-Ryeon, or whatever his name is, doesn’t seem to be directly involved here.’

Baek Yu-Seol’s sharp gaze settled on a shadowy corner of the bell tower.

A boy dressed in priestly robes was hidden in the shadows.

At first glance, he appeared to be nothing more than a child, hardly the type to be suspected as the mastermind behind the Dark Mage Cult.

But Baek Yu-Seol was certain.

On either side of the boy stood powerful dark mages guarding him. Additionally, the boy himself possessed significant dark magic power. But most importantly, Baek Yu-Seol’s Sentient Spec glasses displayed a warning marker on him.

Even though Hui-Ryeon didn’t appear in the game and his name couldn’t be confirmed, that alone was evidence enough.

For someone with such a strong presence to remain unnamed, it was the clearest sign that this boy was the Dark Mage Cult Leader, Hui-Ryeon.

’Well, there’s no reason for him to step forward himself. A Cult Leader showing up to give a recruitment speech in a city like this wouldn’t be very impressive, would it?’

Hui-Ryeon had always operated in secrecy, never revealing his face to the world.

There was no way he would break that precedent here.

Having confirmed enough, Baek Yu-Seol pulled out a headband from his belongings.

It wasn’t an ordinary headband. It had wolf ears attached to it!

This was an item Baek Yu-Seol had crafted himself over the past two days to mimic the Narang tribe.

With Hui-Ryeon’s identity confirmed, it was time to act. Placing the headband on his head, Baek Yu-Seol smirked.

’This should work flawlessly, right?’

"Now, as followers of the Dark Mage Cult, you are blessed with the grace to receive enlightenment...!"

While the clueless High Priest was rambling through his speech, Hui-Ryeon remained hidden in the shadows of the bell tower, silently observing the scene.

Pathetic.

And foolish.

He wasn’t referring to the Narang tribe but rather to the dark mages.

Those he could technically call his own kind.

They were nothing more than a primitive race that only possessed physical strength and lacked the intellect to build a proper society.

Can these creatures even be considered part of ’humanity’?

Just because they could speak and had a semblance of thought, they were granted the word ’human’ in their tribe’s name.

’The so-called King of the dark mages? I don’t want to be that at all...’

But becoming the Dark Mage King was the first step toward becoming the ruler of the world. It was a necessary hurdle Hui-Ryeon had to overcome.

The first step of Hui-Ryeon’s plan was stumbling slightly, but he was confident that his grand scheme would not deviate from its course.

"Cult Leader, what do you think?"

"It’s fine. Tell them to continue just like this."

"Understood. Knowing that you personally observed the High Priest’s speech will be an immense honor for him."

It was an extremely rare occurrence for Hui-Ryeon to visit a colony like this in person.

He had only stopped by briefly while overseeing the ’purification’ of the Green Core at a nearby shrine.

After all, there was a chance that the relic might be managed in this city if it transformed into the Red Core.

’If the Green Core becomes corrupted and turns black, reversing the World Tree will be no problem.’

The World Tree, which had once governed life, had now reached a state of complete neutrality.

And if the World Tree were to abandon life altogether and instead govern death, what would happen then?

For the spirits, it would likely be an unimaginable catastrophe.

One of the ways to make that nightmare a reality was through the Green Core.

It had been nearly impossible to obtain, as humans had carefully safeguarded and treasured it.

’But now that we’ve taken it, it’s as good as an artifact of the dark mages.’

There was still a long way to go before the Green Core’s purification was complete, so Hui-Ryeon planned to stay in the area and oversee the process for the time being.

As he quietly organized his thoughts and reflected on his plans, the atmosphere around him suddenly became chaotic.

"What’s going on?"

Resting against the bell tower with his eyes closed, Hui-Ryeon opened them slightly and asked. The dark mages nearby, clearly flustered, responded cautiously.

"Look over there."

Hui-Ryeon glanced toward the plaza, where a young Narang boy had stepped forward, holding a sword aloft.

The sword was pointed directly at the High Priest.

"High Priest of the Dark Mage Cult!"

At the boy’s shout, the dark mages immediately tried to rush in and stop him. However, the High Priest, seemingly amused by the situation, held them back.

With a subtle smirk, he tilted his head slightly, as if to say, "Go ahead and speak."

"If we, the Narang tribe, are truly to follow the Dark Mage Cult, then prove your strength! The Narang tribe is a race of warriors who live and die by strength!"

Hui-Ryeon quietly observed the Narang boy and noticed something strange.

Though the boy wore wolf ears and had his face concealed with a mask and scarf, there was something familiar about him.

’Where have I seen him before?’

As Hui-Ryeon pondered, the boy continued his bold declaration.

"You attacked us dishonorably, taking advantage of the night to ambush us. How can you call yourselves warriors? If the High Priest proves his strength in an honorable duel, the Narang tribe will acknowledge your power and genuinely revere the Dark Mage Cult!"

The other members of the Narang tribe lowered their heads in fear.

They had already experienced the overwhelming strength of the dark mages and couldn’t fathom the idea of a fair duel.

Instead, they felt an even greater terror, that the boy’s actions would bring retribution upon them. Resentment and despair began to bubble within them.

"Ha-ha! I like it!"

The High Priest glanced back at Hui-Ryeon before nodding in agreement.

He had already felt that a speech alone wasn’t enough. If he could demonstrate their power through a duel and gain their belief in the process, it would be an even better outcome.

And truthfully... There was another reason. The High Priest had been growing bored of his duties, and bullying this insolent Narang boy seemed like an entertaining diversion.

"Are you the representative of the Narang warriors?"

"I am. My name is Baek... something. As a representative of the Narang tribe, I challenge the High Priest to a duel for the sake of our honor."

"Very well, Baek-something. I, Malcan, the High Priest, accept your challenge and pledge my honor and pride to this duel."

There was no time to question where honor or pride existed in dark mages.

Hui-Ryeon, having finally realized the true identity of the Narang boy, leaped to his feet in shock. But by then, it was too late.

High Priest Malcan had already accepted Baek-something... no, Baek Yu-Seol’s challenge to a duel. There was no turning back now.

As Hui-Ryeon’s face began to twist in anger, the priests around him approached cautiously and asked.

"Cult Leader, is something wrong?"

"...It’s Baek Yu-Seol."

"Pardon? Baek Yu-Seol... you mean..."

"Yes. That insolent human who constantly interferes with my plans."

Although Fawn Prevernal Moon had ordered him not to touch Baek Yu-Seol, Hui-Ryeon had no intention of following that command anymore.

How could he possibly hold back when Baek Yu-Seol had come all the way here to mock him right to his face?

"Priests, stand by. It would be ideal if Malcan defeats Baek Yu-Seol in this duel. But if Baek Yu-Seol emerges victorious..."

Hui-Ryeon gritted his teeth and continued.

"I will take his head right here, today."