Chapter 276

"Aah..."

Chi Woo, who felt like his heart was about to explode due to the immense pressure, felt as if he had faced the palm of Buddha. His veins were bulging all across his body before he passed out.

"What's going on... Ugh..."

Even Seol's memories had been altered.

- You're Kang Seol...?

- Kang... Seol?

"Ugh..."

It was Seol Hong and Chi Woo’s reactions when they first learned of Seol's name.

Although it wasn't a huge change, it created a sense of dissonance.

'I was prepared for a shock, but I didn't expect it to be this intense...'

Chi Woo and Seol Hong, who had met Hye Myeong in person, must have suffered even more severe damage.

A few moments later, when Chi Woo and Seol Hong woke up, they explained all their altered memories to Seol.

"Hye Myeong... Was looking for me?"

Seol looked into the distance.

'Hye Myeong, where are you now?'

His ten legendary pieces had all disappeared after attempting ascension, so there was no way to know what kind of life they were living.

'Or maybe...'

Seol recalled the promise he had made with Mi Ah before leaving.

- You want me... To hold onto this?

- Yes. I'll come and get it on the promised day at the promised place.

- Okay...

"Promise..."

"Th-that's right! We were supposed to meet Mi Ah, right?"

"Isn't this... not the place?"

Seol frowned as he checked his surroundings.

"The terrain is similar to back then..."

"But the house is gone..."

"Could it be that Mi Ah..."

It was possible Mi Ah could have broken her promise, forgot, or something went wrong.

Thinking about these possibilities, they went down to the village to inquire.

'Today is the last day we agreed to meet.'

They had set a generous deadline because they didn't know how time would flow, but now, the promised day with Mi Ah was almost over.

'Could it be... things went wrong...?'

It was at that moment.

"Seol! It's here!"

Chi Woo came running up to Seol.

"I heard about a famous artist living on this mountain!"

"An artist?"

"Yes! It seems she has a studio where she has students. She also seems to be quite famous in the area."

"When we came before..."

"You're right. There wasn't anyone like that. Maybe we didn't notice because we weren't interested. Anyway..."

"Right..."

"Yes, I think it's her."

Seol and the group hastily set off to the artist's studio.

They couldn't afford to be late because they didn't know what might happen if they missed the promised date.

Seol was half-excited and half-afraid.

- Haha. I'll be waiting there too. See you then!

Hye Myeong also promised to come see Seol. If he kept his promise, he would be there with Mi Ah.

'If Hye Myeong has returned...'

Wasn't that something frightening?

What happened with his ascension? Why was the present so tangled?

As the villagers said, the artist's studio was there.

However, they approached it cautiously because it was late at night.

When they approached, a peculiar door stood before them.

Gulp...

They grabbed the doorknob and knocked.

Thud... Thud...

After a brief moment, they heard someone moving from inside.

Creak...

"Who..."

They were greeted by a woman with blindfolded eyes.

"..."

"Sob... Sob..."

"Mi... Mi Ah?"

Mi Ah welcomed Seol's group, "I've been waiting for you all along..."

"Why is Mi Ah...?"

Mi Ah was in the drawing.

'Come to think of it...'

No one noticed when they were standing side by side on the plateau. It was as if their awareness was limited.

'Why didn't anyone realize it wasn't Mi Ah who drew this?'

Suddenly, Chills ran down Seol's spine.

Mi Ah asked.

"I wonder... Who drew this."

"Was there someone in the spot where it was drawn?"

"There wasn’t. Just the painting tools that were left behind. However, Hye Myeong left a message regarding this."

The message Hye Myeong left was on a small note—big enough to hold a single sentence.

"Hye Myeong left a message for me?"

"What could it be..."

Seol quickly opened the note.

On the note, it said.

- Seol, someone is watching you. Be careful.

"..."

"Someone who could have been there at that time... Who could it be?"

They couldn't guess.

'Who could have... How could someone have deceived all of us and been there?'

Given that the place Hye Myeong and Seol had existed together was rather special, this issue was clearly not a trivial one.

"Oof, I don't know..."

"You might not be able to figure it out right away. Hye Myeong also said that."

"I see..."

WHOOM...

Then, a voice echoed from the Void.

- This is interesting.

'Ur?'

- Don't worry about this. I'll analyze this.

While Ur taking charge was reassuring, it made Seol feel a bit uneasy since it also meant that this wouldn't be a trivial matter.

Noticing Seol's darkening expression, Mi Ah said something that might cheer him up.

"Since you've fulfilled my request, it's my time to fulfill yours, Seol."

"My... request."

"Yes, this way."

A door with numerous locks.

It was the door they had passed by earlier.

The dust that had gathered suggested that no one but Mi Ah had been there for a long time.

Clank...

Clank...

Mi Ah unlocked the door.

Creak...

"I'm finally giving you what I've been keeping for so long."

"You went to such lengths to secure this..."

"You'll understand when you see it yourself."

"What?"

The seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars was small enough to hold with both hands, so setting up such a space seemed a bit excessive.

However, Seol's jaw dropped upon seeing the massive object filling the room.

"Is this..."

"Yes. This is the seed Seol entrusted me with."

"No way..."

The seed had grown massively.

It had grown so large that it filled the entire room, towering over a person.

Yet its golden light hadn't diminished.

In fact, it even seemed to be emanating more light.

Badump...

Badump...

Fwoosh...

The golden energy that had briefly resided in Seol's chest began reacting.

And.

Crack...

Crack...

The massive seed began cracking.

[The seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars has withstood the test of time.]

[The seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars is blooming.]