Rumble.

It was like thunder crashing down.

The air twisted, and an unknown force surged through the space.

Thump!

My heart pounded wildly, and energy erupted uncontrollably within me.

A defensive instinct.

My body reacted on its own, and my energy surged through my meridians, spreading across my entire body.

Whirrrrrr—!!!

Nine Flames Firewheel’s rings expanded and spun rapidly.

Heat rose sharply, and my crown burned hot.

'...What is this...?'

This sensation—

It was too alien to be simply defined as hostility or killing intent.

And yet, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either.

'A spell?'

I decided to classify this sensation as a type of spell.

If that was the case, should I consider it an intent manifested through sorcery?

Intent, when manifested, was shaped by one’s emotions and cultivation level.

And if a spell was being used to manifest an aura—

'Is this the result of that?'

An aura formed through sorcery.

And a phenomenon shaped by the turtle’s level of mastery.

If that explained the current situation—

'Interesting.'

Beyond why the turtle was reacting this way, the situation itself intrigued me.

Sorcery was a complex force, one I had yet to fully understand.

'So it can be used like this too.'

Learning that it could be applied in this manner gave me a new perspective.

'What exactly is the difference?'

The pressure intensified, gradually affecting me as well.

I focused entirely on analyzing the way it was being manifested.

'It’s fundamentally different from internal energy manifestation.'

Then the method of manifestation must also be different.

Should I look at it from a sorcerous perspective?

Thump.

I focused my heart energy, conjuring threads of sorcery.

It didn’t seem to exert direct pressure like internal energy did.

If I had to define it—

'Distortion. Or an anomaly.'

And transformation.

Turning truth into a lie.

Or turning a lie into the truth.

That was the fundamental principle of sorcery, as I understood it.

'Then ultimately...'

Rather than applying actual pressure, could it be creating the illusion of pressure through sorcery?

It was almost like a trick of words, but—

Ssssss—!

Following this realization, I manipulated my energy accordingly.

In that moment—

Crack—!

"...!"

A fracture ran through the phenomenon the turtle had created.

The two forces clashed like grinding stones.

"Aah."

Seeing this, I smiled in delight.

"So that’s how it works."

"...Ha."

Crrrkk—!

As the two phenomena collided—

The turtle let out a hollow laugh.

"...You really are an unbelievable bastard."

He sighed in resignation, and with that, the overwhelming pressure faded.

I clicked my tongue in disappointment.

'I was so close.'

Just a little more.

If I could have felt it for just a moment longer, I would have fully understood it.

But—

'For now, I should hold back.'

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t the time to push further.

That was when—

"What the hell are you thinking about right now?"

The ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) turtle’s voice snapped me back to reality.

"Oh, right. What were we talking about?"

"..."

He looked at me with sheer disbelief.

"...We were discussing how your mother is the ruler of the Man’gye."

"Oh, right."

Now that he mentioned it—

That’s what we were talking about.

I had come here because I needed to learn about sorcery in order to meet my mother.

And when the turtle heard that—

"You called her a Demonic Fox earlier."

He had referred to my mother as a Demonic Fox (Yohou).

"Is that her actual name?"

"...You mean to tell me you don’t even know your own mother’s name?"

"She was never called that before. But maybe she goes by a different name here."

"..."

The turtle’s expression turned unreadable.

He was a creature with minimal facial expressions to begin with, making it difficult to gauge his thoughts.

After a brief pause—

"...No, that’s not the case. Demonic Fox is simply a moniker."

"A nickname that only you use? Or—"

"I’m sure others called her that too. But..."

Tap. Tap.

The turtle tapped his staff against the ground a few times.

"Whether they’re still alive or not is another question."

"..."

His voice held a faint chill.

A sense of bitterness.

That wasn’t a good sign.

'That kind of reaction...'

Had my mother done something?

'Hmm.'

Just what had she done?

I was curious, of course, but—

'I shouldn’t press the matter.'

If he wasn’t saying it himself, asking wouldn’t do any good.

"...Haa."

The turtle let out a long sigh, as if sorting through complicated emotions.

As he continued to breathe steadily, I silently observed him.

"...You’re ridiculous."

Eventually, he turned to me, his voice filled with exasperation.

"It’s obvious that I don’t have good feelings about your mother. And yet, you still sit here so casually."

"Well..."

That was clear enough.

"But I didn’t do anything wrong. If anything happened, it was because of her."

"..."

At my matter-of-fact statement, the turtle’s expression went blank.

"You really are a shameless bastard."

"Shameless? No, I’m just being honest."

I shrugged.

"I was just as shocked as anyone when I heard my mother was some big figure in this world. Honestly, I didn’t even want to come here."

That was half a lie.

I had made a deal with my father back when I mastered Nine Flames Firewheel.

—"If you fully master Nine Flames Firewheel, I will tell you where your mother is."

That had been our agreement.

And the moment I heard it—

'I was already planning to find her.'

I had every intention of heading to where she was.

But—

‘It wasn’t just about seeing my mother.’

That wasn’t my sole purpose.

Of course, I had longed for her. Desperately, even.

But—

‘There was something more important than that.’

Right now, my personal feelings took a backseat to a greater concern.

‘...I need to understand what’s happening to me.’

If there was anyone who could, it would be my mother. And—

‘I need to confirm the truth about the Divine Sword.’

When I found traces of her at Divine Dragon Pavilion, my mother had appeared for the first time and intervened.

She had told me to absorb the Divine Dragon into my body.

‘But I still don’t know what happened after that.’

Since then, she hadn’t appeared again.

I had no idea where the Divine Sword was now.

That was why I needed to see her.

But—

‘...If she doesn’t even recognize me, that’s going to be a problem.’

No matter what, it was absurd that she might not even know her own son's face and could try to kill me.

I was just as much a victim in this situation.

So—

"Help me out."

I needed the turtle’s power.

"...How did the conversation end up like this?"

The turtle frowned, as if the conclusion made no sense to him.

What was so odd about it?

"I need to meet my mother, and to do that, I need to learn sorcery. And you’re the only one I know who can teach me."

"No, that’s not what I’m asking... Why the hell should I help you?"

"Come on, can’t you just lend me a hand?"

"...So you’re just going to throw a tantrum until I do?"

Sharp.

The more we talked, the more the disbelief on the turtle’s face deepened.

"You want me to help you, my enemy’s son?"

"Yes."

"Do you not hear how ridiculous that sounds?"

"It does sound ridiculous."

I wouldn’t deny it.

It was an unreasonable request.

But—

"That’s why instead of a favor, let’s make a deal."

"A deal?"

The turtle’s expression shifted, intrigued.

"Yes, a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"You teach me sorcery, and in return, I’ll do something for you."

"...What?"

For a moment, the turtle’s interest vanished.

"I have nothing I need from you. How does that make it a deal?"

"You will eventually."

"Huh?"

"Whether it’s something related to my mother or something personal to you, I’ll fulfill your request."

"..."

One of the turtle’s thick eyebrows twitched.

This offer made no sense.

He could have dismissed it as nonsense.

But instead of rejecting it outright—

He was considering it.

Which meant—

‘There’s something he wants from me.’

Or at least, something he might want in the future.

And I wasn’t about to let that slip by.

"As long as it’s not something like killing her or fighting her, I’ll do it."

"...Heh. Kill her? What nonsense."

"Right? That would be too much."

"It’s not about that. Even if you died a hundred times over, you wouldn’t be able to kill her."

"..."

Ah.

So that was the problem.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

Was my mother really that powerful?

Well, if she ruled an entire world...

‘Is she stronger than the Blood Demon?’

The thought crossed my mind, but I pushed it aside.

That wasn’t important right now.

But then—

"...Maybe not."

The turtle suddenly murmured to himself, lost in thought.

After a brief silence, he muttered again—

"I see. Perhaps... it’s not impossible."

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You said you’d grant my request, didn’t you?"

"Yes, as long as it’s not one of those things."

"And anything else is fair game?"

"Hearing it put like that makes me a little nervous."

"Give me a clear answer."

"I’ll listen first, and if it’s too unreasonable, I’ll refuse. But most things, I’ll agree to."

"...I see. Understood."

The turtle nodded in acceptance.

That reaction made me pause.

"You’re really fine with the fact that I might refuse?"

That meant he could end up making this deal for nothing.

But he just smirked.

"It doesn’t matter. After all... I’ll make sure you don’t refuse."

"...Wow."

That was a terrifying thing to say.

Should I back out now?

As I hesitated—

"I’ll regret this," the turtle said.

"My foolishness is making me involve myself in something I shouldn’t... but I suppose this is fate."

Creak.

The turtle stood up from his chair.

And then—

Fwoooosh!

The scenery changed.

In the blink of an eye, the teahouse was gone.

I now stood in the middle of a vast plain.

Lush, green fields stretched endlessly, pulsing with vibrant energy.

And in the midst of it—

The turtle and I stood facing each other.

"I will ask you."

His voice echoed strangely.

It seeped into my heart, embedding itself deep inside me.

"What is it that you seek from me?"

It was chilling.

And yet heavy.

For a fleeting moment, the vibrant plains felt like they would collapse into a swamp.

When facing a powerful opponent, the clash of swords could be felt like a razor’s edge.

But against this opponent—

It felt like the collision of seasons.

At times, it was cold.

At times, it was hot.

Sometimes, it was cool and refreshing—

But then, suddenly, it would become humid and oppressive.

A distorted symphony of sensations.

Facing the turtle felt like transformation itself.

I processed the overwhelming sensations and answered him.

What did I want?

The answer had been decided from the beginning.

"Everything."

Not a single thing less.

I intended to get everything from him.