Jinhyuk and Kancho hurriedly set up their fishing chairs.
Momo, the owner of the Infinite Warehouse, pulled out a mountain of supplies and dashed toward the campfire. She set a massive frying pan over the flames.
Before long, something began popping explosively, and a rich, buttery aroma drifted through the air.
"It's done!"
Sweat glistening on her forehead, Momo ran back.
Kancho, Jinhyuk, and Elia held out their empty containers like baby birds waiting to be fed.
Soon, delicious-looking popcorn was being distributed by the bucketful.
Jinhyuk grabbed a handful and tossed it into his mouth.
As expected of Momo—her hands were magic. Perfectly popped kernels, dusted with just the right amount of cheese seasoning. The flavor was spot-on.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
With Momo joining in, the three of them launched into a frenzy of devouring popcorn. Their hands moved nonstop, but their eyes were fixed straight ahead.
Boom!!
The scene before them was nothing like the peaceful campsite.
The Undying Daruk and the Dokkaebi Renya clashed without an inch of compromise. Icy blue and demonic violet energy collided, blending into a dazzling storm of color.
"What are you doing, Daruk?! From there, you should've dodged left—whoosh!—ducked and thrown a right uppercut—bam! Whoosh-bam-whoosh! Don't you know that?!"
Daruk was fighting with chains. A right uppercut?
"Renya, dodge already! You wanna turn into shaved-ice red bean soup or what—puah!"
Momo got so worked up that she sprayed popcorn everywhere.
She wiped her arm across her mouth without missing a beat and went right back to shouting advice.
Watching the chaotic spectacle, Jinhyuk nodded to himself.
Thank goodness.
They were far enough away that the two fighters couldn't hear them.
Still, there was no denying it.
Nothing was more entertaining than watching a fight.
"They're still going at it?"
Seira approached, wiping blood from her face.
They needed another chair, but Momo—the one who owned the warehouse—was far too engrossed in spectating and backseat-coaching to even think about retrieving one.
"Sit here."
Jinhyuk shifted slightly and tapped the space beside him.
Seira sat down naturally.
"It's cramped."
"Sorry."
Though she complained, she didn't make any move to get up. Instead, she grabbed some popcorn and began watching the battle with more enthusiasm than anyone.
After a while, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"A good mud fight is always entertaining."
"…Excuse me?"
Jinhyuk glanced at her.
On one hand, he was relieved.
She'd used the word "mud fight" instead of something far more vicious.
That said, she was giving mud far too much credit. If actual mud could hear her, it would be thrilled.
"Hm."
Camela, exhaling a plume of thick smoke, tilted her head.
"How peculiar. There's clearly overlap between them… yet they're not quite the same."
Her gaze settled on Renya.
Given her keen sensitivity to presence, Jinhyuk had sensed it too the first time they met.
Renya's aura was strikingly similar to that of a Rakshasa.
But he'd also felt relief.
Through his Spirit Sight, he could see only one soul—Renya's own.
"No!!"
Momo screamed as if she'd lost the world.
Jinhyuk looked over.
The popcorn bucket was empty.
Wait—how is it already gone?
Just as the question formed in his mind, a hand slipped into his own bucket.
He looked up at Camela.
"You said you didn't like popcorn."
"It's my first time trying it. It's quite good."
Recently, Jinhyuk had learned something about the shaman Camela Sirin.
She possessed an invisible innate trait.
Its name was Just One Bite.
Whether it was ramyeon, jjapagetti, tomato soup, or popcorn, she always refused at first—then later silently inserted her chopsticks.
And she never actually took just one bite.
If she liked it, she devoured more than the original owner.
"Commander, the popcorn bucket is empty."
"…What?"
It was true.
Not even crumbs remained.
"Wait—Kancho's is gone too?"
"What are you saying? I was carefully savoring mine—…Eh?"
Kancho stared at his now-empty bucket.
When had the full bucket been swapped out for an empty one?
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
A particularly aggressive chewing sound came from the side.
Momo's bucket—surely the first one to run out—was now mysteriously full.
Her legendary pickpocketing and reverse-pickpocketing skills had struck again.
"What are you doing, you fiend?!"
Perhaps because she'd made the popcorn, they didn't attack Momo directly.
Instead, Kancho leapt at Camela, the source of this injustice.
"You Satanic hag!!"
Camela and Kancho began mercilessly beating each other—she with her pipe, he with a slingshot.
"Both of you are ridiculously weak."
Seira's cold commentary floated in from the side, thoroughly enjoying the mud fight.
Watching his friends, Jinhyuk smiled.
Another peaceful day climbing the Mythic Tower.
With a new companion joining them, it was time to head out.
[You have cleared Mythic Tower Floor 13!]
[You may now enter Mythic Tower Floor 14: The Dokkaebi's House!]
[Exiting the Tower!]
The officetel's communal bathhouse was included as part of the building's amenities.
An absurdly high-value location, offering a sweeping view of Seoul's night skyline.
After stepping inside, Jinhyuk thoroughly inspected the place.
He'd already scanned it with Presence Detection, but one could never be too careful.
"You can come out."
Daruk, Renya, and Kancho manifested one by one.
After quickly showering, they plunged into the steaming bath.
"Gaaaah…"
A groan of bliss escaped Jinhyuk.
The warmth seeped into his muscles, melting away fatigue.
He was reminded once more.
Paradise wasn't far away.
"This is killer."
"Absolutely killer."
With practiced ease, Daruk and Kancho placed folded towels atop their heads and leaned back.
Renya curled his lips in satisfaction. He seemed to like it too.
"Commander."
"Yeah?"
"Can I drink milk?"
"No. You always spill it everywhere. This is a public facility—we have to leave it clean for the next person."
"That's true. Milk tastes best after you're completely done bathing anyway."
Kancho tucked the milk back away and began swimming laps.
Whether in tears or in water, Kancho loved swimming.
Meanwhile, Jinhyuk studied Renya and Daruk's faces.
As always, fighting the Undying was unfair.
At a glance, it looked like Renya had taken the brunt of the beating.
Feeling his gaze, Renya shrugged.
"Combat itself is unfair. No matter how much I strike, he does not die. Still… the feeling of pounding him wasn't bad."
Daruk snorted.
"I expected a satisfying fight, but it felt like swatting a rat."
"Your slowness is not something you should blame on others."
Sparks flew between them again.
Still, at least they knew where they could and couldn't fight.
If they started here, the entire building would collapse.
"Renya. A question."
"Ask."
"Your aura resembles a Rakshasa's. Why?"
Renya looked at him as though the question were odd.
"Well. Because Rakshasa used to be Dokkaebi."
"…What?"
"More precisely, they were Dokkaebi. They aren't anymore."
"The difference is the number of souls?"
"Oh?"
Renya's eyes gleamed with interest.
"So you can see them. Your eyes are a different color from before."
"Ah, that."
[Spirit Sight]
His pupils turned blue, emitting a faint azure glow.
Renya smiled faintly.
Yes. Those eyes.
That piercing sensation, as though nothing could be hidden.
"As you said, the distinction between a Dokkaebi and a Rakshasa lies in the number of souls. And if there are souls besides one's own…"
Renya covered his mouth with his hand.
"It means they've eaten them. That many."
Jinhyuk swallowed.
Even Kalik, one of the Three Evils they'd encountered at the stronghold, had possessed an absurd number of souls.
Which meant he'd consumed that many lives.
"A taboo that Dokkaebi must never break. Rakshasa are those who broke that taboo out of a craving for power. Instead of honing themselves through training, they schemed for shortcuts. Trash who only think about getting stronger the easy way. That's what Rakshasa are."
Every word dripped with hostility.
No wonder he'd torn Rakshasa apart the moment he awakened.
"Oh."
Renya blinked as something occurred to him.
"Was it you who killed Kalik?"
"The so-called third strongest? Yeah."
Jinhyuk answered casually.
Renya let out a short laugh.
He hadn't been mistaken.
His master was strong.
After asking a few more questions—about Dokkaebi, Rakshasa, and Renya's sealing, which turned out to be a long story—Jinhyuk decided to save the rest for later.
Instead, he moved on to something he was most curious about.
"Have you ever fought a Black Dragon?"
Renya snorted.
"You even know that? What was his name again… Du… Dra…"
"Drakan?"
"Yes. That was it. He attacked a nearby village, so I beat him down a bit."
"Beat him down…?"
Renya truly operated on a different scale.
"I gave him a thorough thrashing back then. Now? Not yet. My strength hasn't fully returned."
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
There was no impatience in his expression.
He could always retrain.
"Do you have anything related to him? A trace? Like a fallen eye or ear."
Daruk and Renya both stared at Jinhyuk.
Was that really something one could casually call a "trace"? And did dragons even have detachable ears?
"A trace… Ah. I did pick up a few scales."
Jinhyuk's eyes lit up.
Perfect.
If he had scales, the Yodel Compass would handle the rest.
"Unfortunately, I don't have them with me. I believe I left them at home."
"That's fine. The next floor is the Dokkaebi's House. Probably where you used to live."
"Then that's convenient."
Renya splashed water onto his face.
He didn't bother asking how his master could bring them to his house.
The more he asked, the more endless the questions would become.
Meanwhile—
Splash splash splash!!
What on earth was that.
Deputy Commander of the Yodel Rangers, Kancho, was tearing through the bathhouse like a torpedo.
A Yodel—first of his kind Jinhyuk had ever seen.
From speech to behavior, nothing about him was ordinary.
Fluffy enough that he might make an excellent pillow.
"Gaaah…"
Jinhyuk stretched again and leaned back against the wall.
This pleasant heaviness.
Taking a nap after a bath would be perfect.
'Not yet.'
There was work to do.
His gaze shifted to the system window.
Two Jin-grade Blank Cards rested there.
Renya had finally joined them.
There was no reason to delay any longer.
The moment he got home, he'd use them.
A smile full of anticipation spread across Jinhyuk's face.
Now then.
What should he learn to make the world say he'd chosen well?
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T/N:
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