The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Seol had encountered an unexpected figure in the Ghost Realm. He tried to calm his bewildered heart as he brought the teacup close to his lips.

The warmth and serenity contained in the teacup filled him. Merely the act of smelling its fragrance was enough to bring him happiness.

"Hamun, why are you here…?"

"I'll tell you about me next time. Isn't there something more important right now?"

He wasn't wrong.

Yaksha still posed a threat to both the Mortal Realm and the Ghost Realm. So, stopping him was the priority.

It seemed that Spectre had brought Seol and his party here to solve that problem.

Seol then said to the Ghost King, who was looking at him and Hamun, "I caused a bit of a stir after unexpectedly running into an old acquaintance after so long."

"Haha, don't worry. It seems you know Master Cha."

"That's good. If you two knew each other, it probably means fate is watching over this moment. But the most important thing is still Yaksha. So if you have any questions, feel free to ask."

They all gathered closely around a small tea table and chatted while sipping tea. It was hard to believe they were a group preparing to face Yaksha, a notorious monster.

- Starting with Spectre, hahaha.

- The tea is already an error!

- Stop looking so pleased!

- She just muttered! I feel alive!

Since Spectre offered to answer their questions, Seol decided to take this opportunity to clarify everything he had been curious about.

"Where has Yaksha been all this time, and why did it cause such a major event suddenly?"

Slurp…

"Yaksha didn't suddenly come into existence. That cursed mask and sword have always caused trouble. The mask and sword are linked to each other, and they have continuously disturbed the Ghost Realm, changing owners each time."

"Do you know how it came to be?"

"I don't know its origin, but I can guess. It was probably born from someone's malice, passed down through several owners, each with a stronger and more defined evil intent, refining that way into pure evil."

If such a power existed, why did the Ghost Realm not subdue Yaksha until now? Chi Woo, who had been thinking about it inwardly, asked the question.

"Why didn't you stop it? Spectre, I'm sure you could have easily…"

"Because until now, it wasn't this strong. So there was no need to subdue it."

"Why not?"

"It was already subdued."

"What…?"

Chi Woo made a shocked expression, though since his face was that of a puppy, the tension couldn't be seen.

"Yaksha had drawn so much attention that many proposed subduing it for use in the Ghost Realm. But it never submits and continues fighting until its owner dies. It's as if struggle was its only purpose in life. You must always be on guard while facing it."

"What do you mean it was already subdued?"

"It was imprisoned in the most secure prison in the Ghost Realm, the Sacheon Prison. Since it was a troublesome being to handle, it was kept there until its owner died—had there not been a problem."

Seol frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…"

Until its owner died.

Those words pierced Seol's heart like a thorn.

If this incident hadn't occurred, Yaksha, who had wandered free from Seol's control, would have lived imprisoned for decades and eventually met a lonely death in its cell.

Even though Yaksha had brought it upon itself, Seol couldn't help but feel a hint of pity.

Seol Hong asked Spectre, "What kind of problem happened?"

"Good question. Someone broke the barrier of the Sacheon Prison. As a result, all the prisoners being held inside broke free at once."

"Who could have…"

"Hwagmu."

"…"

"Ah—to be more precise, it wasn't Hwagmu itself. The ones who did it were remnants of the ghostly army loyal to his ideals and still yearning for him… One of his former lieutenants approached the Sacheon Prison and caused trouble."

Recently, clashes with the Ghost Army have increased, from the unsealed Phantom to the other evil ghost, Shade.

"What's their goal?"

"Isn't it obvious? They want to cause chaos in the Mortal Realm. It was one of the Ghost Army’s critical tasks."

"Why would anyone submit voluntarily to the Evil Dragon…"

"Hwagmu understood ghosts better than anyone else—perhaps even more than the ghosts themselves. He incited the desires we possessed. Once a desire grows, it's incredibly hard to quell. That's why there are still those who follow him."

Seol still had important questions left. Realizing that a confrontation with Yaksha was inevitable, he sought to assess its full strength.

"In fact… Before coming here, we had a confrontation with Yaksha."

"Oh! That's the first time I've heard of it! Why don't you tell me in more detail?"

Seol recounted everything about the time he met Yaksha without holding anything back. He left no significant information out. He thought that giving as much information as possible would help estimate Yaksha's strength.

"Hmm… a cold, short fellow and a fox spirit… and strong on top of that. I think I know who they are."

"Were they also prisoners?"

"They were. So, they have joined forces with Yaksha. This won't be easy…"

"If they were imprisoned in the Sacheon Prison… they must have committed serious crimes."

"They were enemies of Shade and Phantom. I don't have a particular connection with them. I just know they are beings born with immense power. But… you were able to block Maegu’s attack even once?"

Flap, flap.

Chi Woo's tail vigorously wagged as if it might fly off.

"Me! I blocked it!"

"Hmm… Explain in more detail."

Chi Woo described the situation at that time, and Spectre, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! To think all this happened because of that damn monk! It seems things might be easier than expected."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys had contact with that troublesome Hye Myeong before, haven't you?"

There was no need to hide things now.

Nod…

The two nodded.

"The power Hye Myeong embedded in you two is no ordinary power. It has the properties of anti-evil. That's why you were able to block Maegu’s attacks even though you shouldn’t be a match for her. It was thanks to that monk."

"It was thanks to Hye Myeong? No wonder…!"

Chi Woo recalled the moment he blocked Maegu's attacks and glowed with golden energy. He concluded that it must be true.

"Even that guy is occasionally useful. If we prepare well enough, we can probably handle the two ghosts that aren't Yaksha. Then the only worry is how to face Yaksha…"

Chi Woo asked, "But is it really that hard to deal with Yaksha?"

"Haha… Isn't the Mortal Realm struggling because of Yaksha?"

"That's right. It seems he's been summoning ghosts from the Ghost Realm. Where does that strength come from?"

"Sacheon Prison is special. It was located in the place where the boundary stone that divided the Mortal and Ghost Realms is. Because of that, not even the strongest ghosts could fully unleash their powers."

Seol remembered his early Adventures when he had helped repair the boundary stone.

The stone that separated the Ghost Realm and the Mortal Ream was incredibly powerful, and it seemed that the Sacheon Prison had the same type of boundary stones.

Spectre’s face hardened, "Yaksha absorbed the power of the boundary stone. That's why ghosts can travel freely between the Mortal Realm and the Ghost Realm."

"Is that even possible? To absorb that power…"

"It's possible if it's Yaksha."

"But how…"

"Yaksha's sword can steal its opponents' powers."

The shocking revelation that came out of Spectre's mouth left the group astonished.

Jin Ryeo exclaimed in a flustered tone, "I-If that's true, then Yaksha right now…"

"It's probably still growing stronger. But don't worry too much. It only targets strong beings."

"That's still concerning…"

"He can steal the power of those it kills or extinguishes. According to the records, Yaksha used to be a simple abomination—although right now, it's a Demonic Weapon that can use hundreds of different swordsmanship techniques and spells. Fortunately, the current owner of the sword can't use spells. But if the sword passes to the next owner… we might have to deal with Yaksha's spells as well."

"Then that's fine! If it can't use spells, we can definitely…"

No one agreed with Chi Woo's optimism.

Creak…

"We're going to have to think about this carefully…"

Seol remained silent, and Hamun kept his mouth closed.

Spectre turned to Hamun and asked, "Master Cha, what are your thoughts?"

"Who's going to face Yaksha…?"

"That would be…"

At Hamun's question, Spectre pointed to someone—it was Seol.

Chi Woo asked Spectre, "Aren't you going to step in?"

"I have other preparations to make. Besides, even if I stepped in, there's no guarantee I would win against Yaksha."

Although they were curious about these other preparations, it was clear Spectre wouldn't tell them, so everyone let it go.

Hamun turned to Seol, "You plan to confront it head-on, right?"

"Of course…"

Even during the time Seol had spent with Hamun, bizarre events had occurred.

Now that both had grown significantly compared to before, they could undoubtedly handle even more difficult tasks.

Seol showed the trembling Agony.

"This is…"

"It's a Demonic Spirit."

"I see… Yaksha's sword is intriguing, but this is just as fascinating. Hmm… But why is it struggling like this?"

"It hasn't woken up since clashing with Yaksha's sword."

"That's understandable. After all, it has clashed with a concentrated mass of evil. A Demonic Spirit… Hmm… An interesting thought just crossed my mind."

- Let's do it right away.

- Reason for high male mortality rate No.1: I have an interesting idea…

- Take this seriously!

"What are you thinking…?"

"If the opponent has a bizarre Demonic Weapon, then…"

Hamun's eyes gleamed.

It was a rare sight. His eyes were full of interest.

"We should prepare something even more bizarre. First, we'll have to head to the Library of All Knowledge."

Everyone's eyes, except for Spectre's, widened.

"The Library of All Knowledge!"

* * *

The Library of All Knowledge was a library shrouded in mystery comparable to a labyrinth. Just like labyrinths, it appeared all over the continent, sometimes appearing even in other worlds.

When the Library of All Knowledge appeared in an area, it first absorbed all of the knowledge of that region. The mysterious beings that inhabited the library then bind that knowledge into books and store them inside.

Oddly, the knowledge it contained included both what was already known and what had yet to be discovered.

How they obtained such knowledge or the principles behind it remained unknown.

What was well known, however, was that those who entered it could obtain what they sought, but many died in the process.

"The Library of All Knowledge in the Ghost Realm…?"

The place they arrived after a week's journey was a barren land with a massive tower standing tall. Guards could be seen all over the place.

"This is a restricted area, so aside from the guards, there's no one else nearby."

The reason for the restriction was obvious.

"Although the Library of All Knowledge is in the Ghost Realm, Ghosts aren't allowed to visit. So we can't set foot inside. Only living beings are allowed entry."

The library resembled a long, stretched-out pavilion. The Library of All Knowledge could take various forms.

Had they encountered it in another region, it would have most likely looked different.

Hamun looked up at it, "They say the Library of All Knowledge appears in an area and indiscriminately absorbs knowledge. It's a breathing knowledge repository. But it's also very dangerous."

"Hmm…"

"I managed to get the translation of the rules up to the 8th floor. Let's try to make it that far, at least. If we're lucky, we might get what we need."

Each floor of the Library of All Knowledge had its own rules, and breaking them could have dire consequences.

That was why most adventurers who sought the knowledge inside the Library of All Knowledge perished.

Spectre waved cheerfully from the entrance of the Library of All Knowledge, "Well then, best of luck. Don't die."

Grr…

"Who's dying?!"

"Yes, don't die, dog. If you come back alive, I'll give you a pat on the head."

WHOOM…

The door to the Library of All Knowledge swung open before closing softly behind them.

A brilliant light flashed, and then they found themselves in a space filled with the scent of old paper.

Seol Hong, Chi Woo, and Seol had all reverted to their original forms upon entering the library.

They were startled but didn't make any sound. After all, they knew that any noise could expose them to danger.

'So this place is outside the Ghost Realm? Hmm… the Library of All Knowledge, huh?'

In front of them was a sign with a message.

[Welcome to the Library of All Knowledge.

The Library of All Knowledge is a repository of knowledge and a tower of etiquette.

Please refrain from engaging in any inappropriate or rude behavior while inside.

The library isn't responsible for any incidents that might occur as a result of such behavior.]

WHOOM…

Soon, the sound disappeared.

'It's been a while.'

This wasn't Seol's first time visiting the Library of All Knowledge.

[Sudden Adventure 'Strict Library' is now active.]

[This Adventure is very dangerous.]

…