Too flustered, Lee Eunha had spoken her thoughts aloud.
The Gamma-ranked administrators looked at her with expressions that seemed to ask, “What did I just hear?” Meanwhile, Ashiya Doman frowned and asked,
“What did you just say?”
For smoother communication, all administrators were equipped with a device called The King’s Ears Are Donkey Ears. This meant that Eunha’s curse had likely been translated into each person’s native language.
Fortunately, due to the nature of Japanese, it lacked the depth and variety of Korean profanity.
Praying that it had been translated appropriately, Eunha quickly spoke.
“Ah… My apologies. I was so surprised that I accidentally said my thoughts out loud.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yun burst into laughter.
“Puhahahaha! What is it with Korean administrators? There’s not a single normal one among them!”
Beside him, Taesan asked seriously,
“…Deputy Lee Eunha, have I assigned you too much work? Are you upset? If so, I apologize. As you know, I have high expectations for you. I understand that the stress must be immense, but still, to openly curse in a meeting like this—”
When Eunha shot him a glare, he fell silent.
To smooth things over, she bowed her head once more.
“I sincerely apologize for my inappropriate words and any offense they may have caused.”
Doman clicked his tongue and touched his face. The Gamma-ranked administrators, sensing his mood, also fell silent. Since their clear superior, Doman, chose not to pursue the matter further, they had no grounds to speak up.
“So, what exactly were you thinking that made you curse so openly?”
“…I believe there is at least one more unidentified entity in Jukai Forest, estimated to be Beta-ranked or higher.”
“Your reasoning?”
“The death of Beta-ranked administrator Yukina.”
Xiao Yun’s expression turned intrigued. From the moment he met her, he had noticed that despite her lack of strength, this woman had exceptional situational awareness and adaptability.
“Each one of them is so damn tempting,” he thought.
“Explain how that crazy woman dying connects to your conclusion.”
Eunha openly laid out her thought process, explaining how she had arrived at her hypothesis.
“…Beta-ranked administrator Yukina had already scouted this area beforehand. The only reason we even knew about the powerful unidentified entities here was because she personally observed them.”
Xiao Yun nodded.
“In her mind, Jukai Forest was classified as a place she could handle. After all, she had been here before. The data was sufficient, and as long as she was cautious of the two presumed Beta-ranked entities, she likely judged that there was nothing here that could pose a serious threat to her. Even in the worst-case scenario, she must have believed she could at least escape with her life.”
The key to this conclusion was that Eunha had deliberately put herself in Yukina’s shoes.
She wasn’t simply speculating—she was attempting to think exactly as Yukina would have.
If I were Yukina…
If I were a monster with enough power to wipe out an entire city, what kind of reasoning would I use?
That was where it all started.
“Makes sense.”
“Keep going.”
The two Beta-ranked administrators seemed to be gradually accepting her reasoning.
In truth, if anyone in this room could understand Yukina’s mindset, it was them.
Imagine an exceptionally intelligent ant trying to comprehend the thoughts of a tiger.
With effort, it might be able to make some educated guesses, but fully understanding the tiger’s mind would be impossible—because no matter how many years passed, the ant would never experience the life of a tiger, nor wield its power.
For the ant, it was an imaginative exercise.
But for other tigers, it was reality.
“In short, administrator Yukina was confident that she could survive even if she encountered the two known unidentified entities. But she died. Did she overestimate her own strength? Or did she underestimate theirs? It could be both.”
“….”
“But I find that unlikely. Before being a Beta-ranked administrator, she was a transmigrator from another world. She had likely fought numerous powerful foes before coming here. Over time, she would have accumulated experience, developed her own judgment criteria, and refined them to a precise degree. The fact that she survived until now proves this.”
The atmosphere grew heavier.
They were now convinced—this woman wasn’t speaking nonsense.
Of course, this was still just a theory, meaning there were logical gaps.
But this meeting wasn’t about proving anything.
It was about deciding their next course of action.
Resting his chin on his hand, Xiao Yun asked,
“I see your point. But what if those unidentified entities were actually Alpha-ranked and had been hiding their true strength?”
“That’s a possibility. But if there were an Alpha-ranked entity here, why would it bother dragging things out? It could just kill us all right now.”
This time, no one had an answer.
Because Xiao Yun and Ashiya Doman both knew the truth.
If an Alpha-ranked entity truly existed here, no matter how much they struggled, survival would be impossible.
Unless another Alpha-ranked administrator or an Apostle arrived, their fate was sealed.
…That was what it meant to be an Alpha.
A disaster.
Would anyone be foolish enough to fight against a natural catastrophe like an earthquake, typhoon, lightning strike, or tsunami?
If such a person existed, they were either a lunatic who feared nothing—not even death—or someone so desperate to die that they welcomed oblivion.
You don’t fight it.
You flee from it.
Even Beta-ranked beings like them were no exception.
“Good point. Continue.”
“Yes. So, my conclusion is that there is at least one more unidentified entity in Jukai Forest, estimated to be Beta-ranked or higher. Something that served as the definite variable that killed Yukina. For that to happen, the entity must have been at least Beta-ranked. It also had to be an entity unknown to Yukina. And to ensure her death, there must have been at least two of them. No matter how powerful she was… she wouldn’t have been able to withstand the combined assault of multiple Beta-ranked entities.”
Lee Eunha finished speaking, and silence once again filled the room.
If her reasoning was correct, what they had just heard was no different from a death sentence.
Xiao Yun let out a short, bitter laugh.
“So, there are at least four unidentified entities presumed to be Beta-grade? Just when I thought I could finally glimpse the light beyond…”
Xiao Yun had already completed his rejuvenation and reached the pinnacle of the Fire Realm, yet for decades, he had been stuck before an impassable wall.
He had pursued enlightenment relentlessly, feeling as if he was on the verge of grasping something—only for this to happen now. The sheer absurdity of it all made him want to curse.
“This is a real shitstorm. I fully understand why you swore earlier.”
“…Thank you.”
“Thank me for what? I just called this shitty situation what it is—a pile of shit.”
Doman scowled at him in disapproval.
“Hey, can’t you stop swearing so crudely?”
“Doesn’t it just sound like ‘baka, baka’ in your ears anyway?”
Doman temporarily disabled his King’s Ears Are Donkey’s Ears device and muttered something in Japanese.
The other Japanese administrators struggled to suppress their laughter. Given Xiao Yun’s temperament, if they so much as chuckled here, they couldn’t guarantee what would happen next.
“死ね, クソヤロ (Die, you bastard.)”
“Oh? Old man, that sounded like a curse just now. Didn’t it?”
“It wasn’t. Idiot.”
“Phew. If it weren’t for this situation, I’d rip your damn head off first… You’re lucky, huh?”
“Look who’s talking. If it weren’t for this situation, I would’ve turned you into my shikigami ages ago. Your insanity is a flaw, but I’d still find a way to put you to use.”
The two administrators glared at each other.
After a brief standoff, they both turned away, realizing how pointless their bickering was given the current circumstances.
Xiao Yun spoke.
“Well, that settles it. We depart as soon as we recover. What’s your opinion, old man?”
“…Damn it. Sitting around waiting to wither away sounds worse. I agree.”
Xiao Yun turned to look at the others.
“And you?”
They all nodded.
With the two Beta-grade administrators having made their decision, their opinions were effectively irrelevant.
“Okay. Then, everyone disperse. Conserve your strength until departure, and inform your teams as well.”
One by one, the group stood and exited the command tent.
As Taesan was about to leave last, Xiao Yun called out to him.
“You. Stick around. We need to talk.”
About three kilometers from the temporary base.
Two men were mercilessly slaughtering the yokai in the area.
Every time the bear-like man threw a punch, chunks of yokai flesh splattered in all directions.
And every time the sharp-eyed man flung his hidden weapons, dozens of yokai were torn apart like paper.
“Refreshing.”
“Indeed.”
“A damn shame.”
“What is?”
“I was this close to breaking through. If I had reached a new realm, I wouldn’t have to die like a dog here. I could have saved a lot more people.”
“…May I ask something honestly?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you truly care about saving others?”
Xiao Yun chuckled.
“You’ve heard about me, haven’t you?”
“I have.”
Taesan had heard of Xiao Yun’s infamous reputation.
It was difficult to imagine someone like him genuinely caring about others’ lives.
“Well… to be honest, I don’t really care all that much. But there’s this thing called responsibility, you know? They’re my people, after all. If I can, I’d prefer to send them back in one piece.”
“……”
Xiao Yun was no saint, but he was a man with clear principles.
As the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, he was known for fiercely protecting his own.
“Blood Sea Fist Demon. That’s your title, isn’t it?”
Taesan’s eyes widened.
“How do you know that?”
“I heard it from Lee Taeseong. Seems like we hail from the same homeland.”
Taesan was startled and quickly offered a martial salute.
“To think that you, sir, are also a martial artist…! Junior Taesan greets Senior!”
“Enough with that.”
“But still… Blood Sea Fist Demon, huh? Are you from the Demon Sect or something?”
“…I simply swung my fists without restraint, and that title stuck. It’s not something I sought out… frankly, it’s embarrassing.”
“Haha! Titles always work that way. Ah, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I am Tang Unryong, head of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Ever heard of me?”
“…!”
C-Could it really be that Tang Unryong?!
Taesan abruptly fell to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground as he shouted.
“M-My savior!”
